Tommy Dreamer was inspired by Bob Backlund, with the former WWE Champion being the reason he stepped into the ring for the first time.
Tommy Dreamer’s career looks to be coming to an end, with the ECW legend having spent over three decades in the professional wrestling business.
The former ECW Champion made a name for himself as The Innovator of Violence, bringing the ECW-brand of wrestling to companies like TNA, WWE and AEW.
He has faced some controversy over the years, including a recent “cancellation” over his comments about Ric Flair on The Plan Ride From Hell.
He returned to TNA after the comments, but has recently commented about the end of his career soon coming to a head.
However, before that, we look back at the beginning of Tommy Dreamer’s career, and how the first match he ever watched saw Bob Backlund inspire him to become a pro-wrestling.
Tommy Dreamer on Bob Backlund
In an interview with Icon vs Icon, Tommy Dreamer revealed how Bob Backlund was the person who inspired him to become a professional wrestler.
He spoke about how the first mattch Tommy Dreamer ever saw was Bob Backlund vs Bulldog Brower, with left him “hooked from day one”.
Dreamer talked about how his dad would take him to the wrestling shows, which is where he saw his other idol, The American Dream Dusty Rhodes, for the first time in the flesh.
Speaking about Bob Backlund, Tommy Dreamer said’
What made me want to become a professional wrestler was the moment that I saw it on television. It was Bob Backlund versus Bulldog Brower. I was hooked from day one!
My father was a school teacher and during his spring break, he took our family to Florida. It was there where I got to see The American Dream Dusty Rhodes live. I remember being frozen in my tracks and it was like watching God on earth come to the ring.
The moment the match ended I knew what I had to do with my life. I was 10 years old. I became obsessed with wrestling magazines and I would watch it on television any time I could, because back then there was no Internet.
I truly have been living my dream ever since. I started at 18 and I’ve never looked back! I’m very, very happy that I’ve yet to look back!
Tommy Dreamer recently spoke about comparisons between himself and AEW star Eddie Kingston.
Click the link below to read what he said about his fellow New Yorker, or let us know what you think about Tommy Dreamer and Bob Backlund in the comments section.