Posted April 5, 20187 yr comment_5839155 From WO: Tommy Sullivan, aka "Luscious" Johnny Valiant, died after he was struck by a truck Wednesday morning. He was 71 years old. According to a report by WPXI, Sullivan was struck after he ran across a busy road. Police said it was a "terrible accident" but are still investigating. The WWE Hall of Famer (1996) was a two-time WWWF tag team champion with storyline brothers Jimmy and Jerry. Debuting in 1967 in the Detroit territory, Sullivan worked throughout the U.S. and Canada, getting up to the midcard level in WWWF. After retiring from in-ring competition, he became a manager in the AWA, managing a young Hulk Hogan in the early 1980s. He would later head to the WWF to manage Brutus Beefcake, later putting together The Dream Team of Beefcake and Greg Valentine. He would later manage Valentine and Dino Bravo as The New Dream Team before leaving the organization in 1988 for a return to the AWA.
April 5, 20187 yr Author comment_5839160 I used to live in that area and I still go up there for doctor appointments, where he got hit was a known bad intersection for both cars and pedestrians. Absolutely horrible news for sure, but I wasn't surprised when I heard where it happened.
April 5, 20187 yr comment_5839171 I was just watching a fun match of his from 1979 vs. Larry Z at MSG - those purple Star Wars tights were fantastic - terrible news.
April 5, 20187 yr comment_5839178 what's the general consensus on his 80s WWF managerial work? He really didn't do much but I always liked him as a promo. And it's kind hard to describe but his weird, stilted way of speaking made me laugh as a kid
April 5, 20187 yr comment_5839180 RIP Johnny V I liked his pairing with Brutus and then the Dream Team. Title change was a good match (so was the loss at WM2 for that matter), and using his cigar to blind Windham was pretty memorable.
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