Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister: What to Remember About His WWE Career as Zeus

Tommy “Tiny” Lister died last week at 62, and most fans remember him as Deebo in the film Friday. However, pro wrestling fans can never forget the impact he made on WWE. Lister had a short but strong run in WWE and under the ring name Zeus. He had a major feud with Hulk Hogan, which began in the 1989 film No Holds Barred.

In the film, Hogan takes on Zeus, who is the main villain. Hogan won the battle in No Holds Barred, but the rivalry would carry over into WWE. At SummerSlam in 1989, Hogan and Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake took on Zeus and “Macho Man ” Randy Savage. Hogan and Beefcake would win the match, but Zeus wasn’t done with Hogan. At Survivor Series in the same year, Zeus was part of Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Team, and they took on Hogan’s Hulkamanicas. Zeus, who was also known as The Human Wrecking Machine, got the better of Hogan by choking him out.

In December, Hogan and Beefcake would face Zeus and Savage in a steel cage match at the No Holds Barred pay-per-view. Hogan and Beefcake would go on to win the match, and Zeus’ last appearance in WWE was a promotional spot for the 1990 Royal Rumble. “Yo Zeus RIP my big brother, it’s taken a couple of days for me to regroup, love U4LifeHH,” Hogan wrote in an Instagram post reacting to the news of Lister’s death.

Lister also had a short stint in WCW, appearing as Z-Gansta in 1996. He went on to have a successful film and TV career, but his appearance in WWE will not be forgotten. Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked Lister as one of the top 500 wrestlers in the world in 1991. After Lister’s death, fans on social media debated if Lister should be in the WWE Hall of Fame because of the impact he made. Regardless, the character of Zeus helped build Hogan into one of the top stars in WWE history.