Fred "Tugboat" Ottman had a nice run in pro wrestling from 1984 to 2001. Then known as Typhoon, he won the WWE tag team titles once as part of the Natural Disasters with Earthquake. Back then, titles exchanged hands les often. Despite winning gold only once, Tugboat was very successful.
Matt and I met Tugboat at C2E2 several years back. He looked in better shape than during his active career. He was in great spirits and seemed to love meeting fans and talking wrestling. Often times, it is the lesser stars who have (or are willing to tell) the best stories.
Tugboat doesn't do many appearances, but fans wish he did. He is well remembered and being off the radar increases the demand for him at conventions. Maybe he will get more active on the con scene this year.
As a little Tugboat trivia, his brother-in-law was the late Dusty Rhodes. He is also the uncle of Dustin Runnels and Cody Rhodes.
As always, I am looking forward to more fun at this year's C2E2, starting Friday, April 6 and running through Sunday, April 8. Check C2E2.com for all of the details and look for me there all weekend!
Tugboat, Matt Parker and me in Chicago, IL-March 2014.
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