Steve Lombardi isn’t outraged over being labeled a ‘jobber’ in wrestling as for him it signifies a lengthy career of having a job in the business. 

Lombardi is best known for his work as ‘The Brooklyn Brawler’ though also worked under characters such as Kim Chee and Abe ‘Knuckleball’ Schwartz. As the Brawler, Lombardi lost the vast majority of his matches, earning him the label of a jobber; somebody who is used to make more established talent look better. 

On the Insight podcast, Lombardi discussed the term and why it doesn’t bother him to be known as a jobber.

“They used to say the word ‘jobber.’ I don’t care because my comeback used to be ‘Everybody’s a jobber.’ Your boss is your jobbee. I mean a job just means you have a job.”

Lombardi also discussed the other terms used for wrestlers such as himself as the industry aims to move away from the stigma surrounding ‘jobber.’

“They call it an enhancement talent… then they called it [an] architect. Then they called it ‘ring general.’ They even called me a ring general on The Rock’s show. ‘Rock, he’s a ring general, listen to everything he says.’ I’m not a ring general. I’m the most humble guy that you know because all I want to do is make everybody look great.”

While known for his work putting over other stars, Lombardi did score a handful of notable wins in his career including a SmackDown 2000 victory over Triple H (albeit due to interference.) His most recent WWE victory came at WWE TLC 2012 where he teamed with Alberto Del Rio and The Miz to defeat 3MB. 

For the use of quotes, please give an H/T to SE Scoops. 

For decades, Steve Lombardi worked for WWE before his release in 2016, under a series of gimmicks.

While he appeared as Kim Chee and Abe ‘Knuckleball’ Schwartz, Lombardi is best known as the Brooklyn Brawler, arguably WWE’s most recognizable jobber.

The list of wrestlers who have picked up wins over the Brawler range from icons such as Kurt Angle and Triple H to lesser stars such as Tekno Team 2000.

Real Fights

Lombardi may have spent most of his career staring up at the lights, but is confident in his real fighting skills.

Speaking with Bill Apter in an interview for Sportskeeda Wrestling, Lombardi said that in a real fight, he’d easily dispatch the majority of his opponents.

“Every person I wrestled, every person that beat me, I would say 60 percent of them I could beat the hell out of.”

Steve Lombardi on how he’d fare in a real fight.

Lombardi did not name any of his opponents he is confident he could easily beat if they came to real blows.

Working with McMahon

Hired by the WWE in 1983, Lombardi spent decades working for Vince McMahon, who recently retired from all roles with the company.

McMahon’s retirement comes amid an investigation into the ex-Chairman over allegations of misconduct with female employees.

Addressing McMahon’s retirement, Lombardi said he had nothing but respect for his former boss.

“He made me a rich man. He made me a well-off man. He always did me right.”

Steve Lombardi reacts to Vince McMahon’s retirement.

AEW talent Colt Cabana made an appearance on Young Rock as the Brooklyn Brawler.

Young Rock gives fans a reenactment of The Rock’s early life. This season, viewers have been reliving the Rocky Maivia days. Recently, the Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Mankind, The Undertaker, and The Ringmaster characters appeared.

Colt Cabana Appears On Young Rock

Colt Cabana ended up snagging a role on the NBC show. On the latest episode this past Tuesday night (May 3), he played the role of Brooklyn Brawler.

Former WWE writer and Executive Producer of Young Rock, Brian Gewirtz, heaped praise on Cabana’s performance.

“Beyond excited for tonight’s #YoungRock. Writing the story of the Rock’s first EVER match with @TheRock and @hhgarcia41 truly was the thrill of a lifetime. And suffice to say @ulilatukefu as the Rock and @ColtCabana as @brawlerreal absolutely crushed it.”

The Rock also gave a shoutout to Cabana.

“You and @hhgarcia41 did a great job writing this episode mi amigo. This was a special one. Good to see people loving it. Shout to @ColtCabana & @brawlerreal.”

Young Rock was recently in the headlines after there was a tease of a future match between The Rock and current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

The Brooklyn Brawler was recently a guest on Prime Time with Sean Mooney where he talked about several professional wrestling topics. Brawler was able to work for WWE several times over the years, but the memories that stick out to him the most were his performances in Madison Square Garden.

His most memorable MSG experience was likely his WWE Title opportunity against Shawn Michaels. His journey to earning that match was a rather interesting one:

“Okay so we’re wrestling in Madison Square Garden and we’re having a battle royal. I’m in the battle royal but I’m just a guy to get thrown out, this and that. All of a sudden Ken Shamrock who was scheduled to win the battle royal got injured in her sternum, his chest he got injured,” Brawler said.

Shortly after the injury producers went to Vince McMahon and alerted him Shamrock couldn’t win the match because he was injured. McMahon decided to make the call to put Brawler over instead:

“Put Brooklyn Brawler over, he’s local.”

McMahon didn’t realize, however, that he promised the winner of the Battle Royal a shot at the WWE Title. Brawler reminded McMahon of this at the next MSG show, and The Chairman Of The Board responded with “You got your match.”

Initially Brawler was supposed to work with Bret Hart for the WWE Title, however, during that time The Montreal Screwjob had just occurred and Shawn Michaels was the new World Champion. At first Brawler believed that Michaels was going to refuse to work with him, but to his surprise HBK was very accepting of the idea and immediately began putting the match together with Brawler:

“His finish is the Superkick if I Superkicked him people would come unglued,” Brooklyn Brawler said. “What a match we had. It was the first Garden show with DX with Chyna and Triple H on the apron on the outside of the ring. Me and Shawn Michaels in Madison Square Garden. I remember The Undertaker walking into the room, into the dressing room and looking at the line-up and it shows me in the main event, he’s underneath me and he goes, ‘what the f–k is this?’

“That’s what he said. I just said, ‘it’s not me I didn’t do it!’ Because nobody wants heat with The Undertaker. But I tell ya, my career, you couldn’t even write this the way it happened. He’s kicking out at two-and-a-half and he’s selling and doing all these crazy moves,” Brawler said .

“I mean he made me look like a million bucks. I’m telling ya and then Triple H jumps on the apron and I pop him, nail him then Chyna comes in and gives me a Frankensteiner. I mean, it was great.”

You can listen to Brawler on Prime Time with Sean Mooney by clicking this link here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNhbNKP9sB4&feature=youtu.be

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

– Below is backstage video of Curt Hawkins and The Brooklyn Brawler at RAW 25. Brawler says he can feel what Hawkins is going through with the losing streak and he can relate. Brawler tells Hawkins to never get down on himself because eventually he will win.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25nx3S-ttes?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

– Matt Hardy talks to Dasha Fuentes after his loss to Bray Wyatt at RAW 25. Hardy says he was happy to have the Manhattan Center as a battlefield in The Great War but he is disappointed. Matt says this was not the outcome he wanted but he will get revenge at the Royal Rumble on Sunday because he will delete until Wyatt and Sister Abigail are over.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGUbWrHUnR4?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

– Christian’s Peep Show segment at Monday’s RAW 25 event was originally scheduled to take place inside the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom, according to PWInsider. The segment was held at the Barclays Center with appearances by The Bar and RAW Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan. Below is video from the segment:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoOPE1pzmg8?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

– Bill Goldberg is scheduled for tomorrows episode of “First Take” on EPSN 2, where he’ll be discussing Brock Lesnar and his return to the squared-circle at Survivor Series.

– Former WWE Superstar and founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Chris Nowinski, was ringside at last night’s WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view in Boston Massachusetts. He tweeted:

#HIAC is amazing tonight! You're missing out if you're not watching. Love coming back and seeing it in person pic.twitter.com/xpUf4wgWTi

— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) October 31, 2016

This is going to be insane #HIAC pic.twitter.com/prMhuyOyvv

— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) October 31, 2016

– A brand new “Table for Three” is scheduled to air following this week’s episode of WWE RAW, featuring WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, Goldust, and R Truth. Below is a preview for the show:

– This week’s WWE Top 10 celebrates Halloween with the Sneakiest Superstar Disguises:

– Prior to WWE’s brand split announcement, there were plans in place to bring NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha to the main roster this fall. A lot of creative plans were upended once the decision was made to have exclusive rosters on RAW and SmackDown, but Jordan and Gable are considered “ready” for the call up. Especially with a need to round out those rosters this summer, few acts have more upside than these two.

– The Brooklyn Brawler reportedly got backstage heat prior to his WWE release after calling into Taz’s live Internet radio show (it’s not a podcast). There were reports going around that “an incident” led to him departing the company after 30+ years. The Taz radio show appearance is not the official reason he was let go, but it was one of the final straws.

Source: Wrestling Observer

Steve “Brooklyn Brawler” Lombardi was released by WWE earlier this month for unknown reasons. To update on this, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that he was let go due to something that was a “small mistake” by him. Meltzer didn’t elaborate on what the mistake was.

Lombardi was with the company for over 30 years and reportedly had a good enough relationship with the company that the door is open for him to return in the future. Former WWE announcer and Executive Vice President of Talent Relations Jim Ross wrote last week that he was “surprised to see” Lombardi let go, and that he was in “good spirits” when they talked after his release.

He’s currently taking independent bookings at BookBrawler@gmail.com.

– Jim Ross noted in his new blog that The Brooklyn Brawler was in good spirits and was thinking positive after being released from WWE last week. Brawler was with the company for more than 30 years.

– The Miz has been announced for the 44th Los Angeles Police Celebrity Golf tournament on May 21 in West LA. Other celebrities there include Mark Paul Gosselaar, Alan Thicke, Luke Wilson and Tito Ortiz.

– Linda McMahon will be serving as a delegate at the GOP Convention in Cleveland this July, according to The Hartford Courant. All delegates were selected by Donald Trump’s campaign.

Former WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations Jim Ross recently commented on Adam Rose’s suspension, and The Brooklyn Brawler’s release from the company. The Hall of Fame announcer wrote in a blog entry that he was surprised to hear the Brawler, real name Steve Lombardi, was released after a 30+ year relationship with WWE. “When I contacted Brawler, he was in good spirits and he was positive which was refreshing,” J.R. wrote.

Ross wrote at length about Adam Rose’s suspension and arrest for domestic disturbance. J.R. stressed that he hopes Rose, real name Ray Leppan, has a “Plan B” for work aside from wrestling.

“When performers have no plan B, they often find themselves in a state of helplessness. For example, what do I do to stay in America, for instance, as in South African Leppan’s situation? What can I now do to provide for my family,” Ross wrote “To eliminate the feeling of hopelessness from a talent’s mind set is a primary reason for having a marketable, Plan B for all sports entertainers. The job does not last forever nor does the money that the job creates.”

J.R. says he doesn’t think the suspended WWE star is a bad person, but that he’s in a bad place. “Ray has a special needs son which in itself should encourage wise decision by the head of the household, but that hasn’t been the case recently,” Ross wrote. “My sincere wish is for the Leppan family to learn from this situation, move on positively and to galvanize with one another. This isn’t about one’s pro wrestling career, but instead, it’s about the head of the household making good decisions and caring for his family.”

You can read his entire blog entry here.

• New Details On Adam Rose’s Domestic Violence Arrest

Steve Lombardi, known as the Brooklyn Brawler, has reportedly been released by WWE. According to a report by PWInsider.com, Lombardi was released last Friday, but WWE has yet to publicly announce it.

Lombardi first signed with WWE in 1983 and worked the majority of his career as an enhancement talent. He transitioned to a behind-the-scenes role as an agent in the 1990’s. Lombardi would oversee and produce promos with the WWE roster.

There’s no word on why he was released as of this writing.

– WWE Diva Layla, who as noted earlier today, returned to in-ring action at Friday’s WWE live event in Germany has recently updated her official Instagram page, listing herself as a “host, dancer, actress and WWE Diva.”

– Longtime WWE employee and former wrestler Steve “The Brooklyn Brawler” Lombardi is celebrating his 54th birthday today. Also celebrating a birthday today is WWE developmental talent Zahra Schreiber, who turns 28 years old.

– The latest edition of WWE Top 10, which you can view below, looks at the ten biggest breakups in WWE history.

• SHOCKER: THE ROCK & RONDA ROUSEY Break ONE-HUNDRED Year Old Record Together!

– After returning to action at Tuesday’s WWE television taping in London, England, Layla is sparking rumors that she will be hosting a show.

The 37-year-old updated her bio on Instagram to list herself as a host, in addition to WWE Diva, dancer and actress.

– This week on WWE Superstars, R-Truth takes on Curtis Axel while Zack Ryder goes one-on-one with Heath Slater. Highlights from both contest are as follows:

– Celebrating birthdays today are The Brooklyn Brawler, who works behind-the-scenes for WWE, and WWE developmental talent Zahra Schreiber. The Brawler turns 54-years-old, whereas Schreiber turns 28 (according to her profile on ExploreTalent.com).

• How tall is Daniel Bryan?

Next Sunday, the WWE will dust off the tables, ladders, chairs, and apparently stairs for its annual hardcore spectacular. This year’s event will be held in Cleveland, Ohio and will be the sixth incarnation of the pay-per-view.

This will be only the second TLC pay-per-view to not feature a WWE Championship match, as Brock Lesnar is still sitting at home collecting a paycheck. In the past, the WWE has used this event to lay the groundwork for the Road to WrestleMania while providing a sense of finality to various feuds with the hardcore element. With that said, here is a look back at the first five TLC pay-per-view events.

As seen Monday night on Raw, WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino was honored by the sports-entertainment organization as Jerry “The King” Lawler led Pittsburgh fans in singing “Happy Birthday” to the legendary wrestler (he celebrated his 78th birthday the previous day). Following his live appearance, Sammartino met with various WWE personnel and wrestlers backstage including Vince McMahon and Triple H. The Brooklyn Brawler, who works for WWE in a backstage capacity, tweeted a photo of his backstage encounter with Sammartino, and in a near ‘oops’ moment, almost inadvertently revealed a phone number belonging to the WWE Chairman and CEO.

As Brawler posed for his photo opportunity with “The Living Legend,” he stood in front of piece of paper (labeled “Vince’s Phone Number”) that had been posted on a wall disclosing all but the last three digits of McMahon’s phone number (which were not captured in the digital image, or were cropped out).

It should be noted that the first three digits of McMahon’s phone number, 412, serves as an area code in Pennsylvania, and was likely his office phone number for the night.

Brawler said of his meeting with Sammartino, “It was great to see @SammartinoBruno at #RAW this week, A true #living Legend #WWE.”

– Prior to a Tables Match against John Cena at today’s WWE live event in Brisbane, Australia, Ryback angrily confronted a fan holding a sign reading “Feed Me More ‘Roids.” The WWE Superstar went on verbal outburst toward the fan and reportedly said he would “f*****g see him outside.” Additionally, he ordered security to confiscate the sign. The ordeal occurred as Cena was making his entrance to the ring.

Ryback acknowledged another taboo subject the day before at a WWE live event in Sydney as he goaded ringside fans chanting “Goldberg!”

– The official WWE website currently has a poll asking fans which former Diva they would most like to see return to the company. Not listed among the choices is Maria Kanellis, who has claimed in recent weeks through Twitter that the Bella Twins blocked her from returning to the organization earlier this year. Despite not being listed in the poll, she acknowledged it on Twitter with the following message, “Awesome!! Haha… @WWE I’m with @ringofhonor now!! #ROH.” She then stated that she voted for Victoria in the poll.

Meanwhile, Kanellis will be live-tweeting during the series premiere of Total Divas tonight at 10:00 p.m. on E!. In reference to a video that surfaced online of Nikki Bella asking John Cena about marriage on the reality show, Kanellis stated on Friday, “I love watching women beg for a ring. Haha…”

– Brooklyn Brawler surveyed fans on Twitter this morning about their favorite SummerSlam moment of all-time.

(source: Pro Wrestling Torch)

– Wade Barrett tweeted the following after coming up short against Intercontinental champion Kofi Kingston at TLC:

To say I'm furious about last night is an understatement. Best man doesn't always win. Kudos to the Brooklyn crowd. No Brum, but not bad.

— Stu Bennett (@StuBennett) December 17, 2012

I'm going to listen to some McCarthy and have a serious think about things.

— Stu Bennett (@StuBennett) December 17, 2012

– “Road Dogg” BG James reacts to TLC:

TLC is in the record books and what a night it has been. The Shield is a force to be reckoned with and AJ has finally lost it! #BROOKLYN

— Brian G. James (@BrianRDJames) December 17, 2012

– Funkadactyl Naomi tweeted this after winning the “Santa’s Little Helpers” Divas Battle Royal on the TLC online pre-show, but then losing to Eve Torres on the pay-per-view:

Wow! What a night! Though I won the "battle" and not the war I'm proud…the funkadactyls showed that we are ready for more action;)

— Trinity (@TheTrinity_Fatu) December 17, 2012

Brodus Clay also congratulated her on a great effort:

#NaomiWWE so proud of u won the #divasbattleroyal
you won the hearts of the crowd u came up short but eve won't giggle at u again ya dig!!

— Tyrus (@PlanetTyrus) December 17, 2012

– After the Brooklyn Brawler made a surprise in-ring appearance at TLC, Joey Styles thinks the Brawler is owed another big moment in New York this April:

https://twitter.com/joeystyles/status/280514077258817536

* VIDEO Of RYBACK Throwing of SETH ROLLINS Off A Ladder Through TABLES at TLC

– Independent wrestler Luke Hawx wrestled a dark match prior to Tuesday night’s WWE tapings from Bossier City, LA, losing to Santino Marella.

Hawx appeared on Monday’s RAW as one of the security guards that confronted Ryback at the beginning of the show and met with Paul Heyman backstage at the event.

– Longtime WWE employee Steve Lumbardi, best known as the Brooklyn Brawler, is now on Twitter at @brawlerreal.

– WWE Hall of Famer and NXT head trainer / authority figure Dusty Rhodes wrote on Twitter that he is celebrating 43 year in the wrestling business this week:

This week 43years in pro wrestling , thanks and to WWE giving me a place to teach ! Cody on the rehab going good . Dustin hard at work !

— Dusty Rhodes (@WWEDustyRhodes) November 27, 2012

– The dark match main event that took place after Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings saw Sheamus defeat the Big Show by disqualification. The finish came after Big Show hit Sheamus with a steel chair. After the match, Sheamus leveled Show with the Brogue Kick.