'Bama Brooks

WRESTLER NAME

Julian Brauner

RING NAME

Julius 'Alabama' Brooks

NICK NAME(S)

Alabama Brooks, 'Bama Brooks, the Tower of Power, Too Sweet to be Sour, the Reflection of Perfection, the Definition of Domination, Tuscaloosa's Favorite Son, the Good Ol' Boy... the list goes on.

PIC BASE



HEIGHT

6'0"

WEIGHT

235 lbs

D.O.B

06/11/1958

HOMETOWN

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

BILLED FROM

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

ALIGNMENT

Heel

MANAGER(S)

None

AFFILIATION(S)

"Just me, myself, and these two pythons right here, boy. Ba-boom!"

PAST AFFILIATION(S)

"Now that's just too many to count! Whole lotta faces and names passed by mines, y'know."

PERSONALITY

Alabama Brooks is what some might call a 'natural heel'; he's man so deeply in love with his own legend that it's hard for him to face the facts of life, that people have just moved on. He considers himself a world-class wrestler, a working-class hero, and an all-around swell guy, if not a bit rough around the edges... in reality, he's ignorant, he's arrogant, and he's the definition of a prima donna, a has-been way past his glory days. His leather-wearing, muscle car-driving, dirty southern 'good ol' boy' gimmick is mostly his true persona, though considers himself more of a 'southern gentleman' than a hillbilly, these days. He fights and talks dirty, and isn't afraid of a few low blows to get the job done. Despite his self-purported heart of gold, Julius just can't help but get a kick out of riling people up... he just can't keep it to the crowd. Almost everyone who's ever worked with him has had a difficult time with 'Bama Brooks the man. In the ring, however, he strives for professionalism, true classical showmanship in a way he feels is lost on the newer generations of wrestlers. Though it's hardly saying much, inside the ring is really the only place Julius has any order; he's a deeply troubled man, having struggled with alcohol and drug abuse, alienation from his friends and family, and has most recently been fighting an uphill battle with financial woes (partly his reason to return to wrestling after all this time).

A diehard southerner, 'Bama's views and opinions on most social issues of the day aren't exactly... progressive. Given his complete lack of tact or empathy, he's ever the source of controversy, another part of his personality that's hard to discern from work or shoot. At the same time, he's highly protective of the lost art of kayfabe, and it's hard to tell whether or not what he says and does is Julian Brauner or Julius Brooks. 


CURRENT ACCOLADE(S)

None... yet.

ENTRANCE THEME

"Pork Chop Express" - by John Carpenter




ENTRANCE DESCRIPTION

The twangy, synth-based electric guitar begins 'Bama's entrance song, followed by a low, steady synth beat. As the drums kick into gear and the guitar picks up again, Alabama Brooks emerges from behind the curtain backwards, his signature leather jacket displaying the Confederate Battle Flag (this is usually when the boos begin). 'Bama spins around with a smug, cocky grin of the most shit-eating variety as he snaps off his sunglasses and points a thumb at his face with a wink. As he walks down the ramp toward the ring, he engages the crowd as much as they engage him, retorting insults and tearing away signs, whether they're supporting his opponent or detracting from himself.

Long past are the days he'd jump from the floor to the ring apron, so 'Bama takes the steel steps, soaking in the chorus of boos from the crowd as he vaults over the turnbuckle and into the ring. Once there, he makes his rounds to each corner, climbing to the second rope to taunt and admonish the crowd, smiling all the while, jiving to his own music and settling in his corner, leaning back as if he were at a bar.

WRESTLING STYLE

'Bama's an old school brawler, through and through, trained in the dying art of good ol' southern-style rasslin.


STRENGTHS

Experience - 'Bama Brooks is a veteran in the ring, with over thirty-five years under his belt; he knows how to handle himself through a great deal of situations, and there isn't much he hasn't seen before.
Resilience - Brooks keeps going, even when circumstances recommend otherwise; he'll try to kick out 'til he can't no more, and he won't tap 'til his arm, leg, or neck is in a knot.
Fightin' Dirty - A consummate heel, 'Bama Brooks ain't afraid of a few low blows, eye pokes or back rakes to get where he needs to go, and cut corners to earn the win. 

WEAKNESSES

Controversial - Quite frankly, Brooks is an asshole. He knows this, the crowd knows it, and so does everyone who's ever met him. While it works for collecting heel heat, it's not so good if he's ever put in a tag team scenario, or any sort of place that he'll have to take the proverbial high road. He'll screw himself over before anyone else thinks of doing it, his pride and arrogance be damned.
Stiff - 'Bama's specialties in the ring rely on strong, brawler-style wrestling; Sometimes, if he's not too careful or far too hotheaded, he can get a bit too real, potentially endangering himself and his opponents.
Age - The man's fifty-eight years old, dammit! Ring experience aside, wrestling's evolved without him, and when it comes to dealing with the fast-paced, high-flying spots more common with today's modern wrestling, his stamina often fails him, adaptability or no. While he used to sometimes drop an elbow from the top rope to get the crowd shocked and awed, that just doesn't cut it anymore, and his body won't let him do much about it.

BASIC MOVES

- Headbutt
- Knife-edged Chop
- Eye Poke/Claw
- Back Rake
- Low Blows
- Shoot Kick
- Elbow/Leg/Knee Drop
- Irish Whip
- Clothesline
- Hip Toss
- Belly-to-Belly/Belly-to-Back/Snap/Vertical Suplex
- Atomic Drop
- Snapmare
- Bulldog
- Stun Gun
- Snake Eyes
- Gutbuster
- Spinebuster
- Backbreaker
- Neckbreaker

SIGNATURE MOVE(S)

- Lasso Lariat (Running Lariat/Clothesline from Hell)
- Southern Hospitality (Inverted Atomic Drop, followed by a Low Superkick to the kneeling/sitting opponent)
- Bionic Elbow

FINISHING MOVE(S)

- Alabama Slam (Primary)
- Stonewall Stretch (Arm Trap Cross-legged STF) (Submission)

WEAPONS:

None, though he's not afraid of 'bending the rules' if the ref's preoccupied...

PAST ACCOLADES

"Boy golly, y'know, just too many to count. I've held gold in as many places you can spin the globe, son, and then some! Back when the territories meant somethin' to somebody..."

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

"How's a thirty-eight year career sound to ya, son?"

NOTABLE FEUDS

None yet. Trust me; we'll get there soon enough.

NOTABLE MATCHES

None yet. We will also, hopefully, get there.

BIOGRAPHY

Before rising to fame and notoriety in the wrestling world, Julius Brooks was little Julian Brauner, a scrappy, joyriding troublemaker born at the height of racial tensions in then-segregated Alabama. With little to his name but the sweat on his brow and a few felonies in and around Tuscaloosa County, Julian had few prospects lined up for him, and few friends to back him up when the going got tough. It was after dropping out of high school that he took an interest in professional wrestling, at the time a local, territorial sport steeped in mythology and roadshow folklore, a traveling circus of men who cast the shadows of legends. It wasn't hard for Julian to fall in love with wrestling, and when he got the chance, began working for local promotions, setting up rings and toting bags and gear for the wrestlers that rode into town, names big and small alike. Eventually, after a competitor failed to show up for an event, Julian filled in, eagerly taking on the role of a jobber to whatever big shots made the top of the card. That was where Julius Caesar Brooks was born, and grew from a local enhancement talent to a main eventer himself.

From the local scene, Julius expanded his horizons to the deep south territories, and from there, traveled up and down the United States from promotion to promotion, his character evolving into Alabama Brooks, the lighthearted hillbilly babyface who often bit off more than he could chew. Alabama Brooks grew in popularity, and became a territory mainstay from coast to coast, despite their dwindling influence in the 80's. 

Julius wasn't just acclaimed in America in his heyday; he cites his stints in Japan as some of his best work, and traveled the whole world, a wrestling star in his own right, despite the demons of drugs and alcohol haunting him at every turn (hey, it was the 80's; nobody cared about that sort of thing). As the the decade ended and the 90's began, however, Julius found his influence rapidly fading, with united, national wrestling federations taking the spotlight from the territorial institutions as time went on. His face character felt tired and mundane - it wasn't until a blading accident during a match that gave him a mean-looking scar and forced an eyepatch on him that he reinvigorated his career, turning from an honest, charming babyface into a cold, ruthless heel. The eyepatch, of course, was unnecessary after his injury had healed, and was purely superficial, but he felt it added to the 'badass' factor of his new character. 

Despite his continued success as a heel, Julius could not stem the tide of his vices any further; in the mid-90's, after a debaucherous night of boozing and drugs, Julius was caught with an underage teen in his hotel room. In one fell swoop, his endorsements evaporated, and the few territories left standing would no longer book him, or even consider hiring him at all. The case was settled out of court, and for a long time, nobody heard anything from Alabama Brooks again...

... until now. Resurfacing after nearly twenty years, 'Bama Brooks has made his return to pro wrestling at Visionaries of Wrestling, where he hopes to reclaim his long lost fame, and prove to himself and the world that 'Bama's still got it, baby.

HANDLER

I'm John, nice to meet you! Twenty-one years old, I've been E-Fedding for a handful of months. This is my second try.

E-MAIL ADDRESS

bamabrooksefed@gmail.com

MSN/SKYPE/AIM/YIM/TWITTER

twitter.com/RealBamaBrooks