B. Brian Blair is one of the most athletic and technically sound wrestlers in the ring and one of the most well liked and respected stars out of the ring.

Brian is a natural athlete, but believes that talent can only take you so far. Brian is dedicated to mental and physical training and lettered in four sports at Tampa Bay Tech High School in Florida. Brian lived on his own from the time he was 15. To earn money as a youth, Brian sold sodas at University of Tampa football games where he enjoyed watching another superior athlete, Paul Orndorff play running back for the Spartans. Both would go on to successful wrestling careers, including the WWF.

I want to thank God, my family and all the fans that have ever supported me! My sincere love and best wishes for the families of Gordon Solie, Richard "Pops" Keirn, Johnny Valentine, Helen Hart, Terry Gordy, Rodney (Yokozuna) Anoai; Olivia Walker; Owen Hart, Rick Rude, Brady Boone, Chris, Mike, Kerry, David and Fritz Von Erich, Rick McGraw, Bubba Douglas, Jay Youngblood, Eddie Graham, Duke Keomuka, Vince McMahon Sr., Leroy McGuirk, Dino Bravo, Andre the Giant, Dick Murdoch, Bulldog Bob Brown, Junkyard Dog, Adrian Adonis, Joey Morella, Gorilla Monsoon (Gino Morella), Bruiser Brody, and all the other departed people that have been a part of my wrestling career.

Brian saw all his hard work pay off when he was awarded a football scholarship to the University of Louisville. While he was at Louisville, Blair double majored in business and political science.

After college, Brian returned home to Florida to pursue his first love, wrestling. He started with Eddie Graham's Florida Championship Wrestling office and was trained by several stars, including Hiro Matsuda. Brian's first professional match was an inauspicious debut in a tag-team match against two all-time greats, Ivan Koloff and Pat Patterson.

Still, Brian's work ethic and athleticism allowed him to progress quickly and he made his first impact working for Bob Geigel's Central States promotion in Kansas City.

From there, Blair went to Leroy McGuirk's Tri-State wrestling promotion in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is a great amateur wrestling state and Brian, with his high school and college amateur background, quickly became a favorite. Blair became a main eventer quickly, unheard of for a wrestler with so little experience. In 1979, Blair became one of the youngest junior heavyweight champions of all time beating Ron Starr in Springfield, Mo. Starr won a controversial rematch a week later.

From Oklahoma, Blair migrated south to World Class in Dallas where he faced even stiffer competition. The young Blair was considered an underdog upon his arrival, but quickly proved himself with wins over such stars as Killer Tim Brooks, Rip Oliver and former WWF World heavyweight champion Stan Stasiak. He more than held his own against main event caliber talent such as the Spoiler (Don Jardine) and Mark Lewin. Blair earned shots at the NWA World junior heavyweight championship and came close to lifting the title from Les Thornton.

While in Texas, veteran star Al Madril asked Blair to team with him in a tournament for the prestigious American Tag Team championship. Blair and Madril were able to win the grueling tournament and had a successful reign.

Brian was then booked by Vince McMahon Sr. to wrestle for the WWF and make his first trip to Japan for New Japan Wrestling. Blair earned the Japanese fans' respect with a great series of matches against Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami.

It was a much more confident and seasoned B. Brian Blair that returned home to Florida than the raw rookie the fans had seen a mere two years earlier. Brian proved that you can come home again when he beat Jimmy Garvin for the Florida State Heavyweight championship July 11, 1982 in Orlando.

Brian had proven he was a great technical wrestler but the question was could he take care of himself against overpowering brawlers. Blair answered those questions by successfully defending the championship against both Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody.

Brian was chosen by Vince McMahon Jr. to join the WWF for its expansion as a national promotion. Brian was part of the first "wrestling boom" in the 80s. His St. Louis match against Paul Orndorff is considered a classic.

Brian stayed on national television when he finished this tour duty for the WWF by competing for Georgia Championship Wrestling on the SuperStation with such luminaries as Paul Ornodrff, Tommy Rich, Tony Atlas, the Freebirds and Tito Santana.

Brian returned home once again for a short but successful run in Florida. Among his accomplishments included a Southern championship victory over Ravishing Rick Rude in what turned into a great feud. Blair also regained the Florida Heavyweight title against Jesse Barr.

Brian returned to the WWF once again. This time he formed a highly successful and popular tag-team called The Killer Bees with Jim Brunzell. They were always leading contenders for the WWF tag-team championship, including a classic series of matches against Bret "The Hit Man" Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart.

Today, Blair still is very successful on the Independent circuit, including holding the Asian Pacific Heavyweight championship. He recently teamed with Steve Keirn to hold the Florida Tag-Team championship.

In the locker room, he is one of the most liked and respected wrestlers by his peers.

Outside the arena, Blair gives back to the community and is one of Tampa's most respected citizens. He is often a spokesperson for the sport on local newscasts. He is a strong proponent of education and credits his education with the success of the Gold's Gyms he owned in Tampa Bay. He is part of the community's reading program and shows up at area schools and civic organizations to talk about the importance of reading to children. He coaches several sports, including his two sons’ little league baseball and basketball teams.