Sam Houston

Michael Maurice Smith (born October 11, 1963) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Sam Houston.

Houston started wrestling in 1983, initially competing in Championship Wrestling from Florida.

After claiming victories over a few opponents with his finisher bulldog in early 1984, Houston's first big challenge was when he had to team up with Bubba Douglas on Feb.4 against The Assassins.

After losing that match, he faced other opponents including Buddy Landel, Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Dick Slater, Wahoo McDaniel and Billy Graham.

In 1985, he began working for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling.

He was billed as a protégé of Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T. A., which made him a target for the Four Horsemen.

They finally got to him in the summer of 1985 when Tully Blanchard, Ole Anderson, and Arn Anderson (kayfabe) broke his arm during a six-man tag team match.

In late 1985, he feuded with Krusher Khruschev over the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship, which he won in January 1986.

He then feuded with Black Bart, who won the title from him a few months later.

Houston formed a cowboy-themed tag team with Nelson Royal during the summer of 1986.

Houston moved on to the Central States Territory later that year, where he won the title while feuding with Bulldog Bob Brown and Bill Dundee.

He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation from 1987 to 1991.

Houston's father Grizzly Smith was also a professional wrestler, as was his half-brother Jake Roberts and his sister Rockin' Robin.

His first few months of 1987 were spent in the Universal Wrestling Federation where he teamed up with Terry Taylor for a short period of time.

Houston moved on to the WWF in the spring, making his debut on May 9, 1987, by defeating Sika on a house show in St. Louis, Missouri.

Houston was undefeated in his first month, defeating Terry Gibbs, Steve Lombardi, and others at TV taping dark matches and arena shows.

On June 7 he made his first television appearance, defeating Gibbs on Wrestling Challenge in a match taped in Houston, TX.

At the same event Houston came out to help a newly arrived Ted DiBiase (who had made his first WWF appearance as a babyface) clear the ring of The One Man Gang.

Houston's first loss came a few weeks later when he was defeated by another new arrival, Bam-Bam Bigelow at a house show in Jackson, Mississippi on June 25.

One night later in Houston, Texas he tag-teamed with DiBiase against The One Man Gang and Ron Bass.

The babyface duo lost when DiBiase turned heel on his partner.

Houston remained off US television, wrestling opening matches on house shows against Tiger Chung Lee, Jose Estrada, Barry Horowitz, and others, winning most of these encounters.

He finally made his television debut on October 31, 1987, on WWF Superstars when he upset Danny Davis, handing the former referee his first televised loss.

He moved into the winter wrestling Outlaw Ron Bass on the house show circuit, with many of the matches ending in draws.

In December 1987 he began a series with Danny Davis, trading wins with him on various house show matches in a feud that lasted all the way into June 1988, and would continue sporadically into 1989.

During his time in WWF he teamed with fellow cowboy Scott Casey on a number of occasions and a match that included his brother Jake Roberts (though the audience didn't know the relationship at the time), with Houston saving Roberts from elimination on a number of occasions.

He wrestled in the first ever Royal Rumble match on January 24, 1988, and two months later made his first pay-per-view appearance when he appeared at WrestleMania IV's twenty man battle royal.

That summer Houston entered a house show series with Big Boss Man, but unlike his previous house show series he was winless.

Houston also fell in matches against King Haku, Frenchy Martin, and the newly arrived Curt Hennig and Terry Taylor.

His biggest win in the summer of 1988 was against Jos LeDuc.

He also continued to gain televised victories on Prime Time Wrestling, and was usually successful against lower-level competition such as Steve Lombardi.

He formed a short-lived tag team with Hillbilly Jim, including a win over George South and Gene Ligon on the September 13 episode of Prime Time Wrestling.

He made his second PPV appearance of the year when he teamed with The Ultimate Warrior, The Blue Blazer (Owen Hart), Jim Brunzell, and Brutus Beefcake in a winning effort against Honky Tonk Man, Greg Valentine, Ron Bass, Bad News Brown, and Danny Davis in the second annual Survivor Series.

Houston defeated Steve Lombardi in the dark match at the 1989 Royal Rumble but was unable to move past lower-level competition.

In 1990 he appeared sporadically, although he wrestled Jerry Sags in the dark match of the 1991 Royal Rumble.

His final match was against The Barbarian on February 7, 1991, in Salt Lake City, UT.

After continuing to flounder in the WWF's mid-card as a jobber to the stars, Houston left WWF in February 1991 and joined World Championship Wrestling.

His first appearance came on April 17 in Gadsden, Alabama when he defeated Jack Victory.

On the February 11th edition of WWF Superstars he lost to The Honky Tonk Man in less than two minutes.

After this Houston wrestled primarily on house shows, facing Barry Windham and The Genius.