Coordinates	13°38′″N72°53′″N
Name	Ken Anderson
Names	Two Rivers JackKen AndersonKamikaze KenKen KennedyMr. AndersonMr. Kennedy
Height
Weight
Birth date	March 06, 1976
Birth place	Wisconsin Rapids, WisconsinMike MercuryOVW staff
Debut	1999
Retired	}}

Kenneth Anderson (born March 6, 1976) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Mr. Anderson. He is a former two-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, making him an overall two time world heavyweight champion. He wrestled under the ring name Mr. Kennedy during his time with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) between 2005 and 2009.

Before being promoted to the main WWE roster, Anderson wrestled for numerous promotions in his career. While performing in these promotions, he won various championships, both in tag team and singles competition. Anderson was assigned to WWE's developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky in 2005.

After signing with WWE, Anderson made his debut on the SmackDown! roster in August 2005. In September 2006 he captured his first and only title with the company, the WWE United States Championship, and would hold onto it for a month. The following year, at WrestleMania 23, Anderson won the annual Money in the Bank ladder match, a contract, which guarantees a match for one of WWE's world titles. He was released from his WWE contract on May 29, 2009. He returned to the independent circuit before signing a contract with TNA in 2010.

Early life

Anderson, the son of James Alan Holmes and Sheryl Anderson, has one sister, Jennifer Holmes. His father died on April 13, 2006 from cancer.

Anderson graduated from Washington High School in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. During his time there, Anderson excelled at swimming and track & field. He also announced school basketball games and did a radio assignment in his Mass Media class. When doing this, a friend suggested to Anderson to repeat the surnames to make it funnier. That element was eventually used again in his wrestling character when encouraged by Paul Heyman.

Before starting a wrestling career, Anderson worked as a security guard at a nuclear power plant and as a personal trainer.

Professional wrestling career

Anderson was picked first overall by All-Star Championship Wrestling Alumni Eric Hammers and Mike "Mercury" Krause. He was invited to appear in a trial basis on ''WWF Jakked'', ''WWE Velocity'', and ''WWE Sunday Night Heat'' as an independent jobber several times from 2001 to 2004. Anderson made some appearances on ''TNA Xplosion'' and was initially approached for a contract at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling by Jeff Jarrett but communications broke down. Anderson competed in the 2002 and 2003 Ted Petty Invitational tournaments (the first one then known as the Sweet Science Sixteen tournament) but did not advance past the first round in either of them. He referred to himself as "Mr. Anderson" for this match. A few weeks later, to avoid comparisons with the more famous Anderson family (as well as former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson), he changed his name to "Ken Kennedy", or "Mr. Kennedy". This idea was initially suggested by Paul Heyman and was chosen as his name because it is the middle name of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

SmackDown! and United States Champion (2005–2007)

Kennedy defeated Funaki once again in his ''SmackDown!'' debut on August 25, 2005. Kennedy also created an ongoing mini-feud with ''SmackDown!'' ring announcer Tony Chimel, based on Kennedy believing that Chimel's announcing was not done well enough or with sufficient respect, and therefore performing his own introductions or forcing Chimel to introduce him again. Kennedy's self-ring introductions before the match became one of his trademarks. While working on both ''Velocity'' and ''SmackDown!'', he was also still working in OVW. Kennedy made his pay-per-view debut at ''SmackDown!'s'' No Mercy, defeating Hardcore Holly and injuring Holly's ribs during the match.

On the November 11 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Kennedy faced Eddie Guerrero to compete for a spot on ''SmackDown!'''s Survivor Series team. He lost the match when Guerrero tossed him a steel chair and played possum, a move which Guerrero had made famous. The groggy referee turned around and saw Guerrero on the ground with Kennedy holding the chair, and consequently disqualified Kennedy, awarding the place on Team SmackDown! to Guerrero. This was Kennedy's first loss. In retaliation, Kennedy struck Guerrero over the head with the chair after the match. This was Guerrero's final televised match, as he died on November 13 in his hotel room in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In interviews about the incident, Kennedy has stated that he considers this an "unfortunate honor".

In December 2005, Kennedy participated in WWE's overseas tour. On the second day in Italy, Kennedy suffered a serious latissimus dorsi tear. Even after surgery in December, Kennedy was still forced out of the ring for nearly six months while he rehabilitated the legitimate injury. He continued to make appearances on ''SmackDown!'' and ''Velocity'' throughout January and February. He even made an appearance on the January 11 episode of ''WWE Byte This!'' with Todd Grisham to maintain visibility.

At the OVW tapings on May 10, Kennedy returned to in-ring action facing the OVW Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk, in a title match that Kennedy was unable to win. Kennedy made his return to ''SmackDown!'' on the June 9 episode with a victory over Scotty 2 Hotty after using the Kenton Bomb. On the July 14 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Matt Hardy used a roll-up to defeat Kennedy, ending Kennedy's streak of never being defeated by pin or submission. On the July 21 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Batista put out an open challenge to find an opponent for The Great American Bash, as his original opponent, Mark Henry, had been injured. Kennedy accepted the challenge and won the match by disqualification, however, he suffered a severe injury during the match after being thrown headfirst into the steel steps, resulting in an exposed cranium laceration which required twenty stitches to close. He then entered into a short feud with Batista, defeating him by countout in their second match, but losing via pinfall in the third. Kennedy helped The McMahons (Vince and Shane) in their feud with D-Generation X (DX), appearing at both SummerSlam and the August 28 episode of ''Raw'' to attack DX.

On the September 1 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Kennedy defeated Finlay and Bobby Lashley in a Triple Threat match to win the WWE United States Championship, his first and only Championship reign in WWE. On the September 8 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Kennedy announced that he wanted to move over to ''Raw'', as SmackDown! did not interest him anymore because he had already defeated every top performer on the roster. This led to ''SmackDown!'' General Manager Theodore Long making a match between Kennedy and The Undertaker, who Kennedy had never faced, to be held at No Mercy. Kennedy won the match by disqualification. On the October 13 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Kennedy, now with a win over The Undertaker, again stated his desire to move to the Raw brand. However, Long put him against an opponent who he had never faced—this time Chris Benoit—with Kennedy's title on the line. Long said that, if Kennedy were to defeat Benoit, he would be given his release and be allowed to go to Raw. Kennedy lost the United States Championship to Benoit after a distraction from the Undertaker. Kennedy tapped out to the Crippler Crossface, marking his first submission loss.

In November 2006, Kennedy joined forces with Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) in matches against the Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker and Kane) in various combinations. On a November episode of ''SmackDown!'', Kennedy and MVP lost to the Brothers of Destruction three times. After first getting counted out, Theodore Long restarted the match with no countouts. When they disqualified themselves following a low blow by Kennedy, Long restarted the match again with no countouts and no disqualifications. Kennedy and MVP continued to feud with the brothers, with MVP feuding with Kane while Kennedy challenged the Undertaker to a match at Survivor Series, which was later announced as a First Blood match. Kennedy won the match after MVP turned on him and aimed for his head with a steel chair, but missed and hit the Undertaker instead, leaving him bleeding. After the match, the Undertaker attacked Kennedy, forcing him to bleed. At Armageddon, Kennedy and the Undertaker met in a final match; they were scheduled in a Last Ride match. In the match, the Undertaker defeated Kennedy.

After a brief hiatus, Kennedy returned to ''SmackDown!'' on January 5 and defeated Chris Benoit in a "Beat the Clock" match, with the overall prize being a shot at Batista's World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble. After he prevented The Undertaker from beating his time, Kennedy's time of 5:07 ended up being the fastest. At the Royal Rumble, he lost the match, as well as a subsequent rematch. From there, Kennedy began a short feud with ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley, leading to a match at No Way Out for the title which Kennedy won by disqualification. Kennedy challenged Lashley unsuccessfully on ''ECW on Sci Fi'' and ''SmackDown!'' as well.

Kennedy earned a spot in the 2007 Money in the Bank ladder match by defeating Sabu in an Extreme Rules match in a February episode of ''ECW on Sci Fi''. At WrestleMania 23, Kennedy won the Money in the Bank ladder match, giving him the right to challenge any World Champion in WWE at any date up until WrestleMania XXIV. Kennedy announced on the April 30 episode of ''Raw'' that he would be cashing in his Money in the Bank championship opportunity at WrestleMania 24. On the May 7 episode of ''Raw'', Kennedy, however, lost his Money in the Bank opportunity to Edge, losing mere moments after a blow to the head from a monitor before the match began. Because of the injury Kennedy sustained during his match with Edge, it was revealed that his right triceps muscle tore off the bone and he would be out for a minimum of five to seven months. The injury, however, was not as serious, as the triceps tendon did not tear off the bone but was, in fact, a massive hematoma.

Raw (2007–2008)

On the June 11 episode of ''Raw'', Kennedy was drafted from SmackDown! to Raw as part of the WWE Draft. On the August 20 episode of ''Raw'', Carlito hosted the interview segment ''Carlito's Cabana''. During the segment Carlito challenged his special guest, Umaga for his Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam, and Kennedy also demanded a shot at the title. Raw General Manager William Regal, scheduled a match between Kennedy and Carlito, in which the winner would receive an opportunity to face off against Umaga at SummerSlam. After the match ended in a draw, Regal booked a Triple Threat match at SummerSlam between the three men for the Intercontinental Championship; at the event, Umaga retained the title. On the September 10 episode of ''Raw'', Mr. McMahon revealed that Kennedy had, in storyline, been suspended for "impersonating a McMahon". This angle was written because Kennedy being named one of the eleven superstars implicated in a steroid scandal and therefore suspended for thirty days in accordance with WWE's Wellness Policy.

After his suspension, Kennedy returned to television on the October 1 episode of ''Raw'', facing John Cena in the main event. At No Mercy in October, Kennedy took part of a six-man tag team match alongside then World Tag Team Champions Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch defeating then-Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy and Paul London and Brian Kendrick. For several weeks, Kennedy began a feud with Jeff Hardy, which consisted of the two facing off in a singles match and numerous tag team matches, most of which Hardy won. At Cyber Sunday, Kennedy and Hardy were two of the eligible wrestlers that could earn a WWE Championship match for that evening, pending the fan's votes. Neither man won the opportunity, as Shawn Michaels won the vote and earned a shot at the title. Although neither won the title shot, Kennedy defeated Hardy in a scheduled match made by William Regal.

Kennedy next entered a feud with Shawn Michaels on the night after Survivor Series. Kennedy claimed that it was time for Michaels to move on and let the younger, talented superstars climb the ladder to success. At Armageddon, Michaels defeated Kennedy after he was able to hit Kennedy with Sweet Chin Music. On the December 31 episode of ''Raw'', Kennedy and Michaels had a rematch where Kennedy pinned Michaels following his new finishing move, the "Mic Check". In subsequent rematches, the two traded wins over each other. At the Royal Rumble, Kennedy eliminated Michaels from the Royal Rumble match, ending the rivalry between the two.

After several months of minor feuds and short storylines, Kennedy was not seen for weeks after WrestleMania XXIV, because he was filming a role for the new film ''Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia''. Kennedy returned to ''Raw'' on April 28, as he confronted and brawled with General Manager and newly crowned King of the Ring William Regal, turning into a fan favorite in the process. On the May 18 episode of ''Raw'', Kennedy defeated Regal in a "Loser Gets Fired Match", thereby opening up the General Manager spot on the Raw brand.

Return from injury and departure (2008–2009)

During the sixth annual WWE Draft on June 23, 2008 on ''Raw'', Kennedy was drafted from Raw back to the SmackDown brand. On August 4, he dislocated his shoulder in a match against Shelton Benjamin at a house show, sidelining him from active competition. Kennedy made his return to WWE television, in a non-wrestling capacity, on the November 24 episode of ''Raw'', while promoting his film ''Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia'', and also made an appearance on ''SmackDown'' on the November 28 episode.

On April 15, 2009, Mr. Kennedy returned to the Raw brand as Raw's first pick of the 2009 Supplemental Draft. On May 7, Kennedy returned to in-ring action at Florida Championship Wrestling, WWE's developmental territory, to gain match fitness before returning to Raw. On the May 11, 2009 episode of ''Raw'', WWE aired a video package to promote Kennedy's return. He made his official Raw return on May 25, competing in a 10-man tag team match, which his team won.

Kennedy was released from his WWE contract on May 29, 2009, just four days after his return.

Independent circuit (2009)

In an interview with Pro Wrestling Report on 540 ESPN Radio in Milwaukee, Anderson expressed an interest in joining TNA. Anderson appeared at World Wrestling Council's 2009 Anniversary, where he wrestled, and lost to, former WWE affiliate Eddie Fatu. On Friday October 2, he won the NWE Heavyweight Championship in the Nu-Wrestling Evolution promotion, when he defeated Chuck Palumbo and Tiny Iron in Malta. He then competed at the Hulkamania tour of Australia, again working with Fatu in what would be Fatu's final matches before his unexpected death on December 4, 2009. Anderson wrestled against Armando Estrada in his retirement match at Great Lakes Championship Wrestling's Blizard Brawl 5.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010–present)

Debut and feud with Kurt Angle (2010)

In January 2010 Anderson signed a one-year deal with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. He would make his return to the company at the Genesis pay-per-view on January 17, 2010, working as a heel under the ring name Mr. Anderson. As a mystery opponent, he wrestled Abyss, whom he pinned after using brass knuckles. Anderson made his ''Impact!'' debut on January 21, 2010. He would deliver a promo explaining why he came to TNA, while disparaging Abyss.

At Against All Odds Anderson defeated Kurt Angle and Abyss to advance to the finals of the 8 Card Stud Tournament, where he lost to D'Angelo Dinero. On the following edition of ''Impact!'' Angle, whom Anderson had defeated by using his dog tags against him, promised to make him suffer for disrespecting U.S. soldiers, which led to Anderson coming out and laying him out by hitting him with a mic, effectively starting a feud between the two. At Destination X Angle defeated Anderson by submission in a rematch. Anderson and Angle were booked in a rubber match inside a steel cage at Lockdown. On the April 5 edition of ''Impact!'' Anderson defeated Angle in a ladder match to win possession of the key to the cage door. At Lockdown Angle defeated Anderson in a steel cage match. At Sacrifice Anderson was defeated by Jeff Hardy. After the match, Anderson, starting to show signs of a face turn, offered to shake Hardy's hand, but the offer was declined. On the following edition of ''Impact!'', Anderson completed his face turn by helping Hardy defeat Sting in the main event of the show. After the match both Anderson and Hardy were attacked by Sting.

At Slammiversary VIII Anderson and Hardy, the team now known as the Enigmatic Assholes, defeated Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode and James Storm) in a tag team match. At Victory Road, Anderson and Hardy attempted to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from RVD in a 4-way match, also involving Abyss, but were unsuccessful. On the following edition of ''Impact!'' Anderson saved former rival D'Angelo Dinero from Matt Morgan. On the July 22 edition of ''Impact!'' Anderson defeated Morgan, but was after the match assaulted and bloodied by him. On the August 19 edition of ''Impact!'' the TNA World Heavyweight Championship was vacated and Anderson was entered into an eight man tournament for the title, defeating Jay Lethal in his first round match. At the semifinals at No Surrender Anderson defeated D'Angelo Dinero to advance to the finals at Bound for Glory. On September 21 TNA president Dixie Carter announced that Anderson had signed a new long term contract with the company.

World Heavyweight Champion,Heel Turn and Immortal (2010–2011)

At Bound for Glory Anderson failed in his attempt to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, when Jeff Hardy turned heel with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff and pinned him in a three-way match, which also included Kurt Angle, to win the title and ending his partnership with Hardy in the process. On the October 21 edition of ''Impact!'', Anderson was given an opportunity to earn a shot at Hardy and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Turning Point; all he had to do was survive an Ultimate X match with Fortune member Kazarian. Kazarian managed to win the match, following interference from his stable mates, but Anderson persevered and thus earned himself a World Heavyweight title shot against Hardy, who attacked him after the match. However, during the attack Anderson suffered a legitimate concussion, which would sideline him for a few weeks and prevented him from taking part in the title match.

The vacant spot in the title match ended up going to Matt Morgan, who turned face during Anderson's time away from TNA, standing up for him against Hardy's, Hogan's and Bischoff's group Immortal as an advocate for the effects of concussions. Anderson returned on the December 2 edition of ''Impact!'', chasing Hardy and Fortune out of the ring, before being announced as the special guest referee for the World Heavyweight title match between Hardy and Morgan at Final Resolution. Anderson was bloodied and taken out of the match by Eric Bischoff, who managed to help Hardy retain the title, after a three count made by a replacement referee. On January 9, 2011, at Genesis Anderson defeated Matt Morgan in a number one contender's match. Immediately afterwards, Eric Bischoff came out, and announced that Anderson would get his title match against Jeff Hardy straight away. After interference from Morgan, Mick Foley, Matt Hardy, Rob Van Dam and Bischoff, Anderson defeated Hardy to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time. On the February 3 edition of ''Impact!'', Anderson defeated Hardy in a rematch for the title, after Fortune turned on Immortal as they were interfering in the match. On February 13 at Against All Odds Anderson lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship back to Hardy in a ladder match. On the February 24 edition of ''Impact!'' Anderson defeated Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam in a three–way match to earn a rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship. Anderson was looking to get his title match on the following edition of ''Impact!'', but it was instead given to the returning Sting, who defeated Hardy to become the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. On the March 10 edition of ''Impact!'', thumb|Anderson in Impact Wrestling at HuntsvilleAnderson began to show signs of a possible heel turn when he attacked Sting backstage, after claiming that he had been screwed out of his title match. In the main event of the evening Anderson teamed with rival Jeff Hardy in a tag team match against Rob Van Dam and Sting. During the match Anderson took on more of a role as a tweener by turning on Hardy, before being pinned by Van Dam, following an attack from Sting. On March 13 at Victory Road, Anderson wrestled Rob Van Dam to a double countout in another number one contender's match. On the April 7 edition of ''Impact!'', Anderson feigned completing his heel turn by joining Immortal, before turning on them and announcing his intention of going after Hulk Hogan next. On April 17 at Lockdown, Anderson failed in his attempt to regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Sting in a three–way steel cage match, which also included Rob Van Dam. On the May 12 edition of ''Impact!'', Anderson defeated 24 other men in a battle royal to earn a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Slammiversary IX. In the weeks leading to Slammiversary, Anderson tried to get under Sting's skin by dressing up like he did in the early '90's during his "surfer" gimmick, attacking Disco Inferno during his own "Scorpion Sitdown" interview segment and wrestling Eric Young, who was dressed as The Great Muta. On June 12 at Slammiversary IX, Anderson defeated Sting after interference from Eric Bischoff, a low blow and a ''Mic Check'' to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the second time. On June 18 Anderson represented TNA at Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración's (AAA) TripleManía XIX pay-per-view, where he and Abyss unsuccessfully challenged Extreme Tiger and Jack Evans for the AAA World Tag Team Championship in a steel cage match. At the tapings of the July 7 edition of ''Impact Wrestling'', Immortal forced Anderson to choose whether he was with them or against them. In the main event of the evening, Anderson turned on Kurt Angle and joined Immortal, thus solidifying his status as a heel. On July 11 at the tapings of the July 14 edition of ''Impact Wrestling'', Anderson lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship back to Sting. On the July 28 edition of ''Impact Wrestling'',

Face Turn and feud with Immortal (2011-present)

Anderson faced Kurt Angle in a steel cage match, but was defeated following a distraction from fellow Immortal member Bully Ray. The tension between the two stablemates eventually led to a match on August 7 at Hardcore Justice, where Ray defeated Anderson with a low blow. On the following edition of ''Impact Wrestling'', the rest of Immortal turned on Anderson and kicked him out of the group. Anderson returned a week later and brutally attacked both Gunner and Scott Steiner sending a message to Bully Ray and turning him Face in the process .

Other media

He appeared in a feature film ''Fighting The Still Life'', directed by Matt Burns, who wrestled under the name Sick Nick Mondo. In late March 2008, Anderson began shooting a role for an action film in Puerto Rico. The film, titled ''Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia'', was released direct-to-DVD/Blu-ray Disc on January 6, 2009 to the sequel of the original 2001 film, ''Behind Enemy Lines''. Anderson booked the role through WWE.

On July 24, 2007, Anderson appeared on ''Tom Green Live!'' in character. He also appeared on ''Slime Across the UK & Ireland'' in character on August 15. During the week of November 5, he appeared as Mr. Kennedy on five episodes of ''Family Feud'' with several other WWE superstars.

Anderson, along with Mickie James and Josh Mathews, represented WWE at the 2008 Republican National Convention in an effort to persuade fans to register to vote in the 2008 US Presidential election.

During the Pittsburgh Penguins' 2009 Stanley Cup championship run, when National Hockey League winger Tyler Kennedy scored a goal, the Mellon Arena public address team would announce his family name twice, and the local crowd would chant it in a way clearly reminiscent of Anderson's wrestling persona.

After his departure from WWE, Anderson created a video blog on YouTube about his life during his 90-day "No Compete" clause.

In November 2010, Anderson was again a contestant on ''Family Feud'' (this time as Mr. Anderson), teaming with Jay Lethal, Matt Morgan, Mick Foley and Rob Van Dam against Angelina Love, Christy Hemme, Lacey Von Erich, Tara and Velvet Sky.

In February 2011, TNA Wrestling had Anderson shoot several YouTube videos while he was watching his favorite team, the Green Bay Packers, defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. The videos were shot from Anderson's home in Jersey City, NJ—though Anderson still takes great pride in his Green Bay, WI roots.

Acting career

Filmography

2009: ''Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia'' – as Master Chief Petty Officer Carter Holt 2011: ''Dogs Lie'' – as Yuri

Personal life

On August 18, 2007, Anderson gave an interview in which he admitted to using steroids when he was performing on the independent wrestling scene, stating that he had quit using them in November 2005 to comply with WWE's "wellness policy", implying that his job in the promotion was worth more than an extra ten pounds of muscle mass. Twelve days later, on August 30, Anderson's statements were shown to be factually incorrect when he, along with nine other WWE wrestlers, were named in a ''Sports Illustrated'' article as having received performance-enhancing drugs in direct non-compliance with the WWE Talent Wellness Program. Kennedy received anastrozole, somatropin, and testosterone between October 2006 and February 2007. Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Brian Adams were also discovered to have been given steroids prior to their death during this investigation, as well as former superstar Sylvain Grenier. Anderson later claimed that the steroids were for a legitimate medical reason, saying that they were from when he tore his latissimus dorsi muscle in 2005.

Anderson was previously in a relationship with fellow professional wrestler Jessica Kresa, better known by her ring name ODB. He married girlfriend Shawn Trebnick on January 9, 2008.

He has a red and black designed signature tattoo on his upper back, which he described as "pretty painful", and which took nearly eight hours to complete. He also has a clown tattoo on his biceps, which he got at age nineteen because he was voted class clown in high school and is always clowning around, but says it did not turn out the way he wanted it to and plans to get it replaced with another clown that more closely matches what he originally requested.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''Green Bay Plunge'' / ''Lambeau Leap'' / ''The Plunge'' (TNA) (Super rolling fireman's carry slam)

''Kenton Bomb'' (Senton bomb) – 2005–2007, 2010–present

''The Mic Check'' (Leg hook reverse STO) – Late 2007–present

Signature moves

*Facewash

*Feint roundhouse kick spun into an enzuigiri

*Forward Russian legsweep

*Hangman's neckbreaker, sometimes to a rope hung opponent

*Inverted superplex

*Knee lift

*Multiple DDT variations

**Inverted

**Snap, sometimes to a kneeling opponent

**Spike

*Rolling fireman's carry slam

*Side slam backbreaker

Nicknames

"Kamikaze"

"The Head Asshole in Charge"

*"The Green Bay Loudmouth"

Entrance themes

"Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard (Independent circuit)

"Turn Up the Trouble" by Jim Johnston featuring Ted Nigro (WWE; August 25, 2005–February 25, 2008)

"Turn Up the Trouble (Remix)" by Airbourne (WWE; March 3, 2008–May 25, 2009)

"Feedback" by Dale Oliver (TNA; 2010–present)

"Immortal Theme" by Dale Oliver

Championships and accomplishments

All–Star Championship Wrestling

ACW Heavyweight Championship (3 times)

ACW Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Mike Mercury

ACW Television Championship (1 time)

Mid–American Wrestling

MAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

NWA Midwest

NWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Nu-Wrestling Evolution

NWE Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI ranked him #7 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 2011

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

TNA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

World Wrestling Entertainment

WWE United States Championship (1 time)

Mr. Money in the Bank (2007)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

*Best Gimmick (2005)

Xtreme Intense Championship Wrestling

XICW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Joey Padgett

Other titles

UPCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Big Daddy Loker

References

External links

TNA Wrestling profile

Category:1976 births Category:American professional wrestlers Category:Living people Category:American Roman Catholics Category:People from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin Category:Sportspeople from Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Coordinates	13°38′″N72°53′″N
Name	Super Crazy
Names	HisteriaEl LoccoSuper CrazySuper CrazzySuper LoboSuper LocoSuper Virus
Height
Weight
Birth date	December 03, 1973
Birth place	Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico
Resides	Tupelo, Mississippi
Billed	Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico
Trainer	Rey CuerveroRey Pantera
Debut	February 4, 1988
Retired	}}

Francisco Islas Rueda (born December 3, 1973) is a Mexican professional wrestler, or ''Luchador'', best known by his ring name Super Crazy. Islas is most known for his three year run in the original ECW. In Mexico Islas has worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and made appearances for various independent promotions but is not currently associated with one specific Mexican promotion. As Super Crazy, Islas first got American exposure by working for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) between 1998 and 2000. He has also toured Japan on several occasions working for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE (Zero-1) and most recently for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) where he participated in the 2009 Junior League.

Professional wrestling career

Francisco Islas made his professional wrestling debut in February 1988, at just 14 years of age, after being trained by his older brother Rey Pantera. Islas took the ring name "Super Crazy". He initially worked as an ''enmascarado'', or masked wrestler, but lost the mask just over a month after his debut when he lost a ''Luchas de Apuestas'' (a "bet match") to El Seminarista in March, 1988. From 1988 until 1995 Super Crazy was a mainstay on the Mexican independent circuit working for various promotions, including appearances for the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) in the year leading up to its closure. In the UWA Super Crazy won the UWA World Welterweight Championship on November 17, 1995 and held the title when the UWA closed in December 1995. After the UWA closed Super Crazy still used and defended the UWA title on various independent shows but once he signed with Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) promotion in 1996 the title was not mentioned. In AAA he was given a new gimmick, a masked ''Rudo'' (villain or heel) character called "Histeria" (sometimes Anglicised as "Hysteria"). Together with Abismo Negro, Maniaco, Mosco de la Merced I and Mach-1 he comprised a wrestling group called ''Rudos de la Galaxia'' (Spanish for "The bad guys of the universe"), a group that was involved in a storyline feud with a ''tecnico'' (good guy or face) group called ''Los Cadetos del Espacio'' (Spanish for "the Space Cadets"). In the spring of 1997 Islas, as Histeria, made a couple of appearances for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) due to an AAA/WWF working agreement. Histeria worked mainly against ''Los Cadetos del Espacio'', especially Venum in his appearances on ''RAW is WAR'' and ''Shotgun''. In September 1997 Islas left AAA, giving the "Histeria" name and outfit to another AAA wrestler who had worked as "Quarterback" up until that time, he still wrestles as Histeria today.

Islas resumed working as "Super Crazy" when he left AAA to join the newly created Promo Azteca. Super Crazy also continued his feud with Venum, who now worked as "Venum Black" after leaving AAA, a feud that culminated in a "mask vs. hair" ''Luchas de Apuesta'' that Super Crazy won, unmasking Venum Black. After leaving AAA Super Crazy began defending the UWA World Welterweight title, losing it to Kid Guzmán in 1997. Super Crazy regained the title on June 15, 1998 during a show in Japan and successfully defended the title until October 13, 2000 where he lost it to El Orientál. In November 1997 Islas began working for WWF under the name "Super Loco", mainly on their ''Super Astros'' shows, his only "Main show" appearance was a loss to El Águila in the first round of the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship tournament.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1998–2001)

Super Crazy was signed to a contract by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) owner Paul Heyman after having seen Super Crazy work for the WWF and on the recommendation of Konnan who had worked for Heyman. Super Crazy was signed in 1998 and was paired with other smaller wrestlers, such as Yoshihiro Tajiri and Little Guido Maritato, producing a series of very well received matches between 1998 and 2000. Crazy won the ECW Television Championship at Living Dangerously 2000 Pay-Per-View (PPV). The title had been vacated by Rob Van Dam due to an injury, and a tournament was held to crown a new champion which Super Crazy won. After defeating Little Guido in the semi-finals earlier in the night, Super Crazy went on to defeat Rhino in the tournament final. Crazy lost the title a month later to Tajiri. Super Crazy kept working for ECW until it closed in early 2001.

Independent circuit (2001–2005)

After ECW folded, Super Crazy wrestled for different promotions in the US, including the hardcore promotions Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW) and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), cementing his status as "the Extreme Luchador" or "the Insane Luchador". He also began working for Puerto Rico-based International Wrestling Association (IWA). At Ring of Honor's debut show, ''The Era of Honor Begins'' on February 23, 2002, Crazy defeated Eddie Guerrero to become the inaugural IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion. He was defeated for the title on April 6 by Andy Anderson. Crazy regained the title on April 13 when Anderson forfeited it due to injury. Crazy lost the title once more on April 20, when he was defeated by Anarchy. Super Crazy also held the IWA Hardcore Championship on nine occasions between 2002 and 2005. He also held the IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship three times in that time period. On February 24, 2001 Super Crazy defeated Pablo Marquez to win the UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, which like the UWA Welterweight title was still used on the independent scene in Mexico and Puerto Rico. By the end of 2001 Super Crazy vacated the UWA Junior Heavyweight title. Super Crazy made a couple of special appearances for his old company AAA, teaming with El Alebrije and Randy to defeat Máscara Magligna, Pentagón and Monsther at the 2001 ''Verano de Escandalo''. At the following year's ''Verano de Escandalo'' Super Crazy teamed with Mr. Águila, La Parka and Latin Lover to defeat Cibernético, Heavy Metal, Héctor Garza and Leatherface.

He made four tours with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) in 2002 and 2003. His first tour lasted from November to December, 2002 and saw Super Crazy work mainly tag matches, teaming mainly with Koji Kanemoto and/or the Stampede Kid against a variety of opponents including Jushin Liger, El Samurai and Heat. His second tour took place in February, 2003 and saw Super Crazy team up mainly with Curry Man and Tiger Mask IV. Super Crazy mainly faced Jushin Liger's CTU faction. The third tour took place in May, 2003, this time Super Crazy often worked with other ''Luchadors'' touring NJPW at the time including Último Guerrero, Rey Bucanero and Sangre Azteca. His fourth, and so far final, NJPW tour took place in October and November, 2003, again Crazy mainly worked in tag team matches, siding with Koji Kanemoto or Tiger Mask IV against a variety of opponents. Super Crazy appeared on the March 5, 2003 edition of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's weekly PPV's as one of Konnan's ''luchador'' challengers, where he lost to Jerry Lynn.**REF** Between January and March 2005 Super Crazy worked for the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, winning the ZERO-ONE/UPW/WORLD-1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship from Tatsuhito Takaiwa on December 18, 2004. Crazy lost the title on Ikuto Hidaka on April 14, 2005 at Zero-1's ''Outburst Revolution'' show.

World Wrestling Entertainment (2005-2008)

In 2005, Crazy signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He initially appeared at the WWE-promoted ECW One Night Stand on June 12, 2005 winning an international three-way dance by pinning Yoshihiro Tajiri in the final pinfall of the match. During the match, he performed a moonsault from a second story balcony.

SmackDown! (2005–2006)

Crazy's first appearance on WWE television came during the June 18, 2005 airing of ''SmackDown!'''s sister show ''WWE Velocity'', teaming with Psicosis to defeat Akio and Billy Kidman. Psicosis, Super Crazy, and Juventud grouped together to form a stable known as The Mexicools. The group made their debut as heels on the June 23, edition of ''SmackDown!'' when all three members rode to the ring on John Deere lawn mowers with the decals altered to say ''Juan'' Deere (''John'' in Spanish) and wearing matching coveralls. They then attacked Chavo Guerrero and Paul London during their Cruiserweight Championship match. Juventud cut a promo questioning the lack of "true Mexican luchadores" in the Cruiserweight Division, before going on to deride the current state of Mexican Americans in general. Psicosis dubbed the lawnmower they arrived on a "Mexican Limo 2005" and the group claimed that even Mexico's President mocks Mexicans in the United States (in reference to Vicente Fox's controversial remark that Mexican immigrants do the jobs "not even the blacks want to do"). Juventud then stated that they were "no longer there to clean toilets and work for "them" (the "gringos") but "they" were going to be working for "us" (The Mexicools)", before dubbing the team "not Mexi''cans'' but Mexi''cools''!" In the following weeks, they continued to interfere in matches and mock the stereotypical image of Mexicans in the United States.

Despite being introduced as heels, the group quickly became favorites of the audience and eventually began acting as faces. They received strong approval from the audience even during their debut, which occurred in Tucson, Arizona. On July 24 at The Great American Bash, Psicosis pinned Stevie Richards to secure the Mexicools' first PPV win in a six-man tag match with the bWo. During December 2 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Super Crazy and Psicosis competed in an over the top rope battle royal against 5 other tag teams. The pair managed to win and earned themselves a match against MNM at Armageddon for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Unfortunately for the Mexicools, MNM lost the tag team titles before their match. Not long after, Super Crazy and Psicosis became the only Mexicools left in WWE, as Juventud was released from WWE on January 6, 2006. Super Crazy and Psicosis continued to wrestle as a tag team, but Crazy got his own push as a singles competitor, eventually earning himself #1 contendership for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. By June, 2006 Super Crazy's partnership with Psicosis on ''SmackDown!'' began to crumble when Psicosis repeatedly abandoned Crazy during incidents with a monster heel known as The Great Khali. This resulted in the pairing splitting up and then engaging in a short-lived feud after Psicosis turned heel. After the breakup, both Psicosis and Super Crazy disappeared off WWE programming.

Raw (2006–2008)

On September 4, Super Crazy made his ''Raw'' debut with a victory over Chris Masters using his trademark moonsault. Crazy continued his feud with Masters throughout September, defeated him once more and competing with Masters, along with four other wrestlers (Johnny Nitro, Carlito, Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton) in a Six-Pack Challenge Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship on the September 18 edition of ''Raw'', which neither Masters or Crazy were able to win. Crazy was then involved in angles with Nitro and Melina, during which he was aligned with Mickie James, who was feuding with Melina at the time.

Super Crazy suffered an injury to his left knee at a house show which occurred on April 21, 2007 in Oberhausen, Germany. The injury was believed to be a MCL tear. Super Crazy returned to action on June 1 in a match taped for ''Heat'', losing to the returning William Regal. On the July 2 edition of ''Raw'', Super Crazy was Mr. Kennedy's opponent in a ''Beat the Clock'' match. Before the match began, Super Crazy appeared to have agreed to let Kennedy win, however he defeated Kennedy with a roll-up shortly after the match began, while Kennedy was performing his introduction. Kennedy assaulted Super Crazy later that night. Kennedy then defeated Super Crazy in a grudge match two weeks later. In October 2007, Super Crazy formed a tag team with Jim Duggan. The team primarily competed on ''Heat'' to moderate success until Super Crazy was drafted to the ECW brand.

ECW and Departure (2008)

As part of the 2008 WWE Supplemental Draft, Super Crazy was drafted to the ECW brand. Super Crazy returned to SmackDown (although wearing an ECW shirt), losing to The Brian Kendrick. On the August 19 edition of ''ECW on Sci-Fi'', Super Crazy debuted on the ECW brand, teaming with Evan Bourne and Tommy Dreamer in a losing effort to John Morrison, Chavo Guerrero and The Miz. On October 17 edition of SmackDown!, he was defeated by The Brian Kendrick's bodyguard, Ezekiel Jackson. The following week he was defeated by The Brian Kendrick as well, in what turned out to be his last televised match with WWE. On November 5, 2008 World Wrestling Entertainment announced on their website that Islas had been released from his WWE contract. According to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Islas asked for his release on November 1 as he was unhappy with his place in the company.

Independent circuit (2008–present)

Shortly after his release from the WWE Super Crazy returned to Mexico, working a series of shows for Perro Aguayo, Jr.'s ''Perros del Mal Producciones''. Super Crazy wrestled several matches against the "Los Perros del Mal" group, as well as reuniting for one night with Juventud Guerrera. On January 10, 2009 Super Crazy defeated X-Fly (former ''Rudos del Galaxia'' teammate Mosco de la Merced under a new name) in a "Hair vs. Hair" ''Luchas de Apuestas'' His latest appearance for Los Perros del Mal saw Super Crazy side with Los Perros, teaming with Perro Aguayo, Jr. and Damian 666 in a losing effort against LA Par-K, Olímpico and Super Porky on June 20, 2009.

On February 14, 2009, Super Crazy made his return to International Wrestling Association in Puerto Rico where he won the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship for a third time by defeating Joe Bravo. Super Crazy held the title until May 16, 2009 where he lost the title to Rick Stanley at IWA's ''Juicio Final'' Show. On May 2, 2009, he challenged Blue Demon, Jr. for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on an event in Tyler, Texas, but was defeated by Blue Demon, Jr. Super Crazy received a second shot at the World title on August 9, 2009 in a match that also included Oliver John but once again came up short In July 2009 Super Crazy traveled to Japan to participate in All Japan Pro Wrestling's Junior League. Super Crazy qualified for the semifinal by defeating NOSAWA Rongai and Toshizo and wrestling to a draw against Kaz Hayashi. In the semifinal Super Crazy defeated Minoru but was defeated by Shuji Kondo in the final on August 7. While in Japan Super Crazy also made an appearance for HUSTLE, working as "Super Virus", teaming with Devil Pierroth and Rey Ohara, losing to KG, Shiro Koshinaka and Taijiri.

On August 8, 2009, Super Crazy made a surprise appearance for Xtreme Latin American Wrestling (X–LAW) where he defeated Panama Jack Daniels in an unannounced match to become the promotion's new Junior Heavyweight Champion. Super Crazy defended the X–LAW Junior Heavyweight Championship on September 8, 2009 against Halloween and NOSAWA in a three-way death match.

On January 30, 2010, as part of WrestleReunion 4, Super Crazy made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in a match, where he was defeated by Human Tornado.

On June 6, 2010, Super Crazy appeared at AAA's TripleManía XVIII as a representative of Perros del Mal Producciones. On June 20, 2010, Super Crazy was a surprise at AAA's television taping in Zapopan, Jalisco. He would team with Foreign Legion members Chessman and Alex Koslov losing to Extreme Tiger, Joe Lider and Nicho el Millonario. During the main event, Crazy along with Los Perros del Mal attacked Dr. Wagner Jr.. On July 4, 2010 in Merida, Yucatan, Super Crazy, Damián 666 and Halloween faced Dr. Wagner Jr., Joe Lider and Nicho el Millonario in a victorious effort.

On December 5, 2010, Super Crazy wrestled for Xplosión Nacional de Lucha (XNL) in Chile, facing XL and Giger in a three–way, two–fall match, where the first fall would be contested for XL's XNL Championship and the second for Crazy's X–LAW Junior Heavyweight Championship. In the first fall Crazy pinned XL to win the XNL Championship, but the roles were reversed in the second fall, when XL pinned Crazy to win the X–LAW Junior Heavyweight Championship.

In 2010 and 2011, Super Crazy represented ''Los Perros del Mal'' in the group's feud with ''Los Psycho Circus''. On May 29, 2011, at ''Perros del Mal Producciones''' third anniversary show, the two groups faced each other in a six man tag team steel cage Masks vs. Hairs ''Lucha de Apuesta'', which ended with Super Crazy being left in the cage, forcing him to have his head shaved bald.

Personal life

Islas is married to Maria Ramírez and they have two children together. He has a tattoo of a sun on one of his upper biceps, as well as a Mexican designed signature tattoo on the other. Islas' brother, cousin and nephew are also professional wrestlers, and they compete under the ring names Rey Cuervero, Crazy Boy and Pesadilla, respectively.

In wrestling

Finishing moves :*''Crazy Bomb'' (Straight jacket lifted and dropped into a powerbomb) :*Moonsault, sometimes while springboarding :*''Trifecta'' (Three moonsaults in a row, one from each of the three turnbuckles in ascending order)

Signature moves :*Corkscrew plancha :*Dropkick :*Mounted punches in the corner, with the fans counting to ten in Spanish (ECW)

Nicknames

:*"The Extreme Luchadore" (ECW) :*"The Insane Luchadore" (WWE)

Entrance themes

:*"El Guerrero Nomad" (ECW) :*"Roadhouse Blues" by The Doors (ECW) :*"Muy Loco" by Jim Johnston (WWE) :*"Perros" by Cartel de Santa (used while a member of ''Los Perros del Mal'')

Championships and accomplishments

All Japan Pro Wrestling

:*AJPW Junior Tag League 2010 – with BUSHI

Extreme Championship Wrestling

:*ECW World Television Championship (1 time)

International Wrestling Association

:*IWA Hardcore Championship (9 times) :*IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship (2 times) :*IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (3 times)

NWA: Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling

:*NWA Canadian Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

:*PWI ranked him #198 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the PWI Years in 2003 :*PWI ranked him #37 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1999

Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE

:*ZERO-ONE/UPW/WORLD-1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Ring of Honor

:*IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Súper X

:*NWE World Cruiserweight Championship (1 time, current)

Universal Wrestling Association

:*UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) :*UWA World Welterweight Championship (2 times)

Xplosión Nacional de Lucha

:*XNL Championship (1 time, current)

Xtreme Latin American Wrestling

:*X–LAW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Luchas de apuestas record

{|class="wikitable" width=100% border=1 |- !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=5%|Wager !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Winner !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Loser !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Location !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=15%|Date !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Notes |----- align="center" |Mask || El Seminarista || Super Crazy || Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico State || || |----- align="center" |Hair || Super Crazy || Kid Guzmán || Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico State || ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || Super Crazy || Venum Black || Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico State || || |----- align="center" |Hair || Zumbido || Super Crazy || Mexico City, Mexico || || |----- align="center" |Hair || Super Crazy || X-Fly || Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas || || ''Relevos suicida'' match: lost a match to Scorpio, Jr. and Zumbido, Damián 666 and Mr. Águila |----- align="center" |Hair || Psycho Clown || Super Crazy || Mexico City, Distrito Federal || || Six man tag team steel cage Masks vs. Hairs match, where ''Los Perros del Mal'' (Crazy, El Hijo del Perro Aguayo and Damián 666) faced ''Los Psycho Circus'' (Psycho Clown, Monster Clown and Murder Clown). |}

References

External links

AAA profile

Online World of Wrestling profile

Category:1973 births Category:Mexican professional wrestlers Category:People from Hidalgo Category:Living people

es:Super Crazy fr:Francisco Pantoja Islas it:Francisco Pantoja Islas ja:フランシスコ・イスラス pl:Super Crazy pt:Super Crazy simple:Super Crazy

Coordinates	13°38′″N72°53′″N
Name	CM Punk
Names	CM Punk
Height
Weight
Birth date	October 26, 1978
Birth place	Chicago, Illinois
Resides	Lockport, Illinois
Billed	Chicago, Illinois
Trainer	Ace SteelDanny DominionKevin QuinnDave TaylorFit FinlayWilliam RegalSteel Dominion Wrestling School
Debut	1999
Website	CMPunk.com

Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand.

In professional wrestling, Punk is a six-time world champion having won the ROH World Championship, ECW Championship, and WWE Championship each once, and the World Heavyweight Championship three times, making him the second wrestler (after Kane) to have held all three of WWE's World titles.

In addition to these championships Punk has also won the World Tag Team Championship (with Kofi Kingston), and the WWE Intercontinental Championship making him the nineteenth WWE Triple Crown Champion. Between WWE and ROH (where he is also a two time tag team champion), Punk has won a total of ten championships. He was also the winner of the 2008 and 2009 Money in the Bank ladder matches, the only Superstar to win the match twice in a row.

Punk initially came to prominence through his career on the professional wrestling independent circuit, primarily as a member of the Ring of Honor (ROH) roster, where he won the ROH Tag Team Championship, ROH World Championship, and was the first head trainer of the ROH wrestling school. In 2005, Punk signed a contract with WWE and was sent to its developmental promotion, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he won every championship available in the promotion.

Throughout his career, Punk has consistently used the gimmick of being straight edge, a lifestyle he follows in his actual day-to-day life. Depending on Punk's alignment as a crowd favorite or villain, he emphasizes different aspects of the culture to encourage the desired audience reaction.

Professional wrestling career

Early career

Punk's first venture into wrestling was a stint in a backyard wrestling federation called the Lunatic Wrestling Federation with his friends and brother Mike Brooks in the mid-late 1990s. He first started using the ring name CM Punk when he was put into a tag team named the Chick Magnets with CM Venom after another performer skipped out on the card. Unlike his friends, Punk genuinely wanted to be a wrestler and saw it as more than simple fun. When the promotion started taking off, doing spot shows out of a warehouse in Mokena, Illinois, Punk found out that his brother Mike had embezzled thousands of dollars from the small company, causing them to become estranged. Mike has not wrestled since.

He soon left the federation and enrolled as a student at the "Steel Dominion" wrestling school in Chicago, where he was trained by Ace Steel, Danny Dominion and Kevin Quinn to become a professional wrestler. As part of the training, he wrestled at Steel Domain Wrestling in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was in the Steel Domain that he met Scott Colton, who soon adopted the stage name Colt Cabana. Punk and Cabana became best friends and spent most of their early career together working in the same independent circuit promotions, as opponents or allies. In the independents, Punk, along with fellow Steel Domain graduates Colt Cabana, Chuckee Smooth, Adam Pearce and manager Dave Prazak, formed an alliance named the Gold Bond Mafia.

Independent Wrestling Association: Mid-South (2000–2005)

Punk's home promotion for his early career is usually considered to be Independent Wrestling Association: Mid-South (IWA:Mid-South). During Punk's time in IWA:Mid-South, he had high profile feuds with Colt Cabana and Chris Hero while also rising to the top of the roster winning the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship twice and the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship on five separate occasions, beating stars like A.J. Styles, Cabana and even Eddie Guerrero for that Championship. Punk's feud with Hero included a 55-minute TLC match, a 93-minute two out of three falls match, and several 60-minute time limit draws.

Punk's matches with Cabana led him to being hired by the Ring of Honor promotion. From February 2003 until May 2004, Punk refused to wrestle for IWA:Mid-South, because he claims that this was in protest to Ian Rotten's mistreatment of Chris Hero in the company. Hero, however, has stated he believes there were other reasons, and Rotten's treatment of him was just an excuse by Punk to stop working for the company. Eventually Punk returned to IWA:Mid-South and continued to perform as a wrestler and commentator for them until 2005 when he was signed to World Wrestling Entertainment. His last appearance in IWA:Mid-South was on July 2, 2005 in which he competed in a 60-minute time limit draw against Delirious.

Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Storylines with Raven (2002–2004)

Initially, Punk joined Ring of Honor (ROH) as a crowd favorite, but quickly became a villain in a feud with Raven that featured numerous variants of no disqualification matches. Their rivalry lasted most of 2003 and was considered one of ROH's top feuds of the year, and was based around Punk's straight-edge lifestyle, with him likening Raven to his alcoholic father. Their rivalry was settled at ''The Conclusion'' in November 2003, where Punk defeated Raven in a Steel Cage match. At the same time, Punk joined the wrestling promotion NWA Total Nonstop Action (TNA), in which he was paired with Julio Dinero as members of Raven's TNA alliance The Gathering. Punk started climbing the ranks of ROH, including coming in second at the ''Second Anniversary Show'' during the tournament to crown the first ROH Pure Champion, losing to A.J. Styles in the finals and winning the ROH Tag Team Championship twice with Colt Cabana as the Second City Saints. Both times Punk and Cabana defeated the Briscoe Brothers to win the championship. Circa October 2003, Punk was hired as the first head trainer of the Ring of Honor wrestling school, having previously been a trainer for the Steel Domain and Primetime Wrestling.

Shortly before a TNA show on February 25, 2004, Punk had a physical scuffle with Teddy Hart outside of a restaurant that was broken up by Sabu. The scuffle reportedly stemmed from an ROH show in which Hart performed three unplanned spots putting several other wrestlers in danger of injury. Around the time of the scuffle, Punk and Dinero stopped appearing on TNA shows, leading to speculation he was fired for the incident. Punk, however, has stated that the scuffle had no bearing on his TNA career. He said the reason he and Dinero stopped appearing on TNA pay-per-views was that TNA officials believed that he and Dinero had not connected with the fans as villains, having recently turned against the popular Raven and instead formed a villainous tag team managed by James Mitchell. The officials decided that as the teams as villains was not working decided to put the storyline on hold indefinitely, and thus had no work for Punk or Dinero. Punk officially quit TNA in March 2004 during the Rob Feinstein controversy, after having a dispute with the TNA offices over his ability to compete in ROH following a TNA order that their contracted wrestlers were to no longer wrestle in ROH.

Pursuit of the World Championship (2004–2005)

In ROH, Punk faced off against ROH World Champion Samoa Joe for the championship in a three match series. The first match, on June 12, 2004 at ''World Title Classic'' in Dayton, Ohio, resulted in a 60-minute time limit draw when neither Punk nor Joe could pin or cause the other to submit in the 60 minutes. The second match between Punk and Joe was planned for December 4, 2004; however, due to Steve Corino being pulled from a match with Joe by Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, the second match was hastily rescheduled on October 11, 2004 for October 16 in Punk's hometown of Chicago. At ''Joe vs. Punk II'' on October 16, they wrestled to a second 60-minute draw. In addition to ''Joe vs. Punk II'' becoming Ring of Honor's best-selling DVD at the time, the match received a five-star rating by Dave Meltzer's ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter''. It was the first match in North America to receive a five-star rating in seven years—the last one being the Hell in a Cell match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker at Badd Blood: In Your House in 1997. Joe ended the series by defeating Punk in the third and final match on December 4, 2004 at ''All-Star Extravaganza 2'' in which there was a no time limit stipulation. In June 2005, Punk accepted a deal with World Wrestling Entertainment, after a try-out match against Val Venis on its ''Sunday Night Heat'' show. Even though he had accepted the deal, Punk went on to defeat Austin Aries with his Pepsi Plunge move, winning the ROH World Championship on June 18, 2005 at ''Death Before Dishonor III''. Immediately after the match, Punk proceeded to become a villain and started a storyline where he threatened to bring the ROH World Championship to WWE with him. For weeks, Punk teased the ROH locker room and the ROH fans as well as mocking the championship he possessed, going so far as to sign his WWE contract on it. During the storyline, Mick Foley made several ROH appearances, attempting to convince Punk to do the right thing and defend the title on his way out. On August 12, 2005 in Dayton, Ohio, Punk lost the ROH World Championship to James Gibson in a four corner elimination match consisting of himself, Gibson, Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels, who re-debuted after a year-and-half absence. Punk's final scheduled match in Ring of Honor took place at ''Punk: The Final Chapter'' on August 13, 2005 against long-time friend Colt Cabana in a two out of three falls match, which he lost. In his last match, Punk was visibly crying and was showered with streamers when he posed in the middle of the ring.

Punk made a special appearance at the ROH show ''Unscripted II'' on February 11, 2006, when the original card had to be scrapped due to Low Ki leaving ROH the week prior. In addition, most of the ROH roster contracted to TNA were pulled from the show because of a snowstorm that TNA officials thought might prevent performers from reaching a pay-per-view scheduled the next day. In the main event, Punk teamed with Bryan Danielson to wrestle and ultimately defeat Jimmy Rave and Adam Pearce in a tag team match.

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2005–2006)

In September 2005, Punk was assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), a WWE developmental territory. He made his debut on September 8, 2005, in a dark match, where he, Nigel McGuinness and Paul Burchill were defeated by Deuce Shade, Elijah Burke and Seth Skyfire. On September 26, 2005 in his OVW television debut, Punk suffered a ruptured eardrum and broken nose after Danny Inferno hit him with an overly stiff right hand. Despite the injury, Punk finished the match and quickly recovered.

On November 9, 2005, Punk became the OVW Television Champion after defeating Ken Doane, which immediately led to a feud between Punk and Brent Albright, who had previously been feuding with Doane for the Television Championship and had lost his chance to wrestle Doane after Punk hit him with a chair so he himself could wrestle Doane. They wrestled in series of matches, including one that ended in overtime with Albright having Punk submit to Albright's finisher, the Crowbar, but Punk was able to keep the championship, as he had not agreed to the extra time. On January 4, 2006, Punk lost the OVW Television Championship during a three way dance among himself, Albright and Doane. Doane was injured halfway through the match and was replaced by Aaron "The Idol" Stevens. Punk submitted to Albright's Crowbar and was eliminated, but he returned later in the match to distract Albright allowing Stevens to pin Albright and become the new OVW Television Champion. The feud continued after a short period in which Albright and Punk were a tag team, but they became opponents again after Albright wanted the respect of Punk, who would never give it to him, and instead proceeded to "punk out" (get the better of) Albright repeatedly. This feud continued for weeks with Punk always getting the better of Albright until a double turn occurred on February 1, 2006 when Albright became a villain during a tag match, allowing the Spirit Squad to beat Punk and, in doing so, making Punk a crowd favorite. During this time, Punk had a minor appearance at WrestleMania 22 on April 2, 2006 as one of the gangsters who rode a 1930s era car to the ring before John Cena's entrance.

After Matt Cappotelli vacated the OVW Heavyweight Championship because of a brain tumor in February 2006, a tournament was held to crown a new champion. The finals were Brent Albright vs CM Punk with Albright defeating Punk to become the new champion. Punk and Albright continued their feud, with Albright becoming more unstable and paranoid about maintaining his championship after several close call matches against Punk, resulting in acts such as threatening Maria. On May 3, 2006, Punk finally defeated Albright in a strap match to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship. As champion, Punk retained the title in matches against opponents such as Shad Gaspard, Ken Kennedy, Johnny Jeter and Mike "The Miz" Mizanin.

On July 28, 2006, Punk and Seth Skyfire defeated Shad Gaspard and the Neighborhoodie to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship at a house show. They lost the Tag Team Championship on August 2, 2006 to Deuce Shade and "Domino" Cliff Compton after an injured Skyfire tagged in an already injured Punk. This altercation led to a feud between Punk and Skyfire after a rematch for the Tag Team Championship on August 7, 2006 in which a healthy Punk purposefully tagged in an injured Skyfire to be beaten by Shade and Compton. On August 30, 2006, a match was scheduled to take place between Punk and Skyfire for the OVW Heavyweight Championship. Prior to the match, however, Skyfire was attacked by Charles "The Hammer" Evans, with whom Skyfire had also been feuding, and was replaced in the match by Chet Jablonski (Chet the Jet) who pinned Punk to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship. As Punk no longer possessed the championship, OVW no longer required him. He was removed from the roster and brought up to the WWE roster full-time. He continued to make sporadic appearances for the company, such as at the 400th episode of OVW on television, up until WWE announced it was ending its developmental territory agreement with OVW on February 7, 2008.

ECW (2006–2008)

On June 24, 2006, Punk made his ECW debut during a house show at the former ECW Arena, defeating Stevie Richards. He made his TV debut on the July 4 episode of ''ECW on Sci Fi'', cutting a brief pre-taped promo about his straight edge lifestyle emphasizing the disciplinary aspects of being drug and alcohol free. Although he had retained the straight edge gimmick, he now had a Muay Thai training background. Punk made his TV wrestling debut on August 1, 2006 at the Hammerstein Ballroom, defeating Justin Credible. CM Punk established himself in ECW by going undefeated, defeating opponents such as Christopher W. Anderson, Stevie Richards and Shannon Moore.

Soon after, Punk began feuding with Mike Knox after Knox's girlfriend, Kelly Kelly, was seen to have feelings for Punk. Punk defeated Knox in their first singles match (qualifying for the Elimination Chamber at December to Dismember in the process) as well as the rematch, after which Kelly Kelly celebrated CM Punk's victory over her boyfriend. Punk then teamed with D-Generation X and the Hardy Boyz in their Survivor Series match against Rated-RKO, Knox, Johnny Nitro and Gregory Helms, a match in which all the participants on DX's side survived elimination. At December to Dismember, Punk participated in the Elimination Chamber for the ECW World Championship; however, he was the first person eliminated by Rob Van Dam. Following the pay-per-view, Punk entered into a feud with Hardcore Holly, who ended Punk's six-month unbeaten streak in singles competition on January 9, 2007. Punk went on to feud with Matt Striker, who gave him his second singles loss since being in ECW on January 30. Punk then qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23 by defeating Johnny Nitro. In the final week leading up to WrestleMania 23, Punk made appearances on both ''Raw'' and ''Friday Night SmackDown!'', defeating Kenny Dykstra and former World Heavyweight Champion King Booker, respectively. At WrestleMania 23, Punk competed in, but did not win, the Money in the Bank ladder match, being knocked off the ladder just seconds before the winner, Mr. Kennedy, claimed the briefcase.

On the April 10, 2007 edition of ''ECW on Sci Fi'', Punk briefly became a villain by officially joining the New Breed alliance, after several weeks in which both the New Breed and the ECW Originals had attempted to recruit him. Two weeks later, however, Punk betrayed the New Breed during a four on four elimination match between the New Breed and ECW Originals by kicking New Breed leader Elijah Burke in the back of the head and costing them the match. After the match, Punk proceeded to deliver his finisher, the Go To Sleep, on Burke and sarcastically apologized before leaving the ring alone, becoming a fan favorite again. WWE.com later confirmed that Punk was no longer a member of the New Breed. At Judgment Day, Punk wrestled and defeated Burke in his first singles match on a pay-per-view. Punk then went on to One Night Stand and teamed up with Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman in a tables match to defeat the New Breed.

When ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley was drafted to Raw and stripped of the ECW World Championship, a mini-tournament was announced to declare a new champion among Punk, Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von and the recently drafted Chris Benoit. Punk defeated Marcus Cor Von on the June 19, 2007 edition of ''ECW on Sci Fi''. By doing so, CM Punk was meant to face Chris Benoit at Vengeance: Night of Champions for the vacant ECW World Championship. Benoit, however, was hastily replaced by Johnny Nitro when Benoit no-showed the event due to what was described on-air as "personal reasons". Nitro subsequently defeated Punk at Vengeance for the vacant championship. Punk won another shot at the title at The Great American Bash against Nitro, who had changed his moniker to John Morrison by this point; however, Punk was defeated again by Morrison. The next week, Punk challenged Elijah Burke and Tommy Dreamer in a triple threat match to determine the next competitor in Morrison's 15 Minutes of Fame Challenge, in which Punk came out victorious. A week later, Punk defeated Morrison with the Go To Sleep to earn an ECW Championship title match at SummerSlam. At SummerSlam, however, Punk lost the match when Morrison used the ropes for leverage.

At the September 1, 2007 (aired September 4) ''ECW'' taping, in a "last chance" title match, Punk defeated Morrison for the ECW Championship. Punk then went on to have successful title defenses against the likes of Elijah Burke (at Unforgiven), Big Daddy V via disqualification (at No Mercy) and The Miz (at Cyber Sunday). On the November 6, 2007 edition of ''ECW'', Punk retained the ECW Championship in a match against Morrison following The Miz's interference. At Survivor Series, Punk retained his title in a Triple Threat match, beating The Miz and John Morrison. On the January 22, 2008 edition of ''ECW'', Chavo Guerrero defeated CM Punk in a No Disqualification match to win the ECW Championship after Edge, (acting as a guest commentator at ringside) ran in and speared Punk.

Mr. Money in the Bank (2008–2009)

At WrestleMania XXIV, Punk won the Money in the Bank ladder match, after defeating Chris Jericho, Montel Vontavious Porter, Shelton Benjamin, John Morrison, Mr. Kennedy and Carlito.

On the June 23, 2008 edition of ''Raw'', CM Punk was drafted to the Raw brand during the 2008 WWE Draft. His first night on ''Raw'' came the following week, and he made an immediate impact. After Batista beat down World Heavyweight Champion Edge and left him lying in the ring, Punk and referee Mike Chioda ran to the ring with Punk carrying his Money in the Bank contract. Moments later, as Edge was struggling to get up, Punk hit him with the Go 2 Sleep and pinned him to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Later that night, Punk won his first defense of the title against JBL, who challenged him shortly after his win. His win over Edge would eventually also earn Punk the Slammy Award for the "Oh my God" Moment of the Year. Punk continued to hold and defend the title until Unforgiven on September 7, 2008. Before the Championship Scramble match, Punk was attacked by an early version of The Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase with Manu). Orton finished the assault by punting Punk in the head. It was announced that Punk could not participate in the match due to the attack and, as a result, he involuntarily forfeited the title. However, Punk was replaced by Chris Jericho, who went on to win the match and the title. He received a re-match eight days later on the September 15 episode of ''Raw'', where he failed to regain the title in a steel cage match against Jericho.

On the October 27, 2008 episode of ''Raw'', Punk and Kofi Kingston defeated Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase to win the World Tag Team Championship. The duo were members of Team Batista at Survivor Series, where their team lost to Team Orton. Punk was then entered in an Intercontinental Championship Tournament, in which the winner would get to challenge for the championship in the future. He would defeat Snitsky and John Morrison in the first two rounds. Punk and Kingston lost the World Tag Team Championship to John Morrison and The Miz at a live event on December 13, 2008. The next day Punk defeated Rey Mysterio at Armageddon to win the tournament. On the January 5 edition of ''Raw'', Punk received his title match against William Regal, which ended in a disqualification, when Regal grabbed the referee's jersey. Due to this, Stephanie McMahon awarded Punk a rematch the following week, but this time it was himself that was disqualified. McMahon awarded him another rematch, this time a No Disqualification match on January 19 edition of ''Raw'', Punk won the match and the title. With this win, he became the nineteenth Triple Crown Champion. Also, the victory made him the man to accomplish the Triple Crown in the fastest amount of time, shattering Kevin Nash's old record. Punk lost the title on the March 9 edition of Raw to John "Bradshaw" Layfield. At WrestleMania XXV, Punk won the Money in the Bank ladder match and became the first person to win the match twice.

On April 13, 2009 during the 2009 WWE Draft, Punk was drafted from Raw to SmackDown. In the period after the draft, Punk feuded with Umaga over Umaga's repeated surprise attacks while Punk was attempting to cash in his Money in the Bank Contract. This ultimately resulted in a Samoan strap match at Extreme Rules which was won by Punk.

At the end of the pay-per-view, Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to defeat Jeff Hardy for the World Heavyweight Championship. Punk retained his title in a Triple Threat match against both Edge and Hardy eight days later on the June 15 episode of ''Raw''. At The Bash in Sacramento, California, Punk lost to Hardy by disqualification after kicking the referee after being afflicted with a storyline eye injury, claiming he could not see the referee, but because titles do not change hands on a disqualification, Punk retained the championship. Hardy called Punk into question about his eye injury, believing he had been feigning it, leading Punk to turn heel, claiming to be the moral superior of those who support Hardy due to his drug-free lifestyle. At Night of Champions, Punk lost the championship to Hardy. Their feud continued through SummerSlam, where Punk regained the title in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match; afterward, Punk was attacked by The Undertaker. On the August 28 edition of ''Friday Night SmackDown'', Punk concluded his program with Hardy and achieved his booked goal of excising him from the WWE, defeating Hardy in a steel cage match wherein the loser agreed to leave the company. This act would earn Punk a second Slammy that December as he was named winner for 2009's "Shocker of the Year".

At Breaking Point Punk defeated The Undertaker in a submission match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. Undertaker originally won the match with his Hell's Gate submission hold. SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long re-started the match after stating that the ban that former General Manager Vickie Guerrero had placed on the move was still in effect. Punk would win the match with his Anaconda vise when referee Scott Armstrong called for the bell despite Undertaker never submitting (reminiscent to the Montreal Screwjob, which took place in the same venue in 1997). The feud between the two continued and at the Hell in a Cell PPV, Punk lost the World Heavyweight Championship to The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match. He lost two subsequent rematches against The Undertaker on Smackdown and in a Fatal Four Way match at Bragging Rights also involving Batista and Rey Mysterio.

Straight Edge Society and New Nexus (2009–2011)

His character took on a more sinister demeanor on the November 27 episode of ''SmackDown'' when he revealed that he had converted Luke Gallows, who had previously been portrayed as the mentally incompetent wrestler Festus, to the straight-edge lifestyle which had rid him of his mental troubles. Continuing to espouse his straight-edge philosophy, Punk began to present himself as a cult-like savior to the crowd, growing the hair on his head, face and chest in an allusion to Jesus. Through January 2010, Punk began to convert planted members of the audience to a straight-edge lifestyle, making them take a pledge of allegiance to him and shaving their head as a sign of renewal and devotion. After converting many people who were not seen again, convert Serena began accompanying Punk and Gallows to form the Straight Edge Society. As well as leading this alliance, Punk was also the mentor of ''WWE NXT'' rookie Darren Young who flirted with the idea of becoming straight-edge before refusing just before his head was to be shaved. Punk continued to show messianic traits, frequently giving sermons including during the annual Royal Rumble match as well as during an Elimination Chamber match at both of the eponymous pay-per-views. In the Chamber match, he was eliminated by Rey Mysterio, whom he had feuding with leading into the PPV. Tensions escalated as Mysterio prevented him from winning a Money in the Bank qualifying match, causing Punk to interrupt Mysterio's celebration of his daughter's ninth birthday. Mysterio challenged Punk to a Street Fight at WrestleMania XXVI but lost to Gallows, meaning Punk picked the stipulation that if Rey lost he would have to join the Society. At WrestleMania, Punk lost to Mysterio sparking a rematch at Extreme Rules where Punk would have to shave his head, like his disciples, if he lost. Punk won this match after interference from a fourth member of the Society who kept his face covered. At Over The Limit, a third and final match was booked with both stipulations reactivated. In the match Punk lost and was subsequently shaved bald.

Embarrassed by being shaved bald as he considered himself always pure, unlike his followers, Punk appeared on the following episode of ''SmackDown'', May 29, wearing a mask to hide his baldness. At Fatal 4 Way, Punk challenged for the World Heavyweight Championship against Mysterio, The Big Show and the champion Jack Swagger, but was unsuccessful when he was attacked by Kane, who was accusing various people of attacking The Undertaker. On July 16's ''SmackDown'', Punk was finally unmasked by Big Show while healing from an arm injury. The following week Show also unmasked the anonymous member of the Straight Edge Society who was revealed to be Joey Mercury. This led to a handicap match at SummerSlam where Show defeated the entire Society after Punk abandoned his teammates. Show also beat Punk in a singles match at Night of Champions. Following this Serena was released from WWE while Mercury became injured, severely thinning the Society. Gallows began showing signs of dissension too, and Punk defeated him on ''SmackDown'', airing September 24, after which Gallows began a short face run before also being released from the WWE, ending the group.

Punk was traded back to the Raw brand on October 11 after being swapped with Edge. He took part in the interbrand tag team match at Bragging Rights after injuring Evan Bourne to win a place, but the team lost. It was reported later that he was suffering with a hip injury that would stop him from competing. To keep a presence on television, he began commentating on ''Raw'' from November 22, having already commentated one episode of ''NXT''. During his commentary, he criticized John Cena for his actions against The Nexus. Sometimes he favoured heel wrestlers over face wrestlers. At the end of December, Punk left the commentary team after assaulting John Cena on ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown'' with a chair. Punk later revealed that his motives for the attacks were that he had joined and assumed control of The Nexus. He would then use the group to attack Randy Orton, blaming him for prematurely ending Punk's first World Heavyweight Championship reign in 2008; this led to a WrestleMania XXVII match and a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules both of which Punk lost.

Feud with John Cena and disputed WWE Championship (2011)

In June, after pinning WWE Champion John Cena on ''Raw'', Rey Mysterio at Capitol Punishment and finally Alberto Del Rio again in a contendership match (which included Mysterio) all within one week, Punk revealed his contract would expire at Money in the Bank and vowed to leave the company with the WWE Championship. After making a scathing on-air speech concerning the way in which WWE is run and its owner Vince McMahon, he was given a suspension from televised WWE events but was reinstated the following week on Cena's insistence. Two weeks later at Money in the Bank, CM Punk defeated John Cena to become the WWE Champion on his final night under contract with WWE.

On July 21, CM Punk made an unannounced appearance at a joint WWE/Mattel panel at the San Diego Comic Con to mock new Chief Operating Officer Triple H and offer WWE Championship tournament finalist Rey Mysterio a match for Punk's own WWE Championship, as long as it was in Punk's hometown, Chicago. Punk appeared at July 23's All American Wrestling show, showing respect to Gregory Iron, a wrestler with cerebral palsy. Mysterio won the WWE Championship tournament on the July 25 episode of ''Raw'', only to lose it to Cena later that night. After Cena's victory, Punk made his return to ''Raw'' and upstaged the new WWE Champion's victory celebration while also effectively entering into a title dispute. Triple H would later uphold both Punk and Cena's claims to the WWE Championship as legitimate, and schedule the two to a match at SummerSlam to decide the undisputed WWE Champion. At Summerslam, Punk defeated Cena to become the Undisputed WWE Champion. Punk immediately lost the title after being attacked by Kevin Nash and defeated by Alberto Del Rio who had cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.

Gimmick

Punk has adopted his real-life following of the straight edge movement as his professional wrestling gimmick, but the gimmick uses different elements of Punk's personality and the beliefs of the straight edge movement depending on his alignment. While portraying a crowd favorite, the gimmick tends to be that of Punk's normal personality, largely indifferent to others who drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, partake in recreational drug use or have promiscuous sexual behavior, but emphasizing the social discipline involved with abstinence. Conversely, his villainous personality tends to be that of one who is hardline or militant straight edge, exemplifying the elitist attitudes and superiority complexes—defined by Punk's common mantra during villainous-themed promos that, because he is straight edge, he is "better than you". Punk performs the straight edge symbol of crossing his arms in an X formation while having the letter X written on the back of his hands, usually drawn on his wrist tape.

Originally, the initials CM in his ring name represented the phrase "Chick Magnet", the name of the tag team he was in as a backyard wrestler. Punk, however, later changed CM into an orphan initialism, declaring that it has no meaning, though when asked since he has taken to making up meanings that fit the initials, going so far as to make up long stories to explain the origins that do not match the actual origin story at all. Since beginning this practice, Punk has stated CM stands for "Cookie Monster", "Cookie Master", "Crooked Moonsault", "Chuck Mosley", "Charles Montgomery", "Charles Manson", "Crazy Mariachi", "Chicago Made", "Championship Material" and "Cole Miner" among others.

An integral part of Punk's gimmick are the numerous tattoos that adorn his body, some of which have come to become symbols associated with Punk, as well as mantras and declarations that have been integrated into his gimmick. The tattoos as a whole, due to their large quantity and variety, have also become an attribute identifiable to Punk. The most important of the individual tattoos in Punk's character, whether through association, symbol, or mantra, are: A Pepsi Globe logo on his left shoulder that inspired the names of two of his signature moves. It also became a symbol of Punk himself, who wore the logo on his ring gear in the independent circuit, as well as a slightly modified Pepsi logo being used as part of his TitanTron entrance video. He got the tattoo as a joke, as many fraternity members in his school were getting beer logos tattooed on their bodies. Punk, a keen Pepsi drinker, chose to receive a Pepsi tattoo to emphasize his straight edge beliefs. The tattoo is also a reference to former Minor Threat guitarist Brian Baker, who had a Coca-Cola tattoo and explained this by saying "I like Coca-Cola". When people inquire about Punk's Pepsi tattoo, he often replies "I like Pepsi" in a similar fashion. The words "Straight Edge" are spelled out on Punk's stomach. This is one of his oldest tattoos; he has referred to it as his identity. A sleeve tattoo on his left arm that reads "luck is for losers" and features numerous good luck symbols, including a rabbit's foot, four-leaf clover and a horseshoe. The tattoo also features four ace playing cards as a tribute to trainer Ace Steel. A tattoo on the back of his left hand reading "No gimmicks needed", a tribute to deceased wrestler Chris Candido.

A tattoo on his right shoulder of the Cobra Command logo, G.I. Joe's enemy.

Another GI Joe themed tattoo on his right forearm, mimicking the tattoo Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow have on their forearms.

A tattoo of a rose on his left wrist.

A tattoo across his knuckles with the words "DRUG FREE" ("DRUG" on his right knuckles and "FREE" on his left).

A tattoo behind his left ear of the number 31 with three stars surrounding it.

A tattoo on his chest, the design of which is unknown, but includes a skull and a snake.

A tattoo on the back of his hand with the logo of the now defunct rock band, Rocket from the Crypt.

A tattoo of the Gill-man from The Creature from the Black Lagoon on the inside of his left bicep.

Punk's character and gimmick have been parodied by the wrestling federation Chikara with the mascot character CP Munk, the straight edge chipmunk. The character includes references to Punk, such as X-marked wrist tape, a Pepsi logo on the costume's left shoulder, and a high-pitch version of Punk's best-known independent circuit theme song "Miseria Cantare – The Beginning", by the band AFI. On his website, Punk has said about the character CP Munk, and the people behind it: }}

Personal life

While working for Ring of Honor he was romantically linked to professional wrestlers Shannon Spruill and Tracy Brookshaw. After joining Ohio Valley Wrestling, Brooks began dating Maria Kanellis, who was working in OVW as an interviewer, however they broke up sometime after Brooks was moved to World Wrestling Entertainment and started working on the ECW brand. Brooks was dating Amy Dumas. However, as stated in Matt Hardy's interview in March 2010, Brooks and Dumas are no longer dating.

Other media

Brooks made an appearance on the February 16, 2004 episode of ''Monster Garage'', "Box Truck Wrestling Car", performing a short match with Samoa Joe. On October 31, 2006, Brooks joined The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) to shoot the Sci Fi Channel special ''Ghost Hunters Live'', which was a six-hour show broadcast live Halloween night from the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Initially skeptical about what he might find, Brooks claimed to have heard children giggling and footsteps when there were not any children booked into the hotel.

In 2008, Brooks appeared as the Sports Grand Marshal of the nationally-televised McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade in downtown Chicago.

In wrestling

World Wrestling Entertainment

*Finishing moves

*''Anaconda Vise'' (Arm trap triangle choke)

*''GTS – Go to Sleep'' (Fireman's carry dropped into a knee strike to the face)

*Signature moves

*Arm wrench followed by stepping a leg over the wrenched arm and performing a mule kick with the leg below the opponent's face

*Bulldog

*Diving crossbody

*Double underhook backbreaker

*Falcon arrow

*Hurricanrana to an opponent seated on the top rope

*Jumping hammerlock twisted into a short-range lariat

*Koji clutch

*Leg lariat

*Repeated elbow strikes to an opponent's chest

*Rope hung arm trap can opener

*Roundhouse kick

*Slingshot somersault senton

*Snap scoop powerslam

*Springboard clothesline

*Step-up enzuigiri

*Step-up high knee to a cornered opponent

*Suicide dive

*Swinging neckbreaker

*Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker

*Nicknames

*"Mr. Money in the Bank"

*"The Second City Saint"

*"The Straight-Edge Savior"

*"The Second City Savior"

**"The Voice of The Voiceless"

*Managers

**The Straight Edge Society (Luke Gallows, Serena and Joey Mercury)

*Wrestlers managed

**Darren Young

**The Straight Edge Society (Luke Gallows, Serena and Joey Mercury)

**New Nexus (Michael McGillicutty, Husky Harris, David Otunga, and Mason Ryan)

*Entrance themes

*"This Fire Burns" by Killswitch Engage (2006–2011)

**"Cult of Personality" by Living Colour (2011–present)

Independent circuit

*Finishing moves

*''Anaconda Vise'' or an arm triangle choke

*''Pepsi Plunge'' (Diving double underhook facebuster)

*Shining wizard

*Signature moves

*Arm wrench followed by stepping a leg over the wrenched arm and performing a mule kick with the leg below the opponent's face

*Corkscrew diving neckbreaker

*''Crooked Moonsault'' (Split-legged moonsault)

*Delayed vertical suplex

*''Devil Lock DDT'' (Hammerlock legsweep DDT)

*Facewash

*Inverted facelock neckbreaker

*Inverted frankensteiner

*''Jackie Chan'' (While sitting in a corner Punk grasps the top rope with one hand on each side of the turnbuckle and when the opponent attempts to pull Punk off the ropes by his legs, Punk performs a back tuck, landing on his feet)

*''Pepsi Twist'' (Jumping hammerlock twisted into a short-range lariat)

*''Punk–Handle Piledriver'' (Pumphandle reverse piledriver)

*Rolling fireman's carry slam

*Slingshot somersault senton

*Springboard corkscrew crossbody

*Suicide dive

*''Welcome to Chicago, Motherfucker'' (Double underhook backbreaker)

*With Julio Dinero

*Double superkick

*''Near Death Experience'' (Diving neckbreaker (Punk) / Powerbomb (Dinero) combination)

*Managers

*Milo Beasley

*Tracy Brooks

*Bobby Heenan

*Alexis Laree / Vicki Adams

*Lucy

*Joshua Masters

*James Mitchell

**Dave Prazak

*Entrance themes

*"South of Heaven" by Slayer

*"A Call for Blood" by Hatebreed

*"Miseria Cantare (The Beginning)" by AFI

*"Cult of Personality" by Living Colour

*"Night Train" by The Bouncing Souls

*"¡Olé!" by The Bouncing Souls

Championships and accomplishments

Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South

IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship (5 times)

IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

International Wrestling Cartel

IWC Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Mid-American Wrestling

MAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

NWA Cyberspace

NWA Cyberspace Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Julio Dinero

NWA Revolution

NWA Revolution Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Ohio Valley Wrestling

OVW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Seth Skyfire

OVW Television Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI ranked him #3 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010.

Ring of Honor

ROH Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Colt Cabana

ROH World Championship (1 time)

St. Paul Championship Wrestling

SDW Northern States Television Championship (2 times)

SPCW Northern States Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Wrestling Entertainment

ECW Championship (1 time)

World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)

*WWE Championship (1 time)

World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kofi Kingston

WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)

Mr. Money in the Bank (2008, 2009)

Slammy Award for "OMG" Moment of the Year (2008)

Slammy Award for Shocker of the Year (2009)

Slammy Award for Despicable Me (2010)

Nineteenth Triple Crown Champion

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

*5 Star Match vs. Samoa Joe at ROH Joe vs. Punk II on October 16, 2004

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

Feud of the Year (2009)

Best Gimmick (2009)

Luchas de Apuestas record

CM Punk

style="background:#e3e3e3; width:5%;"	Wager	Winner	Loser	Location	Date	Notes
Hair	Rey Mysterio	|	Detroit, Michigan		Over the Limit (2010)>Over the Limit.

References

External links

Official website

Professional wrestling record for CM Punk from The Internet Wrestling Database

WWE Profile

Verified Twitter

Category:American professional wrestlers Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Professional wrestling announcers Category:Straight edge individuals Category:1978 births Category:Living people

ar:فيل بروكس bar:Phil Brooks bg:Си Ем Пънк ca:CM Punk da:CM Punk de:CM Punk el:CM Punk es:Phil Brooks fa:سی ام پانک fr:CM Punk ko:CM 펑크 hy:Սի Էմ Փանք it:Phil Brooks he:פיליפ ברוקס lv:CM Punk lt:CM punk nl:CM Punk ja:CMパンク no:CM Punk pl:CM Punk pt:CM Punk ro:CM Punk ru:СМ Панк simple:CM Punk fi:CM Punk sv:CM Punk th:ซีเอ็ม พังค์ tr:CM Punk uk:СМ Панк vi:CM Punk zh:CM Punk

Coordinates	13°38′″N72°53′″N
Name	Bobby Lashley
Other names	The BossThe Real Deal The Pressure Cooker (MMA)
	Bobby_Lashley.jpg
Retired	2008 (Wrestler)
Birth name	Franklin Roberto Lashley
Birth date	July 16, 1976
Birth place	Junction City, Kansas, United States
Nationality	American
Height
Weight lb	273
Weight class	Heavyweight (265 lb)
Reach in	78
Style	Wrestling
Fighting out of	Denver, Colorado
Team	American Top Team, American Kickboxing Academy
Years active	2008 – present
Mma win	7
Mma kowin	5
Mma subwin	2
Mma decwin	1
Mma loss	1
Mma koloss	1
Sherdog	39806
Updated	}}

Franklin Roberto "Bobby" Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American mixed martial artist, former professional wrestler, and a former collegiate amateur wrestler. During his professional wrestling career, he was best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he was a one-time United States Champion and a two-time world heavyweight champion, having had two reigns as ECW World Champion.

Amateur wrestling

Lashley attended Missouri Valley College, where he won three national college amateur wrestling championships between 1996 and 1998 and placed fourth in 1995. In 1997 and 1998, he was the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Wrestling Champion. Lashley later joined the United States Army, where he continued to wrestle. He was training for the Olympics in 2003, when he suffered a knee injury while doing business at a bank where a robbery broke out. The injury ended his Olympic plans, and Lashley went into pro wrestling soon after.

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Entertainment (2004–2008)

In November 2004, Lashley began working in the professional wrestling area and signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. He was assigned to the development territory Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he was known as Blaster Lashley, and was a member of the Bolin Services stable along with Mike Mondo and Ken Doane. However during that time Bolin Services began to crumble with Lashley refusing to help Doane win matches, resulting in him turning face and going by his Bobby Lashley name.

SmackDown! (2005–2006)

In mid-2005 Lashley appeared at four live events, wrestling in dark matches for both the ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown!'' brands. On September 23, 2005, Lashley made his televised WWE debut as a face on ''SmackDown!'' using the name Bobby Lashley. Lashley was introduced as a three-time National Amateur Wrestling Champion, a four-time All-American, a two-time Armed Forces Champion, and a 2002 Silver Medalist at the Military World Championship. In his first match, he defeated Simon Dean. In his pay-per-view debut at No Mercy, he defeated Dean once again. Lashley went on to defeat numerous superstars both on ''SmackDown!'' and ''Raw''. On the November 11 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Lashley defeated Orlando Jordan in a qualifying match for a place on ''Team SmackDown!'' at Survivor Series where he was the first to be eliminated. Prior to this elimination Lashley was dominating the Raw Superstars, showcasing various "power moves" and a finisher on Carlito. Yet a chokeslam from Kane, who was on the apron, caused Lashley to be eliminated.

On January 6, 2006, Lashley became the first announced participant from ''SmackDown!'' to be entered into that year's Royal Rumble. At the Royal Rumble, Lashley was the eighth wrestler to enter the match. He eliminated Sylvan, but he was then eliminated by the combination of ''Raw'''s then World Tag Team Champions The Big Show and Kane. Following the Royal Rumble, Lashley began a feud with John Bradshaw Layfield leading up to a match at No Way Out. The match was Lashley's first loss in singles competition due to interference from Finlay. During February and March, Lashley was involved in a feud with Finlay, where the two would brawl on many occasions, including a lumberjack match that Finlay won after using a shillelagh.

On April 2, after winning a Last Chance battle royal by last eliminating MNM, Lashley competed at his first WrestleMania (WrestleMania 22) in the Money in the Bank ladder match. The match was won by Rob Van Dam. Lashley next entered ''SmackDown!'''s King of the Ring tournament. He lasted until the finals, defeating Mark Henry and Finlay in the process. In the final round, held at Judgment Day he was defeated by Booker T with help from Finlay. Later, as Booker was being crowned, Lashley performed a spear to Booker. These acts developed into a feud with the newly named "King Booker" and the other members of his court (Queen Sharmell, Finlay, and William Regal). During this feud, Lashley won his first professional wrestling championship by defeating JBL for the United States Championship, which he lost to Finlay a little less than two months later. Lashley later joined forces with Batista against the Court. Not long after losing the United States Title, Lashley was declared unable to compete according to a physician who stated that during an annual exam, Lashley was found to have elevated enzymes of the liver and therefore, would not be cleared to wrestle until further evaluation. Lashley returned a couple of weeks later to the ''SmackDown!'' roster to continue his feud with the Court and went on to earn his first match for the World Heavyweight Championship at No Mercy against King Booker. This match later became a four way bout that also included Batista and Booker's ally, Finlay. King Booker won that match after pinning Finlay.

ECW (2006–2007)

On November 14, 2006, Lashley moved to the ECW brand. He debuted on the brand by making a surprise appearance to sign a contract for the final spot in the Extreme Elimination Chamber match for the ECW World Championship at December to Dismember. At December to Dismember, Lashley was the fifth person released into the match. He eliminated both Test and The Big Show by pinfall after a spear to become the new ECW World Champion. This made Lashley the first African American to hold the ECW Title.

After winning the ECW World Championship, Lashley then had successful title defenses against Big Show, Rob Van Dam, Test, Hardcore Holly, Kenny Dykstra, and Mr. Kennedy. On the March 19, 2007, episode of ''Raw'', Lashley officially became the first person to break Chris Masters' twenty-three month long Masterlock Challenge.

In early 2007, Lashley was selected by Donald Trump to represent him in a "Battle of the Billionaires" match, against Vince McMahon's representative, Umaga which also featured Vince's long time adversary Stone Cold Steve Austin as the guest referee. At WrestleMania 23 in a Hair vs. Hair match, Lashley defeated Umaga following a spear and helped Trump shave McMahon's head afterwards in accordance with the match's losing stipulation. After WrestleMania, Lashley feuded with Mr. McMahon. McMahon booked himself, his son Shane McMahon, and Umaga in a 3 on 1 handicap match against Lashley at Backlash for the ECW World Championship. After two high impact diving splashes from Umaga, Mr. McMahon tagged himself into the match and pinned Lashley to win the title. Lashley legitimately injured his shoulder during the match and after an examination days later, it was revealed he had a damaged rotator cuff but would not need surgery at the time. At Judgment Day, Lashley defeated Vince, Shane, and Umaga in a 3 on 1 handicap rematch after hitting the Dominator on Shane McMahon. Lashley did not win the ECW World Championship, however, because he did not pin Mr. McMahon. As a result, Mr. McMahon retained the title. On June 3 at One Night Stand, Lashley defeated Vince McMahon in a street fight to win the ECW World Championship for a second reign despite interference by Shane McMahon and Umaga in the match, making Lashley the first man to win the ECW World Championship twice since WWE reactivated the title.

Raw (2007–2008)

On the June 11 edition of ''Raw'', Lashley was drafted from the ECW brand to the Raw brand as part of the 2007 WWE Draft. As a result of the drafting, Lashley had the ECW World Championship taken from him. He took place in a challenge match against Mick Foley, Randy Orton, King Booker, and John Cena for the WWE Championship at Vengeance: Night of Champions which Cena won to retain the championship. Lashley became the number one contender for the WWE Championship by winning the "Beat the Clock" challenge on the July 2 edition of ''Raw''. He, however, was pinned by Cena at the Great American Bash after the match they shook hands as a sign of respect. On July 30, Bobby Lashley wrestled his last match in WWE where he was defeated by Mr. Kennedy in a squash match. During the match Lashley was "injured" after Kennedy kicked Lashley's shoulder into the ring steps, allowing Lashley to have time off for surgery for the legitimate injury he suffered at Backlash.

In January 2008 on the forum of his official website, Lashley announced that he was released by WWE. He clarified his comments by claiming that he did not want to leave WWE, but had to due to circumstances beyond his control. He also stated that he was now training for a career in MMA. WWE announced the release on February 4, 2008.

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración and Independent Circuit (2008)

After leaving WWE, Lashley returned to wrestling by appearing at Asistencia Asesoría y Administración's flagship event TripleMania XVI. He, along with Kenzo Suzuki and Electroshock, defeated Chessman, Silver King, and La Parka, Jr.

Also after his departure from the WWE, Lashley would appear in many independent promotions. Such as World League Wrestling. He also appeared in the Denver based Fusion Pro Wrestling, teaming with AJ Styles, and Paul Diamond to face the "Three Egos." He also wrestled for the Inoki Genome Federation in Japan.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2009–2010)

Lashley made an appearance at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Lockdown pay-per-view event on April 19, 2009 and he also later appeared on that week's episode of ''TNA Impact!'', both times pointing and smiling at The Main Event Mafia, thus appearing as a heel. On July 15, TNA announced that he had signed an official contract with the company. On July 23, Kurt Angle introduced Lashley as the newest member of the Main Event Mafia. Lashley entered the ring and hugged Angle while the rest of the Mafia held a beaten and battered Mick Foley upright. Angle then told Lashley to finish off Foley but as Lashley prepared to spear Foley, he turned on Angle and cleared the Mafia from the ring, thus making him a face.

On the July 30 edition of ''Impact!'', Lashley made his in-ring debut for TNA in a tag team match as he and Mick Foley wrestled against World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle and Legends Champion Kevin Nash, where if Angle or Nash was pinned, whoever defeated them would win their respective title. It started out as a handicap match thanks to the Main Event Mafia attacking Lashley before the match, but eventually Lashley entered the match and helped Mick Foley pin Nash to win the match for his team and become the Legends Champion. On the August 27 edition of ''Impact!'', Jeremy Borash interviewed him and TNA President Dixie Carter in which she said their goal was to make him a World Champion in both MMA and TNA. At No Surrender, he defeated Rhino with a knockout punch.

After No Surrender, Lashley began a feud with Samoa Joe. After teaming with Team 3D in a winning effort against Rhino and The British Invasion (Doug Williams and Brutus Magnus) on the October 1 edition of ''Impact!'', Joe assaulted Lashley and choked him out with a rear naked choke. The following week, Lashley cost Joe the X Division Championship in a match against Amazing Red. At Bound for Glory, Lashley defeated Joe in a submission match. The following month at Turning Point Lashley's winning streak came to an end, when Scott Steiner pinned him in a Falls Count Anywhere match following a shot with a steel pipe. On November 26, Lashley defeated Abyss, Desmond Wolfe, and Robert Roode to win the TNA Championship Series tournament and earn himself a future World Heavyweight Title shot. At Final Resolution, Lashley avenged his prior loss and defeated Steiner in a Last Man Standing match with a pipeshot. On the January 4, 2010, Monday night edition of ''Impact!'', Lashley and Kristal turned heel after requesting their immediate releases from TNA in order for Lashley to fully concentrate on his MMA career. Lashley went on to attack random wrestlers until he was granted what he wanted. On the January 21 edition of ''Impact!'' Lashley suddenly apologized to new executive producer Eric Bischoff for his actions, saying he just wanted to compete, but was nevertheless fired by him the following week. On February 10, 2010, Lashley's profile was removed from the official TNA website. In an interview with Heavy Sports Lashley claimed that the release was legitimate and had been done in order for him to fully focus on his MMA career.

Mixed martial arts

Early MMA career

Lashley made his mixed martial arts debut at the Mixed Fighting Alliance (MFA) inaugural event "There Will Be Blood" on December 13, 2008 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. He won via TKO (cut) over Joshua Franklin in 41 seconds of the first round. Lashley's next fight was on March 21, 2009. He was supposed to fight Ken Shamrock, but his opponent was changed to veteran Jason Guida after Shamrock tested positive for steroids. Lashley won the fight after a unanimous decision. Lashley signed with the Maximum Fighting Championship and made his debut on May 15 against Mike Cook, who made his ring entrance wearing a Rey Mysterio mask, which Lashley took as an insult. He went on to defeat Cook with a guillotine choke just 24 seconds into the first round. On June 27, 2009, Lashley defeated Bob Sapp at the PFP: Ultimate Chaos event in Biloxi, Mississippi. He won the bout via TKO (strikes) in the first round, making Lashley's MMA record 4–0.

Strikeforce

He was scheduled to make his Strikeforce debut against undefeated heavyweight Shane Del Rosario at Strikeforce: Miami, but for unknown reasons, Strikeforce decided to change his opponent. Lashley was then expected to face journeyman Jimmy Ambriz on January 30, 2010 at Strikeforce: Miami, but that matchup was also scrapped. Lashley wound up facing former UFC fighter Wes Sims at the event. Lashley defeated Sims via 1st round TKO victory to remain undefeated.

Lashley was expected to fight on April 17, 2010 at Strikeforce: Nashville, as the promotion had already submitted an opponent for Lashley and was awaiting approval from the Tennessee Athletic Commission. According to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, the bout would likely be the fourth bout on the CBS televised portion of the event. On April 5, Lashley confirmed that he will not appear on the card since Strikeforce officials could not guarantee an appearance on the televised portion of the card due to time constraints. Bobby was set to appear at Strikeforce: Los Angeles in June fighting Ron Sparks however he suffered a knee injury and did not compete.

Lashley faced Chad Griggs at Strikeforce: Houston on August 21, 2010. Lashley came out shooting the takedown, and ground and pounding. Lashley dominated at first but Griggs caught him with a series of uppercuts on one of the takedowns in the first round, opening a gash under the left corner of Lashley's left eye and Lashely had trouble keeping Griggs from striking him even though he had dominate control over him on the ground but Griggs was still finding openings on the bottom. Lashley was able to continue in the second round, continuing takedowns and ground and pound. Lashley eventually passed to mount halfway through the second round and unloaded many good punches on Griggs while maintaining control. Referee Jon Schorle then asked the fight to be stood up due to inactivity, even though Lashley was in full mount at the time, Lashley then complained to the referee about the cut under his eye. Referee Jon Schorle then asked the ringside doctor with 33 seconds left in the second round to inspect the cut with Lashley deciding to continue fighting, this created some controversy as referee Jon Schorle did not put the fight back in mount where it was originally stopped. Griggs then sprawled out of a desperate takedown by Lashley near the end of round two and hammer-fisted the eye of Lashley's that was already cut until the round ended. A ring doctor then stopped the fight, resulting in Lashley losing at the end of the second round by TKO. Backstage after the fight, Lashley was taken off on a stretcher due to dehydration.

Titan Fighting Championship

On February 18, 2011, Titan Fighting Championship had announced the signing of Lashley. He was expected to debut against James Jack however on March 16, 2011, officials announced they had lost contact with Jack and instead John Ott stepped in to fight Lashley. The pace of the fight slowed down drastically in the second round, where Lashley began to display the same cardio problems that affected him in his previous fight. He was able to win a unanimous decision, despite suffering the effects of illness.

Lashley stated prior to the bout that he wishes to fight 4 or 5 more times in 2011.

Lashley was scheduled to fight Eddie Sanchez at Titan Fighting Championships 19. But on July 22, 2011, it was announced that Lashley withdrew from the fight due to personal reasons.

Mixed martial arts record

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win			Decision (Unanimous)	Titan FC 17: Lashley vs. Ott				Kansas City, Kansas
Loss		Chad Griggs	TKO (Doctor stoppage)	Strikeforce: Houston				Houston, Texas
Win			TKO (Punches)	Strikeforce: Miami				Sunrise, Florida
Win		Bob Sapp	Submission (Punches)					Biloxi, Mississippi
Win		Mike Cook	Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke)	MFC 21				Enoch, Alberta
Win		Jason Guida	Decision (Unanimous)	SRP: March Badness				Pensacola, Florida
Winx		Joshua Franklin	TKO (Doctor Stoppage)	MFA: There Will Be Blood				Miami, Florida

Personal life

Lashley graduated from Missouri Valley College in 1999 with a degree in Human Service Agency Management. Lashley has a daughter, Kyra, who was born in 2005.

In 2007, Lashley opened up a shop that sells health smoothie drinks.

He dated former WWE Diva Kristal Marshall.The couple had a son, named Myles in July 2008.

In July 2009, Lashley announced the launch of The Lashley Network. The Lashley Network of websites comprises his official gym, his official nutrition store, and his social networking website. In a press release for the launch he stated that he is keeping his name out in the television media and on the internet so he can reach his goal of being the top fighter in MMA.

In March 2010, Lashley announced the grand opening of his new gym in the Denver, Colorado area titled American Top Team Altitude. The facility will serve as a gym such as popular chain Gold's Gym and will also showcase MMA events.

Lashley was featured in the 2010 video game EA Sports MMA.

In May 2010, Lashley announced the opening of his new MMA Management company Lashley Management. Lashley, along with co-founder Judith Sussman, represent current and future MMA fighters.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''Dominator'' (Inverted front powerslam or a running powerslam) – WWE

Right-handed knockout hook – TNA; 2009

Spear – WWE / TNA

Standing dragon sleeper – TNA

Thrust spinebuster – TNA

Signature moves

Clothesline

Fallaway slam

Full nelson slam

Military press drop

*Multiple suplex variations

*Delayed vertical, with theatrics

*Exploder

*Overhead belly to belly

*Trapping

Shoulder block

Spinebuster

Nicknames

"The Dominator" (WWE)

"The Real Deal" (WWE)

"The God of Thunder" (TNA)

"The Boss" (TNA)

Managers

Kristal Lashley

Entrance themes

*"Unstoppable" by Jim Johnston

"The Boss" by Dale Oliver

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

International Military Sports Council

*CISM Military World Championships Senior Freestyle Silver Medalist (2002)

*CISM Armed Forces Championships Senior Freestyle Gold Medalist (2003)

*CISM Armed Forces Championships Senior Freestyle Silver Medalist (2002)

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

*NAIA Collegiate Championship (1996–1998)

*NAIA All-American (1995–1998)

Kansas State High School Activities Association

*KSHSAA 6A High School State Championship (1995)

Professional wrestling

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Rookie of the Year (2005)

PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2006)

PWI ranked him #9 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2007

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

TNA Championship Series (2009)

World Wrestling Entertainment

ECW World Championship (2 times)

WWE United States Championship (1 time)

Lucha de Apuestas record

Wager	Winner	Loser	Location	Date	Notes
Vince McMahon's hair/Donald Trump's hair	Bobby Lashley with Trump		Detroit, Michigan

See also

List of current Strikeforce fighters

Notes

External links

LashleyNetwork.com (Bobby Lashley's Official Network of Websites)

Lashley Management (Bobby Lashley's MMA Management company)

ATT Altitude (Bobby Lashley's gym – Denver, Colorado)

LashleyNutrition.com (Bobby Lashley's Online Supplement Company)

FightBobby.com (Bobby Lashley's official social network site)

Bobby Lashley profile at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame

HitTheRopes.com Interview

Bobby Lashley MMA interview

Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:People from Junction City, Kansas Category:African American professional wrestlers Category:African-American mixed martial artists Category:Mixed martial artists from Kansas Category:Sportspeople from Colorado Category:Mixed martial artists from Colorado Category:Heavyweight mixed martial artists Category:People from Colorado Springs, Colorado Category:American sport wrestlers

ca:Bobby Lashley cs:Franklin Roberto Lashley da:Bobby Lashley de:Bobby Lashley es:Bobby Lashley fr:Bobby Lashley it:Franklin Lashley he:פרנקלין לאשלי nl:Bobby Lashley ja:ボビー・ラシュリー no:Bobby Lashley pl:Bobby Lashley pt:Franklin Lashley ro:Bobby Lashley ru:Лэшли, Бобби sm:Bobby Lashley simple:Bobby Lashley fi:Bobby Lashley tr:Bobby Lashley vi:Franklin Lashley

Coordinates	13°38′″N72°53′″N
Name	Chris Benoit
Names	Chris BenoitPegasus KidWild Pegasus
Real height
Real weight
Birth date	May 21, 1967
Birth place	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Death date	June 24, 2007
Death place	Fayetteville, Georgia, United States
Billed	Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaAtlanta, Georgia
Trainer	Stu HartNew Japan DojoFrank "Chic" Cullen
Debut	November 22, 1985 }}

Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit () (May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide. During his professional wrestling career, Benoit worked for such major promotions as Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE).

Among other accolades, Benoit is a four-time world champion: a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, one-time World Heavyweight Champion (tied for third longest reign in history), and two-time (though unofficial) WWF Champion. Both of his official world title reigns were represented by the Big Gold Belt: Benoit is one of three men to have held the Big Gold Belt in both WCW and WWE, alongside Bill Goldberg and Booker T. He is also a record-tying five-time WCW/WWE United States Champion, having held the championship twice in WCW, and three times in WWE.

In addition to championships, Benoit won the 2004 Royal Rumble match, joining Shawn Michaels as one of two men to win the match as the number one entrant. Described by WWE as "a favorite among WWE fans for his unbelievable athleticism and wrestling ability", Benoit was widely regarded as one of the most popular, respected, and gifted technical wrestlers in history.

Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son on June 22, 2007 and subsequently hanged himself on June 24, 2007. Since Benoit's suicide, numerous explanations for his actions have been proposed, including concussions, steroid abuse, and a failing marriage. Benoit last performed for WWE on their ECW brand. Paul Heyman, head of the original ECW promotion, intended to book Benoit to win the ECW World Heavyweight Championship in 1995 but did not renew his United States Work Visa in time; twelve years later, Benoit was booked by WWE to win the title in one of three world championship matches at pay-per-view event Vengeance: Night of Champions, which again did not come to fruition due to his death that night.

Professional wrestling career

Stampede Wrestling (1985–1989)

During his childhood and early adolescence in Edmonton, Benoit idolized Bret Hart and the Dynamite Kid (Tom Billington, later one-half of WWF tag team champions the British Bulldogs). After viewing countless pirated tapes of Dynamite's legendary matches from Japan against Tiger Mask, Benoit soon decided to join his idol in the wrestling profession. When Benoit was fifteen he met Dynamite for the first time, flexed his biceps, and proclaimed he wanted to be just like him. Michael Benoit, Chris's father, though not a wrestling fan, nonetheless encouraged his son by buying him a set of weights for strength training and muscle development and, later, by allowing him to drive to Calgary, some three hours away, to train in the Hart family "Dungeon". After years of strenuous training under Bruce Hart, and later under Stu Hart himself, Benoit began his career in 1985, the year Hart promised to make him wait, as it was the year he finished high school, in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion. It was during this time that Benoit would grow close to Bret Hart, referring to him as a "role model".

From the beginning, the similarities between Benoit and Billington were uncanny, as Benoit adopted many of his moves such as the diving headbutt and the snap suplex; the homage was complete with his initial billing as "Dynamite" Chris Benoit. According to Benoit, in his first match, he attempted the diving headbutt before learning how to land correctly, and had the wind knocked out of him; he said he would never do the move again at that point. His debut match was a tag team match on November 22, 1985 in Calgary, Alberta, where he teamed with "The Remarkable" Rick Patterson against Butch Moffat and Mike Hammer, which Benoit's team won the match after Benoit pinned Moffat with a sunset flip. The first title Benoit ever won was the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship in 1986 against Gama Singh. During his tenure in Stampede, he won four International Tag Team and three more British Commonwealth titles, and had a lengthy feud with Johnny Smith that lasted for over a year, which both men traded back-and-forth the British Commonwealth title. In 1989, Stampede closed its doors later that year, and with a recommendation from Bad News Allen, Benoit departed for New Japan Pro Wrestling.

New Japan Pro Wrestling and independent circuit (1986–1994)

Upon arriving in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), Benoit spent about a year training in their "New Japan Dojo" with the younger wrestlers to improve his abilities. While in the dojo, he spent months doing strenuous activities like push ups and floor sweeping before stepping into the ring. He made his Japanese debut in 1986 under his real name. In 1989, he started wearing a mask and assuming the name The Pegasus Kid. Benoit said numerous times that he originally hated the mask, but it eventually became a part of him. While with NJPW, he came into his own as a performer in critically acclaimed matches with luminaries like Jushin Liger, Shinjiro Otani, Black Tiger, and El Samurai in their junior heavyweight division.

In August 1990, he won his first major championship, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, from Jushin Liger. He eventually lost the title in November 1990 (and in July 1991 in Japan and in November 1991 in Mexico, his mask) back to Liger, forcing him to reinvent himself as Wild Pegasus. Benoit spent the next couple years in Japan, winning the Best of the Super Juniors tournament twice (1993 and 1995). He went on to win the Super J Cup Tournament in 1994, defeating Black Tiger, Gedo, and Great Sasuke in the finals.

Benoit also wrestled outside of New Japan occasionally to compete in Mexico and Europe, where he won a few regional championships, including the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. He held that title for over a year, having many forty-plus minute matches with Villaño III.

World Championship Wrestling (1992–1993)

Benoit first came to World Championship Wrestling in June 1992, teaming up with fellow Canadian wrestler Biff Wellington for the NWA World Tag Team Championship tournament; they were defeated by Brian Pillman and Jushin Liger in the first round at Clash of the Champions XIX.

He did not return to WCW until January 1993 at ''Clash of the Champions XXII'', defeating Brad Armstrong. A month later, at Superbrawl III, he lost to 2 Cold Scorpio, getting pinned with only three seconds left in the 20-minute time limit. At the same time, he formed a tag team with Bobby Eaton. After he and Eaton lost to Scorpio and Marcus Bagwell at Slamboree, Benoit headed back to Japan.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1994–1995)

In 1994, Benoit began working with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in between tours of Japan. He was booked as a dominant wrestler there, gaining notoriety as the "Crippler" after he put Rocco Rock out of action, and proceeded to behave in a cold, calculating, uncaring way towards his opponents. At November 2 Remember, Benoit accidentally broke Sabu's neck within the opening seconds of the match. The injury came when Benoit threw Sabu with the intention that he take a face-first "pancake" bump, but Sabu attempted to turn mid-air and take a backdrop bump instead. He did not achieve full rotation and landed almost directly on his neck. After this match Benoit returned to the locker room and broke down over the notion he might have paralyzed someone, demanding that he go to see Sabu to make sure he was alright; Paul Heyman, the head booker of ECW at the time, came up with the idea of continuing the "Crippler" moniker for Benoit. From that point until his departure from ECW, he was known as the "Crippler" Chris Benoit. However, when he returned to WCW in October 1995, WCW modified his ring name to the "Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit. In ''The Rise and Fall of ECW'' book, Heyman commented that he planned on using Benoit as a dominant heel for quite some time, before putting the company's main title, the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, on him to be the long-term champion of the company.

Benoit and Dean Malenko won the ECW World Tag Team Championship from Sabu and The Tazmaniac in February 1995, Benoit's first American title. After winning, they were initiated into the Triple Threat stable, led by ECW World Heavyweight Champion, Shane Douglas, as Douglas's attempt to recreate the Four Horsemen, as the three-man contingency held all three of the ECW championships at the time (Malenko also held the ECW World Television Championship at the time). The team lost the titles to The Public Enemy that April at ''ECW's Three Way Dance''. Benoit spent some time in ECW feuding with The Steiner Brothers and rekindling the feud with 2 Cold Scorpio. He was forced to leave ECW after his work visa expired; Heyman was supposed to renew it, but he failed to make it on time, so Benoit left as a matter of job security and the ability to enter the United States. He toured Japan until WCW called.

World Championship Wrestling (1995–2000)

New Japan Pro Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) had a working relationship, and because of their "talent exchange" program, Benoit signed with WCW in late 1995 along with a number of talent working in New Japan to be a part of the angle. Like the majority of those who came to WCW in the exchange, he started out in as a member of the cruiserweight division, having lengthy matches against many of his former rivals in Japan on almost every single broadcast. At the end of 1995, Benoit went back to Japan as a part of the "talent exchange" to wrestle as a representative for New Japan in the Super J Cup: Second Stage, defeating Lionheart in the quarterfinals (he received a bye to the quarterfinals for his work in 1995, similar to the way he advanced in the 1994 edition) and losing to Gedo in the semifinals. After impressing higher-ups with his work, he was approached by Ric Flair and the WCW booking staff to become a member of the reformed Four Horsemen in 1995, alongside Flair, Arn Anderson, and Brian Pillman; he was introduced by Pillman as a gruff, no-nonsense heel similar to his ECW persona, ''The Crippler''. He was brought in to add a new dynamic for Anderson and Flair's tormenting of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage in their "Alliance to End Hulkamania", which saw the Horsemen team up with the Dungeon of Doom, but that alliance ended with Dungeon leader and WCW booker, Kevin Sullivan feuding with Pillman. When Pillman abruptly left the company for the WWF, Benoit was placed into his ongoing feud with Sullivan. This would come to fruition through a dissension between the two in a tag team match with the two reluctantly teaming with each other against The Public Enemy, and Benoit being attacked by Sullivan at Slamboree. This would lead to the two having violent confrontations at pay-per-views, which led to Sullivan booking a feud in which Benoit was having an affair with Sullivan's real life wife and onscreen valet, Nancy (also known as Woman). Benoit and Nancy were forced to spend time together to make the affair look real, (hold hands in public, share hotel rooms, etc.). This on-screen relationship developed into a real-life affair off-screen. As a result, Sullivan and Benoit had a contentious backstage relationship at best. Benoit did, however, admit having a certain amount of respect for Sullivan, saying on the DVD ''Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story'' that Sullivan never took undue liberties in the ring during their feud, even though he blamed Benoit for breaking up his marriage. This would continue for over the course of a year with Sullivan having his enforcers apprehend Benoit in a multitude of matches. This would all culminate in a retirement match at the Bash at the Beach, where Benoit defeated Sullivan; this was used to explain Sullivan going to a behind-the-scenes role, where he could focus on his initial job of booking.

In 1998, Benoit had a long feud with Booker T. They fought over the WCW World Television Championship until Booker lost the title to Fit Finlay. Booker won a "Best-of-Seven" series which was held between the two to determine a number one contender. Benoit went up 3 to 1 before Booker caught up, forcing the 7th and final match on ''Monday Nitro''. During the match, Bret Hart interjected himself, interfering on behalf of Benoit in an attempt to get him to join the New World Order. Benoit refused to win that way and told the referee what happened, getting himself disqualified. Booker refused that victory, instead opting for an eighth match at the Great American Bash to see who would fight Finlay later that night. Booker won the final match and went on to beat Finlay for the title. This feud significantly elevated both men's careers as singles competitors, and both remained at the top of the midcard afterward.

In 1999, Benoit teamed with Dean Malenko once again and defeated Curt Hennig and Barry Windham to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship. This led to a reformation of the Four Horsemen with the tag team champions, Anderson, and Steve "Mongo" McMichael. The two hunted after the tag team championship for several months, feuding with teams like Raven and Perry Saturn or Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio, Jr. After a falling out with Anderson and McMichael, Benoit and Malenko left the Horsemen; he won the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship before bringing together Malenko, Perry Saturn, and Shane Douglas to form "The Revolution". The Revolution was a heel stable of younger wrestlers who felt slighted (both kayfabe and legitimate) by WCW management, believing they never gave them the chance to be stars, pushing older, more established wrestlers instead, despite their then-current questionable worthiness of their pushes. This led to the Revolution seceding from WCW, and forming their own nation, complete with a flag. This led to some friction being created between Benoit and leader, Douglas, who called into question Benoit's heart in the group, causing Benoit to quit the group, thus turning face, and having his own crusade against the top stars, winning the Television title one more time and the United States title from Jeff Jarrett in a ladder match. On May 1999 on ''Nitro'' in Kansas City, Missouri, Benoit wrestled Bret Hart as a tribute to Owen Hart, who had recently died due to an equipment malfunction. Hart defeated Benoit by submission, and the two received a standing ovation, and an embrace from guest ring announcer, Harley Race.

Despite having many good moments on the undercard of WCW, Benoit had enough of the company's political atmosphere backstage, where he could not thrive at the top of the company. One last attempt in January 2000 was made to try and keep him with WCW, by putting the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Championship on him by defeating Sid Vicious at Souled Out. However, due to disagreements with management and to protest the promotion of Kevin Sullivan to head booker, Benoit left the company the next day alongside his friends Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn, forfeiting his title in the process. He spent the next few weeks in Japan before heading to the WWF.

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (2000–2007)

The Radicalz (2000–2001)

Along with Guerrero, Saturn, and Malenko, Benoit debuted in the WWF as a stable that became known as The Radicalz. After losing their "tryout matches" upon entry, The Radicalz aligned themselves with WWF Champion Triple H and became a heel faction. Benoit quickly won his first title in the WWF just over a month later at WrestleMania 2000, pinning Chris Jericho in a triple threat match to win Kurt Angle's Intercontinental Championship. It was also in this time period that Benoit wrestled in his first WWF pay-per-view main events, challenging The Rock for the title at Fully Loaded in July and as part of a fatal four way title match in at Unforgiven in September. Both times, Benoit appeared to have won the WWF Championship, only to have the decision reversed by then-WWF commissioner Mick Foley due to cheating on Benoit's part.

Benoit simultaneously entered into a long-running feud with Jericho for the Intercontinental title, having the two meet on PPV four times in nine months, exchanging the title back and forth and culminating in Jericho defeating Benoit in a ladder match at the Royal Rumble. Benoit won the Intercontinental Title three times between April 2000 and January 2001.

Teaming with Chris Jericho (2001)

In early 2001, Benoit broke away from The Radicalz (who had recently reformed three months earlier) and turned babyface, feuding first with his former stablemates and then with Kurt Angle, whom he wrestled at WrestleMania X-Seven. The feud continued after Benoit stole Angle's cherished Olympic Gold Medal. This culminated in a match at Judgment Day where Angle won a two out of three falls match with the help of Edge and Christian. In response, Benoit teamed up with his former rival Jericho to defeat Edge and Christian in that night's Tag Team Turmoil match.

The next night on ''Raw'' in San Jose, California, Jericho and Benoit challenged WWF Tag Team Champions Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H for their title. On May 21, 2001, Jericho and Benoit ended their reign and as a result of the win, Benoit aided Jericho in becoming the fourth Grand Slam Champion when he captured the WWE title later in December.

The pair used the win as a springboard to challenge Austin for his world title. Benoit got two title matches the following week, first losing in a manner similar to the Montreal Screwjob in Calgary and then just barely losing to Austin in Benoit's hometown of Edmonton. Unfortunately, Benoit suffered a neck injury in a four-way TLC match that required surgery with Dr. Lloyd Youngblood. Despite this, he continued to wrestle until the King of the Ring, where he was pinned in a triple threat match versus Austin and Jericho. Benoit missed the next year due to his neck injury, missing the entire Invasion storyline.

Raw and SmackDown! (2002-2003)

During the first WWE Draft, he was the third superstar picked by Vince McMahon to be part of the new ''SmackDown!'' roster, although still on the injured list. However, when he returned, he did so as a member of the ''Raw'' roster. On his first night back, he turned heel again and aligned himself with Eddie Guerrero, and he feuded with Steve Austin briefly. He and Guerrero were then moved to SmackDown during a storyline "open season" on wrestler contracts, with Benoit taking his newly won Intercontinental championship with him. Rob Van Dam defeated Benoit at SummerSlam and returned the title to ''Raw''.

After returning to ''SmackDown!'' on October 20, 2002, he was crowned the first winner of the WWE Tag Team Championship, alongside foe and partner Kurt Angle. In this, Benoit consecutively helped to crown the fifth Grand Slam Champion, as the tag title was the only remaining title Kurt needed. They became tweeners after betraying Los Guerreros.

Angle won his third WWE Championship from The Big Show at Armageddon, and Benoit faced him for the title at the 2003 Royal Rumble. Although Benoit lost the match, he received a standing ovation for his efforts. Benoit returned to the tag team ranks, teaming with the returning Rhyno. At WrestleMania XIX, the WWE Tag Team Champions, Team Angle (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin), put their belts on the line against Benoit and his partner Rhyno and Los Guerreros in a triple threat tag team match. Team Angle retained when Benjamin pinned Chavo.

Benoit then feuded with John Cena and the Full Blooded Italians, teaming with Rhyno occasionally. In June 2003, the WCW United States Championship was reactivated and renamed the WWE United States Championship, and Benoit participated in the tournament for the belt. He lost in the final match to Eddie Guerrero at Vengeance. The two feuded over the title for the next month, and Benoit went on to defeat the likes of A-Train, Big Show, and Brock Lesnar by submission. General Manager Paul Heyman had a vendetta against Benoit along with Lesnar, preventing him from gaining a shot at Lesnar's WWE Title.

World Heavyweight Champion (2004–2005)

When Benoit won a qualifying match for the 2004 Royal Rumble against the Full Blooded Italians in a handicap match with John Cena, Heyman named him as the number one entry, but Benoit swore victory. On January 25, 2004 Benoit won the Royal Rumble by last eliminating Big Show, and thus earned a world title shot at WrestleMania XX. As a result of the long-standing Royal Rumble tradition that the winner receives a shot at the world champion at WrestleMania, and with Benoit being on the SmackDown! brand at the time it was assumed that he was going to compete for the WWE Championship. Benoit, however, exploited a "loophole" in the rules and appeared on ''Raw'' the following night to challenge World Heavyweight Champion Triple H. This "loophole" clause has become standard storyline practice, with the Royal Rumble winner being free to choose the title for which he will challenge. Though the match was originally intended to be a one-on-one match, Shawn Michaels, whose Last Man Standing match against Triple H at the Royal Rumble for the World Heavyweight Championship ended in a draw, thought that he deserved to be in the main event. When it was time for Benoit to sign the contract putting himself in the main event, Michaels superkicked him and signed his name on the contract, which eventually resulted in a Triple Threat match between Michaels, Benoit, and the champion, Triple H.

On March 14, 2004, at WrestleMania XX, Benoit won the World Heavyweight Championship by forcing Triple H to tap out to his signature submission move, the Crippler Crossface., marking the first time the main event of a WrestleMania ended in submission. After the match, an emotional Benoit celebrated his win with the then-reigning WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero. The rematch was held at Backlash in Benoit's hometown of Edmonton. It was Michaels who ended up submitting to Benoit's Sharpshooter, allowing Benoit to retain his title. The next night in Calgary, he and Edge won the World Tag Team title from Batista and Ric Flair, making Benoit a double champion.

The three months following his victory at Backlash, Benoit and Edge engaged in a rivalry with La Résistance for the World Tag Team Championship, which saw a series of matches, while simultaneously having confrontations with Kane over the World title. Benoit wrestled in two matches at Bad Blood in his respective rivalries; he and Edge failed to regain their World Tag Team title while he successfully defended the World title against Kane. A month later at Vengeance, Benoit retained the title against Triple H.

On August 15, 2004, Benoit was defeated by Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam. Benoit then feuded with Edge (who had turned into a crazed heel with severe anger management problems), leading to Taboo Tuesday where Benoit, Edge, and Shawn Michaels were all put into a poll to see who would face Triple H for the World Heavyweight title that night. Michaels received the most votes and as a result, Edge and Benoit were forced to team up to face the then tag team champions, La Résistance, in the same night. However, Edge deserted Benoit during the match and Benoit was forced to take on both members of La Résistance by himself. He still managed to win the World Tag Team title. At Survivor Series, Benoit sided with Randy Orton's team while Edge teamed with Triple H's team, and while Edge was able to pin Benoit after a Pedigree, Orton's team won.

The Benoit-Edge feud ended at New Year's Revolution. The feud stopped abruptly, as Edge feuded with Shawn Michaels, and Benoit entered the Royal Rumble. The two then continued to have matches in the following weeks until the two of them, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Kane, and Christian were placed in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 21. Edge won the match by knocking Benoit off of and smashing his arm with the ladder. The feud finally culminated in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash, which Edge won with a brick shot to the back of Benoit's head.

SmackDown! and United States Champion (2005–2006)

On June 9, Benoit returned to ''SmackDown!'' after being the first man selected by the SmackDown! brand in the 2005 Draft Lottery and participated in an ECW-style revolution against the ''SmackDown!'' heels. Benoit appeared at One Night Stand, defeating Eddie Guerrero. At the end of the night he delivered a flying headbutt to his former WCW boss and former ''Raw'' General Manager Eric Bischoff.

On July 24 at The Great American Bash, Benoit failed to win the WWE United States Championship from Orlando Jordan, but he faced him in a rematch at SummerSlam. Benoit defeated Jordan in 25 seconds with the Crippler Crossface to win the title. On the next two editions of ''SmackDown!'', Benoit defeated Jordan by submission in 23.4 seconds and 22.5 seconds, respectively. Two weeks later, Benoit defeated Jordan by submission in 49.8 seconds. Benoit then started wrestling Booker T in some friendly competitions, but it was all a ploy, as Booker and his wife, Sharmell, cheated Benoit out of the US title on an episode of ''SmackDown!''.

On November 13, 2005, Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room. The following night, ''Raw'' held a Guerrero tribute show hosted by both ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown!'' superstars. Benoit was devastated at the loss of his best friend and was very emotional during a series of video testimonials, eventually breaking down on camera. The same week on ''SmackDown!'' (taped on the same night as ''Raw''), Benoit defeated Triple H in a tribute match to his fallen friend. Following the contest, Benoit, Helmsley, and Dean Malenko all assembled in the ring and pointed to the sky in salute of Guerrero.

After controversy surrounding a US title defense against Booker T, Theodore Long set up a "Best of Seven" series between the two. Booker T won three times in a row, due largely to his wife's interference, and Benoit faced elimination in the series. Benoit won the fourth match to stay alive, but after the match, Booker suffered a legitimate groin injury, and Randy Orton was chosen as a stand-in. Benoit defeated Orton twice by disqualification. However, in the 7th and final match, Orton defeated Benoit with the help of Booker T, Sharmell, and Orlando Jordan, and Booker captured the US title. Benoit feuded with Orton for a short time, only to compete against Booker for the US title. Benoit was given one last chance at the US title at No Way Out and won it by making Booker submit to the Crippler Crossface, ending the feud. Soon after, Benoit defeated Orton in a No Holds Barred match on ''SmackDown!'' via Crippler Crossface.

The next week on ''SmackDown!'', Benoit kayfabe broke John Bradshaw Layfield's (JBL) hand (JBL actually needed surgery to remove a cyst). A match was set up for the two at WrestleMania 22 for Benoit's title, and for the next several weeks, they attacked each other. At WrestleMania, JBL won the match with an illegal cradle to win the title. Benoit used his rematch clause two weeks later in a steel cage match on ''SmackDown!'', but JBL again won with illegal tactics. Benoit then entered the King of the Ring tournament, only to be defeated by Finlay in the opening round, after Finlay struck Benoit's neck with a chair and delivered a Celtic Cross. At Judgment Day, Benoit gained some revenge by defeating Finlay with the Crippler Crossface in a grudge match. On the following edition of ''SmackDown!'', Mark Henry brutalized Benoit during their match, giving him (kayfabe) back and rib injuries and causing him to bleed from his mouth. Benoit then took a sabbatical to heal nagging shoulder injuries.

On October 8, Benoit made his return at No Mercy, defeating William Regal in a surprise match. Later that week, he won his fifth United States Championship from Mr. Kennedy. Benoit then engaged in a feud with Chavo and Vickie Guerrero. He wanted answers from the Guerreros for their rash behavior towards Rey Mysterio, but was avoided by the two and was eventually assaulted. This would lead to the two embarking on a feud with title implications at the coming two pay per views. The feud would culminate with one last title match as a No disqualification match, which was also won by Benoit. Afterward, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), who claimed that he was the best man to hold the US title, challenged Benoit for the title at WrestleMania 23, where Benoit retained. Their rivalry continued with similar results again at Backlash. At Judgment Day, however, MVP gained the upper hand and won the title in a two out of three falls match.

ECW (2007)

On the June 11 edition of ''Raw'', Benoit was drafted from SmackDown! to ECW as part of the 2007 WWE Draft, after losing a match to Bobby Lashley. Benoit won his ECW debut match teaming up with CM Punk and defeating Elijah Burke and Marcus Cor Von by disqualification. On June 19, Benoit wrestled his last match, defeating Burke in a match to determine who would compete for the vacated ECW World Championship at Vengeance. Benoit missed the weekend house shows, telling WWE officials that his wife and son were vomiting blood due to food poisoning. When he failed to show up for the pay-per-view, viewers were informed that he was unable to compete due to a "family emergency" and he was replaced in the title match by Johnny Nitro. Nitro won the match and became ECW World Champion. Stephanie McMahon later indicated that Benoit would have defeated Punk for the championship had he been present for the event.

Personal life

Benoit was born in Montreal, Quebec to Michael and Margaret Benoit, but grew up in Edmonton, Alberta from which he was billed in ring introductions throughout the bulk of his career. Benoit spoke both English and French fluently. In an interview with Larry King on CNN, Michael Benoit mentioned in passing that Chris had a sister living near Edmonton.

Benoit became good friends with wrestler Eddie Guerrero following a match in Japan, when Benoit utilized an Enzuigiri kick and knocked him out cold. This started a friendship that lasted until Guerrero's death in late 2005. He was also close friends with Dean Malenko as the trio traveled from promotion to promotion together putting on matches, eventually being dubbed the "Three Amigos" by commentators. According to Benoit, the Crippler Crossface was borrowed from Malenko and eventually caught on as Benoit's signature hold.

Benoit's lost tooth, his top-right lateral incisor, was usually attributed to training or an accident early on in his wrestling career. It actually resulted from an accident involving his pet Rottweiler: one day while playing with the dog, the animal's skull struck Benoit's chin and his tooth "popped out".

Benoit married twice, having two children by his first wife, Martina: David and Megan. By 1997, that marriage had broken down and Benoit was living with Nancy Sullivan, the wife of WCW booker and frequent opponent Kevin Sullivan. On February 25, 2000, Chris and Nancy's son Daniel was born; on November 23, 2000, Chris married Nancy. It was Nancy's third marriage. In 2003, Nancy filed for divorce from Benoit, citing the marriage as "irrevocably broken" and alleging "cruel treatment"; she claimed that he would break and throw furniture around. She later dropped the suit, as well as the restraining order filed against her husband.

Death

On June 25, 2007, police entered Benoit's home on a "welfare check" after several missed appointments, leading to concerns. The officers discovered the bodies of Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their 7-year-old son Daniel at around 2:30 p.m. EDT. Upon investigating, no additional suspects were sought by authorities. It was determined that Benoit had committed the murders.

Over a three day period, Benoit had killed his wife and son before he hanged himself. His wife was bound before the killing. Benoit's son was drugged and likely unconscious before Benoit strangled him. Benoit then committed suicide with a weight machine.

WWE canceled the scheduled three hour long live ''Raw'' show on June 25, and replaced the broadcast version with a tribute to his life and career, featuring his past matches, segments from the ''Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story'' DVD, and comments from wrestlers and announcers. However, once the details of the murder–suicide became apparent, WWE quickly and quietly began distancing itself from the wrestler by removing merchandise and no longer mentioning him. The June 26 episode of ''ECW'' began with Vince McMahon addressing the television audience about the circumstances and announcing that there would be no mention of Benoit that night other than his comments. There was no mention of Benoit at all the following Friday on ''Smackdown''.

Toxicology reports released on July 17, 2007 revealed that at their time of death, Nancy had three different drugs in her system: Xanax, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, all of which were found at the therapeutic rather than toxic levels. Daniel was found to have Xanax in his system, which led the chief medical examiner to believe that he was sedated before he was murdered. Benoit was found to have Xanax, hydrocodone, and an elevated level of testosterone, caused by a synthetic form of the hormone, in his system. The chief medical examiner attributed the testosterone level to Benoit possibly being treated for a deficiency caused by previous steroid abuse or testicular insufficiency. There was no indication that anything in Benoit's body contributed to his violent behavior that led to the murder–suicide, concluding that there was no "roid-rage" involved. Prior to the murder–suicide, Benoit had been given illegal steroids not in compliance with WWE's Talent Wellness Program in February 2006. Benoit received nandrolone and anastrozole. During the investigation into steroid abuse, it was revealed that other wrestlers had also been given steroids.

After the double-murder suicide, former wrestler Christopher Nowinski contacted Michael Benoit, father of Chris Benoit, suggesting that years of trauma to his son's brain may have led to his actions. Tests were conducted on Benoit's brain by Julian Bailes, the head of neurosurgery at West Virginia University, and results showed that "Benoit's brain was so severely damaged it resembled the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient." He was reported to have had an advanced form of dementia, similar to the brains of four retired NFL players who had suffered multiple concussions, sank into depression, and harmed themselves or others. Bailes and his colleagues concluded that repeated concussions can lead to dementia, which can contribute to severe behavioral problems. Benoit's father suggests that brain damage may have been the leading cause of the crime. He also confirmed that his son was quietly cremated, but what was done with the ashes is not public knowledge.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

Bridging dragon suplex – 1992–1998; used as a regular move from 1998–2007

''Crippler Crossface'' (Arm trap crossface)

Diving headbutt

Kneeling belly to belly piledriver, sometimes from the second rope – 1989–1994; used as a regular move thereafter

Sharpshooter – 1998–2007

''Wild Bomb'' (High speed release powerbomb), sometimes from the top rope – 1994–2002; rarely used as a regular move thereafter

Signature moves

Back body drop

Backhand chop

Dragon screw

* Figure four leglock

* Forearm smash

* Headbutt

Lariat

* Multiple suplex variations

* Belly to back

** Bridging Northern Lights

** Exploder

* German

* Gutwrench

* Triple rolling Germans

** Slingshot

* Snap

* Super

* ''Three Amigos'' (Triple rolling verticals) – used as a tribute to Eddie Guerrero

* Shoulderbreaker – 2001–2003

* Spinebuster – 1991–1994

* Springboard clothesline – 1994–1998

* Suicide dive

Managers

* Arn Anderson

Ted DiBiase (During his WWF tryout matches in 1995)

* Shane Douglas

* Miss Elizabeth

* Shane McMahon

* Terri Runnels

* Woman

Nicknames

* "The Rabid Wolverine"

* "The Crippler"

* "The Canadian Crippler"

Entrance themes

* New Japan Pro Wrestling

** "Jump" by Van Halen

** "Woman from Tokyo" by Deep Purple

* Extreme Championship Wrestling

** "Back in the Saddle" by Aerosmith

** "Perfect Strangers" by Deep Purple

* World Championship Wrestling

** "Scattered"

** "Coast"

** "Replica B"

** "Too Much Information"

* World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

** "Shooter" by Jim Johnston (2000–2002)

** "Whatever" by Our Lady Peace (2002–2007)

Championships and accomplishments

Cauliflower Alley Club

* Future Legend Award (2002)

'''Catch Wrestling Association

CWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dave Taylor

Extreme Championship Wrestling

ECW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dean Malenko

New Japan Pro Wrestling

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Super J Cup (1994)

Top/Best of the Super Juniors (1993, 1995)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Feud of the Year (2004)vs. Triple H

PWI Match of the Year (2004)vs. Shawn Michaels and Triple H at WrestleMania XX

PWI Wrestler of the Year (2004)

PWI ranked him #1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2004

PWI ranked him #69 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003

Stampede Wrestling

Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship (4 times)

Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Ben Bassarab (1), Keith Hart (1), Lance Idol (1), and Biff Wellington (1)

Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame

Universal Wrestling Association

WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)¹

World Championship Wrestling

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

WCW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

WCW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Dean Malenko (1) and Perry Saturn (1)

WCW World Television Championship (3 times)

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment

World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kurt Angle

WWE United States Championship (3 times)

WWF/E Intercontinental Championship (4 times)

WWF/E World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Chris Jericho (1) and Edge (2)

WWF Championship (2 times)²

* Royal Rumble (2004)

* Twelfth Triple Crown Champion

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

* 5-Star Match (1994) vs. Great Sasuke at Super J Cup

* Best Brawler (2004)

* Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Triple H and Shawn Michaels

* Best Technical Wrestler (1994, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2004)

* Most Underrated (1998)

* Most Outstanding Wrestler (2000, 2004)

* Match of the Year (2002) with Kurt Angle vs. Edge and Rey Mysterio

* Readers' Favorite Wrestler (1997, 2000)

* Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2003)³

¹Benoit's reign with the championship isn't officially recognized by World Wrestling Entertainment. No reign prior to December 1997 is recognized by the promotion. ²Unofficial reigns. Won the title at Fully Loaded and Unforgiven in 2000, but the decision was reversed on both occasions by then-WWF Commissioner Mick Foley. ³Benoit underwent a special recall election in 2008 due to the double murder–suicide of his wife and son. The recall was supported by a majority of 53.6% of voters, but was below the 60% threshold necessary to remove him.

Notes

References

SLAM! Wrestling — Chris Benoit

The Sun — Over the Top Rope: Why TNA appalls Chris Benoit

Metro — 60 Seconds: Chris Benoit by Andrew Williams

Wrestling Digest: Technically Speaking, wrestler and sports entertainer Chris Benoit

External links

Chris Benoit on OWW

WrestleView.com — Chris Benoit FAQ

The Fifth Estate: Fight To The Death

Review of ''Ring of Hell'' at Letters On Pages

Category:1967 births Category:2007 deaths Category:Canadian expatriate professional wrestling people in the United States Category:Canadian football offensive linemen Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States Category:Canadian murderers Category:Canadian murderers of children Category:Canadian professional wrestlers Category:Canadian Roman Catholics Category:Familicides Category:Franco-Albertan people Category:Murder–suicides Category:Filicides Category:People from Edmonton Category:Professional wrestlers who committed suicide Category:Sportspeople from Alberta Category:Suicides by hanging in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Wikipedia controversial topics

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