Glen Osbourne (b. 1971)
Alias:
The Beast
Birthplace:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Born:
June 5, 1971
Glen Osbourne is an American professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Eastern Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s, where he was the second ever, and the overall second youngest holder of the promotion's World Television Championship. Since debuting in 1990, he has wrestled on the East Coast independent circuit. Osbourne got his start in the Philadelphia-based Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, run by radio personality Joel Goodhart, and became an early contributor to the city's hardcore wrestling style (Paul Heyman made his first ECW Television appearance by smashing his portable phone over Glen Osbourne's head). The TWA was unique for its time because they regularly booked big-name talent to work with their homegrown stars. Other notable TWA alumni include The Sandman, Rockin' Rebel, Jimmy Jannetty, Larry Winters, Tony Stetson, Johnny Hotbody, Max Thrasher, and D.C. Drake. During this time, Osbourne attended West Chester University, majoring in English. Although its shows drew well, the TWA ceased operations suddenly in 1992. The gap was soon filled by Eastern Championship Wrestling, precursor to Extreme Championship Wrestling, helmed by Tod Gordon. The team of Osbourne and Max Thrasher, known as Nightbreed, were entered into a tournament to crown the first holders of the Tag Team Championship. They defeated The Flames in the first round, but eventually lost to The Super Destroyers in the finals. Following the loss, Thrasher viciously turned on Osbourne and hired Hunter Q. Robbins as his manager. The two engaged in a bloody feud which lasted for several months. After getting the best of Thrasher, Osbourne set out to pursue a singles career. In September 1992, he defeated The Sandman in a match for the vacant Television Championship, becoming the youngest wrestler in history to hold the honor. He was forced to vacate the belt in early 1993, but was entered into a tournament to determine a new champion. He defeated Johnny Hotbody and "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert before losing to "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka in the finals. Osbourne left ECW later that year. Osbourne ventured out onto the independent circuit in 1993. After brief stints in the NWA and ACW, he joined the Delaware-based East Coast Wrestling Association in the summer of that year. During this run he wrestled stars such as Tito Santana, Cheetah Master, Ace Darling, Blue Thunder, and The Bushwhackers. In 1996, Osbourne joined the Maryland-based Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation (MEWF), and formed a tag-team with Rockin' Rebel known as Darkside. Together they dominated their division, winning the MEWF tag-team titles 5 times between 1996 and 1997. They also won the Virginia-based International Pro Wrestling Association tag team titles twice. During this time, Osbourne and Rebel were being scouted by the World Wrestling Federation. They worked for the company occasionally in dark matches and on house shows, both in singles and as a team, between 1994 and 2001. They also appeared regularly for the NWA.