Sam Tenenbaum
Sam "The Great Kaiser" Tenenbaum (born c. 1945) is a former professional wrestler.
Tenenbaum grew up in Mountain Brook and attended Shades Valley High School for two years before he was sent to Marion Military Institute. He returned to Birmingham after his junior year and graduated from Phillips High School, where he lettered in wrestling. At the University of Montevallo he studied vocal performance and trained as an operatic tenor, landing roles in opera productions at the Temple Theater.
At the same time, Tenenbaum began training with Joseph "Steel Dawson" Honeycutt to learn the art of professional wrestling. He made his debut as "Bob Kaiser", taking a beating from Nick Carter in Oneonta. He spent five years as a "break-in" wrestler before being taken on by Johnny Peebles III and re-dubbed "The Great Kaiser". He signed a National Wrestling Association contract and began wearing a black and white mask in nationally-televised bouts, and also in commercials. He claimed the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship belt from Bullet Bob Armstrong during a bout at the Birmingham International Raceway on June 16, 1990.
The 59-year-old Tenenbaum announced his retirement from the ring after defeating The Destroyer at Boutwell Auditorium in 2003. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame in October 2005.
Tenenbaum published his memoir, The Unmasked Tenor, in 2015.
Publications
- Tenenbaum, Sam (2015) The Unmasked Tenor: The Life and Times of a Singing Wrestler. Birmingham: GreenCup Books ISBN 0996354573
References
- Thomson, Kieth (July 20, 2009) "Your friendly neighborhood pro wrestler – The Great Kaiser, Sam Tenenbaum." Birmingham Weekly
External links
- The Great Kaiser website