Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
name	Guerrero
native name	Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero
settlement type	State
flag size	160px
image seal	Coat of arms of Guerrero.svg
seal size	55px
nickname
motto	''Mi patria es primero''''(My country comes first)''
anthem
map caption	State of Guerrero within Mexico
coordinates type	region:MX-GRO_type:adm1st
coordinates display	inline,title
subdivision type	Country
subdivision name	Mexico
subdivision type1	Capital
subdivision name1	Chilpancingo de los Bravo
subdivision type2	Largest City
subdivision name2	Acapulco de Juárez
subdivision type3	Municipalities
subdivision name3	81
established title	Admission
established date	October 27, 1849
established title2	Order
established date2	21st
leader title	Governor
leader name	Angel Aguirre Rivero
leader title1	Senators
leader name1	Antelmo Alvarado
Leader title2	Deputies
Leader name2
unit pref	Metric
area footnotes
area total km2	63621
area note	Ranked 14th
elevation max footnotes
elevation max m	3550
population total	3388768
population as of	2010
population density km2	auto
population density rank	16th
population demonym	Guerrerense
population rank	12th
timezone1	CST, (UTC-6)
timezone1 dst	CDT
utc offset1 dst	-5
postal code type	Postal code
postal code	39-41
area code type	Area code
area code
iso code	MX-GRO
blank name sec1	HDI
blank info sec1	0.753 Medium Ranked 31st
blank name sec2	GDP
blank info sec2	US$ 10,144,360.546 mil
website
footnotes	a. The state's GDP was 129,847,815 million of pesos in 2008, amount corresponding to 10,144,360.546 millon of dollars, being a dollar worth 12.80 pesos (value of June 3, 2010). }}

Guerrero () officially ''Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero'' () is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo.

It is located in Southwestern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Michoacán to the north and west, México and Morelos to the north, Puebla to the northeast and Oaxaca to the east.

The state was named after Vicente Guerrero, one of the most prominent leaders in the Mexican War of Independence and the second President of Mexico. It is the only Mexican state named after a president. The modern entity did not exist until 1849, when it was carved out of territories from the states of Mexico, Puebla and Michoacán.

In addition to the capital city, the state's largest cities include Acapulco, Petatlan, Ciudad Altamirano, Taxco, Iguala, Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo, and Santo Domingo. Today, it is home to a number of indigenous communities, including the Nahuas, Mixtecs and Amuzgos. It is also home to communities of Afro-Mexicans in the Costa Chica region.

Geographically, the state is mountainous and rugged with flat areas limited to small mesas and the coast line. This coastline has been important economically for the area, first as the port of Acapulco in colonial and post-Independence area and today for the tourist destinations of Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. Tourism is the single most important economic factor of the state and Acapulco’s tourism is important to the nation’s economy as a whole. However, other sources of employment are scarce in the state, which has caused its ranking as number one in the emigration of workers to the United States.

History

Prehistoric and Pre-Columbian periods

The first humans in the state’s territory were nomadic hunter-gatherers who left evidence of their existence in various caves starting about 20,000 years ago. Up until about 8,000 years ago, climatic conditions better favored human habitation than those today; however, sedimentary human habitation happened around this time in the mountainous areas with more moisture, and better soil for agriculture. After that, settlements appeared near the coast because of fishing. At these sites, evidence of weaving, ceramics, basketry and other crafts have been found. Around this time, a grain called teocintle, or the forerunner to corn, became the staple of the diet.

There is debate as to whether the earliest civilizations here were Olmecs who migrated to this region or native peoples who were heavily influenced by the Olmecs, especially in the Mexcala River area. Olmec influences can be seen in cave paintings such as those found in Juxtlahuaca and well as stone tools and jade jewelry from the time period.

Eventually, the peoples of the Mexcala River area developed their own distinctive culture, called Mezcala or Mexcala. It is characterized by its own sculpture and ceramics, distinguished by its simplicity. Olmec influence remained with this culture, especially evident in the grouping of villages, construction of ceremonial centers and a government dominated by priests. Later, the culture assimilated aspects of the Teotihuacan model, which included the Mesoamerican ball game .

Later migrations to the area brought ethnicities such as the P’urhépecha, the Mixtecs, the Maya and the Zapotecs who left traces on the local cultures as they established commercial centers around the 7th century. In the 8th century, Toltec influence was felt as they traveled the many trade routes through here in search of tropical bird plumage and amate paper. From the 12th century to the 15th, the various peoples of the state were influence by the Chichimecas, culminating in Aztec domination by the 15th century.

In the 11th century, new migrations entered the area from the north, which included the Nahuas, who occupied what is now the center of the state and the P’urhépecha who took over the west. The Nahuas established themselves in Zacatula, Atoyac and Tlacotepec, later conquering the areas occupied by the Chontals and Matlazincas.

By the 15th century, the territory of modern Guerrero state was inhabited by a number of peoples, none of whom had major cities or population centers. The most important of these peoples where the P’urhépecha, Cuitlatecas, Ocuitecas and Matlazincas in the Tierra Caliente, the Chontales, Mazatlecos and Tlahuicas in the Sierra del Norte, the Coixcas and Tepoztecos in the Central Valleys, the Tlapanecos and Mixtecs in the La Montaña, the Jopis, Mixtecos and Amuzgos in Costa Chica and Tolimecas, Chubias, Pantecas and Cuitlecas in Costa Grande. Most of these lived in smaller dominions with moderate social stratification. One distinctive feature of the peoples of this was the use of cotton garments.

The Aztecs began making incursions in the Guerrero area as early as 1414 under Chimalpopoca as part of the conquest of the Toluca Valley. Incursions into the Tierra Caliente came around 1433 under Itzcoatl who attacked the Cuitlatecos settled between the Teloloapan and Cocula Rivers. By 1440, the Aztec Empire controlled the north of the state, or the La Montaña area. Attempts to take the Costa Chica area began in 1452 against the Yopis, which failed. Various battles would be fought between 1452 and 1511 before most of the rest of the state became Aztec tributary provinces. The modern state of Guerrero the comprised seven Aztec provinces.

Colonial period

During the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the last Aztec emperor, Cuauhtémoc (who was the son of a Chontal princess and Ahuizotl), came from Ixcateopan. After the fall of Tenochtitlan, there was little resistance by the peoples of the Guerrero area to the Spanish and a number of them, such as the Amuzgos, actively sided with the Europeans. In 1521, Rodrigo de Castañeda entered the Taxco area, while Gonzalo de Sandoval marched on the Chontal region, the Sierra del Norte, the Iguala valley and later the Costa Chica. Juan Rodriguz de Villafuerte took the Costa Grande area.

After the Spanish Conquest, the territory was part of the “audencia” called “Mexico,” which initially consisted of the lands of the former Aztec Empire, which was then diminished somewhat when it became a province of New Spain . The Guerrero area was attractive to the Spanish mostly for its coast. The first Spanish Pacific port was at Zihuatanejo, used for trade, fishing and pearls. Another important area for the Spanish was Taxco for its minerals. The lands were divided into 76 encomiendas given to the conquistadors to exploit the mines, farmlands, forest and native peoples. Evangelization efforts were undertaken by the Augustinians in the Central Valleys, La Montaña and Tierra Caliente regions while the Franciscans took the northern areas, the Costa Grande and Acapulco.

Much of the population decline occurred in the first half of the 16th century when diseases brought by the Europeans, as well as brutal exploitation, killed many natives. This was particularly true in the Costa Chica region, which would lead to the importation of African slaves to the area. During this time indigenous political bodies called “pueblos” or “Indian Republics” arose, which were local entities that represented the Indians of that area before Spanish authorities. They are credited with being one of the forerunners of the current municipality system in the state. At their height, there were 213 such pueblos in the Guerrero territory.

During the colonial period, Acapulco became the main western port for New Spain, connecting this part of the Spanish empire to Asia. The Manila Galleon came here each year, bringing silks and other merchandise from China, India and other Asian areas.

By the second half of the 18th century, few indigenous people survived and exploitation of those that were left took on more varied forms in indentured servitude. Acapulco became the most important city in the area, and its mayor governed much of Guerrero’s territory. This territory then belonged into three “intendencias” or “alcaldias”: Puebla, Mexico and Valladolid and would remain so until the early Independence period.

Independence period

Peoples of the territory of Guerrero immediately supported the cause of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla which would culminate with the Independence of Mexico. During the first part of the Mexican War of Independence, José María Morelos fought on the side of Miguel Hidalgo in the southern part of Mexico, including the Acapulco area and the Costa Grande. However, the insurgents were never able to take the port. They were able to take control of territories in the center of the state. Morelos took Chilpancingo and set up the Congress of Anáhuac, which would publish the document “Sentimentos de la Nación” on 6 November 1813. The Congress of Anáhuac also approved the Act of Independence written by Carlos María Bustamante. Later, the Mexican flag was designed and first sewn in Iguala, after Agustín de Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero joined forces under the Plan of Iguala to end the war in 1821.

The first government of an independent Mexico divided the country into twelve departments. The territory of modern Guerrero state was divided among the departments of Mexico, Puebla, Michoacán and Oaxaca. The 1824 Constitution made these entities states.

In 1823, Nicolás Bravo and Vicente Guerrero petitioned for the creation of a “South State” (Estado del Sur), encompassing the lands that Guerrero had military control over during the war, but without success. However, the federal government did recognize a military district centered on Chilpancingo which Guerrero headed until he became President of Mexico in 1824.

Much of the country struggled between its liberal (federalist) and conservative (centralist) factions in the first half of the 19th century. In one of these battles, Vicente Guerrero was captured and executed in Oaxaca in 1831. With conservatives in charge, Nicolas Bravo proposed in 1836 a South Department with its capital in Chilpancingo, including the provinces of Acapulco, Chilapa, Tlapa and Taxco. In 1841, representatives from 42 communities in the area, called the “amigos del sur,” pushed to have a “Acapulco Department” created, but it was rejected by Antonio López de Santa Anna .

There were other political and military reorganizations in the area during the 1840s. In 1847, Nicolas Bravo and Juan Álvarez proposed creating a separate entity for the Acapulco, Chilapa and Taxco areas, but the Mexican-American War intervened. After the war, the states of Puebla, Mexico and Michoacán were persuaded to cede territory for a new entity and in 1849, President José Joaquín de Herrera decreed the establishment of the state of Guerrero, with Juan Alvarez as its first governor. Tixtla was declared the first capital. The state was created from the districts of Acapulco, Chilapa and Taxco from the State of Mexico, Tlapa from Puebla and the municipality of Coyuca from the state of Michoacán. The capital would later be moved to Chilpancingo in 1870.

In this state, Juan Alvarez rebelled against the government of Ignacio Comonfort and declared the Plan of Ayutla in 1854. However, this rebellion was quelled by the federal government. More uprisings would ensue after the adoption of the 1857 Constitution. These uprisings were part of the ongoing struggle between liberals and conservatives in the country. Guerrero was a mostly conservative area of the country and it opposed both the 1857 Constitution and the 1859 Reform Laws. Intense battle between liberal and conservative elements would continue through most of the rest of the 19th century.

For most of the Porfirio Díaz period, the state was in relative peace, electing nine governors, although only two of these were Guerrero natives. The economy became concentrated in the hands of a few landholders, military people and others. While the era was relatively prosperous, very little of this benefit reached the common people. Laws were passed and infrastructure in the state was created to benefit the major players of the economy. In addition, indigenous people were forced from the north to the south to work, such as the Kikapos who were forced to work in the haciendas of the Costa Chica. Some of the first factories built in the state were constructed during this period. Acapulco was connected to Mexico City by rail in the 1890s. Despite the economic development, many people remained without work at the very end of the 19th century as mining and cotton farming waned.

Mexican Revolution to the present

Some of the first uprisings against Diaz occurred in the state. In 1873 in the La Montaña region, Pascual Claudio pronounced the Plan de Xochihuahuetlan, with the backing of the Tlapanecos and Mixtecs of the state and pushed for the socialization of land. The revolt was put down one year later. In 1876, field workers in various regions rebelled against taxes, usurpation of lands and oppression against political prisoners. Another revolt occurred in 1887 in the Tlapa regions, led by Silverio Leon. In 1891, a movement led by José Cuevas has a messianic character to it and worked to bring down the Diaz government. In this case, federal control over much of Guerrero was weakened. In the 1900s, a number of intellectuals, including Eusebio S. Almonte (great grandson of Morelos) rebelled politically against the state and federal governments. The revolt was put down by Victoriano Huerta.

A number of other rebellions broke out in the state against the Diaz government until the start of the Mexican Revolution in 1910. From that point, many of the local rebels became affiliated with the Zapatistas .

In 1911, after Díaz resigned, the last of his supporting troops in Guerrero surrendered in Acapulco. Rebels loyal to Francisco I. Madero chose Francisco Figueroa as the governor and established Guerrero’s capital in Acapulco. While Madero was initially popular in Guerrero, he soon lost standing for failure to return lands which were claimed by various indigenous and rural farm groups. From this point, the Zapatistas turned on the Madero government with the next phase of the revolution breaking out in Guerrero and other states. The Zapatistas soon had control of the central valley and strategic positions in the north of the state. When Victoriano Huerta took control of the country, the Zapatistas in Guerrero joined forces with those loyal to Venustiano Carranza, eventually controlling almost all of the state by 1914. During this time lands were redistributed. However, after Huerta resigned and Carranza assumed the presidency, the Zapatistas in Guerrero opposed him as well. Carranza offered the position of governor of Guerrero to Julian Blanco in 1915 but he was killed in an ambush a year later. From this point, there were battles between the Zapatistas and forces loyal to Carranza. This ended in 1919, when Emiliano Zapata died and his movement split.

Various battles among the factions of the Mexican Revolution had skirmishes in the state until the war was finally over in 1920. The Zapatistas, although fragmented, were recognized as a political force in Guerrero with many Zapatistas receiving political and military positions. This included Rodolfo Neri as governor, who initiated the Agrarian Reform in 1921, organized workers’ unions and made education mandatory.

Although the Revolution was over, there were still fractional struggles among unions, local strongmen, foreign interests and rural farm organizations over land, education and politics. These would flare up into localized armed rebellions such as the one led by Romulo Figueroa in 1923 and federal attempts to recuperate lands in 1927. In addition, battles related to the Cristero War were fought in Guerrero as well. There were a number of strikes and other political actions by unions in the 1930s. Government intervention brought better agricultural production techniques as well as new crops such as coconut groves, sesame seed and coffee. Some industries were introduced as well, especially in Iguala and Chilpancingo. Most of these are related to food processing, mining and energy production.

Form the 1930s, to the present, the making of crafts and tourism have played a significant role in the economy. In Taxco, silver mining and silversmithing made a comeback due to the efforts of William Spratling. Tourism is mostly centered on the coastal communities of Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and the tourist resort of Ixtapa. Acapulco became the first major tourist attraction for the state in the 1950s, when Hollywood stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Eddie Fisher, Brigitte Bardot and others made it fashionable. During the 1960s and 1970s, new hotel resorts were built, and accommodation and transport were made cheaper. It was no longer necessary to be a millionaire to spend a holiday in Acapulco; the foreign and Mexican middle class could now afford to travel there. Zihuatanejo, with the nearby resort area of Ixtapa, were developed by the federal government in the 1970s and 1980s to increase tourism to the area.

Demographics

The state is home about 390,000 indigenous ethnic groups, most of whom live in rugged, isolated mountain areas such as Ixcateopan, Santa María Oapan, Ameyaltepec, Chilapa de Álvarez, Malinaltepec, Tlapa de Comonfort, Metlatonoc, Zapotitlan Tablas and Xochistlahuaca and Xilitla. Some of these groups include the Mixtecs, Nahuas, Amuzgos and Tlapanecos, and over 20 indigenous languages are spoken. The most common languages are Nahuatl (38.9%), Mixteco (27%), Tlapaneco (21.9%) and Amuszo 7.9%. Only 29% of those who speak an indigenous language also speak Spanish.

One distinctive group in the state is the Amuzgo people, who are concentrated in the south, near the Oaxacan border in municipalities such as Xochistlahuaca. This group is known for its handwoven textiles done on backstrap looms with many pieces recognized by the Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes. Cualac is noted for its machetes which have blades decorated by etching miniature landscapes. Temalacacingo and Acapetlahuaya produce gourd items, toys and small lacquered items. Olinalá has been an important producer of lacquer since pre-Hispanic times.

Another important group is the “afromexicanos” or Afro-Mexicans who are concentrated in the Costa Chica region. This group is found in Guerrero and the Costa Chica area of Oaxaca. This group has been relatively isolated from the rest of Mexico, with little modernization or formal education. To this day, there are many who have no birth certificates or know how to read or write. Much of the history of these people is preserved in oral tradition. Historically, afromexicanos have been discriminated against and marginalized. Even among these people today, the concept of being “negro” is considered bad and a number take to skin-lightening methods. The musical style associated with the group is “chilena ” which became popular outside of Guerrero and Oaxaca after the 1960s. One of these songs, “Soy negro de la Costa…,” has been preserved by CONACULTA and INAH as part of Mexico’s cultural heritage. A major change for this community came with the building of the highway connecting Acapulco with Pinotepa Nacional and Puerto Escondido, which opened it up to the outside world. This allowed the shipping of goods and influx of people. The increase in people and contacts led to the building of schools.

Culture

The state does not have a tradition of painting and other visual arts aside from amate paper work but, recently, there has been a movement to promote more classical oils and other works, with recent generations of painters from the state and galleries opening to promote their work. Some of these artists include Casiano García, Ian Malaj, Leonel Maciel, Miguel Ángel Sotelo, Gerzaín Vargas and Hugo Zúñiga.

The literary arts have a longer tradition, at least as far back as the 17th century. The best-known writer from the state hailed from Taxco, playwright Juan Ruiz de Alarcón. He is considered to be one of the most notable writers from the Siglo de Oro of Spanish literature. Another notable writer from the state is Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, although he is better known for his role in the defeat of Emperor Maximilian I and as a politician than as a writer. Other writers from the state over the centuries include Celedonio Serrano, Herminio Chávez, Juan Sánchez Andraka and Andrés Acosta.

The state has a long history of folk music, which has been the basis of much of the state's modern compositions as well. Because of the different ethnicities, traditions and customs vary from region to region. In the coastal lowlands, music such as “son” is most often heard and dances such as jarabes. The culture of the Costa Chica region of Guerrero is centered on the municipality of Tixtla. Dances performed here include the Arranca Zacete, Jarabes, Palomo or Chilena and the Fandango. Most of these are accompanied by bands playing wind instruments. Another type of music which is endemic to the state is called "calentana", which comes from an area called the Tierra Caliente. Tixtleca music comes from the town of Tixtla in the center of the state. Guerrero's best known composer is Margarito Damián Vargas, who was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was only 37 years old when he died, but he had written more than 200 musical works including "Ondas del Pacífico," "Me delirio," "Adiós a Acapulco," and "Dolores," which have been performed by orchestras and popular singers. Other musicians include José Agustín Ramírez Altamirano, Zacarías Salmerón Daza and Joan Sebastian.

Some interesting regional customs in Guerrero include the burning of “malo” (evil) on 29 September made with dried flowers. Afterward, protective crosses of fresh flowers are placed on doors of homes. Other customs are the singing of “Papaquis” instead of “Las Mañanitas” in Tixtla, the weddings of the Costa Grande where guests pay for their own food, the tiger fight dance in Zitlala and Tixtla and eating pozole on Thursdays in Chilpancingo.

Cuisine in the state is most strongly influenced by the indigenous, the Spanish and, to some extent, the French. Corn, chili pepper, beans and meat are indigenous ingredients. Indigenous preparations include the various moles (red, green, yellow and others), chalupas, totopos, atole, pozole and many other dishes. Spanish contributions include wheat, leavened bread (including “chilpancingueñas") and dairy products. French influence comes from the French occupation of the country in the 19th century as well as French monks who had been in the area of Chilapa earlier. Regional dishes include mole de jumil in Taxco, bean tamales in Tepecuacuilco, quail dishes in Iguala and seafood “cuatete” in the Costa Chica area. A number of areas in the state produce mezcal and wine is made in the Huitzuco area. Ozole blanco is widely and traditionally consumed on Thursdays and Saturdays in the state.

The state's ethnic groups are known for their unique musical styles as well as regional dances. The best known dance is the Danza de los Tlacoloteros. This originated in the Central Valleys region, and its theme is agriculture. The owners of “tlacololes” (cornfields) are called “tlacololoeros.” The basic premise is that these tlacololoeros chase away malevolent spirits from the crops, which are represented by naguals or fierce tigers. The dance has 15 characters. It is most often performed in places such as Chichuihualco, Taxco, Chilpancingo, Iguala and Atlixtac. Another dance that feature tigers is the Danza del Tecuano, where the animals stalk characters. This one is most often performed in Tuxpan, Ciudad Altamirano and Huitzuco. Other dances performed in the state include the Danza de los Diablos, the Danza de los Manueles, the Danza de los Gachupines, the Danza de los Siete Vicios, the Danza de los Pescados, the Danza de los Machos, the Danza de los Moros, the Danza de los Maizos, the Danza de los Zopilotes, the Danza de los Tejoneros and the Danza del Palomo de Guerrero.

Tourism

Triangle of the Sun

Almost all of Guerrero’s tourism is concentrated among the municipalities of Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Taxco, which the state promotes as the “Triángulo del Sol” (Triangle of the Sun). Acapulco is by far the most important of the three. In 2008, the state attracted 272.8 million dollars of private investment into the tourism sector of the economy, with most of it invested in Acapulco and Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa. In addition, federal tourism agencies invested another 180 million pesos that year, both for infrastructure and promotion. The State Department of the United States has issued travel advisories for the state, especially Acapulco, due to drug trafficking, but safety concerns have been dismissed by local authorities.

Acapulco is one of Mexico’s oldest and most well-known beach resorts, which came into prominence by the 1950s as a getaway for Hollywood stars and millionaires. Acapulco is still famous for its nightlife and still attracts many vacationers, although most are now from Mexico itself. Zihuatanejo is the fourth-largest city in the Mexican state of Guerrero. It is northwest of Acapulco. This town has been developed as a tourist attraction, paired along with the modern tourist resort of Ixtapa, 5 km away. However, Zihuatanejo keeps its traditional town feel. Taxco was one of the primary mining areas during the colonial period. It has narrow winding streets with no sidewalks, due to being built in a narrow ridge on the side of a mountain. The town was declared a national monument by Mexico in 1990, with numerous historical buildings dating from the 17th to 19th centuries.

Archeological sites

Most of Guerrero’s pre-Hispanic history is known through archeology. The state has 1,705 registered archeological sites, with seven officially open to the public. These include La Organera-Xochipala, Palma Sola, Teopantecuanitlán and Cuetlajuchitlán. La Organera-Xochipala is the best known of Guerrero’s archeological sites because of its monumental architecture. The site has seven states of development with six patios, and thirty two structures. The site covers and is located in the community of Xochilapa in the municipality of Eduardo Neri or Zumpango del Río, which is a mountains and semi-arid region of the state. It was occupied from 650 CE to 1000 CE The tombs are the most notable constructions here and feature a number of Mayan “false arches.” .

Palma Sola is a site on the south side of El Veladero in Acapulco. This site does not have any structure but rather it is important for 18 rocks with petrogylphs with images of humans, plants and animals. There are also figures which look to be calendar like and geographic in function.

Teopantecuanitlan is the most important Olmec era site in Guerrero. Its calculated to extend over but the most important buildings cover . It was discovered in 1983 as it was being sacked. It is estimated to have been inhabited from between 1000 and 500 BCE. It is located in the Valley of Copalillo where the Amacuzas and Mezcala (Balsas) Rivers converge. Cuetlajuchitlan was discovered accidentally during the construction of the Cuernavaca, Acapulco highway. To preserve the site, the Los Querendes Tunnel was built underneath it. It is calculated to extend but only have been explored. It was principally occupied between 200 BCE and 200 CE. It is identified as being with the Mezcala culture. The site stands out as an early example of a planned city which extends from the intersection two main roads.

Other, smaller sites include Ixcateopan, Los Tepoltzis and Huamuxtitlan. Pueblo Viejo is located on the side of the El Tamarindo mountain just west of the city of Iguala. This site has an extension of and is divided in two parts due to a ravine that runs through it. The exact number of structures here is not known because the site has not been fully explored. The site of Ixcateopan is located in the municipality of the same name. The explored site was a civic-religious center with a palace and a altar to Quetzalcoatl. Los Tepoltzis is located outside the community of Tixtla and consists of a number of small sites including a ceremonial center thirty meters long, three meters high with stairways and a plaza. Huamuxtitlán is in the municipality of the same name. While the site is covers significant territory only one pyramid has been uncovered. Most of the rest of the site consists of living quarters. Near this site are smaller sites along the Tlapaneco River.

Outdoor activities

The state has a number of sites suitable for ecotourism, including mountains, caves, wild areas for the observation of flora and fauna, camping and areas that offer extreme sports. Many of the extreme sports are offered in the Acapulco area including high-speed water jets, kayaking, canoeing, river rafting, rock climbing, spelunking, paintball, mountain climbing, parasailing and more. Activities in other parts of the state include rafting on the Papagayo River, kayaking and canoeing in Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo, rock-climbing in Chilpancingo and Taxco, mountain climbing in Ixcateopan, rappelling in Zihuatanejo and bungee jumping and parasailing in Iguala. There are a number of caves to explore such as Grutas Dos Arroyos in Dos Arroyos, various small caves in Pueblo Bravo and some in Acapulco. The best known caves in the state are in the Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park. This park is home to the Grutas de Cacahuamilpa Caverns and Grutas de Carlos Pacheco. The first is a live cave with many rock formations still in progress. This has infrastructure for tourists and guided tours. The second set of caves is a dry cave with less infrastructure. .

Handcrafts

Crafts form an important part of the state’s economy, providing all or part of many families’ income. The state government passed the Ley de Fomento a la Cultural in 1988 which works to protect crafts produced within the state. One type of handcraft produced in the state is metalworking with most precious and non-precious metals. The best known work produced in the state is made with silver, centered in the town of Taxco. Each year this town holds the annual National Silver Fair (Feria Nacional de la Plata). Gold is worked in locations such as Iguala, Ciudad Altamirano, Coyuca de Catalán, Arcelia and Ometepec. Steel machetes and other items are produced in Ayutla, Tixtla, Chilapa, Tecpan deGaleana and Ometepec. Gold leaf is done in Tlacotepec, Tlalchipa and Cuetzala del Progreso. Costume jewelry is made in Acatlán, and Chilapa, producing buttons of various colors, pieces made of brass coated in nickel, glass and metal wire to produce items such as necklaces, bracelets, and more. Other jewelry is made by twisting and weaving fine strands of silver or gold wire. Silver is mostly done in Taxco, with gold pieces in Ciudad Altamirano.

Laca is the making of wooden items which are then painted and coated with a high-gloss lacquer. The best pieces of this type are made of a wood called linalóe (Bursera aloexylon) which is aromatic. Cheaper ones are made of pine, treated to smell like linalóe. The making of lacquered items is centered in the municipality of Olinalá, but also can be found in Temalcalcingo, Ocotepec and Acapetlahuaya. Olinalá’s lacquered items are traditional made with a wood called linaloe, with has a distinctive odor, but due to its relatively scarcity, pine is also being used. Items made include small boxes, chests, trays, masks, frames, jewelry boxes.

Pottery is a very traditional craft and is practices in many of the communities of the state, although most of the wares produced are basic and meant for local consumption. These items include cooking pots, water containers, pitchers, candle holders and some sculptured decorative items. Most of these items have been made the same way since the pre-Hispanic period. The best quality ware is considered to be made in the central valleys in municipalities such as Zacualpan, Nuitzalapa, Atzacualoya, and others. Some areas have become specialized for certain types of pieces. The San Juan neighborhood of Chilapa make figures of a cerarmic which is glassy after firing. Acatlán mades ceramic toys, and Ometepec specializes in the making of very large cántaro jars, traditionally used for storage.

Clothing and textiles are mostly made by indigenous communities such as the Nahuas, Mixtecos and Amuzgos, who use weaving and embroidery patterns to distinguish themselves from one another. The most distinctive indigenous clothing item is the huipil although rebozos and other items are also made.. While much is made for local consumption, indigenous clothing can be found in tourist areas and other markets as well as tablecloths, napkins and other decorative pieces. Communities with reputation for their textiles include Tlacoachistlahuaca, Xochistlahuaca, Yoloxóchilt (San Luis Acatlán) and Acatlán (Chilapa) .

Another craft, practiced mostly along the central and coastal areas, is that of palm frond weaving. With these fronds items like hats, bags, fans, mats, animal figures and more are made. A particular type of hat made in this fashion in Chilapa, Zitlala, Zapotitlán Tablas and Ahuacoutzingo is called a “costeño” hat.

Most handcrafted furniture is made in Taxco and Ixcatepoan, in which an aromatic cedar is found. Other furniture producing areas are Chilpancingo, Iguala, Teloloapan and Ciudad Altamirano. In addition to furniture, items such as masks and figures are carved from wood.

One craft which is specific to the state is painting using traditional amate or bark paper as a canvas. This craft began in the 1970s in Xalitla, located between Iguala and Chilpancingo. Since that time, these paintings or drawings have become known both inside and outside of Mexico. The best known works today come from the communities of Maxela, San Juan, Ahuelicán and Ahuehuepan. Most of the themes of these paintings are related to agriculture, everyday life and religion.

Leathercrafts is mostly limited to saddlemaking and other items relating to horseback riding. This is prominent in areas such as San Jerónimo, Chilpancingo, Tixtla, Quechultenango and others. Other crafts include stone sculpting and the cutting of precious and semiprecious stones, buttons and other items for clothing and costume jewelry.

Politics

The state is divided into 81 municipalities and seven political regions. The largest municipality is Coahuayutla at 3,511.5km2 and the most recently created one is Iliatenco in the La Montaña region. The three best-known communities of the state are Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Taxco. The current Governor of state is Angel Aguirre Rivero.

Geography, climate and nature

The state of Guerrero has a territory of . The state borders the states of Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, Michoacan, Oaxaca and with the Pacific Ocean to the west. Geographically, the state is divided into three regions: La Montaña (mountains), Tierra Caliente (hot lands) of the northeast and La Costa (coast) . La Montaña is mostly forested and is concentrated in the north and east of the state. Tierra Caliente and is situated in the lowlands along the Balsas River. This area also extends into Michoacán state and is called similarly. La Costa is divided into two subregions called Costa Chica and Costa Grande. The Costa Chica extends from Acapulco to the border with Oaxaca. Costa Grande extends west of Acapulco to the Balsas River. Much of the state’s current agriculture and livestock raising concentrated in La Costa as it is relatively flat.

Most of the state is covered in mountains of varying heights, with deep canyons with flat areas limited to small mesas and the coastline. Most of the mountains belong to the Sierra Madre del Sur. The exception is the mountains of the Taxco area which belong to the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and include the small mountain ranges of the Sierra de Sultepec, Sierra de Zacualpan and the Sierra de Zultepec. These are connected to the same volcanic system as the Nevado de Toluca.

The state’s climate is dominated by the rainy tropical areas and rainy temperate areas. The former has high temperatures above year round and experiences most rain in the summer and early fall. Most of this is found near the coast under asl. In the higher elevations away from the coast in the Sierra Madre del Sur, the climate is temperate but also experiences the same pattern of rainfall. Most of the rain that falls in the state is produced from evaporation from the Pacific Ocean.

The coast extends for about and includes features such as the Balsas River delta, Mongles Point, Ixtapa Point, Zihuatanejo Bay, Ixtapa Island, Acapulco Bay, Apies Island, Islas Blancas, San Gabriel Island, Islas Frailes Blancos or Rocas de Potosi, Punta Gorda, and others. There are a number of lagoons along the coast including the Laguna de Potosi in Morro de Petatlán, Lagunas de Mitla, the Laguna de Nusco and the Laguna de Coyuca. The Balsas River enters Guerrero from Puebla state where it is formed. Prior to reaching the town of Balsas, the river is called Mexcala, then Balsas to the ocean. The Nexapa River is a tributary of the upper portion of the Balsas. The Amacuzac River enters the state from the State of Mexico. It passes under the Grutas de Cacahuamilco, then reemerges to form part of the border between Guerrero and Morelos. The Tepecoacuilco or Huitzuco River forms within the state and is a tributary of the Balsas. The Cocula or Iguala River forms in the Taxco area and is one of the major drainages of this region. Other rivers in the state include the Cuetzala, the Alohuixtla, the Cutzamala, the Tlapaneco Huamuxtitlan, the Milpilla or Zumpango, the Río del Oro, the Zayulapa, the Huautla and the Río Unión.

Flora of the state is determined by altitude and climate. The higher mountain areas have forests of pine and oyamel fir, with amate, and other tropical trees found in the lower elevations. Tropical hardwoods are mostly found in the lower elevations near the coast. The state has a wide variety of wildlife from deer, small mammals, large numbers of birds and reptiles and insects.

Five terrestrial ecoregions extend across the state. The Southern Pacific dry forests lie on the southern slopes of the Sierra Madre del Sur, extending from the coast up to 1400 meters elevation. The forests are predominantly deciduous during the long dry season. The Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests occupy the higher slopes of the Sierra Madre del Sur. These forests harbor a great diversity of species, including many endemic orchids, butterflies, and birds. The Balsas dry forests lie in the basin of the Balsas River, north of the Sierra Madre del Sur, and are notable for the diversity of mammal species, including jaguarundi, coati, ocelot, and collared peccary. The northernmost part of the state includes portions of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests, which occupy the mountainous northern rim of the Balsas basin. The Mexican South Pacific mangroves are found in coastal lagoons along the coast of Michoacan, Guerrero, and Oaxaca.

The Parque Natural de Guerrero is a natural reserve located in the central valleys of the state, extending for about eighty kilometers squared. Most of the area is covered in pine and holm oak forests that covered the high altitude valleys of this region.

Economy

Agricultural production is mostly of basic staple crops such as corn, rice and beans along with tomatoes, tomatillos, okra, green chili peppers, chickpeas, soybeans, yams, and other vegetables. Commercial crops include coffee, hibiscus, sugar cane, sesame seed, peanuts and sorghum. A number of fruits are grown for both domestic consumption and market such as melons, papaya, watermelon, mangos, bananas, tamarind and citrus.

The state has large forests with logging potential, although most are ejido or other community property. Most of the loggable timber is pine.

Fishing is an important industry for the state with livestock raised is limited due to poor pastures due to overgrazing. They include cattle, pigs, goats and sheep as well as some domestic fowl. The long coast is important for fishing which support 55 fishing communities. The main fishing ports are Petacalco, Zihuatanejo, Acapulco, Barra de Tecoanapa and Puna Maldonado. Commercial fishing brings in shark, sailfish, sierra, sea bass, mojarra, lobster, shrimp, clams and many other species.

The mountains in the interior of the state have mineral deposits, such as gold and lead as well as iron. The latter is found mostly along the Balsas River.

Tourism is the most important sector of the state’s commerce. Tourism in Guerrero is important to the overall Mexican economy as well. It is the main source of the state’s economic development.

The main employment generators of the state are service industry (28.2% of workers), commerce, restaurants and hotels (25.1%), financial services and real estate (13.4) and manufacturing (12.2%).

However, due to the lack of employment and the general lack of education of many in Guerrero, the state ranks number one in the number of migrants that head to the United States to work. It is estimated that each year 73,000 head north to live permanently with another 128,000 who migrate each year during the dry season. It is also estimated what somewhere between one quarter and one third of Guerrero’s population lives in the United States, with about 300,000 in the Chicago area alone. The phenomenon has left many villages with no men and women taking up most of the work such as farming, crafts and petty commerce.

Education

Until the 1970s, illiteracy was a major problem in Guerrero. However, the rate of illiteracy was down from 48% to 26.8% from 1970 to 1990. Illiteracy still remains a problem with a 21.55% rate. The lowest levels are in Acapulco and Iguala with the highest in rural municipalities such as Metlatonoc (80.6%) and Tlacoachistlahuaca (73.3%). However, the literacy rate for those between 6 and 14 year of age is 80%.

From pre-school through high school, the state has 9,559 schools, staffed by 44,239 teachers. The state university is the Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, which was initially founded as the Instituto Literario de Álvarez in 1852 in Acapulco. It was transferred to Chilpancingo when that city was made the capital in 1870. The institution was reorganized a number of times with the most modern structure taking shape in 1960, when the institution was named the Universidad de Guerrero. The current name was granted in 1963 when it became autonomous from direct state control.

There is also education in the native Amuzgo Guerrero language.

Infrastructure

Guerrero has a number of radio stations, one television channel, which broadcasts from the capital, with the rest satellite TV. There are international airports in Acapulco and Zihuatanejo as well as private airstrips.

Major communities

Ciudad Altamirano

Acapulco (Acapulco de Juárez)

Chilpancingo (Chilpancingo de los Bravo)

Iguala (Iguala de la Independencia)

Taxco (Taxco de Alarcón)

Tlapa de Comonfort

Zihuatanejo

References

External links

Guerrero State Government

State of Guerrero

Category:States of Mexico Category:States and territories established in 1858

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Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
Name	Robert Guerrero
Realname	Robert Joseph Guerrero
Nickname	The Ghost
Nationality	American
Weight	LightweightSuper FeatherweightFeatherweight
Height	5 ft. 8 in. (172 cm.)
Birth date	March 27, 1983
Birth place	Gilroy, California
Style	Southpaw
Total	33
Wins	29
Ko	18
Losses	1
Draws	1
No contests	2

Robert Joseph Guerrero (born March 27, 1983 in Gilroy, California) is a professional American boxer of Mexican descent. He is the former IBF Super Featherweight champion and a former two-time IBF featherweight champion of the world. Nicknamed ''The Ghost'', Guerrero's record is 29 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, and 2 no contest, with 18 of his wins coming by way of knockout. He vacated the IBF Super Featherweight champion due to his wife's battle with leukemia.

Guerrero's coaches are Rubin Guerrero and Bob Santos.

Professional career

Featherweight

After an impressive amateur career begun at a very young age, Guerrero turned professional, at the age of 18, on May 22, 2001 with a four-round unanimous decision win against Alejandro Cruz. After several wins and only a single draw later, Guerrero won the WBC NABF Featherweight title against Cesar Figueroa on December 9, 2004. Defending his NABF title twice, Guerrero was seen as a rising prospect, until meeting Gamaliel Diaz in a bout televised on ShoBox, on the Showtime channel, on December 12, 2005. An aggressive Diaz upset Guerrero, winning by split decision and taking the NABF belt in the process.

Guerrero rebounded from his first loss by defeating Sandros Marcos via third-round technical knock-out, setting up a rematch against Diaz, again on Showtime. Guerrero knocked down Diaz in the first round, and eventually knocking out Diaz early in the sixth round. The win set him up to face IBF champion Eric Aiken.

Winning the title

In his first world championship fight on September 2, 2006, Guerrero defeated Aiken by an eighth-round technical knockout in Los Angeles. Guerrero used inside fighting, neutralizing Aiken's power, and eventually making Aiken quit on his stool after the eighth round to earn his first world title belt.

Guerrero lost the belt in his next fight in a mandatory defense to unheralded Orlando Salido in Las Vegas. Salido dominated the majority of the bout and pulled off an upset decision win with scores of 115-113, 117-111, 118-110 . However, Salido would subsequently be stripped of the IBF title after testing positive for steroids, thus vacating the belt; the result of the bout would also be changed to a twelve-round no decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

The IBF subsequently gave Guerrero the shot at the vacant featherweight title, which he won by ninth-round technical knockout in Copenhagen, Denmark on February 23, 2007, against local Spend Abazi.

Guerrero's first defense of his second title was to be against Rocky Juarez (27-3, 19 KOs); however, Juarez chose to meet WBC Super Featherweight Champion Juan Manuel Márquez in a money fight instead. Guerrero's first defense was scheduled to be against Martin Honorio (24-3-1) on November 3, 2007, and was televised on Showtime, on the undercard of the Marquez-Juarez match. Guerrero was unable to attend the final press conference before the match after his wife was diagnosed with leukemia. Guerrero defeated Honorio in a first round knock-out.

On February 29, 2008, Guerrero defeated Jason Litzau via an eighth round knock out. Guerrero then vacated the title to move up in weight.

Super Featherweight

On March 7, 2009, Guerrero fought Daud Yordan in his HBO debut. The fight ended in a second round "no contest" decision after Guerrero suffered a headbutt resulting in a gash above his eye. After the bout Guerrero offered Yordan a rematch, however, Yordan reportedly declined.

On June 12, 2009, Guerrero faced Efren Hinojosa (30-5-1). He suffered another deep cut near his left eye from a head-butt in the seventh round, but this time it did not slow his progress as he scored an 8th round TKO victory. After the bout, the media described him as having redeemed himself for his previous lackluster effort.

On August 22, 2009, Guerrero challenged Malcolm Klassen for his IBF Super Featherweight title. Guerrero won the fight by a unanimous decision to claim the world title. The scores were 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113 in his favor.

In February 2010, Guerrero vacated his Featherweight title in order to care for his ailing wife.

Moving up in weight

On April 30, 2010, Guerrero moved up to the lightweight division to fight Robert Arrieta (35-15-4). The bout took place at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Guerrero won the fight by TKO in the 8th round.

After the bout, Guerrero expressed his interest in fighting Mexican champion Juan Manuel Márquez.

On July 31, 2010, Guerrero moved up to the junior welterweight division and faced Cuban fighter Joel Casamayor on the undercard of the Marquez vs. Diaz pay-per-view at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Guerrero defeated Casamayor by a 10 round unanimous decision. On November 6, 2010, he faced Vicente Escobedo for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental lightweight title. Guerrero knocked Escobedo down in the third and sixth rounds en route to a ten round unanimous decision. On April 9, 2011, Guerrero faced Michael Katsidis for the interim WBA and WBO lightweight titles. Guerrero won the bout with a 12 round unanimous decision.In a post fight interview when asked on his hometown he said,"It's nice when your pretty much there biggest thing besides garlic in Gilroy." Guerrero was scheduled to face Marcos Maidana in August for the WBA jr welterweight title, however, he was forced to pull out of the bout after suffering a torn tendon in his rotator cuff. He underwent surgery to repair the injury and could be out of the ring for up to 6 months.. He was later accused by Amir Khan, via Twitter, of not really being injured but that he was paid by Marcos Maidanna so he could take the WBA regular title.

Professional boxing record

|align="center" colspan=8|28 Wins (18 knockouts, 9 decisions), 1 Losses 1 Draws 2 No Contests |- | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Res. | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes |-align=center | || align=left| Michael Katsidis | || 12 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Vicente Escobedo | || 10 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Joel Casamayor | || 10 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Roberto David Arrieta | || 8 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |colspan=8| |-align=center | || align=left| Malcolm Klassen | || 12 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Efren Hinojosa | || 8 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |style="background: #DDDDDD"|NC || align=left| Daud Yordan | || 2 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Edel Ruiz | || 1 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Jason Litzau | || 8 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Martin Honorio | || 1 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Spend Abazi | || 9 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |style="background: #DDDDDD"|NC || align=left| Orlando Salido | || 12 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Eric Aiken | || 8 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Gamaliel Diaz | || 6 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Sandro Marcos | || 3 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Gamaliel Diaz | || 12 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Sammy Ventura | || 1 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Adrian Valdez | || 12 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Cesar Figueroa | || 4 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Enrique Sanchez | || 8 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Juan Polo Perez | || 2 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |style="background: #dae2f1"|Draw || align=left| Julian Rodriguez | || 1 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Jose Luis Tula | || 1 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| David Vasquez | || 1 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Jose Alfonso Rodriguez | || 2 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Freddy Castro | || 6 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Marcos Badillo | || 6 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Robert Enriquez | || 4 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Joaquin Candelario | || 4 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Arthur Trevino | || 4 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Oscar Rosales | || 4 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Javier Gonzalez | || 3 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center | || align=left| Alejandro Cruz | || 4 || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center

Documentary

In production, "The Ghost" (2010) documents the life of three-time world champion boxer Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero. Directed by Andrew Johnston, in association with Golden Boy Promotions.

References

External links

Official website

{{s-ttl | title=IBF Featherweight Champion | years=September 2, 2006 – November 4, 2006}} {{s-vac | reason=Lost to Orlando Salido, title retroactively stripped| next=Robert Guerrero}} |- {{s-ttl | title=IBF Featherweight Champion | years=February 23, 2007 – June 23, 2008Vacated}} {{s-ttl| title=IBF Junior Lightweight Champion | years=August 22, 2009 – February 16, 2010Vacated}} |- |- {{s-ttl| title=WBA Lightweight ChampionInterim Title | years=April 9, 2011 – ''present''}} |- {{s-ttl| title=WBO Lightweight ChampionInterim Title | years=April 9, 2011 – ''present''}}

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:American boxers of Mexican descent Category:Boxers from California Category:Featherweight boxers Category:World featherweight boxing champions Category:Southpaw boxers

fr:Robert Guerrero it:Robert Guerrero ja:ロバート・ゲレーロ pl:Robert Guerrero ru:Герреро, Роберт

Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
Name	Eddie Guerrero
Names	Black Tiger IIEddie GuerreroEddy GuerreroEl CalienteGory Guerrero, Jr.Máscara Mágica
Height
Weight
Birth date	October 09, 1967
Birth place	El Paso, Texas
Death date	November 13, 2005
Death place	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Resides	El Paso, Texas
Billed	El Paso, Texas
Debut	September 18, 1987
Website	}}

Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions. In the United States, Guerrero wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and in World Wrestling Entertainment (then WWF, later renamed to WWE). Guerrero's gimmick was that of "Latino Heat", a crafty, resourceful wrestler who would do anything to win a match. His catchphrase became "I Lie! I Cheat! I Steal!," which was used in one of his entrance themes. Guerrero partly used this phrase in his autobiography ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life''.

Despite being a villain for most of his career, he got over in and outside the ring. Throughout his career, Guerrero encountered various substance abuse problems outside of wrestling, including alcoholism and an addiction to painkillers. His real-life problems were sometimes integrated into his storylines. Notwithstanding these issues, Guerrero won twenty-three titles during his career, including the WWE Grand Slam Championship.

Early life

Eddie Guerrero became a wrestler, while his uncle Enrique Llanes (Yañez) and cousin Javier Llanes (Yañez) wrestled in Mexico. As a boy, Eddie Guerrero's father allowed him and Chavo Jr. to wrestle one another during intermissions in the wrestling promotions that Gory held. Gory ran wrestling promotions for nearly 15 years in the El Paso Coliseum.

Eddie Guerrero was born and raised in El Paso, Texas where he graduated from Jefferson High School and attended the University of New Mexico as well as New Mexico Highlands University on an athletic scholarship where he wrestled collegiately before returning to El Paso to train as a professional wrestler,which he loved.

Professional wrestling career

Early years (1987–1992)

From 1987 until 1992 Eddie Guerrero wrestled in Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre (EMLL) (now Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), World Wrestling Association (WWA) in Mexico and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the United States.

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (1992–1994)

In Mexico, he wrestled mainly for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA), teaming with El Hijo del Santo as the new version of La Pareja Atómica (The Atomic Pair), the tag team of Gory Guerrero and El Santo.

After Guerrero turned on Santo and allied with Art Barr as La Pareja del Terror (The Pair of Terror), the duo became arguably the most hated tag team in lucha libre history. Along with Barr, Konnan, Chicano Power, and Madonna’s Boyfriend, Guerrero formed Los Gringos Locos (The Crazy Americans), a villainous stable. Guerrero later said that no matter how many people joined Los Gringos Locos, the stable was all about Art. Locos feuded mostly with El Hijo del Santo and his partner Octagón, eventually ending in a Hair vs. Mask match at the first lucha pay-per-view in America, ''When Worlds Collide'', which they lost.

Guerrero and Barr's first break would come when they were noticed in late 1994 by the owner of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Paul Heyman, and were approached about wrestling for him in 1995. Barr, however, died before he could join ECW with Guerrero.

New Japan Pro Wrestling (1993–1996)

In 1993, Guerrero began wrestling in Japan for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he was known as the second incarnation of Black Tiger. He became more successful upon his return when he won the Best of the Super Juniors 1996 tournament of junior heavyweights. He received a shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion The Great Sasuke at NJPW Skydiving J but lost the match.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995)

Guerrero won the ECW World Television Championship from 2 Cold Scorpio on his debut in ECW, and went on to have a series of acclaimed matches with Dean Malenko before they both signed with World Championship Wrestling later that year. Guerrero lost the ECW Television Championship to Malenko on July 21 of that year, but Guerrero regained the title on July 28. Guerrero lost the ECW Television Championship back to 2 Cold Scorpio on August 25. The next day, they had their last match which ended in a draw in a two out of three falls match at the ECW Arena. After the match, the locker room emptied and the two were carried around the ring by their fellow wrestlers while the crowd chanted "please don't go".

World Championship Wrestling (1995–2000)

Return (1995)

Guerrero returned to WCW in late 1995 along with Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit with whom he had worked with in NJPW and ECW. During his first few pay-per-view events, he competed in dark matches against Alex Wright. His first televised pay-per-view appearance was at World War 3 where he competed in the 3-ring, 60-man World War 3 battle royal for the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Guerrero was one of the final nine men in the battle royal until he was tossed out of the ring by Four Horsemen members. At Starrcade 1995, Guerrero represented WCW in a WCW vs. NJPW World Cup tournament. He lost to Shinjiro Otani in the match, but WCW went on to win the series.

United States and Cruiserweight Champion (1996–1997)

In 1996, Guerrero received several shots at the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship against Konnan at Uncensored and Ric Flair at Hog Wild. He feuded with Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen during 1996 after Guerrero's partner Arn Anderson turned on him during a tag team match against Ric Flair and Randy Savage. In late 1996, he feuded with Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) after defeating him in a match at Clash of the Champions XXXIII. He started feuding with DDP to steal his nickname of "Lord of the Ring" but lost. Guerrero participated in a tournament for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship and defeated DDP in the final round at Starrcade 1996 to win the United States title.

In 1997, Guerrero defended the United States Heavyweight Championship against Scott Norton at Clash of the Champions XXXIV, Syxx in a ladder match at Souled Out, and Chris Jericho at SuperBrawl VII. His reign came to an end at Uncensored when Dean Malenko defeated him for the title.

After losing the United States Championship, Guerrero feuded with Jericho focusing on Jericho's WCW World Cruiserweight Championship. He challenged Jericho for the title at Clash of the Champions XXXV but lost. Guerrero demanded a rematch for the title. In the opening match of Fall Brawl 1997, Guerrero defeated Jericho to win the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship. He dropped the Cruiserweight title to Rey Mysterio, Jr. at Halloween Havoc in a Title vs. Mask match where Mysterio's mask was also on the line. On the November 10 edition of ''WCW Monday Nitro'', he regained the Cruiserweight title back from Mysterio, and made a successful title defense against Mysterio at World War 3. After retaining the title against Dean Malenko in the opening bout of Starrcade 1997, Guerrero dropped the title to Último Dragón the following day on the December 29 episode of ''Nitro''.

Feuding with Chavo Guerrero (1998)

Guerrero feuded with Booker T. On the March 9, 1998 edition of ''Nitro'', Guerrero's nephew Chavo Guerrero lost to Booker in a match. After the match, Guerrero suplexed Chavo to teach him a lesson. On the March 12 edition of ''WCW Thunder'', he defeated his nephew Chavo in a match and forced him to become his "slave". At Uncensored, Chavo was forced to support Guerrero when he faced Booker T for Booker's WCW World Television Championship. Guerrero lost the match after receiving a missile dropkick. Guerrero and Chavo feuded with Último Dragón. Chavo lost to Dragón at Spring Stampede. At Slamboree, Guerrero defeated Dragón despite interference from Chavo. After the match, Chavo kissed Eddie and began to display insane behavior. At The Great American Bash, Chavo got an upset victory over Guerrero. They faced each other in a Hair vs. Hair match at Bash at the Beach which Guerrero won. Continuing to show his crazy behavior Chavo would shave his own head while Guerrero looked on in disbelief. Guerrero saved Chavo from beatings by Stevie Ray, seeming that he would align with Chavo but he wanted his release.

Latino World Order (1998)

Despite his success and popularity, Guerrero had been one of many wrestlers who were frustrated at never being given a chance to be main event stars in WCW. These frustrations came to a head when Guerrero requested that WCW President Eric Bischoff either push his character or give him a raise for family reasons. Bischoff responded by allegedly throwing coffee at Guerrero (however, in his autobiography, Guerrero states that Bischoff accidentally knocked his coffee off the table and that it was a complete accident that he was hit). Furious, Guerrero demanded Bischoff release him from his contract on a live episode of ''Nitro''. Guerrero then left the company for a period of months, angry at Bischoff for what he had done. Guerrero later returned to WCW, leading to the belief that maybe Guerrero's angry speeches against Bischoff were actually a work (Guerrero later confirmed it to be a worked shoot). Guerrero would later contradict himself on WWE's DVD ''Monday Night War'' claiming that he tried to put personal differences aside for the good of the company, yet found himself angry and outraged once more because of Bischoff's supposed continued refusal to elevate Guerrero and other similar wrestlers. He let Brian Adams pin him and get an upset victory in a match.

On-screen, Guerrero responded to Bischoff's actions by forming the ''Latino World Order'' (LWO), which was a take-off of Bischoff's New World Order. The group was an answer to Bischoff's "refusal" to push Latino wrestlers in ways they felt they deserved. The LWO was formed in October when Guerrero returned to WCW, with Héctor Garza and Damien. The group eventually grew to encompass almost all the Mexican wrestlers working for WCW at the time. They mainly feuded with Rey Misterio, Jr. and Billy Kidman because they wanted Misterio to join the group. He faced Kidman in a match for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship but Misterio interfered and helped Kidman win the match and keep the title. However, Guerrero was involved in a serious car accident on New Year's Day, 1999 that cut short the LWO storyline. Guerrero survived the accident and returned to wrestling in a matter of months.

Filthy Animals (1999)

After his return in the summer of 1999, Eddie was the founding member of the Filthy Animals stable with Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Konnan (later growing to include Juventud Guerrera, Billy Kidman, and Disco Inferno). They feuded with the Dead Pool (Insane Clown Posse and Vampiro). They received two straight victories over the Dead Pool at Road Wild and Fall Brawl. They next feuded with The Revolution (Shane Douglas, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn). Guerrero was victorious over Saturn by disqualification in a singles match at Halloween Havoc. At Mayhem, the Animals lost to Revolution in a mixed tag team elimination match. When Vince Russo was fired as WCW booker and replaced by Kevin Sullivan, Guerrero asked for and received a release from his contract on January 19. He signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 2000 along with WCW stars Benoit, Malenko, and Saturn.

World Wrestling Federation (2000–2001)

The Radicalz (2000)

Guerrero and the other WCW wrestlers debuted in the WWF on the January 31, 2000 edition of ''Raw is War'' as The Radicalz, interfering in a match involving the New Age Outlaws. During his first match with the WWF, a tag team match with the Radicalz against the Outlaws, Guerrero performed a Frog Splash off the top rope and severely injured his elbow on the landing. As a result, he was sidelined for several weeks.

Latino Heat (2000)

In March 2000, Guerrero began pursuing the affections of Chyna, who he referred to as his "Mamacita". Chyna initially rejected his advances, but allied with him following WrestleMania 2000, declaring that she could not resist his "Latino Heat." Guerrero won his first WWF title on the April 3, 2000 edition of ''Raw is War'' by defeating Chris Jericho for the WWF European Championship with help from Chyna. After Chyna abandoned Lita to be attacked by the Dudley Boyz, he and Chyna began a feud with Essa Rios and Lita, ending in a European title defense at Backlash, which was also billed as the night of Guerrero's prom (he was said to have just earned a GED). Guerrero defeated Rios after arriving at ringside in a 1957 Chevrolet, even wrestling in his tuxedo pants and a bow tie. Guerrero successfully retained the title against former Radicalz friends Saturn and Malenko in a Triple Threat match at Judgment Day, before finally losing the title to Saturn at Fully Loaded.

Over the next few months, friction began to build between Guerrero and Chyna. Chyna was upset when Guerrero pinned her to advance in the King of the Ring tournament. At SummerSlam, Chyna won the WWF Intercontinental Championship in a mixed tag match. They had also inserted themselves in the drama between Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Kurt Angle. Guerrero claimed to not mind and then begged Commissioner Mick Foley to let him take part in a title defense between Chyna and Angle on the September 4 edition of ''Raw is War'', claiming he was afraid that Angle would injure Chyna. After Angle knocked Chyna down with the title belt, Guerrero "accidentally" pinned her to win his first Intercontinental Championship while trying to revive her. Chyna became visibly uncomfortable as Guerrero began to cheat in order to retain his title, while Guerrero was upset that Chyna was posing for ''Playboy'' magazine, even trying to invade the Playboy Mansion to stop the shooting. Just when it appeared that Chyna would leave Guerrero, he proposed to her and she accepted. At Unforgiven, Chyna helped Guerrero in retaining his title against Rikishi. The engagement was called off when Guerrero was caught showering with two of The Godfather's hos (one was Victoria) claiming that "Two Mamacitas are better than one!"

The Radicalz reunion (2000–2001)

Guerrero turned into a villain as a result of the incident. Then, the Radicalz reunited and feuded with the reformed D-Generation X (Chyna, Billy Gunn, Road Dogg, and K-Kwik). They defeated DX at Survivor Series in an elimination tag team match and assisted Triple H in his match with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Guerrero was later defeated by Gunn for the Intercontinental Championship, with help from Chyna. At Rebellion, Guerrero and Malenko lost to Gunn and Chyna. Benoit left the group to focus on a singles career while the rest of the Radicalz feuded with Lita and the Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff). At Armageddon, the Radicalz defeated the Hardyz and Lita in an elimination tag team match.

In early 2001, Guerrero feuded with Chris Jericho, Benoit, and X-Pac over Jericho's Intercontinental Championship. At No Way Out, the four men faced each other in a Fatal Four-Way match, which Jericho won. Guerrero focused on the European Championship, feuding with the champion Test defeating him at WrestleMania X-Seven to win his second European Championship with help from Saturn and Malenko. In April, Radicalz feuded with Test and his partners. Guerrero eventually left the Radicalz, siding with the Hardy Boyz and Lita. At this point, Guerrero developed an addiction to pain medication stemming from his 1999 car accident and in May 2001 was sent to rehab. To explain his absence, a storyline was created where Guerrero was "injured" by Prince Albert in a match. On November 9, 2001, he was arrested for drunk driving and was subsequently released by the WWF three days later.

Independent circuit (2001–2002)

Guerrero started wrestling on the independent circuit after his release from WWF. On February 23, he faced fellow Mexican Super Crazy on the debut show of Ring of Honor known as ''The Era of Honor Begins'' to crown the first-ever IWA Intercontinental Champion. Guerrero lost the match. On February 24, he debuted in the Australian promotion World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) at The Revolution beating the champion Juventud Guerrera and Psicosis in a Triple Threat match for the WWA International Cruiserweight Championship. On March 1, he defeated the champion CM Punk and Rey Mysterio in a Triple Threat match for the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship. He dropped the title back to Punk one day later on March 2. He vacated the WWA Cruiserweight title in April 2002 after returning to WWF.

Return To World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2002–2005)

Return to Raw (2002)

Guerrero returned to WWF on the April 1, 2002 edition of ''Raw'', attacking Rob Van Dam. He feuded with Van Dam defeating him for his second WWF Intercontinental Championship at Backlash. After retaining the title against Van Dam at Insurrextion and Judgment Day, he finally lost the belt to Van Dam on the May 27 episode of ''Raw'' in a ladder match although a drunk fan jumped in the ring knocking down the ladder that Guerrero was climbing caused both Guerrero and Van Dam to think up some new moves to continue the match without any mistakes. Guerrero then feuded with Steve Austin, but Austin left WWE before a match could take place. Chris Benoit returned to WWE the night Guerrero lost the title and reunited with him. Guerrero and Benoit feuded with Ric Flair for a while and Guerrero even lost a match to Flair at King of the Ring. Guerrero lost a match to The Rock, challenging him for the WWE Undisputed Championship after The Rock sang a version of "La Bamba" with the words changed to insult Guerrero on the July 29 edition of ''Raw''.

Los Guerreros (2002–2003)

On August 1, 2002, Guerrero and Benoit began to wrestle exclusively for WWE's SmackDown! brand. Guerrero feuded with Edge, to whom he lost at SummerSlam. Eddie continued his feud with Edge, whom he defeated at Unforgiven; they then had a No Disqualification match two weeks after Unforgiven on ''SmackDown'' which Edge won thus ending the rivalry. With Benoit focusing on Kurt Angle, Guerrero aligned himself with his nephew Chavo, forming the tag team Los Guerreros. In contrast to a previous WCW storyline with his nephew, Chavo fully agreed with his uncle as their slogan stated "We lie, we cheat, and we steal, but at least we're honest about it." In order to push the new tag team, vignettes were produced, which included things such as the two finagling their way into a rich lady's house and throwing a pool party.

The duo entered the eight-team tournament for the new WWE Tag Team Championship, sneaking past Rikishi and Mark Henry in the opening round, before starting a feud with the newly formed tag team of Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit. In one of the team's definitive moments, Chavo told Benoit that his former friend Guerrero was assaulted by his tag team partner Angle. Benoit ran to make the save, only to have himself locked inside a room. Guerrero then appeared in the room and assaulted Benoit with a steel chair. Benoit and Angle managed to overcome their differences and eventually defeated Los Guerreros in the tournament semi-finals. Later on, Benoit and Angle won the title. Benoit and Angle then fought for a trophy for being the first WWE Tag Team Champion. Much to Benoit's surprise, Los Guerreros helped him win the match.

At Survivor Series, Los Guerreros faced the new champions Edge and Rey Mysterio and the team of Angle and Benoit for the title. Eddie made Mysterio submit to The Lasso From El Paso to win their first WWE Tag Team Championship. They were defeated by Team Angle (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) on the February 6, 2003 edition of ''SmackDown!''. Los Guerreros and Team Angle began feuding with each other. Los Guerreros participated at WrestleMania XIX as contenders for the Tag Team Title, along with the team of Benoit and Rhyno. Both teams lost to Haas and Benjamin in a Triple Threat match. At Backlash, Los Guerreros lost to Team Angle in a rematch.

Teaming with Tajiri (2003)

Five days prior to Judgment Day, Chavo tore his biceps, forcing Eddie to look for another partner. He chose Tajiri. They won the WWE Tag Team Championship, Guerrero's second and Tajiri's first at Judgment Day by defeating Team Angle in a ladder match. The following week, Guerrero and Tajiri managed to retain their title by cheating. In addition, they also defeated Roddy Piper and his protegè Sean O'Haire in Madison Square Garden. After Guerrero and Tajiri lost the titles to Team Angle on the July 3 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Guerrero turned on Tajiri, slamming his partner through the windshield of his low-rider truck.

United States Champion (2003–2004)

In July 2003, Guerrero competed in a tournament for the United States Championship. He managed to advance to the final round, defeating Último Dragón and Billy Gunn in the process, where he would meet Chris Benoit. At Vengeance, Guerrero turned to his cheating tactics, hitting Benoit with the belt at one point in the match. Guerrero tried to get Benoit in trouble by placing the title belt on top of the unconscious Benoit. It did not work, however, since he knocked out the referee earlier with a belt shot to the kidneys. The match ended with interference and a Gore from Rhyno, Benoit's own partner, who was furious at the team's failure. Guerrero himself said that this was a major point in the character of Latino Heat, since he himself realized that the fans wanted to see him lie, cheat, and steal. Guerrero pinned Benoit and won the WWE United States Championship.

At SummerSlam, Guerrero retained his title by defeating Rhyno, Benoit, and Tajiri in a Fatal Four-Way match. He turned face again by engaging in a rivalry with John Cena. On the September 11 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Guerrero challenged Cena to a "Latino Heat" Parking Lot Brawl match for the United States Championship, which Guerrero won with help from his returning nephew, Chavo. The next week, Los Guerreros defeated The World's Greatest Tag Team (previously Team Angle) to win the WWE Tag Team Championship, making Eddie a double champion.

Guerrero engaged in a feud with The Big Show, which involved Guerrero giving the Big Show some laxative laced burritos and then later spraying the Big Show from a sewage truck. The feud ended when Guerrero dropped the United States title to Big Show at No Mercy. Four days later, Los Guerreros lost the Tag Team Championship to The Basham Brothers (Doug and Danny). They began feuding with The Basham Brothers, but failed to regain the titles at Survivor Series. As Los Guerreros attempted to regain the tag team title, things began to go downhill between Chavo and Guerrero and animosity began to build. Chavo then attacked and turned on Eddie after he suffered a beating from The Bashams. Guerrero feuded with Chavo and defeated him at the Royal Rumble to settle their feud.

WWE Champion (2004)

When Chris Benoit defected to ''Raw'' after winning the Royal Rumble, using his title shot to go for Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship, Eddie won a 15-man Royal Rumble style match on the January 29, 2004 edition of ''SmackDown!'' to earn a shot at the WWE Championship. After becoming the number one contender, Guerrero elevated himself to main event status and began feuding with the WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar. At No Way Out, Guerrero defeated Lesnar in the main event to win the WWE Championship. His next feud was with Kurt Angle, whom he defeated at WrestleMania XX to retain his title in his first big defense. At the end of this event, Guerrero celebrated in the ring with longtime friend Chris Benoit, who had just won the World Heavyweight Championship.

In March, he started a feud with fellow Texan John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) after JBL interrupted Eddie's match with Booker T. At Judgment Day, Guerrero defended his WWE title against JBL and retained the title after getting himself disqualified because JBL had kayfabe given his mother a heart attack. At The Great American Bash, Guerrero defended the title against JBL in a Texas Bullrope match. JBL won after Angle (who was General Manager of ''SmackDown!'' at the time) reversed the decision after Guerrero appeared to have retained the title. On the July 8 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Guerrero pulled a switcharoo with Shannon Moore, who was wrestling as "El Gran Luchadore" and wore the costume. The next week on ''SmackDown!'', Guerrero faced JBL in a steel cage match for the WWE title where El Gran Luchadore appeared again and cost Guerrero the match; he later revealed himself as Kurt Angle. Guerrero continued his feud with Angle again.

At SummerSlam, Guerrero lost to Angle after submitting to his ankle lock. Guerrero then allied himself with the Big Show. Each week Angle and his new allies Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak began targeting Guerrero and Big Show. Guerrero defeated Reigns in a singles match at No Mercy. General Manager Theodore Long booked a Survivor Series Elimination match between a team led by Guerrero and a team led by Angle. Guerrero's team consisted of himself, Big Show, John Cena (replacing the originally chosen Rey Mysterio), and Rob Van Dam. At Survivor Series, Guerrero's team defeated Angle's team. Guerrero, along with Booker T and The Undertaker, then challenged JBL for a WWE Championship rematch. Along the way, Guerrero found a partner in Booker T. At Armageddon, Guerrero and Booker's initial teamwork broke away, and the match ended with JBL pinning Booker following the Clothesline From Hell. Afterwards, Guerrero and Booker briefly and unsuccessfully attempted to win the Tag Team Championship.

Teaming and feuding with Rey Mysterio (2005)

At No Way Out, Eddie teamed up with longtime friend and sometimes rival, Rey Mysterio and defeated The Basham Brothers to win his final title, the WWE Tag Team Championship for a fourth time, with it being Mysterio's third reign. Many expected the new champions to defend their title at WrestleMania 21, but after encouragement from Chavo, Guerrero challenged Mysterio to a one-on-one match instead so they could "bring the house down." The two wrestled a match at WrestleMania with Mysterio getting the win. Although visibly frustrated, Guerrero congratulated his partner. After several mishaps in the weeks following WrestleMania, the growing tension between Guerrero and Mysterio finally erupted when they lost their tag team championship to the new team MNM (Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury) on the April 21 edition of ''SmackDown!''. Although the next week they received a rematch to regain the title, Guerrero turned heel once again by abandoning his partner, whom he had considered "his family" earlier in the show.

At the end of one episode of ''SmackDown!'', he attacked his former tag team partner, Mysterio, leaving him bruised and bloody after suplexing him onto a set of steel steps. Guerrero, having turned heel, then adopted a new, somewhat sociopathic gimmick. During this time, he also stopped driving his low-riders down the ring and walked to the ring with a frown on his face, and reverted to using the Lasso from El Paso as his finishing move. At Judgment Day, Guerrero lost to Mysterio by disqualification after hitting Mysterio with a chair.

On the June 30 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Guerrero threatened to reveal a secret about Mysterio and his son Dominick. The storyline grew to involve the families of both men, with both sides pleading for Guerrero not to reveal the secret. Mysterio defeated Guerrero again at The Great American Bash, a match with a stipulation that if Guerrero lost, he would not tell the secret. Yet Guerrero revealed the secret anyway on the following episode of ''SmackDown!'' - telling Dominick and the audience that Guerrero was his real father. In the following weeks, Guerrero revealed the details of the secret in a series of what he called "Eddie's Bedtime Stories." During that time he now had a dark comical gimmick. He claimed that he had a child out of wedlock (Dominick) while his marriage was going through hard times. He claimed he then allowed Mysterio and his wife, who were "having trouble conceiving", to adopt the child as their own. At SummerSlam, Guerrero lost a ladder match over Dominick's custody to Mysterio. Their feud ended when Guerrero gained a victory over Mysterio in a steel cage match(even with commentator Matt Striker commenting "the monkey is off your back now I guess").

His last days (2005)

Following his feud with Rey Mysterio, Guerrero was named number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship and given a title match with Batista. Despite this, Guerrero quickly proclaimed himself to be Batista's friend. Batista was well aware of Guerrero's sneaky reputation, and despite eventually accepting his friendship (initially to keep an eye on him), Batista would continually play mind games with Guerrero to expose his true intentions. A series of matches with MNM only supported Batista's suspicions that Guerrero was up to no good, as Guerrero appeared to have reverted to his cheating ways. In response to Batista's suspicions, Guerrero helped Batista win a match against his tag team partners, John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Christian. Batista defeated Guerrero at No Mercy to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in what would be Guerrero's last pay-per-view match. During the match, Guerrero struggled with a decision about whether or not to use a steel chair to secure the victory, eventually opting not to use it and losing as a result. Though the two demonstrated mutual respect after the match, Guerrero seemed displeased by the loss. Guerrero told Batista that he realized how low he had sunk since losing the WWE Championship in 2004, having attacked his best friend Rey Mysterio. Guerrero told Batista that shaking his hand at No Mercy had returned his respect to him. This turned Guerrero face again.

Guerrero wrestled his final match on the November 11 edition of ''SmackDown!'', defeating Mr. Kennedy to qualify for a place on the ''SmackDown!'' team at the Survivor Series Randy Orton was named as the official replacement for Guerrero on the team. It was also noted that for the November 18, 2005 edition of Smackdown being pretaped, a triple threat match between World Heavyweight Champion Batista, Randy Orton, and Guerrero for the title was to take place.

Other media

On March 13, 2004 (before WrestleMania XX), Guerrero (WWE Champion), along with The Big Show (United States Champion), Trish Stratus and Chris Jericho, made their guest appearances on ''MADtv'' as they "beat up" Jay Leno (Frank Caliendo) while Tonight Show Band leader Kevin Eubanks (Aries Spears) watched.

There have also been several DVDs and books released about his life and career, including ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life — The Eddie Guerrero Story'' (DVD, 2004), ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life — The Eddie Guerrero Story '' (book, 2005), and ''Viva La Raza: The Legacy of Eddie Guerrero'' (DVD 2008). In addition, the song "We Lie, We Cheat, We Steal" that he performed with Chavo was released on the ''WWE Originals'' CD.

Guerrero's catch phrase during the later part of his wrestling career with WWE was "Viva La Raza" (which is Spanish for "Long Live the Race"). In the mid parts of his wrestling career Guerrero took the title of "Latino Heat", which was also his theme song in the early 2000s

Personal life

Guerrero is survived by his widow Vickie Guerrero. The two married on April 24, 1990 and had two daughters: Shaul Marie Guerrero (born October 14, 1990) and Sherilyn Amber Guerrero (born July 8, 1995).

Guerrero also has another daughter; Kaylie Marie Guerrero (born 2002) with a woman named Tara Mahoney. He was separated from Vickie at the time, however Eddie had split from Tara before Kaylie was born. He reconciled with Vickie soon afterward, and they renewed their wedding vows.

Guerrero was also a born-again Christian.

Death

On November 13, 2005, Guerrero was found unconscious in his hotel room (The Marriott City Center) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by his nephew, Chavo. Chavo attempted CPR, but Eddie Guerrero was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived on the scene. He was 38 years old. An autopsy revealed that Guerrero died as a result of acute heart failure due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Guerrero's wife Vickie Guerrero claimed that he had been unwell in the week preceding his death. On the November 30 edition of ''WWE Byte This!'', Chavo said that Guerrero had been working hard and was at peak physical fitness as a result, doing cardiovascular and weight training exercises every day.

The episodes of ''Raw'' on November 14, 2005 and ''SmackDown!'' on November 18, 2005 each aired as tributes to Guerrero. No WWE employees were forced to perform, although several matches took place, including one featuring Chavo, who finished the match with his uncle's frog splash. ''Raw'' started off with all the superstars and several personnel on stage, as Vince McMahon addressed the live crowd before finishing with a ten-bell salute. In addition to the ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown'' tribute shows, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling dedicated the pay-per-view TNA Genesis (which aired the evening of his death) to Guerrero. while Ring of Honor named their next show "Night of Tribute." Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), WWE's former developmental territory, also paid tribute to Guerrero on their television taping following his death. Many of the wrestlers there wore arm bands with "E.G." on them. Eventually, other wrestlers, primarily his nephew Chavo and friends Mysterio and Christian, paid tribute to him in their matches by using the Frog Splash, Eddie's finisher. Combat Zone Wrestling also Guerrero with a ten-bell salute during one of their cards.

Hall of Fame and other mentions

Guerrero was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 1, 2006 by Rey Mysterio, his nephew Chavo Guerrero, and Chris Benoit in Chicago, Illinois on the night before WrestleMania 22. His widow, Vickie Guerrero, accepted the honor. The next night at Wrestlemania, Rey Mysterio won the World Heavyweight Championship, and dedicated the victory and the title to Guerrero.

There have been several tributes made to honor Guerrero since his induction into the Hall of Fame, including a video package that featured not only his time on SmackDown!, but expanded to his life outside the ring, that aired on the ''Decade of SmackDown!'' special on October 2, 2009; a special titantron feature of WWE Hall of Famers who had competed in the Royal Rumble, which aired before the 2011 event, included Guerrero; and a place on the WWE Top 50 Superstars of All Time DVD, as voted by fellow superstars, who placed him 11th.

Guerrero has also been featured in the game ''WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006'', which was completed during mid-2005 and Eddie provides his own voice. The game attracted some minor controversy due to an in-game story where Eddie is placed into a coffin by The Undertaker, particularly the fact that life imitated art in this sensitive instance. The coincidence was more resounding in the United Kingdom, where the game was released during the week of Guerrero's death. He also appeared as a legend in the games WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2007, WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2008 (PSP only) and WWE '12 and is included on the WWE Legends roster in the THQ video game "WWE All Stars."

Guerrero's family members within the business have also made numerous references to Eddie, ranging from simple guestures and anecdotes to the adaptation of his signature moves and mannerisms in the ring. When his brother Hector signed with TNA, Hector looked up to the sky and mentioned how his father and brother have inspired him and he thanked them. At WrestleMania XXVI Vickie Guerrero competed in a 10-Diva Tag Match, in which her team was victorious after she climbed the turnbuckle, pointed to the sky and connected with a "Frog splash." And on the November 15, 2010 "Old School" edition of WWE Raw, WWE Legend and Eddie's older brother Chavo Guerrero, Sr. (aka Chavo Classic) gestured to the sky and shouted "Eddie!" as he was introduced.

During the 2011 Royal Rumble match itself. Eddie's nephew Chavo Guerrero paid tribute to him by the doing one of Eddie's signature moves "The Three Amigos" (triple vertical suplex), and followed up by pointing to the sky and doing the dance Eddie used to do.

''Sports Illustrated'' steroid investigation

On March 19, 2007, ''Sports Illustrated'' posted on its website an article in its continuing series investigating a steroid and HGH ring used by a number of professional athletes in several sports. This article mentioned several current and former WWE wrestlers, including Guerrero, who was alleged to have obtained hCG and the steroid stanozolol in early 2005. At the time of the alleged steroid usage, the WWE had not yet instituted its Wellness Policy in which wrestlers are tested for substances, which was stated by WWE.com on the day the article was released.

In wrestling

As Eddie Guerrero

*Finishing moves

**"The Three Amigos" (Triple rolling Verticals)

*Frog splash (WCW / WWF/E) / ''Jackknife Splash'' (WCW) – adopted from and used as a tribute to Art Barr

*''Lasso From El Paso'' (Elevated cloverleaf with a knee to the back)

*Signature moves

*Brainbuster

*Dropkick, sometimes to the opponent's knee or from the top rope

*Figure four leglock

*Gory special – adopted from his father

*''Hilo'' (Slingshot somersault senton)

*Hurricanrana, sometimes to an oncoming opponent, while springboarding or from the top rope

*Monkey flip to cornered opponent

**Multiple suplex variations

**German

**Super

**Vertical

*Plancha

*''Splash Mountain'' (Sitout crucifix powerbomb)

*Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker

*Tornado DDT

As Black Tiger

*Finishing moves

*''Black Tiger Bomb'' (Sitout crucifix powerbomb, sometimes from the second rope)

*Signature moves

*Slingshot somersault senton

*Tornado DDT

Managers

*Chyna

Nicknames

*"Latino Heat"

Entrance themes

*Extreme Championship Wrestling

**As Eddie Guerrero

***"Animal" by Pearl Jam (1995)

***"Live and Let Die" by Guns N' Roses (1995)

*World Championship Wrestling

**As Eddy Guerrero

***"Bad Man" (1995–1998)

*World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment

**As Eddie Guerrero

***"Latino Heat" by Jim Johnston (2000–2001, 2002–2003)

***"We Lie, We Cheat, We Steal" by Jim Johnston (used while partnering with Chavo Guerrero; 2003–2004)

***"I Lie, I Cheat, I Steal" by Jim Johnston (2004–2005)

***"Can You Feel the Heat" by Jim Johnston (2005)

***"Gangsta Lean" by Jim Johnston (2005)

Championships and accomplishments

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración

AAA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Art Barr

AAA Hall of Fame (Class of 2008)

Extreme Championship Wrestling

ECW World Television Championship (2 times)

Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South

IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Latin American Wrestling Association

LAWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

New Japan Pro Wrestling

NJPW Junior Heavyweight Super Grade Tag League Championship (1 time) – with The Great Sasuke

Best of the Super Juniors (1996)

Pro Wrestling Federation

PWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Hector Guerrero

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Comeback of the Year (1999)

PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2002, 2004)

PWI Stanley Weston Award (2005)

PWI ranked him # 2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2004.

PWI ranked him #81 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003

PWI ranked him # 18 with Art Barr of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" in 2003

World Championship Wrestling

WCW Cruiserweight Championship (2 times)

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Wrestling All-Stars

WWA International Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)

World Wrestling Association

WWA Welterweight Championship (1 time)

WWA Trios Championship (1 time) – with Chavo Guerrero and Mando Guerrero

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment

WWE Championship (1 time)

WWE Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Chavo Guerrero (2), Tajiri (1), and Rey Mysterio (1)

WWE United States Championship (1 time)

WWF European Championship (2 times)

WWF/E Intercontinental Championship (2 times)

WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2006)

*Eleventh Triple Crown Champion

*Sixth Grand Slam Championship

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

*Best on Interviews (2005)

*Feud of the Year (1994) with Art Barr vs. El Hijo del Santo and Octagón

*Feud of the Year (1995) vs. Dean Malenko

*Most Charismatic (2004, 2005)

*Tag Team of the Year (1994) with Art Barr as La Pareja del Terror

* 5 stars match Los Gringos Locos (Eddie Guerrero and Art Barr) vs. El Hijo del Santo and Octagón(hair vs. masks; 2-out-of-3 Falls Match) – November 6, 1994 AAA When Worlds Collide PPV

*Tag Team of the Year (2002) with Chavo Guerrero as Los Guerreros

*Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2006)

Luchas de Apuestas

{| style="margin:auto;" class="wikitable" border="1" |- style="text-align:center;" !style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Wager !style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Winner !style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Loser !style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Location !style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Date |- style="text-align:center;" | Hair || Eddie Guerrero || Ari Romero | Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua || 1987 |- style="text-align:center;" | Hair || Eddie Guerrero || Negro Casas | Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua || Unknown |- style="text-align:center;" | Hair || El Hijo del Santo and Octagón || Eddie Guerrero and Art Barr | Los Angeles, California || November 6, 1994 |- style="text-align:center;" | Hair || Eddie Guerrero || Chavo Guerrero, Jr. | San Diego, California || July 12, 1998 |- style="text-align:center;" | Custody of Dominic|| Rey Mysterio || Eddie Guerrero|| Washington D.C ||August 21, 2005 |}

References

External links

WWE Hall of Fame profile of Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Guerrero's Complete Biography at Wrestling Gimmicks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis

Category:1967 births Category:2005 deaths Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:American professional wrestlers of Mexican descent Category:Mexican professional wrestlers Category:People from El Paso, Texas Category:WWE Hall of Fame

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Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
name	Brock Lesnar
birth name	Brock Edward Lesnar
birth date	July 12, 1977
weight lb	280
weight class	Heavyweight
reach in	81
style	Wrestling
stance	Orthodox
fighting out of	Alexandria, Minnesota
team	DeathClutch Gym
trainer	Head Trainer: Marty Morgan Coach: Erik Paulson Boxing: Peter Welch Jiu-Jitsu: Rodrigo Medeiros
rank	NCAA Division I Wrestling
years active	2007 – present (MMA)
mma win	5
mma kowin	2
mma subwin	2
mma decwin	1
mma loss	2
mma koloss	1
mma subloss	1
university	University of Minnesota
spouse	Rena Mero
sherdog	17522
updated	October 14, 2010 }}

Brock Edward Lesnar (; born July 12, 1977) is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog. Lesnar is an accomplished amateur wrestler, winning the 2000 NCAA heavyweight wrestling championship and placing second in 1999, losing in the finals to 1999 world freestyle wrestling champion and future New England Patriots offensive lineman Stephen Neal.

He then gained prominence in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he was a three-time WWE Champion, becoming the youngest WWE Champion at age 25 with his first reign. Lesnar was also the 2002 King of the Ring and the winner of the 2003 Royal Rumble. After leaving WWE in 2004, Lesnar pursued a career in the NFL. He played during the preseason for the Minnesota Vikings, but ended up being a late cut. Lesnar returned to professional wrestling at the end of 2005, and joined New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in his first match. He was stripped of the title in July 2006, although he held the physical belt until June 2007.

Lesnar started a career in mixed martial arts and won his first fight in June 2007. He then signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in October 2007. He lost his UFC debut against Frank Mir. He captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship from Randy Couture on November 15, 2008, then avenged his loss to Mir at UFC 100 to become the Undisputed Champion. After being sidelined from fighting in late 2009 due to diverticulitis, Lesnar returned to defeat the Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin at UFC 116. Lesnar lost the Heavyweight belt against Cain Velasquez at UFC 121. He was once again stricken with a bout of diverticulitis in May 2011 and had surgery to try and cope with the ailment. In August 2011, Lesnar stated that he is ready to return to fighting in the UFC.

Early life

Brock Lesnar was born in Webster, South Dakota. He attended Webster High School in Webster, where he had a wrestling record of 33–0–0 in his senior year. Lesnar admits he graduated last of 54 students in his class. Lesnar later attended the University of Minnesota on a full wrestling scholarship for his junior and senior years of college; his roommate was fellow professional wrestler Shelton Benjamin who also served as Lesnar's assistant coach. Lesnar won the 2000 NCAA wrestling championship as a heavyweight after placing second in 1999.

Prior to joining the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Lesnar also wrestled at Bismarck State College in Bismarck, North Dakota. Lesnar finished his amateur career as a two-time NJCAA All-American, 1998 NJCAA Heavyweight Champion, two-time NCAA All-American, two-time Big Ten Conference Champion, and the 2000 NCAA heavyweight champion with a record of 106–5 overall in four years of college.

Professional wrestling career

{{infobox wrestler| name	Brock Lesnar
Names	Brock Lesnar
Billed height
Billed weight
Billed	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Trainer	Ohio Valley Wrestling
Debut	October 2000
Retired	2006

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (2002–2004)

Training and debut (2000–2002)

In 2000, after leaving college, Lesnar signed up with the World Wrestling Federation. He was sent to its developmental territory. Ohio Valley Wrestling. There, he formed a tag team known as "The Minnesota Stretching Crew" with his former college roommate, Shelton Benjamin. Lesnar and Benjamin won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship on three occasions. He wrestled several dark matches in 2001 and 2002 before being called up to the main roster.

Lesnar debuted on WWF television on the March 18, 2002 episode of ''Raw'', the night after WrestleMania X8, coming through the crowd and attacking Al Snow, Maven, and Spike Dudley during the course of a match. He was accompanied by Paul Heyman, who was seen giving instructions to Lesnar. When the brand extension was introduced in the WWF, Lesnar was drafted to the Raw brand. Later, Heyman was confirmed to be Lesnar's agent and gave Lesnar the nickname "The Next Big Thing". Brock's first feud was with the Hardy Boyz. Lesnar and Jeff Hardy squared off at Backlash in Lesnar's first official televised match. He won the match by knockout. The next night on ''Raw'' Lesnar faced off against Matt Hardy, defeating him in the same fashion. At Judgment Day, Lesnar once again gained the upper hand on the Hardy Boyz before tagging his partner, Heyman, in to make the pin.

Main event status (2002–2003)

In June 2002, Lesnar won the King of the Ring tournament, defeating Rob Van Dam in the final round. This victory earned him a shot at the WWE Undisputed Championship at SummerSlam. On July 22, Lesnar joined the SmackDown! brand. After a quick feud with Hollywood Hulk Hogan in August 2002, Lesnar began feuding with the Undisputed Champion The Rock. At the main event of SummerSlam, Lesnar defeated The Rock to become the WWE Undisputed Champion. With his victory at age 25, Lesnar became the youngest WWE Champion in history (a record that was previously held by The Rock and stands to date). With the WWE Undisputed Championship being defended on both brands, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff expected Lesnar to be able to return to ''Raw'' the following night. However, SmackDown General Manager Stephanie McMahon announced that Lesnar's contract only required him to defend the title on ''SmackDown!'', forcing Bischoff to establish a new world championship for his brand. With the new World Heavyweight Championship on the Raw brand, the now disputed WWE Undisputed Championship simply became known as the WWE Championship.

Lesnar's rapid rise to the top of WWE in 2002 led to a feud with The Undertaker, which involved a match at Unforgiven. It ended in a double disqualification leading to Lesnar retaining the title. The next month, at No Mercy, he faced The Undertaker again, this time in a Hell in a Cell match. Leading up to the match, Lesnar broke the Undertaker's hand with a propane tank. Despite Heyman begging McMahon not to let The Undertaker use his cast as a weapon, the request was denied and the match went on as planned. In a match that saw both wrestlers and even Heyman covered in blood, it ended when Lesnar reversed an attempted Tombstone piledriver into his finishing F-5 maneuver for the win. Six days after his Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker, Lesnar successfully retained his WWE title in a Handicap match with Heyman at the Rebellion pay-per-view against Edge.

Lesnar's next opponent was The Big Show. Heyman was convinced more than anyone that Lesnar could not win, trying to talk him out of defending the title. Lesnar refused and lost the championship in Madison Square Garden at the Survivor Series pay-per-view to Big Show, Lesnar's first pinfall loss in WWE. When the champion tried to pin the 500-pounder following an F-5, he was betrayed by Heyman who pulled the referee out of the ring allowing Big Show to capitalize and win the title. As a result, Lesnar became a fan favorite. Following Survivor Series, Heyman made it clear that Lesnar would not get a rematch, even going so far as to sneak a special clause in his contract. At the Royal Rumble event in January 2003, Lesnar defeated The Big Show in a qualification match. Lesnar later entered the Rumble as the No.29 entrant where he eventually won by eliminating The Undertaker.

After winning the Royal Rumble match, Lesnar spent the next two months in a scripted feud with WWE champion Kurt Angle, who Lesnar had helped win the title and who also was represented by Paul Heyman. Angle had Heyman, and Team Angle (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas) behind him, but Lesnar overcame these opponents. Lesnar regained the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XIX. Toward the end of the match, he botched a shooting star press; despite having landed the move successfully several times in OVW, in this match he overestimated the distance he was capable of jumping for the move and under-rotated, slamming his head into Angle's side and ribcage. This stunned Lesnar and forced Angle to improvise the finish of the match. Lesnar suffered a severe concussion from the botched move.

Following WrestleMania, John Cena began targeting Lesnar for almost ending his career (by using the F-5 to propel his leg into a ring post) after a previous match between the two. This led to Cena receiving a title match at Backlash in which Lesnar successfully retained the title. Earlier at the Backlash pay-per-view, Big Show had injured Rey Mysterio badly, resulting in Mysterio being carried out on a stretcher. This injury led to Lesnar renewing his feud with Big Show, which led to a Stretcher match at Judgment Day for the title. Lesnar successfully retained his title with help from Rey Mysterio and a forklift. During the scripted rivalry, on ''SmackDown!'', Lesnar lifted Big Show over in a Superplex, which caused the ring to collapse on impact. At Vengeance, Lesnar lost his title to Kurt Angle in a No Disqualification Triple Threat match that also involved Big Show.

Prior to SummerSlam, Lesnar became a villain by betraying Kurt Angle, leading to a rematch at the event. Lesnar lost to Angle when Angle made Lesnar tap out to the ankle lock. A second rematch between Lesnar and Angle, an Iron Man match, was later held on an episode of ''SmackDown!''. Lesnar defeated Angle in a match that was said as one of the best in ''SmackDown!'' history. Angle slapped on the ankle lock with a few seconds remaining but Lesnar did not tap. Lesnar won with five falls to Angle's four, making him a three-time WWE Champion. Lesnar's first challenger for his newly won title was The Undertaker. Lesnar had previously cost Undertaker the title in a match against then-champion Kurt Angle, which granted him a shot at Lesnar's title. At No Mercy, Lesnar defeated Undertaker in a Biker Chain match. Lesnar realigned himself with Paul Heyman after Heyman became General Manager of ''SmackDown!'' and formed Team Lesnar with Big Show, Matt Morgan, A-Train, and Nathan Jones for a 10-man Survivor Series match at Survivor Series. In the climax of the match, Chris Benoit became the second person to make Lesnar tap out. Lesnar faced Benoit in a singles bout two weeks later for the WWE Championship on ''SmackDown!'', where Lesnar won after Benoit passed out to Lesnar's debuting Brock Lock submission hold.

Feuding with Goldberg and departure (2003–2004)

The Survivor Series event also marked the first time Lesnar met Goldberg from the Raw brand, a man to whom Lesnar had been compared due to their similar physiques and undefeated streaks in wrestling. Lesnar claimed in a backstage interview that he could beat anybody in the world, leading to Goldberg interrupting the interview and introducing himself to Lesnar, shaking hands with him before leaving with a staredown. Lesnar followed this rivalry with a feud involving Hardcore Holly. In this storyline, Holly wanted revenge on Lesnar for legitimately breaking his neck during a previous match between the two in 2002. During that match, Lesnar went for a powerbomb, but Holly, who has gained a reputation of being uncooperative with rookies, supposedly sandbagged mid-lift so that Lesnar could not get him all the way up. Holly compounded the difficulty of the move by not lifting up at the waist. During the struggle, Lesnar ended up dropping Holly on his head, leaving him in need of neck surgery and out of action for a year. At the Royal Rumble in 2004, Lesnar defeated Holly to retain the WWE Championship. Later in the Royal Rumble match, Lesnar attacked Goldberg and delivered an F-5, enabling Kurt Angle to eliminate him.

In February, Lesnar faced Eddie Guerrero for the title at No Way Out. During the match, Goldberg interfered in the match, allowing Guerrero to capitalize and pin Lesnar after a frog splash to win the WWE Championship. The match set up an interbrand match for WrestleMania XX between Lesnar and Goldberg. During the feud with Goldberg, Lesnar also was feuding with ''Raw'''s Stone Cold Steve Austin (who was shown suggesting to Goldberg that he attack Lesnar at No Way Out). When Lesnar attacked Austin on ''Raw'' and stole his four-wheeler, Austin was inserted as the special guest referee for the WrestleMania match. Behind the scenes, it was widely known that the match would be Goldberg's last in WWE. Only a week before WrestleMania, however, rumors surfaced that Lesnar, too, was leaving in order to pursue a career in the National Football League. As a result, Lesnar's match with Goldberg became a fiasco as the fans at Madison Square Garden jeered both wrestlers with very loud and distinct chants of "na na, hey hey goodbye" and "you sold out," with the crowd support mostly given to special referee Austin. Although Goldberg won the match, both men were given a Stone Cold Stunner by Austin on their way out.

New Japan Pro Wrestling (2005–2006)

On October 8, 2005, Lesnar won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in a three-way match at a New Japan Pro Wrestling show in the Tokyo Dome, which included the then-champion Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono. He won the match by pinning Masahiro Chono after an F-5, which he had renamed the Verdict, since WWE owns the trademark on the F-5 name. After the match, he stated that this name was referring to his lawsuit against WWE. The match was his first pro wrestling match since leaving WWE. Lesnar is one of the few American wrestlers to have held this title.

On December 6, WWE filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent Lesnar from continuing to work with NJPW, but the court did not grant it, and thus Lesnar had two non-title victories against Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata. Lesnar successfully defended his championship on January 4, 2006, against former champion Shinsuke Nakamura. On January 13, WWE once again filed an injunction against Lesnar to stop him from defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on March 19. Evidently this was not enforced (nor granted), as he went on to have a tag team match with Shinsuke Nakamura against Akebono and Riki Chōshū at the Sumo Hall on February 19, which was won after a Verdict to Chōshū. On March 19, at the Sumo Hall, Lesnar retained his championship against former Sumo Wrestling Grand Champion Akebono when Lesnar hit him with the championship belt and a DDT. Lesnar went on to successfully defend his title against the winner of the New Japan Cup, Giant Bernard, on May 3, 2006, in Fukuoka. This was the first American vs. American title match in NJPW since Vader vs. Stan Hansen in 1990.

On July 15, 2006, New Japan Pro Wrestling announced that Brock Lesnar had been stripped of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as he would no longer be returning to defend the title due to "visa issues." A tournament was held on July 16 to determine the new champion, which was won by Hiroshi Tanahashi, the man Lesnar was originally scheduled to face. Lesnar continued to possess the physical IWGP Championship belt until late June 2007.

Approximately one year later on June 29, 2007, Lesnar defended his IWGP Heavyweight Championship (IGF promoter Antonio Inoki had stated he still viewed Lesnar as the "proper" IWGP Champion, as he was not defeated for the title) against TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle in a champion versus champion match. Angle defeated Lesnar with the Ankle lock to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as recognized by IGF and TNA. and challenged him to an MMA fight. This was Lesnar's last match as a professional wrestler.

Lawsuit

Lesnar had previously signed a no-compete clause in order to be released from his contract with WWE, which prohibited him from working for any other sports entertainment or mixed martial arts companies before June 2010. Lesnar had anticipated leaving wrestling entirely, but his inability to secure a career in professional football led to him challenging this ruling in court. WWE responded by demanding damages as a result of Lesnar allegedly breaching the agreement by appearing at a New Japan Pro Wrestling show in 2004. In July 2005, the two sides dropped their claims and entered negotiations to renew their relationship. WWE had offered Lesnar a contract, but on August 2, 2005, WWE's official website reported that Lesnar had withdrawn from any involvement with the company. The lawsuit was then entered into settlement on September 21, but talks broke down.

On January 14, 2006, Judge Christopher Droney stated that unless WWE gave him a good argument between then and January 25, he would rule in favor of Brock Lesnar, giving him a summary judgment. This would have enabled Lesnar to work anywhere he wanted immediately. WWE was later granted a deadline postponement. On April 24, World Wrestling Entertainment announced on their official website, WWE.com, that both parties had mutually come to a settlement and on June 12, a federal judge dismissed Lesnar's lawsuit against WWE after both parties requested for the case to be dismissed.

National Football League (2004–2005)

Name	Brock Lesnar
Currentteam	Free Agent
Currentnumber	--
Currentposition	Defensive tackle
Birth date	July 12, 1977
Birth place	Webster, South Dakota
Heightft	6
Heightin	2
Weight	285
Highschool	Webster High School
College	University of Minnesota
Undraftedyear	2004
Pastteams	Minnesota Vikings (2004)* :*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Status	active
Statweek	17
Statseason	2004
Statlabel1	Games played
Statvalue1	--
Statlabel2	Tackles
Statvalue2	--
Statlabel3	Sacks
Statvalue3	-- }}

After his final match at WrestleMania XX, Lesnar sidelined his career in WWE to pursue a career in the National Football League. This move upset many in WWE, as the company felt they had invested heavily in Lesnar. World Wrestling Entertainment confirmed Lesnar's departure on their official website WWE.com by the statement

}}

Lesnar later told a Minnesota radio show that he had three wonderful years in WWE, but had grown unhappy and had always wanted to play pro football, adding that he did not want to be 40 years old and wondering if he could have made it in football. In an interview about starting with the NFL, Lesnar made the statement }}

Lesnar played for the Minnesota Vikings, where he created controversy in some games by starting minor fights and got heat from the Kansas City Chiefs for a sack on quarterback Damon Huard, which drew a big response from the crowd. Huard was hit hard and had to go to the sidelines and sit out a few plays. After playing in the preseason, Lesnar ended up being a late cut. He declined an invitation to play as a representative of the Vikings in NFL Europa because he wanted to be closer to home with his family.

Mixed martial arts

Hero's (2007)

On April 28, 2006, Lesnar appeared inside the ring after the final match of K-1 Hero's Las Vegas and announced his intent to join the MMA promotion. He trained with Minnesota Martial Arts Academy under Greg Nelson, and University of Minnesota Assistant Head wrestling coach Marty Morgan. Brock Lesnar announced on August 12 in Las Vegas that he had signed a deal with the K-1 promotion. His first fight was scheduled for June 2, 2007, on the K-1 Dynamite!! USA show against Choi Hong-man of Korea. However, prior to the match, Choi Hong-Man was replaced by Min Soo Kim. Lesnar submitted Min Soo Kim due to strikes in 1 minute 9 seconds of the first round to win his first official MMA match.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (2008–present)

During ''UFC 77'', it was announced that Brock Lesnar had reached a deal to fight with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). On February 2, 2008, Lesnar made his debut with the promotion in an event titled ''UFC 81:Breaking Point'' against former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Frank Mir. Lesnar secured an early takedown, but was deducted a point for hitting Mir on the back of the head. Following another takedown by Lesnar, Mir managed to secure a kneebar and force a submission at 1:30 of the first round. Due to the large size of his hands, Lesnar was wearing 4XL gloves for the fight, making him the second man in Nevada's combat sports history to wear such gloves after Choi Hong-man. At ''UFC 82'', it was announced that former UFC Heavyweight Champion and UFC Hall of Fame inductee Mark Coleman would fight Lesnar at ''UFC 87:Seek and Destroy''. Coleman was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a training injury, and Lesnar's opponent was changed to Heath Herring. In the early seconds of the first round, Lesnar dropped Herring with a straight right. For the rest of the fight, Lesnar kept the fight on the ground and went on to win by unanimous decision.

Lesnar's next opponent was Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 91:Couture vs Lesnar on November 15. Lesnar beat Couture via a technical knockout in Round 2, becoming the UFC Heavyweight Champion.

On December 27, 2008, at UFC 92, Frank Mir defeated Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira for the Interim Heavyweight title and was to face Lesnar for the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 98. Immediately after winning the Interim Heavyweight title, Mir found Lesnar in the crowd and shouted at him "You've got ''my'' belt."

However, due to a knee injury to Mir, the title unification match with Lesnar that was originally slated to be the UFC 98 main event was postponed. The news broke during the broadcast of UFC 96 that the bout had been cancelled and was replaced by Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida for the UFC Light-Heavyweight Championship." Lesnar won the postponed rematch with Mir at UFC 100 on July 11, 2009, via Knockout after dominating his opponent for the duration of the bout. The win earned Lesnar Beatdown of the Year honors from Sherdog for 2009. It's an award he also shares with Anderson Silva after his win over Forrest Griffin. . During his post-match celebration, Lesnar flipped off the crowd who had been booing him. He made a disparaging comment about the PPV's primary sponsor Bud Light, claiming they "won't pay me nothin, promoting Coors Light instead. He then stated he might even "get on top of [his] wife" after the show. He would later apologize for his actions in his post-fight press conference, where he held a bottle of Bud Light.

In January 2009, Brock Lesnar signed a supplement endorsement deal with Dymatize Nutrition. A CD containing training footage of Lesnar was included with boxes of Dymatize Xpand and Energized Xpand.

On July 1, 2009, it was reported that the winner of the Shane Carwin vs. Cain Velasquez fight at UFC 104 would face Brock Lesnar in his second title defense on a date yet to be determined; however, the UFC then reconsidered the contendership bout and Lesnar was scheduled to defend his belt against Shane Carwin at ''UFC 106'' on November 21.

Illness

On October 26, 2009, it was announced that Lesnar had pulled out of the UFC 106 card in which he was set to face Shane Carwin for the UFC Heavyweight Championship due to an illness. UFC President Dana White said that Brock had been ill for three weeks, claiming he had never been this sick in his life and that it would take him a while to recover; his fight with Carwin was rescheduled for UFC 108 in early 2010. Lesnar initially sought treatment in Canada, but later told reporters that he had received "Third World treatment" from malfunctioning equipment at a hospital in Brandon, Manitoba, and that seeking better medical treatment in the United States saved his life. Lesnar, who describes himself as a conservative and a supporter of the US Republican Party, went on to criticize Canadian-style health care further and said that he shared his experience in an effort to speak "on the behalf of the doctors in the United States that don't want health care reform to happen and neither do I."

On November 4, it was confirmed that Lesnar was suffering from mononucleosis and that his bout with Carwin would have to wait a bit longer, thus the fight for UFC 108 was cancelled. On November 14 at the UFC 105 post-fight conference, Dana stated, "He's not well and he's not going to be getting well anytime soon." and that an interim title match might need to be set up. In addition to mononucleosis, it was revealed that Lesnar was suffering from a serious case of diverticulitis, an intestinal disorder, which would require surgery. After further diagnosis, on November 16 Lesnar underwent surgery to close a perforation in his intestine that had been leaking fecal matter into his abdomen, causing pain, abscesses, and overtaxing his immune system to the point that he contracted mononucleosis. From the level of damage to Lesnar's system, the surgeon estimated that the intestinal condition had been ongoing for around a year.

Return

In January 2010, Lesnar announced on ESPN SportsCenter that he was scheduled to make a return to the UFC in the summer of 2010. A match between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin took place on March 27 at UFC 111 to determine the UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion, and Brock's next opponent. Shane Carwin defeated Frank Mir by KO in the first round, becoming the new Interim Champion. After the fight, Brock came into the ring and stated "It was a good fight, but he's wearing a belt that's a make believe belt, I've got the real championship belt."

Lesnar faced Shane Carwin at UFC 116 to unify the heavyweight titles. After Carwin knocked him down early in the first round, Lesnar survived a ground and pound attack. Early in the second round, Lesnar was able to take Carwin down, attain a full mount, then move into side-control and finish the fight with an arm triangle choke. With the victory, Lesnar again became the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion, earning his first UFC Submission Of The Night and giving Carwin his first loss.

Losing the title

Lesnar's next defense was against undefeated top contender Cain Velasquez on October 23, 2010, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California at UFC 121. Dana White announced via SportsNation that the UFC would be bringing back UFC Primetime to hype up Lesnar vs. Velasquez at UFC 121. Lesnar was defeated by Velasquez for the UFC Heavyweight Championship via TKO in the first round at UFC 121 on October 23, 2010.

Coaching on The Ultimate Fighter

On January 11, 2011, it was revealed that Lesnar would be one of the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter Season 13, opposite to Junior dos Santos, with the two expected to face each other on June 11, 2011 at UFC 131. Lesnar, however, was struck with another bout of diverticulitis and had to withdraw from the bout on May 12, 2011. He was replaced by Shane Carwin who lost against dos Santos at UFC 131.

Lesnar underwent surgery on May 27, 2011, to help battle his problems with diverticulitis. UFC president Dana White said that Lesnar had a 12-inch piece of his colon removed and repaired.

Highest Paid MMA Athlete

ESPN The Magazine, in its May 2011 issue, did a story listing the highest paid athlete based on base salary and earnings for the most recent calendar year or most recent season in 30 sports. Brock Lesnar topped the list for mixed martial artists at $5.3 million, which included his reported bout salaries and estimated pay-per-view bonuses.

Return From Surgery

Lesnar says he is ready to step foot back into the Octagon. He made the announcement via a video through one of his sponsors on Thursday, where he proclaimed that he’s finally healthy following surgery after complications arose with his diverticulitis. According to Lesnar, following the surgery he’s now healthy and back on track to return to the UFC, “I feel like a new man, healthy, strong, I feel like I used to feel.”

Personal life

Lesnar grew up on a farm in South Dakota, and later joined the National Guard at the age of seventeen. In January 2001, Lesnar was arrested for receiving large amounts of what was alleged to be steroids. The charges were later dropped when it was discovered the substances were in fact a legal growth hormone. His lawyer later described the growth hormone as a "vitamin type of thing."

Lesnar has one daughter, Mya Lynn who was born on April 10, 2002, with his ex-fiancée, Nicole. He left Nicole in 2003 in order to begin a relationship with Rena "Sable" Mero who had been recently divorced from Marc Mero. Lesnar and Mero were engaged in 2004, separated in 2005, then reconciled later that year and married on May 6, 2006. Lesnar has one stepchild with Mero: Mariah, a stepdaughter born to Mero and her late husband, Wayne Richardson. The couple had their first child together, a son named Turk in June 2009. The couple had their second child, a son named Duke in July 2010.

Lesnar has numerous tattoos, with the most prominent being a stylized skull in the center of his back and a large sword on his chest.

Lesnar makes an appearance in the video game ''WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain'', which is named after the quote that former WWE commentator Tazz attributed to Lesnar, "here comes the pain." Other video games Lesnar has also appeared in include ''WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth'', ''WWE WrestleMania XIX'', ''WWE Crush Hour'', ''Madden NFL 06'', ''UFC 2009 Undisputed'', ''UFC Undisputed 2010'', and the PlayStation 2 version of ''Wrestle Kingdom''. With the release of UFC Undisputed 2010 Lesnar became the first man to appear on the cover of a WWE and UFC video game as he was the cover star on Here Comes the Pain.

Lesnar was on the cover of ''Flex Magazine''. Lesnar was also featured in Minneapolis' ''City Pages'' in February 2008. In February 2008 Lesnar was featured on the cover of ''Muscle & Fitness'' magazine.

WWE Home Video released a DVD in 2003 titled ''Brock Lesnar: Here Comes the Pain''. The DVD covered Lesnar's career up to 2003 which featured some of his biggest matches. Lesnar owns an MMA clothing line called "DeathClutch".

He is known to be very conservative of his private life and avoids discussing it in interviews:

}}

Mixed martial arts record

|- | Loss |align=center| 5–2 | Cain Velasquez | TKO (punches) | UFC 121 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 4:12 | Anaheim, California, United States | Lost UFC Heavyweight Championship. |- | Win |align=center| 5–1 | Shane Carwin | Submission (arm triangle choke) | UFC 116 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 2:19 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended UFC Heavyweight Championship; Submission of the Night |- | Win |align=center| 4–1 | Frank Mir | TKO (punches) | UFC 100 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 1:48 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended UFC Heavyweight Championship. Unified UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship |- | Win |align=center| 3–1 | Randy Couture | TKO (punches) | UFC 91 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 3:07 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Won UFC Heavyweight Championship. |- | Win |align=center| 2–1 | Heath Herring | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 87 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | |- | Loss |align=center| 1–1 | Frank Mir | Submission (kneebar) | UFC 81 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 1:30 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 1–0 | Min-Soo Kim | Submission (punches) | Dynamite!! USA | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 1:09 | Los Angeles, California, United States |

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''Brock Lock'' (Over the shoulder single leg Boston crab – WWE or a side bearhug – OVW)

''F-5'' (WWE) / ''Verdict'' (NJPW) – innovated

Shooting star press – OVW

Signature moves

Backbreaker

Double or a triple powerbomb

*Double or triple rib breaker

*Fallaway slam

*Military press drop

Knee lift to the opponent's midsection

*Multiple suplex variations

**Delayed double leg hook

**German

**High-lifting belly to back

*Overhead belly to belly

**Snap

*Super

Multiple turnbuckle thrusts

Running shoulderbreaker

*Snap scoop powerslam to either a standing or an oncoming opponent

*Spinebuster

Managers

*Paul Heyman

*Vince McMahon

Nicknames

"The Next Big Thing"

Entrance themes

*World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

**"Next Big Thing" by Jim Johnston (2002–2004)

*Ultimate Fighting Championship

**"Shout at the Devil" by Mötley Crüe

**"Enter Sandman" by Metallica

Championships and accomplishments

Collegiate wrestling

Big Ten Conference

*Big Ten Conference Champion (1999, 2000)

*Ranked the #1 Heavyweight in the Big Ten Conference (2000)

National Collegiate Athletic Association

*NCAA Division I Runner-up (1999)

*NCAA Division I Champion (2000)

North Dakota State University's annual Bison tournament

Heavyweight Champion (1997–1999)

National Junior College Athletic Association

*NJCAA All-American (1997, 1998)

*Junior College National Champion (1998)

Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship

*UFC Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*Submission of the Night (1 time)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

Best Box Office Draw (2008–2010)

MMA Most Valuable Fighter (2008–2010)

Sherdog Awards

Beatdown of the Year (2009)

Fighter's Only World MMA Awards

Breakthrough fighter of the year (2009)

Professional wrestling

New Japan Pro Wrestling

IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Inoki Genome Federation

*IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Ohio Valley Wrestling

OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Shelton Benjamin

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Feud of the Year (2003) vs. Kurt Angle

PWI Match of the Year (2003) vs. Kurt Angle – a 60 minute Iron Man match on ''SmackDown!'', September 16

PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2002)

PWI Wrestler of the Year (2002)

PWI ranked him #1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2003

World Wrestling Entertainment

WWE Championship (3 times)¹

King of the Ring (2002)

Royal Rumble (2003)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

Best Brawler (2003)

*Best Wrestling Maneuver (2002) F-5

Feud of the Year (2003) vs. Kurt Angle

Most Improved Wrestler (2002, 2003)

¹Lesnar's first reign was as WWE Undisputed Champion.

See also

List of current UFC fighters

List of male mixed martial artists

References

External links

Brock Lesnar's Official Deathclutch Website

Online World of Wrestling profile

Brock Lesnar stats

UFC profile

Brock Lesnar Profile at National (Amateur) Wrestling Hall of Fame

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ar:بروك ليسنر da:Brock Lesnar de:Brock Lesnar es:Brock Lesnar fr:Brock Lesnar ko:브록 레스너 hi:ब्रॉक लेसनर id:Brock Lesnar it:Brock Lesnar kn:ಬ್ರಾಕ್ ಲೆಸ್ನರ್ nl:Brock Lesnar ja:ブロック・レスナー no:Brock Lesnar pl:Brock Lesnar pt:Brock Lesnar ro:Brock Lesnar ru:Леснар, Брок simple:Brock Lesnar fi:Brock Lesnar sv:Brock Lesnar te:బ్రాక్ లెస్నర్ tr:Brock Lesnar uk:Брок Леснар vi:Brock Lesnar

Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
Name	Kevin Nash|image 10.2.10KevinNashByLuigiNovi.jpg
Names	Diesel Kevin NashOz(Master Blaster) SteelVinnie Vegas
Height
Weight
Birth date	July 09, 1959
Birth place	Detroit, Michigan
Resides	Ponce Inlet, Florida
Billed	Detroit, Michigan
Trainer	Jody Hamilton
Debut	September 14, 1990
Retired	}}

Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is a American professional wrestler and actor, who is signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand. Kevin Nash has wrestled under various ring names, but is most notably known by his real name in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and in the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE, where he has also been billed as Diesel.

Between WWE, WCW, and TNA, Nash has won a total of 21 championships. He is a six-time world champion: a five-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and one-time WWF Champion. He was the longest-reigning WWF Champion of the 1990s, having held the title for 358 days. He has achieved notable success in the tag team division as well, being a twelve-time world tag team champion: a nine-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, two-time WWF World Tag Team Champion and one-time TNA World Tag Team Champion. He is also a one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a two-time TNA Legends Champion. In addition to championships, he won the 1998 WCW World War 3. Nash was a member of The Kliq, a group which included Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman. He is also one of the three founding members of the New World Order (nWo), along with Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall.

Early life

Nash was born July 9, 1959, in Detroit, Michigan, Nash's father, Robert, died in [7 October] 1968 when Nash was nine years old. On December 27, 1994, Nash's mother, Wanda, died after a four year struggle against breast cancer. He attended the University of Tennessee where he majored in psychology and minored in educational philosophy. At the University of Tennessee, Nash was a center for the Tennessee Volunteers basketball team. He remained on the team from 1979 to 1980, during which time the team made it to the NCAA Sweet 16. He did not play a fourth year for the Volunteers, and he attempted to transfer to Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. He later reconsidered and instead relocated to Europe, where he played basketball professionally for various teams. His career ended in 1981 in Germany at the age of 22, while playing for Gießen 46ers, due to a knee injury when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament. With his basketball career over, Nash enlisted in the 202nd Military Police Company in Gießen, Germany and served in a secure NATO facility for two years, during which time he was promoted to the rank of specialist. After working on an assembly line at Ford Motor Company, he decided to try professional wrestling.

Professional wrestling career

World Championship Wrestling (1990–1993)

Nash debuted in WCW as the orange-mohawked "Steel", one half of the tag team known as the "Master Blasters". He was initially partnered with "Iron", who was later replaced by "Blade". The Master Blasters, however, disbanded within a year. In May 1991, Nash was repackaged as the silver-haired "Oz", a character based on the Wizard of Oz from the 1900 children's book ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''. Oz, managed by Merlin the Wizard, was pushed strongly throughout early 1991; he squashed several wrestlers before losing to Ron Simmons at the Great American Bash on July 14.

Nash wrestled as Oz throughout the remainder of 1991. In January 1992, he was repackaged as "Vinnie Vegas", a wisecracking pseudo-mobster based on Steve Martin's character in the 1990 film ''My Blue Heaven''. Vegas was quickly recruited into "A Half-Ton of Holy Hell", a stable of large wrestlers created by Harley Race which included Big Van Vader and Mr. Hughes. The stable separated in February 1992, and Vegas joined The Diamond Mine, a stable led by Diamond Dallas Page that also included The Diamond Studd and Scotty Flamingo. After Studd and Flamingo left the stable, Page and Vegas began teaming together as The Vegas Connection. The tag team split in late 1992, and Nash left the promotion in early 1993 to work for the World Wrestling Federation.

World Wrestling Federation (1993–1996)

In 1993, Nash left WCW, signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation at the request of Shawn Michaels. He was given the stage name of "Diesel", with the character given the nickname "Big Daddy Cool". For the role, Nash dyed his beard and scalp hair black. Taking on the appearance of a typical biker thug, Diesel sported black sunglasses and leather garments. The name of Diesel was a play on the fact that Nash was from Detroit, known famously as "The Motor City". To play off of his character's name, Nash's initial entrance music was a simple series of truck engine noises along with loud horns beeping.

Swaggeringly dominant in gimmick, Diesel started out as the heel bodyguard/best friend of Shawn Michaels. He made his WWF debut at a house show on June 6, 1993, assisting Michaels in defeating Marty Jannetty for the Intercontinental Championship. In January 1994, Diesel appeared at the Royal Rumble, eliminating seven men in under 18 minutes of in-ring time. Diesel won the Intercontinental Championship from Razor Ramon, following interference from Michaels on the April 13, 1994 edition of ''Superstars''. The duo of Diesel and Michaels defeated The Headshrinkers to win the WWF Tag Team Championship on August 28, making Nash a double champion. The next night, Ramon defeated Diesel at SummerSlam to regain the Intercontinental Championship. The alliance between Diesel and Michaels dissolved after Survivor Series after Michaels accidentally superkicked Diesel. Diesel then gave chase to Michaels, and although he failed to catch him the reaction from the crowd turned him babyface. However, Nash was no longer a tag team champion, as Michaels' actions resulted in the team being forced to vacate the titles.

On November 26, three days after Survivor Series, Diesel faced Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship he won at Survivor Series from Bret Hart. In the match, held at Madison Square Garden, Diesel defeated Backlund in an eight-second squash match. Diesel then promised Hart a match for his title, which they had at the 1995 Royal Rumble. The match ended in a draw due to interference from several wrestlers, including Shawn Michaels. Michaels was irate about his former bodyguard having beaten him to the WWF Championship and was sufficiently motivated to win the 1995 Royal Rumble later that evening, earning himself a title shot at WrestleMania XI.

At WrestleMania XI on April 2, Nash, accompanied to ringside by actress Pamela Anderson (who was supposed to valet for Michaels), defeated Michaels to retain the title. After the match he left the ring with both Anderson and Michaels' replacement for her, Jenny McCarthy. The next night on ''Monday Night Raw'', Michaels was betrayed by his new bodyguard, "Sycho" Sid, prompting Diesel to come to his rescue. This occurrence led to the tag team being reunited, now known as "Two Dudes with Attitude". Diesel successfully defended the WWF title against Sycho Sid at the inaugural In Your House pay-per-view in Syracuse, New York, and at the In Your House: The Lumberjacks in Nashville, Tennessee. At ''SummerSlam 1995'', Diesel retained the WWF title by defeating Mabel, who had won the 1995 King Of The Ring tournament.

On September 24 at In Your House 3: Triple Header in Saginaw, Michigan, Diesel and Michaels challenged the reigning WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart and Yokozuna. The match had a winner-take-all stipulation, as in addition to the tag belts Diesel's WWF Championship and Michaels' recently won Intercontinental Championship were also on the line. When Hart did not show up at the event, he was replaced by Davey Boy Smith. In the course of the match, Hart arrived at ringside, entered the ring, and was pinned by Diesel for the win and the title, making him and Michaels holders of all three major WWF championships. The reign did not last long, however, as Hart and Yokozuna had the titles returned to them the next night due to Hart not being an official part of the match when pinned.

Diesel's WWF Championship reign continued until November 19, when he was defeated by Bret Hart at the Survivor Series. Following the loss, Diesel began a heel turn by first attacking Hart following the match and then developing a rivalry against fan favorite the Undertaker by costing him a potential victory in his match against the Hart at the 1996 Royal Rumble. Diesel was the last wrestler eliminated in the Royal Rumble match by Shawn Michaels, which eventually led to a rift between the two men. At In Your House 6 in Louisville, Kentucky Diesel lost his steel cage match against WWF Champion Bret Hart when he was attacked by the Undertaker.

Shortly before WrestleMania XII, both Nash and Scott Hall, who played Razor Ramon, agreed to return to World Championship Wrestling as part of WCW President Eric Bischoff's drive to lure employees from the WWF to WCW with the offer of lucrative contracts. Diesel lost to The Undertaker at WrestleMania XII on March 31, then went on to feud with Shawn Michaels once again after he turned on him at a Madison Square Garden live event. In his last televised WWF appearance until 2002, Diesel challenged Michaels for the WWF Championship (which he had won from Hart at WrestleMania XII) at In Your House: Good Friends, Better Enemies on April 28. He wrestled Michaels for the title once again in a steel cage match at a house show on May 19, but was again defeated. After the match, Diesel, Michaels, Razor Ramon, and Hunter Hearst Helmsley, a group of off-screen friends known collectively as "The Kliq", hugged one another in the ring and wished each other farewell. This incident, later referred to as the "Curtain Call" or "MSG Incident", was a serious breach of character, as it showed heels and babyfaces consorting with one another. Shortly thereafter, with his obligations to the WWF now completely fulfilled, Nash left for WCW.

Return to World Championship Wrestling (1996–2001)

The Outsiders; New World Order (1996–1998)

After two weeks of Scott Hall appearing on WCW programming and taunting announcers, wrestlers, and the company, Nash finally debuted alongside his friend on June 10, 1996. The duo were known as The Outsiders, and the storyline originally pushed them as "invaders" from the WWF (which WCW eventually had to scale back due to legal concerns from the WWF). At Bash at the Beach, Hall and Nash fought the team of Lex Luger, Sting, and Randy Savage and promised to add one more man to their entourage. With Hulk Hogan, they formed the New World Order (nWo).

Through late 1996 and into 1997, Nash normally teamed with Hall as the Outsiders, and they held the WCW Tag Team Championship. Nash also began to show his leadership qualities in the nWo, and became a sort of "second in command" alongside Hogan. Nash, Hall, and Sean Waltman distinguished themselves from the rest of the nWo, calling themselves the "Wolf Pac" in 1997. After a while, however, the nWo began to fight within its ranks, with Hogan and Nash battling for control. The situation came to a head on April 20, 1998, during a match between Hogan and recent nWo inductee (and rival) Randy Savage for Savage's recently won WCW World Heavyweight Championship. During the match, Nash interfered on Savage's behalf and jackknifed Hogan to the mat, signaling the breakup of the nWo into two separate factions (Nash's interference was not enough to prevent Hogan from regaining his championship, thanks to Bret Hart's interference shortly thereafter). Nash became the leader of nWo Wolfpac, alongside Savage, Curt Hennig, and Konnan. Hennig, however, shortly thereafter defected over to Hogan's nWo Hollywood faction. Then, during a match between Hall, Nash, Sting and The Giant (who had recently rejoined the nWo after being kicked out two years prior), Hall turned on Nash by hitting him with his tag team title belt and leaving the ring. The Wolfpac, however, was not down for long as Lex Luger joined Nash's team. Sting would eventually become a member as well, after being recruited heavily by both sides towards the middle of 1998. After Sting won Giant's half of the tag team title at the Great American Bash that June, Nash became Sting's partner. They defended the championship until July 20, when they were defeated by Hall and The Giant. Nash then set his sights on his former partner, and the rivalry came to a head at Halloween Havoc on October 25. During the course of the match, Nash jackknifed Hall twice but, instead of pinning him, left the ring and lost via count-out.

World Heavyweight Championship (1998–2001)

The following month at World War 3, Nash entered the 60-man, three ring battle royal that was a staple of the pay-per-view, with the winner getting a shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade the following month. Nash survived to the end after literally clearing his ring out and big booting Lex Luger, who had Scott Hall in the Torture Rack, over the top rope, and earned his shot at the title. At Starrcade, Nash capitalized on his opportunity and won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship from Goldberg. In doing so, Nash broke Goldberg's long running undefeated streak. On January 4, 1999, Nash and Goldberg were set to meet in a rematch, but the match did not happen because of Goldberg being arrested for (kayfabe) stalking Miss Elizabeth. That night also marked the return of Hulk Hogan after his "retirement" two months prior. With Goldberg unable to wrestle, Nash challenged Hogan instead. In "The Fingerpoke of Doom," Hogan simply poked Nash in the chest, who proceeded to fall down and willingly allow Hogan to pin him for the title. The gesture, in addition to turning Nash heel again, marked the reunion of the feuding nWo factions into one. The return, however, was short-lived, and by the mid-point of 1999, the nWo reunion was over. Meanwhile, backstage, Nash wrote some of the later angles for WCW. In his 2006 autobiography, ''Controversy Creates Cash'', former WCW President Eric Bischoff criticized Nash's work ethic, dubbing him "Big Lazy" (a reference to Nash's nickname, "Big Sexy"). The name had previously been coined by The Honky Tonk Man on several radio interviews.

In May 1999, Nash won the WCW World Championship for the second time by defeating Diamond Dallas Page at Slamboree. He then appeared on ''The Tonight Show'' and put up a $250,000 challenge to Bret Hart for its May 24 program. Bret's brother, Owen, died in a wrestling stunt, however, just as Bret was flying to Los Angeles; this immediately canceled their match and feud. Nash then entered a feud with the returning Randy Savage, who was turned heel and was later joined by a returning Sid Vicious at The Great American Bash in June. This rivalry culminated in a tag team match at Bash at the Beach in July 1999 which pitted Nash and Sting against Savage and Sid. A stipulation was added that whoever got the pin in the match would become WCW World Champion. Nash was pinned by Savage and lost his championship, but would get his revenge the next night on ''Nitro'' in a title match between Savage and a returning Hulk Hogan, and in a similar situation to Savage's first title defense from the previous year, he used a Jackknife Powerbomb on Savage, preserving the victory for Hogan. The following week, however, Nash attacked Hogan and turned heel during a match pitting Hogan against Vicious. Nash, Sid, and Rick Steiner then feuded with Hogan, Sting, and a returning Goldberg until Road Wild, where Hogan defeated Nash in a "retirement" match. On October 4, 1999, Nash returned to WCW along with Scott Hall, which was later revealed to be new version of the nWo involving Nash, Hall, Bret Hart, and Jeff Jarrett. This would not last long either due to the injury of Hart, the group's leader, and Nash spent most of 2000 feuding with the likes of Terry Funk, Mike Awesome, Scott Steiner, and Booker T.

Nash won the WCW Championship again from Booker T on August 28, 2000 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He eventually lost it back to Booker T later on at Fall Brawl. He even had a stint as WCW Commissioner, and he served as a coach/mentor to the Natural Born Thrillers, who would eventually turn on Nash. Nash aligned himself with Dallas Page, forming a team called The Insiders. They feuded with the Perfect Event (Shawn Stasiak and Chuck Palumbo) and won the WCW World Tag Team Championship at Mayhem on November 26, 2000. Shortly after, they were stripped of the title by Commissioner Mike Sanders in mid-December. Weeks later, they won the title back at Starrcade. In 2001 (WCW's final months), the Insiders continued their feud with the Natural Born Thrillers. Nash lost another "retirement" match to Scott Steiner at SuperBrawl, but it would not be long before WCW announced the sale of the company to the World Wrestling Federation. As he had a guaranteed contract with AOL-Time Warner, Nash chose to wait out the remainder of his contract, which expired on December 31, 2001.

Return to World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2002–present)

Reformation of the nWo and injury (2002)

Following the expiration of his AOL–Time Warner contract, Nash, along with Scott Hall and Hulk Hogan, were rehired by the WWF. Their rehiring was announced several weeks before their debut, with Vince McMahon claiming to have hired the nWo in order to destroy the WWF – of which Ric Flair was now a (kayfabe) co-owner, which McMahon could not tolerate. Billed as the original nWo, Nash, Hall, and Hogan returned to the WWF at No Way Out on February 17, 2002. In the course of the evening, the nWo delivered an interview in which they claimed to have reformed, gave a six pack of beer to Stone Cold Steve Austin (which he refused), and traded insults with The Rock. They interfered in the main event of the evening, helping Chris Jericho retain his Undisputed Championship against Austin. At WrestleMania X8, Nash continually interfered in the match between Hall and Austin to the point where he was forced to return backstage. Later that night, he and Hall turned on Hogan after he had offered congratulations to The Rock for defeating him. In March, Nash suffered a biceps injury that put him out of action for several weeks and almost immediately upon returning, suffered a quadriceps tear in a tag match on the July 8 episode of ''Raw''. On the July 15 edition of Raw, the nWo was officially disbanded by Vince McMahon as Eric Bischoff became Raw General Manager.

Comeback and feud with Triple H (2003)

After a nine-month injury, Nash returned as a face on the April 7, 2003 episode of ''Raw'', much to the delight of both Shawn Michaels and Triple H, who were feuding with each other. As part of the storyline, Nash was given a choice to remain friends with either Michaels or Triple H. After Nash would not make the decision, Triple H made the decision for him and turned on him with a low blow. This led to Nash and Triple H feuding with one another. Nash teamed up with Michaels and Booker T against Triple H, Ric Flair and Chris Jericho in a Six-man tag team match at Backlash which ended in Triple H picking up the win for his team, pinning Nash after hitting him with a sledgehammer. Following Backlash, Nash was granted a shot at Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship, and the two squared off at Judgment Day with Michaels and Flair in their respective corners. Triple H would get himself disqualified and kept the title as a result, but this did not stop Nash from attacking Triple H following the match, putting him through the announcer's table with a Jackknife Powerbomb. The next month, they fought again in a Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood with Mick Foley as the special guest referee but Nash lost the match.

Departure (2003)

In August 2003, Nash feuded with Chris Jericho and was forced to cut his hair after losing a hair vs. hair match against Jericho (this was to cover for Nash having to cut his hair for his role as "The Russian" for the 2004 Punisher movie). His last match in WWE was at SummerSlam in an Elimination Chamber match for the Heavyweight championship against Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Goldberg, Jericho, and Randy Orton. He was the first to be eliminated after Jericho pinned him following Sweet Chin Music from Michaels. Before leaving however, he executed a Jackknife Powerbomb on Jericho and Orton. Nash then stepped away from in-ring action and underwent neck surgery.

The WWE decided not to renew Nash's contract in January 2004.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004–2010)

Kings of Wrestling and feuding with Jeff Jarrett (2004–2005)

Nash debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling alongside the returning Scott Hall on November 7, 2004 at the inaugural monthly TNA pay-per-view, Victory Road, with the duo helping NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett retain his title in a ladder match with Jeff Hardy. In subsequent weeks, the trio identified themselves as the Kings of Wrestling and began feuding with Hardy and A.J. Styles. At Turning Point on December 5, the Kings of Wrestling were defeated by Hardy, Styles, and Randy Savage. Hall left TNA in early 2005, and Nash and Jarrett separated after Nash made clear his desire to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Nash received a title shot against Jarrett on February 13, 2005 at Against All Odds, but lost following interference from the debuting Outlaw. Following the defeat, Nash joined forces with Sean Waltman and began feuding with the newly formed Planet Jarrett. At Destination X on March 13, Nash lost to The Outlaw in a First Blood match following interference from Jarrett, who struck Nash with his title belt. The rivalry between Planet Jarrett and Nash and his allies culminated in a scheduled Lethal Lockdown match at Lockdown on April 24 pitting Nash, Waltman, and Diamond Dallas Page against Jarrett, The Outlaw, and "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown. Nash, however, was removed from the card and replaced with B.G. James after contracting a staph infection, which left him sidelined for much of 2005.

Nash returned to TNA on October 1, 2005 on the first episode of ''TNA Impact!'' to be aired on Spike TV, attacking and powerbombing Jarrett. Nash went on to challenge Jarrett to a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Bound for Glory on October 23. In the weeks preceding the event, Nash and Jarrett had several heated confrontations, on one occasion brawling with one another and with guest referee Tito Ortiz. On October 22, one day before Bound for Glory, Nash was hospitalized with chest pains. At Bound for Glory, a battle royal was held to determine the number one contender; Rhino won and then defeated Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Nash was later discharged from the hospital, having suffered a mild cardiac episode. He made a partial return to the ring in December 2005, wrestling several matches on a tour of South Africa.

X Division and Paparazzi Productions (2006–2007)

Nash returned to TNA once more on the April 27, 2006 episode of ''Impact!'', announcing in a pre-taped segment that he would give a private interview to Alex Shelley one week later. The interview saw Nash claim to be the most profitable WWF World Heavyweight Champion of all time and describe the X Division as "basically filler". Nash went on to announce that he intended to destroy the X Division in order to reassert his position within TNA. He began his campaign at Sacrifice on May 14, powerbombing Puma and continued his campaign on the May 19 episode of ''Impact!'' by attacking Chris Sabin shortly after he had defeated Petey Williams to win the TNA 2006 World X Cup Tournament for Team USA. Nash continued to attack X Division wrestlers over subsequent weeks, leading to Sabin challenging him to a match at Slammiversary. Nash's attacks were also coupled with pre-taped segments with Shelley (some appearing only on the internet website YouTube) and his "X Division debut" on the June 15 episode of ''Impact!'', where Nash wrestled a comedy match against a midget Shelley dubbed a "Sabin-type wrestler". Nash defeated Sabin at Slammiversary in his second televised match in almost a year, albeit with the assistance of Shelley. Around this time, Nash and Shelley formed a stable known as Paparazzi Productions, with Johnny Devine as a cameraman. Nash then decided to go for the X Division championship. He got penciled into a Number One Contendership match for the title against Sabin at Hard Justice. He claimed that he had developed an 840° somersault splash that he would unveil in the match. However, over the weekend, he suffered a mysterious neck injury, supposedly while practicing it with Tito Ortiz, and named Alex Shelley as his replacement in the match. From a wheelchair, Nash was helpless as he watched Shelley lose the match to Sabin. Nash remained out of action due to the injury, but returned prior to Bound for Glory, and announced ''The Kevin Nash Open Invitational X Division Gauntlet Battle Royal''. Austin Starr won the match. Nash took an interest in Starr, which seemed to be at the behest of Shelley. Nash then worked with the X Division stars in a weekly segment known as the Paparazzi Championship Series (a play on the "Bowl Championship Series"). He also began continuing these skits along with Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal, in a segment called "Paparazzi Idol". Nash became a manager of sorts for Lethal, helping him adopt a gimmick where he impersonated "Macho Man" Randy Savage. At Sacrifice, Lethal and Dutt had an altercation. Nash broke it up, but Sonjay kicked him. Sonjay apologized, and Nash forgave him. Dutt then became the "Guru" with Nash humming mantras backstage.

He then announced his intentions to begin managing The Motor City Machineguns, but would actually next appear in the role of Dr. Nash, "psychiatrist" and adviser to Kurt and Karen Angle. Nash then engaged in a small program with TNA Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle, which eventually culminated in Nash aiding Angle. Nash warned the Angles about how dangerous Sting can be based on Nash's experience feuding with Sting in WCW. At Bound for Glory, Nash interfered on Angle's behalf during his World Title defense against Sting. However, it was for naught, as Sting captured the title from Angle via Scorpion Death Drop after fending off Nash and Angle's wife, Karen. The following Thursday on ''Impact!'', Nash and Angle had an altercation because Angle blamed Nash for him losing the World Title. Angle eventually attacked Nash, who retaliated by Jackknife Powerbombing Angle in the middle of the ring. The following week, Sting defended the TNA World Title against Angle in a rematch from Bound for Glory, and Nash had a ringside seat. After the match went on a bit, Angle and Sting were out of the ring and when Angle pushed Sting onto Nash, Sting turned around and knocks Nash in the face with a right hand shot, leading to Nash interfering on Angle's behalf, even though earlier he said he wasn't going to help Angle. Following the match, which Angle won, Nash offered a hand shake to Angle only to be "flipped off" by the new champ. An enraged Nash demanded a match with Angle, but TNA Management's public face, Jim Cornette, instead booked Nash into a tag team match as Angle's partner against Sting and a partner of his choosing, with the stipulation being that the person gaining the pinfall or submission would be crowned the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. After a red herring that Scott Hall was the mystery partner, it was revealed to be Booker T.

The Main Event Mafia and World Elite (2008–2009)

At Final Resolution, Nash and his partner Samoa Joe lost in a title match to TNA World Tag Team Champions A.J. Styles and Tomko after Nash abandoned and seemingly betrayed Joe. Yet on the following Impact, when Joe stormed into Nash's locker room looking for a fight, Nash was actually able to persuade Joe into accepting his Machiavellian mentorship. Nash lost to Kurt Angle in a one-on-one match on ''Impact!'' with the winner qualifying for the Three Ways to Glory match at No Surrender. On the September 11 edition of ''Impact'', prior to No Surrender, he seemingly parted ways with Joe on good terms. One month later, Nash returned at Bound for Glory IV and in a swerve, turned heel on Joe by striking him in the back with Sting's bat and helping Sting win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On October 23, he formally joined Sting, Booker T, and Kurt Angle to create a villainous stable called The Main Event Mafia. He explained that he never forgave Joe for his scathing comments directed at his best friend Scott Hall's no-show almost a year prior, and befriending him was all part of a long term plan to screw him out of the title. He then went on to defeat Joe at Turning Point. Nash, however, was removed from the card for Genesis due to a staph infection, and was replaced by Cute Kip. Nash returned on the January 29 edition of ''Impact!'' when the Main Event Mafia took over the show. On ''Impact!'' on April 23, he began an on-screen relationship with Jenna Morasca, who subsequently began acting as his valet. At Slammiversary, he was reunited with Joe, who became a villain and helped Angle win the World Heavyweight Championship.

At Victory Road, Nash defeated A.J. Styles for the Legends Championship, his first title in TNA. However, Nash lost the title only three days later to Mick Foley. Under a month later at Hard Justice, Nash defeated Foley to reclaim the Legends Title. At Bound for Glory Nash lost the Legends Title to Eric Young in a 3-way match, which also included Hernandez.

On the following edition of ''Impact!'', after Angle announced the death of the Main Event Mafia and turned face, Nash also became a face as he began feuding with Eric Young and the World Elite.

However, the following month at Turning Point Nash helped World Elite members Doug Williams and Brutus Magnus retain their TNA World Tag Team Championship, thus once again becoming a heel. On the following edition of ''Impact!'' Nash congratulated Young on outsmarting him at Bound for Glory and aligned himself with the World Elite, while also hinting at the return of the nWo once Hulk Hogan arrived in TNA, as when a paranoid Mick Foley came to him for information on who Hogan would be coming with, he facetiously suggested names such as Syxx-Pac, Scott Steiner, Buff Bagwell, and Scott Hall. Further suspicion was aroused to Hall’s return when Nash said that he was getting "the band" back together, hinting at an nWo return. At Final Resolution Nash took part in the "Feast or Fired" match and won the briefcase containing a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship.

The Band (2010)

On the January 4, 2010, special live, three-hour Monday night edition of ''Impact!'' Hogan made his debut in TNA, and Scott Hall and Sean Waltman made their return to the company to greet him. Nash, Hall and Waltman quickly reformed their alliance, but Hogan kept himself out of the group, claiming that times have changed. At Genesis in their first match back together Nash and Syxx-Pac, who replaced Scott Hall in the match, were defeated by Beer Money, Inc. On the February 4 edition of ''Impact!'' Hall and Syxx-Pac turned on Nash. At Destination X Nash and Young faced Hall and Syxx-Pac in a tag team match, where the Band's TNA futures were on the line. In the end Nash turned heel after turning on Young and helping the Band pick up the victory, which finally gave them contracts with the company. On the March 29 edition of ''Impact!'' Nash offered Young a spot in the Band, claiming that what happened in Destination X was just business and nothing personal. Young refused the offer and in the main event of the evening, teamed up with Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy to defeat the Band in a six man tag team steel cage match. Nash gained a measure of revenge on Young by defeating him in a steel cage match at Lockdown. Later in the night, Nash replaced Syxx-Pac, who no-showed the event, and teamed up with Hall in a St. Louis Street Fight, where they were defeated by Team 3D. On the May 3 edition of ''Impact!'' Eric Young turned on Team 3D and joined The Band. On May 4, at the tapings of the May 13 edition of ''Impact!'', after TNA World Tag Team Champion Matt Morgan had been attacked by Samoa Joe, Nash cashed in his "Feast or Fired" contract, teaming with Hall, and pinned him to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Nash later named Young one third of the champions under the Freebird rule. At the June 14 tapings of the June 17 edition of ''Impact!'' The Band was stripped of the Tag Team Championship, due to Scott Hall's legal problems. The following day it was reported that Hall had been released from his contract with TNA. On the June 24 edition of ''Impact!'' Nash and Young decided to part ways, as Nash intended to go after Hogan, whom he blamed for what had happened to Hall and Waltman, and didn't want Young to get into trouble for it.

Alliance with Sting and departure (2010)

After Nash was unable to convince Hogan to re–hire Hall and Waltman and failed to secure a meeting with Eric Bischoff, he set his sights on renewing his feud with Jeff Jarrett, who claimed that Nash had tried to hurt TNA by bringing Hall and Waltman in. On the August 5th edition of ''Impact!'', Sting, who had feuded with Jarrett prior to his 30 day suspension, returned to TNA and, together with Nash, beat down Jarrett, Bischoff and Hogan. On the August 26 edition of ''Impact!'' Nash defeated Jarrett in a singles match, after an interference from Sting. The following week Nash helped Sting defeat Jarrett. After the match Samoa Joe aligned himself with Jarrett and Hogan and drove Nash and Sting away. At No Surrender Jarrett and Joe defeated Nash and Sting in a tag team match, after Jarrett hit Sting with a baseball bat. On the September 16 edition of ''Reaction'', Nash and Sting were joined by D'Angelo Dinero, who claimed to have gotten inside information from Bischoff's secretary Miss Tessmacher, that would suggest that Nash and Sting were right about Hogan and Bischoff being up to something. At Bound for Glory Nash, Sting and Dinero faced Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe in a handicap match, after Hulk Hogan, who was scheduled to team with Jarrett and Joe, was forced to pull out due to a back surgery. At the end of the match Jarrett abandoned Joe and left him to be pinned by Nash. At the end of the event it was revealed that Nash and Sting had been right about Hogan and Bischoff all along, as they turned heel with Jarrett, Abyss and Jeff Hardy, and in the process turned Nash, Sting and Dinero back to being faces. On October 13, 2010, Nash's contract with TNA expired and he announced his retirement from professional wrestling. His last TNA appearance was a taping broadcast on October 14, 2010, when Nash and Sting both announced they were walking away from TNA rather than being a part of Hogan and Bischoff's regime. In January 2011 Nash signed a new contract with TNA, but was granted a release before reappearing on television, after being contacted by WWE.

Return to WWE (2011-present)

Royal Rumble, attack on CM Punk and dispute with Triple H (2011)

On January 30, 2011, at the Royal Rumble, Nash, billed as Diesel for the first time since 1996, returned to the promotion, taking part in the Royal Rumble Match. He entered the match as number 32 and was eliminated by Wade Barrett.

On April 2, 2011, Nash, along with Sean Waltman, was on hand to celebrate the induction of Shawn Michaels into the 2011 WWE Hall of Fame. Triple H inducted Michaels, and after Michaels gave his speech, Nash and Waltman joined the two on stage to celebrate.

After several months off screen, on August 14, 2011, Nash returned at SummerSlam and assaulted CM Punk after winning the match against John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Following the attack, Alberto Del Rio cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and defeated CM Punk for the undisputed title. On the following ''Raw'', Nash came out and cut a promo explaining his actions at SummerSlam, claiming Triple H had asked him, via text message, to "stick the winner" of the WWE Championship match regardless of the winner. Afterward, CM Punk verbally confronted Nash over his actions at Summerslam. As CM Punk approached Nash, security guards stepped between them to prevent a physical confrontation. Later that night, Nash was approached by John Laurinaitis who requested Nash's presence in his office for a discussion.

On August 22, 2011, Nash made a second appearance on Monday Night Raw, this time with Triple H, to explain his actions at SummerSlam. CM Punk entered the ring and confronted both Nash & Triple H. After repeated insults against Stephanie McMahon, Nash attacked CM Punk once again. Later that night, John Laurinaitis alerted Triple H that Nash had been in a car accident, causing Triple H to leave the arena in concern for his friend. However, during the main event match between Punk & John Cena, Nash appeared on the stage, distracting Punk. As a result, Punk lost the match and Cena became the number one contender for the WWE Championship.

On August 29, 2011, Triple H opened the show calling out Nash to be a man and let everyone know who texted the message to him for attacking CM Punk. Nash came out to the former nWo theme music, announcing that John Laurinaitis had signed him to a contract. As a WWE employee now, Nash demanded a match against Punk at the upcoming Night of Champions event, to which Triple H acquiesced. However, later that night, after a confrontation between Triple H and CM Punk, Triple H booked himself to replace Nash in the match.

Other media

In 1991, Nash made his acting debut in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze'' as the villain, Super Shredder. He also had a very minor role as a jackhammer worker in the 1998 movie ''Family Plan''.

In 1999, Kevin Nash created and co-wrote a comic book titled ''Nash'', set in a dystopian future and featuring himself as the primary character. Image Comics published an ashcan preview edition and two regular issues.

He was the first choice for the role of Sabretooth in ''X-Men'', but the role ultimately went to his former tag team partner Tyler Mane. Nash appeared in a fight scene as The Russian in the 2004 film ''The Punisher''. While filming the scene, Nash was accidentally stabbed with a real knife by actor Thomas Jane. He also played Guard Englehart in the 2005 remake ''The Longest Yard''. He also has appeared in two movies in 2006: ''DOA: Dead or Alive'' as Bass Armstrong, in ''Grandma's Boy'' as a repoman. He also appeared in ''River of Darkness'', alongside Kurt Angle.

He made guest appearances in three different TV shows as well. He appeared on one episode each of ''The Love Boat: The Next Wave'' (episode "Captains Courageous") and ''Sabrina, the Teenage Witch'' (episode "The Crucible") and in two episodes of ''Nikki'' as The Big Easy (episodes "Gimme Shelter" and "Stealing Nikki"). In 2009, he appeared on Fox's show ''Brothers'', in which he came to get his stolen championship belt back.

Filmography

Film
! Year	! Film	! Role	! Notes
1991	''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze''		Film Debut
1998	''Family Plan''	Jackhammer Guy
2004
2005		Guard Engleheart
		Mover #2
''DOA: Dead or Alive	Bass Armstrong
	''The Newest Pledge''	Merkhaus' Dad
''River of Darkness''	Jayden Jacobs
''Almighty Thor''	Odin	Direct-to-Video
''Monster Brawl''	Colonel Crookshank
''The Association''	Gordon	Post-Production
		Body Guard for Stacee Jaxx	Pre-production
''Judge Ice''	Unknown Role	Pre-production
Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
		Quixo	Episode: "The Old House of Mayan"
''Super Force''	Iau / Lau	2 episodes
1997		Giant	Episode: "The Crucible"
1998	''Love Boat: The Next Wave''	Rocky Williams	Episode: "Captain's Courageous"
2000–2001		The Big Easy	2 episodes
	''The Wayne Brady Show''	Himself
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!''	Himself
2007	''Hannity & Colmes''	Himself
2009		Himself	Episode: "Snoop / Fat Kid"

Personal life

Nash and his wife Tamara wed in 1987 but separated in 2000, although they later reconciled and currently reside near Daytona, Florida. Together, they have a son named Tristen who was born on June 12, 1996.

He is real-life friends with Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, and Triple H, the former of whom was instrumental in Nash's WWF signing in 1993. They formed the backstage faction known as The Kliq. He has also been outspoken about supporting gay wrestlers in the business.

On January 11, 2009, Nash was admitted to a Charlotte, North Carolina hospital because of a staph infection that developed in his elbow following a tour of Japan. The staph infection was diagnosed as MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

In wrestling

Finishing moves

*As Kevin Nash

*''Jackknife Powerbomb'' (Sheer-drop release powerbomb)

*As Diesel

*''Jackknife'' (Sheer-drop release powerbomb)

*Right-handed knockout punch – 1993

*As Vinnie Vegas

*''Snake Eyes''

*As Oz

*''Emerald City Slam'' (Walking sidewalk slam)

*''Emerald City Twister'' (Spinning crucifix toss)

Signature moves

Big boot

Chokeslam

Corner foot choke

Repeated knee lifts or repeated back elbow strikes to a cornered opponent

Snake Eyes

Walking sidewalk slam

Managers

Harley Race

Merlin the Wizard

Diamond Dallas Page

Miss Elizabeth

Jenna Morasca

Brittany

Wrestlers managed

Shawn Michaels

Natural Born Thrillers (Mike Sanders, Sean O'Haire, Mark Jindrak, Shawn Stasiak, Chuck Palumbo, and Reno)

Alex Shelley

Austin Starr

Chris Sabin

Nicknames

"Big Daddy Cool" (WWF/E)

"The Big Man" (WCW)

"Big Sexy" (WCW / WWE / TNA)

"The Silver Fox" (TNA)

Entrance themes

"Diesel Blues" by Jim Johnston (WWF/E)

*"Rockhouse" by Frank Shelley (WCW / WWF/E; Used while a part of the New World Order & Single Cometition; 1996-2001; 2002; 2011-Present)

*"Kevin Nash / Wolfpac Theme" by Jimmy Hart (WCW)

"Big" by Dale Oliver (TNA)

*"The Band Theme" by Dale Oliver (TNA; Used while part of The Band)

*"Kevin Nash / Wolfpac Theme (Instrumental)" by Jimmy Hart (TNA; Used while part of The Band)

Championships and accomplishments

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (1994)

PWI Match of the Year (1995) vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XI

PWI Tag Team of the Year (1997) with Scott Hall

*PWI Wrestler of the Year (1995)

PWI ranked him #1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1995

PWI ranked him #59 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the "PWI Years" in 2003

PWI ranked him #40 of the 100 best tag teams of the PWI Years with Scott Hall in 2003

PWI ranked him #55 of the 100 best tag teams in the "PWI Years" with Shawn Michaels in 2003

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

TNA Legends Championship (2 times)

TNA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Eric Young and Scott Hall

World Championship Wrestling

WCW World Heavyweight Championship (5 times)

WCW World Tag Team Championship (9 times) – with Scott Hall (6), Diamond Dallas Page (2), and Sting (1)

*WCW World War 3 (1998)

World Wrestling Federation

WWF Championship (1 time)

WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)

WWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Shawn Michaels

*Third Triple Crown Champion

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

*Most Improved (1994)

*Most Overrated (1999, 2000)

*Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler (2000)

*Worst Gimmick (1991)

*Worst Wrestler (1999, 2000)

Lucha de Apuesta record

Wager	Winner	Loser	Location	Date	Notes
Mask	Kevin Nash and Scott Hall	Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Konnan	Oakland, California
Hair	Chris Jericho	Kevin Nash	Michigan

Footnotes

References

External links

WWE Alumni Profile

Nov 25 2010 Interview with Tha O Show

Sep 25 2008 Audio Interview with In Your Head

Category:American basketball players Category:American film actors Category:American professional wrestlers Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Detroit, Michigan Category:People from Fire Island, New York Category:People from Oakland County, Michigan Category:Professional wrestling managers and valets Category:Sportspeople from Detroit, Michigan Category:Tennessee Volunteers basketball players Category:1959 births

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