Baron von Raschke
In the 1980s, Blackwell settled in the AWA, where he became a main event star and feuded with Mad Dog Vachon, Hulk Hogan, and the "Crusher" Reginald Lisowski. Blackwell was tagged as the "Rattlesnake", given for his quick speed and aggression, a nickname which later in the 1990s was bestowed upon Steve Austin. After a bloody, unsuccessful feud with the Crusher, Blackwell dropped his "Crusher" moniker and eventually joined forces with hated AWA manager Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissey in 1983, wore Arab garments, and formed a successful tag team with Ken Patera known as the Sheiks. The Sheiks feuded with Verne Gagne, as well as the High Flyers (Greg Gagne and "Jumpin" Jim Brunzell) over the AWA world tag team title. The Sheiks beat the High Flyers for the tag team titles and remained champions for eleven months before being dethroned by the Crusher and Baron von Raschke.