Coordinates	12°2′36″N77°1′42″N
Name	Norman Smiley
Names	Black MagicLord NormanNorman Smiley
Height
Weight
Birth date	February 28, 1965
Birth place	Northampton, England, United Kingdom
Resides	Miami, Florida
Trainer	Rusty BrooksBoris MalenkoDean Malenko
Debut	1985
Retired	}}

Norman Anthony Smiley (born February 28, 1965) is a British professional wrestler best known for his appearances in World Championship Wrestling. He is currently signed to WWE as a trainer and an on–air authority figure for Florida Championship Wrestling.

Career

Norman Smiley trained under Rusty Brooks and Boris and Dean Malenko before making his debut in 1985 on the Floridian independent circuit, originally known as Black Magic, then as the hated Lord Henry Norman. Smiley wrestled in the Japanese shootstyle group UWF International (UWFi) in 1988 and 1989. In 1990 Smiley competed at the National Wrestling Alliance/World Championship Wrestling Starrcade 1990 event teaming with Chris Adams against the team of Konnan and Rey Misterio, Sr. In 1992, he began wrestling for CMLL in Mexico as Black Magic, winning the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship and holding it until losing to Silver King in 1994. In 1995 and 1996, he briefly competed in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion.

World Championship Wrestling

Smiley joined World Championship Wrestling in 1997, wrestling primarily on ''WCW Saturday Night''. After being removed from television, he returned several months later with a new gimmick. His new character saw him add the "Big Wiggle" to his repertoire of moves; prior to this, his signature taunt was a mimed bow-and-arrow motion, informally dubbed "The Sacajaweah". After knocking an opponent down, Smiley would perform a dance that he called the "Big Wiggle". He later added the "Smiley Spank", which saw him double an opponent over, straddle him, and perform a slapping motion with his hands.

During his tenure in WCW, Smiley often teamed with Chris Adams. The duo had previously teamed together as the British participants in the 1990 NWA Pat O'Connor tag team tournament, and were close friends.

A heel turn began in a backstage interview on an episode of ''WCW Saturday Night'' when he told fans that he was European and that, as such, his name should be pronounced phonetically as "Nor-MAHN Smi-LAY." He would insult the fans who mispronounced his name at establishments such as Waffle House and Piggly Wiggly. He then feuded with Chavo Guerrero, Jr., on one occasion destroying Guerrero's hobby horse mascot, Pepè, by feeding it into a wood chipper on the January 11, 1999 episode of ''WCW Monday Nitro''.

In 1999, Smiley entered the hardcore division. Smiley's character was nicknamed "Screamin'" Norman Smiley due to his fear of being hit by weapons. Smiley would also come to the ring wearing a jersey, often the jersey of a local professional sports team, along with padding and a football helmet to cushion blows. This comedic gimmick caused Smiley's popularity to soar, and he eventually became the first WCW Hardcore Champion by defeating Brian Knobbs in a tournament final. During his 2 reigns, Smiley was a reluctant champion, even attempting to purposely lose matches (although he invariably retained the title inadvertently, much to his chagrin). Smiley holds the 2 longest WCW Hardcore Championship reigns, at 51 and 42 days, respectively.

Smiley feuded with Brian Knobbs, Meng and Terry Funk during his tenures as WCW Hardcore Champion, recruiting Chris Jericho's former associate Ralphus to be his manager. With the assistance of Ralphus, he stole a backyard wrestling championship from a group of children during a vignette.

Smiley remained in WCW until the company was sold to the World Wrestling Federation in March 2001. He was not hired by the WWF following the sale.

TNA, AAA, and the independent circuit

Smiley wrestled for the short-lived X Wrestling Federation and the World Wrestling All-Stars before returning to the Florida independent circuit. He wrestled briefly for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2002 and then had several tryout matches with World Wrestling Entertainment in 2003 and 2004. In February 2006, he was backstage during the TNA pay-per-view Against All Odds 2006, and he wrestled in an eight-man opening match on an episode of ''TNA Impact!'' shortly thereafter, doing the Big Wiggle on Jeff Jarrett. At TNA Destination X 2006 on March 12, 2006, Smiley and Shark Boy lost to David Young and Elix Skipper. Smiley and Shark Boy upset Homicide and Machete of the LAX on the March 18 edition of ''Impact!'' Smiley was inactive for several weeks following an attack at the hands of Scott Steiner, but returned on the June 29, 2006 episode of ''Impact!'', losing to Monty Brown. On the February 16, 2007 edition of ''Impact!'' Smiley made his return, teaming with Shark Boy in a loss to LAX.

Smiley returned to Mexico's Asistencia Asesoría y Administración as a member of ''La Legión Extranjera'' (Foreign Legion) as a sidekick of El Mesías. In an online interview, Smiley indicated that he one day intended to return to TNA wrestling to become the "greatest champion" in the company's brief history.

WWE and FCW

Smiley wrestled in a WWE dark match prior to the November 19, 2007 episode of Raw, losing to Vladimir Kozlov.

Norman Smiley has now relocated to Tampa to work as a trainer for WWE's development territory, Florida Championship Wrestling. In early 2010, he started making on-camera appearances as the lieutenant general manager of FCW but since August 2010, he's been known on FCW TV as the liaison for the FCW president, Steve Keirn.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''Norman Conquest'' (Crossface chickenwing)

Signature moves

*Armbar

*Belly to back suplex

''SMBU/Big Wiggle/ Hardcore Wiggle'' (From behind a bent forward opponent, Smiley licks his hands, rubs his chest, and makes a slapping motion on the hips of the opponent)

*Bodyscissors

*Diving crossbody

*European uppercut

*Jumping headbutt

Spinning delayed scoop slam

Sunset flip

*Victory roll

Nicknames

"Screamin" Norman Smiley

Championships and accomplishments

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre

:*CMLL World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Four Star Championship Wrestling

:*FSCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Xtreme Wrestling Alliance

:*XWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Future of Wrestling

:*FOW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Global Wrestling Alliance

:*GWA Global Television Championship (1 time)

Independent Pro Wrestling Association

:*IPWA Southern Championship (1 time) :*IPWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Joe DeFuria

Maximum Pro Wrestling

:*MXPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Championship Wrestling

:*WCW Hardcore Championship (2 times)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

:*PWI ranked him # 375 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003

References

External links

Norman Smiley at Accelerator3359.com

Norman Smiley at Bodyslamming.com

Norman Smiley at WeeklyVisitor.com

''Norman Smiley keeps screamin'''

''Smiley's screaming his way to the top''

New head writer for ECW brand, Norman Smiley update, + Randy Orton

Category:1965 births Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English emigrants to the United States Category:English professional wrestlers Category:Living people Category:People from Miami, Florida Category:People from Southampton Category:Black British sportspeople Category:Professional wrestling trainers

da:Norman Smiley fr:Norman Smiley nl:Norman Smiley ja:ノーマン・スマイリー pt:Norman Smiley simple:Norman Smiley

Coordinates	12°2′36″N77°1′42″N
Name	Alex Wright
Names	BerlynAlex Wright
Height
Weight
Birth date
Birth place	Nuremberg, Germany
Billed	Germany
Trainer	Steve Wright
Debut	1991
Retired	2003

Alex Wright (born May 17, 1975) is a German-British former professional wrestler. He wrestled professionally in Germany and Japan before signing with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994. He became known for his distinctive pre-match dancing as well as his technical in-ring ability that would ultimately lead him to WCW championship gold.

He remained a successful wrestler during his seven-year tenure with WCW, including reigns as a one time Cruiserweight Champion, a one time World Television Champion and a one time World Tag Team Champion with [Disco Inferno].

Career

Early career

Alex was trained by his father Steve Wright, a British professional wrestler. He wrestled his first match in 1991 in Germany when he was sixteen years old. He wrestled in his hometown during his early career and also worked in Japan.

World Championship Wrestling (1994–2001)

Das Wunderkind (1994–1996)

Wright was discovered by World Championship Wrestling in mid-1994 when WCW did a tour through Germany. He signed a contract with Time Warner, the parent company of WCW, and went through more training at the WCW Power Plant. He originally wrestled as a babyface and was known as "Das Wunderkind" (German for "prodigy", literally "wonder child") Alex Wright. His entrance music was of the techno genre, which was popular in some American and German dance clubs at the time, and he often danced as he walked to the ring or once he got in the ring. His first feud was with Jean-Paul Levesque, whom he defeated at Starrcade in December in both men's pay-per-view debut. In his early career, Wright went undefeated in matches against several WCW superstars including Bobby Eaton in January 1995 at ''Clash of the Champions'' and Paul Roma at ''SuperBrawl V'' in February of '95. However, the latter saw Roma's contract later terminated by WCW because of his stiff performance and his ignorance of instructions to put Wright over during the match. WCW had Alex feud on and off from time to time with another wrestler who danced in the ring or on his way to the ring named the Disco Inferno. This made for an interesting, sometimes humorous feud; with Alex representing modern dancing and music, and Disco Inferno representing older dancing and music.

Alex wrestled against Arn Anderson for the WCW World Television Championship on an episode of WCW Saturday Night, and beat Arn by DQ. The title did not change hands though, as Alex was unable to win by pinfall or submission. Thus, a rematch for the title was scheduled for the next pay-per-view. Wright's first loss was to World Television Champion Arn Anderson at Slamboree in May.

Due to WCW's partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), Wright participated in NJPW's Best of the Super Juniors Tournament and finished third in the tournament. He started wrestling against fellow cruiserweight and babyface Brian Pillman, whom he defeated in the opening match at The Great American Bash. On the July 16 edition of ''Main Event'' before Bash at the Beach, Wright teamed up with Marcus Bagwell to face Dick Slater and Bunkhouse Buck in a losing effort. He had encounters with other up and coming WCW stars, such as Diamond Dallas Page in August at a ''Clash of the Champions''. In September of '95 on a Monday Nitro, Alex wrestled famed ECW wrestler Sabu. Sabu was able to win the match, but then continued to beat Alex after the match was over; even going so far as to put Alex through a table. Referree Nick Patrick reversed his decision, disqualifying Sabu for his violence and giving the win to Alex. He had several matches against Eddie Guerrero, with a very notable match taking place on ''The Main Event'' before Fall Brawl 1995: War Games, which resulted in a draw. Alex also had several matches in '95 and '96 against Dean Malenko. In January 1996, at another ''Clash of the Champions'', Malenko was able to pin Wright.

At World War 3, Wright took part in the first-ever three-ring 60-man battle royal for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship, which was won by Randy Savage. At Starrcade, WCW wrestlers faced NJPW wrestlers in a World Cup of Wrestling. Wright represented WCW against NJPW's Koji Kanemoto (for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship even though WCW never announced it as such) but ended up losing the bout to Kanemoto. Wright then began a feud with Dick Slater, to whom he lost at Uncensored in a singles dark match. At Slamboree, Alex was forced by WCW to be teamed with his wrestling and dancing nemesis Disco Inferno, in a tag team match against Slater and Eaton. Alex and Disco lost when Disco was pinned. In June of '96, famed Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki helped put together the World Wrestling Peace Festival, which was held in Los Angeles. Alex Wright wrestled and lost to Chris Benoit on that card. On the August 10 edition of ''Saturday Night'' that aired immediately before the pay-per-view Hog Wild, Wright defeated Bobby Eaton in a rematch.

At World War 3, Wright again participated in a three-ring, 60-man battle royal, with the winner getting a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. The battle royal was won by The Giant. In January '97 on ''Clash of the Champions'', Wright lost to Japanese wrestler Masa Chono, who had recently come to the U.S. and joined the NWO.

Heel turn, Cruiserweight Champion and World Television Champion (1997)

WCW had Alex wrestle in several tag team matches with what some might call sub-par tag team partners. Alex and the rotating list of wrestlers he had as partners would usually lose to tougher teams. And ironically, though Alex was still popular on the television programs WCW Pro and WCW Saturday Night, he was losing popularity, and even getting booed by some fans, on Monday Nitro and on some pay-per-views. Some believe that these two things combined began to frustrate Wright. On the May 12, 1997 edition of Nitro, Alex partnered with Ice Train against Konan and Hugh Morrus of the Dungeon of Doom. When Ice Train needed some help, Alex claimed to be unable to continue due to a sudden, unexplainable knee injury and left Ice Train to wrestle the other two opponents by himself. Wright was then pushed as a heel in the summer of 1997. On the July 28 edition of ''Nitro'', he defeated Chris Jericho to win the Cruiserweight Championship. After winning the title, Wright began a feud with Jericho at that point, including a successful title defense against Jericho at Road Wild, before dropping the title back to Jericho on August 16 edition of ''Saturday Night''. However, five days later, he defeated Último Dragón on the August 21 edition of ''Clash of the Champions'' to win the World Television Championship. Alex was able to successfully defend the TV title against Lord Steven Regal on an episode on Monday Nitro. Though Regal was also a heel, the fans disliked Alex so much, they often cheered or rooted for Regal during the match.

At Fall Brawl, Wright made a successful title defense against Último Dragón in a rematch before dropping the title to rival Disco Inferno on September 22 edition of ''Nitro''. Wright feuded with Steve McMichael after McMichael's valet Debra left him and became Wright's valet. She ordered the feud and in the rivalry, Wright defeated McMichael at Halloween Havoc, with help from Goldberg, who promptly attacked Wright postmatch. The next month at World War 3, McMichael took out Goldberg prior to their match and Wright was literally dragged to the ring by Debra to wrestle McMichael again, and this time suffered a defeat.

Wright would go on to be managed by Debra for a little while longer. Debra would often try to illegally interfere in matches to help Alex win, but the plan would usually backfire, causing Alex to lose. After a string of losses that Alex felt was her fault, he fired Debra on a Monday Nitro. Incredibly, though Alex was still competing as a heel, his firing of the despised Debra garnered him some applause by the crowd in attendance at the arena that night.

The Dancing Fools (1998)

Wright would then begin to patch things up with former rival Disco Inferno as they began teaming in 1998 to form a moderately successful tag team called the Dancing Fools, which at times also featured Japanese wrestler Tokyo Magnum in the role of a tag-along who regularly attempted to imitate their dancing styles. Wright and Inferno feuded with The Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock), including a loss to Grunge and Rocco at Road Wild. Wright then began an angle where he claimed that he was the best WCW wrestler to come out of Europe. British Bulldog, however, disputed Wright's proclamation, leading to a feud between Wright and Inferno against Bulldog and Jim Neidhart. The feud culminated at Fall Brawl, where the Dancing Fools lost to Bulldog and Neidhart. After suffering losses, Wright and Inferno split and began singles careers again.

Wright feuded with another fellow European wrestler, Fit Finlay, because he blamed Finlay for ending his father's career. Wright took his father's revenge from Finlay by beating him at Halloween Havoc.

Wright again competed in the 60-man battle royal at the '98 edition of World War III, with that year's battle royal being won by Kevin Nash.

Berlyn (1999)

At the beginning of 1999, Wright was kept off WCW television for an extended length of time until May, when promotional spots began appearing on WCW television featuring Wright as a surprising new Rivethead-style character named Berlyn (an intentional misspelling of the city Berlin, the capital of Wright's home country Germany), with a black Mohawk and goatee replacing his blond hair. He was clad entirely in black with a long trench coat and arrogantly refused to speak English. He spoke through a interpreter who was a knockout blonde and was accompanied to the ring by a larger wrestler wearing a suit, who would eventually become known as The Wall. The promos coincided with the aftermath of the Columbine school massacre, which threw a hitch in WCW's plans. Sensing the unintentional similarities in dress between Berlyn and the teenage killers, WCW delayed the debut of Berlyn for several months. Despite the shock value upon his debut, which occurred on August 30 on ''Nitro'', Berlyn never really got over with fans.

Wright was supposed to face Buff Bagwell at Fall Brawl shortly after his debut and had been booked to defeat Bagwell, who would not take the loss. WCW claimed that Bagwell had missed his flight to Winston-Salem, North Carolina (where the event was taking place). In reality, Bagwell was in the arena but did not want to job. WCW replaced Bagwell with Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and Wright's problems continued as Duggan no-sold all of Wright's offense and was totally uncooperative with him in the ring. The match was thought to have killed the character before it had a chance to have begun. Berlyn took revenge on Bagwell, and defeated him the next night on ''Nitro''. Afterwards, Berlyn attacked Scott Armstrong and began a feud with Brad Armstrong. Alex (as Berlyn) and Brad Armstrong had a match at Halloween Havoc, which Berlyn lost. But after the match, Berlyn and The Wall attacked Armstrong. Although Berlyn had been given a respectable push after the fiasco with Duggan and Bagwell, irreparable damage had already been done to the character. WCW furthered the damage by giving The Wall a singles push, leaving Wright to flounder in the mid-card.

On the October 25 edition of ''Nitro'', it was announced that a tournament would be held for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship and the finals would occur at Mayhem. On the following edition of ''Nitro'', Berlyn participated in the tournament but lost his first round match to Vampiro. Berlyn began a small feud with Vampiro and cost him his second round match in the tournament against Buff Bagwell. At Mayhem, Vampiro defeated Berlyn in a Dog Collar match after the Wall turned on Berlyn. Berlyn then feuded with the Wall but they never competed on any pay-per-views. Wright would again disappear from WCW television for a while.

Boogie Knights, World Tag Team Champion and departure (2000–2001)

After some time off from wrestling, Wright returned to wrestling under his real name on the September 27, 2000 edition of ''Thunder'' with a bald head (but he was still dancing) during a match between former partner Disco Inferno, now renamed "Disqo", and Konnan. Wright helped Disqo in getting the victory and the duo reunited as the Boogie Knights. The Boogie Knights began a feud with the Filthy Animals while they also feuded with two members of the Natural Born Thrillers (Sean O'Haire and Mark Jindrak), who were the World Tag Team Champions at the time. At Halloween Havoc, the three teams participated in a triangle match but O'Haire and Jindrak won the match. They were scheduled to take on O'Haire and Jindrak in a match for the titles, but Disqo was sidelined with an injury, leading to General Rection substituting for him. Rection and Wright would then go on to win the World Tag Team Championship from O'Haire and Jindrak at ''Millennium Germany'' on November 16. However, four days later, on ''Nitro'', Wright and another substitute Elix Skipper lost the titles to Chuck Palumbo and Shawn Stasiak, two other members of the Natural Born Thrillers.

Wright then started an angle where he kept KroniK (Brian Adams and Bryan Clark) as his bodyguards to squash other cruiserweights. At Mayhem, Wright and KroniK faced Billy Kidman and Rey Misterio, Jr. in a 3-on-2 handicap match. However, KroniK betrayed Wright by abandoning him, leading to him being pinned. Disqo eventually returned from his injury and the Boogie Knights gimmick lasted until WCW was purchased by World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in March 2001.

Retirement

Wright fell out of the spotlight after the folding of WCW, and has not appeared on American television since then. In the years following, Wright has stayed away from regular active competition, only wrestling on rare occasions for German wrestling promotions NAWA and GWP. Despite this, Wright is still well-respected as a wrestler, as indicated by Ring of Honor (ROH) fans chanting his gimmick name at ROH shows. After working as a banker and fitness instructor he opened a pro-wrestling school called "The Wright Stuff" in Nürnberg, Germany. In 2009 he started his own wrestling promotion called New European Championship Wrestling (NEW).

In wrestling

Finishing moves

Bridging German suplex

Hangman's neckbreaker

Signature moves

Diving crossbody, sometimes reversed

Dropkick, sometimes from the top rope

Headscissors takedown

*Overhead belly to belly suplex

Reverse chinlock

*Running tornado DDT

Scoop powerslam

Sleeper hold

Snap suplex

Spinning heel kick

STF

*Superplex

*Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker

Managers

Debra

The Wall

Nicknames

"Das Wunderkind (The Wonder Kid)"

*"World Superstar"

Entrance themes

*"Warped Mind" by Dominic Glynn

Championships and accomplishments

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

:*Rookie of the Year (1995)

World Championship Wrestling :*WCW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time) :*WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with General Rection :*WCW World Television Championship (1 time)

Other media

Wright appears in the wrestling themed episode of ''Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends''. In this episode, Wright mentions that he was to debut his new character (Berlyn) that night in WCW.

References

External links

OWW Profile

Interview conducted by genickbruch.com

another Interview conducted by genickbruch.com

The Wright Stuff

Interview at Gerweck.net

The Wrestling Archive Profile

Category:German professional wrestlers

Category:German people of British descent Category:Living people Category:1975 births

de:Alex Wright es:Alex Wright fr:Alex Wright (catcheur) it:Alex Wright ja:アレックス・ライト simple:Alex Wright

Coordinates	12°2′36″N77°1′42″N
Name	Dean Malenko
Names	CiclopeDean Malenko
Height
Weight
Birth date	August 04, 1960
Birth place	Irvington, New Jersey
Resides	Lutz, Florida
Billed	Tampa, Florida
Trainer	Boris Malenko
Debut	1979
Retired	August 9, 2001 }}

Dean Simon (born August 4, 1960) is a retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Dean Malenko. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He is best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Considered by many to be one of the most technically gifted professional wrestlers of all time, Malenko's in-ring talents would earn him the nickname, "The Man of 1,000 Holds". He was also known as "The Iceman" for his cold and calculating demeanor.

In the WWF, he was a 2-time Light Heavyweight Champion. In WCW, he was a 1-time United States Champion, a 4-time Cruiserweight Champion and a 1-time World Tag Team Champion with Chris Benoit. In ECW, he was a 2-time Television Champion and a 1-time Tag Team Champion with Chris Benoit.

Career

Early years (1979–1994)

Malenko was born into a wrestling family, and his father Boris Malenko was a prominent wrestling figure. He started out as a referee in the Tampa area and even worked briefly as a referee for the WWF in the mid-1980s. He has wrestled all over the world and has spent much time wrestling in Mexico and Japan. He wrestled with his brother Joe from 1988 to 1992, forming a tag team, until his brother retired. On January 24, 1992, Malenko defeated "The Superstar" for the Suncoast Pro Wrestling (SPW) Southern title in Palmetto, Florida. Malenko defeated Jimmy Backlund for the ICWA Light Heavyweight title on March 12, 1992, in Tampa.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1994–1995)

The Shooter (1994)

He later joined Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) on August 27, 1994, as a heel participating in a professional wrestling tournament for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He defeated Osamu Nishimura in the quarterfinals before he ended up losing to the eventual winner Shane Douglas in the semifinals. Douglas would later rename his ECW title, the ''Extreme'' Championship Wrestling World Title after throwing down the NWA World Title, and the promotion was also renamed ''Extreme'' Championship Wrestling. He became known as "The Shooter" Dean Malenko and was given a gimmick similar to an Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter (due to his resemblance to Royce Gracie). On November 4, 1994, he defeated 2 Cold Scorpio to win his first ECW Television Championship.

Triple Threat and feuding with Eddie Guerrero (1995)

In the beginning of 1995, Malenko formed a faction called the Triple Threat with Chris Benoit and Shane Douglas. On February 25, 1995, Benoit and Malenko defeated Sabu and Tazmaniac for the ECW Tag Team Championship, making Malenko a double champion. A month later, Malenko dropped the Television title back to 2 Cold Scorpio. On April 8, he and Benoit lost the tag titles to The Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock).

In the summer of 1995, Malenko feuded with TV Champion Eddie Guerrero, culminating in a match on July 21 where Malenko defeated Guerrero to win his second ECW Television Championship. Only a week later, Malenko dropped the title back to Guerrero. The two continued to battle over the Television Title and fought a series of matches that led to them being offered a WCW contract. His last ECW match was a two out of three falls match against Guerrero, which took place on August 26. The match ended in a draw as the last fall had both men's shoulders on the mat. This would be both men's last match in ECW and they both gave—and received—an emotional farewell goodbye to the fans.

World Championship Wrestling (1995–2000)

Cruiserweight Champion (1995–1996)

In September 1995, Malenko and Benoit joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he continued to be a villain. Malenko came to be known in WCW as "The Iceman" Dean Malenko because of his cold, calculating demeanor and was also given the nickname of "The Man of 1,000 Holds". On May 2, 1996, Malenko defeated Shinjiro Otani for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship in Orlando. He held the title for two months, making successful defenses against the likes of Brad Armstrong, Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Disco Inferno before losing the title to Mysterio on the July, 8 edition of ''Nitro''. He defeated Mysterio Jr. for his second WCW Cruiserweight Championship at Halloween Havoc 1996.

After a successful title defense against Psychosis at World War 3 1996, Malenko lost the Cruiserweight title to Ultimate Dragon (Último Dragón) at Starrcade 1996 where Dragón's J-Crown Championship was also on the line. Malenko defeated Dragón on January 22, 1997 edition of ''Clash of the Champions'' to win his third WCW Cruiserweight Championship. He would hold the belt for nearly a month before losing it to Syxx at SuperBrawl VII.

Return to Cruiserweight Division (1997–1998)

At World War 3 1997, Malenko participated in a 60-man, three-ring battle royal won by Scott Hall. At Starrcade 1997, he challenged Guerrero for the Cruiserweight Title but ended up losing the match. In mid-1998, Malenko engaged in a heated feud with Chris Jericho. To better Malenko's claims, Jericho boasted that he was "The Man of 1,004 Holds" and the two had a final showdown at Uncensored 1998 for the Cruiserweight title. After a long match, Jericho forced Malenko to submit in an angled Liontamer. After the match, the otherwise collected Malenko was left in an unusual fit of frustration. Gene Okerlund then confronted Malenko post match, aggressively citing his many losses in the past several months and asking where he would go from this point. Dejected and worn down, Malenko replied simply, "Home," and would not be seen on WCW TV for two months.

At Slamboree 1998, Jericho held a Battle Royal for a shot at his Cruiserweight Championship. Malenko entered the battle royal dressed as masked wrestler Ciclope and won the match, after Juventud Guerrera shook his hand, and eliminated himself. He then unmasked, revealing himself to the crowd following his win. Malenko went on to defeat Jericho for his fourth and final WCW Cruiserweight Championship, thus becoming the first-ever wrestler to win the Cruiserweight title four times. Malenko was stripped of the title, however, as he did not earn the title shot as himself. At The Great American Bash 1998, Malenko and Jericho faced each other in a match for the vacant Cruiserweight title. Malenko lost by disqualification, making Jericho the champion. At Bash at the Beach 1998, Malenko interfered in Jericho's title defense against Rey Mysterio, Jr. allowing Mysterio to pin Jericho for the title. The title was returned to Jericho, however, because of interference by Malenko. Malenko was fired in storyline, but returned at Road Wild 1998 as the special guest referee during Jericho's defense against Juventud Guerrera. Juventud won the match and the title.

Four Horsemen and The Revolution (1999–2000)

In September 1998, Malenko became a part of the final incarnation of Ric Flair's Four Horsemen faction. They feuded with the New World Order (nWo), particularly Eric Bischoff. Malenko and Benoit also battled the West Texas Rednecks (Curt Hennig and Barry Windham) during this period. At SuperBrawl IX, they lost to the Rednecks in the finals of a tag team tournament for the vacant World Tag Team Championship. At Uncensored 1999, however, they defeated the Rednecks in a lumberjack match to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship. Two weeks later, they lost the titles to Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Billy Kidman.

After the Horsemen were finally disbanded in May 1999 due to Flair's abuse of power, Malenko joined up with Shane Douglas' faction, The Revolution, which was formed in July 1999. They feuded with David Flair, Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Kanyon. At Bash at the Beach 1999, Malenko challenged David for the US title but lost the match. They battled many teams throughout the year including West Texas Rednecks, First Family, Filthy Animals and Varsity Club. Malenko's last WCW match was a "catch-as-catch-can" match with Billy Kidman at Souled Out. Early on, Malenko instinctively left the ring to regroup and was disqualified under the match stipulations because his feet hit the arena floor.

World Wrestling Federation (2000–2001)

The Radicalz and Light Heavyweight Champion (2000)

After being granted his release from WCW the night after his last WCW match, Malenko signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and debuted on January 31, 2000 edition of ''Raw Is War''. Malenko first appeared in the crowd with the infamous Radicalz – himself, Chris Benoit, Perry Saturn, and Eddie Guerrero – who all made exits from WCW at the same time. While not having as much success in the WWF, Malenko was a force in the promotion's light heavyweight division. Along with Benoit, Saturn, and Guerrero, he had some measure of success as part of The Radicalz. On the March 13 edition of ''Raw Is War'', Malenko defeated Essa Rios for his first WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. In April 2000, he feuded with Scotty Too Hotty who was the new challenger for his Light Heavyweight title. He dropped the title to Scotty on April 17 edition of ''Raw Is War'' before he won his second WWF Light Heavyweight Championship from Scotty on April 27 edition of ''SmackDown!''. At Backlash 2000, Malenko successfully defended the title against Scotty, thus ending the feud between the two.

Later that year, with Benoit having drifted away from the group, Malenko engaged in a feud with Guerrero and Saturn which stemmed from Guerrero's on-screen relationship with Chyna and a number of losses suffered when working as a tag team with Saturn. The feud led to a triple threat match at Judgment Day 2000 where Guerrero retained the WWF European Championship against both Malenko and Saturn. After a brief absence from TV, Malenko returned to reform The Radicalz with Benoit, Guerrero, and Perry Saturn. Around this time, Malenko briefly became known as "Double Ho Seven", a parody of the fictional character, James Bond. The gimmick was born out of a match with The Godfather, who offered one of his female escorts to Malenko instead of wrestling him. Malenko gladly accepted his opponent's offer. As Double Ho Seven, Malenko competed for the affections of Lita and feuded with her tag team the Hardy Boyz. He even offered Lita a title match for his Light Heavyweight Championship, but under the condition that if she lost she would be obliged to go on a date with him. Lita accepted and almost caught Malenko by a few nearfalls throughout the match, but in the end lost the match by submitting to his signature Cloverleaf.

Reunion with Perry Saturn and retirement (2001)

Malenko's feud with Hardy Boyz and Lita continued in early 2001, culminating with Lita pinning him (with some assistance from Matt Hardy) in a match on February 19, 2001 edition of ''Raw Is War''. He also briefly feuded with Jacqueline and Ivory, who were disgusted by his lecherous ways. A title feud with Crash Holly would begin after Crash interfered in a two-on-one intergender handicap match between Malenko, and both Jacqueline and Ivory, costing him the match. After holding the Light Heavyweight Championship for nearly twelve months, Malenko lost the title to Crash on March 18 edition of ''Sunday Night HEAT''. After both Benoit and Guerrero drifted away from the Radicalz, Malenko teamed with Saturn for a few weeks before quietly disappearing off television as the WCW/ECW Invasion storyline began in summer 2001.

Retirement and WWE appearances

Malenko's final wrestling match took place at 4th Annual Brian Pillman Memorial Show in August 2001. In his final match, Malenko teamed with longtime friend Perry Saturn and defeated Raven and Justin Credible. Malenko appeared in the ring along with other legendary wrestlers during a segment of the WWE Homecoming edition of Raw on October 3, 2005. His friend Eddie Guerrero died on November 13, 2005 and Malenko made a special appearance on the November 14 edition of ''Raw'' alongside Chris Benoit, speaking about Eddie's death and talking about the memories they had shared together. The following Friday on ''SmackDown!'', Malenko once again appeared after a match between Chris Benoit and Triple H, and the three embraced. After the 2006 Royal Rumble, he was seen congratulating Rey Mysterio on his Rumble victory. At Vengeance 2007, he appeared in a backstage segment watching Chavo Guerrero. On the Chris Benoit memorial episode of Monday Night Raw, he talked about the life of Chris Benoit. He was very sad since two of his close friends, Eddie and Benoit, both died, but said he was happy that they were together again. Dean then made an appearance on the March 31, 2008 edition of ''Raw'' to join The Four Horsemen and other WWE superstars in a farewell tribute to Ric Flair. He made an appearance on the June 28, 2010 edition of Raw congratulating Ricky Steamboat on his DVD release. He and all the others in the ring were attacked by the Nexus.

Personal life

Simon is Jewish, and is married. The couple has 3 children. Their first child, a daughter, was born on December 25, 1997.

On November 22, 2010, it was reported that Simon had recently suffered a heart attack, but within days was already back working with the WWE.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''Texas Cloverleaf'', sometimes preceded by a powerbomb

Signature moves

Backbreaker, sometimes into a submission

Boston crab

Brainbuster

Cross armbreaker

Double leg takedown

Dropkick, sometimes from the second rope to an opponent sitting on the top turnbuckle

Drop toe-hold

Figure four leglock

Fireman's carry gutbuster, sometimes from the second rope

Head scissors

Kneebar

Leg lariat

*Multiple suplex variations

*Belly to back, sometimes from the top rope

*Bridging cradle

*Double underhook

*Dragon

*German

*Northern Lights

*Snap

*Super

Powerbomb

Single leg Boston crab

Sitout double underhook powerbomb

Slingshot catapult

Spinning heel kick

Spinning toe hold

STF

Surfboard

Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker

Managers

*Asya

*Debra

*Terri

Nicknames

*"The Man of 1,000 Holds"

*"The Shooter"

*"The Iceman"

*"Double Ho Seven"

*"The Professor"

Entrance themes

*"Wherever I May Roam" by Metallica (ECW) 1995

*"Black Knight" (WCW) 1995–1998

*"Four Horsemen theme" (WCW) 1998–1999 (used while part of the four horsemen)

*"The Iceman theme" (WWF) 1999-2001

Championships and accomplishments

Extreme Championship Wrestling

ECW World Television Championship (2 times)

ECW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Benoit

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI ranked him #1 in the PWI 500 in 1997

PWI ranked him #161 in the PWI Years in 2003

World Championship Wrestling

WCW Cruiserweight Championship (4 times)

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Benoit

World Wrestling Federation

WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

*Feud of the Year (1995) vs. Eddie Guerrero

*Best Technical Wrestler (1996, 1997)

Other titles

*ICWA Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*SPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

See also

List of select Jewish professional wrestlers

References

External links

WWE Alumni profile

Profile at the Online World of Wrestling

Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:American professional wrestlers Category:Jewish professional wrestlers Category:People from Tampa, Florida Category:Professional wrestling trainers Category:Professional wrestling executives

da:Dean Malenko de:Dean Malenko es:Dean Malenko fr:Dean Simon it:Dean Simon nl:Dean Malenko ja:ディーン・マレンコ pt:Dean Malenko

Coordinates	12°2′36″N77°1′42″N
Name	Terrence Funk
Names	Terry FunkChainsaw Charlie
Height
Weight
Birth name	Terrence Funk
Birth date	June 30, 1944
Birth place	Hammond, Indiana
Resides	Amarillo, Texas
Billed	The Double Cross Ranch in Amarillo, Texas
Trainer	Dory Funk
Debut	December 9, 1965
Retired	}}

Terrence "Terry" Funk (born June 30, 1944) is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley. Funk has appeared in the NWA, AWA, WWF/E, WCW, ECW, USWA, ROH, and TNA.

Funk is a six time world heavyweight champion, having held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once, the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship once, the IWA World Heavyweight Championship twice, the 3PW World Heavyweight Championship once, and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once (first reign was under Eastern Championship Wrestling name and was not considered a world title). ECW later awarded him the honorary lifetime title of ECW Champion due to his contributions to the promotion. He is the only man to have been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, the WCW Hall of Fame, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, the NWA Hall of Fame, the Hardcore Hall of Fame, and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. Funk was a primary subject of the documentary film ''Beyond the Mat''. Funk is often noted for the longevity of his career, which has included multiple "retirement" matches.

Professional wrestling career

1960s–1970s

Funk started out his career in 1965, working in his father Dory Funk, Sr.'s promotion in Amarillo, Texas. He and his brother, Dory Funk, Jr., quickly rose up the ranks and became big money wrestlers by the end of the decade. They joined the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in 1968. In 1975, Terry defeated Jack Brisco for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He began a fourteen-month title reign which ended in Toronto when he was defeated by "Handsome" Harley Race, who won the title for the second time. Terry took some time off after his world title reign but he and his brother traveled around the country (mostly in Texas, Florida, and Detroit). Terry and Dory, Jr. also made a name for themselves in Japan. He made a name for himself with his over the top mannerisms and sometimes colorful get-ups as well as his brawling ability.

1980s

Terry Funk made his World Wrestling Federation (WWF) debut in 1985. In his televised debut on ''Championship Wrestling'', he not only beat Aldo Marino, but he also beat up a ring attendant named Mel Phillips who was also, at the time, one of the WWF ring announcers. Funk also had the gimmick at the time of carrying a branding iron with him to ringside and using it to "brand" his fallen opponents. In the mid 1980s, Funk teamed with Dory (calling himself "Hoss" Funk) and Jimmy Jack Funk (Jesse Barr), a storyline "brother." They were managed by Jimmy Hart. At the time, he had a heated rivalry with the Junkyard Dog which led to a match between Terry Funk and Hoss Funk and the team of Tito Santana and Junkyard Dog at WrestleMania 2.

In 1989, Funk returned to the NWA and joined the J-Tex Corporation. He began feuding with Ric Flair, who had defeated Ricky Steamboat at WrestleWar for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Funk, who was one of three judges for the main event, challenged Flair to a title match. Flair refused, saying that Funk was "spending time in Hollywood" instead of focusing on wrestling. Funk then attacked, piledriving Flair on a ringside table. This put the champion, Flair, out of action until the Great American Bash where he faced Funk. Flair won the match by reversing a small package into one of his own, but shortly after was attacked by Gary Hart and The Great Muta. Sting came to aid Flair and the two brawled with Funk and Muta to close the show. Funk got injured but returned to continue feuding with Ric Flair. The two then had an "I Quit" match at ''Clash of the Champions'', which Funk lost after yelling "Yes, I quit!" after Flair put on the Figure four leglock. This match received a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer. A notable part of the feud occurred when Funk used an actual plastic shopping bag to suffocate Flair on television after Flair and Sting defeated Muta and Dick Slater at ''Clash of the Champions''. After losing a ''Clash of Champions'' match against Flair, he shook Flair's hand, and was attacked by Gary Hart's stable. Soon after he became a color commentator and the host of his own segment ''Funk's Grill'' where a tuxedo clad Funk would amiably interview the top stars of WCW, both face and heel. This did not last long and he left soon after.

World Championship Wrestling (1994)

In 1994, Funk reappeared in World Championship Wrestling as part of Colonel Robert Parker's Stud Stable. Along with Bunkhouse Buck, Arn Anderson and Meng, the stable would focus their energies on Dusty and Dustin Rhodes, as well as the Nasty Boys, culminating in a War Games match at Fall Brawl.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1994–1997)

Later in Funk's career, his style changed from wrestling traditional southern style wrestling matches to the more violent style of hardcore wrestling. In 1994, after a special appearance against Tully Blanchard at World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Slamboree, Funk promised to help the fledgling Eastern Championship Wrestling (later renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling or ECW) by lending his talent and notoriety to the promotion, which had just split from the NWA. On July 16, Terry and Dory Funk lost a barbed wire match against The Public Enemy. Funk maintained a regular schedule of wrestling for ECW in its early days while also competing in Japan. He had many feuds and wrestled programs with wrestlers such as Cactus Jack, "The Franchise" Shane Douglas, The Sandman, Sabu, and Terry's own protege, Tommy Dreamer.

On August 20, 1995, IWA Japan held a King of the Death Match tournament in Kawasaki, Japan. In this tournament, Funk endured three extreme-style matches involving ladders, thumbtacks, and barbed wire. In the final match of the tournament, he lost to Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack), in an exploding ring, C4 explosive, barbed wire match.

Funk further elevated ECW by headlining their first pay-per-view, Barely Legal on April 13, 1997, winning the ECW Championship from Raven. Earlier in the night, he defeated The Sandman and Stevie Richards in a Triple Threat match, thus earning him the match with Raven. He was later defeated for the title by Sabu in a barbed wire match at Born to Be Wired, in which the ropes of the ring were taken down and replaced with barbed wire. Both men had to be cut out of the wires at the end of the match. Sabu had his biceps visibly torn open by the barbed wire - as a result, the wound was taped up and the match continued. In September of that same year, a show was held in Funk's hometown of Amarillo. It was called "WrestleFest - 50 Years of Funk" and was both his own show and a celebration of the careers of Terry, his father, and his brother. Terry lost to then WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bret Hart in the main event, a non-title match. However, before the match, ECW owner Paul Heyman presented Terry with a belt, paid for through a collection taken up by wrestlers on the ECW roster, that declared him the ''Lifetime ECW World Heavyweight Champion''.

World Wrestling Federation (1997–1998)

Funk's retirement lasted just three months before he started taking independent bookings again. Soon after, he was signed by the WWF and debuted as Chainsaw Charlie. Funk had a match with Foley on ''Raw'', and the New Age Outlaws came and threw both in a dumpster, and pushed them off of the stage. This led to a match between The Outlaws and Funk/Foley at WrestleMania XIV, for the title in a Dumpster match when Funk/Foley beat the New Age Outlaws. The title was held up and put on the line in a Steel Cage match the next night on ''Raw'' due to a technicality: the wrong dumpsters had been used in the match. The Outlaws regained the title. He then had a Falls Count Anywhere match with Foley on ''Raw'' in 1998, where Foley defeated him.

He left the WWF in the summer as Foley resumed his solo career as Mankind in a feud with The Undertaker. Upon leaving the WWF, Funk officially retired again, but only for a short time. His last match in the WWF at that time was in a tag team match at Fully Loaded, where he teamed up with Bradshaw to go against Scorpio and Faarooq.

Return to ECW and WCW (1998–2000)

At ECW November to Remember, Funk was believed to have been a mystery partner against Justin Credible and Jack Victory. However, the mystery partner turned out to be Jake Roberts. An enraged Funk attacked Dreamer at every opportunity in late 1998 and early 1999. Funk, however, came down ill before they could have a match, and Funk "retired" yet again in mid 1999.

Funk wrestled for World Championship Wrestling in 2000, winning the WCW Hardcore Championship three times (which stands as the company's record) and the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship for the second time (the first time was under the NWA banner). He was also the WCW Commissioner at one time and the leader of the short-lived Old Age Outlaws that feuded with the nWo.

2002–2005

From 2002 to 2004, Funk was a regular top star for Ring of Honor wrestling and Major League Wrestling (MLW) company based out of New York and Florida. Funk had several battles with the likes of CM Punk, the Extreme Horsemen (Steve Corino, C.W. Anderson, Justin Credible and Simon Diamond) in specialty matches such as an Exploding Barbed Wire Death match, Barbed Wire match, and a 5 on 5 WarGames match. On the last MLW show, Funk was attacked by his former manager Gary Hart and his syndicate. In November 2004, Funk competed in the UK wrestling company FWA's main annual show British Uprising. He teamed with Paul Burchill and Paul Travell to face The Triad in a 6-Man Tag Team match. Funk's team emerged victorious in front of a crowd of 2,000 people in the Coventry Skydome.

In 2005, Funk was offered a contract by World Wrestling Entertainment to appear at the ECW reunion show One Night Stand, but turned it down in favor of working the ECW nostalgia show ''Hardcore Homecoming'' that was being put together by Shane Douglas. At ''Hardcore Homecoming'', Funk lost a three-way barbed wire match to Sabu.

World Wrestling Entertainment (2006)

Funk was set to wrestle at the ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view on June 11, 2006. As part of the buildup to the event, Funk appeared on the May 15 episode of ''Raw'', where he confronted Mick Foley over the attack of Tommy Dreamer the previous week. At One Night Stand, Funk, Tommy Dreamer, and Beulah were defeated by the team of Foley, Edge and Lita. Midway through the match, Foley injured Funk's eye with barbed wire, and Funk was taken backstage. He later returned to the match (with a bloody cloth tied over his eye) to hit Foley with a flaming 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire.

2006–present

Funk then worked some dates on the independent circuit and in Japan. He claimed to be semi-retired after wrestling in his last match in September 2006 against Jerry "The King" Lawler in an Extreme Rules match at The Great Plains Coliseum in Lawton, Oklahoma for the promotion Impact Zone Wrestling. Funk was also the special guest referee during the Raven and Johnny Webb vs. Khan Kussion and Homeless Jimmy match at "Cold Day in Hell" on May 24.

On the February 16, 2009 edition of ''Raw'', it was announced that Terry along with his brother Dory would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009 by Dusty Rhodes. On May 23, 2009, Funk made an unannounced appearance at a house show for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. At the show, Terry joined longtime friend, Mick Foley, as special guest enforcers for a match between Scott Steiner and Samoa Joe. On August 8, Terry made a surprise appearance for Insane Clown Posse's Juggalo Championship Wrestling at the 10th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos. He served as special guest referee for a match between Viscera and 2 Tuff Tony.

Funk also appeared at the annual NJPW January 4 Dome Show in 2010, teaming with Manabu Nakanishi, Masahiro Chono and Riki Chōshū to defeat Abdullah the Butcher, Takashi Iizuka, Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano.

Funk was scheduled to be the special guest referee in a match between Kevin Nash and Hannibal for a Great North Wrestling event in May 2010. During the press conference to announce his involvement, an altercation involving Funk and Hannibal damaged and possibly broke his eardrum. On September 11, 2010, at Ring of Honor's Glory By Honor IX, Funk worked as the ringside enforcer for the ROH World Championship match between Tyler Black and Roderick Strong. Funk appears as an unlockable legend in ''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011''.

Funk appeared at the fifth WrestleReunion event at the LAX Hilton in Los Angeles, California from January 28 to 30, 2011. On the second day of the event, he competed in a Legends Battle Royale on the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show. He lasted until the end where he was eliminated by Roddy Piper.

On June 5, 67-year old Funk captured 2CW Heavyweight Championship by defeating Slyck Wagner Brown. However the pin-fall was not counted by a referee, but by the wrestler J Freddie. So it is not clear if the title legitimately changed hands.

Funk will wrestle for one night only against Jerry Lawler in a "No holds barred" match. He will wrestle for Northeast Wrestling on October 1, 2011.

Other media

In 1999, Funk was featured in director Barry Blaustein's wrestling documentary, ''Beyond the Mat''. His legendary toughness was attested to in the wrestling documentary when cameramen followed him to a medical appointment where he was told, by the doctor, that he should not even be able to walk without intense pain. He has also appeared in other movies such as ''Road House'', ''Paradise Alley'', ''The Ringer'', and ''Over the Top''. He released an autobiography, ''Terry Funk: More Than Just Hardcore'', in 2005. On May 11, 2010, Funk appeared on "Right After Wrestling" with Arda Ocal on SIRIUS Satellite Radio to discuss his possible retirement, to which he replied "I never really truly will retire". This was also the interview with the infamous quote, "I dislike Vince (McMahon). I'm jealous of Vince."

In 1985, Terry Funk appeared in the short-lived western "Wildside". Only six episodes were aired.

Personal life

Funk married wife Vicki Ann Weaver on August 14, 1965. Their first of two daughters, Stacy, was born on September 10, 1967, followed by Brandee on September 30, 1971. Funk's younger daughter Brandee was married on August 14, 1993 to Larry P. Backus. They later divorced. His older daughter Stacy was married on June 23, 1997 to Kelly D. Clenney.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

Texas Piledriver

Sleeper hold

Spinning toe hold

Signature moves

*Hangman's neckbreaker

*Knife edge chops

Moonsault

*Multiple punches

*Short armbar

*Snap DDT

Managers

Jimmy Hart

Oliver Humperdink

Col. Robert Parker

Championships and accomplishments

All Japan Pro Wrestling

*World's Strongest Tag Team League (1977, 1979, 1982) – with Dory Funk, Jr.

Cauliflower Alley Club

*Iron Mike Mazurki Award (2005)

Championship Wrestling from Florida

*NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dory Funk, Jr.

*NWA Florida Television Championship (1 time)

*NWA North American Tag Team Championship ''(Florida version)'' (1 time) – with Dory Funk, Jr.

*NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship ''(Florida version)'' (2 times)

*NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championship Wrestling¹

*ECW Television Championship (1 time)

*ECW World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)²

Hardcore Hall of Fame (2005)

George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame

Class of 2010

Georgia Championship Wrestling

*NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dory Funk, Jr.

*NWA Georgia Television Championship (1 time)

International Wrestling Association of Japan

*IWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

Juggalo Championship Wrestling

*JCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling / World Championship Wrestling

*WCW Hardcore Championship (2 times)

*NWA (Mid-Atlantic)/WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

*WCW Hall of Fame (Class of 1995)

NWA Hollywood Wrestling

*NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*NWA International Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Dory Funk, Jr.

*NWA World Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles version) (1 time) – with Dory Funk, Jr.

NWA Western States Sports

*NWA Brass Knuckles Championship ''(Amarillo version)'' (2 times)

*NWA International Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Dory Funk, Jr.

*NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship (7 times)

*NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Ricky Romero

*NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (2 times) – with Dory Funk, Jr.

Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling

3PW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

*PWI Feud of the Year (1989) vs. Ric Flair

PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1997)

*PWI Wrestler of the Year (1976)

PWI ranked him #22 in the PWI Years in 2003

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum

*Class of 2004

Southwest Championship Wrestling

*SCW Southwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*SCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dory Funk, Jr.

St. Louis Wrestling Club

*NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Stampede Wrestling

Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame

United States Wrestling Association

*USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment

*WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Cactus Jack

*WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)

National Wrestling Alliance

NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)

'''Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

*5 Star Match (1984) with Dory Funk, Jr. vs. Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen on December 8

*5 Star Match (1989) vs. Ric Flair on November 15

*Best Brawler (1989)

*Best Heel (1989)

*Best on Interviews (1989)

*Feud of the Year (1989) vs. Ric Flair

*Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

¹Funk was named an honorary Lifetime ECW World Heavyweight Champion by Paul Heyman in 1997 due to Funk's contributions to both ECW and Professional Wrestling in general''

²Terry Funk's first reign occurred while the promotion was an NWA affiliate named Eastern Championship Wrestling, and was prior to the promotion becoming Extreme Championship Wrestling and the title being declared a world title by ECW. Terry Funk held the title again after these events.

Filmography

Movies

*''Paradise Alley'' (1978)

*''Over the Top'' (1987)

*''Timestalkers'' (1987)

*''Road House'' (1989)

*''Mom, Can I Keep Her?'' (1998)

*''Active Stealth'' (1999)

*''Beyond the Mat'' (1999)

*''Friday Night Lights'' (2004) (Uncredited role)

*''The Ringer'' (2005)

*''Holyman Undercover'' (2010)

*''Marriage Retreat'' (2010)

Television

*''Wildside'' (1985)

*''Swamp Thing'' (1991)

*''Quantum Leap'' (1991)

*''Tequila and Bonetti'' (1992)

*''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.'' (1993)

*''Thunder in Paradise'' (1994)

*''Beyond Belief - Fact or Fiction'' (1998)

Footnotes

References

Beyond the Mat - Barry Blaustein's documentary about professional wrestling

Solie's title histories

External links

Online World of Wrestling Profile

Oct 13 2005 Audio Interview with Terry Funk

Oct 15 2005 Interview Recap of Interview with Terry Funk

Jul 06 2006 Audio Interview with Terry Funk

Jul 10 2006 Interview Recap of Interview with Terry Funk

May 15 2008 Audio Interview with Terry Funk

May 21 2008 Interview Recap of Interview with Terry Funk

Category:1944 births Category:Actors from Texas Category:American film actors Category:American professional wrestlers Category:American stunt performers Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Amarillo, Texas Category:Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Category:Professional wrestling trainers

Category:WWE Hall of Fame

da:Terry Funk de:Terry Funk es:Terry Funk fr:Terry Funk it:Terry Funk nl:Terry Funk ja:テリー・ファンク no:Terry Funk pt:Terry Funk ru:Терри Фанк sco:Terry Funk

Coordinates	12°2′36″N77°1′42″N
Name	John LeRoux
Names	Lash LeRouxMark LaRouxCorporal Cajun
Height
Weight
Birth date	November 22, 1976
Birth place anniston al|resides	Oxford, Alabama
Billed	New Orleans, Louisiana
Trainer	WCW Power Plant
Debut	July 25, 1998
Retired	}}

Johnathan Mark LeRoux (born November 22, 1976) is a Cajun American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Lash LeRoux. His ring name is a take off of Cajun western movie star Lash La Rue.

Early life

LeRoux was born in Anniston, AL but moved to Oxford, Alabama at an early age. He attended Oxford High School, where he was a junior high state finalist in amateur wrestling in two successive years. In his junior year he came third in the varsity state tournament. LeRoux also played football for the ''Oxford High Yellow Jackets'', and in 1993 his team won the Alabama State Football Championship. After graduating from high school, LeRoux attended Jacksonville State University, studying towards a pre-med degree. He later decided to take a year out in order to focus on his burgeoning career as a cartoonist.

Professional wrestling career

World Championship Wrestling (1998-2001)

In 1997 LeRoux saw an advertisement for the WCW Power Plant (the professional wrestling school owned and operated by World Championship Wrestling) on an episode of ''WCW Monday Nitro''. LeRoux qualified to train in the Power Plant, meeting the arduous physical qualifications, and trained throughout 1998, with his first match being a loss to Perry Saturn in mid-1998. He was promoted to the main roster in July 1998, and wrestled on ''WCW Saturday Night'', ''WCW WorldWide'' and ''WCW Thunder'' as "Mark LaRoux" for several months, often losing squash matches. He debuted on ''Nitro'' on February 2, 1999 as "Lash LeRoux", losing to then WCW Cruiserweight Champion Billy Kidman. It was this match that caught the eyes of WCW officials, and he was signed to an official contract with World Championship Wrestling.

LeRoux competed primarily in the cruiserweight division. He feuded with Disco Inferno over the Cruiserweight Championship, and lost to Disco in a title match at Halloween Havoc 1999. Shortly afterwards, LeRoux and Disco joined forces against the New York gangster Tony Marinara and his henchmen, The Mamalukes, who were owed money by the compulsive gambler Disco. They faced Big Vito and Johnny The Bull in a tag team match at Starrcade 1999, but lost following a miscommunication between the partners. After the match, the unconscious Disco Inferno was carried from the arena inside a body bag and locked in the trunk of a car.

He appeared sporadically on television, teaming with Midnight and pursuing the Cruiserweight Championship once more. He was fired in storyline by WCW President Eric Bischoff in April 2000 for not helping to protect him from Diamond Dallas Page, whose wife Kimberly had betrayed him in order to align herself with Bischoff. LeRoux and several other wrestlers who had been fired by the disgruntled President returned several weeks later as the Misfits In Action (M.I.A.), a military-themed stable who were unwilling to align themselves with either the heel New Blood or the face Millionaire's Club. All of the Misfits were given ranks, with LeRoux known as "Corporal Cajun".

The M.I.A. feuded with the New Blood, with LeRoux helping Lieutenant Loco retain his Cruiserweight Championship. LeRoux and Loco won the WCW World Tag Team Championship on October 9, 2000 in Sydney, Australia, defeating New Blood members Mark Jindrak and Sean O'Haire, but lost the belts just minutes later in an instant rematch ordered by commissioner Mike Sanders (also a New Blood member). The M.I.A. also feuded with Team Canada, who had taken possession of the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship and renamed it the "Canadian Heavyweight Championship", during which time M.I.A.'s valet, Major Gunns turned on them and joined Team Canada.

The M.I.A. gradually disbanded in late 2000 and early 2001, with the departure of Loco and Sergeant A.W.O.L. precipitating the end of the stable. On January 23, 2001 the leader of the M.I.A., General Rection, requested LeRoux's M.I.A. shirt, informing him that he had been "honourably discharged". LeRoux began wrestling as Lash LeRoux once more, and returned to the cruiserweight division. His last appearance on WCW television was on the February 19 episode of ''Nitro'', where he challenged United States Champion Rick Steiner and was easily defeated.

Following the purchase of WCW by the World Wrestling Federation in March 2001, LeRoux was signed to a three year developmental contract by the WWF in April 2001. Along with several other former WCW wrestlers, he was sent to the Heartland Wrestling Association to further his training. LeRoux negotiated his release in June 2002, preferring "to pursue other options rather than be stuck in limbo".

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling (2002-2005)

LeRoux appeared on the inaugural Total Nonstop Action Wrestling PPV on June 19, 2002, competing in the Gauntlet for the Gold (he was eliminated by Jeff Jarrett). The following week, LeRoux suffered a neck injury while working on the independent circuit, and was initially told that he needed surgery. He consulted a second doctor, however, and underwent seven months of physical rehabilitation without surgery, and his neck healed. From April to July 2004, LeRoux travelled south to Orlando, Florida and appeared with TNA, wrestling on ''TNA Xplosion'' as a jobber.

LeRoux also competed for a number of independent promotions, including WXO, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Ultimate Championship Wrestling, NWA Wrestle Birmingham and Southern Championship Wrestling. In late 2005, LeRoux made a number of appearances in Deep South Wrestling.

Cartoonist

LeRoux has also worked as a cartoonist, and his work has been featured in multiple publications and websites including ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' and ''The Wrestler''. During his tenure in WCW, he drew a series of single-panel comics for ''WCW Magazine'' called ''Lashing Out''.

Personal life

LeRoux has two brothers, older brother Joseph and younger brother James, and younger twin sisters, Terri and Sherri Creswell. LeRoux married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth, on December 22, 1997.

LeRoux is close friends with Bill DeMott and Chavo Guerrero, Jr., as well as with the late Jerry Tuite. Growing up, LeRoux was a fan of Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Bob Armstrong, Arn Anderson, and the Four Horsemen.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''Whiplash'' (Sitout Death Valley driver)

''Whiplash 2000'' (Three-quarter facelock Russian legsweep)

Signature moves

Back body drop

Backbreaker

Belly to belly suplex

''Bourbon Street Blues'' (Jabs followed by splits followed by a spinning clothesline)

Bow and arrow hold

Corkscrew back elbow

Diving hurricanrana

Dropkick

*Headscissors takedown to propel the opponent back first into the corner

Scoop powerslam

Spin-out powerbomb

Springboard into either a sitout facebuster or a one–handed bulldog

*Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker

Manager

*Major Gunns

Nicknames

*"The Ragin' Cajun"

*"The Stooge from Baton Rouge"

*"The Ayatollah of Shrimp Creole-ah"

Championships and accomplishments

World Championship Wrestling

WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Lieutenant Loco

Notes and references

External links

Online World of Wrestling profile

The DDT Digest guide to Lash LeRoux

Accelerator profile

Category:1976 births Category:American sport wrestlers Category:American professional wrestlers Category:American cartoonists Category:Cajun sportspeople Category:Living people Category:People from Lafayette, Louisiana Category:People from Oxford, Alabama

da:Lash LeRoux