Ole Anderson, a professional wrestler who was a founding member of the Four Horsemen team in the 1980s and later criticized corporate greed in the sport, died Monday. He was 81.
Carter Funeral Home in Winder, Georgia, said Mr. Anderson died at his home in Monroe, Georgia, and that he “passed away peacefully.” The funeral home did not give a cause of death.
World Wrestling Entertainment, known as the World Wrestling Federation when Mr. Anderson wrestled, said in a statement on Monday that he was known for his “hard-nosed style and gruff demeanor.”
Mr. Anderson was a professional wrestler from the late 1960s to the 1980s, having trained with Verne Gagne, a member of the WWE Hall of Fame.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, he was a member of the tag team called the Minnesota Wrecking Crew, which over the years included Gene, Lars and Arn Anderson, who called themselves Brothers and were popular in the Midwest. They were part of regional circuits such as Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and Georgia Championship Wrestling, united under the National Wrestling Alliance, which regularly crowned them tag team champions.
In the 1980s, Mr. Anderson teamed with Arn Anderson, Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard to become the Four Horsemen, who went on to dominate the NWA and later World Championship Wrestling, which competed with the WWF
“The group set a benchmark for style, attitude and success that has inspired every stable that has followed,” WWE said in its statement, calling it “one of the greatest stables in sports-entertainment history.”
After retiring from wrestling, Mr. Anderson booked matches for WCW in the 1990s, whose popularity rivaled that of the WWF, which WCW later purchased
As professional wrestling became more popular and commercialized, Mr. Anderson increasingly expressed a derogatory attitude toward it. In a 2003 book, “Inside Out: How Corporate America Destroyed Professional Wrestling,” written with Scott Teal, Mr. Anderson wrote about his disdain for the sport's corporate transformation and his clashes with executives, including WWE's longtime boss Vince McMahon
Mr. Anderson continued to criticize the WWE for years. In an interview in 2021, he said that Mr. McMahon made professional wrestling more of an entertainment than a sport.
“It's hard for me to watch the stuff that's on TV today,” he said.
Mr. Anderson was left out when other members of the Four Horsemen were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, but he is a member of the NWE and WCW halls of fame.
Mr. Anderson was born Alan Robert Rogowski on September 22, 1942 in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Robert Joseph Rogowski and Georgiana Bryant. After serving in the United States Army, he became interested in a career in professional wrestling. Growing up in Minnesota, Mr. Anderson said in 2021, he was exposed to professional wrestling through watching Mr. Gagne, who also grew up in the state.
According to an excerpt from his book, Mr. Anderson said he tried out as a wrestler before Mr. Gagne, who was impressed by Mr. Anderson's physical abilities. After he performed several exercises, Mr. Anderson said, Mr. Gagne asked him if he was tired. Mr Anderson said he refused to signal fatigue.
“I was smart enough to know that you never admit something is wrong,” Mr. Anderson wrote. “Even if it were, you won’t admit it. I learned this lesson as an amateur wrestler. You don't let anyone know that you're tired. You just keep going until you drop.”
According to Carter Funeral Home, Mr. Anderson is survived by his children: Bryant Rogowski, Christian Rogowski, Fortune Evans, Aaron Rogowski, Ethan Rogowski, Galen Rogowski and Dana Armstrong. He also leaves behind Marsha Cain, his long-time partner.