Kurt Beyer - Career

Career

In 1990, the then 30-year-old Beyer left Tokyo and began training at his father's wrestling school The Destroyer Pro-Wrestling Academy in New York and later under Kenta Kobashi at All Japan Professional Wrestling dojo. One of the few foreigners allowed to attend the dojo, the school is well known for its strict training schedules which included 1,000+ sit-ups, 500 back extensions, 1,000+ push-ups, 500 squats, hours of sparring and 300 to 500 "bumps" (body slams, back drops, etc.), daily.

Making his debut in All-Japan Pro Wrestling in January 1993, he began wrestling regularly at Tokyo's Budokan Hall feuding with Dory Funk, Jr. losing to him on February 28 and, teaming with Al Perez, lost to Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas on June 1, 1993.

The ultimate highlight of Kurt Beyer's professional wrestling career came when he served as The Destroyer's tag-team partner for his father's last three matches in Kanagawa, Yokohama and, finally, Tokyo defeating Masao Inoue, Haruka Eigen and Masa Fuchi in a 6-man tag team match with The Destroyer and Giant Baba at a sold-out Budokan arena on July 29, 1993. The match, which featured the first father-son tag team match in Japanese wrestling history, was extensively covered by the Japanese media.

The following year, he participated in the 1994 Summer Action Series as part of the 10-man American contingent which included Tom Zenk, Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy and his nephew Richard Slinger, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, The Eagle, Johnny Smith, Abdullah the Butcher, Giant Kimala II and Johnny Ace. During the series, he and Zenk lost to Terry Gordy and Richard Slinger in front of a sold out 2,700 crowd in Kurashiki on July 19 and, two days later, lost to Tom Zenk in a singles match at the Korakuen Hall.

Teaming with Zenk, the two would lose to Jun Akiyama & Tamon Honda at the Shimazu Gym on June 22. Beyer then teamed with Terry Gordy and Richard Slinger in a 6-man tag team match, defeating Tom Zenk, The Eagle and Johnny Smith at Budokan Hall on July 28 in the final event of the tour.

During the 1990s, he also feuded with Franz Schumann over the CWA Middleweight Championship while in the Catch Wrestling Association before losing to Schumann in Bremen, Germany.