Hometown: Corpus Christi, Texas
Trainer: Chris Adams
Pro wrestling debut: 1985
Other Gimmicks: Nanny Simpson, Miss Simpson, Toni the Tigress
Toni Adams is a former professional wrestling valet, manager, and reporter.
Toni broke into the pro wrestling business around 1984, working with World Class Championship Wrestling's production staff and later crossing over to the Mid-South Wrestling promotion in Oklahoma, which eventually became the UWF. While in the UWF, she was given an on-camera role, interviewing many wrestlers and several ringside fans.
Toni met future husband Chris Adams during this time, and eventually the couple were married in 1985 during a ceremony in Hawaii. The event was attended by UWF/Mid-South owner Bill Watts, who gave Chris a chance to compete in the UWF a year later.
Toni Adams made her official pro wrestling debut in 1989 for Dallas' World Class Championship Wrestling, then known as the USWA, by aiding her then husband Chris Adams in an angle involving Tojo Yamamoto and P.Y. Chu-Hi, which began following an incident at ringside in which Yamamoto and Chu-Hi attacked both Toni and ringside announcer Frank Dusek during a match. With Chu-Hi restraining Toni, Yamamoto berated her and ripped her blouse open until husband Chris, out of the shower, ran out to chase them away. From that point on, a violent feud ensued between Chris, Toni, Yamamoto and Chu-Hi, which lasted for several weeks.
As that feud progressed, Toni became famous for carrying a kendo-stick. During one point of their angle, both Chris and Toni attacked Yamamoto and Chu-Hi with kendo-sticks, much to the delight of the Sportatorium crowd.
Toni's other famous appearance on World Class was an angle in which she escorted Chris (whose eyes were bandaged following being "blinded" by Gino Hernandez) to his Corvette and drive him to the airport for his trip home to England. This angle was shot before Hernandez's death and was made in kayfabe terms (as was Chris' blinding angle) so Chris and Toni can vacation in England for three months. Toni also appeared in an interview segment involving Chris, Gino Hernandez and announcer Bill Mercer at a nightclub (even though most World Class fans were not aware of who Toni was, let alone know that Chris was married at that point).
After the Yamamoto-Chu-Hi angle ran its course, Toni became involved in another one with Billy Travis, who spanked her in the center of the Sportatorium ring (a la Sunshine being spanked by David Von Erich six years earlier) when husband Chris was handcuffed to the ring rope.
Toni would continue to accompany Chris on and off for the next year. In May 1990, Chris and Toni began promoting an angle with Chris' former wife Jeannie Clark and former student Stunning Steve Austin, whom Chris was feuding with since January. Originally, Jeannie entered the feud, who would always interfere in the matches by either slapping Chris or spraying his eyes with hairspray. Eventually, Toni entered the scene and the end result was a long-standing angle involving catfights between Toni and Jeanne, and many mixed tag-team matches, very similar to the Chris Adams-Sunshine vs. Jimmy Garvin-Precious angle from 1983. The intensity of these matches, and outstanding promoting by Chris (who developed the angle himself), Toni, Jeanne and Steve proved to be one of the last major feuds promoted by World Class before ceasing operations by the end of the year.
Toni left wrestling for a while after the feud ended in 1991. She filed for divorce from Chris due to his continued alcoholism problems (including two DUIs and an assault charge). In 1993, Toni returned, competing in both the USWA and the Global Wrestling Federation.
In the GWF, Toni became the valet of Iceman Parsons and was involved in a feud with her former husband Chris Adams. However, in the USWA, Toni was disguised as Nanny Simpson, using a perfectly-spoken British accent and originally wearing a French Maid's outfit, and was the valet for Brian Christopher. Adams often interfered on behalf of both Christopher and Parsons in their respective promotions.
Chris Adams eventually appeared in the USWA (thus wrestling concurrently in both Memphis and Dallas), whereas Toni was reluctant to interfere in Christopher's matches against Adams. Later on, Toni became involved in actual matches, including many against Miss Texas; and at one point was one of the top ten female wrestlers in the sport.
Toni retired for good in 1995, and has not been seen in wrestling since.
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