Damn I was too young to remember him, but people always said he was a solid worker
RIP Tom Zenk
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Damn I was too young to remember him, but people always said he was a solid worker
NO. 
Damn R.I.P. to the "Z-man". When I was little I was a big fan of Tom Zenk. (I know). But you couldn't tell me shyt being a kid and seeing some ripped dude
run out doing dropkicks and shyt, callin himself the Z-man....that shyt was over with me. 
But damn R.I.P.
Damn R.I.P. to the "Z-man". When I was little I was a big fan of Tom Zenk. (I know). But you couldn't tell me shyt being a kid and seeing some ripped dude
run out doing dropkicks and shyt, callin himself the Z-man....that shyt was over with me. But damn R.I.P.
Jixson
Pro
Well shyt.
RIP to the z-man
Solid in the ring, but didn't get much attention.
RIP to the z-man
Solid in the ring, but didn't get much attention.
prophecypro
Hollywood North
Nothing colder than "Passed away earlier this month" and the news is only literally breaking now
RIP Z Man
RIP Z Man
.
remember the "Z-man" as a kid. he was a mid carder, TV championship contender kind of guy.
I also remember reading him shoot on wrestling back in like the early 2000s in written articles. he would call Stephanie "Big Steph" for some reason
I think that was on like the 1st wrestling website I ever found.
I also remember reading him shoot on wrestling back in like the early 2000s in written articles. he would call Stephanie "Big Steph" for some reason
I think that was on like the 1st wrestling website I ever found.
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59 is kinda young to be checking out.
RIP Z Man.
RIP Z Man.
LurkNowitzki
All Star
Real talk I forgot all about dude until I start listening to Tony Schiavone's podcast.
thenatural
Superstar
Damn, RIP Z-Man
RIP.
The Z-Man in WCW. Always liked him as a wrestler.
The Z-Man in WCW
. Always liked him as a wrestler.
KevCo
Bond's gun spoke once....
:sadTonySchivone:
But rip to the Z Man
But rip to the Z Man
Meltzer wrote a story/obituary.
Tom Zenk passes away at 59 years old
Tom Zenk, a bodybuilder turned wrestler who was one of the most popular guests on Wrestling Observer Live after his career in wrestling ended, passed away on December 9th at the age of 59.
Few details are available at this point other than he passed away at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, Minnesota.
Zenk was a Mr. Minnesota winner in bodybuilding who grew up and went to Robbinsdale High School with Curt Hennig, Brady Boone, and Rick Rude in his graduating class and knew Hennig's wife from first grade. He was shaken up years ago realizing the four of them grew up and went to school together, and by the time he was in his early 40s, he was the only one still alive.
Like so many weightlifter and bodybuilder types in that era, they saw the success of the Road Warriors and grew up with the popularity of Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, and Ken Patera in the AWA and were interested in wrestling.
He was trained by Eddie Sharkey and because of his looks and physique, became a star in short order working for Don Owen in the Pacific Northwest where he held both the singles and tag titles right away. His success led him to tie Keiichi Yamada (now Jushin Liger) in the 1984 balloting for Rookie of the Year. But his career never reached the level of his potential.
Only two years into his career, he was signed by the WWF for a tag team called the Can-Am Connection with Rick Martel. They were being groomed as the promotion's top babyface tag team, and were to win the tag titles, but Zenk quit the promotion, unhappy about money.
He became bitter with the McMahons because they tried to legally stop him from wrestling with All Japan after he left WWF, citing he was still under contract to them.
Eventually he went to WCW as The Z Man, with his best success coming as U.S. Tag Team Champion with Brian Pillman. Zenk was thought of as having a great look and he was a good athlete, but was not a favorite of the bookers and after the team broke up, was relegated to jobber duty. He was often bitter, citing that his looks and his ability to get women should have made him pushed above promoter's sons, but also he didn't work hard on breaking through and if he wasn't pushed, would stop lifting citing if he was going to be used as a jobber he would look like one, which led to a spiral downward.
Zenk testified against Vince McMahon in his 1994 trial, and later, pretty much disappeared after legal threats were made regarding comments he made publicly on a number of shows.
Tom Zenk passes away at 59 years old
Tom Zenk, a bodybuilder turned wrestler who was one of the most popular guests on Wrestling Observer Live after his career in wrestling ended, passed away on December 9th at the age of 59.
Few details are available at this point other than he passed away at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, Minnesota.
Zenk was a Mr. Minnesota winner in bodybuilding who grew up and went to Robbinsdale High School with Curt Hennig, Brady Boone, and Rick Rude in his graduating class and knew Hennig's wife from first grade. He was shaken up years ago realizing the four of them grew up and went to school together, and by the time he was in his early 40s, he was the only one still alive.
Like so many weightlifter and bodybuilder types in that era, they saw the success of the Road Warriors and grew up with the popularity of Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, and Ken Patera in the AWA and were interested in wrestling.
He was trained by Eddie Sharkey and because of his looks and physique, became a star in short order working for Don Owen in the Pacific Northwest where he held both the singles and tag titles right away. His success led him to tie Keiichi Yamada (now Jushin Liger) in the 1984 balloting for Rookie of the Year. But his career never reached the level of his potential.
Only two years into his career, he was signed by the WWF for a tag team called the Can-Am Connection with Rick Martel. They were being groomed as the promotion's top babyface tag team, and were to win the tag titles, but Zenk quit the promotion, unhappy about money.
He became bitter with the McMahons because they tried to legally stop him from wrestling with All Japan after he left WWF, citing he was still under contract to them.
Eventually he went to WCW as The Z Man, with his best success coming as U.S. Tag Team Champion with Brian Pillman. Zenk was thought of as having a great look and he was a good athlete, but was not a favorite of the bookers and after the team broke up, was relegated to jobber duty. He was often bitter, citing that his looks and his ability to get women should have made him pushed above promoter's sons, but also he didn't work hard on breaking through and if he wasn't pushed, would stop lifting citing if he was going to be used as a jobber he would look like one, which led to a spiral downward.
Zenk testified against Vince McMahon in his 1994 trial, and later, pretty much disappeared after legal threats were made regarding comments he made publicly on a number of shows.
remember the "Z-man" as a kid. he was a mid carder, TV championship contender kind of guy.
I also remember reading him shoot on wrestling back in like the early 2000s in written articles. he would call Stephanie "Big Steph" for some reason
I kinda remember that website myself, kind of a primitive-looking site, one of the first sites I ever saw that broke kayfabe a little bit.
He was usually pushed as a pretty-boy type of babyface. I have to admit, I wasn't really a fan of his wrestling character, but saw interviews with him later that made me respect him a lot more.
For some reason my main memory of him is from Starrcade '91. He was part of the Lethal Lottery, where tag teams were picked at "random" and a lot of the teams ended up being a heel teamed with a babyface. He was a babyface, and he got teamed with Terrance Taylor, a heel. As he walked to the ring, he looked into the camera and said something like "I don't even LIKE Terrance Taylor".
(Yeah, we get it, that's the whole point.
) Anyway, that always made me laugh.
RIP
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