Initially portraying the character of a NASCAR driver, Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, his name was soon changed to Bob "Spark Plug" Holly.

Squad in early 1999, Howard won his first singles title in WWE and shortly after he became known simply as Hardcore Holly, developing a stern and punishing persona in the process.

Howard spent several years working as a mechanic for Meineke (supplementing his income by boxing in bars) before joining Taylor Wharton as a pipe cutter, where he trained as a welder.

[3] Holly trained under Bob Sweetan, Marcelle Pringle, and Rip Tyler, and debuted in 1987 in the Mobile area in the World Organization Of Wrestling promotion where he held titles on and off, including the WOW Tag Team Championship with Ron Starr when they defeated the Rock 'n' Roll Express.

Holly then wrestled in a six-man match in Marietta, Georgia on August 6, teaming with Tim "Powerhouse" Parker and Brad Bratton against Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and Barry Windham.

[8] After an absence of several months, he made a final appearance at a World Championship Wrestling taping on January 21 teaming with Dave Johnson in an unsuccessful effort against The Freebirds in a match that aired February 9, 1991.

[9] Holly joined Jim Cornette's new Smoky Mountain Wrestling promotion and made his debut at the company's very first television taping on October 30 in Greenville, South Carolina, defeating Tim Frye.

Billed as "Hollywood" Bob Holly, he received a televised push and portrayed a snobbish-street thug, West Coast character.

In February 1998, he returned after six month hiatus with a newly blonde hair and Bart Gunn joined forces with Jim Cornette as part of Jeff Jarrett's National Wrestling Alliance stable.

Later that month at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House, Holly defeated Snow for the WWF Hardcore Championship to permanently end the J.O.B.

[7] Holly dropped the championship to Billy Gunn on the March 15, 1999 edition of Raw, but regained the title two weeks later at WrestleMania XV, in a triple threat hardcore match also involving Al Snow.

Although simultaneously arguing over who was the better Holly, they won the WWF Tag Team Championship on the October 18, 1999 edition of Raw,[18] by defeating the Rock 'n' Sock Connection, after Triple H interfered.

In early 2000, Hardcore Holly pursued the Intercontinental Championship, losing a match against Chyna due to interference from Chris Jericho.

Holly then missed several months of ring time due to a legitimately broken arm, suffered in a match with Kurt Angle on the June 29, 2000 edition of SmackDown!.

In October 2003, Holly began training at Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE's developmental territory, in preparation for his return to the main roster.

[1][28][29] He also failed to claim the WWE Championship from John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) in a hardcore match on the October 14 episode of SmackDown!

[33] Holly made a surprise appearance at WWE's ECW house show event on August 21, 2006, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, defeating Balls Mahoney.

[34] Holly made his ECW television debut the next night, August 22, appearing in a promo with Paul Heyman, and later attacking Rob Van Dam and Danny Doring during a match.

[citation needed] On September 26, 2006, Holly received 24 stitches from WWE Doctor Ferdinand Rios in his back after suffering a severe laceration during an Extreme Rules match against Rob Van Dam when he landed on the metal railing of a table he was suplexing Van Dam out of the ring and through during an ECW show in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

[37] The legitimate incident caused fans to cheer Holly in the following weeks, leading him to become a face character and a feud with Paul Heyman's other enforcer Test.

[48][49] On the October 22 episode of Raw, Holly turned into a fan favorite when he saved Rhodes from a post-match assault by Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas.

[51] Their teamwork led to a title opportunity when they defeated Paul London and Brian Kendrick and The Highlanders in a WWE.com exclusive match, courtesy of Holly's Alabama Slam.

Holly and Rhodes, however, were unsuccessful in their challenge for the World Tag Team Championship at Survivor Series on November 18 against the reigning champions Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch.

[52] Despite this setback, on the December 10, 2007, episode of Raw during the brand’s 15th Anniversary show, Holly and Rhodes captured the World Tag Team Championship from Cade and Murdoch.

[53][54] The pair successfully defended their titles on multiple occasions, including matches against teams like Carlito and Santino Marella, and Paul London and Brian Kendrick.

[58] In the months preceding his release, Holly faced personal struggles, including a suspension due to a pain pill addiction.

The incident that led to this suspension involved Holly being caught stealing painkillers from another wrestler’s bag, which resulted in his immediate placement in rehab.

Holly participated in a triple threat match against Cody Hall and Luke Hawx for the British WAW promotion on June 2, 2019.

[3] In 1995, Howard began driving a World Wrestling Federation-sponsored super late model in the All Pro Series in an attempt at cross promotion.

Co-authored by former British wrestler Ross Owen Williams, an actor and writer[63] who wrestled Holly in June 2010, it was published by ECW Press.