| Al Hobman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 23 April 1925 New Zealand |
| Died | 21 September 2008 (aged 83) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Al Hobman |
| Billed height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 110 kg (240 lb)[1] |
Allan "Al" Hobman (23 April 1925 – 21 September 2008) was a New Zealand professional wrestler, trainer and promoter. Hobman was one of the first homegrown stars to emerge from the Dominion Wrestling Union, and later Steve Rickard's All Star-Pro Wrestling, during the 1960s and 70s such as Tony Garea, Peter Maivia and The Sheepherders. Hobman twice won the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship from John Da Silva in 1960 and Steve Rickard in 1964 with a combined reign of nearly 6 years as champion. He and Rickard were also the first New Zealand Tag Team Champions.
Prior to wrestling, Hobman had a successful athletic career playing rugby union at Rongotai College as a lock for Oriental Rongotai as well as a professional bodybuilder winning both the Mr. Australasia and Mr. New Zealand bodybuilding competitions in 1951.
Hobman wrestled throughout the world during his career, most often in Asia and the South Pacific, but also had successful stints in the United States, most notably, against then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Gene Kiniski in 1969. He was a successful promoter both prior to and during his later career, mainly working with Da Silva's Central Wrestling Association, and trained a number of wrestlers with Bruno Bekkar at the famed Koolmans Gym including Jock Ruddock and Butch Miller; two of his four children, Kurt and Linda Hobman, both became wrestlers as well with the elder Hobman staging the country's first officially sanctioned women's wrestling match between his daughter and Dutch female wrestler Monica Schumaker.
He was among several New Zealand wrestling legends involved with Kiwi Pro Wrestling, one of the first wrestling promotions to open since the close of All Star-Pro Wrestling in 1992, and inducted into KPW's New Zealand Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006. He also attended live events made other public appearances until his sudden death two years later. In 2009, less than a year after his death, Hobman was ranked No. 5 in a top ten list of New Zealand's greatest wrestlers by Fight Times Magazine.
- ^ a b "Al Hobman". Legends. KiwiProWrestling.co.nz. September 2007. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.