Jobber to the Stars: Iron Mike Sharpe

Robert Segedy

The world of Professional Wrestling contains an odd mixture of athleticism, showmanship, backstage politics, and true charisma; this is still true today, but back in the 70’s it was much more pronounced. Bad guys were heels and good guys were faces; rarely was there someone that was positioned as a “tweener.” Which brings us to today’s spotlight star: Iron Mike Sharpe. 

Michael Sharpe (October 28, 1951 – January 17, 2016) was a Canadian wrestler that often was featured on the WWF cards. He was known for several traits: the wearing of a suspicious black brace on his right forearm which may have contained a ”foreign object” which he would use to club his opponents with, his loud exclamations of “No NO no NO!” when questioned about the legitimacy of his tactics, and his dedication to cleanliness which bordered on obsessiveness. However, Sharpe was a second-generation wrestler, whose father and uncle (Mike and Ben Sharpe) also competed in the sport; the duo were a successful tag team in the 50’s, and were widely acknowledged champions. Dewey “The Missing Link” Robertson trained young Mike at age 25 and he became a two-time NWA Canadian tag team champion, partnering first with Moose Morowski and later with Salvatore Bellomo, and also won the Pacific Coast Heavyweight Title. Mike was a strapping youth, 6 ft, 4 inches in height and he certainly knew his way around the ring. He also changed up territories and moved to Louisiana where he won two different Mid-South Wrestling belts, he also became the Louisiana champion (two times) and the Mississippi title (also two times) along with a Brass Knucks title in 1979. Not too shabby a career at the time. Moving back to Canada once again in 1980 to 1981, he held the Stampede International Tag Team Championship with Duke Meyers.

In February 1983, Sharpe entered the WWF, and became an eternal jobber to the stars. Sharpe must have been liked by somebody because he was a perpetual performer throughout the 80’s and 90’s. He was announced and self-proclaimed as “Canada’s greatest athlete” (a nickname taken from Gene Kiniski). Initially he was managed by Captain Lou Albano and was given a sizable push; smashing various jobbers with the black sheathed forearm, Sharpe made short work of his opponents. Sharpe continued on this path for a while until he faced the WWF world champion Bob Backland on April 30, 1983, at the Philadelphia Spectrum. That was the end of the road to glory for Mike as he regularly became a chump change musclehead for the powers that be. No more titles would be Sharpe’s award for regular appearances. In real life many fans have noted that the man was soft spoken and kind, the direct opposite of his in-ring persona.

Gary Michael Cappetta in ‘Bodyslams! Memoirs of a Wrestling Pitchman’ recalls that backstage Sharpe was known as “Mr. Clean.”  Sharpe was notorious for his repeated hand washing and the many hours he would spend in the showers after a match. “One night, after wrestling in an early bout at the Spectrum, he was still soaping up in the shower long after the matches had ended. Luckily, he found a night watchman to let him out of the locked building long after everyone had gone home.” I have also heard Gorilla Monsoon repeat this same tale so there must be an ounce of truth in it.

After hanging up his trunks, Sharpe opened up a wrestling school in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Some of his students went on to make names for themselves in the big leagues such as three-time WWE tag-team Champion Charlie Haas, WCW’s Crowbar, and Mike Bucci AKA Nova in ECW. Sadly Big Mike later became a recluse and eventually succumbed to an infection in his leg due to a gardening accident. Sharpe died in early January 2016, at age 64. One more item of note: when Hulk Hogan wrestled in Japan as a heel, Sharpe was his tag team partner.