Show name	ECW
Format	Sports entertainmentProfessional wrestling
Camera	Multicamera setup
Picture format	480i (SDTV),1080i (HDTV)
Runtime	60 minutes
Creator	Paul HeymanVince McMahon
Opentheme	"Don't Question My Heart" by Saliva featuring Brent Smith
Starring	ECW Brand
Country	United States
Network	Sci Fi Channel/Syfy
First aired	June 13, 2006
Last aired	February 16, 2010
Num episodes	193
Status	Ended
Related	''WWE Raw''''WWE SmackDown''
Website	http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw }}

''ECW'' was a professional wrestling television program for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), based on the independent Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion that lasted from 1992 to 2001. The show's name also referred to the ECW brand, in which WWE employees were assigned to work and perform, complementary to WWE's other brands, Raw and SmackDown. It debuted on June 13, 2006 on Sci Fi in the United States and ran for close to four years until it aired its final episode on February 16, 2010 on the rebranded Syfy. It was replaced the following week with WWE NXT.

Show history

Launch on Sci Fi/Syfy

WWE acquired Extreme Championship Wrestling and its video library in 2003 and later began reintroducing ECW through content from the ECW library and a series books, which included the release of ''The Rise and Fall of ECW'' documentary. The enormous popularity of ECW merchandise prompted WWE to organize ECW One Night Stand, an ECW reunion pay-per-view in 2005. The financial and critical success of the event motivated WWE to organize a second One Night Stand the following year. With rejuvenated interest in the ECW product, WWE began exploring the possibility of reviving the promotion full time. On May 26, 2006, WWE announced the launch of ECW as a stand-alone brand, congruous to Raw and SmackDown!, with its own show on Sci Fi (now Syfy). Despite initial concerns that professional wrestling would not be accepted by Sci Fi's demographic, network President Bonnie Hammer stated that she believed ECW would fit the channel's theme of "stretching the imagination". Sci Fi (now known as Syfy) is owned by NBC Universal, parent company of USA Network and exclusive cable broadcaster of Raw. ECW's weekly series was originally given a thirteen episode run as a "summer series" on Sci Fi. The premiere received a 2.79 rating, making it the highest rated show on cable in its time slot. Because of its good ratings it was granted an extended run through the end of 2007. On October 23, 2007,the network renewed the series through 2008.

Original format (2006)

The ECW brand was initially produced differently from WWE's other brands. For televised events, the main ring-facing cameras were placed on a different location in the arena while the wrestling ring itself featured an ECW logo on the mat and blank turnbuckle covers. The male performers were referred to "Extremists" as opposed to "Superstars" while female performers were called "Vixens" as opposed to Divas. However, the brand steadily began being produced following the same format of the other brands, and as opposed to the original promotion, match rules, such as count outs and disqualifications, were now standard. Matches featuring the rule set of the original promotion were then classified as being contested under "Extreme Rules" and were only fought when specified. The only pay-per-view event hosted exclusively by the ECW brand since its launch was December to Dismember in December 2006. On March 14, 2007, before another one could be scheduled, WWE announced that all future pay-per-views would feature all three brands.

Former ECW owner Paul Heyman served as the on-air "ECW Representative" (a reference to how Heyman had been identified on ''Monday Night Raw'' back in 1997). According to an interview in the UK newspaper ''The Sun'', Heyman wrote the brand's weekly scripts and submitted them to writers for possible changes, and then Vince McMahon for final approval. Following December to Dismember, Heyman was relieved from both his on and off-air duties with World Wrestling Entertainment.

Change in format (2007-2010)

While the show started out a ratings success, it began drawing criticism from fans of the original ECW early on. This was most evident by the negative crowd reaction "old school" fans gave the main event of Batista vs. The Big Show at the August 1, 2006 show from Hammerstein Ballroom, which often held original ECW events while it was a company. After Heyman left in late 2006, there was no ECW authority figure until August 14, 2007, when Armando Estrada was announced as the General Manager.

On October 16, 2007, a "talent exchange" was started between the SmackDown and ECW brands, allowing their respective talent to appear on either brand. On May 6, 2008, ''ECW'' celebrated its 100th episode on Sci Fi. On June 3, 2008 Estrada was replaced by Theodore Long as General Manager of ECW. On the September 8, 2008 edition of ''Raw'' it was announced a "talent exchange" was started between the Raw and ECW brands, allowing their respective talent to appear on either brand. (Following the 2009 WWE Draft, both of these talent exchanges were quietly dropped.) ''ECW'' moved to 9:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Central on September 30, 2008. ''ECW'' moved back to 10:00PM Eastern/9:00PM Central on May 5, 2009. On the April 7 edition of ''ECW'' it was announced that Theodore Long was returning to SmackDown to fulfill the role of General Manager. From this point the Interim General Manager was named as Tiffany who took over as full time General Manager on the June 30, 2009 episode. On July 7, 2009, the Sci Fi Channel renamed itself to "Syfy", prompting WWE to rename the show ''ECW on Syfy'' to reflect the changes. In 2009 a "superstar initiative" was established for the purpose of introducing new talent to WWE programming, mainly those from WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling to ECW's roster. With the ECW brand disbanded, the ECW roster became free agents.

Online presence

At ECW's launch, WWE.com introduced ''Hardcore Hangover'', a video feature which allowed fans in the United States and Canada to stream or download video footage from the weekly show. On October 16, 2007 it was replaced by a new feature which made full episodes of the show available for streaming on WWE.com the day after they aired. After gathering a list of names from fans and conducting an online poll, the feature was named ''ECW X-Stream'' on October 31, 2007. Past episodes of ECW are now viewable on the video streaming website Hulu along with episodes of Smackdown! and NXT.

Production

ECW brand shows were held in large arenas as a part of the taping schedules of WWE's other brands. This was in sharp contrast to the original Extreme Championship Wrestling which ran most of its events in smaller venues. The show generally aired live on Tuesdays directly before — when touring the west coast — or after ''SmackDown'' was taped, though it was also recorded and placed on a broadcast delay until later in the night depending on what circumstances dictated.

ECW's initial theme song was "Bodies" by Drowning Pool, which had been used by WWE for Extreme Championship Wrestling before the establishment of the brand. "Don't Question My Heart" by Saliva featuring Brent Smith, a new version of the song originally performed by Kyle Morrison of the band Shattersphere, was later used to open ''ECW'' for the rest of the program's run. On January 22, 2008, ''ECW'' began broadcasting in HD, along with a new HD set, which is shared among all three WWE brands.

Special episodes

Date

Episode	|	Rating	Notes
''ECW''	June 13, 2006	2.9
Best of ''ECW'' 2006	December 26, 2006	1.4
Best of ''ECW'' 2007	December 25, 2007	1.1
''ECW'' 100th episode	May 6, 2008	1.0
Best of ''ECW'' 2008	December 23, 2008	1.2
Best of ''ECW'' 2009	December 22, 2009	1.2
''ECW: The Final Episode''	February 16, 2010	1.1

On-air personalities

Authority figures

!Authority

|	Position	Date started	Date finished	Notes
Paul Heyman	Representative	June 13, 2006	December 5, 2006
Armando Estrada	General Manager	August 14, 2007	June 3, 2008
Theodore Long	General Manager	June 3, 2008	April 7, 2009
	Interim General Manager	April 7, 2009	June 30, 2009
William Regal	General Manager Interim	8 june 2009	8 june 2009	?
	General Manager	June 30, 2009	February 16, 2010

Commentators

Commentators	Dates
Joey Styles and Tazz	June 13, 2006 - April 8, 2008
Mike Adamle and Tazz	April 22, 2008 - July 22, 2008
Todd Grisham and Tazz	July 29, 2008 - August 5, 2008
Todd Grisham and Matt Striker	August 12, 2008 - September 16, 2008	September 30, 2008- March 31, 2009
Jim Ross and Matt Striker	September 23, 2008 .
Josh Mathews and Matt Striker	April 7, 2009 - October 20, 2009
Josh Mathews and Byron Saxton	October 27, 2009 - February 16, 2010

Ring announcers

Ring Announcer	Dates
Justin Roberts	June 13, 2006 - September 18, 2007September 29, 2009
Tony Chimel	September 25, 2007 - September 22, 2009November 24, 2009 - December 8, 2009
	October 6, 2009 - November 17, 2009
	December 15, 2009 - February 16, 2010

Recurring segments

Host

Segment	|	Years	Notes
Kelly's Exposé	Kelly Kelly	2006	}}
Striker's Classroom	Matt Striker	2006
Extreme Exposé		2007	}}
15 Minutes of Fame		2007	}}
The Dirt Sheet	John Morrison and The Miz	2008–2009
The Peep Show		2009–2010	Discontinued when the brand closed.}}
The Abraham Washington Show	Abraham Washington	2009–2010

United Kingdom Television Timeslots

:*''Sky Sports'' - Sunday Mornings (2006) :*''Sky Sports'' - Thursday Nights (2006- 2010)

International broadcasters

In addition to being broadcast on Syfy, Mun2, and Universal HD in the United States, ''ECW'' was broadcast on a number of channels in many different countries

!Country

|	Network	Ref
Algeria and The Middle East
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica and Mexico	FX Latin America
Australia	Fox8
Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan	TEN Sports
Cambodia
	Canada	Global Television Network	Global TV
	Finland	MTV3 Max
France
Germany	Sky Deutschland
Italy	Sky Italia
Malaysia
New Zealand
Philippines	Jack TV
Portugal
Singapore	SuperSports
South Africa	e.tv
Taiwan	Videoland Max-TV

See also

Extreme Championship Wrestling

WWE Raw

WWE SmackDown

References

External links

Category:2006 American television series debuts Category:2010 American television series endings Category:2000s American television series Category:2010s American television series WWE Category:Syfy original programs Category:Television series by WWE

ca:Extreme Championship Wrestling da:Extreme Championship Wrestling (WWE) de:Extreme Championship Wrestling es:Extreme Championship Wrestling fr:Extreme Championship Wrestling (WWE) ko:익스트림 챔피언십 레슬링 it:ECW on SyFy nl:Extreme Championship Wrestling (WWE) ja:ECW no:Extreme Championship Wrestling pl:Extreme Championship Wrestling pt:Extreme Championship Wrestling (WWE) sm:ECW simple:Extreme Championship Wrestling (WWE) fi:ECW sv:Extreme Championship Wrestling th:อีซีดับเบิลยู (ดับเบิลยูดับเบิลยูอี) tr:Son Güreş Şampiyonası vi:ECW (WWE)

Name	Rob Van Dam
Names	Robbie VRob Van DamRob Szatkowski
Height
Weight
Birth date	December 18, 1970
Birth place	Battle Creek, Michigan
Resides	Los Angeles, California
Billed	Battle Creek, Michigan
Trainer	The Sheik
Debut	1990 }}

Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970), better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (RVD), is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).

Szatkowski has held 22 championships between ECW, WWE and TNA, as well as several regional titles in various promotions during his career. He is officially recognized by TNA as a six-time World Champion having held the WWE Championship, ECW World Heavyweight Championship, albeit under the WWE banner, and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship once each. On the independent scene he had three additional World Title reigns being a former two time AWR World Heavyweight Champion and is the current WSW World Heavyweight Champion. He is the only man to hold the ECW and WWE Championships simultaneously and the only man to have won the ECW, WWE, and TNA World Heavyweight titles in his career. He is the only man to achieve both WWE and ECW's version of the Triple Crown. Part of ECW's Triple Crown included the ECW World Television Championship, of which RVD's 700 day reign was the longest.

Early life

Rob grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan and graduated from Pennfield High School. Rob made his first appearance on WWF television in 1987 in a skit with "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. At the time, DiBiase was selecting plants from the audience and offering to pay them to perform degrading acts and offered the 16 year old Szatkowski $100 to enter the ring and kiss his foot, which he did. This early appearance was later included as a bonus feature on WWE's ''Before They Were Superstars'' DVD and on WWE's ''Rob Van Dam: One of a Kind'' DVD.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1990–1995)

Szatkowski debuted in 1990 after being trained by The Sheik, wrestling his first match against Dango Nguyen in Toledo, Ohio. The name Rob Van Dam was given to Rob in 1991 by Ron Slinker, a promoter in Florida, possibly because of his martial arts experience and his resemblance to actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. He wrestled in many independent promotions across Michigan, including the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) and South Atlantic Pro Wrestling (SAPW). In SAPW, he won his first wrestling title, the SAPW Tag Team Championship, in July 1992 with Chaz Rocco. He signed with World Championship Wrestling in late 1992 and was dubbed Robbie V by Ron Slinker upon his arrival since Bill Watts didn't like the name Rob Van Dam. His WCW run was uneventful and largely unnoticed. He also wrestled in several independent promotions across America, and in All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he challenged for the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship on several occasions.

Extreme Championship Wrestling

Debut (1996)

In January 1996 Van Dam signed with promoter Paul Heyman's Philadelphia-based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), defeating Axl Rotten in his debut match at ''House Party''. Van Dam's mannerisms were those of a stoner, and he became a face due to his laid-back attitude and unorthodox style. On March 30, he faced 2 Cold Scorpio in a match for the ECW World Television Championship. The match ended in a draw with 2 Cold Scorpio retaining the title.

Van Dam gained attention following a series of matches with long-time rival Sabu, which began with a match at ''Hostile City Showdown'', won by Sabu. After the match, Van Dam declined to show proper respect for his opponent, leading to a rematch at ''A Matter of Respect'', which was won by Van Dam. Per the pre-match stipulation, Sabu then offered Van Dam a handshake, but was again ignored. Instead, Van Dam left the ring and turned heel under the management of Bill Alfonso. At Hardcore Heaven, Van Dam faced his rival Sabu once again, in a match to prove who was the better man. Sabu won the match. The two faced each other yet again in a stretcher match at ''The Doctor is In''. Van Dam lost the match after missing a Plancha to the outside, hitting the railing and falling onto the stretcher. He was quickly rolled out.

Teaming with Sabu (1996–1998)

At ''Natural Born Killaz'', Van Dam defeated Doug Furnas in a match. Post-match, Van Dam offered Furnas a handshake, but Furnas instead hit Van Dam with a short-arm clothesline, starting a rivalry between the two. After his rivalry with Furnas expanded to also include Dan Kroffat, Van Dam wanted a tag team partner of his own. After losing to long-time rival Sabu once again at ''Unluckily Lottery'', the two united and formed what was to become one of the most successful tag teams in ECW history. They feuded with Furnas and Kroffat defeating them at ''When Worlds Collide II'' and ''High Incident''.

Van Dam and Sabu next feuded with The Eliminators, John Kronus and Perry Saturn. On November 1, the two teams fought to a draw. Van Dam then feuded with Taz, to whom he lost at ''Holiday Hell'' via knockout. Sabu and Van Dam continued to feud with The Eliminators for the ECW World Tag Team Championship into 1997. At ''Crossing the Line Again'' and Cyberslam, the teams faced off for the ECW World Tag Team Championship in a pair of matches, both of which were won by The Eliminators. At CyberSlam, the two teams faced each other for the title in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, in which The Eliminators again retained their title.

At ECW's first pay-per-view event Barely Legal, Van Dam defeated Lance Storm as a last-minute replacement for the injured Chris Candido. Immediately following the match, Van Dam expressed his distaste for being chosen as a back-up for "some guy who couldn't even lace his boots". Van Dam delivered a speech directed towards Paul Heyman, and not being originally booked on the show was a point of contention between Van Dam and Heyman for a time.

In May 1997, ECW "invaded" the World Wrestling Federation's ''Monday Night Raw'' television show, drawing the ire of color commentator Jerry Lawler. Lawler then promised he would show up at an ECW show in order to gain revenge, and when he did show up, he had ECW mainstays Van Dam (who turned heel) and Sabu with him. Van Dam cut promos about how he was too good for ECW and deserved to be in one of the "Big Two" (WWF or WCW) on one of their Monday Night programs (''Monday Night Raw'' or ''Monday Nitro''), while Jerry Lawler dubbed Van Dam "Mr. Monday Night" on an episode of ''Raw''. Despite his arrogance and "betrayal" of ECW, over time Van Dam became applauded by fans recognizing his athleticism and unique maneuvers.

Van Dam continued to team up with Sabu upon his return to ECW on June 13. Tazz's manager Bill Alfonso betrayed Tazz and joined Sabu and Van Dam. Van Dam started a new rivalry with Tommy Dreamer, who wanted to gain revenge on Van Dam for his betrayal of ECW. On June 21, Van Damn and Sabu earned a victory over Dreamer and The Sandman. Van Dam and Sabu emerged victorious against Dreamer and Sandman again at ''Orgy of Violence''. At Heat Wave, Van Dam, Sabu, and WWF's Jerry "The King" Lawler fought Dreamer, Sandman, and Rick Rude to a no contest. Van Dam and Dreamer faced each other in a hardcore match at ''Born to Be Wired'', won by Van Dam after he performed a leg drop on Dreamer with a trashcan. At ''As Good as it Gets'', the team of Van Dam and Alfonso lost to Dreamer and Beulah McGillicutty in a mixed tag team match. Van Dam and Sabu became partners while Dreamer teamed up with Tazz. At ''Fright Fight'', Van Dam lost to Dreamer in a flag match. At Ultimate Jeopardy, Van Dam and Sabu faced Dreamer and Tazz, a match won by Tazz and Dreamer after Dreamer pinned Van Dam. At November to Remember, Van Dam faced Dreamer in another flag match, which went to a no contest. At ''Better Than Ever'', Van Dam and Sabu faced Dreamer and Tazz in a rematch. This time, Van Dam pinned Dreamer to give the victory to his team and to settle their rivalry. Van Dam's final encounter with Dreamer came on December 26, when Dreamer teamed up with Tazz, Al Snow, and Sandman to take on Van Dam, Sabu, Doug Furnas, and Phil Lafon. Van Dam's team lost the match.

In 1998, Van Dam turned face and started a feud with Triple Threat (Shane Douglas, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Chris Candido). At ''House Party'', Van Dam defeated Bam Bam Bigelow. At ''Hostile City Showdown'', Van Dam and Sabu defeated Axl Rotten and Balls Mahoney by disqualification. The two went on to win a fatal four way elimination tag team match later that night. At CyberSlam, Van Dam and Sabu fell to Shane Douglas and Bam Bam Bigelow. Van Dam's popularity increased when he got his first taste of ECW gold, on April 4 when he defeated Bam Bam Bigelow to win the ECW World Television Championship. Van Dam retained the belt in his first title defense on April 10 against Doug Furnas. Sabu also expressed interest in Van Dam's championship, leading to a title match between the two at Wrestlepalooza. Van Dam retained the title as the match ended in a time limit draw.

At ''A Matter of Respect'', Van Dam and Sabu were forced to face each other in a tag team match as they both teamed up with ECW World Tag Team Champions. Van Dam teamed with the one half of the champions, Lance Storm, while Sabu teamed with the other half, Chris Candido. Van Dam and Sabu reconciled and instead took out Storm and Candido making it a no contest. Van Dam and Sabu started a feud with Storm and Candido in the next month for the tag team title. On June 27, Van Dam and Sabu beat Storm and Candido to win the ECW World Tag Team Championship, which made Van Dam a double champion. On October 24, Sabu and Van Dam lost the title to the Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von) after interference from Triple Threat. Van Dam sought revenge and at November to Remember, Van Dam and Sabu teamed with Taz to defeat Triple Threat. On December 13, Van Dam and Sabu won the ECW World Tag Team Championship for a second time by beating the Dudley Boyz in Japan at a Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) show.

World Television Champion (1998–2001)

Van Dam remained the Television champion for the rest of 1998, and he started 1999 by making successful title defenses against the likes of Spike Dudley, Lance Storm at Guilty as Charged, Balls Mahoney, and 2 Cold Scorpio at CyberSlam.

Van Dam and Sabu were scheduled to make a title defense on April 17, but Sabu was suspended by ECW before the match occurred. Instead, Van Dam faced D-Von Dudley in a singles match and as a result of losing the match, Van Dam also lost the Tag Team Title to the Dudleyz. After losing the Tag Team titles, Van Dam focused on defending the Television title. He entered into a rivalry with Jerry Lynn against whom he defended the Television title at Hardcore Heaven in a "no time limit" match. Van Dam retained the title, and the match was deemed so good that Paul Heyman aired it on ECW's debut on TNN in place of a shoot promo about TNN that he was planning, but was not allowed to air. Van Dam continued to defend the ECW World Television Championship for the remainder of the year.

Van Dam began a feud with Rhino in the beginning of 2000. RVD successfully defended the ECW World Television Championship against Rhino on January 7. RVD got a big victory during a title defense against Sabu at Guilty as Charged. Van Dam was scheduled to perform in a "champion vs. champion" pay-per-view main event against ECW World Heavyweight Champion Mike Awesome. This match potentially could have been the most lucrative pay-per-view main event in company history, and Heyman was depending on this mega-match to bring an influx of badly needed cash, but the match never occurred because Van Dam suffered a broken ankle during a successful title defense against Rhino on January 29. The injury also forced Van Dam to vacate the ECW World Television Championship.

He returned to ECW at Hardcore Heaven and faced long-time rival Jerry Lynn. Van Dam was supported by his real-life friend Scotty Anton who eventually turned on him when Van Dam was going to perform a Five-Star Frog Splash on Lynn. Anton pushed him from the top rope, which helped Lynn win the match. Van Dam feuded with Anton and took his revenge at Heat Wave by defeating Anton after a Van Terminator. Van Dam then attempted to exact revenge on Rhino for forcing him into injury. He got many opportunities to win the ECW World Television Championship back from Rhino, but Rhino's allies usually attacked Van Dam, causing disqualifications and allowing Rhino to retain the title. At Anarchy Rulz, Van Dam faced Rhino for the ECW World Television Championship but was screwed when a heel referee made a fast count during a pinfall attempt made by Rhino.

Van Dam was not advertised and did not show for a large number of ECW events due to the large sum of money owed to him. He appeared at ECW's final pay-per-view event Guilty as Charged, where he defeated Jerry Lynn. This was Van Dam's last appearance in ECW, as ECW only held two more shows after the pay-per-view.

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment

The Invasion (2001)

Several months after the closure of ECW, Van Dam was signed to a short term contract by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Along with fellow ECW alumnus Tommy Dreamer, Van Dam returned to WWF television on the July 9, 2001 episode of ''Raw'' in Atlanta, Georgia as a heel, and attacking WWF wrestlers Kane and Chris Jericho. Later that night, five wrestlers from WWF and five wrestlers from WCW took on ten ECW wrestlers, including Van Dam. The match never took place as instead the WCW wrestlers aligned themselves with the ECW wrestlers. Van Dam became one of the most over members of the Alliance and even challenged Alliance leader Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship including a triple threat match at No Mercy. Van Dam lost the Hardcore title to Hardy on the August 13 edition of ''Raw'', but regained the title from Hardy at SummerSlam. At Survivor Series on November 18, Van Dam and four other Alliance members faced five WWF wrestlers in a ''Winner Take All'' match. Team WWF won, and the members of the Alliance were fired; however, as he held the Hardcore Championship, Van Dam was able to retain his job.

Unifying championships (2001–2002)

Van Dam became a babyface but lost the Hardcore Championship to The Undertaker at Vengeance. He then entered into a rivalry with William Regal over Regal's Intercontinental title. On the February 25 edition of ''Raw'', Van Dam defeated Lance Storm and Big Show in a triple threat match to become the #1 contender to the Intercontinental title. At WrestleMania X8, RVD faced Regal for the Intercontinental title and won the match after he hit Regal with a Five-Star Frog Splash.

When the WWF was divided into two "brands", Raw and SmackDown! in 2002, Van Dam was drafted to the Raw brand as the fourth pick. After he defended his title successfully against Booker T, Eddie Guerrero returned to the WWF and attacked Van Dam. He started a feud with Eddie Guerrero over the Intercontinental title. At Backlash, Van Dam lost the Intercontinental Title to Guerrero. At Insurrextion, Van Dam and Guerrero had a rematch for the Intercontinental Title. Guerrero was disqualified after hitting the referee with the Intercontinental title; as a result, Van Dam won the match but not the title because a title cannot change hands by disqualification. At Judgment Day, Van Dam failed to win the Intercontinental Title in another rematch. The following night he defeated The Undertaker for the Undisputed Championship but authority figure Ric Flair restarted the match, which Van Dam then lost negating the title win. On the May 27 edition of ''Raw'', Van Dam defeated Eddie Guerrero in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Title.

After facing each other in the final round of the King of the Ring tournament, Van Dam and Brock Lesnar began feuding with each other. Van Dam defended his Intercontinental Title against Lesnar twice and retained his title both times by disqualification. On July 21, 2002, Van Dam unified the WWE European Championship into the WWE Intercontinental Championship after he defeated European Champion Jeff Hardy in a title unification ladder match. As a result, the European title was abandoned. On the July 29 edition of ''Raw'', Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Chris Benoit. At SummerSlam, Van Dam won his third WWE Intercontinental Championship by defeating Benoit in a rematch for the title. As Benoit brought the title to ''SmackDown'' when he switched brands shortly after winning it, RVD brought the Intercontinental Title back to ''Raw''. On the August 26 edition of ''Raw'', Van Dam also unified the WWE Hardcore Championship into the WWE Intercontinental Championship by defeating Hardcore Champion Tommy Dreamer in a hardcore title unification match. As a result, the WWE Hardcore Championship was abandoned. On the September 9 edition of ''Raw'', Van Dam became the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy, and Big Show in a fatal four-way elimination match.

Van Dam started feuding with the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H. On the September 16 edition of ''Raw'', Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Chris Jericho after interference by Triple H. At Unforgiven, Van Dam faced Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. Due to Ric Flair's interference, Van Dam lost the match. At No Mercy, Van Dam got his revenge on Flair by defeating him. At Survivor Series, Van Dam participated in the first-ever Elimination Chamber match for Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship, but it was won by Shawn Michaels, during the match Rob Van Dam performed a Five-Star Frog Splash off of one of the pods/chambers onto Triple H accidentally landing with his knee onto HHH's throat.

Teaming and feuding with Kane (2002–2003)

Van Dam appeared on the World Heavyweight Championship scene and also formed a tag team with Kane in October 2002. Van Dam defeated Jericho and Booker T in a Triple Threat match to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. On the November 25 edition of ''Raw'', Van Dam faced Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship. Michaels was disqualified after Triple H hit RVD with a Pedigree. On the December 2 edition of ''Raw'', Van Dam lost to Triple H in a #1 contender's match with World Heavyweight Champion Shawn Michaels acting as the special guest referee.

In 2003, Rob Van Dam continued to team up with Kane. RVD participated in the Royal Rumble, and was one of the final five participants before being tricked and eliminated by his tag team partner Kane. The two faced Lance Storm and William Regal at No Way Out for the World Tag Team Championship but failed to win the title when Kane mistakenly chokeslammed RVD. On the March 31 edition of ''Raw'', Van Dam and Kane defeated World Tag Team Champions Lance Storm and Chief Morley and The Dudley Boyz in a 3-way elimination tag team match to win the World Tag Team Championship. At Backlash, Van Dam and Kane retained the titles against The Dudley Boyz with Morley as the special guest referee. At Insurrextion, Van Dam and Kane defended the World Tag Team title successfully against La Résistance, before losing the title to La Résistance at Bad Blood.

After Kane was forced to take his mask off when he lost to Triple H, he turned heel, and the team with RVD dissolved. The two then started feuding with each other. On the August 18 edition of ''Raw'', Van Dam faced the Intercontinental Champion Christian for the title, but Kane interfered in the match and knocked Van Dam out after hitting him with a chair. Kane then took Van Dam to the backstage where he was restrained and was about to be set on fire. Kane changed his mind at the last minute, however, and said that he wasn't going to do what "they" want. Their rivalry led to a No Holds Barred match at SummerSlam, which Kane won. On the September 8 edition of ''Raw'', the rivalry ended when Rob Van Dam defeated Kane, when Kane threw RVD through the Steel by mistake in a steel cage match. Eric Bischoff came out and restarted the match, saying RVD didn't escape through the door or climb out Bischoff ordered the referees to put Rob Van Dam's body back inside the cage Kane eventually hit a chokeslam from the side of the cage to pick up the victory.

In September 2003, Van Dam started feuding with both Christian and Chris Jericho over Christian's Intercontinental Title. On the September 15 edition of ''Raw'', Van Dam faced Jericho in a number one contender's match for the title. The match ended in a double disqualification when Intercontinental Champion Christian interfered and hit both men with the title belt. At Unforgiven in a triple threat match between Jericho, Christian, and Van Dam, Christian retained his title. Van Dam, however, defeated Christian in a ladder match on the September 29 edition of ''Raw'' to win the Intercontinental Championship for a fourth time.

Various feuds (2003–2004)

Van Dam entered into a rivalry with Chris Jericho in October 2003, and the two faced each other in several tag team matches. On the October 27 edition of ''Raw'', Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Jericho. Van Dam reached the ropes when the challenger had him in the Walls of Jericho, but Eric Bischoff distracted the referee while Jericho dragged the champion back into the middle of the ring. Van Dam submitted and Jericho became the new champion. Austin came out and immediately ordered Jericho to face Van Dam in a rematch inside the Steel Cage for the title. Van Dam won the rematch and his fifth Intercontinental Championship.

At Survivor Series, Van Dam was pinned by Randy Orton during his traditional elimination match. As a result, Orton and Van Dam started feuding with each other over Van Dam's Intercontinental title. Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Orton at Armageddon after interference from Ric Flair. Van Dam went on to feud with both Orton and Evolution. On the January 12, 2004 edition of ''Raw'', Van Dam faced Orton in a rematch for the Intercontinental title but lost the match.

Van Dam formed a tag team with Booker T. The two teamed for the first time on the January 19 edition of ''Raw'' when they defeated Christian and Matt Hardy to qualify for a battle royal where the winner of the battle royal would get the #30 spot in the 2004 Royal Rumble match. On the February 16 edition of ''Raw'', Booker T and Van Dam defeated Evolution members Ric Flair and Batista to win the World Tag Team Championship. At WrestleMania XX, Booker and Van Dam defended the World Tag Team Championship in a fatal four-way elimination tag team match against the Dudley Boyz, La Résistance, and the team of Mark Jindrak and Garrison Cade. On the March 22 edition of ''Raw'', Booker T and Van Dam lost the World Tag Team Championship back to Evolution.

On March 22, Van Dam was drafted from ''Raw'' to ''SmackDown!''. He made his ''SmackDown!'' debut on March 25 defeating Charlie Haas. Van Dam and Rey Mysterio began a feud with the Dudley Boyz, defeating them at Judgment Day. In June, Van Dam left the tag team division and began a pursuit for the United States Championship. At The Great American Bash, John Cena defended the title against RVD, Booker T, and René Duprée in a fatal four-way match and retained his championship. On the July 1 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Van Dam and Duprée lost to Booker in a number one contender's triple threat match. Four weeks later, Van Dam participated in an 8-way elimination match for the vacant US Championship, and was the last man to be eliminated by eventual winner Booker.

Van Dam began teaming up with Mysterio again in the summer and feuded with René Duprée and Kenzo Suzuki. At No Mercy, Van Dam and Mysterio failed to win the Tag Team Championship from Dupree and Suzuki. On the December 9 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Van Dam and Mysterio defeated Duprée and Suzuki to win the WWE Tag Team Championship, and retained the title in a rematch at Armageddon. In January 2005, Van Dam suffered a knee injury. To explain his absence, the Basham Brothers (Doug and Danny) defeated Mysterio and Van Dam for the Tag Team Championship, in a fatal four-way elimination tag team match on the January 13 edition of ''SmackDown!'', "injuring" Van Dam in the process. On January 27, Van Dam underwent reconstructive knee surgery under Dr. James Andrews to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus.

Reviving ECW (2005–2007)

While recuperating, Van Dam made an appearance at the ECW reunion pay-per-view ECW One Night Stand. Accompanied by his former manager Bill Alfonso and sporting a knee brace, Van Dam delivered a worked shoot promo, standing up for ECW and criticizing the way he had been booked in WWE, until he was attacked by Rhyno. He was saved by Sabu, who defeated Rhyno in an impromptu match. Despite his injury, Van Dam got physically involved in the match, hitting Rhyno with a chairshot and giving him a Chair Surf. Van Dam, while still healing, was drafted back to the Raw brand in the 2005 Draft Lottery. He was introduced to ''Raw'' by Carlito, who insulted Van Dam before attacking him and assaulting his knee. Van Dam made his return to the ring over six months later at the Royal Rumble. He gained revenge on Carlito by eliminating him, but was in turn inadvertently eliminated by Rey Mysterio. On the February 6 episode of ''Raw'', Van Dam defeated Carlito in the first round of the 2006 Road to WrestleMania Tournament, but lost in the final round to Triple H, in a triple threat match, which also featured Big Show. Later, Van Dam defeated Trevor Murdoch to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match. Van Dam went on to win the match, thus earning himself a guaranteed shot at either the WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Championship at any time within the subsequent year. Following the ladder match, Shelton Benjamin challenged Van Dam to put his Money in the Bank opportunity on the line in a match. Van Dam countered by requesting a match for Benjamin's Intercontinental Championship. One week later, both Van Dam and Benjamin picked mystery opponents for one another, with the loser placing their respective prize on the line in a bout at Backlash on April 30. Benjamin lost to the returning Charlie Haas, while Van Dam was defeated by all five members of the Spirit Squad. As a result, both the Intercontinental Championship and the Money in the Bank title shot were contested at Backlash. Van Dam went on to win both prizes, before dropping the Intercontinental title back to Benjamin on the May 15 edition of ''Raw''.

On May 29, Van Dam was selected by Paul Heyman to be drafted from ''Raw'' to WWE's new ECW brand. At One Night Stand, Van Dam cashed in his Money in the Bank Contract, and defeated John Cena to win the WWE Championship. After two referees were knocked out, Edge appeared from the crowd to attack Cena, spearing him through a table. Van Dam then hit a Five Star Frog Splash and the pinfall was counted by Paul Heyman, who suddenly ran down the aisle. On the following episode of ''Raw'', Vince McMahon confirmed that the title change was official, due to the match being held under "extreme rules". For the past few weeks, Heyman had hinted that the WWE Championship would be "rechristened" the ECW World Heavyweight Championship when Van Dam won. On the debut of ''ECW on Sci Fi'', Van Dam was awarded the reinstated ECW World Heavyweight Championship by Heyman. Van Dam, however, decided to defend the WWE Championship separately and simultaneously, joking that "this one spins". Thus, Van Dam became the first wrestler in history to hold both the WWE Championship and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, and the only one to hold them at the same time. Van Dam retained the WWE title when he faced Edge at Vengeance. On the July 3 episode of ''Raw'', Van Dam lost the WWE Championship to Edge in a triple threat match that also featured John Cena. The next night, on the July 4 episode of ''ECW'', he lost the ECW World Heavyweight Championship to The Big Show after Heyman turned on him. Later on WWE.com, Heyman suspended Van Dam for 30 days without giving a reason; (in reality, WWE suspended Van Dam for 30 days as a result of his recent drug possession arrest).

He returned to television on August 8, attacking both Sabu and Kurt Angle during a match. His return to the ring came a week later, in a losing effort to Sabu in a ladder match for number one contendership to the ECW World Championship. Van Dam slowly worked his way back into the championship picture. In October, Van Dam defeated The Big Show in a non-title match to regain the number one contendership. Having the option to pick a date, Van Dam announced the title match would occur at December to Dismember. Heyman, however, had the option of picking the match type and announced that the main event would be a six-man Extreme Elimination Chamber match. At the event, Van Dam was the third participant eliminated. Later in December, Van Dam once again earned the number one contendership to the ECW World Championship, but this time by a fan poll. Van Dam got three matches against ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley, coming up short each time.

Rob Van Dam later joined the ECW Originals along with Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, and The Sandman. The ECW Originals began a feud with the New Breed (Elijah Burke, Kevin Thorn, Marcus Cor Von, and Matt Striker). The two teams faced off at WrestleMania 23 in a match which the ECW Originals won. After Vince McMahon won the ECW World Championship at Backlash, RVD and the other ECW Originals made statements on WWE.com about McMahon killing ECW. The ECW Originals all competed in a four way dance to decide who would take on McMahon the next week on ECW in a title match, which Van Dam won after a five-star frog splash on Sandman. Van Dam, however, had to face McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Umaga in a 3 on 1 handicap match, which Van Dam was unable to win.

Van Dam received a concussion during a match with Randy Orton. Orton further attacked Van Dam after the match due to the comments Van Dam made on WWE.com about the lack of respect Orton displayed towards Shawn Michaels, who also suffered a concussion at the hands of Orton. Van Dam once again faced Orton at One Night Stand, this time in a Stretcher match. Although it looked as if Orton was going to win again, Van Dam gave him a roundhouse kick to the head and was able to push the stretcher across the line for the win. Despite winning the match, Orton continued to attack Van Dam, ending with an elevated DDT off the barricade and onto the concrete floor. After the match, Van Dam left WWE due to a family issue, as his wife had recently been diagnosed with cancer.

Independent circuit (2007–2010)

The day after Van Dam's WWE contract expired, he was in the United Kingdom on a promotional tour and to record scenes for the wrestling documentary, ''Bloodstained Memoirs''. He also took part in interviews for the BBC.

On December 10, 2007, Van Dam made a special appearance on the ''Raw'' 15th Anniversary, to accept a challenge made by Santino Marella and defeated him in a squash match lasting less than a minute with a Five–Star Frog Splash. In an interview with the ''Baltimore Sun'', Van Dam stated that while WWE would be the first choice and that he would definitely talk to them, he would definitely consider Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) if he returned full time to pro wrestling. He also spoke his thoughts regarding his choice between both companies.

}}

Van Dam wrestled for the first time on the independent circuit since his departure from WWE by competing for Associação Portuguesa de Wrestling (APW) in February 2008. He then also appeared for Nu-Wrestling Evolution (NWE) throughout countries such as Spain. During his stint in NWE, Van Dam also trained with The Ultimate Warrior for his wrestling return. On August 14, 2008 he won a triple threat match at the Inoki Genome Federation in Japan after defeating Kendo Kashin and Necro Butcher.

At the 2009 Royal Rumble, Van Dam made a surprise appearance as the 25th entrant in the Royal Rumble match before he was eventually eliminated by Chris Jericho.

On March 9, 2009, it was announced that RVD would be competing in American Wrestling Rampage (AWR) on their European Tour, during which he won the promotion's No Limits Wrestling (NLW) World Heavyweight Championship in a three way bout versus Sabu and former champion Shawn Maxer. He lost the title to René Duprée after three successful defences. In November he regained the title, renamed the AWR World Heavyweight Championship at this point, from Duprée on November 29 winning two decisions in a Two Out Of Three Falls match.

On September 11, 2009 in the World Stars of Wrestling (WSW) European Championship events in Portimão, Portugal, RVD won the WSW World Championship, by defeating Joe E. Legend. On the following night he defended his newly won title against Lance Cade.

On January 30, 2010, RVD made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as part of WrestleReunion 4, defeating Chris Hero and Roderick Strong in a "Sky High" three-way match.

On January 4, 2011, Van Dam made his debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) at ''Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome'', with other TNA wrestlers, where he defeated Toru Yano in a hardcore match. On June 18, 2011, Van Dam represented TNA at Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración's (AAA) TripleManía XIX pay-per-view. In the main event of the show, Van Dam was defeated by Dr. Wagner, Jr. in a match to determine the first ever AAA Latin American Champion.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

World Heavyweight Champion (2010)

On March 8, 2010, Van Dam made his debut for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) at the promotion's Monday night edition of ''Impact!'', defeating Sting. Then just seconds after his debut victory Sting attacked him with his signature baseball bat. RVD got his revenge on Sting the following week by attacking him during his entrance. On the March 22 edition of ''Impact!'' RVD teamed with Jeff Hardy in a tag team match, where they defeated Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode and James Storm). The following week the two of them teamed with Eric Young and defeated The Band of Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Syxx-Pac in a six man tag team steel cage match. On the April 5 edition of ''Impact!'' both Van Dam and Hardy were introduced as members of Team Hogan for the annual Lethal Lockdown match, where they would face Team Flair. At Lockdown Team Hogan (Van Dam, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett and Jeff Hardy) defeated Team Flair (Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode and James Storm).

The night after Lockdown on the April 19 edition of ''Impact!'' he first defeated Jeff Hardy in a number one contender's match and then, in the main event of the evening, A.J. Styles to become the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion . After succeeding in his first televised title defense against Desmond Wolfe, Styles attacked Van Dam, announcing the invocation of the rematch clause for Sacrifice. At Sacrifice Van Dam defeated Styles in a rematch. The following month at Slammiversary VIII Van Dam retained his title against Sting in a rematch of his TNA debut. At Victory Road Van Dam defeated Abyss, Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson in a four–way match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. On the following edition of ''Impact!'' Van Dam aligned himself with fellow ECW alumni Tommy Dreamer, Raven, Stevie Richards, Rhino, Brother Devon, Pat Kenney, Al Snow and Mick Foley, who saved him from a beating at the hands of Abyss. The following week, TNA president Dixie Carter agreed to give the ECW alumni their own reunion pay–per–view event, Hardcore Justice. At the event on August 8 Van Dam defeated former tag team partner and rival Sabu in a non-title Hardcore Rules match, after his originally planned match with Jerry Lynn was scrapped due to Lynn suffering a back injury. After successfully defending the championship against Abyss in a Stairway to Janice match on the following special edition of ''Impact!'', named ''The Whole F'n Show'', Van Dam and the other former ECW wrestlers were assaulted by Abyss and Fourtune. In the attack Van Dam suffered multiple serious storyline injuries at the hands of Abyss including the need for stitches, spinal trauma and possible acute brain damage, which would force him to vacate the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on August 10 at the taping of the August 19 edition of ''Impact!''. In reality, Van Dam was running out of dates per year on his contract and was therefore taken off television.

Feud with Immortal; Championship pursuits (2010–present)

Van Dam returned via telephone interview on the September 16 edition of ''Impact!'' and announced that he would return to the Impact! Zone the following week, against his doctor's orders. Van Dam returned the following week, confronting Abyss and demanding a match against him at Bound for Glory, which Eric Bischoff agreed to give him. At Bound for Glory Van Dam defeated Abyss in a Monster's Ball match. At the end of the event it was revealed that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff had sent Abyss after Van Dam in order to get the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on their own representative, Jeff Hardy. Van Dam confronted the group, later named Immortal, after Hardy had won the World Heavyweight Championship, only to get hit with the title belt. On the October 21 edition of ''Impact!'' Bischoff claimed that someone from EV 2.0 had been calling him, trying to get to be a part of Immortal, which led to Van Dam getting paranoid about his stablemates, first accusing Raven of being the traitor. Later, he and Sabu were defeated in a tag team match by Beer Money, Inc., after Sabu accidentally hit him with a chair. After the match Van Dam and Sabu began shoving each other and had to be separated from each other by the rest of EV 2.0. After two more weeks of dissension between Van Dam and the rest of EV 2.0, Tommy Dreamer challenged him to a match at Turning Point. At the pay–per–view Van Dam defeated Dreamer and afterwards made peace with him. On the following edition of ''Impact!'' Rhino was revealed as the traitor within EV 2.0 as he turned on Van Dam and cost him the number one contendership in a match against Fortune member Kazarian. At Final Resolution Van Dam defeated Rhino in a First Blood match. At Genesis Van Dam was defeated by Immortal's surprise opponent, the debuting Matt Hardy, when referee Jackson James missed Van Dam's foot under the ropes, thus failing to earn a shot at his brother Jeff's World Heavyweight Championship. During the main event Van Dam prevented Matt from interfering in Jeff's match with Mr. Anderson, which led to Jeff losing the title. The following month at Against All Odds Van Dam defeated Matt Hardy in a rematch. On the following edition of ''Impact!'', Van Dam finally received his shot at Jeff Hardy and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, but was unable to regain the title. On March 13 at Victory Road, Van Dam wrestled Mr. Anderson to a double countout in a World Heavyweight Championship number one contender's match. On April 17 at Lockdown, Van Dam failed in his attempt to regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Sting in a three–way steel cage match, which also included Anderson. The following month at Sacrifice, Van Dam again failed to regain the title, this time in a singles match with Sting. On July 10 at Destination X, Van Dam defeated longtime rival Jerry Lynn in a singles match. On August 7 at Hardcore Justice, Van Dam, at the time ranked number two in the Bound for Glory Series, faced Crimson, ranked number one, in a tournament match. Van Dam lost the match via disqualification, when Jerry Lynn entered the ring, costing him not only the match, but also several places in the tournament's standings. On the August 18 edition of ''Impact Wrestling'', Lynn cost Van Dam another Bound for Glory Series match against A.J. Styles in similar fashion.

Other media

Van Dam has appeared on numerous television shows and in films. In 1995, he was in ''Superfights'' as "The Mercenary", and in 1997 he appeared in ''Bloodmoon'' as "Dutch Scholtz". On October 23, 1999, he appeared in ''City Guys'', in the episode "El-Trainmania IV" as himself. In 2000 he appeared in ''18 Wheels of Justice'', on August 2 as "Robert Laramie", and in ''The X-Files'' on May 7 as "Burt's opponent" in the episode "Fight Club". He also appeared on ''V.I.P.'' in the episode "Survi-Val" as "Major Ving Talbot" that year. On July 26, 2001, he appeared as himself on ''Spy TV'', and again later that year he appeared as himself in ''Ultimate Revenge'' on December 2. In 2002, he was featured in the music video for Breaking Point's "One of a Kind" while also starred in two films, ''Black Mask 2: City of Masks'' as "Claw", and made a cameo appearance in ''The Backyard'' as himself. In 2005, the ''Rob Van Dam: One Of A Kind'' DVD was released. He also appeared on ''Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling'' in 2008 teaching finishing moves to the celebrities.

He recently finished working alongside former WWE superstar Dave Batista in a movie titled ''Wrong Side of Town''.

In November 2010 he was a contestant on an all TNA week of ''Family Feud'', teaming with Jay Lethal, Matt Morgan, Mick Foley and Mr. Anderson against Angelina Love, Christy Hemme, Lacey Von Erich, Tara and Velvet Sky.

Filmography

2010: ''Family Feud'' - as Himself (5 episodes)

2010: ''Wrong Side of Town'' - as Bobby Kalinowsky

2009: ''Bloodstained Memoirs'' - as Himself

2009: ''Sketch Of Life'' - as Himself

2008: ''Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling'' - as Himself (1 episode, Train with the Pros)

2005: ''One Of A Kind'' - as Himself

2002: ''The Backyard'' - as Himself (cameo)

2002: ''Black Mask 2: City Of Masks'' - as The Claw

2001: ''Ultimate Revenge'' - as Himself (2 episodes)

2001: ''Spy TV'' - as Various (1 episode)

2000: ''V.I.P'' - as Mjr Talbot (1 episode, Survival)

2000: ''The X-Files'' - as Burts opponent (1 episode, Fight Club)

2000: ''18 Wheels Of Justice'' - as Robert Laramie (1 episode, Outside Chance)

1999: ''City Guys'' - as Himself (1 episode, El Trainmania IV)

1997: ''Blood Moon'' - as Dutch

1995: ''Superfights'' - as a Mercenary

RVD–TV

Van Dam officially announced on his website's blog that he is in the process of creating an online show entitled ''RVD-TV''. On this show, he will give his fans a glimpse at what his life is like outside of the wrestling business. A preview for this upcoming series can now be found on the homepage of his website. Some of Van Dam's friends will appear on the show, such as Samoa Joe, Chris Mordetzky and Sabu. The show will be filmed at his home in California where he has been spending most of his time since temporarily retiring. Van Dam is expected to announce some of his other future projects through the show, such as his upcoming DVD.

RVD Radio

Van Dam started up RVD Radio on October 8, 2008 with the help of Brett Cohen, a producer for BlogTalkRadio. The first episode was an hour long but now it's a two hour weekly radio show at www.blogtalkradio.com/rvdradio. Guests include Sonya Van Dam, Sabu, Dr.Shawn Stasiak, Bret Hart, Chris Masters, BTR Producer Nikki Starr, Bill Alfonso, Officer X, Kid Kash, Bruce Jingles, Justin McCully, Paul London and Hulk Hogan.

Video games

Van Dam has been featured in the following video games:

1999: ''ECW Hardcore Revolution''

2000: ''ECW Anarchy Rulz''

2001: ''Legends of Wrestling''

2002: ''WWE WrestleMania X8''

2002: ''WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth''

2003: ''WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain''

2003: ''WWE Crush Hour''

2003: ''WWE WrestleMania XIX''

2004: ''WWE Day of Reckoning''

2004: ''WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw''

2005: ''WWE Day of Reckoning 2''

2005: ''WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006''

2006: ''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007''

2010: ''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011''

2011: ''Saints Row: The Third''

Personal life

Szatkowski is married to Sonya, who is an aspiring photographer. During his wrestling career, Sonya often traveled on the road with Szatkowski and appeared at ringside during events in which Szatkowski took part. On April 23, 2008, Szatkowski revealed that his wife was suffering from cancer. She made a full recovery.

Training

Szatkowski is a trained kickboxer and martial artist. In 1990, he placed second in the Kalamazoo Heavyweight Toughman Contest. Szatkowski is also an outspoken advocate of vitamins and bodybuilding supplements and attributes this to his mother's influence. Szatkowski participated in amateur wrestling while in high school. He is the inventor of the ''Van Dam Lift'', a weightlifting technique that involves performing a split (which he took up in his early teens) between two benches and lifting a dumbbell from the floor to the waist. The lift was approved by the International All-Around Weightlifting Association in 1998, and Szatkowski holds the current record, 166.5 lb (76 kg). Growing up in Battle Creek, Michigan, Szatkowski studied martial arts at two local dojos. He received instruction in Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Kendo, and Kickboxing.

Szatkowski was featured in an article in the March 1999 issue of ''High Times''. His signature symbol is the Taijitu which is commonly associated with Taoism ; in an interview for WWE's "Invasion" DVD, he said he uses this symbol because it represents "the use of good or evil."

2006 arrest

On July 3, 2006, ''The Ironton Tribune'' reported that Szatkowski and Terry Brunk (Sabu) had been arrested on the previous evening on U.S. Route 52 in Hanging Rock, Ohio. Szatkowski had been stopped for speeding by an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper, who discovered that he was in possession of 18 grams of marijuana and five Vicodin pills, while Brunk was in possession of drug paraphernalia and nine tablets of Testolactone. Both Szatkowski and Brunk were released after posting bail, and were scheduled to appear in Ironton Municipal Court on July 6, 2006. On July 6, 2006, ''The Ironton Tribune'' reported that the court date for Szatkowski and Brunk was in limbo, as their attorneys had asked for and were granted continuances.

According to the WWE's wellness policy, a drug-related arrest can lead to that talent's immediate dismissal from the company. WWE Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis released a statement on WWE.com reporting that Szatkowski and Brunk were still eligible to compete on the ''Raw'' and ''ECW'' tapings in the following days while an investigation conducted by WWE was being undertaken. This resulted in Szatkowski dropping the WWE Championship at the live ''Raw'' one night and the ECW Championship the next night at the ''ECW'' taping. Van Dam was subsequently suspended without pay for 30 days, and an on-air segment on ''ECW'' was scripted to relay this suspension to the fans. On August 31, 2006, Szatkowski and Brunk appeared in court. Szatkowski pled guilty to possessing marijuana and was fined $140, while Brunk was fined $1,000.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''Five-Star Frog Splash'' (High-angle frog splash, sometimes while turning in mid-air)

Surfboard – TNA

''Van Daminator'' (Spinning heel kick to a steel chair held in front of the opponent's face)

''Van Terminator'' (Corner-to-corner missile dropkick, usually with a chair positioned on the opponent's face)

Signature moves

*450° splash – AJPW

*Bridging northern lights suplex

*Diving splash

Monkey flip to a standing or cornered opponent

*Multiple kick variations

**''Chair Surf'' / ''Skateboard'' (Running dropkick, driving a steel chair into the face of a seated opponent in the corner of the ring)

*Diving super

**Roundhouse

*Spinning crescent

*Step-over spinning wheel, as a kick counter

*Multiple leg drop variations

*Corkscrew

**Diving

**Slingshot

*One-Handed Bulldog

Plancha

Rolling Thunder transitioned into either a monkey flip, a somersault senton or a vertical splash

Standing moonsault, sometimes preceded by a cartwheel

*Springboard into a either a clothesline, a leg lariat or a moonsault

*Two turnbuckle thrusts followed by a back handspring and finished either with a monkey flip or a final running turnbuckle thrust

With Rey Mysterio

:*''4:20'' (Van Dam lifts Mysterio up and drops him while simultaneously dropping himself into a seated position, resulting in a double ''Droppin' Da Dime'' to an opponent's throat and chest) :*''619'' (Tiger feint kick by Mysterio followed by a ''Five Star Frog Splash'' by Van Dam) :*Catapult by Van Dam into a diving hurricanrana by Mysterio :*''Rolling Thunder'' by Van Dam followed by a ''Droppin' Da Dime'' by Mysterio

Managers

*Bill Alfonso

*Paul Heyman

*Jerry Lawler

*Stephanie McMahon–Helmsley

Nicknames

"Mr. Monday / Tuesday / Thursday / Friday Night"

"Mr. TNA" (In Total Nonstop Action Wrestling)

"Mr. Pay-Per-View" (In Extreme Championship Wrestling)

"Mr. Money in the Bank"

"The Battle Creek Barbarian"

"RVD"

"The Whole Dam Show"

"The Whole F'n Show"

Entrance themes

*"Poundcake" by Van Halen (ECW; 1996–1997)

*"Wail" by John Spencer Blues Explosion (ECW; 1997)

*"ECW Main Theme" by Harry Slash and The Slashtones (WWF; 1997)

"Walk" by Pantera (ECW; 1997–2001)

*"Walk" by Kilgore (ECW; 1998–2001)

*"The Whole Dam Show" by Jim Johnston (WWF; July 9 2001–January 3 2002)

"One of a Kind" by Breaking Point (WWF/E; January 7 2002–September 2007, January 25, 2009)

"The Whole F'n Show!" by Kushinator (IGF, AWR, WSW, TNA; March 2010–present)

Championships and accomplishments

All Star Wrestling

ASW North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

American Wrestling Rampage

AWR World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

NLW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Extreme Championship Wrestling

ECW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Sabu

ECW World Television Championship (1 time)

*Fifth ECW Triple Crown Champion

International Wrestling Federation

IWF Television Championship (1 time)

National Wrestling Council

NWC Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bobby Bradley

Peach State Wrestling

PSW Cordele City Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Comeback of the Year (2001, 2010)

PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2001, 2002)

PWI ranked him #1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2002

Pro Wrestling Report

*Match of the Year (2006) vs. John Cena at ECW One Night Stand II

South Atlantic Pro Wrestling

SAPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chaz Rocco

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

TNA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Stars of Wrestling

*WSW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment

ECW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Kane (1) and Booker T (1)

WWE Championship (1 time)

WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rey Mysterio

WWF/E Hardcore Championship (4 times)

WWE European Championship (1 time)¹

WWF/E Intercontinental Championship (6 times)

Mr. Money in the Bank (2006)

*Fifteenth Triple Crown Champion

*Seventh Grand Slam Champion

¹Rob Van Dam's WWE European Championship win is not listed on WWE's European Championship history page, however it was acknowledged on his alumni page, Michael Cole's SmackDown Vs. Raw 2011 commentary, and is listed in WWE's official encyclopedia.

Notes

References

An interview with Rob Van Dam, conducted by Ken Tuccio (1)

An interview with Rob Van Dam, conducted by Ken Tuccio (2)

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCO/is_3_2/ai_65858908

Rob Van Dam Radio Interview

Rob Van Dam Interview on World Talk LIVE!

Rob Van Dam interview on The Brutal Truth

External links

RVD Radio

TNA Wrestling profile

Online World of Wrestling profile

Category:1970 births Category:American film actors Category:American professional wrestlers Category:American television actors Category:American people of Polish descent Category:American weightlifters Category:Living people Category:People from Battle Creek, Michigan Category:Actors from Los Angeles, California Category:Actors from California

bar:Rob Van Dam da:Rob Van Dam de:Rob Van Dam es:Robert Szatkowski fr:Rob Van Dam it:Robert Szatkowski nl:Robert Szatkowski ja:ロブ・ヴァン・ダム no:Rob Szatkowski pl:Rob Van Dam pt:Rob Van Dam ro:Rob Van Dam ru:Роб Ван Дам simple:Rob Van Dam fi:Rob Van Dam sv:Rob Van Dam th:ร็อบ แวน แดม uk:Роб Ван Дам vi:Rob Van Dam

Name	John Cena
Names	John CenaThe Prototype
Height
Weight
Birth date	April 23, 1977
Birth place	West Newbury, Massachusetts
Resides	Tampa, Florida
Billed	Classified (UPW)West Newbury, Massachusetts (WWE)
Trainer	Ultimate Pro WrestlingOhio Valley Wrestling
Debut	2001 }}

John Felix Anthony Cena (; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor, professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand.

In WWE, Cena has won 19 championships in total, including 12 World Titles (having won the WWE Championship a record 10 times and the World Heavyweight Championship twice). In addition, Cena has also won the WWE United States Championship three times, and is a four-time Tag Team Champion, having held the World Tag Team Championship twice (once each with Shawn Michaels and Batista), and the WWE Tag Team Championship twice (once each with David Otunga and The Miz). Cena also won the 2008 Royal Rumble match, and is a two-time Superstar of the Year Slammy Award winner (2009 and 2010). He also has the fourth highest number of combined days as WWE Champion behind Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan & Bruno Sammartino.

Cena started his professional wrestling career in 2000, wrestling for Ultimate Pro Wrestling, where he held the UPW Heavyweight Championship. In 2001, Cena signed a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) where he held the OVW Heavyweight Championship and the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (with Rico Constantino).

Outside of wrestling, Cena has released the rap album ''You Can't See Me'', which debuted at No.15 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, and starred in the feature films ''The Marine'' (2006), ''12 Rounds'' (2009), and ''Legendary'' (2010). Cena has also made appearances on television shows including ''Manhunt'', ''Deal or No Deal'', ''MADtv'', ''Saturday Night Live'', ''Punk'd'', and ''Psych''. Cena was also a contestant on ''Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race'', where he made it to the final round before being eliminated, placing third in the overall competition.

Early life

Cena, who is of part Italian descent was born April 23, 1977, in West Newbury, Massachusetts, the son of Carol and John Cena, Sr. He is the second eldest of five brothers – Dan, Matt, Steve, and Sean. After graduating from Cushing Academy, Cena attended Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. In college he was a Division III All-American center on the college football team, wearing the number 54, which is still used on some of his WWE merchandise. He graduated from Springfield in 1998 with a degree in exercise physiology, after which he pursued a career in bodybuilding, and also worked as a chauffeur for a limousine company.

Professional wrestling career

Training (2000–2001)

UPW

Cena started training to become a professional wrestler in 2000 at the California-based "Ultimate University" operated by Ultimate Pro Wrestling. Once he was placed into an in-ring role, Cena began using a semi-robotic character known as The Prototype. Some of this period of his career was documented in the Discovery Channel program ''Inside Pro Wrestling School''. While in UPW, Cena held the UPW Heavyweight Championship for just shy of a month in April 2000.

OVW

In 2001, he signed a developmental contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was assigned to its developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). During his time there, Cena wrestled as both The Prototype and Mr. P, and held the OVW Heavyweight Championship for three months and the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (with Rico Constantino) for two months.

World Wrestling Entertainment (2002–present)

Debut (2002–2004)

Cena made his television debut answering an open challenge by Kurt Angle on June 27, 2002. Inspired by a speech given by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to the rising stars of the company, exhorting them to show "ruthless aggression" to earn a place among the legends, Cena took advantage of the opportunity and almost beat Angle kicking out of his finishing move, the Angle Slam and enduring the ankle lock submission hold. Cena ultimately lost to a hard amateur wrestling-style pin. Following the near-win, Cena became a fan favorite and started feuding with Chris Jericho. In October, Cena and Billy Kidman took part in a tag team tournament to crown the first WWE Tag Team Champions of the SmackDown! brand, losing in the first round. The next week, Cena turned on and attacked Kidman, blaming him for their loss, becoming a villain.

Shortly after the Kidman attack, on a Halloween themed episode of ''SmackDown'', Cena dressed as Vanilla Ice performing a freestyle rap. The next week, Cena received a new character: a rapper who cut promos while rhyming. As the gimmick grew, Cena began adopting a variant of the 1980s WWF logo – dropping the "F" – as his "signature symbol", along with the slogan "Word Life". Moreover, he was joined by an enforcer, Bull Buchanan, who was rechristened B-2 (also written B² and pronounced "B-Squared"). Buchanan was later replaced by Red Dogg, until he was sent to the Raw brand in February.

For the first half of 2003, Cena sought the WWE Championship and chased the reigning champion, Brock Lesnar, performing weekly "freestyles" challenging him to matches. During the feud, Cena unveiled a new finishing maneuver: the FU, a Fireman's carry powerslam, named to mock Lesnar's F-5. Cena won a number one contenders tournament against Lesnar at Backlash. However, Cena was defeated by Lesnar. At Vengeance Cena lost a singles match against The Undertaker. At the end of the year, Cena became a fan favorite again when he joined Kurt Angle as a member of his team at Survivor Series.

United States and WWE Champion (2004–2005)

In early 2004, Cena participated in the Royal Rumble match at the 2004 Royal Rumble, making it to the final six before being eliminated by Big Show and the Match being won by Chris Benoit. The Royal Rumble elimination led to a feud with Big Show, which Cena won the United States Championship from Big Show at WrestleMania XX. During his reign, Cena came into contention with SmackDown General Manager Kurt Angle over issues arising with René Duprée and Torrie Wilson. The reign ended almost four months later, when he was stripped of the belt on July 8 by Angle after he accidentally knocked him over, thus attacking an official. Cena won the championship back defeating Booker T in a best of five series that culminated at No Mercy, only to lose it to the debuting Carlito Caribbean Cool the next week. After the loss to Carlito, the duo began a feud, which Cena was stabbed in the kidney while at a Boston-area nightclub by Carlito's bodyguard, Jesús. This worked injury was used to keep Cena out of action for a month, while Cena was filming ''The Marine''. Immediately on his return in November, Cena won the United States Championship back from Carlito debuting a "custom made" spinner-style championship belt.

Cena took part in the 2005 Royal Rumble match, making it to the final two. Cena and Raw brand wrestler Batista went over the top rope at the same time, ostensibly ending the match. Vince McMahon, however, appeared on stage and re-started the match in sudden death rules, with Batista eventually eliminating Cena. The next month, Cena defeated Kurt Angle to earn a spot in the SmackDown brand's WrestleMania 21 main event match, beginning a feud with WWE Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) and his Cabinet in the process. In the early stages of the feud, Cena lost his US belt to Cabinet member Orlando Jordan, who proceeded to "blow up" the spinner championship with JBL and returning a more traditional style belt. Cena defeated JBL at WrestleMania winning the WWE Championship, giving Cena his first world championship. Cena then had a spinner WWE Championship belt made, while JBL took the original belt and claimed to still be WWE Champion,

Cena was drafted to the Raw brand on the June 6, 2005, becoming the first wrestler selected by General Manager Eric Bischoff in the annual draft lottery. Cena immediately entered a feud with Bischoff, after refusing to participate in the "war" against the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) roster at One Night Stand. With Bischoff vowing to make Cena's stint on Raw difficult, he hand picked Jericho to take Cena's championship from him. During their feud, even though Cena was portrayed as the fan favorite and Jericho as the villain, a vocal section of live crowds, nonetheless, were booing Cena during their matches. More crowds followed suit during Cena's next feud with Kurt Angle, who took over as Bischoff's hand-picked number-one contender after Cena defeated Jericho in a You're Fired match on the August 22 ''Raw''. As the feud continued and the dissenters grew more vocal, sometimes seeming to outnumber fans by wide margins, the announce team was forced to acknowledge the booing on television and began calling Cena a "controversial champion", claiming some people disliking him on account of his "in-ring style" and his chosen fashion. Despite the mixed and negative reactions, Cena held on to his championship through his feud with Angle, losing to him by disqualification – which titles do not change hands in WWE – at Unforgiven and pinning him at Survivor Series. The feud with Angle also saw Cena add a secondary, submission based, finishing maneuver – the STFU (a Stepover Toehold Sleeper, though named for a Stepover Toehold Facelock) – when he was put into a Triple Threat Submissions Only match on the November 28 ''Raw''.

WWE Championship feuds and injury (2006–2007)

Cena lost the WWE Championship at New Year's Revolution, but not in the Elimination Chamber match that he had been advertised to participate in beforehand. Instead, immediately after winning the Elimination Chamber, he was forced into a match against Edge, who cashed in his Money in the Bank contract – a "guaranteed title match for the WWE Champion at a time and place of the owners choosing." After two quick spears pinned Cena, winning the championship. Three weeks later, Cena won the championship back at the Royal Rumble. After winning the championship, Cena began feuding with Triple H, which the crowd began booing Cena and cheering the intended villain, Triple H. Cena beat Triple H at Wrestlemania 22 to retain his WWE Title. The negative reaction towards Cena intensified when facing Rob Van Dam at One Night Stand. Taking place in front of a crowd of mostly "old school" ECW fans at the Hammerstein Ballroom, Cena was met with raucous jeering and chants of "Fuck you, Cena", "You can't wrestle", and "Same old shit". When he began performing different moves into the match, the fans began chanting "You still suck". Cena lost the WWE Championship at One Night Stand, with Van Dam pinning Cena after interference from Edge.

In July, after Edge won the championship from Van Dam in a Triple Threat match that also involved Cena, re-ignited the feud between him and Cena from earlier in the year. After Edge went about retaining the title by dubious means – getting himself disqualified (for which Championships do not change hands) and using brass knuckles – he introduced his own version of Cena's "custom" belt, this one with his logo placed on the spinner. Cena eventually won the championship back in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at Unforgiven. The match had an added stipulation that had Cena lost he would leave the Raw brand and go to SmackDown. Cena returned his version of the spinner belt on the next night's ''Raw''.

On the heels of his feud with Edge, Cena was placed in an inter-brand angle to determine the "Champion of Champions" – or which was the most dominant champion in WWE's three brands. Cena, the World Heavyweight Champion King Booker, and the ECW World Champion The Big Show engaged in a mini-feud leading to a Triple Threat match at Cyber Sunday, with the viewers voting on which of the three championships would be placed on the line. At the same time, Cena became involved in a storyline with non-wrestler Kevin Federline, when he began appearing on Raw with Johnny Nitro and Melina. After getting into a worked physical altercation with Federline on ''Raw'', Federline appeared at Cyber Sunday to hit Cena with the World Heavyweight Championship during the match, helping King Booker retain his championship. 2006 ended with Cena beginning a feud with the undefeated Umaga over the WWE Championship, while 2007 began with the end of his storyline with Kevin Federline. On the first ''Raw'' of the new year, Cena was pinned by Federline with an assist from Umaga, although later in the night he was able to get his hands on Federline performing an FU on him.

One night after the Royal Rumble, an impromptu team of Cena and Shawn Michaels defeated Rated-RKO (Edge and Randy Orton) for the World Tag Team Championship, making Cena a double champion. On the April 2 episode of ''Raw'', after losing a WWE Championship match to Cena at WrestleMania 23, Michaels turned on Cena, costing them the championship in the second of two 10 team battles royals, by throwing Cena over the top rope and eliminating the team. The Hardys (Matt and Jeff) eventually won the match and the championship. For the rest of the month, Cena feuded with Michaels, Orton, and Edge until The Great Khali declared his intentions to challenge for Cena's championship attacking and "laying out" all three of the top contenders before assaulting Cena himself and stealing the physical belt. For the next two months, Cena feuded with Khali over the championship, eventually becoming the first person in WWE to defeat him by submission at Judgment Day and then by pinfall at One Night Stand. Later that summer, Randy Orton was named the number one contender for the WWE championship, starting a feud between the two. Leading up to SummerSlam, Orton delivered a number of sneak-attacks, performing three RKOs to Cena, but in the actual match, Cena retained the championship. A rematch between the two occurred at Unforgiven, with Orton winning by disqualification after Cena ignored the referee's instructions and continued to beat on him in the corner.

During a match with Mr. Kennedy on the October 1, 2007 episode of ''Raw'', Cena suffered a legitimate torn pectoral muscle while executing a hip toss. Though finishing the match and taking part in the scripted attack by Randy Orton after the match, surgery the following day found that his pectoralis major muscle was torn completely from the bone, estimating at the time to require seven months to a year of rehabilitation. As a result, Cena was stripped of the title in an announcement by Vince McMahon on the next night's episode of ''ECW'', ending what was the longest WWE Championship reign in over 19 years. Cena's surgery was performed by orthopedic surgeon James Andrews at St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. Two weeks later, in a video update on WWE.com, Dr. Andrews and Cena's physical trainer both said that he was several weeks ahead of where he was expected to be in his rehabilitation at that time. Despite his injury, Cena attended the annual WWE Tribute to the Troops show filmed at Camp Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq on December 7, and aired on December 24.

Return and various feuds (2008–2010)

Cena made an unannounced return as the final participant of the Royal Rumble match, winning the match, and the traditional WrestleMania title shot, by last eliminating Triple H. Instead of waiting until WrestleMania, the title shot was cashed in against WWE Champion Randy Orton at February's No Way Out pay-per-view in a match where Cena won by disqualification, resulting in him not getting the championship. The night after No Way Out, Cena was placed back into WrestleMania XXIV's WWE Championship match, making it a Triple Threat match also involving Triple H, during which he was pinned by Orton. At Backlash, Cena failed to regain the title in a Fatal Four-Way elimination match, in which he was pinned by Orton. Triple H won the title during that match. During the match, Cena eliminated JBL, renewing their feud from 2005. Cena defeated JBL at Judgment Day and then at One Night Stand in a First Blood match. JBL, however, defeated him in a New York City Parking Lot Brawl at The Great American Bash in July.

On the August 4 episode of ''Raw'', Cena became a World Tag Team Champion for a second time, teaming with Batista to defeat Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, but failed to retain the titles the following week against the former champions. Batista defeated Cena at SummerSlam; shortly after, he was named one of four contenders for CM Punk's World Heavyweight Championship in the Championship scramble match at Unforgiven. He was replaced by Rey Mysterio, however, after announcing Cena had suffered a herniated disc in his neck, which would require surgery. Cena underwent successful surgery to repair the injury.

Cena made his in-ring return at the November pay-per-view event, Survivor Series, defeating Chris Jericho to win his first World Heavyweight Championship. The two continued their rivalry up to Armageddon, where Cena retained his championship. Cena lost the championship at No Way Out, to Edge after Kofi Kingston was attacked by Edge, who took his place in the Elimination Chamber match. Cena was given an opportunity to regain the title at WrestleMania XXV in a Triple Threat match also involving Big Show, which Cena won.

Cena lost the championship back to Edge in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash after interference from Big Show, who chokeslammed Cena through a big spotlight. This angle resulted in Cena beginning a feud with Big Show. Cena defeated Big Show at Judgment Day and at Extreme Rules in a Submission match by applying the STFU.

At the July pay-per-view, Night of Champions, he participated in a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship, which also involved Triple H and WWE Champion Randy Orton. Cena, however, did not win the match. Two months later, at Breaking Point, Cena defeated Randy Orton for the WWE Championship in an "I Quit" match to win his fourth WWE Championship. At Hell in a Cell, Cena dropped the title to Orton in a Hell in a Cell match. Three weeks later, at WWE Bragging Rights, Cena defeated Orton in a 60-minute Iron Man match.

Two months later, Cena would lose the title to Sheamus at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in a Tables match.

In February 2010, Cena regained the WWE title at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in an Elimination Chamber match after last eliminating Triple H. However, immediately after the match Mr. McMahon declared that he would immediately defend his title against Batista, who had been involved with Cena in Vince McMahon and Bret Hart's rivalry. Cena lost that match to Batista, and the WWE Championship and marking one of the shortest WWE Championship reigns in history. The following night after the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Cena asked for a rematch for the title at WrestleMania, which McMahon gave him the opportunity to as long as he defeated Batista that night. Later that night, Batista intentionally got himself disqualified by kicking Cena in the groin to set up their match at WrestleMania XXVI. At the event, Cena defeated Batista to win back the WWE title. At the April pay-per-view, Extreme Rules, Cena defeated Batista in a rematch for the WWE title in a Last Man Standing match. He faced Batista one more time in an I Quit match at Over the Limit which he successfully won.

Feuding and joining Nexus (2010–2011)

On the June 7, 2010 episode of ''Raw'', Cena was suddenly thrust into a new storyline when during his main event match against CM Punk, he was attacked by all eight former contestants of WWE NXT Season 1, with Wade Barrett as their leader. Punk, his follower Luke Gallows, and other personnel around the ring were attacked as well, but Cena took the worst of the attack and was carried out on a stretcher. This group would later refer to themselves as The Nexus.

At June's Fatal 4-Way event, Cena lost the WWE title to Sheamus in a fatal four-way match that also involved Edge and Randy Orton due to interference by Nexus. The following month, in a WWE title rematch against Sheamus in a steel cage match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, the group interfered, thus costing Cena the chance of regaining the championship. Cena later formed an alliance with Edge, Chris Jericho, John Morrison, R-Truth, The Great Khali and Bret Hart to face the Nexus at SummerSlam, where Cena's team defeated Nexus with the returning Daniel Bryan, a former member of Nexus, who replaced Khali after getting injured.

Nexus's actions, however, did not stop after SummerSlam. Hoping to end Nexus for good, Cena challenged Wade Barrett to a match at "Hell in a Cell" only to lose due to interference by two fans, later identified as Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty. Due to the stipulations in place, Cena was forced to join Nexus. Cena had originally planned to destroy Nexus from within as a member of the group, but the Raw general manager ordered him to follow orders from Barrett, or else he would be fired. At Bragging Rights, Cena and Nexus member David Otunga defeated "Dashing" Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre to win the Tag Team Championship.

Later in the show Cena was forced to help Barrett to win his WWE Championship match against Randy Orton. If Barrett didn't win the match Cena would be fired. Cena twisted his words around and attacked Barrett, giving Barrett the win via disqualification but not Orton's title. The following day, Cena and Otunga lost the Tag Team Championship to fellow Nexus members Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel, when Barrett ordered Otunga to lay down and lose the title. At Survivor Series, Cena officiated a match for the WWE Championship between Wade Barrett and Randy Orton. As a part of a pre-match stipulation, if Barrett didn't win the championship, Cena would be fired from the WWE.

Orton defeated Barrett to retain the title, thus ending Cena's career in the WWE. The following day on ''Raw'', Cena gave a farewell speech, before costing Wade Barrett the WWE Championship by interfering in his rematch with Randy Orton. A week later, Cena invaded ''Raw'', first as a spectator, but he then attacked members of Nexus, explaining that he would still take down Nexus one by one, despite not having a job in the WWE anymore. On the December 13 episode of ''Raw'', Cena was rehired by Barrett, in exchange that he would face him at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in a Chairs Match. Prior to TLC, Cena teamed up with Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio to defeat Wade Barrett, The Miz and Alberto Del Rio at The WWE Tribute to the Troops. On December 19 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, John Cena was victorious against Wade Barrett in a Chairs match in the main event of the evening.

On the December 27 episode of ''Raw'', The Nexus, minus Wade Barrett, announced they were under new management and offered to bury the hatchet with John Cena, to which Cena refused. The Nexus attacked Cena, leaving a Nexus armband in the ring during the process. As the group retreated, CM Punk, who had attacked Cena with a steel chair twice the week before, came to the ring to, what looked like attack John Cena, but instead put on the armband left behind to symbolically announce his allegiance with The Nexus. The next week, Wade Barrett returned to ''Raw'' and confronted CM Punk over the issue of who the leader of The Nexus was and who was responsible for Cena's attack the week before. Barrett was placed into a Triple Threat Steel Cage Match that night that would determine the No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship. CM Punk added his own stipulation to the match saying if Barrett lost, he would be banished from the group, but if he won he would remain leader. Wade Barrett would lose the match after CM Punk interfered by ripping of Barrett's armband.

On the January 17 episode of ''Raw'', Cena returned and faced Punk in a match. During the match, a man, who would later be revealed to be Mason Ryan, attacked Cena. During the 2011 Royal Rumble match, Cena would eliminate most of the Nexus, ending his feud with them.

WWE Champion and various feuds (2011)

Cena competed in the 2011 Royal Rumble match at the pay-per-view, making it to the final five before being eliminated by The Miz, the current WWE Champion at the time, who wasn't an official participant in the match. On the January 31 episode of ''Raw'', Cena competed in a 7-man ''Raw Rumble'' match, where the winner would challenge The Miz for his WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber, but Cena was eliminated by Sheamus. As a result, Cena was entered into the Elimination Chamber match with the other five competitors who lost the match, to determine the number one contender for the title at WrestleMania XXVII. At the pay-per-view, Cena won the match, earning his title shot at WrestleMania against The Miz. On the February 21 episode of ''Raw'', Cena replied to The Rock's comments about him from the previous week, as The Rock returned as the announced guest host of WrestleMania, where he made a rap about Rock. That same night, Cena was placed into a WWE Tag Team Championship match, with him teaming with The Miz, where they defeated Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater to become WWE Tag Team Champions. After the match, Wade Barrett invoked Gabriel and Slater's rematch clause straight away, where they won their titles back, after Miz attacked Cena. After weeks of insults to each other, Cena met Rock face-to-face on the March 28 episode of ''Raw'', where Cena would hit his Attitude Adjustment finishing move on Rock. At WrestleMania, Cena and Miz would fight to a double count-out, but guest host Rock would restart the match, only for him to hit his Rock Bottom finishing move on Cena, allowing Miz to retain his title. The next night on ''Raw'', Cena and Rock agreed to face each other at WrestleMania XXVIII, making it the first match to be set up at WrestleMania one year in advance. At Extreme Rules, Cena would defeat Miz and Morrison to become WWE Champion. Cena would then defend his title successfully against Miz at Over the Limit in an "I Quit" match and against R-Truth at Capitol Punishment.

Cena was scheduled to defend his title against CM Punk at Money in the Bank, but Punk would deliver a shoot promo on-air on the June 27 episode of ''Raw'', concerning the way in which the company is run and owner Vince McMahon. This would then result in Punk being suspended from televised WWE events. Cena would petition against McMahon to reinstate Punk, to which McMahon would agree, adding that Cena would get fired if he were to lost the WWE Championship to Punk at the pay-per-view. At the pay-per-view, McMahon tried to recreate the Montreal Screwjob by sending John Laurinaitis down to ringside to end the match as Cena had Punk in the STF submission move. Cena would hit Laurinaitis before he could, only for Cena to lose the match as he re-entered the ring. The following night on ''Raw'', before McMahon announced Cena was fired, Triple H returned, announcing he is the new COO of the WWE, which would see him run the day-to-day operations of the company. Triple H then announced that McMahon was relived of his duties. On the July 25 episode of ''Raw'', Cena defeated Rey Mysterio to become WWE Champion for a record breaking ninth time. Following the match, CM Punk returned to the company, with the WWE Championship he won at Money in the Bank. The following week, Triple H would announce that Cena and Punk where both recognized as WWE Champion, which would lead to a title unification match at SummerSlam, with Triple H serving as special guest referee for the match, where the winner would become "undisputed" WWE Champion. At the pay-per-view, Punk defeated Cena to become "undisputed" WWE Champion. Punk would lose the championship following the match, after Kevin Nash returned and attacked him, with Alberto Del Rio then cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase to win the title. On the August 22 episode of ''Raw'', Cena defeated Punk to become number one contender for the WWE Championship, where Cena would defeat Del Rio at Night of Champions to become WWE Champion. Cena would then lose the title back to Del Rio two weeks later at Hell in a Cell, in a Triple Threat Hell in a Cell match also involving Punk, after Ricardo Rodriguez and Del Rio locked Cena outside of the Cell. Cena would get a rematch with Del Rio at Vengeance in a Last Man Standing match, where Del Rio defeated Cena after The Miz and R-Truth would attack Cena during the match. After a few weeks of Miz and Truth attacking Cena and other employees, Cena was allowed to choose his partner to challenge Miz and Truth at Survivor Series. Cena would announce that he had chosen The Rock to be his partner. At the pay-per-view, after Cena and Rock defeated Miz and Truth, Rock gave Cena another Rock Bottom.

On the December 12 episode of ''Raw'', during his match with Mark Henry, Cena was attacked by the returning Kane. The following week on ''Raw'', Cena would call out Kane for his actions last week, but Henry would come out instead. Kane would then come out soon after, and once again attacked Cena. The following week, Kane would explain to Cena that the reason he had attacked him was in disgust of Cena's "Rise Above Hate" t-shirt slogan, stating that hate is a "natural impulse" and shouldn't be contained. He then lead the fans in attendance who were not fond of Cena into chanting "Cena Sucks!" as RAW went off the air.

Other media

Film

WWE Studios, a division of World Wrestling Entertainment which produces and finances motion pictures, produced Cena's first movie — ''The Marine'', which was distributed theatrically by 20th Century Fox America beginning on October 13, 2006. In its first week, the film made approximately US$7 million at the United States box office. After ten weeks in theaters, the film grossed $18.7 million. Once the film was released on DVD, it fared better, making $30 million in rentals in the first twelve weeks. His second film, also produced by WWE Studios, was ''12 Rounds''. Filming began on February 25, 2008 in New Orleans; the film was released on March 27, 2009.

Cena co-starred in his third film produced by WWE Studios, titled ''Legendary'', which was played in selected theaters starting on September 10, 2010, for a limited time, then it was released on DVD on September 28, 2010.

That same year, Cena starred in the children's film ''Fred: The Movie'', a film based on Lucas Cruikshank's YouTube videos of the same name, where he plays Fred's father. The movie was released on the Nickelodeon channel in September 2010.

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2000	''Ready to Rumble''	Gym Trainer	Extra
2006	''The Marine''	John Triton	Lead role
2007	''Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race''	Himself	Reality TV series
2009		Danny Fisher	Los Angeles Film Festival Award for Best Actor
2010	''Psych''	Ewan O'Hara	"You Can't Handle This Episode" (season 4: episode 10)
2010	''True Jackson, VP''	Himself	"Pajama Party" (season 2: episode 12)
2010		Mike Chetley	Nominated—Nevada Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
2010	''Hannah Montana''	Himself	"Love That Let's Go" (season 4: episode 7)
2010	''Fred: The Movie''	Fred's (imaginary) Dad	TV film
2010	''Generator Rex''	Hunter Cain	Voice role"The Hunter" (season 1: episode 13)
2011		Sam Cleary
2011	''Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred	Fred's (imaginary) Dad	TV film

Guest appearances

Before his WWE debut, Cena made an appearance on the Internet stream show ''Go Sick'' as Bruebaker, an angry, cursing wrestler in 2001.

During his WWE career, Cena has appeared on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' three times. Cena has also appeared on morning radio shows; including the CBS and XM versions of Opie and Anthony as part of their "walkover" on October 10, 2006. Other appearances have included ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', Fuse's ''Celebrity Playlist'', Fox Sports Net's ''The Best Damn Sports Show Period'', ''MADtv'', ''G4's Training Camp'' (with Shelton Benjamin), and two appearances on MTV's ''Punk'd'' (August 2006 and May 2007), as the victim of a practical joke. He also served as a co-presenter, with Hulk Hogan, at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards, as a guest judge during the third week of the 2006 season of ''Nashville Star'', and appeared at the 2007 Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards.

In January 2007, Cena, Batista, and Ashley Massaro appeared representing WWE on an episode of ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'', giving the children of the family whose house was being renovated WWE merchandise and eight tickets to WrestleMania 23. Two months later, he and Bobby Lashley appeared on the NBC game show ''Deal or No Deal'' as "moral support" to long time WWE fan and front row staple, Rick "Sign Guy" Achberger. Edge and Randy Orton also appeared, but as antagonists. On April 9, 2008, Cena, along with fellow wrestlers Triple H and Chris Jericho, appeared on the ''Idol Gives Back'' fund-raising special. In March 2009, Cena made an appearance on ''Saturday Night Live'' during the show's cold opening sequence. On March 7, 2009, he was a guest on NPR's quiz show ''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' in a Not My Job sequence titled "Sure, pro wrestling is a good gig, but when you win, do they throw teddy bears into the ring?"

Television

In 2001, between his training in Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling, Cena was involved in the UPN produced reality show ''Manhunt''. Cena portrayed Big Tim Kingman, leader of the group of bounty hunters who chased down the contestants who acted as fugitives. The show, however, was mired in controversy when it was alleged that the portions of the show were rigged to eliminate certain players, scenes were re-shot or staged to enhance drama and contestants read from scripts.

Cena was also featured on the ABC reality series ''Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race'', which aired in June 2007, making it to the final round before being eliminated on June 24, placing third in the competition overall.

In 2007 Cena was also interviewed for the ''CNN Special Investigations Unit'' documentary, "Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling", which focused on steroid and drug use in professional wrestling. When asked if he had taken steroids he was heard to reply, "I can't tell you that I haven't, but you'll never prove that I have." The day after the documentary aired WWE accused CNN of taking Cena's comments out of context to present a biased point of view, backing up their claim by posting an unedited video of his answering the same question—filmed by WWE cameras from another angle—in which he is heard beginning the same statement with "Absolutely not". A text interview on the website with Cena later had him saying the news outlet should apologize for misrepresenting him, which CNN refused in a statement, saying they felt the true answer to the question began with the phrase "My answer to that question". They did, however, edit the documentary on subsequent airings to include the "Absolutely not".

Cena hosted the Australian Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards with Natalie Bassingthwaighte on October 11, 2008 in Melbourne, Australia.

He guest starred as Ewan O'Hara in an episode of the fourth season of the comedy drama ''Psych'', as the brother of Juliet O'Hara, played by Maggie Lawson.

He also guest starred in the seventh episode of Disney Channel's Hannah Montana Forever as himself.

Make-A-Wish Foundation

John Cena has granted over 200 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and in 2009 was a recipient of the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award.

Endorsements

Before his professional wrestling career, Cena appeared in an advertisement for Gold's Gym. As a wrestler he has endorsed the energy drink YJ Stinger, appearing in commercials beginning in October 2003, and Subway, for whom he filmed advertisements with their spokesperson Jared Fogle in November 2006 that began airing the next January. For a time in 2007 he also endorsed two "signature collections" of energy drinks and energy bars sold by American Body Builders. In 2008, Cena filmed a commercial as part of Gillette's "Young Guns" NASCAR campaign.

In 2009, Cena expanded his relationship with Gillette by introducing a new online campaign called "Be A Superstar" featuring himself alongside WWE Superstars Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes. The campaign features motivational videos.

Fashion

For the extent of his WWE career, Cena's attire has attempted to reflect the most current thug fashions and stylings within the hip hop culture that his character represents. Cena started out wearing "throwback jerseys" until WWE produced specific Cena merchandise which he began wearing. While Cena was a member of the ''SmackDown!'' brand, one of his WWE produced t-shirts bore the suggestive spoonerism "Ruck Fules". Whenever it appeared on television the image was censored, not by the network, but by WWE to sell more shirts under the premise that it was "too hot for TV." He also wore a chain with a large padlock, occasionally using it as a weapon, until WrestleMania 21, when it was replaced with a chromed and diamond studded "Chain Gang" spinner medallion—reminiscent of the ones worn by members of G-Unit—matching his spinner title belt.

Around the time ''The Marine'' was released, Cena began wearing attire more military related, including camouflage shorts, dog tags, a Marine soldier cap and a WWE produced shirt with the legend "Chain Gang Assault Battalion." Shortly after WrestleMania 23, when promotion for The Marine ended, the military attire diminished and was replaced with apparel bearing his new slogan "American Made Muscle" along with denim shorts, not seen since he was a member of the SmackDown roster. He then wore shirts that promoted Cenation and his trademark line "You Can't See Me." In late 2011, Cena again switched to wearing camo shorts (to honor the U.S. Armed Forces), coininciding with his new black "Rise Above Hate" T-shirt promoting WWE's "Be a Star" anti-bullying campaign.

Music

In addition to his wrestling career, Cena is a rapper and a hip hop musician. Cena performed his fifth WWE theme song, "Basic Thugonomics," himself, and it was featured on the WWE soundtrack album ''WWE Originals''. He also recorded a song,"Untouchables", for the company's next soundtrack album ''WWE ThemeAddict: The Music, Vol. 6''. He collaborated on the song H-U-S-T-L-E remix along with Murs, E-40, and Chingo Bling.

Cena's debut album, ''You Can't See Me'', was recorded with his cousin Tha Trademarc. It features, amongst other songs, his entrance theme, "The Time is Now", and the single "Bad, Bad Man", for which a music video was made that parodied 1980s culture, including the television show ''The A-Team''. A video was also made for the second single, "Right Now," and premiered on the August 8 ''Raw''. Cena and Tha Trademarc were later featured on a track by The Perceptionists named "Champion Scratch." Cena will appear on Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins' upcoming album ''Still Cool'' featuring other guests.

;Albums

''You Can't See Me''

* Released: May 10, 2005

Chart positions: 15 U.S. ''Billboard'' 200, 10 U.S. Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums, 3 U.S. Rap, 103 UK Albums Chart

* Singles: "The Time Is Now", "Bad Bad Man" (featuring Bumpy Knuckles), "Right Now"

Personal life

Cena writes left-handed. He is a fan of Japanese animation and has mentioned that his favorite animated movie is ''Fist of the North Star''. He has also said he is a fan of the video game series ''Command & Conquer'' and noted that it was his favorite game. Cena is also a fan of the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, Cena collects muscle cars and has over 20, some of which are one-of-a-kind.

While promoting his 2009 film, ''12 Rounds'', Cena announced his engagement to his girlfriend Elizabeth Huberdeau. They were married on July 11, 2009.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''Attitude Adjustment'' (formerly ''FU'') (Fireman's carry transitioned into a takeover or a powerslam, sometimes from the second rope) – 2003–present

STF (formerly ''STFU'') – 2005–present

Signature moves

Diving leg drop bulldog

Dropkick, sometimes from the top rope

* Emerald Flowsion

Fisherman suplex

''Five Knuckle Shuffle'' (Running delayed fist drop, with theatrics, sometimes diving from the top rope)

* Gutwrench suplex

* ''Protobomb'' (OVW / UPW) / Spin-out powerbomb (WWE)

Running leaping shoulder block

Running one–handed bulldog

Sitout hip toss

''Rapper Punch'' ("You can't see me!" taunt followed by haymaker)

Spinebuster - 2002 - 2005 used rarely there after

''Throwback'' (Running neck snap to a bent–over opponent)

Twisting belly to belly suplex

Nicknames

"The Doctor of Thuganomics"

"The Champ" (as either the WWE Champion or the World Heavyweight Champion) – 2005–present

* "The Chain Gang Commander"

"The Chain Gang Soldier"

*"The CeNation Commander-in-Chief"

"The Marine"

* "Superman"

* "The Voice of Little Jimmys" (while feuding with R-Truth)

Managers

Kenny Bolin

* B–2

* Redd Dogg

Entrance themes

"Slam Smack" by R. Hardy (FirstCom Production Music) (June 27, 2002–November 7, 2002)

"Insert Bass Here" by DJ Case (FirstCom Production Music) (November 14, 2002–February 13, 2003)

* "Basic Thuganomics" by John Cena (March 27, 2003–March 10, 2005; April 5, 2009 for his entrance at WrestleMania XXV)

*"We Are One" by 12 Stones (WWE; October 3, 2010-November 21, 2010; Used While a part of Nexus)

* "The Time is Now" by John Cena and Tha Trademarc (March 17, 2005–present)

Championships and accomplishments

Ohio Valley Wrestling

OVW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rico Constantino

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Feud of the Year (2006)

PWI Feud of the Year (2011)

PWI Match of the Year (2007)

PWI Match of the Year (2011)

PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2003)

PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2004, 2005, 2007)

PWI Wrestler of the Year (2006, 2007)

PWI ranked #1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2006 and 2007

Pro Wrestling Report

*Match of the Year (2006) vs. Rob Van Dam at ECW One Night Stand II

Ultimate Pro Wrestling

UPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Wrestling Entertainment

World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Shawn Michaels (1) and Batista (1)

WWE Championship (10 times)

WWE Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with David Otunga (1), and The Miz (1)

WWE United States Championship (3 times)

* Royal Rumble (2008)

* Slammy Award winner – 2009 and 2010 Superstar of the Year

Slammy Award for Holy $#!+ Move of the Year (2010)

*Slammy Award for Game Changer of the Year (2011) – with The Rock

'''Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Wrestler of the Year (2007, 2010)

* 5 Star Match vs. CM Punk at WWE Money in the Bank on July 17, 2011

Best Box Office Draw (2007)

Best on Interviews (2007)

Most Charismatic (2006–2010)

Most Charismatic of the Decade (2000–2009)

Best Gimmick (2003)

References

Further reading

External links

John Cena at WWE.com

Professional wrestling record for John Cena from The Internet Wrestling Database

John Cena at Online World of Wrestling

Category:1977 births Category:American film actors Category:American football offensive linemen Category:American professional wrestlers Category:American professional wrestlers of Italian descent Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Drifting drivers Category:Formula D drivers Category:Living people Category:People from Essex County, Massachusetts Category:People from Tampa, Florida Category:Rappers from Florida Category:Springfield College (Massachusetts) alumni Category:Springfield Pride football players

ar:جون سينا bg:Джон Сина bar:John Cena ca:John Cena cs:John Cena da:John Cena de:John Cena el:Τζον Σίνα es:John Cena fa:جان سینا fr:John Cena gl:John Cena ko:존 시나 hy:Ջոն Սինա hi:जॉन सीना id:John Cena it:John Cena he:ג'ון סינה kn:ಜಾನ್ ಸೆನಾ sw:John Cena ku:John Cena la:Ioannes Cena lv:Džons Sina lt:John Cena hu:John Cena ml:ജോൺ സീന ms:John Cena nl:John Cena ja:ジョン・シナ no:John Cena pl:John Cena pt:John Cena ro:John Cena ru:Сина, Джон sm:John Cena simple:John Cena sk:John Cena so:John Cena sr:Џон Сина fi:John Cena sv:John Cena tl:John Cena ta:ஜான் செனா th:จอห์น ซีนา tr:John Cena uk:Джон Сіна vi:John Cena zh:約翰·希南

This is a list of people whose names in English are commonly appended with the phrase "''the Great''", or who were called that or an equivalent phrase in their own language. Other languages have their own suffixes such as ''e Bozorg'' and ''e azam'' in Persian and Urdu respectively.

In Persia, the title "the Great" at first seems to be a colloquial version of the Old Persian title "Great King". This title was first used by the conqueror Cyrus II of Persia.

The Persian title was inherited by Alexander III of Macedon (336–323 BC) when he conquered the Persian Empire, and the epithet "Great" eventually became personally associated with him. The first reference (in a comedy by Plautus) assumes that everyone knew who "Alexander the Great" was; however, there is no earlier evidence that Alexander III of Macedon was called "''the Great''".

The early Seleucid kings, who succeeded Alexander in Persia, used "Great King" in local documents, but the title was most notably used for Antiochus the Great (223–187 BC).

Later rulers and commanders began to use the epithet "the Great" as a personal name, like the Roman general Pompey. Others received the surname retrospectively, like the Carthaginian Hanno and the Indian emperor Ashoka the Great. Once the surname gained currency, it was also used as an honorific surname for people without political careers, like the philosopher Albert the Great.

As there are no objective criteria for "greatness", the persistence of later generations in using the designation greatly varies. For example, Louis XIV of France was often referred to as "The Great" in his lifetime but is rarely called such nowadays, while Frederick II of Prussia is still called "The Great". A later Hohenzollern - Wilhelm I - was often called "The Great" in the time of his grandson Wilhelm II, but rarely later.

Rulers

Abbas I of Persia (1571-1629), Shah of Iran

Akbar (1542-1605), ruler of the Mughal Empire of South Asia, mainly India

Alain I of Albret (1440-1522), French aristocrat

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), King of Macedonia, Persia, Greece, Egypt, and all of Mesopotamia

Alexander I of Georgia (1386–1446), King of Georgia

Alfonso III of León (c. 848-910), King of León, Galicia and Asturias

Alfred the Great (848/849-899), King of Wessex

Antiochus III the Great (c. 241–187 BC), ruler of the Seleucid Empire

Ashoka the Great (c. 304–232 BC), Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty

Ashot I of Iberia “the Great”(died 826/830), presiding prince of Iberia (modern Georgia),

Askia Mohammad I (c. 1442–1538), ruler of the Songhai Empire

Bhumibol Adulyadej (born 1927), King of Thailand

Bolesław I Chrobry (967-1025), sometimes called "the Great", first King of Poland

Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the following section)

Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (1736-1809), founder and ruler of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (in what is now Thailand)

Cnut the Great (c. 985 or 995-1035), King of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden

Casimir III the Great (1310-1370), King of Poland

Catherine the Great (1729-1796), Empress of Russian

Chandragupta II (reigned 375-413/415), also known as Vikramaditya, ruler of the Gupta empire in India

Charlemagne (died 814), King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans

Chulalongkorn (1853-1910), King of Siam (now Thailand)

Chlothar II (584-629), King of Neustria and King of the Franks

Conrad, Margrave of Meissen (c. 1097-1157), Margrave of Meissen

Constantine I (c. 272-337), Roman Emperor

Cyrus the Great (c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BC), founder and ruler of the Persian or Achaemenid Empire

Darius the Great (550 – 486 BC), third ruler of the Persian Empire

Devapala (died 850), ruler of the Pala Empire in the Indian subcontinent

Dionysius I, Greek tyrant of Syracuse

Ferdinand I of León and Castile (c. 1015–1065), King of León and Count of Castile

Frederick the Great (1712-1786), King of Prussia

Genghis Khan (1162?-1227), founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire

Gero (c. 900–965), ruler of Marca Geronis, a very large march in Europe

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (1594-1632), King of Sweden, founder of the Swedish Empire, and noted military leader

Gwanggaeto the Great, King of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea

Hanno the Great, the name of three leaders of Carthage, in the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd centuries BC

Henry I, Duke of Burgundy (946–1002)

Henry IV of France (1553-1610), King of France and King of Navarre

Herod the Great (73/74 BC-4 BC), King of Judea

Hugh the Great (898-956), Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris

Hugh Magnus of France (1007-1025), co-King of France

Hugh I, Count of Vermandois (1057-1101)

Humphrey I de Bohun (died c. 1123), Anglo-Norman aristocrat

Ivan III of Russia (1440-1505), Tsar of Russia

John I of Portugal (1358-1433), King of Portugal and the Algarve

John II of Aragon (1398-1479), King of Aragon and, through his wife, King of Navarre

Justinian I (483-565), Byzantine Emperor

Kamehameha I (c. 1758-1819), first King of Hawai'i

Kanishka (died c. 127), ruler of the Kushan Empire in Central Asia and parts of India

Kvirike III of Kakheti (1010-1029), King of Kakheti in eastern Georgia

Kublai Khan (1215-1294), Mongol ruler in the 13th century and Emperor of China; founder of the Yuan Dynasty

Llywelyn the Great (c. 1172–1240), Prince of Gwynedd and de facto ruler of most of Wales

Louis I of Hungary (1326-1382), King of Hungary, Croatia and Poland

Mangrai the Great (1238-1317), Lanna, northern Thailand

Emperor Meiji (1852-1912), Emperor of Japan

Mircea I of Wallachia (1355–1418)

Mithridates II of Parthia (died 88 BC), ruler of the Parthian Empire (in present day Iran)

Mithridates VI of Pontus (134 BC–63 BC), ruler of Pontus and the Bosporan Kingdom

Mstislav I of Kiev (1076-1132), Grand Prince of Kievan Rus

Narai (1633-1688), King of Ayutthaya (in what is now modern Thailand)

Naresuan (1555-1605), King of Ayutthaya

Odo the Great (died c. 735), Duke of Aquitaine

Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (912-973)

K'inich Janaab' Pakal (603-683), ruler of the Mayan city-state of Palenque

Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa (1123–1186), King of Sri Lanka

Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia (died 1075), King of Croatia

Peter the Great (1672-1725), Tsar of Russia

Peter III of Aragon (1239-1285), King of Aragon and King of Sicily

Pompey (106 BC-48 BC), military and political leader of the late Roman Republic, rival of Julius Caesar

Radama I (1793–1828), first king of greater Madagascar

Raja Raja Chola I (c. 947-1014), Indian emperor of the Cholas.

Rajendra Chola I (reigned 1014-1044), Tamil King of India

Ramesses II (reigned 1279 BC – 1213 BC), considered the greatest pharaoh of Ancient Egypt

Ram Khamhaeng (around 1237 to 1247-1298), King of Sukhothai (in present day Thailand)

Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona (1082-1131), also Count of Provence and various other counties

Rhodri the Great (c. 820–878), King of Gwynedd (in present day Wales)

Roman the Great (after 1160-1205), Grand Prince of Kiev

Samudragupta (c. 335–375), ruler of the Gupta empire in the Indian subcontinent

Sancho III of Navarre (c. 992-1035), King of Kingdom of Navarre

Sargon of Akkad (died c. 2215 BC), ruler of the Akkadian Empire

Sejong the Great (1397-1450), Korean king

Shapur II (309-379), king of the Sassanid Empire, Persia

Simeon I of Bulgaria (864/865-927), ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire

Stephen III of Moldavia (1433-1504), Prince of Moldavia (Romania)

Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia (c. 1308-1355), King of Serbia and Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks

Taksin (1734-1782), King of the Thonburi Kingdom (Thailand)

Timur (1336-1405), better known as Tamerlane, founder of the Timurid Dynasty

Theobald II, Count of Champagne (1090–1151), Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV, Count of Champagne and of Brie

Theodoric the Great (454-526), King of the Ostrogoths, regent of the Visigoths and a viceroy of the Byzantine Empire

Theodosius I (347-395), Roman emperor

Tigranes the Great (140-55 BC), Emperor of Armenia

Tiridates III of Armenia (285-339), King of Armenia

Umar (c. 586 to 590–644), second caliph of the Muslim Empire

Valdemar I of Denmark (1131-1182), King of Denmark

Valentinian I (364-375), Roman Emperor

Vladimir I of Kiev (c. 958-1015), ruler of Kievan Rus

Vytautas (c. 1350-1430), archduke of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy

William I, Count of Burgundy (1020-1087), Count of Burgandy and Mâcon

William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969-1030), also Count of Poitou

Xerxes I (519-465 BC), King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire (Persia)

Yu the Great (c. 2200-2100 BC), legendary ruler in ancient China

Religious figures

Abraham the Great of Kashkar (ca. 492-586), monk and saint of the Assyrian Church of the East

Abraham Kidunaia (died c. 366, hermit, priest, and Christian saint of Mesopotamia

Albertus Magnus (1193/1206–1280), medieval German philosopher and theologian

Anthony the Great (c. 251–356), early Christian saint of Egypt

Babai the Great (c. 551–628), Assyrian church leader

Basil of Caesarea (330-379), Greek bishop and theologian

Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the previous section)

Euthymius the Great (377-473), abbot and Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint

Gertrude the Great (1256-c. 1302), German Benedictine, mystic, theologian and Roman Catholic saint

Pope Gregory I (c. 540-604)

Hiyya the Great, 3rd-century rabbi, Palestine

Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)

Pope Leo I (c. 391 or 400-461)

Macarius of Egypt (c. 300-391), Egyptian hermit

Pope Nicholas I (c. 800-867)

Photius I of Constantinople (c. 810–c. 893), Eastern Orthodox saint and Patriarch of Constantinople

William of Maleval (died 1157), founder of the Catholic congregation of Williamites

Other

Beli Mawr, a figure in medieval Welsh literature and genealogies

Emmy the Great, folk singer

Matteo Rosso the Great, Roman politician and father of Pope Nicholas III

Prokop the Great, Hussite general in Bohemia

See also

Epithet

List of monarchs by nickname

List of nicknames of European Royalty and Nobility: G-I

James, son of Zebedee, also known as James the Greater, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus

Ajax (mythology), called Ajax the Greater

Notes

Category:Monarchs Great, List of people known as The Category:Greatest Nationals Category:Epithets

bs:Spisak osoba znanih kao Veliki id:Daftar tokoh dengan gelar yang Agung jv:Daftar pamimpin ingkang dipun paringi julukan Ingkang Agung la:Magnus lt:Sąrašas:Žmonės, vadinami Didžiaisiais ja:称号に大が付く人物の一覧 ru:Великий (прозвище) sl:Seznam ljudi z vzdevkom Veliki sv:Lista över personer kallade den store th:รายพระนามกษัตริย์ที่ได้รับสมัญญานามมหาราช vi:Đại đế

Name	Tommy Dreamer
Names	T.D. MadisonTommy Dreamer
Height
Weight
Birth date	February 13, 1971
Birth place	Yonkers, New York
Resides	New York City
Billed	Yonkers, New York
Trainer	Johnny Rodz
Debut	October 29, 1989
Retired	June 11, 2011 }}

Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin (born February 13, 1971) is a American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). After leaving WWE after a nine year stint in 2010, Dreamer worked a year for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Among other accolades, he is a fourteen-time WWF/E Hardcore Champion and a two-time world champion, having won the ECW World Heavyweight Champion twice. He is the only man to have won this title in both the original company and in the WWE relaunch.

In addition to his most recent role, Dreamer is known for the time he spent in the Philadelphia-based Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion, of which he has been called the "heart and soul". Though he only held the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once in his time with the company – for a total of about 30 minutes – he was regularly embroiled in the company's most visible angles on-screen and involved in the booking, some of the business decisions, and, like a number of other ECW wrestlers, was part of the day-to-day operations of the company off-screen.

Professional wrestling career

Debut

Laughlin was trained in professional wrestling by Johnny Rodz. His first notable foray into the business came when he worked in International World Class Championship Wrestling (IWCCW) under the name T.D. Madison. While there he and his storyline brother, G.Q., held the IWCCW Tag Team Championship three times in 1991. He changed his name to Tommy Dreamer, reportedly after taking his given first name and adding "Dreamer" in tribute to Dusty Rhodes, in 1992 while working in the New England based Century Wrestling Alliance (CWA). While in the CWA, he became its first Heavyweight Champion by defeating "Mr. USA" Tony Atlas in a tournament final held in Wallingford, Connecticut on November 5, 1992. He held the title for over four months before losing it to The Iron Sheik in Burlington, Vermont.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1992–2001)

Dreamer joined Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 1992, just before its name change to ''Extreme'' Championship Wrestling. His first major gimmick in the company had him wrestling in matches in garish green suspenders and acting as something of a "pretty boy" – at least in relation to the rest of the ECW roster. This gimmick got him soundly booed by crowds, even when he became the first person in wrestling history to kick out of the pin that follows the Superfly Splash of Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka.

After Michael Fay was arrested in Singapore and sentenced to a caning, ECW head booker Paul Heyman decided to capitalize on the publicity by holding a Singapore Cane match between Dreamer and The Sandman — with the loser having to take 10 lashes. After losing the match Dreamer took his lashes, then asked The Sandman for another, causing the crowd to feel sympathy for him as he took the extra, and another. This was a launching point to an angle that ended up blurring the divide between fan faces and heels in wrestling, as well as start a new way of working the fans, especially the "smarks" — fans with some amount of inside information. In a later match, Dreamer kayfabe accidentally blinded The Sandman, first by knocking a lit cigarette into his eye, then hitting in the other with a Singapore cane. Immediately after, Dreamer seemed to break kayfabe and started aiding The Sandman. He professed that he "didn't mean to do it" and that it was "an accident" as other wrestlers — fan face and heel — swarmed out to help. The feud eventually ended with Sandman planning to announce his retirement at an ECW show, only to attack Dreamer and reveal he was never actually blind.

Though the blind Sandman angle was his first "major" feud in ECW, his later, years-long feud against Raven that started in April 1995 is arguably his most memorable. The two were portrayed as childhood friends who had been competing in different ways their entire lives. Raven's entrance into ECW had him accompanied by Beulah McGillicutty, an overweight girl from their kayfabe childhood who had a crush on Dreamer and was now a Penthouse Pet. Dreamer and Raven (and Raven's Nest) feuded for two years with Dreamer never getting a win over Raven until Raven's last match in ECW, a Loser Leaves Town match. By the end of the feud, Beulah had left Raven and was Tommy's valet.

Throughout 1996, during the feud with Raven, Dreamer was also involved in an additional feud with "Prime Time" Brian Lee, who was brought in as Raven's bodyguard. The two had several encounters that ended with Dreamer being chokeslammed through tables. During other fights, the pair brawled outdoors onto the street and into traffic. The feud culminated in a scaffold match at the October 1996 High Incident event, where Dreamer sent Lee off the scaffolding through several tables in the ring below.

After Raven went to World Championship Wrestling, Dreamer began a feud with the World Wrestling Federation's Jerry "The King" Lawler. The feud was largely symbolic, with Dreamer representing Extreme Championship Wrestling's "new school" style of wrestling as a concept and Lawler (with James E. Cornette) representing the World Wrestling Federation and United States Wrestling Association's more "old school" way of doing things.

In 1998, Dreamer had a short feud with the Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von), during which they "broke" Beulah's neck. In 1999, on their last night in the company, they cited this incident to get Dreamer to accept a challenge for the ECW Tag Team Championship they had won earlier in the night. He did accept, and got the title, but was paired with the unexpected partner Raven, who slid into the ring at the last second and made the pin. The team only lasted a short time before it dissolved, with Raven taking the title and choosing Mike Awesome as his new partner. He also, begrudgingly, became World Heavyweight Champion in 2000 by beating Tazz at CyberSlam, only to lose it to Justin Credible just 30 minutes later.

When speaking of his title reigns on ''The Rise and Fall of ECW'' documentary produced by WWE Home Video, Dreamer is quoted as saying:

Dreamer stayed with ECW until it folded in 2001, defeating C.W. Anderson in an "I Quit" match at Guilty as Charged – the final pay-per-view – and teaming with Danny Doring in a win over Julio Dinero and EZ Money in the final independent ECW show.

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (2001–2010)

After ECW closed its doors, Dreamer spent time in various independent leagues throughout the country, such as Jersey All Pro Wrestling and Combat Zone Wrestling before he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He was introduced to WWF audiences on the July 9, 2001 episode of ''Raw'' as a member of the WCW/ECW Alliance during the Invasion angle. When the angle ended in November, Dreamer was sent to the WWF's "farm territory" Heartland Wrestling Association.

Raw

He was brought back to the main roster of the now renamed World Wrestling Entertainment in April and placed on the Raw "brand". There, he turned face and was given a gimmick that saw him proclaim that he was "Just a Regular Guy", for which he was featured in vignettes and backstage segments showing him in normal situations that were then augmented by "disgusting" antics such as brushing his teeth and his dogs teeth with the same brush and eating food from the floor. However, this angle was short-lived. He soon reverted back to his "Innovator of Violence" gimmick and amassed fourteen reigns as Hardcore Champion. During this time, he was the final person to hold it before it became unified with the Intercontinental Championship in a match with Rob Van Dam. After losing the Hardcore Championship, Dreamer renewed his feud with Raven, defeating him in a Loser Leaves ''Raw'' match on June 24 to send him to ''Raw's'' sister show, ''Heat''.

As 2003 and 2004 went on, Dreamer was used less and less on WWE television, and they began allowing him to take independent bookings and work as color commentator for their developmental territories, Ohio Valley Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling. When his performers contract expired, he took a succession of "office jobs" inside World Wrestling Entertainment.

Launching of the ECW brand

In 2005, Dreamer was a major part of the ECW One Night Stand "reunion show" pay-per-view held under the World Wrestling Entertainment banner. He, along with a number of former ECW stars, took part in promotional hype for the event on episodes of ''Raw'' and, with The Sandman, he wrestled the Dudley Boyz in the main event. For the 2006 event, he was placed into an angle that had him and Terry Funk — who had been his "mentor" in the early days of the original ECW — at odds with then-heels, Mick Foley and Edge over the meanings of "extreme". The angle ended with a six-person-intergender-tag team match at the pay-per-view where Dreamer, Funk, and Beulah McGillicutty lost to Edge, Foley, and Lita.

When the ECW brand officially launched on the Sci Fi channel, Dreamer and the Sandman were put into one of the brands first feuds, an "old school versus new school" feud, against Test and Mike Knox. In November and December he engaged in a short feud with Daivari and The Great Khali, but Khali was sent to the Raw brand before it could come to a conclusion. Not long after Khali left ECW, The New Breed stable was established, consisting of wrestlers new to ECW: Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker and Kevin Thorn. In response, a stable of ECW Originals was created, and the teams continued to clash in singles and tag matches, trading wins on the weekly ECW show throughout the spring of 2007. The Originals won a standard-rules four-on-four match at WrestleMania 23, but lost an extreme-rules rematch on the next Tuesday's show. The feud continued until a number of roster moves left the Originals nearly barren.

In late 2007, Dreamer took part in the ECW brand's elimination chase to name a number one contender to the ECW Championship. During the series of matches, also involving Stevie Richards, Elijah Burke, and Kevin Thorn he added a bandana, worn on his head, to his ring gear. He received the original one from a young boy with a brain tumor, and from then on began wearing one as a sign of solidarity and strength to anyone going through that struggle. Dreamer emerged victorious in the final match against Burke, only to be surprised by ECW's General Manager Armando Estrada forcing him to face Big Daddy V, who promptly beat him for the number one contendership.

In the beginning of 2008, Dreamer was paired with ECW brand enhancement talent Colin Delaney as a sort of mentor after Delaney was consistently and easily defeated on the weekly ECW television show. They challenged The Miz and John Morrison for the WWE Tag Team Championship after they defeated them in a non-title match, but they lost the title match in an Extreme rules match. At WrestleMania, he participated in a 24-man battle royal to earn an opportunity for the ECW Championship later in the event, but failed to win. On the 100th episode of ECW, Dreamer was defeated in an extreme rules match by Mike Knox. He participated in a Singapore cane match at One Night Stand, but failed to win. At The Great American Bash on July 20, 2008, Delaney turned on Dreamer, costing him his ECW Championship match against Mark Henry. He defeated Delaney in an extreme rules match. After that, Dreamer started a feud with the new superstar Jack Swagger. They faced in a classic wrestling match, but Dreamer lost the match after he used his DDT on Swagger. Then Swagger defeated Dreamer in an Extreme rules match, ending the feud.

ECW Champion and departure

On the January 13, 2009 episode of ECW, Dreamer announced that if he failed to win the ECW Championship by June 6, when his WWE contract was to expire, he would no longer wrestle for ECW. The storyline saw Dreamer start a losing streak that ended when he defeated Paul Burchill on the February 24 edition of ''ECW''. On the April 28 edition, Dreamer received a match for the ECW Championship against then-champion Christian, which went to a no-contest when Jack Swagger interfered. Dreamer was granted a one-day extension on his contract, allowing him one last chance at the ECW Championship, challenging the champion Christian and Jack Swagger in a triple threat match at Extreme Rules. At Extreme Rules, Dreamer pinned Jack Swagger in a hardcore triple threat match, capturing his second ECW Championship almost a decade after he claimed the title in the original ECW. The victory also made Dreamer the only wrestler in history to capture the ECW Championship before and after WWE's acquisition of the title.

After successful title defenses, one against Christian and also a Championship Scramble match at The Bash, Dreamer eventually lost the championship back to Christian at Night of Champions. On the July 28 episode of ''ECW'', Dreamer announced he would exercise his rematch clause against Christian the following week. The two faced off in an Extreme Rules match, in which Christian retained the championship.

After his championship pursuit had ceased, Dreamer began teaming up with Christian, Yoshi Tatsu and Goldust on various occasions to take on William Regal and his allies Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson, exchanging victories and losses. On the December 29 episode of ''ECW'', Dreamer wrestled Zack Ryder and lost. If Dreamer was to lose the match then he would be (kayfabe) forced to retire from in-ring competition. After the match, Dreamer made a farewell speech in which he thanked the fans before exiting the ring with his two daughters. A few days later on January 4, 2010, Dreamer was officially released by WWE.

Independent circuit (2010-present)

Dreamer appeared at the inaugural event of EVOLVE Wrestling on January 17, 2010, in a non-wrestling role, getting involved in a match which lead to him brawling with Jimmy Jacobs. Later that month, on January 23, Dreamer debuted for Dragon Gate USA, saving Jimmy Jacobs and Lacey from a beating at the hands of Jon Moxley. On March 27, Dreamer made his pay-per-view debut for Dragon Gate USA in Phoenix, Arizona, where he lost a hardcore match to Moxley, which was taped for the Mercury Rising pay-per-view.

On April 2, Universal Championship Wrestling added Dreamer to their roster. He defeated fellow former ECW Champion Shane Douglas to become the promotion's Universal Heavyweight Champion on February 20. Dreamer wrestled on all three nights of Maximum Pro Wrestling's Spring Loaded event. April 9 was night one and before his match, Dreamer was presented with the Most Shocking Moment of the Decade for his win of the BCW Can-Am Heavyweight Championship. Following the presentation, Dreamer defeated Jon Bolen. The following night, he lost to MaxPro Triple Crown Champion Tyson Dux, but put Dux through a table afterward. On April 25, Dreamer made his debut for Philadelphia-based Chikara, challenging Eddie Kingston to a match at the Anniversary show on May 23. Kingston won the match via disqualification when Ares and Claudio Castagnoli of the Bruderschaft des Kreuzes (BDK) attacked him. Dreamer assisted Kingston in taking care of BDK and then made a challenge for a tag team match on July 25 at The Arena in Philadelphia. Earlier that same day, Kingston inducted Dreamer into the Hardcore Hall of Fame. BDK ended up defeating Dreamer and Kingston, when Castagnoli pinned Dreamer.

On August 14, 2010, Dreamer appeared for Montreal-based Northern Championship Wrestling (nCw), challenging "The War Machine" Tank and James Stone to a match at DreamSlam for the nCw Quebec Championship.

Dreamer also appeared the following week on August 21 in Ontario at "Carrot Fest" and is booked to re-appear in 2011 on August 20.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010–2011)

EV 2.0 (2010–2011)

On June 13, 2010, at Slammiversary VIII Dreamer made his debut for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), appearing in the crowd and thus distracting Brother Ray and costing him his match against Jesse Neal. On the June 24 edition of ''Impact!'' Dreamer appeared in the crowd of the Impact! Zone, beside fellow ECW alumni Raven and Stevie Richards. The following week the three were joined by Rhino. On the July 15 edition of ''Impact!'' Dreamer, Raven, Richards, Rhino, Brother Devon, Pat Kenney and Al Snow, led by Mick Foley, aligned themselves with the TNA World Heavyweight Champion Rob Van Dam by attacking Abyss and the rest of the TNA locker room. The following week, TNA president Dixie Carter agreed to give the ECW alumni their own reunion pay–per–view event, Hardcore Justice: The Last Stand, as a celebration of hardcore wrestling and a final farewell to the company, while also placing Dreamer in charge of the show. Dreamer made his TNA in–ring debut on the July 29 edition of ''Impact!'', losing to Abyss in a No Disqualification match. After the match Raven re–ignited his old feud with Dreamer by turning on him, laying him out with a DDT on a chair and licking his face. The following week Raven explained his turn by saying that he hadn't forgotten how Dreamer had "stolen", and later married, his girlfriend Beulah McGillicutty back in 1996. On August 8 at Hardcore Justice Dreamer was defeated by Raven in a "Final Showdown" match refereed by Mick Foley. On the following edition of ''Impact!'', the ECW alumni, known collectively as Extreme, Version 2.0 (EV 2.0), were assaulted by A.J. Styles, Kazarian, Robert Roode, James Storm, Douglas Williams and Matt Morgan of Ric Flair's Fourtune stable, who thought they didn't deserve to be in TNA. The following week TNA president Dixie Carter gave each member of EV 2.0 TNA contracts in order for them to settle their score with Fourtune. At No Surrender Dreamer lost an "I Quit" match to A.J. Styles due to Styles putting a fork into his eye. Dreamer admitted EV 2.0's defeat on the following edition of ''Impact!'' and tried to reach a truce with Fourtune, but was beaten down. The following week he returned with Raven, Stevie Richards, Sabu and Rhino and announced that Dixie Carter had given the five of them a Lethal Lockdown match against Fourtune at Bound for Glory. At Bound for Glory Dreamer, Raven, Rhino, Richards and Sabu defeated Fourtune members Styles, Kazarian, Morgan, Roode and Storm in a Lethal Lockdown match, when Dreamer pinned Styles. After weeks of dissension between Rob Van Dam and the rest of EV 2.0, caused by Van Dam's belief that there was a traitor within the group, Dreamer challenged him to a match. At Turning Point Van Dam defeated Dreamer and afterwards made peace with him. On the following edition of ''Impact!'' Rhino turned heel by attacking Van Dam and Dreamer, revealing himself as the traitor Van Dam had been looking for. The following week Dreamer defeated Rhino in a Street Fight. After spending some time off television, Dreamer returned on the February 24 edition of ''Impact!'', becoming entangled in the feud between former tag team partners Bully Ray and Brother Devon. On March 13 at Victory Road, Dreamer defeated Ray in a Falls Count Anywhere match, following interference from Devon.

Immortal and departure (2011)

On the May 5 edition of ''Impact!'', Dreamer was forced to join Immortal in order to save his job in TNA. Dreamer was later confronted on his choice by A.J. Styles, which led to a match at Sacrifice, where Dreamer was victorious following interference from Bully Ray. On the following edition of ''Impact Wrestling'', Dreamer officially turned heel, citing the first time he attacked Styles was due to being forced by Ray, before willingly attacking Styles because he wanted to and proceeding to berate the crowd by calling them "pieces of crap". On the May 26 edition of ''Impact Wrestling'', Styles and Christopher Daniels defeated Dreamer and Ray in a no disqualification street fight. On June 6, Dreamer confirmed at TNA's house show in Memphis, Tennessee that June 11 would be his final appearance for the promotion.

Other media

Dreamer made a cameo in the adult film ''Whack Attack 5'' by Extreme Associates. He also appeared, along with fellow ECW wrestler New Jack in the "Mel Schwartz, Bounty Hunter" episode of the TV series ''Early Edition'' as a biker.

Personal life

Dreamer married Trisa Hayes, better known by her ring name Beulah McGillicutty, on October 12, 2002, with whom he has twin daughters — Kimberly and Briana. Kimberly and Briana appeared in a sixth season episode, "The Ride", of the HBO drama ''The Sopranos'' playing Domenica Baccalieri, Tony Soprano's baby niece.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

DDT

''Dreamer Driver'' (WWE) / ''Spicolli Driver'' (ECW) / Death Valley driver (TNA / Independent circuit) – adopted from and used in tribute to Louie Spicolli

''TommyHawk'' (Inverted crucifix cutter) – ECW

Signature moves

Fallaway slam

Falling neckbreaker

Piledriver

Managers

Beulah McGillicutty

Luna Vachon

Nicknames

"The Innovator of Violence"

"The Heart and Soul of ECW"

Entrance themes

"Man in the Box" by Alice In Chains (ECW / Independent circuit)

"Even Flow" by Pearl Jam (ECW)

"Thunder Kiss '65" by White Zombie (ECW)

"Bad Dream" by Jim Johnston (WWE)

Wrestlers trained by Dreamer

Curly Moe

Championships and accomplishments

Border City Wrestling

BCW Can-Am Heavyweight Championship (2 time)

BCW Can-Am Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Nova

Century Wrestling Alliance

CWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championship Wrestling

ECW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

ECW World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Johnny Gunn (1), Raven (1) and Masato Tanaka (1)

Hardcore Hall of Fame (2010)

International World Class Championship Wrestling

IWCCW Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with G.Q. Madison

International Wrestling Association

IWA Hardcore Championship (1 time)

KYDA Pro Wrestling

KYDA Pro Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI ranked him #28 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2000

Universal Championship Wrestling

UCW Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment

ECW Championship (1 time)¹

WWF/E Hardcore Championship (14 times)

¹Dreamer's second ECW World Heavyweight Championship reign overall and first under the WWE banner.

References

External links

Official website

TNA profile

Tommy Dreamer at Online World of Wrestling

thetommydreamer Twitter feed

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:Iona College (New York) alumni Category:People from New York City Category:American professional wrestlers Category:American professional wrestlers of Italian descent Category:People from Yonkers, New York

ar:تومي دريمر ca:Tommy Dreamer da:Tommy Dreamer de:Tommy Dreamer es:Thomas Laughlin fr:Tommy Dreamer it:Thomas Laughlin nl:Tommy Dreamer ja:トミー・ドリーマー no:Tommy Dreamer pl:Tommy Dreamer pt:Tommy Dreamer ro:Tommy Dreamer ru:Томми Дример simple:Tommy Dreamer fi:Tommy Dreamer sv:Tommy Dreamer th:ทอมมี ดรีมเมอร์