The American professional wrestler and wrestling producer Peter Alan Gruner, Jr. alias Billy Kidman is well known for working with WCW, WWE, and WWF. In the 1990s and 2000s, Billy has won numerous Cruiserweight Championship and Tag Team Championships. Billy was once the member of Raven’s Flock, Filthy Animals, and The New Blood. Billy is a member of the WCW/ECW and WWE alliance. Billy is famous for willing the WWE Tag Team Championship with Paul London. Billy is currently working with WWE as a wrestling producer.
Early Life And Career Of Billy Kidman
Pater Alan Gruner, Jr., a Jewish was born on 11th May 1974 in Allentown, Pennsylvania . Gruner attended Parkland High School. Gruner worked as a banker before getting into the wrestling arena. Gruner got trained by Afa Anoa’i.
After being trained, Gruner made his first debut in the ring on September 11, 1994 as Kid Flash in Hellertown, Pennsylvania against “Wild Thing” Dan Kallis independent circuit. While at the Wild Samoan training center based in Pennsylvania, Gruner became good friends with professional wrestler Chris Kanyon.
Later, Gruner went on to develop a tag team with Ace Darling calling themselves “The Shooting Stars”. The two went on to win the ECWA Tag Team Championship and also the USWA World Tag Team Championship successfully. In the mid 1996, Gruner started wrestling as Billy Kidman or Kidman for the World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
Billy then joined Raven’s Flock in 1997. Billy gave himself the gimmick of a he r o i n addict where he persistently scratched his arms and thus named his shooting star press the Seven Year Itch. Later after a feud, the group was terminated. Billy then began performing as a well-groomed face and later went on to win his first Cruiserweight Championship by defeating Juventud Guerrera.
Billy lost his second match on an episode of Nitro to Rey Mysterio , Jr. Later Kidman and Mysterio worked as a tag team in a match for the World Tag Team Championship where they won against Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko. Then, Billy had a faceoff with Mysterio in the Cruiserweight Championship at Spring Stampede which he lost.
Billy went on to win his second Cruiserweight Championship but from Prince Laukea at a house show. Billy at the same time defeated Psicosis and came near to defeating Jeff Jarrett for the United States Heavyweight Championship. Billy went on to join the Filthy Animals but later he left the stable when its members turned their heels.
Then again he joined the Animals during the last left months of WCW’s continuation. Billy changed his stable to New Blood and was given the gimmick as a hotshot. Billy went on to have the biggest feud of his career fighting against Hulk Hogan defeating him in three consecutive matches.
Billy then entered the feud with Shane Douglas due to the affection of his on-screen girlfriend Torrie Wilson. Billy later teamed with Mysterio again and entered the Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship tournament but the two lost it against Elix Skipper and Kid Romeo. But in the final episode of the Nitro, The two won the title from Romeo and Skipper. It was the night that WWF purchased WCW which led to Billy’s contract being picked up by WWF.
Soon after the purchase, Billy appeared on WWF television as a tweener for The Alliance (professional wrestling). Billy went on to win the Cruiserweight Championship in July 2001. During the Invasion angle, Billy suffered an injury and thus didn’t have a big impact on WCW wrestlers.
Billy went on to win his record-tying fifth Cruiserweight Championship after defeating X-Pac on the episode of SmackDown!. Billy went on to win his sixth Cruiserweight championship after defeating Tajiri. Billy teamed up with real-life girlfriend Torrie Wilson at WWE Rebellion and defeated John Cena and Dawn Marie. Then again Billy won his seventh Cruiserweight at Survivor Series.
On July 8, 2004, Billy teamed up with Paul London and won the Tag Team championship form the Dudley Boys in the episode of SmackDown!. Billy turned his back on London and the rematch of the championship came to an abrupt end.
On August 24, 2004, Billy’s shooting star press inadvertently caused Chavo Guerrero to undergo a concussion. Later London and Billy went on to face one another at No Mercy and Billy defeated London after his shooting star press was performed on London.
Billy suffered a broken orbital bone in 2005 which caused him to stay away from the ring for about 3 months. After Billy was released from the WWE contract on July 6, 2005, he began touring the UK. While in the UK, Billy went on to compete for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance in a three-way match. Billy lost the inaugural Real Quality Wrestling Heavyweight Championship against Robbie Brookside.
Billy went on to fight in his first International Wrestling Association match for the IWA World Heavyweight Championship which he lost against Ray Gonzalez. Billy won the WSW World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Bryan Danielson. Billy teamed up with Sean Waltman on July 8, 2007, as a part of a triple threat match in Texas.
Following this success, in 2010 Billy was rehired by World Wrestling Entertainment as a producer/road agent as he helped train upcoming wrestlers in Florida Championship Wrestling in 2007 and 2008.
A story about Gruner’s role as a producer was run by WWE on their website on 21st September 2011. Recently in November 2013, Kidman appeared as Paul Heyman’s Doctor under the name “Dr. Weisenburg” on WWE’s European tour.
Billy irregularly appeared on The JBL & Cole Show. After four years of an affair with former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson, Billy married her on July 11, 2003. The continued to live together in Tampa, Florida but they separated in 2006. Their divorce was finalized in 2008. Recently in 2014, a book regarding Billy’s wrestling career named Billy Kidman: The Shooting Star was released.
by monika, 15 Oct, 2014
