Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
‘Whatever Happened to?‘ returns today as it looks at one of the high-flyers who featured in WCW’s cruiserweight division during the Monday Night, albeit predominantly on the wrong side of the referee’s decision. Today we ask, Whatever Happened to WCW’s Blitzkrieg?
Today’s ‘Whatever Happened to?’ involves a wrestler who didn’t have a very long career, but certainly made an impact in his all too brief 5-year career. His name is Jay Ross, but to WCW fans he was better known as ‘the Fabulous’ Blitzkrieg. Jay Ross was an acrobat and yoga instructor turned wrestler.
He began his career being trained by Roland Alexander and All Pro Wrestling (APW) based in Northern California. APW was the same wrestling school that helped train future stars such as John Cena. Ross used his background in acrobatics and yoga to help mould him as a professional wrestler. He was given the gimmick of ‘The Fabulous’ Blitzkrieg and was asked to don a mask.
The gimmick of Blitzkrieg looked like a cross between a ninja and a Power Ranger. After 4 years of wrestling in the Californian independents. Ross got the call to join World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and wrestle in their highly competitive cruiserweight division. He would wrestle the likes of Juventud Guerrera, Psicosis and Billy Kidman, usually ending up on the short end of a decision.
While on a tour of Japan with WCW, it all began to change for Jay Ross. After attempting a sky twisting springboard moonsault, his opponent was not positioned properly and Blitzkrieg wound up landing on his head. He would suffer a serious concussion and was out of action indefinitely. While out of action, Ross became interested in medicine and taking care of the injured, rather than being the injured one himself.
After only about a year in WCW, Jay Ross made the decision to walk away from a potential lucrative pro wrestling career and start a new chapter in his life. At the age of 30, Ross enrolled in nursing school at the University of Texas at Austin. He would graduate with “flying colors” and began a career as a registered nurse. Jay Ross would raise a child of a family friend and get involved in many social causes.
Today, Ross is still a registered nurse that lives and works in the Austin, Texas area.
David Fullam
Oddly enough, Jack Evans purchased the rights to the gimmick. He debuted it at a show against Super Dragon. It ended that night. Jack botched a move and was seriously injured. The gimmick was never seen again.