Toni Adams

Infobox Wrestler
name=Toni Leah Adams

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img_capt=
names=Toni Adams
Toni the Tigress
Miss Simpson
Nanny Simpson
height=
weight=
birth_date = 1964
death_date =
birth_place = Corpus Christi, Texas, United States
death_place =
resides= Chicago, Illinois
billed=
trainer= Chris Adams
debut=1985
retired=1994
website=|

Toni Leah Adams is a retired American professional wrestling manager and valet who appeared in several North American regional promotions during the 1980s including the Universal Wrestling Federation and the United States Wrestling Association, although she is best known as the manager of her late ex-husband Chris Adams while in World Class Championship Wrestling and the Global Wrestling Federation.

Among those she has managed include Brian Christopher, Scotty Flamingo, Koko B. Ware, Tony Falk, Rod Price and Iceman Parsons.

Career

Early career

Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Toni Adams began working in Fritz von Erich's World Class Championship Wrestling as an assistant to the production staff in 1984. Meeting Chris Adams while working in the promotion, the two were married in Hawaii shortly after his divorce from his ex-wife Jeannie Clark.

Following her husband to the Mid-South area, she soon appeared in an on-camera role for Bill Watts' Universal Wrestling Federation interviewing wrestlers and fans. She eventually made her managerial debut appearing with her husband Chris Adams in World Class Championship Wrestling in 1989. Soon after, she along with ring announcer Frank Dusek were attacked by Tojo Yamamoto & P.Y. Chu-Hi. While held by Chu-Hi, Yamamoto ripped open her blouse before Chris Adams came out from the locker room to chase them off.

As the feud continued for several weeks, Toni Adams began carrying kendo sticks to the ring and used them against Yamamoto & Chu-Hi during matches against Chris Adams. After the conclusion of this fed, she and Chris Adams would becomne involved in another feud with Billy Travis and, at one point, was spanked by Travis in the middle of the Dallas Sportatorium while Chris Adams was handcuffed to the ring rope.

The two would eventually take a three month absence from the promotion after Chris Adams was blinded by Gino Hernandez during a grudge match in Fort Worth, Texas on January 27, 1986. During this time, she would run a summer camp as well as co-manage Chris Adams' wrestling school during the late 1980s (under the brand name Chris Adams Promotions). The two would also be in attendance at the National Association of Television Progamming Executives at the New Orleans Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana in January 1990 along with other television celebrities such as Vanna White, Alex Trebek, Geraldo Riviera, Oprah Winfrey, Sally Jessy Raphael and Donald Trump. [ "Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler?' Not at the TV Programmers' Convention!". Associated Press. 20 Jan 1990 ]

Feud with Steve Austin & Jeannie Clark

Returning with Chris Adams to the United States Wrestling Association in May 1990, she would become involved in a storyline in which Chris Adams began feuding with former protege Steve Austin. The feud, which Adams created and developed, would later involve her and Chris's ex-wife Jeannie Clark, with whom Austin had supposedly had a real life affair with, [ cite web |url=http://www.wrestleview.com/info/faq/austin.shtml |title=Pro Wrestling FAQ: Steve Austin |accessdate= |author=Keith, Scott |authorlink= |coauthors=Paul Nemer and Luke Michael |date= |year=2002 |month= |format= |work= |publisher=WrestleView.com |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] and faced each other in mixed tag team matches for much of the year in one of the most memorable feuds in the region. [ "Jeanie & Toni Adams: Can The USWA Stop These Savage Wildcats ?". Inside Wrestling. Nov. 1990 ] [ cite web |url=http://www.wrestleline.com/columns/circa/circa102400.shtml |title=Circa Interview: Chris Adams discusses career, Gino Hernandez, rift with Steve Austin & future |accessdate=2000-10-24 |author=Burkholder, Denny |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=WrestleLine.com |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] [ cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCO/is_4_5/ai_110263394/pg_1 |title=Coupling: we take a look at wrestling's 10 greatest romantic twosomes |accessdate= |author=Eck, Kevin |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year=2003 |month=December |format= |work= |publisher=Wrestling Digest |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

As Chris Adams' drinking problem became out of control, particularly one incident in which he had assaulted Toni Adams in February 1989 for which he was sentenced to one year's probation, Toni Adams would eventually divorce Chris Adams soon after the feud, which occurred sometime around 1992. [ cite web |url=http://www.mikemooneyham.com/pages/viewfull.cfm?ObjectID=B9F187F0-C005-11D5-83EA0003470B0337 |title=The Wrestling Gospel According to Mike Mooneyham: Chris Adams Latest Casualty of World Class Era |accessdate= |author=Mooneyham, Mike |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2001-10-13 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] [ cite web |url=http://www.wrestlingclassics.com/wawli/New081-090.htm |title=The New WAWLI (Wrestling As We Liked It) Papers No. 82-2001 |accessdate= |author=Eiserer, Tanya |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=1997-10-06 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=WrestlingClassics.com |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

The couple shared one son, Chris Adams Jr., born around 1990.

Later career

In late 1993, she returned to the USWA, losing to Rockin' Robin at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee on September 13, 1993. Managing Brian Christopher as Nanny Simpson, she participated in several mixed tag team matches with him against Koko B. Ware and Miss Texas during the next several weeks eventually pinning Miss Texas on October 18. However, she lost to Miss Texas and Sweet Georgia Brown in a tag team match with Vicious Viki on November 1 and, a week later, lost to Miss Texas in a "chain match" by disqualification on November 8.

The following month she feuded with Dirty White Girl losing to her at the November Blast supercard by disqualification on November 18 and in a "street fight" match several days later. During that same event, she was forced to eat dog food as a result of a stipulation in which Jerry Lawler and Brian Christopher defeated Rex Hargrove & Koko B. Ware. [ cite web |url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/memphis/jarrett/1993.html |title=Mid-South Coliseum 1993 (Jarrett) |accessdate= |author= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=ProWrestlingHistory.com |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

Briefly managing Eddie Gilbert before his feud with Jerry Lawler, [ cite web |url=http://www.kayfabememories.com/Wrestlers/WLegilbert-3.htm |title=Wrestlers: Eddie Gilbert, Part 3 |accessdate= |author=Dills, Tim S. |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=KayfabeMemories.com |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] she later resurfaced in the Global Wrestling Federation as part of Skandar Akbar's Devastation, Inc. [ cite web |url=http://www.angelfire.com/mt/Horsemen/wow.html |title=The Steel Cage: The Women of Professional Wrestling, A Look Back at the Female Valets, Managers, and Wrestlers Who Made Their Mark in the Sport |accessdate= |author=Smith, Bob |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year=1992 |month=December |format= |work= |publisher=Pro Wrestling Illustrated |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] and later as the valet of Iceman King Parsons during his feud with Chris Adams until the promotion's close. [ cite web |url=http://www.kayfabememories.com/Regions/gwf/gwf3-2.htm |title=Regional Territories: GWF #3, Page #2 |accessdate= |author=Speed, Steve |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=KayfabeMemories.com |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

Toni Adams retired around 1995 and is no longer involved in the wrestling industry. She remained in contact with ex-husband Chris until his death in 2001 while raising their son, Chris Jr.

Championships and accomplishments

*Pro Wrestling Illustrated:*PWI ranked her # 14 of the 100 Hottest Women in Wrestling in 2002

References

External links

* [http://www.oklafan.com/bios/890/profile.html Oklahoma Wrestling Fan's Resorce: Toni Adams]
* [http://wrestling.xwiki.com/xwiki/bin/view/Main/ToniAdams Toni Adams] at the [http://wrestling.xwiki.com WrestleWiki]