YouTubular: TL Hopper

Posted by Leonard Hayhurst on 05.29.2009

A gimmick that started out in the crapper and went down from there.

Forget the current harsh economic times. It’s nothing compared to the mid-nineties WWE where it seemed about everybody was moonlighting. A prime example is TL Hopper, the wrestling plumber. Hopper carried his plunger Betsy to the ring and stuck it in people’s faces to celebrate his wins. I think I’d rather have Brutus Beefcake cut my hair or Jake Roberts drape Damian on me.

Tony Anthony, who was better known as the Dirty White Boy and also played the Godwinns Uncle Cletus briefly in WWE as well, played Hopper. Anthony is still active in independent wrestling in the Eastern Tennessee area.

Enjoy Hopper’s theme, which is quite possibly the worst ever, as it’s just the repeated sound of a toilet flushing with an ominous background dirge. It makes you want to pee and drown baby kittens at the same time.



TL Hopper vs. Duke Droese
Video Length: 7:05
Link

Ah, the plumber vs. the trash man, as natural enemies as the lion vs. the gazelle. This is from “Superstars” on July 13, 1996. Vince McMahon, Jim Ross and Mr. Perfect are on commentary. We get a bit of a Hopper vignette of him working on some pipes with his butt crack showing. Hennig tells the kids to just say no to crack. JR christens this the ‘home improvement’ match. At least Droese has real music and the not the sound of a trash compactor crushing chicken bones. This is Hopper’s debut.

Stalling to start as Droese teases dumping his trashcan on Hopper and he teases whacking Droese with his plunger. Duke works an arm wringer. They go to the ropes and Hopper is knocked over on a shoulder block. He runs into another and then jaws at the fans. This allows Droese to get the upper hand with a suplex. Droese scores a body slam, but then misses a charge into the corner. Hopper whips him to the opposite corner and goes to town. Hopper scores a backbreaker. Droese gets a backdrop, but tries again and is kicked in the mush. The Dumpster fights back and scores a scoop slam. It’s time to take out the trash! Hopper blocks the Trash Compactor and tries to get over his phrase “It’s plunging time!” Hopper wins with Down the Drain, a brainbuster suplex. Hopper then plunges Droese’s face with Betsy. These two have similar styles and the gimmick similarity worked too storyline wise. Limited TV time helps out as neither guy has an arsenal for a longer match and even this drug some. Duke seemed dominant until Hopper got lucky at the end. * ½

TL Hopper vs. Hector Garza
Video Length: 4:35
Link

Garza was part of the Latino World Order in WCW and Team Mexico in TNA. This is from “WWF Superstars” with Jim Ross and Honky Tonk Man on commentary. Hopper works an armbar and Garza uses a back heel trip to break. Garza works an armbar on the mat, but Hopper powers up and into a rear waistlock. Garza elbows out and snapmares Hopper into a chinlock. Hopper makes the ropes to break. JR refers to Hopper as “another brilliant marketing idea from McMahon” and asks HTM if he’s on his blue chip list.

Garza tries an armbar, but is hip tossed. Hopper works a headlock on the mat. Garza counters with a head scissors. Hopper makes the ropes again. Hopper scores a knee lift and pounds on Garza. He moves on an elbow drop. Hopper awkwardly falls into the corner so Garza can flip over him. Hopper then just as awkwardly runs into a dropkick and bails. Garza gets a springboard moonsault plancha out of the corner to the floor, which looked cool as hell until he missed Hopper completely and TL sells a brush of the forearm like it’s swine flu. Back in the ring, Hopper reverses a whip to the corner and gets a big clothesline. Hopper works Garza over in the corner. He gets whipped to the other side, but jumps to the top rope and flips over a charging Hopper. Garza hits a clothesline. He gets a crossbody and follows with a missile dropkick. A standing moonsault gets the win. The start with the chain wrestling and the finish with Garza getting fancy was good, but the middle was bad with the two men getting off the same page. For a clash of styles, they did as well as they could really. * ½

TL Hopper and Who vs. the Godwinns
Video Length: 5:53
Link

Who is Jim Neidhart without a shirt and under a mask. Who has also been requested, but this is the only match I could find. You type ‘who’ into YouTube and it comes back with “you’ve got to be kidding.” This is from “RAW” with Jerry Lawler, Bob Backlund and Vince McMahon on commentary. Lawler and McMahon rehash old Abbott and Costello routines to amuse themselves. Funny that the Godwinns don’t recognize Uncle Cletus, but I’m guessing they don’t want to start any fussin’ and feudin’ with Hillbilly Jim, who is still with them at this point.

Henry and Who start. They do a crisscross ending with Who being hiptossed into the face corner. Henry catches him with an armbar and tags Phineas. They trade off on an armwringer. Who smartly inches them near his corner while doing this and he tags Hopper. Hopper works the arm. Phineas reverses a whip and gets a scoop slam. Hopper plays woozy off of a few headbutts and bell clappers. He bites the face to prove he’s more disgusting than a plumber who sleeps with his own plunger. That’s conjecture on my part. Phineas goes into the ropes and Who knees him in the back. Hopper works the back over. Who in for a double backdrop. Who whips PIG into the corner and he does a good job of selling the back. Hopper back in. He scores a backbreaker for two. While this is all going on Backlund is going ballistic on his stance against sex education and knocks his own headset off. Backlund yells at the fans, yells at McMahon, storms around the ring and leaves. Anyway, PIG plays face in peril until reversing a suplex. Tags all around. HOG is on fire. Gorilla Monsoon appears in split screen to announce the Intercontinental Title vacant and a tournament to be held. Hopper saves a near fall. Everyone brawls. The heels try to slam the faces into each other, but they do-si-do and come out with clotheslines. Hopper goes to the floor and leaves Who for the Slop Drop. Lot of outside stuff going on, but this was fine from a veteran, power wrestling foursome. *

TL Hopper and Billy Gunn vs. Bart Gunn and Freddie Joe Floyd
Video Length: 9:53
Link

The Smoking Gunns explode! This seems like they’re trying to show the other one up. “Man, Bart, you suck so bad I’d rather team with TL Hopper.” Actually that’s kind of how Billy puts it in a pre-match promo. The Gunns break up from two weeks before in a match with the New Rockers is shown. The next night on “RAW,” Billy beat Floyd and was then interrupted by Bart as he was making time with Sunny at ringside. Floyd is Tracey Smothers. This is from “Superstars” with Vince McMahon and Jim Cornette on commentary.

The fake brothers start, but Billy quickly tags in Hopper. Hopper works Bart over in the corner. Bart reverses a whip and gets a monster hip toss on the bounce out. Bart works a wristlock. Smothers comes in from on high with a blow to the arm and he works an armbar. Floyd flips out of a body slam try, but Hopper holds onto the top rope on an O’Connor Roll attempt. Floyd ducks a clothesline for a flying back elbow for two. Hopper comes up with a clothesline and tags Billy. He takes too long to pull Floyd up and gets tripped. Floyd pulls up short on a crisscross to tag Bart. Billy goes to tag Hopper, but changes his mind. Bart works a headlock then shoots Billy into the ropes for a shoulderblock. The Gunns have a counter-a-thon and back off. Tag to Hopper.

Bart goes back to the arm and tags Floyd. Floyd takes a knee from Billy on the apron. Tag to Billy. We come back from break with Billy getting a bulldog. Hopper in. Floyd eats a big boot for two. Hopper pounds on Floyd and tags Billy. Floyd counters a backdrop try with a sunset flip for two. Billy comes up with a clothesline and tags Hopper. Side slam, but Hopper misses a diving headbutt. Hot tag to Bart. He slams and jams Hopper. Billy runs into a right hand, but manages to save a near fall after a powerslam. Floyd runs in for a dropkick that sends Billy to the floor. A double dropkick on Hopper gets the win. Billy then offers Bart a handshake and a hug. He says they should take off for a beer and then suckers Bart. Hopper attacks Floyd and the faces are left lying. Billy takes his boot off and nails everyone, including Hopper. Billy spits on Bart and leaves. The first part of the match was to establish the storyline with the Gunns and the proceedings picked up when Floyd was playing face in peril. For being non-regular teams, all four men showed decent chemistry. This is another surprisingly passable TV match. * ¼

The 411: TL Hopper didn’t look bad in any of these matches and probably could have been a serviceable jobber to the stars for several years if he hadn’t been hampered with such a silly gimmick. You could probably say the same for Floyd, Garza and a solo Neidhart, but mid-nineties WWE was just such a creatively bankrupt crapfest it would take more than Hopper and Ole’ Betsy to unclog it.

Final Score:  5.0   [ Not So Good ]