Robert Swenson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Swenson
Jeep Swenson 1996.jpg
Swenson with his wife and daughter in 1996
Birth nameRobert Alexander Swenson Jr.
Born(1957-01-05)January 5, 1957
San Antonio, Texas, United States
DiedAugust 18, 1997(1997-08-18) (aged 40)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Cause of deathHeart failure
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Jeep Swenson
Jeep the Mercenary
The Final Solution
The Ultimate Solution
Billed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Billed weight405 lb (184 kg; 28.9 st)
Billed fromSan Antonio, Texas
Debut1987
Retired1996

Robert Alexander "Jeep" Swenson Jr. (January 5, 1957 – August 18, 1997) was an American professional wrestler, stuntman and actor.

Personal life[]

Swenson was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Patricia Maxine (née Wells) and Robert Alexander Swenson Sr. He was married to Erin Hillsman. The couple had a daughter named Kayleigh.

Career[]

Wrestling[]

Swenson wrestled for World Class Championship Wrestling in 1987 and 1988 as Jeep Swenson for manager Gary Hart (who reportedly did not like managing him).[1] He debuted on March 7, 1987, defeating Perry Jackson in a 2-minute challenge match. His main feud was with Bruiser Brody, who was wrestling as the masked "Red River Jack". Brody defeated him at the Parade of Champions 1987 event.[2][3] According to Swenson, he had the largest biceps in the world at that time (they were recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records).[4][5] He was billed as being from South Africa, although he was clearly an American.

From 1993 to 1994, he wrestled for Global Wrestling Federation in Texas, where he feuded with Ahmed Johnson.[6] Swenson returned to wrestling for a match at World Championship Wrestling's Uncensored pay-per-view on March 24, 1996. He performed as a member of the "Alliance to End Hulkamania". He was originally named The Final Solution, but following complaints from Jewish organizations to the Turner corporate offices, his character was renamed The Ultimate Solution.[7] WCW claimed they were unaware that The Final Solution was the name Adolf Hitler gave to his plan to destroy the Jews. The Alliance consisted of the Dungeon of Doom, the Four Horsemen, The Ultimate Solution and Z-Gangsta, all working to end Hulk Hogan's career.

Boxing[]

Swenson boxed as an amateur middleweight and later had a short career as a professional boxer. He won his first two bouts by knockouts, but his third fight was stopped in round one after he was knocked down twice by Frankie Garcia in his pro debut.[8]

Acting[]

Swenson's first role was as an uncredited thug in early Jackie Chan movie The Big Brawl. The 6' 4", 405 lb. Swenson appeared as pit fighter "Lugwrench" Perkins in the 1989 Hulk Hogan film No Holds Barred. He also played James Caan's bodyguard Bledsoe in the Damon Wayans and Adam Sandler film Bulletproof, before playing possibly his best known character Bane in the 1997 film Batman & Robin.[9]

Death[]

On August 18, 1997, Swenson died of a heart attack at the UCLA Medical Center.[10] He was 40 years old.[11] Hulk Hogan, Davey Boy Smith, and James Caan gave eulogies at his funeral.[12] He was an avid user of steroids, starting to use them in his early 20s, and reportedly could not take a shower properly, put on a shirt, or walk up stairs. His death reportedly shocked George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Uma Thurman, who were in the Batman and Robin film. After the funeral, Swenson was cremated & his ashes were scattered in the unknown location.[13]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
1980 The Big Brawl Thug Uncredited
1989 No Holds Barred Lugwrench Perkins
1996 Bulletproof Bledsoe
1997 Batman & Robin Bane
1997 The Bad Pack Missouri Mule Final film role
2005 Beyond Batman: Frozen Freaks and Femme Fatales -
The Makeup of 'Batman & Robin'		 Himself
(archive footage)		 Documentary

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
1993-1995 Walker, Texas Ranger Jumbo Stark / Sammy 2 Episodes

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Gary Hart: 'With a little help from my friends'". Slam Wrestling. 2008-03-17. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  2. ^ "Parade of Champions". www.prowrestlinghistory.com. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  3. ^ Jeep Swenson vs. Bruiser Brody: Parade of Champions 1987, retrieved 2021-06-03
  4. ^ "Jeep Swenson; Actor, Professional Wrestler and Bodybuilder". Los Angeles Times. 1997-08-27. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  5. ^ Egan, James (2019). 3000 Facts about Superhero Movies. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-0-244-65122-0.
  6. ^ "Jeep The Mercenary - OWW". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  7. ^ "The tragic story of the original Bane". uk.movies.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  8. ^ "BoxRec: Robert Swenson". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  9. ^ Fin Martin and Antohy Evans (August 2003). "Know their Roles". Power Slam Magazine. Lancaster, Lancashire, England. pp. 26–31. 109.
  10. ^ Muchnick, Irv (2010-11-16). Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55490-286-6.
  11. ^ "'Batman' actor Swenson dies of heart failure at 40". Deseret News. Associated Press. 1997-08-28. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  12. ^ "Jeep Swenson dies of heart failure". SLAM! Sports. Canoe.ca. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  13. ^ "BATMAN FAT MAN KILLED BY STEROIDS; 25-stone star dies at 38. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2021-06-03.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""