Robert Howard
Known for: Acting
Robert William Howard is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his 15-year stint with the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring names Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, Bob Holly, Bombastic Bob and Hardcore Holly. After debuting in 1990, Holly worked for Smoky Mountain Wrestling and other independent promotions, before joining WWE full-time in 1994. Initially portraying the character of a NASCAR driver, Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, his name was soon changed to Bob "Spark Plug" Holly, before forming a team with Bodacious Bart, known as The New Midnight Express in 1998. After becoming known simply as "Hardcore Holly" in 1999, he was joined by on-screen cousins, Crash and Molly. In 2002, he suffered a broken neck, which sidelined him for over a year. Upon his return, he engaged in minor feuds with wrestlers such as Mr. Kennedy and Rob Van Dam, before forming a tag team with Cody Rhodes in 2007. Holly was released from WWE in 2009. During his career, Holly has held the WWF/E Hardcore Championship six times, the WWF/E Tag Team Championship three times (with 1–2–3 Kid, Crash Holly and Cody Rhodes), and the NWA World Tag Team Championship once with Bart Gunn. Howard's autobiography, titled The Hardcore Truth: The Bob Holly Story was released in the United States on April 1, 2013. Co-authored by former British wrestler Ross Owen Williams, an actor and writer[63] who wrestled Holly in June 2010, it was published by ECW Press. Reviews of the book were positive, with Nolan Howell of Canoe.com describing it as a "straightforward look into the life of a man that has dedicated himself to the sport of professional wrestling" and has "an endearing, personal style that gives an apt representation of the author...For fans such as myself who appreciated the blunt style of the man known as Hardcore Holly, this ECW Press product will be an entertaining, worthwhile look into one of the unique personalities of professional wrestling." Joe Babinsack, writing for the Wrestling Observer, described the book as "brutal, boisterous and definitely worth reading". Bruce Mitchell, writing for the Pro Wrestling Torch, described the book as "hard-hitting, straightforward, and not very fancy", rating it "one of the strongest professional wrestling books in a long while". Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer wrote, "in a lot of books, you think you're reading what the person writing feels is the right thing to say for their career... With Holly, whether you agree or not (and I agreed with some of his stuff, not others), I had no doubt he was giving his true opinions on things. In that sense, it was a very honest look at a period of WWF history from a guy who had ups and downs... but survived a long time."
Filmography
Series
Raw
Thurman "Sparky " Plugg
1993
Series
Raw
Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly
1993
Series
Raw
Hardcore Holly
1993
Series
Raw
Bob Holly
1993
Series
Raw
Bombastic Bob
1993
Series
WWE Friday Night SmackDown
Hardcore Holly
1999
Series
WWE Friday Night SmackDown
1999
Series
WWF Wrestling Challenge
Bob Holly
1986
Series
ECW Hardcore TV
Hardcore Holly
1993
Series
WWE ECW
Hardcore Holly
2006
Series
WWE Tough Enough
Hardcore Holly
2001
Film
WWE Survivor Series 2000
Hardcore Holly
2000
Series
ECW on TNN
Hardcore Holly
1999
Series
WWE Sunday Night Slam
Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly
1994
Film
WWE WrestleMania XIV
"Bombastic" Bob Holly
1998
Film
WWE SummerSlam 1999
Hardcore Holly
1999
Film
The Marine 2
Linwood's Left
2009
Series
WWE Velocity
Hardcore Holly
2002
Film
Ring Roasts III: The Roast of Jim Cornette
Self
2010
Film
WWE St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House
Hardcore Holly
1999
Film
WWE Survivor Series 2003
Hardcore Holly
2003
WWE Metal
Hardcore Holly
1999
Film
WWE: WrestleMania Monday
Bob Holly
2017
Film
WWE Survivor Series 1999
Hardcore Holly
1999
Film
WWE SummerSlam 1995
Bob "Spark Plug" Holly
1995
Film
WWE Unforgiven: In Your House
"Bombastic" Bob
1998
Film
WWE WrestleMania 21
Hardcore Holly
2005
Film
WWE Survivor Series 2007
Hardcore Holly
2007
Film
WWE WrestleMania XXIV
Hardcore Holly
2008
Film
Hard Knocks
2009
Film
WWE Royal Rumble 1999
Bob Holly
1999
Film
WWE King of the Ring 1998
"Bombastic" Bob Holly
1998
Film
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
Bob 'Spark Plugg' Holly (archive footage)
1998
Film
WWE Royal Rumble 2007
Hardcore Holly
2007
Film
WWE No Way Out 2001
Hardcore Holly
2001
Film
WWE Royal Rumble 2001
Hardcore Holly
2001
Film
WWE Royal Rumble 2008
Hardcore Holly
2008
Film
WWE Wrestlemania X8
Hardcore Holly
2002
Film
WWE WrestleMania XV
Hardcore Holly
1999
Film
WWE Over the Edge
Hardcore Holly
1999
Film
WWE WrestleMania 2000
Hardcore Holly
2000
Film
WWE Global Warning
Hardcore Holly
2002
Film
WWE Rebellion 1999
Hardcore Holly
1999
Film
WWE Royal Rumble 1995
Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly
1995
Film
WWE King of the Ring 1999
Hardcore Holly
1999
Film
WWE The Great American Bash 2004
Hardcore Holly
2004
Film
WWE Royal Rumble 2000
Hardcore Holly
2000
Film
WWE Royal Rumble 2005
Hardcore Holly
2005
Film
WWE Rock Bottom: In Your House
Bob Holly
1998
Film
WWE Backlash: In Your House
Hardcore Holly
1999
Film
WWE Royal Rumble 2004
Hardcore Holly
2004
Film
WWE: Satan's Prison - The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber
Hardcore Holly
2010
Film
WWE Royal Rumble 1994
Thurman "Sparky " Plugg
1994
Film
WWE No Mercy 1999
Hardcore Holly
1999
Film
WWE Armageddon 1999
Hardcore Holly
1999
Film
WWE WrestleMania 22
Hardcore Holly
2006
Film
WWE Survivor Series 1995
Bob Holly
1995
Film
WWE Survivor Series 1996
Bob Holly (Free-for-All)
1996
Film
WWE Backlash 2000
Hardcore Holly
2000
Film
WWE Night of Champions 2008
Hardcore Holly
2008
Film
WWE Armageddon 2004
Hardcore Holly
2004
Film
WWE No Mercy 2005
Hardcore Holly
2005
Film
WWE Royal Rumble 1996
Bob Holly
1996
Film
WWE: Attitude Era: Vol. 2
Hardcore Holly
2014
Film
ECW December to Dismember
Hardcore Holly
2006
Film
WWE No Way Out 2004
Hardcore Holly
2004
Film
WWE King of the Ring 1995
Bob "Spark Plug" Holly
1995
Film
WWE Insurrextion 2001
Hardcore Holly
2001
Film
WWE Judgment Day 2004
Hardcore Holly
2004
Film
The History of The WWE Hardcore Championship
2016
Film
WWE: The Best of SmackDown - 10th Anniversary, 1999-2009
Hardcore Holly (archive footage)
2012
Film
WWE Armageddon 2000
Hardcore Holly
2000
Film
WWF SummerSlam Spectacular 1994: Sunday Night Slam
Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly
1994
Film
WWF Action!
Hardcore Holly
2001
WWE: Falls Count Anywhere: The Greatest Street Fights and Other Out of Control Matches
2012
Film
Operation Sandman
Sturner
2000
Film
WWE: OMG! The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History
Himself
2011
Film
WWE Hall Of Fame 1995
Self
1995
Film
WWE WrestleFest '95
Bob Holly
1995
Film
WWE Judgment Day 2005
Hardcore Holly
2005
Film
Chris Benoit: The Aftermath
Himself
2010
Film
WWF: Hardcore
Hardcore Holly
2001
Film
TNA One Night Only: Hardcore Justice 2
Bob Holly
2013
Film
YouShoot: Bob Holly
Himself
2010