Former WWE Tag Team Champion Fred Ottman, known to wrestling fans as Tugboat, Typhoon, and the infamous Shockmaster, recently underwent vascular surgery. The news was shared by his friend and fellow former WWE Women’s Champion, Leilani Kai, in a post on her Facebook page.
Kai asked the wrestling community to keep Ottman and his wife, Sheila, in their thoughts and prayers. “Today, my dear friend and wrestling brother Fred Ottman (who fans know as Tugboat, Typhoon, and of course The Shockmaster) is undergoing vascular surgery,” she wrote. “Fred has given so much of himself to this business, both in the ring and outside of it. He’s always been larger than life, but what I love most is his heart. He has a way of making everyone around him feel cared for, and that’s something truly special.”
Kai’s post was a heartfelt tribute to her friend as she continued, “I want to ask all of you to please lift Fred and his wife Sheila up in your thoughts and prayers today. Sheila has been right by his side through everything, and I know your love and support will mean the world to both of them,” she continued. “💪 Wishing my friend a safe surgery and a strong recovery. We’re all pulling for you, Fred.”
Ottman is best known for his run in the early 1990s as Tugboat, a fan-favorite character who was a close ally of Hulk Hogan. He later transformed into Typhoon, forming the successful tag team “The Natural Disasters” with Earthquake (John Tenta). The duo won the WWE Tag Team Championships in 1992.
He is also famously remembered for his debut in WCW as “The Shockmaster,” an incident that has become one of the most infamous bloopers in wrestling history. Despite that one infamous moment, Ottman had a long and successful career and is a beloved figure in the wrestling community. Earlier this year, he and his late partner, John Tenta, were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.
We wish Ottman a speedy recovery.
