WCW Wrestler Sentenced To Life In Prison

• He was trained at the WCW Power Plant.
• Hardbody Harrison was a jobber who wrestled on shows like WCW Saturday Night.
• Alex Wright knocked him out duing a backstage fight.

Harrison Norris had an impressive early life before he got into wrestling. As a United States Army veteran, he served in both Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, working his way up to sergeant. When he was dishonorably discharged in 1995, Norris, who was just 29 and had a very muscular body, decided to pursue a career in professional wrestling. That same year, he was trained at WCW's Power Plant, before signing with the promotion and becoming Hardbody Harrison. If you don't remember him, don't worry, because Harrison, with his flashy tights and chiseled physique, was nothing more than a jobber who usually wrestled on shows like WCW Saturday Night.

In an interview with Hannibal TV, Johnny Swinger recalled a fight he saw Hardbody Harrison get in with Alex Wright. While waiting in the wings for their match to come up, the two got into a heated argument about the match plan. That's when Hardbody threw something at Wright. Swinger said:

"I'm like, what's gonna happen here? And Hardbody goes and rears back, and Alex just, one shot, drops him with one punch."

Hardbody Harrison Was Part Of A Racial Discrimination Suit Against AOL Time Warner

• WWE did not sign Hardbody Harrison when they purchased WCW.
• Harrison became a Toughman fighter after his WCW days.
• He received an undisclosed settlement in the Sonny Onoo led lawsuit.

When WCW folded in 2001, WWE chose not to sign Hardbody Harrison. With his wrestling days over, Harrison found success in Toughman fights, even becoming the heavyweight champion for the FX series Toughman in 2001.

Hardbody wasn't quite done with wrestling though, as a year later, Sonny Onoo, along with eleven other minority talents, including Hardbody Harrison, sued WCW's owner, AOL Time Warner, for racial discrimination. The minority plaintiffs ended up winning for an undisclosed amount. It was a victory for Harrison, but it would be one of his last.

Hardbody Harrison Was Sentenced To Life In Prison

• He was arrested in 2004 for felony false imprisonment.
• The FBI raided his two homes in 2005.
• Harrison was found guilty on charges of sex trafficking.

In August 2005, FBI agents raided two homes owned by Hardbody Harrison in connection with him being a suspect in forcing women into prostitution. Although not arrested at that time, the warrant mentioned his supposed involvement in sex trafficking, human trafficking, and involuntary servitude. The FBI raid came exactly one year after an August 2004 arrest, where Hardbody was charged with felony false imprisonment because he had allegedly forced women who owed him money to be nude dancers and prostitutes. According to reports, eight women lived in Harrison's second home.

Hardbody Harrison was arrested by the FBI two months later on nine federal charges of sex trafficking and false imprisonment. Two years later, a federal jury in Atlanta convicted Harrison of using those eight women in his second home as sex slaves. Part of the charging documents read:

"Norris kidnapped some of his victims and lured others to come live with him by promising to train them as professional wrestlers. Once he got the women to his home, however, he instead forced them to work for him as prostitutes. The witnesses at trial described beatings Norris administered and threats he made to bend the women to his will."

Because the jury decided that Hardbody's charges included aggravated sexual abuse, it made him eligible for a sentence of life in prison. That's exactly what happened. Harrison got life in prison, along with a $2,4000 special assessment, due to the 24 counts of sex trafficking and forced labor charges. He wasn't the only one who went down either. Harrison also had two co-conspirators, Aimee Allen and Cedric Jackson, who were sentenced to two years and 10 months and five years in prison.

During an episode of Talk Is Jericho, Chris Jericho talked about working with Hardbody Harrison in WCW, and he wondered aloud if being a jobber led to his bad life choices.

"He's low, low level. So, you know, that could contribute, if you have bigger dreams and bigger hopes. Maybe, because he did lose all the time, he started thinking, I'm going to start dominating some people myself."