Stephen Paul Keirn, born on September 10, 1951, is an American retired professional wrestler with a long and storied career. Keirn graduated from Robinson High School in Port Tampa. His journey in the wrestling world is marked by success in tag teams, memorable characters, and a lasting impact on the sport.
His father, Richard Keirn, was a B-17 pilot who was shot down over Germany in September 1944 and became a POW. In July 1965, when Stephen was 13, Richard was shot down over Vietnam and again taken prisoner. He was held in the Hanoi Hilton for seven and half years.
Hanoi Hilton
Early Career and Tag Team Success
Much of Keirn's early career was spent wrestling as part of a tag team. As in CWF, Keirn found his greatest success in the tag team division.
- He held the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship 17 times, including 14 reigns as one half of The Fabulous Ones with Stan Lane.
- The Fabulous Ones competed in various promotions over the next decade.
The Fabulous Ones
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9. THE FABULOUS ONES [Greatest Tag Teams Ever]
Singles Career and Championships
In 1980 and 1981, Keirn focused on his career as a singles wrestler. He was successful as a singles wrestler, winning a tournament to claim the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. He won many titles in Florida and Georgia, including the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title by defeating Chavo Guerrero Sr.
This title reign was recognized by New Japan Pro-Wrestling, as well as the Los Angeles and Florida NWA territories, but not by the NWA as a whole, which considered the title vacant and held a tournament to crown a new champion. He also held the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship on two occasions. In 1981, Keirn began wrestling with the Tennessee-based Continental Wrestling Association (CWA).
World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
In the summer of 1991, Keirn debuted in the WWF as Skinner, an alligator hunter from the Florida Everglades.
- He was portrayed as a generally nasty individual, always chewing on tobacco and sometimes spitting it on his opponent.
- He carried an alligator claw to the ring with him, which he would often use as a weapon against his opponents.
WWF Skinner
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Keirn also unsuccessfully challenged Randy Savage for the WWF Championship on the June 29, episode of Prime Time Wrestling. He also competed in the 1993 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by Mr. Perfect at the 3:05 mark. While in the WWF, Keirn also portrayed Doink the Clown on occasion.
Doink the Clown
World Championship Wrestling (WCW)
Along with Bobby Eaton, Keirn wrestled in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994 in a tag team known as "Bad Attitude". Despite the tag team success both Keirn and Eaton enjoyed in the past (with The Fabulous Ones and the Midnight Express respectively, with Lane as a common partner), the team made little impact, losing dark matches to Brian and Brad Armstrong at Bash at the Beach 1994 and Fall Brawl 1994.
One of their few victories came on the November 5, 1994 episode of WCW Pro. While in WCW, Keirn was also involved in an angle in which masked men attacked Hulk Hogan.
Independent Circuit and Training
After WCW, Keirn worked in the independent circuit mainly in Florida and Tennessee. Since the late 1980s, Keirn has run a school to train wrestlers. His last match was on December 10, 2007, at the 15th Anniversary Raw participating in a Battle Royal where he was eliminated from the match by Sgt. Slaughter.
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Championships and Accomplishments
Steve Keirn has achieved significant success throughout his wrestling career. Here is a summary of his championships:
| Championship | Times |
|---|---|
| NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship | 1 |
| AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship | 1 |
| AWA Southern Tag Team Championship | 17 |
| NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title | 1 |
| NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title | 2 |