Al Snow Picture 7

Biography

Al Snow hit the big time in 1995, signing a contract with Titan Sports. He was initially brought in as "Avatar," a sort of ninja-type character with removable mask. He had a couple of shots on Monday Night RAW, but his character soon faded out, and he didn't make it to his first WWF pay-per-view, "Survivor Series," that November. He was buried by Issac Yankem (Kane) on WWF Superstars, ironically the same guy who, as "Unibomb," teamed up with him to win the Smokey Mountain Tag Team Championships earlier in the year (April 7th). Snow later said that the gimmick had been altered from the one he had discussed with management initially.

In 1996, he re-debuted as Leif Cassidy, teaming with Marty Jennetty to form the "New Rockers." Jannetty was a former tag team champion with Shawn Michaels, as well as former IC champion. The duo got off to a rocky start, however, losing in the first round of the WWF tag team tournament after the Smoking Guns forfeited the titles in January. Throughout the summer, Snow brought his own brand of retro-goofiness to the tag team ranks, as he and Jannetty had several terrific matches with The Bodydonnas Skip and Zip, (a k a Chris Candido and Tom Prichard). Nevertheless, they failed in every attempt to climb into contention for the tag team titles.

Snow also took on an alter-ego in "Shinobi," dressed all in black with a mask, and ran job duty as a sort of "mystery opponent" for WWF Champion Shawn Michaels on a series of TV tapings.

The tag team broke apart at the end of the year, as Jannetty was fired from the federation. Snow, at his own request, was send to ECW as part of a talent exchange going at the time to try and get him over there. He came up the "Head" idea, and Paul Heyman reluctantly went along with it. By way of interview time and hilarious vignettes, Snow and his new companion won over the hearts of the company, and he was given a rollar-coaster push at the end of 1997.

At Wrestlpalooza '98, he contested the biggest match of his life -- a main event ECW Wold Championship encounter with the injured champion Shane Douglas. Most picked him to win, overlooking the fact that he was still on loan from Titan. Douglas, the heel, won a shocking pinfall victory. When the match was over, the backstage emptied as all the stars hoisted the two athletes into the air. After 16 years on the road, Snow once again was denied when he looked destined to finally get his due, but he lost with good grace. The two athletes shook hands in one of the most memorable moments of the year.

He was brought back to the WWF with his new gimmick in the summer of '98, showing up at the back entrance for RAW after the Head gave him bad directions. His initial exchanges were terrific, with the same brand of amusing vignettes that had gotten him over in ECW. When his air time decreased, however, and he feuded with Jerry Lawler (always a heat killer), he lost much of his momentum, which was difficult to get in the first place in a large company like Titan.

While Snow and Head had been major cult superstars in ECW, more over than Sid Vicious, the gimmick, predictably, hasn't been nearly as successful in the WWF. Nevertheless, he's won the Hardcore title and looks to be moving in and out of contention for the championship for a substantial time to come. Snow has terrific athletic ability, and if he's given the opportunity to showcase his preferred style1 which is more excessive than straight mat wrestling but more straight-forward, hardcore "garbage" wrestling, he could easily win over the fans again. -- WOW Magazine, July 1999

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 232 lbs

Real Name: Allen Ray Sarven

DOB: 7/18/63

Hometown: Lima, Ohio

Other Names: Al Sarven, Steve Moore, Shinobi(WWF), Avatar(WWF), Leif Cassidy(WWF)

Wrestler Since: 1982

Finishing Maneuver: Snow Plow

PWI 500 2004 Ranking: #131

Previous PWI 500 Rankings: #129(2002), #99(2001), #97(2000), #52(1999), #70(1998), #140(1997), #90(1996), #56(1995), #112(1994), #379(1993)

Filmography

They're Just My Friends (2006) (completed) .... Big Al
Keeping Up with the Jonesers (2005) .... The Skunk
WWE Unforgiven (2003) (TV) .... Al Snow
Wrestlemania XIX (2003/II) (VG) (voice) .... Al Snow
WWE No Way Out (2003) (TV) .... Al Snow
"WWE Velocity" (2002) TV Series .... Al Snow (2002, 2004-2005)
WWF Backlash (2002) (V) .... Al Snow
Wrestlemania X-8 (2002) (V) .... Al Snow
Royal Rumble (2002) (V) .... Al Snow
Summerslam (2001) (V) .... Al Snow
Royal Rumble (2001) (V) .... Al Snow
WWF Unforgiven (2000) (V) .... Al Snow
Summerslam (2000) (V) .... Al Snow
Fully Loaded (2000) (V) .... Al Snow
Hardcore 7th Floor: We're Hardcore! (2000) (V) .... Al Snow
Wrestlemania 2000 (2000) (V) .... Al Snow
Royal Rumble (2000) (V) .... Al Snow
"WWF Jakked" (1999) TV Series .... Al Snow (1999-2002)
Armageddon (1999) (V) .... Al Snow
Survivor Series (1999) (V) .... Al Snow
WWF Unforgiven (1999) (V) .... Al Snow
Summerslam (1999) (V) .... Al Snow
Fully Loaded (1999) (V) .... Al Snow
WWF Backlash (1999) (V) .... Al Snow
WWF Attitude (1999) (VG) (voice) .... Al Snow
Wrestlemania XV (1999) (V) .... Al Snow
WWF St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1999) (V) .... Al Snow
Royal Rumble (1999) (V) .... Al Snow
"Raw Is War" (1997) TV Series .... Al Snow (1998-2002; 2002-2004); Leif Cassidy (1997)
"Sunday Night Heat" (1998) TV Series .... Al Snow (1998-2002, 2002-2004)
"WWF Metal" (1998) TV Series .... Al Snow (1998-2002)
WWF Rock Bottom: In Your House (1998) (V) .... Al Snow
Survivor Series (1998) (V) .... Al Snow
WWF Judgment Day (1998) (V) .... Al Snow
WWF Breakdown: In Your House (1998) (V) .... Al Snow
King of the Ring (1998) (V) .... Al Snow
ECW Living Dangerously (1998) (V) .... Al Snow
WWF Capital Carnage (1998) (V) .... Al Snow
"ECW Hardcore TV" (1995) TV Series .... Al Snow (1997)
"Extreme Championship Wrestling" (1997) TV Series .... Al Snow (1997)
WWF In Your House: Final Four (1997) (V) .... Leif Cassidy
"WWF Monday Night RAW" (1993) TV Series .... Leif Cassidy (1996-1997); Shinobi (1996); Avatar (1995)
WWF In Your House: It's Time (1996) (V) .... Leif Cassidy
Survivor Series (1996) (V) .... Leif Cassidy
Summerslam (1996) (V) .... Leif Cassidy
ECW Double Tables (1995) (V) .... Al Snow
Rudy (1993) (uncredited) .... Notre Dame Football Player