Tony Halme
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Tony Christian Halme (born January 6, 1963) is a former member of the Finnish Parliament, representing the True Finns party. He is also known by the pseudonym Viikinki he used to appear in the Finnish version of the TV game show American Gladiators in the 1990s. He has also been a professional wrestler as Ludvig Borga and professional boxer who held the Finnish heavyweight championship.
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[edit] Career
His earlier career in show-fighting and boxing have given Halme a "tough guy" image, enhanced by well-publicized instances when he had defended himself in bar brawls. Halme does not hide his nativist views and tends to speak in a rash, direct manner, which tends to catch the public eye. He has also suggested that Finland should send drug dealers to Russian prisons as this would result in considerable cost savings, and a prison term in Russia would be a more effective deterrent. The populist party of True Finns took him as an independent candidate in the parliamentary elections of 2003. His share of about 17,000 votes was the 7th highest in Helsinki parliamentary district. Most of his voters are from the poorest suburbs where unemployment is high. Some political analysts believe the Halme phenomenon to be a form of protest, but some fear this marks the rise of a political racist right-wing movement.
During his parliamentary career, Halme has raised controversies. The day after the elections, Halme referred to president Halonen as a lesbian in a radio interview. Halme stated that if a lesbian can be president of Finland and he can be a member of Parliament, anything seems possible. A huge uproar ensued as much of the Finnish media treated the statement as a personal attack on Halonen; Halonen herself made no comment. Halme later apologized, stating that he was sorry that the statement had been interpreted as an insult and that he had been under the genuine impression that Halonen was a lesbian. [1]
In July 2003, a hand gun was fired inside his apartment, probably after a domestic quarrel. Nobody was hurt, but the gun was unlicensed. Halme had only days before a boxing match and was using prescription medication because he was in pain. The dangerous combination of drugs and alcohol was a decisive factor in the incident. His blood contained trace amounts of amphetamine. Halme said that somebody had put the illegal narcotic into his drink without his knowledge. He was unconscious for several days following the incident. The police searched Halme's office at the House of Parliament. In January 2004 his trial was shown live on television by the MTV3 digital television channel. Halme received a four-month suspended sentence and a fine [2], but continued to serve as Member of Parliament. In 2006 he was convicted on driving while impaired.
Tony Halme is also known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestler Ludvig Borga (spelled Ludwig Borge in his first few weeks in the WWF). His gimmick was that of a man who disliked America because of pollution. As Ludvig Borga he made quite an impact in the mid-nineties WWF ascending straight to main event status against the All-American Lex Luger. He was also the man that ended Tatanka's long undefeated streak and was even said to have been considered for a World Title run; unfortunately his wrestling career was cut short by an ankle injury. He also had success wrestling in Japan for New Japan Pro Wrestling, teaming with Scott Norton to win the IWGP World Tag Team Championship.
He has also fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), though without appreciable success, losing to future UFC champion Randy Couture. He has also wrote four books and recorded one album called "Mestarit salilla", He has also starred in the Finnish movies Ponterosa and Kohtalon kirja and in 1995 had a little role overseas in Die Hard: With a Vengeance.
In early March 2006 Halme was involuntarily committed to a mental hospital, reportedly due to delirium caused by excessive alcohol use. Earlier in 2006 he had been diagnosed with alcohol-related cirrhosis and acute pancreatitis.
He did not run in the 2007 parliamentary elections.[3]
[edit] Books
- Jumala armahtaa, minä en (1998) (Title translation: God Has Mercy, I Don't)
- Tuomiopäivä (2001) (Title translation: The Judgement Day)
- Viikingin voimaopas (2003) (Title translation: The Viking`s strength guide)
- Kovan päivän ilta (2003) (Title translation: A Hard Day's Night)
[edit] Albums
- Mestarit salilla (2001)
[edit] In wrestling
[edit] Profile
- Height: 191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
- Weight: 116 kg (256 lb)
- Hometown: Helsinki
- Finishing Move: Torture Rack
- Stage names: Ludvig Borga, Tony Halme
[edit] Finishing and signature moves
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
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- CWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
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- IWGP World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Scott Norton
[edit] In boxing
[edit] Professional boxing record
Wins 13 (10 ko's) Losses 6 Draw 0 Total 19
| 28/11/2002 | Win | Chris Sirengo | Helsinki | UD |
| 13/10/2001 | Loss | Garing Lane | Copenhagen | TKO |
| 20/02/2001 | Win | Almaz Gismeev | Helsinki | TKO |
| 03/10/2000 | Loss | Yacine Kingbo | Helsinki | KO |
| 17/04/2000 | Win | Mika Kihlström | Helsinki | KO |
| 22/11/1999 | Win | Ferenc Deák | Helsinki | KO |
| 06/09/1999 | Loss | Agustin Corpus | Helsinki | KO |
| 19/04/1999 | Win | Iran Barkley | Helsinki | SD |
| 16/11/1998 | Win | Ken Woods | Helsinki | KO |
| 14/09/1998 | Loss | Mika Kihlström | Helsinki | TKO |
| 16/03/1998 | Win | Terry Armstrong | Helsinki | KO |
| 29/09/1997 | Win | Jukka Järvinen | Helsinki | KO |
| 09/06/1997 | Win | Paul Genick | Atlantic City | KO |
| 09/09/1996 | Loss | Jukka Järvinen | Helsinki | DQ |
| 27/05/1996 | Loss | Robert Swenson | Helsinki | KO |
| 27/04/1996 | Loss | Patrick Freeman | Las Vegas | KO |
| 04/03/1996 | Win | Tony Messenger | Helsinki | TKO |
| 26/06/1995 | Win | Archie Perry | Inglewood | PTS |
| 10/06/1995 | Win | Bradford Powell | Las Vegas | KO |
[edit] In mixed martial arts
[edit] MMA Record
0 wins, 1 loss (1 submission), 0 draw.
| 5/30/1997 | Loss | Randy Couture | UFC 13 | Submission (Rear Choke) | Round 1, 0:56 |
[edit] External links
