James Ware

Acting

James Ware

Born 1957-06-20 · Union City, Tennessee, USA

James Ware, better known by his ring name "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler who made his professional wrestling debut in 1978. He gained most of his popularity in the World Wrestling Federation when he was known as the Birdman. Ware came to the ring with a blue-and-yellow macaw parrot named Frankie, and would flap his arms like a bird while dancing before and after his matches. Before joining the WWF, Ware worked as a part of several tag teams, first with Bobby Eaton in Memphis and then later on with Norvell Austin as one half of the The P.Y.T. Express in several promotions. It was not until late in 1980 that Koko’s fortune changed when he participated in a battle royal to crown the first ever Mid-American Television Champion. The crowd favorite was Jimmy Valiant, who Koko accidentally knocked into Danny Davis and eliminated Valiant. Moments later, Koko dumped Davis to the floor and won his first title. After the match, Jimmy Valiant returned to the ring and beat Koko down. Koko’s feud with Jimmy Valiant was quickly expanded to include the heel Tojo Yamamoto and Koko ally Tommy Rich. When Dutch Mantel returned to the CWA in early 1981 he quickly defeated Koko for the TV title making Koko’s first run with the gold a short one. Koko floundered until September 1981 when he was chosen to referee a Southern Heavyweight Championship title match between Jerry Lawler and “The Dream Machine". Ware unfairly counted Lawler out to give the Dream Machine the victory, a decision that did not sit well with Lawler nor the fans in Memphis. Koko quickly aligned himself with manager Jimmy Hart and his First Family and changed his name to Sweet Brown Sugar. Sugar never got the best of Lawler but did taste tag-team success alongside Steve Keirn and then with Bobby Eaton. Eaton & Sugar won the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship. On June 8, 2008, Koko made a special appearance at TNA's Slammiversary as a groomsman in the wedding for "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal and So Cal Val, along with George "The Animal" Steele, Kamala the Ugandan Giant, and Jake "The Snake" Roberts. On April 4, 2009, Koko was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by The Honky Tonk Man. On September 5, 2009 Ware's wife died after a battle with cancer. On February 15, 2011 Koko made an appearance on Tosh.0. He is one of only three wrestlers to sport 'WWF' on his trunks.

Acting credits

The Best of the WWF: volume 20 poster
NR

The best keeps getting better!

The Best of the WWF: volume 20

1989

Beyond the Mat poster
7.3

A heartfelt documentary focusing on the day-to-day lives of professional wrestlers, some on the rise, some on the wane, and others fighting for their lives.

Beyond the Mat

1999

WWE Survivor Series 1988 poster
8.0

Survivor Series (1988) was the second annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It took place on November 24, 1988 (Thanksgiving night in the United States) and was held at the Richfield Coliseum, in Richfield, Ohio. The main event was a ten-man Survivor Series match between a team captained by The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and WWF Champion Randy Savage) and a team captained by The Twin Towers (Akeem and The Big Boss Man). Hogan and Savage were the sole "survivors" of the match. The undercard featured three Survivor Series matches between mid-card wrestlers.

WWE Survivor Series 1988

1988

The Best of the WWF: volume 14 poster
NR

Coliseum Home Video Exclusives! Rare footage never shown anywhere else!

The Best of the WWF: volume 14

1987

WWE World Tour 1992 poster
NR

Take a journey across the pond to join Lord Alfred Hayes in London, England for an exciting look at some incredible matches and moments! Randy Savage defends the WWE Championship vs. Shawn Michaels; Bret Hart faces Rick Martel for the Intercontinental Title; Roddy Piper, British Bulldog and others in action.

WWE World Tour 1992

1992

WWE Royal Rumble 1990 poster
6.1

Royal Rumble (1990) was the third annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on January 21, 1990 at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida. The main event was the 1990 Royal Rumble match won by WWF Champion Hulk Hogan. Hogan last eliminated Mr. Perfect to win the match. Featured matches on the undercard were Jim Duggan versus The Big Boss Man, Ronnie Garvin versus Greg Valentine in an "I Quit" match and The Bushwhackers (Butch and Luke) versus The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques and Raymond).

WWE Royal Rumble 1990

1990

WWE WrestleMania III poster
7.4

Hulk Hogan goes up against André the Giant for the WWE Championship, while Randy "Macho Man" Savage battles Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at The Pontiac Silverdome in suburban Detroit, Michigan.

WWE WrestleMania III

1987

WWE WrestleFest '93 poster
NR

As "Mean" Gene Okerlund and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan are on an ill-fated journey, viewers are treated to a lineup of matches; "The Ugandan Giant" Kamala vs. Bret "Hit Man" Hart for the Intercontinental Championship; Papa Shango vs. Crush.

WWE WrestleFest '93

1993

No artwork available
NR

Catch all the excitement and action as WWE's most powerful superstars take to the ring. Featuring an all-star tag team match as Hulk Hogan and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat step into the ring with "The Macho Man" Randy Savage and The Honky Tonk Man.

WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: January '87

1987

Fan Favorites poster
NR

Never before seen! WWF fan requested match-ups! • Koko B. Ware vs. The Brooklyn Brawler • Greg Valentine vs. Dusty Rhodes • The Twin Towers vs. The Hart Foundation • Tito Santana vs. Mr. Perfect • Ted DiBiase vs. Superfly Jimmy Snuka • The Ultimate Warrior & King Duggan vs. Andre the Giant & Rick Rude. Coliseum Video Release# WF070

Fan Favorites

1989

The History of WWE: 50 Years of Sports Entertainment poster
8.8

The History of WWE celebrates 50 years of sports entertainment by chronicling the evolution of WWE from small, regional promotion into a worldwide phenomenon. With new interviews from several key personalities past and present, get the inside story behind each era of WWE as well as all your favourite moments and Superstars.

The History of WWE: 50 Years of Sports Entertainment

2013

The First Annual NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament poster
10.0

The first Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was held on April 19, 1986. The tournament featured 24 tag teams.

The First Annual NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament

1986

No artwork available
NR

The biggest superstars in WWE head to the great white north for some incredible action. Featuring a Steel Cage Showdown between Hulk Hogan and Kamala for the WWE Championship.

WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: January '87

1987

WWE Survivor Series 1990 poster
7.7

Survivor Series (1990) was the fourth annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It took place on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 1990 at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. This Survivor Series saw the on-screen WWF debut of The Undertaker, who went on to become WWF Champion at the next Survivor Series one year later, and the debut of the Gobbledy Gooker. In addition, Sgt. Slaughter — who was then using an Iraqi sympathizer heel gimmick — delivered a promo where he insulted servicemen stationed in Iraq for Thanksgiving during Operation Desert Shield. Randy Savage, as the "Macho King", was interviewed by "Mean" Gene Okerlund, and issued a challenge to the Ultimate Warrior for the WWF Championship. Ravishing Rick Rude was replaced by Haku after being suspended by WWF President Jack Tunney for insulting the mother of the Big Boss Man.

WWE Survivor Series 1990

1990

WWE SummerSlam 1988 poster
7.3

WWE SummerSlam was the first annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event. It was produced by the World Wrestling Federation and took place on August 29, 1988 in Madison Square Garden, located in New York, New York. The PPV was created to help the company compete against rival promotion World Championship Wrestling. It was one of the first four annual pay-per-view events produced by the WWF. The main match of the preliminary bouts was the WWF Intercontinental Championship match between The Ultimate Warrior and the reigning champion The Honky Tonk Man. The Ultimate Warrior won the match in approximately thirty seconds to end the longest Intercontinental Championship reign. The main event was a match pitting The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage) against their long-time rivals, The Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase and André the Giant). Hogan and Savage won the match after Miss Elizabeth distracted the special guest referee by removing her skirt to reveal a bikini bottom.

WWE SummerSlam 1988

1988

The Sheik poster
7.4

When Khosrow Vaziri became the World Wrestling Federations Iron Sheik and camel-clutched his way to fame in the 1980s, he achieved the American Dream by personifying a foreign villain. Losing his world championship belt to Hulk Hogan became a defining moment in professional wrestling. These days, the Sheiks smackdowns are on Twitter, where hes gained a new following. Once an Olympic hopeful, bodyguard to Irans Shah and pop culture icon, we witness Vaziri struggling with addiction and despair as a family man. But with the help of Torontos Magen brothers, the Sheik begins a road to redemption and renewed status as a public figure. Showcasing his powerful past and at times painful present, this is an insightful look at one of wrestlings biggest stars, but also a powerful story of personal sacrifice that, in the Sheiks own words, will make you humble.

The Sheik

2014

WWE Invasion of the Bodyslammers poster
NR

Host Lord Alfred Hayes unearths some exciting matches and rarely seen battles between many of the top Superstars in WWE history, including: Mr. Perfect and Ric Flair facing off in singles action; Bam Bam Bigelow goes one-on-one with Typhoon.

WWE Invasion of the Bodyslammers

1993

WWE U.K. PPV poster
8.2

The first WWE U.K. PPV was held on October, 10, 1989 in London, England at the London Arena. The main event featured Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage for the WWF World heavyweight Championship. Other matches featured The Brooklyn Brawler vs Paul Roma, The Rockers vs. The Rouges, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs. The Honky Tonk Man, Dino Bravo matched against Bret Hart, and Koko B. Ware versus Boris Zhukov.

WWE U.K. PPV

1989

WWE SummerSlam 1989 poster
6.7

SummerSlam (1989) was the second annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It took place on August 28, 1989 in the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The main event was a tag team match between The Mega-Maniacs (WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake) and the team of Randy Savage and Zeus. The main matches on the undercard were Ted DiBiase versus Jimmy Snuka, Ultimate Warrior versus Rick Rude for the WWF Intercontinental Championship[4] and Jim Duggan and Demolition (Ax and Smash) versus André the Giant and The Twin Towers (Akeem and Big Boss Man).

WWE SummerSlam 1989

1989

WWE WrestleMania VI poster
8.4

More than 65,000 fans pack the Toronto SkyDome to witness The Ultimate Challenge as The Ultimate Warrior faces Hulk Hogan with both the WWE Championship and WWE Intercontinental Championship on the line. "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase defends the Million Dollar Championship against Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Dusty Rhodes and more in action!

WWE WrestleMania VI

1990

WWE Royal Rumble 1991 poster
7.1

The 1991 WWE Royal Rumble was the third annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation, and fourth overall. It took place on January 19, 1991 at The Miami Arena in Miami, Florida. The main event was the 1991 Royal Rumble match. Featured matches on the undercard were The Ultimate Warrior versus Sgt. Slaughter for the WWE Championship, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase & Virgil versus "The Common Man" Dusty Rhodes & Dustin Rhodes and The Mountie versus "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware.

WWE Royal Rumble 1991

1991

WWE Royal Rumble 1993 poster
6.5

Royal Rumble (1993) was the sixth annual Royal Rumble. It took place on January 24, 1993 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event was a Royal Rumble match, a battle royal in which two wrestlers started the match in the ring; every two minutes, another wrestler joined. In total, thirty wrestlers competed to eliminate their competitors by throwing them over the top rope of the wrestling ring onto the arena floor. Bret Hart defends the WWF Championship against Razor Ramon. Shawn Michaels defends the Intercontinental Championship against former tag team partner Marty Jannetty.

WWE Royal Rumble 1993

1993

The Brains Behind the Brawn poster
NR

Many Superstars in WWE history have relied on the skills of their managers to rise to the top; how Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Jimmy Hart, Miss Elizabeth and other top managers proved instrumental in leading their clients to victory.

The Brains Behind the Brawn

1989

Legends of Mid-South Wrestling poster
9.3

For the first time ever, WWE presents the Legends of Mid-South Wrestling. One of the 1980’s hottest territories, Mid-South garnered national attention for its revolutionary storytelling and bruising, athletic matches orchestrated by no-nonsense promoter, “COWBOY” BILL WATTS. Now, the legends and Hall of Famers who cut their teeth in Mid-South share their tales of the fabled proving ground as we deliver OVER 20 classic confrontations from legends Ted DiBiase, Andre The Giant, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Sting, Muhammad Ali, and many more…

Legends of Mid-South Wrestling

2013