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While it fell under the radar at the time, PWInsider.com has learned that former WWF and AWA star John Nord aka The Bezerker and Nord the Barbarian was arrested on 3/6 in Hennepin County, Minnesota by warrant deputies from the Anoka County Sherriff's Office on a warrant related to a 6/6/17 arrest for DUI after being involved in a property damage accident.
The warrant was issued after Nord failed to appear at a hearing on 2/20 before the court, invoking a violation of his probation. Nord was released after being brought to court on 3/8 from Hennepin County Jail. He denied violating his probation and was released for zero bond after being warned to make all future court appearances. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, a court appearance slated for today in the matter was canceled. Nord has not yet had a new court date scheduled.
In July 2019, Nord was sentenced to five years' probation in a separate criminal case, was ordered to be placed in restrictive housing and banned from any driving "whatsoever" following a series of arrests for driving under the influence, seven in total.
In that case, the prosecution pushed for four years in prison, arguing at the time that Nord "represents a significant public safety threat" as he has continued to drive after his arrests and being ordered not to do so. Nord's defense attorney had argued that Nord, who has been diagnosed with ALS, had been using painkillers to deal with the physical and mental damage his work as a pro wrestler had left him with, was in treatment at the time for his issues and claimed that for the rest of his life, Nord would need to live in an assisted-living facilities.
In July 2019, The Minnesota Star-Tribune reported that Hennepin County District Judge Jay Quam noted that Nord's sentencing was hard to make a decision on, commenting, "Life has handed you a lot of special things On the other hand, it's taken away a lot of what makes you you."
At the time, Nord was required to return to court in three months to show an update on his personal progress. PWInsider.com has confirmed that Nord was issued an order to appear before the court in February due to a probation violation. It is unclear if this would be the same probation violation that resulted in Nord's arrest last month or a separate violation altogether. That court date has been pushed back several times due to the coronavirus pandemic and is currently slated for 5/28 at 1 PM before Judge Quam. That hearing was scheduled before Nord's arrest this past March.
Nord, 60 years old, was trained by Eddie Sharkey and wrestled for a number of promotions, including the AWA, World Class Championship Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and the Pacific Northwest territory. He had a run in the early 1990s in the WWF as The Bezerker, the character he is probably best remembered for. He was among the former professional wrestlers who filed a class action lawsuit against WWE with allegations the company had hid the potential of CTE (which had not been discovered at the point Nord worked for the company) and other potential head trauma from the talents they contracted. That lawsuit has been dismissed, but an attempt to appeal that decision is currently making its way through the courts with a hearing currently scheduled for this June.
Court records at the time of Nord's July 2019 sentencing indicate that there had been 16 incidents where authorities charged Nord with either a felony or misdemeanor over the last decade with public records showing nine convictions between between 2002 and 2019. Nord's most recent arrest prior to last month was March 23, 2019, which saw him arrested for felony for driving while intoxicated/operating a car under the influence of a controlled substance as well as driving after his license was canceled. Nord's license had been revoked after he was named “inimical (aka harmful) to public safety.”
There had been six incidents where Nord was arrested for driving after his license had already been revoked.
PWInsider.com will update when possible.
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