Greg Mosorjak (born June 21, 1961), better known as Count Grog, is an American professional wrestling manager, referee, ring announcer, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Cueball Carmichael's Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance, OMEGA and Southern States Wrestling and from 1994 to 2004, was the owner of Southern Championship Wrestling.
A well-known wrestling personality in the Southeastern United States, especially in the North Carolina independents, he is best remembered for his long-running feud with "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant during the 1990s. He was also the founder and longtime manager of the "heel" stable "The Brotherhood". Initially consisting of Major DeBeers and Boris Dragoff, the group included some of the region's top stars such as "Beastmaster" Rick Link, "Ragin' Bull" Manny Fernandez, K. C. Thunder and Frank "The Tank" Parker. He has been called the "most employee friendly boss around" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated for allegedly frequently turning against his own wrestlers. Mosorjak is currently the promoter and on-screen commissioner for G.O.U.G.E (Gimmicks Only Underground Grappling Entertainment) based in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Career A native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Mosorjak was an early fan of professional wrestling, watching Pittsburgh Studio Wrestling in the mid-1960s, and became "hooked" after attending his first live event, headlined by Bruno Sammartino and Battman versus Prof. Toru Tanaka and Ivan Koloff, in February 1970. Inspired by Ron Dobratz's Illustrated Wrestling Digest, he established his own monthly newsletter called "Inside the Squared Circle", and later "Ringside Seat" with Mark Curtis, while still in high school. These "kayfabe sheets" featured the latest news and results from "the territories" and included reports, monthly recaps, and photos. A number of future wrestling personalities were staff members on Mosorjak's newsletters such as Mark Curtis, Ken Jugan, Norman Dooley, Pete Lederberg, and Elio Zarlenga. Eddie Gilbert and Jim Cornette also worked as photographers. His publications covered not only mainstream wrestling, then the "Big Three" (American Wrestling Alliance, National Wrestling Alliance and the World Wrestling Federation), but covered the leading independents throughout the country. He worked for Pittsburgh promoter Gene Dargen during this period, with duties such as putting up posters and calling in radio shows, where he befriended fellow fans Ken Jugan and Mark Curtis.
In his senior year, Mosorjak started working in various capacities for local independent promotions, both as a referee and manager, under the name Greg "Punk Rock" Mason. His initial training was learned "on the job" as well as assistance from friends Zoltan the Great and Mark Curtis, and Luis Martinez. By 1982, he was a regular referee for Zoltan's 3 Rivers Wrestling, having previously written its programs, and made his managerial debut in CCWA, an independent based in Smithfield, North Carolina. A year later, he started promoting wrestling events as part of West Virginia Championship Wrestling in Morgantown, West Virginia, also appearing in the promotion under his "Punk Rock" persona. Some of his early years in the business was spent touring the Northeast and Southern independents with his first charges, Zoltan the Great and J.W. "Snakeman" Hawk, feuding with Bobo Brazil, Luis Martinez, JR Hogg, and Mike Schulli among other regional stars. It was around this time that he got an opportunity to work for Joseph Blanchard and Southwest Championship Wrestling, however, he was involved in a car accident while traveling with Jugan to a television taping in Kingwood, West Virginia. His injuries, which included a dislocated shoulder, left him unable to appear on the Blanchard shows though he did work matches for The Original Sheik when he toured West Virginia. In 1984, following his graduation from West Virginia University, Mosorjak left pro wrestling to pursue other business and personal interests (while attending WVU he was roommates with the nephew of Farhat). He later claimed that he had also grown frustrated with the industry at the time, working indy shows in Ohio and West Virginia for little to no pay, describing one incident in which he drove 200 miles to work a show and was stiffed by the promoter. Between 1985 and 1992, he attended North Carolina State University at Raleigh and Appalachian State University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science from the former institution.
Introduction of Count Grog (1993-1994) In 1993, Mosorjak returned to wrestling working primarily in North Carolina as a referee. While in the Carolina Championship Wrestling Alliance, he briefly feuded with television announcer Henry Dean which saw Mosorjak wrestle his first wrestling match which ended in a 10-minute draw. He left refereeing soon afterwards to go back to managing. He made his first appearance as "Count Grog", a Transylvanian nobleman modeled after Count Dracula, on August 19, 1994, at a show for Atlantic Championship Wrestling in Carolina Beach, North Carolina. He eventually left CCWA with his first protege, the Intruder, to start Southern Championship Wrestling in November 1994.
Southern Championship Wrestling (1994-1998) Mosorjak began the Southern Championship Wrestling (SCW) promotion in 1994. SCW promoted shows primarily in eastern and central North Carolina, with its home arena at the Kings Barcade in downtown Raleigh and later the historic Dorton Arena. It also had a weekly television show which aired Tuesdays on Channel 6 in Durham, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro, and Saturday mornings on Channel 10 in Raleigh. Among the promotion's mainstays included C. W. Anderson, Caprice Coleman, Cham Pain, Dewey Cheatum, Scab, Natrone Steele, Lazz, Lexie Fyfe, Mickie James, Matt Stryker, Shawn Alexander, Seymour Snott, The Stro, Trailer Park Heat, Venom, The Bad Street Boys (Joey Matthews and Christian York), Dangerous Minds (Toad and Lodi), Death & Destruction (Frank Parker and Roger Anderson), and The Dupps (Bo and Jack Dupp). Future WWE superstars Shane Helms, Shannon Moore, Edge and Christian, Lita and The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) also spent their early careers in SCW.Hardy, Matt and Jeff. The Hardy Boyz: Exist 2 Inspire. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003. (pg. 69) The promotion's unique mix of traditional Southern-style 'Rasslin and modern hardcore wrestling attracting Extreme Championship Wrestling's Chilly Willy, Steve Corino, Julio Dinero, New Jack as well as older Mid-Atlantic legends Ivan Koloff, Manny Fernandez, and Jimmy Valiant.
In addition to being the owner, he also continued managing in SCW as "Count Grog". One of his first maneuvers was the formation of a "heel" stable which he called "The Brotherhood". The group initially consisted of Major DeBeers and Boris Dragoff, however, it would eventually include many of the region's top "rulebreakers". On January 7, 1995, under Count Grog's management, Boris Dragoff won a one-night championship tournament in Creedmoor, North Carolina, to crown the first SCW Heavyweight Champion. A year later, he helped the Dream Team (Billy Simmons and Sean Powers) in winning the SCW tag team titles from The Rat Pack (Jimmy Cicero and Brian Perry) though they refused Grog's invitation to become a part of The Brotherhood. Another tag team he would manage to the titles was Death & Destruction (Frank Parker and Roger Anderson)"The PWI 500." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: London Publishing Company. (Holiday 1997): pg. 50-51."The PWI 500." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: London Publishing Company. (Holiday 1998): pg. 64, 67. and during their feud with the Serial Thrillaz (Shane Helms & Mike Maverick) and Thug Life (Christian Cage and Sexton Hardcastle).
Over the next two years, he led Brotherhood members Gorgeous George III to the SCW Heavyweight title (November 1996) and K. C. Thunder to the North Carolina Heavyweight title (February 1997), who defeated Big Slam in a tournament final to become the promotion's first-ever champion. On June 27, 1998, he again led Dragoff to recapture SCW title, and persuaded Boris Dragoff to rejoin the Brotherhood, who had left the previous year. Five months later, on November 21, 1998, he helped Cueball Carmichael win the vacant SCW Heavyweight Championship from Big Slam, then substituting for an injured James "Poison" Ivey, in Louisburg, North Carolina. Club Security (Rumble and Rukkus) captured the SCW Tag Team titles from Pat & C. W. Anderson and Otto Schwanz the North Carolina title, with assistance from Mosorjak, making it one of The Brotherhood's most successful years.
Independent circuit (1998-2000) While promoting SCW, Mosorjak and The Brotherhood also toured the Southern independent circuit with many of his wrestlers, most especially Major DeBeers, have won titles in most of the promotions they visited. At its height, The Brotherhood consisted of Major DeBeers, Boris Dragoff, "Beastmaster" Rick Link, "Ragin' Bull" Manny Fernandez, K. C. Thunder and Frank "The Tank" Parker. By the end of the decade, the group had appeared in every major independent organization in North Carolina as well as in South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York. It was during this time that Mosorjak engaged in a long-running feud with "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant which set attendance records in historic wrestling towns such as Fall Branch, Tennessee, to Butner, North Carolina. On at least one occasion, Valiant managed to get his hands on Mosorjak during a Southern States Wrestling show, on December 9, 1995, defeating him in a "5-minute challenge" match.
Mosorjak himself, a "hands on" manager who frequently involved himself in his wrestler's matches, used such tactics as throwing fire at opponents as well as "opening up foreheads with his razor sharp teeth". In the summer of 1996, he and Major DeBeers were suspended from the Great American Wrestling Federation after Grog threw a fireball at DeBeers' opponent "Iceman" Mike Murphy.Apter, Bill. "Ringside." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: London Publishing Company. (July 1996): pg. 56. He was by voted by fans as "Manager of the Year" in SCW and Southern States Wrestling in 1997, and in 1999 by Norm Kietzer's The Wrestling News magazine for the North Carolina independents. That same year, Pro Wrestling Illustrated called Count Grog the "least employee friendly boss around", due to his tendency of double-crossing his own wrestlers.Burkett, Harry. "Win, Lose, or Draw." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: London Publishing Company. (Holiday 1999): pg. 22. ("[...] Or, what wrestler did Count Grog turn against this year? He has to be the least employee-friendly boss around.") Since forming the group, Mosorjak has twice turned on Major DeBeers, Boris Dragoff, Otto Schwanz, Jimmy Cicero, and Venom, though many eventually rejoined the group.
He also took part in wrestling matches on occasion though this was usually for comic effect. For example, at an ICW show in Yanceyville, North Carolina, Skinhead #1 chose Count Grog as his tag team partner to defend the ICW Tag Team Championship. Later that night, their opponents Heartbreak Express pinned Grog to win the titles. In the fall of 1998, he also wrestled midget wrestler Sweetie Pop in a special challenge match in Raleigh.