Tony Garea Anthony Garea ( September 20 , 1946 ) is a retired New Zealand professional wrestler , better known by his ring name Tony Garea , who wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) and the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) , spending thirty - two of his thirty - five year career in the promotion . After his in - ring retirement , he was signed by World Wrestling Entertainment to be a backstage worker . Early life . The son of Croatian - born Ivan Gareljich , Anthony Gareljich was born in Auckland , New Zealand to parents of Yugoslavian and Irish descent . He was originally an accomplished sprinter and a rugby player . Career . Early career . Garea was trained by Wild Don Scott . He made his professional wrestling debut in his native New Zealand . He worked in NWA San Francisco territory where he and Pat Patterson defeated Don Muraco and Invader I for the NWA San Francisco Tag Team Championship in May 1976 . World Wide Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Federation ( 1972 - 1986 ) . Debut and Early Tag Title Reigns ( 1972 - 1979 ) . Garea left New Zealand in 1972 and went to United States where he signed a contract with Vince McMahon , Sr . ' s World Wide Wrestling Federation ( WWWF ) . He made his WWWF debut at a TV taping in the Philadelphia Arena on September 20 , 1972 as a babyface , defeating Davey O ' Hannon . On May 30 , 1973 , he teamed with Haystacks Calhoun and defeated Mr . Fuji and Professor Toru Tanaka to win his first WWWF World Tag Team Championship . Garea and Calhoun feuded with Fuji and Tanaka for the rest of the summer before losing the titles back to Fuji and Tanaka on September 11 . Garea continued the feud with Fuji and Tanaka with a new partner , Dean Ho . On November 14 , Garea and Ho defeated Fuji and Tanaka for Garea ' s second and Ho ' s first WWWF World Tag Team Championship . Garea ' s second tag team reign was longer and better than his first reign . They held the titles for five and a half month before losing them to Valiant Brothers ( Jimmy and Johnny ) on the May 8 , 1974 episode of " All Star Wrestling " . They continued teaming for a while before disbanding their tag team and working on their own . Garea , who had been successful as a tag team wrestler , began a singles career . Garea continued his singles career for three years before forming a tag team with new partner Larry Zbyzsko in August 1977 . They began teaming after entering a tag team tournament for the vacant tag titles , where they were defeated by Mr . Fuji and Toru Tanaka in the finals on September 27 , 1977 . They continued to challenge for the titles before defeating The Yukon Lumberjacks ( Eric and Pierre ) for Garea ' s third and Zbyzsko ' s first WWWF World Tag Team Championship on November 21 , 1978 edition of " Championship Wrestling " . They held the titles for four months before losing them to Valiant Brothers ( Jerry and Johnny ) on March 24 , 1979 edition of " Championship Wrestling " . Later that same month , " Wide " was dropped from the promotion ' s name , renaming the promotion World Wrestling Federation . Teaming with Rick Martel ( 1980 - 1982 ) . Garea continued to wrestle in the tag team division , with another former WWF Tag Team Champion Rene Goulet . The two participated in a tag team tournament for the titles , where they were defeated by Wild Samoans ( Afa and Sika ) in the finals on September 27 , 1980 . Garea formed a tag team with new partner Rick Martel , which was Garea ' s most successful and most popular tag team . They defeated Wild Samoans on November 8 for Garea ' s fourth and Martel ' s first WWF Tag Team Championship . Garea and Martel continued to feud with the former champions for the rest of the year . After Wild Samoans left WWF , the champions began feuding with Moondogs ( King and Rex ) . They dropped the titles to Moondogs on March 17 , 1981 edition of " Championship Wrestling " . Martel and Garea continued to feud with Moondogs , trying to regain the titles . On June 8 , Garea beat a young rookie named Man Mountain Canyon in Madison Square Garden , who returned to WWF four years later as King Kong Bundy . On July 21 edition of " Championship Wrestling " , Martel and Garea defeated Moondogs in a rematch to win their second WWF Tag Team Championship as a team , though , it was Garea ' s fifth and final individual reign . Garea ' s final run as a tag team champion ended on October 17 edition of " Championship Wrestling " after Garea and Martel were defeated by Mr . Fuji and Mr . Saito for the tag titles . Garea and Martel continued to feud with Fuji and Saito , trying to regain the titles but failed to do so . Martel left WWF in 1982 while Garea went on his own . Garea teamed with younger wrestlers such as Eddie Gilbert and B . Brian Blair in 1983 and 1984 but was unable to recapture the success he previously enjoyed as a tag - team champion . He moved to the jobber to the stars status , jobbing to rising newcomers before retiring in 1986 . Retirement and Beyond ( 1986 - present ) . He was employed as a road agent by WWF , a position he continues to hold to this day . He is still holding the position of road agent . He recently appeared with former tag team partner Rick Martel at Vengeance in June 2007 . They came to the aid of the team of Sgt . Slaughter and Jimmy Snuka who were being attacked following their losing effort against Deuce ' n Domino . When WWE came to New Zealand on 11 June 2008 in Auckland he was a guest on the very first international V . I . P Lounge along with Bushwacker Butch . The segment ' s host , Montel Vontavious Porter ( MVP ) announced him as Bushwhacker Luke but then apologized . Eventually , MVP attacked Butch and Garea with the microphone . Butch and Garea recovered and fought off MVP , then celebrated with the Bushwhacker walk . On March 3 , 2009 he was featured on WWE . com exclusive segment " Top - rope Theater " posing as " Hacksaw " Jim Duggan .