Allan "Al" Hobman (23 April 1925 – 21 September 2008) was a New Zealand professional wrestler, trainer and promoter. Hobman was one of the first homegrown stars to emerge from the Dominion Wrestling Union, and later Steve Rickard's All Star-Pro Wrestling, during the 1960s and 70s such as Tony Garea, Peter Maivia and The Sheepherders. Hobman twice won the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship from John Da Silva in 1960 and Steve Rickard in 1964 with a combined reign of nearly 6 years as champion. He and Rickard were also the first New Zealand Tag Team Champions.
Prior to wrestling, Hobman had a successful athletic career playing rugby union at Rongotai College as a lock for Oriental Rongotai as well as a professional bodybuilder winning both the Mr. Australasia and Mr. New Zealand bodybuilding competitions in 1951.
Hobman wrestled throughout the world during his career, most often in Asia and the South Pacific, but also had successful stints in the United States, most notably, against then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Gene Kiniski in 1969. He was a successful promoter both prior to and during his later career, mainly working with Da Silva's Central Wrestling Association, and trained a number of wrestlers with Bruno Bekkar at the famed Koolmans Gym including Jock Ruddock and Butch Miller; two of his four children, Kurt and Linda Hobman, both became wrestlers as well with the elder Hobman staging the country's first officially sanctioned women's wrestling match between his daughter and Dutch female wrestler Monica Schumaker.
He was among several New Zealand wrestling legends involved with Kiwi Pro Wrestling, one of the first wrestling promotions to open since the close of All Star-Pro Wrestling in 1992, and inducted into KPW's New Zealand Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006. He also attended live events made other public appearances until his sudden death two years later. In 2009, less than a year after his death, Hobman was ranked No. 5 in a top ten list of New Zealand's greatest wrestlers by Fight Times Magazine.
Career
Early athletic and wrestling career
A lifelong resident of Wellington, Allan Hobman was active in sports and athletics at a young age and began playing rugby union at Rongotai College as a lock for the Oriental Rongotai. Hobman weighed around 75 kg at this time and suffered constant injuries going up against 100 – 130 kg sized opponents. He was soon introduced to weightlifting by a friend of his and, with nutrition and training regimen, gradually built up his body-weight to around 110 kg. In addition to improving his performance in rugby, Hobman also took up competitive bodybuilding and won both Mr. Australasia and Mr. New Zealand titles in 1951.
Hobman spent much of his training at Koolman's Gym in Wellington where he also acted as a sparring partner to boxers and wrestlers from both New Zealand and overseas. It was during this time that Hobman became interested in a professional career as a wrestler, which he described as being claimed by its "call", and was wrestling for promoters throughout the country by the late-1950s. His debut match against Australian wrestler Rick Wallace ended with his losing two falls to one in the Wellington Town Hall. Wrestling for the New Zealand Wrestling Union, he soon became a familiar face to New Zealand wrestling fans wrestling in nearly every town and city "from Kaitaia to Invercargill". Hobman was soon invited to his first overseas tour for Greek promoter George Gardiner in Australia followed by visits to the United States, Canada and the South Pacific; specifically the Cook Islands, Tahiti, Fiji, Malaysia and Singapore. He was also brought over to Japan by Canadian and Commonwealth Champion, Gordon Nelson.