Martin Anthony Lunde (born September 20, 1958), better known by the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_name Arn Anderson, is an American https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_wrestling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_professional_wrestling_terms#Agent, author, and retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Elite_Wrestling (AEW) as manager of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardlow_(wrestler). Although he is widely regarded as one of the greatest tag team wrestlers in history, he also had a successful singles career and became a four-time https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCW_World_Television_Championship, which he often called his "world title". Anderson's career was highlighted by his alliances with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ric_Flair and various members of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_professional_wrestling_terms#Stable https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Horsemen_(professional_wrestling) in the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Wrestling_Alliance (NWA) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Championship_Wrestling (WCW). After his retirement, he worked as a producer for https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWE until 2019, when he joined AEW. On March 31, 2012, Anderson was inducted into the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWE_Hall_of_Fame as a member of the Four Horsemen.
Lunde began his career on January 2, 1982 in Georgia Championship Wrestling going by the ring name Jim Vertaroso, having been trained by Ted Lipscomb (Allen). He spent much of the year wrestling in various independent wrestling companies across the United States, including a minor run in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Wrestling_Federation_(Bill_Watts) for https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Watts from 1982 to 1983. By the middle of 1983, he made his way to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Championship_Wrestling, an https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Wrestling_Alliance affiliated promotion operating out of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama. Taking the name of "Super Olympia", Lunde soon became a member of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Fuller_(wrestler)'s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stud_Stable before the year was out. Lunde saw success in the tag team ranks by winning the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CWF_Tag_Team_Championship three times with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Stubbs and once with Pat Rose throughout 1984. It was also here in this promotion that Lunde met and began what would become a lifelong friendship with Ric Flair. By the end of the year, however, Lunde left the company and joined Mid South Wrestling based out of Shreveport. Lunde's time in Mid South was coming to an end, and during a TV taping the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkyard_Dog mentioned to Bill Watts, the owner of Mid South Wrestling, that Lunde looked like an Anderson. Watts called Jim Crockett and convinced him to book Lunde. Lunde made his way to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crockett,_Jr.'s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_Championship_Wrestling, based in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Virginias and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Carolinas. By this time, the company extended its range into https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(U.S._state) after rival promoter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_McMahon purchased https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Championship_Wrestling. There was a strong physical resemblance between Lunde and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ole_Anderson, who had achieved legendary status in the Georgia and Mid-Atlantic territories as a tag team wrestler. Ole noticed that Lunde's style was a no nonsense approach in the ring and specialized in working over a part of an opponent's body throughout the match, much like Ole himself. Anderson agreed to work with Lunde, helping to hone his capabilities, and re-formed the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Wrecking_Crew with Lunde replacing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Anderson_(wrestler) and taking on the name of "Arn Anderson", Ole's kayfabe brother. The team quickly became a force in the territory by capturing the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NWA_National_Tag_Team_Championship in March 1985. In the latter half of 1985, the Andersons formed a loose knit alliance with fellow heels https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tully_Blanchard and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ric_Flair, as they began to have common enemies. The foursome frequently teamed together in six-man, and sometimes, eight-man tag matches or interfered in each other's matches to help score a victory or, at least, to prevent each other from losing their titles. The alliance quickly became a force within the territory, working in feuds against some of the biggest stars in the company like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusty_Rhodes, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnum_T._A., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Warriors and the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rock_%27n%27_Roll_Express. Anderson also saw success as a singles wrestler on January 4, 1986, by winning the vacant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCW_World_Television_Championship. Anderson also had a tremendous ability to do interviews to further the storylines he participated in. His ability to improvise in interviews allowed him to coin the "Four Horsemen" moniker for the stable, as he likened their coming to wrestle at an event and the aftermath of their wrath as being akin to the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Horsemen_of_the_Apocalypse, and the name stuck. Anderson continued his reign as NWA Television Champion for most of the year, holding the championship for just over 9 months before losing it to Dusty Rhodes on September 9, 1986. As a member of the Horsemen, Anderson continued to be involved in high-profile angles within the company. By mid-1987, Anderson and fellow Horsemen Tully Blanchard began regularly competing as a tag team and rose quickly through the tag team ranks.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arn_Anderson#cite_note-AlumArch-5 The duo faced the Rock 'n' Roll Express for the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCW_World_Tag_Team_Championship on September 29, 1987, and were victorious.
Anderson and Blanchard left Crockett's company to join Vince McMahon's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wrestling_Federation. Upon being named the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_Busters, the team took https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_%22The_Brain%22_Heenan as their https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manager_(professional_wrestling) and quickly began rising through the tag team ranks, eventually coming to challenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demolition_(professional_wrestling) for the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWF_Tag_Team_Championship. On July 18, 1989, the Brain Busters won the titles, ending Demolition's historic reign of 478 days; the match would air on the July 29 edition of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night%27s_Main_Event_XXII. In December 1989, Anderson left the WWF and went back to WCW.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arn_Anderson#cite_note-AlumArch-5 Blanchard was slated to return as well but WWF accused him of testing positive for cocaine. Crockett's company was now called https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Championship_Wrestling and was under the ownership of billionaire mogul https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Turner. Anderson helped to reform the Horsemen and he quickly found success in the company, winning the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCW_World_Television_Championship on January 2, 1990.
On the August 25, 1997, episode of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCW_Monday_Nitro, Anderson formally announced his retirement from the ring.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arn_Anderson#cite_note-AlumArch-5 While standing in the ring, surrounded by Ric Flair and newest Horsemen members https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMichael and Benoit, Anderson declared that his last official act as the "Enforcer" for the Four Horsemen was to offer his "spot" in the gr