James Ware

James Ware

Born: June 20, 1957
in 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.

Movies for James Ware...

Title: Biography: WWE Legends
Character: Koko B. Ware (archive footage)
Released: April 18, 2021
Type: TV
Biography (WWE Legends) is a television spin-off of the popular A&E series Biography. It focuses on biographies of WWE superstars and legends.
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The Sheik
Title: The Sheik
Released: April 26, 2014
Type: Movie
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.
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The History of WWE: 50 Years of Sports Entertainment
Title: The History of WWE: 50 Years of Sports Entertainment
Character: Koko B Ware
Released: November 18, 2013
Type: Movie
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.
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Legends of Mid-South Wrestling
Title: Legends of Mid-South Wrestling
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: September 10, 2013
Type: Movie
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…
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The True Story of WrestleMania
Title: The True Story of WrestleMania
Character: Koko B.Ware (archive footage)
Released: March 13, 2011
Type: Movie
It is the most anticipated yearly event in Sports Entertainment, an annual pop culture touch point. For more than 25 years, WrestleMania has hosted the biggest matches, the biggest stars, and the biggest celebrities. Now for the first time ever, the story of WrestleMania is told from its early beginnings through the week-long spectacular it has become, routinely drawing fans from all 50 states and around the world. This documentary feature includes new and insightful interviews from the superstars and creative forces behind the event.
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WWE Hall Of Fame 2009
Title: WWE Hall Of Fame 2009
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: April 4, 2009
Type: Movie
Inductees into the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame included "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Funk Brothers, Ricky Steamboat, Bill Watts, Koko B. Ware, The Von Erich Family and Howard Finkel
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World Wrestling Legends: 6:05 - The Reunion
Title: World Wrestling Legends: 6:05 - The Reunion
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: April 29, 2005
Type: Movie
World Wrestling Legends was a professional wrestling event produced by Mirabilis Ventures and promoted by Sal Corrente, which was held on March 5, 2006 It was titled 6:05 - The Reunion as a tribute to the program WCW Saturday Night,
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Title: AWF Warriors of Wrestling
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: March 6, 1995
Type: TV
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WWF Bashed in the USA
Title: WWF Bashed in the USA
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: June 23, 1993
Type: Movie
While Mr. Perfect goes on search for the 'perfect' stamp, enjoy some exciting matches filmed exclusively for the WWE Universe, including Virgil challenging Shawn Michaels for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, The Undertaker going one-on-one with Yokozuna, and more. Plus, witness an exciting 40-Man Battle Royale!
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WWF: WrestleFest '93
Title: WWF: WrestleFest '93
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: March 20, 1993
Type: Movie
Wrestling Matches From 1993
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WWE Wrestling Grudge Matches
Title: WWE Wrestling Grudge Matches
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: March 1, 1993
Type: Movie
See the greatest World Wrestling Federation Superstars against their most hated rivals!
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WWE Royal Rumble 1993
Title: WWE Royal Rumble 1993
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: January 24, 1993
Type: Movie
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.
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Title: WWE Raw
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: January 11, 1993
Type: TV
A regularly scheduled, live, year-round program featuring some of the biggest WWE Superstars.
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WWE Survivor Series 1992
Title: WWE Survivor Series 1992
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: November 25, 1992
Type: Movie
The 1992 WWE Survivor Series was the sixth annual Survivor Series. It took place on November 25, 1992 at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio. Unlike previous Survivor Series events, Survivor Series 1992 placed a strong emphasis on one-on-one wrestling matches rather than tag team elimination matches. In the main event, Bret Hart defends his WWF Championship in a match against Shawn Michaels. The event also featured a highly-promoted match between the team of Randy Savage and Mr. Perfect and the team of Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. Two specialty matches also took place, with The Big Boss Man vs. Nailz in a nightstick on a pole match, and The Undertaker vs. Kamala in a Casket Match. Some of the matches were changed after they were first announced, as several wrestlers left the WWF shortly before the event.
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WWE WrestleFest '91
Title: WWE WrestleFest '91
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: July 25, 1991
Type: Movie
Macho Man Randy Savage hosts this explosive WWE extravaganza...his first Coliseum assignment since his retirement!
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WWE SuperTape vol. 4
Title: WWE SuperTape vol. 4
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: May 23, 1991
Type: Movie
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WWE Superstars & Stripes Forever: The March to WrestleMania VII
Title: WWE Superstars & Stripes Forever: The March to WrestleMania VII
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: March 17, 1991
Type: Movie
"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig faces Rocker Shawn Michaels in a Prime Time dream match on The Road To WrestleMania on March 17, 1991 from The Civic Center in Pensacola, Florida!
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WWE Royal Rumble 1991
Title: WWE Royal Rumble 1991
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: January 19, 1991
Type: Movie
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.
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WWE Survivor Series 1990
Title: WWE Survivor Series 1990
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: November 22, 1990
Type: Movie
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.
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WWE WrestleMania VI
Title: WWE WrestleMania VI
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: April 1, 1990
Type: Movie
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!
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WWE Royal Rumble 1990
Title: WWE Royal Rumble 1990
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: January 21, 1990
Type: Movie
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).
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WWE U.K. PPV
Title: WWE U.K. PPV
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: October 10, 1989
Type: Movie
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.
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WWE SummerSlam 1989
Title: WWE SummerSlam 1989
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: August 28, 1989
Type: Movie
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).
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Fan Favorites
Title: Fan Favorites
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: August 9, 1989
Type: Movie
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
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WWE Royal Rumble 1989
Title: WWE Royal Rumble 1989
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: January 15, 1989
Type: Movie
The 1989 WWE Royal Rumble was the second annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation, and the first one to be held on pay-per-view. It took place on January 15, 1989 at The Summit in Houston, Texas. The main event was the 1989 Royal Rumble match won by Big John Studd, who last eliminated Ted DiBiase to win the match. Featured matches on the undercard were Jim Duggan and The Hart Foundation versus Dino Bravo and The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, Rockin' Robin versus Judy Martin for the WWE Women's Championship and "King" Haku versus Harley Race.
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WWE Survivor Series 1988
Title: WWE Survivor Series 1988
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: November 24, 1988
Type: Movie
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.
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WWE SummerSlam 1988
Title: WWE SummerSlam 1988
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: August 29, 1988
Type: Movie
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.
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The Best of the WWF: volume 14
Title: The Best of the WWF: volume 14
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: December 15, 1987
Type: Movie
Coliseum Home Video Exclusives! Rare footage never shown anywhere else!
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The Best of the WWF: volume 13
Title: The Best of the WWF: volume 13
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: October 28, 1987
Type: Movie
Coliseum Video brings you the biggest and baddest WWE suoerstars!
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The Wrestling Album II: Piledriver
Title: The Wrestling Album II: Piledriver
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: September 21, 1987
Type: Movie
Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II is the second soundtrack album released by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was released on September 21, 1987 by Epic Records. It featured actual vocal performances from several of the wrestlers themselves.
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WWE WrestleMania III
Title: WWE WrestleMania III
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: March 29, 1987
Type: Movie
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 Detroit.
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Title: WWF Wrestling Challenge
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: September 6, 1986
Type: TV
WWF Wrestling Challenge was a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It was syndicated weekly and aired from 1986 to 1995. The show became simply known as WWF Challenge in 1995. The show featured matches, pre-match interviews, and occasionally, summarized weekly events in WWF programming. Matches primarily saw top tier and mid-level talent versus jobbers. At times, there was a "feature" match between main WWF talent. As with other syndicated WWF programming, the show promoted WWF event dates and house shows in local media markets.
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The First Annual NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament
Title: The First Annual NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament
Character: Koko B. Ware
Released: April 19, 1986
Type: Movie
The first Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was held on April 19, 1986. The tournament featured 24 tag teams.
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Title: WWE Pay Per View
Character: "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware
Released: March 31, 1985
Type: TV
The American professional wrestling promotion WWE has been broadcasting pay-per-view (PPV) events since the 1980s, when its classic "Big Four" events (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series) were first established—the company's very first PPV was WrestleMania in 1985. The company's PPV lineup expanded to a monthly basis in the mid-1990s following the introduction of the In Your House series of pay-per views before expanding even further in the mid-2000s during the first WWE brand extension. Following WWE's original brand extension in 2002, the company promoted two touring rosters, Raw and SmackDown, representing its television programs, Raw and SmackDown. The traditional "Big Four" continued to showcase the entire roster, while the remaining PPV events alternated between Raw and SmackDown cards. In March 2007, WWE announced that all subsequent PPV events would feature performers from all brands. In 2008, all WWE PPV events began broadcasting in high-definition.
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WCCW Thanksgiving Star Wars '84
Title: WCCW Thanksgiving Star Wars '84
Character: Koko Ware
Released: November 22, 1984
Type: Movie
Its turkey time in Texas with all the stars of World Class Championship Wrestling.
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WCCW Cotton Bowl Extravaganza '84
Title: WCCW Cotton Bowl Extravaganza '84
Character: Koko Ware
Released: October 24, 1984
Type: Movie
The feud between Kevin Von Erich and Chris Adams gets personal when blood is shed.