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Juicy J
Juicy J (front) performing with Three 6 Mafia bandmate DJ Paul.
Background information
Birth name	Jordan Michael Houston
Born	(1975-04-05) April 5, 1975 (age 37)
Origin	Memphis, Tennessee
Genres	Hip hop, dirty south, gangsta rap, crunk, horrorcore, electro hop
Occupations	Rapper, Record producer, Actor, Screenwriter, Songwriter
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Taylor Gang, Columbia, Hypnotize Minds
Associated acts	Three 6 Mafia, DJ Paul, Project Pat, Wiz Khalifa, Lex Luger
Website	juicyjofthree6mafia.com

Jordan Michael Houston, better known by his stage name Juicy J (born April 5, 1975) is an Academy Award-winning American rapper and record producer from Memphis, Tennessee and is the co-founder and a member of the duo Three 6 Mafia (formerly known as Triple Six Mafia). He is also the younger brother of fellow member, Project Pat.^[1] His second solo album, Hustle Till I Die,^[2] was released June 16, 2009. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp". In December 2011 Juicy J confirmed rumors that he was the newest member of Wiz Khalifa's "Taylor Gang" imprint.

Juicy J is most notable for his crunk style of rapping, highlighted by his patented "heavy-breathing" and "stomping" background sound effects. Juicy J's production style is characterized by fast-rolling high hats, sharp snares, and deep cinematic bass. He also incorporates samples from classic soul artists such as Willie Hutch, David Ruffin, and Isaac Hayes.

Discography[link]

Underground Mixtapes[link]

• Volume 3
• Volume 5
• Volume 5 Pt. 2 - 1992
• Volume 6 - 1993
• Volume 7 - 1993
• Volume 8: Gates of Hell - 1993
• Volume 9 - 1994
• Chronicles Of The Juice Mane (Original)- 1994
• Greatest Hits - 1995

Music Videos[link]

(2009)

• 30 Inches feat. Project Pat
• Violent
• Ugh Ugh Ugh feat. Project Pat & Webbie
• North Memphis Like Me (Remix) feat. Project Pat & V Slash
• Lets Get High
• Hood Sprung
• Talkin Shit
• Twerk feat. Project Pat
• They Want Me Gone feat. Project Pat & Lil Reno
• Convicted Felon
• Robbers, Killas, and Thieves
• Get Yo Ass Robbed feat. Project Pat & V Slash

(2010)

• Break It Down feat. Project Pat
• Cali High feat. Project Pat
• Take A Loss feat. Jon Geezy
• Money Shit feat. Jon Geezy & Lil Reno
• Stupid High feat. Lil Wyte
• Old Triple Six
• I'm Gutta Bra feat. Lil Wyte & V Slash
• I Be Flippin feat. Lil Lody
• Smith & Wesson
• Ain't Shit Changed
• Bitch Get Me High High feat. Lil Reno & V Slash
• Bet Yo Bankroll feat. Yo Yo Munie
• OG Masta Kush feat. Jelly Roll
• Last Piece of Change feat. Billy Wes & Project Pat
• That's What It Is feat. Bank Mr. 912
• Yao Ming

(2011)

• Flip That Bitch A Few Times
• Black And Yellow (Remix) With Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg & T-Pain
• Smokin And Sippin
• Stunna's Do feat. Billy Wes
• Talkin Bout (Bombay Gin Dance)
• Boat Load (Inhale) feat. Machine Gun Kelly
• Shine feat. Billy Wes
• Niggas Got Problems
• So Much Money
• Introduce feat. Don Trip
• A Zip and a Double Cup
• Killa
• Delete Em
• Make It Happen feat. Casey Veggies
• Money Balls
• Got To Meet A G
• Oh Well feat. 2Chainz
• Rockstar Stoned
• Met The Wrong Gun
• Stoners Nite
• Geeked Up Off Them Bars
• Me
• Make Money
• I Don't Play With Guns - feat. Project Pat & Alley Boy
• A Zip and a Double Cup (Remix) - feat. 2Chainz & Tha Joker
• Get Higher
• U Trippy Mane - feat. Kreayshawn
• Juicy J Can't
• Get Rowdy - Drumma Boy feat. Young Buck & Juicy J

(2012)

• Deez Bitches Rollin - feat. Spaceghost Purrp and Speak!
• Lucky Charm
• Countin' Faces
• Drugged Out
• This Bitch By My Side
• Oh Gee La - Wiz Khalifa feat Lola Monroe & Juicy J
• My Favorite Song - Wiz Khalifa feat. Juicy J (Radio Station Proformance)
• Gotta New One
• Been Gettin Money
• You Want Deez Rackz
• Errbody Wave
• Won't Miss Ya

See also[link]

• Three 6 Mafia
• Hypnotize Minds
• Wiz Khalifa

References[link]

External links[link]

• Three 6 Mafia Official Website
• Juicy J on Myspace
• Jordan Houston at the Internet Movie Database

Lex Luger
Ring name(s)	Lex Luger The Total Package The Narcissist
Billed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1]
Billed weight	274 lb (124 kg)[1][2]
Born	(1958-06-02) June 2, 1958 (age 54)[1][2] Buffalo, New York
Billed from	Chicago, Illinois
Trained by	Bob Roop[1] Hiro Matsuda[1] Barry Windham
Debut	September 1985[1][2]
Retired	September 18, 2006

Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl (born June 2, 1958),^[1] better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy. He is best known for his work with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).

Among other accolades in professional wrestling, Luger is a three-time world champion, having held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice and the WWA World Heavyweight Championship once; a record-tying five-time NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Champion who owns the record for consecutive days and most total days spent as champion; and the 1994 WWF Royal Rumble winner (with Bret Hart). Readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated voted Luger the Most Popular Wrestler of the Year 1993.

Football career[link]

Luger attended high school and played football in Orchard Park, New York. He then attended Pennsylvania State University on a football scholarship, but transferred to the University of Miami after his freshman year. A talented soccer player and lifelong fan of English soccer team Manchester United, Luger considered changing sports for some time but eventually decided his skills would be better suited to football. After sitting out the 1978 season, he started the 1979 season as a defensive tackle until his scholarship was terminated. He was joined at Miami by Jim Kelly, Jim Burt, Mitch Guittar, and Fred Marion among others. Upon leaving Miami, he played professional football for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He then signed with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League, but never played in a game and thus is not listed on their all-time roster, though he did spend the entire 1982 season on the team's injured reserve list with a groin problem incurred during training camp. He returned to the Packers training camp in 1983, but he was released before the regular season began. In 1984, Luger finished his football career playing in the United States Football League for the Memphis Showboats. He also played for the Jacksonville Bulls and the Tampa Bay Bandits in the USFL, where he was a teammate with future WCW rival Ron Simmons.^[1]

Professional wrestling career[link]

NWA Florida (1985–1986)[link]

In 1985, Luger met Bob Roop at a celebrity golfing event in Florida and was given the chance to get into professional wrestling as Roop was greatly impressed with Luger's powerful bodybuilder physique. Roop arranged for Luger to be trained by Hiro Matsuda,^[1] who had previously trained Hulk Hogan and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff. Luger adopted the ring name "Lex Luger", being a fan of the comic book villain Lex Luthor, and made his in-ring debut in September 1985. He was featured alongside Percy Pringle and Rick Rude.^[3]

Luger began wrestling in the NWA Florida territory. He got his first victory on October 31, 1985 against Ed "The Bull" Gantner and won the Southern Heavyweight Championship from Wahoo McDaniel the next month.^[4] On September 1, 1986, he fought NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair for the title at a show Battle of the Belts, which resulted in a 60-minute draw. As a result, Flair retained the title.^[1] Towards the end of his run in Florida, Luger was involved in a steel cage match with Bruiser Brody, where Brody stopped cooperating, leading to Luger leaving the match.^[1]

National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling[link]

Teaming and feuding with the Four Horsemen (1987–1989)[link]

In 1987, Luger went to work for Jim Crockett's World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which was under the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) banner, with the nickname "The Total Package" and began using "The Human Torture Rack", an Argentine backbreaker, as his finisher.^[2] He was first booked as an associate to Ric Flair's "Four Horsemen" stable until Ole Anderson was kicked out and he became an official member of the group.^[1] Luger started wrestling as a heel.^[2] His first big feud was with Nikita Koloff, whom he defeated for his first NWA United States Heavyweight Championship on July 11, 1987.^[2] Manager James J. Dillon threw a chair over the top of the cage while the referee, Earl Hebner, was down. Luger knocked Koloff unconscious with it and then lifted up Koloff in the Torture Rack. A revived Hebner then dropped Koloff's arm three times with no response and awarded Luger a submission victory.^[5]

He held the title until NWA's first pay-per-view event Starrcade in November, when he dropped it to Dusty Rhodes in a steel cage. This loss set the stage for Luger leaving the Four Horsemen, as manager Dillon's interference cost Luger the match. A steel chair thrown in by Dillon was dropped by Luger and Rhodes DDT'd Luger on it prior to pinning him for the win.^[6] Luger left the Four Horsemen in 1988 after he and his stablemates (Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, and Dillon) were the sole wrestlers left in a Bunkhouse Stampede battle royal and Dillon asked the other wrestlers to eliminate themselves so he could win. Although Blanchard and Anderson complied, Luger refused and eliminated Dillon, leaving the Horsemen in the process.^[1]

Luger turned babyface and befriended Barry Windham, his former Florida ally. They formed a tag team, dubbed "The Twin Towers". "The Twin Towers" first teamed on March 27, 1988 at Clash of the Champions to defeat Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson for the NWA World Tag Team Championship.^[7] Only a few weeks after the title win, a swerve took place in the NWA with Windham suddenly turning on Luger during a title defense (against Blanchard and Anderson) and joining Luger's former stable, The Four Horsemen.^[2] Days later, the Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was held with its first night in Greenville, South Carolina. A partner-less Luger was teamed with Sting (whose partner Ronnie Garvin had been kayfabe injured) and the impromptu team won the entire tournament, defeating Blanchard and Anderson in the finals.^[8]

Luger continued his feud with the Four Horsemen and Windham. He began hunting their leader Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. At the June 8 edition of Clash of the Champions, it was announced that Luger would challenge Flair for the NWA title at The Great American Bash on July 10 in Baltimore.^[2] The contract was signed on a yacht with Flair delivering the line "You gotta make it to Baltimore..." to Luger.^[2] As Luger arrived at The Clash in a limousine he was attacked by The Four Horsemen, leaving him (kayfabe) injured and bleeding in the parking lot on live television.^[2] While Luger had Flair in the "Torture Rack" and Flair was about to submit, the match was abruptly stopped by the referee who cited (kayfabe) "Maryland State Athletic Commission" rules about a cut that had opened up on Luger's forehead "bleeding excessively".^[1][9] Luger faced Flair in many rematches across the country, never winning the title. The Luger/Flair feud came to an end after December's Starrcade 1988: True Gritt where Flair pinned Luger in a rematch main event for the NWA title by illegally using the ropes.^[10]

United States Heavyweight Champion (1989–1990)[link]

He was then matched up against old foe Barry Windham at The Chi-Town Rumble winning his second NWA United States Heavyweight Championship from him.^[11] Luger defended the U.S. Championship regularly. One of his major title defenses was against Jack Victory in a dark match on the April 2, 1989 edition of Clash of the Champions.^[12]

He teamed up with Michael P.S. Hayes against Barry and Kendall Windham in a match which saw Hayes turn on Luger, setting himself as a contender to the U.S. Title.^[13] Hayes defeated Luger for the US title at WrestleWar 1989: Music City Showdown when a surprise appearance by Hayes's ex-Freebird teammate Terry Gordy helped cost Luger the match.^[2] Luger regained the U.S. Title from Hayes in a rematch a couple of weeks later, beginning a heel turn when he broke the rules by pulling Hayes's tights while pinning Hayes to win the match.^[14] The turn became "official" shortly after, when on the June 14 edition of Clash of the Champions, Luger attacked the popular Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat after Steamboat had defeated Terry Funk by disqualification.^[15] Luger and Steamboat faced each other at The Great American Bash in July with Luger winning by disqualification after Luger refused to wrestle Steamboat until the match's no-disqualification clause had been waived.^[16]

Flyin' Brian Pillman challenged Luger at Halloween Havoc 1989: Settling the Score for the US Title, which Luger won.^[14] He also defeated Pillman in a rematch on the November 15 edition of Clash of the Champions to retain the title and end the feud.^[14] After the main event of the card, which saw Ric Flair and Terry Funk in an "I Quit" match, Luger made a surprise run in, attacking both Flair and Sting, who had come out to save Flair from a post match attack by The Great Muta.^[17] December's Starrcade featured an "Ironman" tournament between Flair, Sting, Luger, and Muta.

Though Sting eventually won the tournament, Luger was the only participant to go undefeated (Sting got pinfall victories over Muta and Flair, giving him the most points to win the tournament).^[18] This elevated Sting to the status of No.1 contender for Flair's world title. With Sting and Flair set to square off at WrestleWar in February, Luger was booked to defend the U.S. Title against "Dr. Death" Steve Williams on the card. A legitimate injury to Sting, however, caused the entire booking of the card to get changed. Luger was elevated to face Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. An injured Sting appeared in Luger's corner during the match, eventually being attacked by Ole and Arn Anderson. When Luger left the ring to help Sting he was counted out, giving the match to Flair.^[19] The idea here was to build Luger up as a "changed man" that had "gained self-respect" by saving Sting. Luger challenged Flair across the country in rematches. In the final match of the feud, a few months later at the innaugural (and only) Capital Combat event in Washington, DC, another screwjob finish occurred where Luger won by disqualification against Flair in a steel cage match when the cage rose up from the ground and outside interference marred the match.^[1]

In mid-1990, Luger's focus went back to defending his U.S. Championship while the NWA focused on Sting and his reign as World Heavyweight Champion. When Stan Hansen entered the company and the two of them feuded for a brief period of months, Luger eventually dropped the title to Hansen at Halloween Havoc,^[20] though he won it back at Starrcade 1990: Collision Course beginning his fourth NWA United States Heavyweight Championship reign.^[21] Luger's third title reign lasted a total of 523 days, making him, the longest reigning United States Champion in history.^[22] WCW withdrew from NWA in 1991 and the U.S. Title was renamed the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. Luger started a feud with Dan Spivey, whom he defeated at WrestleWar to retain the U.S. Title.^[23] Following their match, Nikita Koloff suddenly appeared to attack Luger, reigniting their feud from 1987. It did not last long, however, as Koloff found himself being pushed into an angle with Sting instead of Luger, which began at SuperBrawl I: Return of the Rising Sun when Sting and Luger challenged The Steiner Brothers for the WCW World Tag Team Championship.

During the match, Koloff interfered and hit Sting with a chain, which was intended for Luger.^[24] Luger again began to challenge Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship after becoming No.1 contender by defeating The Great Muta on the June 14, 1991 edition of Clash of the Champions.^[25] With the history of "screwjob finishes" between Flair and Luger, their title match was set to be contested at The Great American Bash in a steel cage match with the added stipulation that, should Flair get disqualified he would lose the title. The match never occurred, however, as Flair began to have disagreements with Jim Herd, the head of WCW, over his future and salary. He eventually quit the company (being "stripped" of the title in the process) and took the World Title belt with him.

World Heavyweight Champion (1991–1992)[link]

With the WCW Title now vacant, Barry Windham was declared the No. 2 contender and was set to face Luger in the cage match at The Great American Bash. During the match, a double turn took place when Harley Race and Mr. Hughes came to ringside and "ordered" Luger to execute a piledriver on Windham. He did it, winning his first WCW World Heavyweight Championship.^[26][27]

After Luger won the WCW Title, he got over top heel by participating in a controversial racial angle with Ron Simmons where he asked Simmons to join his entourage, but as a chauffeur. It was also around this time he abandoned the Torture Rack and started using the piledriver, which he dubbed the "Attitude Adjustment", as his finisher. Luger retained the title at Halloween Havoc in a two out of three falls match.^[28] Eventually, Luger began to have his own issues with WCW, and the contract he had seemed to have him wrestling less and less while still collecting money. After ending his feud with Simmons, Luger had a brief feud with Rick Steiner, defeating him on the November 19 edition of Clash of the Champions.^[29] The next month's Starrcade was booked with the BattleBowl format, with Sting winning No.1 contendership at the end of the night.

Luger's contract only required him to work a specific number of dates, and having fulfilled them he "sat out" the end of 1991 and beginning of 1992. This left Sting to build the feud against him on his own. Aside from one title defense against Masahiro Chono at WCW/New Japan Supershow II (Starrcade in Tokyo Dome),^[30] Luger did not wrestle a match until SuperBrawl II, where he lost his WCW title cleanly to Sting.^[31]

World Bodybuilding Federation (1992)[link]

After losing to Sting at SuperBrawl, Luger negotiated a departure from WCW and joined Vince McMahon's World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF), appearing regularly as a co-host on its Saturday morning program, WBF BodyStars.^[32] He also made an appearance at WrestleMania VIII, taking part in an on air interview with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon.^[33] He was slated to guest pose at a WBF pay-per-view event, but was injured in a motorcycle accident.^[34] By the time he recovered, the WBF was out of business.

World Wrestling Federation[link]

The Narcissist (1993)[link]

After his accident and the closure of the WBF, Luger joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Bobby "The Brain" Heenan "unveiled" him with the persona of "The Narcissist" at Royal Rumble 1993. Luger posed before full-length mirrors before every match.^[35] The WWF also incorporated his motorcycle accident into his gimmick, capitalizing on the fact that he had a "metal plate" inserted into his forearm which was said to cause more damage when it struck an opponent. This caused a number of his opponents to demand that he wear a cover over it during matches when he had a streak of knocking people out. This eventually led to WWF officials demanding that Luger wear an elbow pad, though he would often remove it. The Narcissist's one major feud was with Mr. Perfect. The feud was based on Heenan, his advisor, referring to him as being "Beyond Perfection," in a slight at Mr. Perfect, his former managerial client. The rivalry ended at WrestleMania IX when Luger defeated Perfect.^[36] During a WrestleMania IX press conference, Luger knocked out Bret Hart, leading to a house show feud between the two, mostly concentrated in Canada, with few (if any) of these matches being televised. At King of the Ring, Luger participated in the first-ever King of the Ring tournament on pay-per-view, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals after a time limit draw with Tatanka.^[37]

The All-American (1993–1994)[link]

Luger in his All-American attire.

In mid-1993, after Hulk Hogan's departure from the company, Luger was transformed from a heel to a "mega-face" with the nicknames "Made in the USA" and "The All-American". On July 4, he took part in a memorable event where he arrived (by a red helicopter) on the deck of the USS Intrepid and body slammed the near 600 pound (270 kg) WWF Champion Yokozuna after a number of other athletes, both inside the WWF and out, attempted and failed.^[38] Following this he began the "Lex Express" tour, traveling the country in a Red, White, and Blue painted bus to greet fans and to "campaign" for a shot at the WWF Title, thus beginning a feud with the champion Yokozuna. Luger got his shot at SummerSlam 1993, with the stipulation that this would be Luger's only shot at the title. Luger, with the use of the metal plate in his forearm, eventually won the match, but the count-out victory meant that Yokozuna retained the title.^[39]

In late 1993, Luger began a feud with Ludvig Borga, another anti-American foreigner. At Survivor Series 1993, Luger captained a team dubbed "All-Americans" (Lex Luger, The Undertaker, and The Steiner Brothers) against Yokozuna's team "Foreign Fanatics" (Crush, Yokozuna, Ludvig Borga, and Quebecer Jacques) in a 4-on-4 Survivor Series match. Luger's team won the match after he pinned Borga.^[40] At Royal Rumble, Luger participated in the Royal Rumble match where he and Bret Hart were declared "co-winners" of the Royal Rumble match after both men went over the top rope and had their feet hit the ground simultaneously.^[41] As such, both received shots at the WWF Championship at WrestleMania X. Luger was disqualified in his title match against Yokozuna,^[42] and later that night Hart went on to win the title from Yokozuna.

Ever since he became a babyface in the summer of 1993, Luger aligned himself with Tatanka until rumors began to swirl that Luger was planning to join Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation in the summer of 1994.^[43] Tatanka and Luger's friendship was strained by the lack of trust between them, and a match between the two took place at SummerSlam. At the event, Tatanka defeated Luger and joined the Million Dollar Corporation.^[43][44] Luger continued to feud with The Million Dollar Corporation, leading a Survivor Series team consisting of himself, Mabel, Adam Bomb, and The Smoking Gunns, dubbed "Guts & Glory", to a loss against the Corporate team of Tatanka, King Kong Bundy, Bam Bam Bigelow, and The Heavenly Bodies at Survivor Series – with only King Kong Bundy and Bam Bam Bigelow surviving.^[45]

The Allied Powers and departure (1995)[link]

In the beginning of 1995, Luger formed a team with Davey Boy Smith, dubbed The Allied Powers^[46] and they continued to feud with the Million Dollar Corporation. They made a good impact on the tag team division and made their pay-per-view debut as a tag team at WrestleMania XI, defeating the Blu Brothers.^[47] They wrestled and defeated jobbers on Raw and, after a victory over the newly-turned heel team Men on a Mission in June 1995, earned a shot at the WWF Tag Team Championship against Owen Hart and Yokozuna at In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks but failed to win the titles.^[48] Bulldog turned against partner Diesel in a match against Men on a Mission which Luger, who was scheduled to team with Smith, was unable to participate in. While Diesel fought King Mabel at Summerslam, Sir Mo tried to interfere but was attacked by Luger, who chased him to the back. Shortly after Summerslam, Luger, who's contract had expired,^[49] left the WWF without letting McMahon know firsthand.^[49]

Return to WCW[link]

Alliance to End Hulkamania (1995–1996)[link]

Luger after taping WCW Monday Nitro.

In late August 1995, after expressing to Sting that he wanted to leave the WWF, Luger got a call from World Championship Wrestling Vice-President Eric Bischoff to set up a meeting about a contract and Luger possibly "jumping ship". Bischoff was initially reluctant to make the offer, as he didn't care for Luger personally or professionally, but relented due to both Sting's urging, and the idea that his appearance would make a big splash. Eight days after his appearance at SummerSlam, Luger made his return to WCW on the premiere of Nitro, coming out during a match between Sting and Ric Flair. After Luger's debut, he acted as a sort of tweener character, not making his allegiances known, except for his long-time friendship with Sting. He merely claimed that he wanted to stake his claim at Hulk Hogan's World Heavyweight Title, facing him on the September 11, 1995 edition of Nitro, which Hogan won by disqualification.^[50] At Halloween Havoc, Luger officially turned heel, attacking Hogan after his match with The Giant and joining Kevin Sullivan's Dungeon of Doom stable.^[51] Later in the pay-per-view, Luger had a match where he lost to Randy "Macho Man" Savage.^[51] Luger and Savage had a rematch at World War 3, which Luger won.^[52] Later that night, Luger participated in the first-ever three-ring, 60-man battle royal for the vacant World Title, which was won by Savage.^[52]

Despite being a heel, Luger retained his friendship with Sting. At Starrcade, Luger participated in a WCW vs NJPW World Cup of Wrestling where he represented WCW in a winning effort against NJPW representative Masa Chono.^[53] Later that night, he participated in a triangle match with Sting and Ric Flair; Flair won after both Sting and Luger were counted out, making Flair No.1 contender to the WCW title.^[53] The two men teamed up to defeat Harlem Heat for their first World Tag Team Championship on the January 22, 1996 edition of Nitro,^[54][55] with Luger constantly threatening dissent due to his allegiance to the Dungeon of Doom, but always seeming to stay on the same path as his friend. Luger also defeated Johnny B. Badd for the WCW World Television Championship on February 17, losing it back to him the next night.^[56] He regained the television title from Badd by beating him on March 6.^[56]

The Dungeon of Doom aligned with the Four Horsemen to form the Alliance to End Hulkamania, which feuded with Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. At Uncensored, nine members from the Alliance participated in a "Tower of Doom Steel Cage match", but were unsuccessful in defeating the team of Hogan and Savage.^[57] Luger was blamed for the loss because he accidentally punched teammate Ric Flair and was kicked out of the stable, thus turning him face again.

Feud with the New World Order (1996–1997)[link]

Luger in the ring during a taping of WCW Monday Nitro in 1998.

During the summer, Luger began a feud with The Giant for the World Heavyweight Championship, unsuccessfully challenging him at The Great American Bash.^[58] During this time, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, both former WWF superstars, began appearing on WCW television and claimed they were "taking over" the company. Randy Savage spearheaded the WCW wrestlers against them, with Luger and Sting by his side. Luger, along with Savage and Sting, took on Nash and Hall (who called themselves The Outsiders) and a third, mystery, partner that they claimed was an "insider" at Bash at the Beach. In the first few minutes of the match Luger went down to a kayfabe injury, leaving Sting and Savage on their own when the mystery partner revealed himself to be Hulk Hogan. With Luger no longer around, Savage and Sting were "easy prey" for the three who announced themselves as the New World Order (nWo).^[59]

Luger continued to be one of the leaders for the WCW's siege against the nWo, wrestling and feuding with a number of their members. At SuperBrawl VII, Luger and The Giant defeated the Outsiders to win the World Tag Team Championship.^[54] The title was returned to the Outsiders by nWo member and WCW President Eric Bischoff. Luger won a Four Corners match to become the No.1 contender for Hogan's WCW Title at Spring Stampede,^[60] and teamed with his new ally, The Giant, to defeat Hogan and basketball star Dennis Rodman at Bash at the Beach.^[61] On the August 4, 1997 edition of Nitro, Luger defeated Hogan to win his second World Heavyweight Championship in an impromptu match,^[62] before dropping the title back to Hogan just five days later at Road Wild.^[63] His victory, however, marked the first time in a year that WCW had "won their world title back" from the nWo.^[64]

Luger began a program with Hall after both men pinned each other in tag team matches (Luger's partner was Diamond Dallas Page and Hall's partner was Randy Savage)^[65][66] before facing each other in a 1-on-1 match at Halloween Havoc which Luger won.^[67] He had a short feud with Buff Bagwell in the fall of 1997, culminating in a match at Starrcade, which Bagwell won.^[68] In the first half of 1998, Luger feuded with Savage and defeated him at Souled Out^[69] and SuperBrawl VIII.^[70] His final feud with the nWo was against Scott Steiner, whom Luger defeated at Uncensored.^[71] At Spring Stampede, he teamed with Scott's brother and former tag team partner Rick to defeat Scott and Bagwell.^[72]

Joining nWo Wolfpac (1998–1999)[link]

After a long war with the nWo, Luger joined nWo Wolfpac, the babyface faction of the nWo.^[73] Luger played a central role in the group's war with Hogan's nWo Hollywood, and even convinced the long standing anti-nWo Sting to join.^[74] On the August 10, 1998 edition of Nitro, he defeated Bret Hart to win his record-tying fifth, and final, United States Heavyweight Championship in an impromptu title match,^[75] before dropping the title back to Hart just one day later on Thunder.^[76] He also took part in the incident in which both nWo factions united against the dominant Bill Goldberg in early 1999, turning heel for the first time in many years.^[77] He remained a member of the new nWo until he was sidelined with a (legitimate) biceps injury.

The Total Package and Totally Buff (1999–2001)[link]

Luger changed his name to The Total Package and formed the tag team Totally Buff with Buff Bagwell.

In August 1999 Lex Luger returned to WCW Monday Nitro during a Sting/Hogan angle for the World Heavyweight Championship. He eventually helped Sting win the World Title at the Fall Brawl PPV in September 1999.

After Fall Brawl, Luger claimed that Lex Luger was now "dead" and he was going by the name "The Total Package". He debuted on WCW Monday Nitro in September 1999 with a Terminator-style entrance symbolizing his "rebirth" and by bringing back Miss Elizabeth as his manager. The Total Package’s entrance would often conclude with Miss Elizabeth tearing off his tracksuit in the middle of the ring. Luger would then pose down as if in a bodybuilding competition and conclude by performing a pose with fireworks.

During late November and into December 1999 The Total Package began to have some disagreements with his best friend Sting. He also began treating Miss Elizabeth badly that prompted Sting to intervene. At the Starrcade 1999 PPV in December 1999 Sting and The Total Package had a match with Miss Elizabeth eventually turning on Sting. After this Luger began appearing dressed up as Sting and mocking him.

Luger continued his Total Package angle with Miss Elizabeth through January 2000. He began a storyline where he would break the arms of his opponents by placing the arm inside a closed steel chair and stomping on it. In February 2000 he formed an alliance with Ric Flair to take out Hulk Hogan from WCW. They later formed a tag team under the name Team Package with Ric Flair. The team feuded with Sting and Hogan until April 2000 when WCW was reformatted with Vince Russo forming the New Blood causing Luger to turn face and joining the Millionaires Club.

Lex Luger would not return again to WCW until September 2000 when Vince Russo was still running the company. Luger would no longer pose in the ring with Miss Elizabeth and his hair was cut short. He would face Booker T on Nitro for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and Goldberg at the Mayhem 2000 PPV and then again at Starrcade 2000 with Goldberg’s career on the line. He also formed a tag team with Buff Bagwell named "Totally Buff". They defeated Goldberg and Dwayne Bruce in a tag team match at the WCW Sin PPV in January 2001. Luger stayed in the team until the WWE purchased WCW in March 2001.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003; 2006)[link]

In late 2003 Luger began working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA); he teamed with Jeff Jarrett on November 12 in a loss to Sting and A.J. Styles.^[78] He returned to TNA in 2006, first appearing during the April 27 TNA Impact! as the second of Sting's potential tag team partners for Sacrifice.^[79] Throughout September and October, he appeared on Impact! as one of the people (along with Buff Bagwell) helping Sting to "prepare" for his upcoming match against Jarrett at Bound for Glory.^[80]

Semi-retirement[link]

In late 2002, Luger joined the European tour of WWA. He debuted in November at Dublin, Ireland, teaming with Sting to defeat Buff Bagwell and Malice. At Retribution, Luger defeated Sting to win the vacant WWA World Heavyweight Championship after Jeff Jarrett interfered on his behalf.^[81] In Manchester, England on December 7, Luger and Sting faced Bagwell and Jarrett in a match in which both Luger's WWA World Heavyweight Championship and Jarrett's NWA World Heavyweight Championship were on the line, though neither title changed hands, as Sting pinned Bagwell.^[82] Luger made his final appearance with WWA on December 13, in Zürich, Switzerland, when he lost the WWA World Heavyweight Championship to Sting in a three way dance that also featured Malice.^[81]

Throughout 2004 and 2005, Luger made sporadic appearances on the independent circuit.^[1] Luger is also included as a downloadable character in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011.

On September 22, 2007- Lex was inducted into the XWF Hall of Fame in Moundsville, WV by Jack Blaze at their "XWF Mountain Madness 2007" event. XWF was later renamed LPW (Legends Pro Wrestling) where Lex is still honored in their Hall of Fame- Class 2007.

Return to WWE (2011–present)[link]

In 2011, Luger began working again with WWE on their Wellness Policy. In regards to this role he stated:

Personal life[link]

Luger is divorced from Peggy and has two children, a son, Brian (born 1 January 1986),^[84] and a daughter, Lauren Ashley (born 24 September 1990).^[85]

On September 28, 2006, Luger appeared on Praise the Lord, the flagship talk program of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and declared himself a born again Christian. In an interview conducted by guest host, one-time wrestling tag-team partner Steve "Sting" Borden, Luger emotionally discussed the downward turn of his career and personal life—including the events surrounding Elizabeth Hulette's death—and how it led to his religious conversion. Luger credits Steve Baskin, the pastor of Western Hills Baptist Church in Kennesaw, Georgia, with pulling him from a terminal tailspin. The jail chaplain met Luger in early 2006.^[86]

Legal problems[link]

On April 19, 2003, Luger was involved in a domestic dispute with Elizabeth Hulette, then his live-in girlfriend, in the garage of their townhouse in Marietta, Georgia, during which Luger allegedly struck her. Cobb County police found Elizabeth with two bruised eyes, a bump on her head, and a cut lip. Luger was charged with a misdemeanor count of battery and released on $2,500 bond. Two days later on April 21, Luger was arrested for driving under the influence after rear-ending another car. According to the police report, Luger had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes, and could not locate his driver's license. Luger had a 9mm handgun in the car (which was legal in Georgia). Hulette was a passenger in the vehicle and was sent home in a taxi. Luger was also driving with a suspended license for not appearing in court on March 5, 2003 for a hearing on a previous offense of driving with expired tags and having no proof of insurance.^[87]

On May 1, 2003, Hulette died in the townhouse they shared in Marietta, after mixing pills of hydrocodone, Alprazolam (Xanax), and anabolic steroids (testosterone and saizen) with vodka. Luger was arrested later that day after a search of the residence revealed a number of illicit controlled substances, including anabolic steroids, OxyContin, synthetic growth hormone, testosterone, and Alprazolam. He was charged with 14 drug possession counts, 13 of them felonies. He was released the following day on $27,500 bail. Hulette's death was eventually ruled accidental. Luger pleaded guilty to the charges on February 3, 2005. He was given a $1,000 fine, sentenced to five years probation, and required to submit to periodic drug testing.^[88]

In December 2005, Luger and fellow wrestlers Marcus Bagwell and Scott Steiner were removed from a flight from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Winnipeg, Manitoba. They were detained for several hours before Bagwell and Steiner were released, while Luger was held without bail as a result of his outstanding felony charges (he had neglected to obtain permission to leave the country from his probation officer). Luger was detained in the Hennepin County jail for two weeks before being extradited to Georgia to stand trial on December 22, 2005. Luger was sentenced to nine weeks imprisonment, and was released in February 2006.

Spinal stroke[link]

On October 19, 2007, Luger suffered a nerve impingement in his neck that led to temporary paralysis. He underwent intravenous antibiotic treatment and was expected to make a full recovery.^[89] Nearly a month after his spinal stroke, Luger was still in a quadriplegic state, having no movement in either his arms or legs. As of June 2008, Luger was said to be able to stand on his own for short periods of time and walk using a walker. As of 2010, Luger has stated in an interview that he is able to walk more comfortably, and is able to drive around after being paralyzed from the neck down before. Luger has stated in an interview he now resides in Atlanta, Georgia, and loves his family.^[90]

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves
  • Rebel Rack^[91] / Torture Rack (Backbreaker rack)^[1][92]
  • Running forearm smash^[1][92]

• Signature moves
  • Atomic drop, sometimes inverted
  • Bearhug
  • Hip toss
  • Knee lift^[1]
  • One-handed bulldog
  • Rib breaker
  • Snap scoop powerslam
  • Vertical suplex

• Nicknames
  • The Total Package
  • The Narcissist
  • The American
  • Made In USA

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Championship Wrestling from Florida
  • NWA Florida Bahamian Championship (1 time)^[93]
  • NWA Florida Television Championship (1 time)^[94]
  • NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (3 times)^[4]

• Jim Crockett Promotions / World Championship Wrestling^[95]
  • NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (5 times)^[96]
  • WCW World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[97]
  • NWA (Mid-Atlantic)/WCW World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Barry Windham (1), Sting (1), and The Giant (1)^[54]
  • WCW World Television Championship (2 times)^[56]
  • Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup (1988) – with Sting^[8]
  • Second WCW Triple Crown Champion

• Legends Pro Wrestling

• XWF/LPW Hall of Fame Inductee- Class 2007 (9/22/07)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Comeback of the Year (1993)
  • PWI Feud of the Year (1987) Four Horsemen vs. Super Powers and the Road Warriors
  • PWI Feud of the Year (1988, 1990) vs. Ric Flair
  • PWI Match of the Year (1991) with Sting vs. The Steiner Brothers at SuperBrawl
  • PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1993)
  • PWI Rookie of the Year (1986)
  • PWI Wrestler of the Year (1997)
  • PWI ranked him #20 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003^[98]

• World Wrestling All-Stars
  • WWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[81]

• World Wrestling Federation^[95]
  • Royal Rumble (1994)^1[99]
  • Yokozuna Bodyslam Challenge (1993)^[100]

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Worst Worked Match of the Year (1996) with Arn Anderson, Meng, The Barbarian, Ric Flair, Kevin Sullivan, Z-Gangsta, and The Ultimate Solution vs. Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, Uncensored, Towers of Doom match, Tupelo, Mississippi, March 24
  • Most Improved (1989)

¹Luger co-won the Royal Rumble with Bret Hart after both simultaneously eliminated each other

See also[link]

Professional wrestling portal

• Sting and Lex Luger

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Lex Luger

• Lex Luger at the Internet Movie Database

Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa in Brooklyn, New York in August 2009.
Background information
Birth name	Cameron Jibril Thomaz
Born	(1987-09-08) 8 September 1987 (age 24) Minot, North Dakota, United States
Origin	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Genres	Hip hop, pop
Occupations	Rapper, singer, songwriter, actor
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Rostrum, Warner Bros., Atlantic
Associated acts	Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Curren$y, Big Sean, Chevy Woods, Mac Miller, Juicy J, Tinie Tempah, Yelawolf, Maroon 5, Big K.R.I.T.
Website	wizkhalifa.com

Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007. His eurodance-influenced single, "Say Yeah", received urban radio airplay, charting on the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts in 2008.^[1] Khalifa parted with Warner Bros. and released his second album, Deal or No Deal, in November 2009. He released the mixtape Kush and Orange Juice as a free download in April 2010; he then signed with Atlantic Records.^[2] He is also well known for his debut single for Atlantic, "Black and Yellow", which peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut album for the label, Rolling Papers, was released on March 29, 2011.^[3]

Early life[link]

Khalifa was born on September 8, 1987 to a mother and a father serving in the military.^[1][4] His parents divorced when Khalifa was about three years old. His parents' military service caused him to move regularly: Khalifa lived in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan before settling in Pittsburgh where he attended Taylor Allderdice High School.^[1][4]

His stage name is derived from khalifa, an Arabic word meaning "successor", and wisdom, which was shortened to Wiz when Khalifa was a young boy .^[5] Khalifa stated to spinner.com that the name also came from being called "young Wiz 'cause I was good at everything I did, and my granddad is Muslim, so he gave me that name; he felt like that's what I was doing with my music." He got his stage name tattooed on his 17th birthday.^[6][7] He includes Jimi Hendrix, Camp Lo, The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony among his influences.^[8]

Career[link]

[edit] 2005–08: Early mixtapes and Show and Prove

Rostrum Records president Benjy Grinberg first heard about Wiz Khalifa in 2004 when the rapper's contribution to a mixtape of various new Pittsburgh artists attracted his interest.^[9] When Grinberg finally met the 16-year-old artist, he immediately decided he wanted to work with him, later telling HitQuarters: "Even though he wasn’t all the way developed you could just tell that he was a diamond in the rough, and that with some polishing, guidance and backing he could become something special."^[9] Khalifa signed to the label shortly after and began a seven year period of artist development.^[9]

Khalifa released his first mixtape, Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania, in 2005. The mixtape paved the way for his first full length album entitled Show and Prove in 2006. Khalifa was declared an "artist to watch" that year in Rolling Stone magazine.^[10][11]

In 2007, Khalifa signed to Warner Bros. Records and released two mixtapes through Rostrum Records: Grow Season, hosted by DJ Green Lantern and released on July 4, 2007, and Prince of the City 2, released on November 20, 2007. His debut Warner Bros. single "Say Yeah" reached number 25 on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 music chart and number 20 on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks. The song samples "Better Off Alone" by Alice Deejay. Khalifa's vocals from "Say Yeah" appear near the end of Pittsburgh mash up producer Girl Talk's 2008 album, Feed the Animals, over music from Underworld's "Born Slippy", Usher's "Love in This Club", and the Cure's "In Between Days".^[12] Khalifa appeared with The Game, David Banner and Play-n-Skillz at U92's Summer Jam at the USANA Amphitheatre in West Valley City, Utah on August 2, 2008.^[13] Khalifa released the mixtapes Star Power in September 2008, and Flight School in April 2009 on Rostrum Records.

Khalifa parted ways with Warner Bros. Records in July 2009 after numerous delays in releasing his planned debut album for the label, First Flight. Khalifa stated to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that, "I learned a lot during my time there and matured as an artist during the process. I'm happy to be moving on with all of my material and having the chance to be in control of my next moves".^[14] Khalifa appeared with Girl Talk, Modey Lemon, Donora, Grand Buffet, and Don Caballero at the Amphitheatre at Station Square in Pittsburgh on July 31, 2009, where he announced that his relationship with Warner Bros. was over.^[15]

Wiz Khalifa performing at Columbia University in New York City in April 2010.

[edit] 2009–10: Deal or No Deal

Continuing his association with Rostrum Records, Khalifa released the single "Teach U to Fly", and the mixtape How Fly, a collaboration with New Orleans rapper Curren$y, on August 9, 2009.^[14] Khalifa introduced a more melodic style on the mixtape, alternating between singing and rapping. He opened for Wu-Tang Clan member U-God at the 2009 CMJ Music Marathon in New York City.^[16] Khalifa released the mixtape Burn After Rolling on November 2, 2009, where he raps over familiar beats from other artists, including the songs "If I Were A Boy" and "Diva" by Beyoncé, "Walking on a Dream" by Empire of the Sun, "Luchini AKA This Is It" by Camp Lo, and "Best I Ever Had" by Drake.^[17] Khalifa released his second album, Deal or No Deal, on November 24, 2009.^[18]

Khalifa performed at Emo's in Austin, Texas in March 2010 as part of the 2010 South by Southwest Music Festival.^[19] He appeared on the cover of XXL magazine that same month, for the magazine's annual list of Top 10 Freshman, which included Donnis, J. Cole, Pill, Freddie Gibbs, and Fashawn. Wiz Khalifa was named 2010 "Rookie Of The Year" by "The Source", with alongside Rick Ross, "The Man Of The Year".^[20] He toured with rapper Yelawolf on a 20-date tour, the Deal Or No Deal Tour.^[21] Khalifa released the free mixtape Kush and Orange Juice for download on April 14, 2010. Due to Khalifa's devoted grassroots fan base, the mixtape became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter with the hash tag #kushandorangejuice, and "Kush and Orange Juice download” ranked No. 1 on Google’s hot search trends.^[22]

2010: Signing with Atlantic Records[link]

Citing music industry insiders, New York magazine wrote that Khalifa signed with Atlantic Records in April 2010, although the rapper did not confirm it.^[23] He stated to AllHipHop in June 2010 that he was working on a new album, but was weighing his options and had not yet decided on a label to distribute it.^[24] Khalifa confirmed to MTV on July 30 that he was signing an Atlantic Records deal.^[25]

Wiz Khalifa on stage in Boston in August 2010.

Khalifa was featured in a remix and video for the 2010 Rick Ross single "Super High", alongside Curren$y.^[26] He guested on the mixtape Grey Goose, Head Phones, and Thirsty Women by St. Louis rapper M.C,^[27] and was featured on the track "The Breeze (Cool)" on rapper Wale's August 2010 mixtape More About Nothing.^[28] Khalifa was named MTV's Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2010, winning with nearly 70,000 votes, and beating out finalists Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, Travis Porter, and Diggy Simmons.^[29]

Khalifa appeared at the Soundset 2010 festival in May 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, alongside Method Man & Redman, Del the Funky Homosapien and Hieroglyphics, Atmosphere, Murs, Cage, and others.^[30] He also performed at the 2010 Rock the Bells festival, along with hip hop veterans Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hill, A Tribe Called Quest, Rakim, KRS-One, Jedi Mind Tricks and Slick Rick.^[31] Khalifa declined an invitation to tour with rapper Drake and launched his own "Waken Baken" tour, a 50-city national tour with rapper Yelawolf. The tour, scheduled to last from September to November 2010, has, as of October, sold out every venue.^[8] On November 2010, during his "Waken Baken" tour at East Carolina University, Wiz Khalifa was arrested for possession and trafficking of marijuana. He was then released the next morning after a $300K bail, and resumed his tour. Khalifa performed in a cypher during the 2010 BET Hip-Hop Awards. He recited his verse from the song, "The Check Point", from his mixtape with Curren$y, How Fly.^[32]

[edit] 2010–11: Mainstream success and Rolling Papers

Khalifa released "Black and Yellow", his first single for Rostrum/Atlantic, produced by Stargate, which has received radio airplay.^[8][33] The single was peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; the title of the song refers to the colours of the Pittsburgh Steelers.^[34] Khalifa released his debut album with Atlantic Records in 2011.^[35] He appeared with Curren$y on the track "Scaling the Building" on producer Ski Beatz' 2010 album, 24 Hour Karate School.^[36] Khalifa's record label is Taylor Gang Records, named after his love of Chuck Taylor All-Stars shoes.^[8]

On March 29, 2011, Khalifa released his first studio album, Rolling Papers. The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 197,000 copies in the United States.^[37] Shortly afterward on March 31, 2011 Wiz Khalifa performed at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia as part of the school's annual Dooley's Weekend.^[38] On June 26, 2011, Khalifa was nominated and won Best New Artist at the BET Awards of 2011.^[39] Khalifa collaborated with British rapper Tinie Tempah whom Tinie announced in an interview with Rolling Stone that his next single is to be called "Till I'm Gone" and would feature Wiz Khalifa and is to be produced by Stargate.^[40][41] The single and the video song were released at the end of June 2011.^[42]

Personal life[link]

Thomaz proposed to model Amber Rose on March 1, 2012 showing off the ring on Twitter.^[43] He is personal friends with Snoop Dogg, Juicy J, Yelawolf, and fellow Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller.^[44]

In March 2012, Thomaz purchased a 2.8 private wooded acres with a 3,891-square-foot residence in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. The residence includes 5-bedroom, 4-bath eco-friendly, Brazilian Koa floors, stainless steel appliances, a separate guest house, and a lavish master suite with high ceilings.^[45]He currently resides there with his fiancée Amber Rose.

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• 2006: Show and Prove
• 2009: Deal or No Deal
• 2011: Rolling Papers
• 2012: O.N.I.F.C. ^[11][46][47]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wiz Khalifa

• Official website
• Wiz Khalifa on Facebook
• Wiz Khalifa on Myspace
• Wiz Khalifa on Twitter
• Wiz Khalifa at MTV
• Non-commercial Wiz Khalifa mixtapes

George Kelly Barnes
Mugshot of George "Machine Gun Kelly" Barnes
Born	July 18, 1895(1895-07-18) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	July 18, 1954(1954-07-18) (aged 59) Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, Leavenworth, Kansas, U.S.
Charge(s)	Conspiracy to kidnap and bank robbing
Occupation	Gangster, bootlegger and businessman
Spouse	Kathryn Kelly

George Celino Barnes (July 18, 1895 – July 18, 1954), better known as "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster during the prohibition era.^[1][2] His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thompson submachine gun. His most famous crime was the kidnapping of oil tycoon and businessman Charles Urschel in July 1933 for which he, and his gang, earned $200,000 ransom. The FBI investigation eventually led to Kelly's arrest in Memphis, Tennessee on September 26, 1933.^[2] His crimes also included bootlegging and armed robbery.

Career[link]

During the Prohibition era of the 1920s and 1930s Kelly worked as a bootlegger for himself as well as a colleague. After a short time, and several run-ins with the local Memphis police, he decided to leave town and head west with his girlfriend. To protect his family and escape law enforcement officers, he changed his name to George R. Kelly.^[3] He continued to commit smaller crimes and bootlegging. He was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for smuggling liquor onto an Indian Reservation in 1928 and sentenced for three years to Leavenworth Penitentiary, Kansas, beginning February 11, 1928. He was reportedly a model inmate and was released early. Shortly thereafter, Kelly married Kathryn Thorne, who purchased Kelly’s first machine gun and went to great lengths to familiarize his name in the underground crime circles. She was known to hand out the expended .45cal cartridge casings from his Tommy Gun as souvenirs. Some historians claim that Kathryn even went so far as to plot some small bank robberies.^{[citation needed]}

George "Machine Gun" Kelly is led from Shelby County Jail enroute to the Memphis airport and Oklahoma City for his trial for the kidnapping of Charles F. Urschel, October 2, 1933

Nonetheless, Kelly’s last criminal activity proved disastrous when he kidnapped a wealthy Oklahoma City resident, Charles F. Urschel and his friend Walter R. Jarrett. Urschel, having been blindfolded, made sure to foil his kidnappers by noting all possible evidence of his experience such as background sounds, counting footsteps and leaving fingerprints on every surface in reach. This in turn proved invaluable for the FBI in their investigation, as they learned that Urschel had been held in Paradise, Texas.

Machine Gun Kelly's hideout at 1408 Rayner Street in Memphis, Tennnessee (2010)

An investigation conducted at Memphis disclosed that after 56 days on the run, the Kellys were staying at the residence of J.C. Tichenor. Special Agents from Birmingham, Alabama, headed by Special Agent in Charge, William "ash" Rorer, were immediately dispatched to Memphis on the orders of J. Edgar Hoover, where, in the early morning hours of September 26, 1933 a raid was conducted, led by agent Rorer. George and Kathryn Kelly were taken into custody and Memphis police officers Sergeant William Raney and officer Thomas Waterson. Caught without a weapon, George Kelly supposedly cried, "Don’t shoot, G-Men! Don’t shoot, G-Men!" as he surrendered to FBI Agents. The term (which had applied to all federal investigators, meaning simply 'Government Men') became synonymous with FBI Agents. Reports of the raid, however, indicate that George Kelly came to the door, dropped his pistol and said, "Okay, boys, I’ve been waiting for you all night." Recent research revealed a 1933 newspaper interview with one of the federal agents at the arrest. He commented that, upon their arrest, Kathryn Kelly put her arms around George and said, "These G-men will never leave us alone." The FBI press machine generated the G-Man story to build its own reputation.^[4]

In October 1933, George and Kathryn Kelly were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. The trial was held at the Post Office, Courthouse and Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City. Kathryn Kelly and her mother had all charges dropped and were released in 1958 from prison in Cincinnati.

The kidnapping of Urschel and the two trials that resulted were historic in several ways: 1) they were the only federal criminal trials in the United States in which moving cameras were allowed to film; 2) the first kidnapping trials after the passage of the so-called Lindbergh Law, which made kidnapping a federal crime; 3) the first major case solved by J. Edgar Hoover’s evolving and powerful FBI. For that, Kelly got sent into Alcatraz; 4) the first crime in which defendants were transported by airplane. At the time, it was the largest ransom ever paid in the United States.

Death[link]

His gravestone marked "George B. Kelley"

Machine Gun Kelly spent his remaining 21 years in prison. During his time at Alcatraz he got the nickname "Pop Gun Kelly." This was in reference, according to a former prisoner, to the fact that Kelly was a model prisoner and was nowhere near the tough, brutal gangster his wife made him out to be. He spent 17 years on Alcatraz, working in the prison industries, and was quietly transferred back to Leavenworth in 1951. He died of a heart attack at Leavenworth Federal Prison, Kansas on July 18, 1954, his 59th birthday. He is buried at Cottondale Texas Cemetery with a small headstone marked "George B. Kelley 1954".^[5]

In popular culture[link]

• Crime novelist Ace Atkins' 2010 book Infamous is based on the Urschel kidnapping and subsequent multi-state misadventures of George and Kathryn Kelly as they attempted to flee both the FBI and other gangsters eager to claim the Urschel ransom money.
• Machine Gun Kelly and Kathryn Kelly were the inspiration for "Machine Gun Kelly" (1970), a song written by Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar and recorded by James Taylor on his 1971 Album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon.
• Machine Gun Kelly and his crimes were (loosely) portrayed in the 1958 film Machine-Gun Kelly starring Charles Bronson.
• Machine Gun Kelly is a central character in the 1974 TV film Melvin Purvis: G-Man.
• Kelly is (along with Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson) one of the main characters of the comic book series Pretty, Baby, Machine.
• Punk band the Angelic Upstarts released a single in 1984 titled Machine Gun Kelly.
• Machine Gun Kelly is referenced in the film So I Married an Axe Murderer by Phil Hartman's character while touring Alcatraz.
• In the song "MVP" by the late Harlem rapper Big L, he says: "I run up like Machine Gun Kelly, with a black skully, put one in your belly, leave you smelly, then take your Pelle Pelle."
• In the song "Bluesman" by Harry Chapin, there's a line that goes "No! A fool plays the blues like Machine Gun Kelly, Five hundred notes to the bar...".
• Female Rapper Foxy Brown refers to "Machine Gun Kelly" in her song "Massacre"
• Mentioned in These Animal Men's I'm Not Your Babylon: "Machine Gun Kelly was the first to crack".
• Rapper of the same name from Cleveland, Ohio. See Machine Gun Kelly (rapper).

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Machine Gun Kelly

Further reading[link]

• Hamilton, Stanley (2003). Machine Gun Kelly's Last Stand. University Press of Kansas. ISBN 9780700612475. 
• Atkins, Ace (2010). Infamous. G.P. Putnam's Sons. 
• Dowd, James (April 26, 2010). Book tells tale of capturing infamous Machine Gun Kelly. Memphis Commercial Appeal (newspaper). http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/apr/26/capturing-kelly/. 

External links[link]

• Machine Gun Kelly at Find a Grave
• FBI file on George "Machine Gun Kelly" Barnes