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- 1997 Slammy Awards
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Alberta
Alberta /ælˈbɜrtə/ is a province of Canada. It had a population of 3,645,257 in 2011, making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces. Alberta and its neighbour, Saskatchewan, were established as provinces on September 1, 1905.
Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the US state of Montana to the south. Alberta is one of three Canadian provinces and territories to border only a single U.S. state and is also one of only two provinces that are landlocked.
Edmonton, the capital city of Alberta, is located near the geographic centre of the province and is the primary supply and service hub for Canada's oil sands and other northern resource industries. Approximately 300 kilometres (190 mi) south of the capital is Calgary, Alberta's largest city and a major distribution and transportation hub. Calgary and Edmonton centre Alberta's two census metropolitan areas, both of which have populations exceeding 1 million.Census agglomerations in the province include Lethbridge, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, Wood Buffalo (includes Fort McMurray), Grande Prairie, Lloydminster, Okotoks, Brooks, Camrose, Cold Lake, High River, Sylvan Lake, Wetaskiwin, Strathmore, Canmore, and Lacombe. Notable tourist destinations in the province include Canmore, Sylvan Lake, Drumheller, Banff, and Jasper.
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Calgary
Calgary
/ˈkælɡᵊri/ is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately 80 km (50 mi) east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The city is located in the grassland and parkland natural regions of Alberta.
As of 2011, the City of Calgary had a population of 1,096,833 and a metropolitan population of 1,214,839, making it the largest city in Alberta, and the third-largest municipality and fifth-largest metropolitan area in Canada.
Located 294 km (183 mi) south of Edmonton, Statistics Canada defines the narrowly populated area between these cities as the "Calgary–Edmonton Corridor."
Economic activity in Calgary is mostly centred on the petroleum industry and agriculture. In 1988, Calgary became the first Canadian city to host the Olympic Winter Games.
Before the Calgary area was settled by Europeans, it was inhabited by pre-Clovis people whose presence has been traced back at least 11,000 years. In 1787, cartographer David Thompson spent the winter with a band of Peigan encamped along the Bow River. He was the first recorded European to visit the area, and John Glenn was the first documented European settler in the Calgary area, in 1873.
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Canada
Canada ( /ˈkænədə/) is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Spanning over 9,900,000 km2 (3,800,000 sq mi), Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is the longest land border in the world.
The land that is now Canada has been inhabited for millennia by various Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French colonial expeditions explored, and later settled, along the region's Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy; the Canada Act 1982 severed the vestiges of legal dependence on Britain.
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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
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Adrian Adonis
Keith A. Franke (September 12, 1954–July 4, 1988) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Adorable" Adrian Adonis.
Franke trained under Fred Atkins and debuted in 1974, wrestling under his own name. In the late 1970s, Franke adopted the ring name Adrian Adonis and the character of a brawling, leather jacket-clad biker.
In the late 1970s, Adonis joined the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based American Wrestling Association. In 1979, he formed a tag team with Jesse Ventura. The team was known as the East-West Connection on the basis that Adonis was from New York (in the East), while Ventura was billed as being from California (in the West). Adonis and Ventura were awarded the AWA World Tag Team Championship on July 20, 1980, when Verne Gagne, one half of the tag champions with Mad Dog Vachon, was unable to defend the title because he was vacationing in Europe. Adonis and Ventura held the belts until June 14, 1981, when they were defeated by Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell.
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Akira Nogami
Akira Nogami (野上 彰, Nogami Akira?, born March 13, 1968, in Narashino, Chiba) is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor, currently working as AKIRA.
After graduating from high school in 1984, Nogami was initiated into the New Japan dojo. He debuted in October of that year against Keiji Mutoh, making him one of the youngest wrestlers in New Japan history, at the age of 16. In April 1990, he left on an overseas learning excursion to Europe in Otto Wanz's Catch Wrestling Association and returned to NJPW a year later, and developed his "Akira" persona.[clarification needed] Akira scored a big win over Jushin Thunder Liger in August 1991 to begin his one and only reign as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
After losing the title to Norio Honaga in November 1991, he graduated to the heavyweight division. In June 1992, he teamed up with Hiroshi Hase to participate in the NWA World Tag Team Championship tournament, held by World Championship Wrestling. They defeated the Headhunters in the first round, but Akira suffered an eye injury and was replaced by Shinya Hashimoto for the remainder of the tournament. In September 1993, he formed the Japanese Jollyjacks with Takayuki Iizuka. After proving that the team was no threat to the IWGP Tag Team Championship, the J-J-Jacks disbanded in March 1996, as Iizuka teamed up with Kazuo Yamazaki, with whom he won the titles, while Nogami joined Shiro Koshinaka's Heisei Ishingun.
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Al Snow
Allen Ray Sarven (born July 18, 1963) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name of Al Snow. He is best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. Since 2010, Snow has worked as a road agent for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and with its developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling, as a trainer and show producer.
Sarven attended a professional wrestling tryout camp held by Ole and Gene Anderson. There he met Jim Lancaster, promoter of Ohio's Midwest Championship Wrestling, who agreed to train him. Lancaster later described Sarven as "a leader in the ring" who "had drive and natural ability". He made his debut on May 22, 1982. Sarven defeated Lancaster on May 5, 1985 for the Midwest Championship Wrestling title.
Sarven wrestled in various independent promotions throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, capturing both tag team and singles titles, but failed to make any big breaks. He gained a reputation as "the best-kept secret in wrestling". Sarven helped train future Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Fame member and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dan Severn. During this time he would sometimes wrestle as Shinobi, a ninja-style masked gimmick. He wrestled in the November 19, 1994 tournament for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship, but he lost to Chris Candido, the eventual winner of the tournament.
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Antonio Pugliese
Antonio Pugliese (1941–August 19, 2000), born in Cosenza, Italy, was a professional wrestler. He is better known by his ring name Tony Parisi. Pugliese was primarily a tag team wrestler, and he won tag team titles in several organizations, including the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), and World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). He held the WWWF World Tag Team Championship from 1975 to 1976. As a singles wrestler, he also won the WWF International Heavyweight Championship. After retiring from wrestling, Pugliese continued to work in the industry and also operated a hotel and restaurant. He died in 2000 after suffering a heart attack.
Pugliese made his professional wrestling debut in Detroit, Michigan in 1961. He soon began competing in Canada, where he was a popular babyface (fan favorite) wrestler. In one of his first matches, he faced Gino Brito, who later became his long-time tag team partner. Pugliese and Brito moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1962 to wrestle in a promotion operated by Nick Gulas; they won the promotion's tag team title within two weeks of their arrival. Throughout his career, Pugliese formed many tag teams in various promotions with other wrestlers of Italian descent, including Dominic DeNucci, Tony Marino, and David Sammartino (who competed as Bruno Sammartino, Jr.).
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Barry Darsow
Barry Darsow (born October 6, 1959) is a former American professional wrestler who is known as Smash, one half of the tag team Demolition, and as Krusher Kruschev, Repo Man, and The Blacktop Bully. Throughout his career he worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and several regional promotions in the 1980s and 1990s. He is a four-time former world tag team champion, winning three WWF World tag team titles as part of Demolition and one NWA World tag team title as part of a three-man team with Ivan and Nikita Koloff (although the NWA no longer recognizes any former tag team champions prior to 1992; Darsow's championship is considered part of the WCW World tag team championship lineage), and a one-time NWA United States tag team champion.
Darsow attended high school in Robbinsdale, Minnesota with six other future wrestlers: Curt Hennig, Richard Rood (Rick Rude), Brady Boone, Tom Zenk, John Nord (The Berzerker), and Scott Simpson (Nikita Koloff). He also worked as a bouncer with the Road Warriors, Hawk and Animal.
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Ben Bassarab
Ben Bassarab (born March 3, 1960 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) is a Canadian former professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion throughout the 1980s.
Bassarab was trained by Stu Hart and debuted in Hart's Calgary, Alberta based Stampede Wrestling promotion under his own name in 1983. Bassarab formed a tag team with Phil Lafleur. They faced Danny Davis and Hubert Gallant for the Stampede International Tag Team Championship in early 1984, but the match was ruled a no-contest and the title was vacated.
The acquisition of Stampede by Vince McMahon (owner of the World Wrestling Federation, WWF) in 1985 led to many Stampede wrestlers being signed by the WWF. The British Bulldogs, Jim Neidhart, Owen Hart, and Bret Hart were all hired, but Bassarab was not, though he did face WWF wrestler Brutus Beefcake at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on July 28, 1985. Bassarab substituted for the absent Tony Garea and lost to Beefcake.
Bassarab began pursuing the International Tag Team Championship once more and began teaming with Chris Benoit. On March 1, 1986 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Bassarab and Benoit defeated Honky Tonk Man, Wayne Farris, and Rotten Ron Starr for the International Tag Team Championship. They lost the title to Farris and his new partner, The Cuban Assassin, on March 21 in Calgary.
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Big Show
{{Infobox professional wrestler | name = Captain Insano | names = Captain Insano
The Giant
Paul Wight | image = Big-Show-T4.jpg | caption = | height = 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | weight = 441 lb (200 kg) | birth_date = (1972-02-08) February 8, 1972 (age 40) | birth_place = Aiken, South Carolina | resides = Tampa, Florida | trainer = Larry Sharpe
Jim Duggan
Glenn RuthCite error: Closing</ref>missing for<ref>tag; see the help page
Wight made his first appearance at Slamboree in 1995 as an unknown giant at three foot seven man during the main event of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage versus Ric Flair and Vader. Wight debuted in WCW at The Great American Bash on June 18, 1995 as a plant during the match between Arn Anderson and The Renegade, who was accompanied by manager Jimmy Hart. Nearly a month later at a Main Event show, prior to Bash at the Beach, Wight interfered in an interview between Hulk Hogan and "Mean" Gene Okerlund. Wight introduced himself as The Giant, and claimed in the storyline to be the son of André the Giant and blaming Hulk Hogan for the death of his "father". The Giant joined the Dungeon of Doom, who were at war with Hogan and his allies, and immediately began a heated feud with Hogan. At Fall Brawl, after his team won a WarGames match, Hogan earned five minutes fighting the leader of the Dungeon of Doom, "The Taskmaster" Kevin Sullivan, in the cage alone – at this point, Giant attacked Hogan, saving Sullivan.
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Big Van Vader
Leon Allen White (born May 14, 1955) better known by his ring names Big Van Vader or Vader, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. White is perhaps best known for his time with New Japan Pro Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation and All Japan Pro Wrestling in the 1990s. A super-heavyweight wrestler capable of significant aerial maneuvers as well as power moves, he was both a face and a heel in several professional wrestling promotions. During his career, he became an eight time world champion (three times in World Championship Wrestling, three times in New Japan Pro Wrestling and two times in All Japan Pro Wrestling).
While working out at a gym, White was spotted by a man who remembered him from his college football days who suggested he look into professional wrestling. Trained by Brad Rheingans, White got his first national exposure in the American Wrestling Association. He went by the moniker "Baby Bull", which was later changed to "Bull Power". White honed his skills during this time, and his ring work improved significantly, so much so that he was given a match with Stan Hansen for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship.
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Bill Eadie
Bill Eadie (born December 27, 1947) is a professional wrestler who has competed under the names of Ax as part of Demolition and The Masked Superstar. He was a high school teacher and coach at Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Ohio, and at East Liverpool, Ohio.
Eadie started wrestling in 1973, making his debut in the Detroit territory of the Sheik (Ed Farhat). He wrestled under a mask as the tag team " Para-Medics". He then wrestled in Pittsburgh, Detroit, WWWF, and the IWA as Bolo Mongol, the new partner of his trainer, Geeto Mongol. He soon entered the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling territory and donned a mask as The Masked Superstar. Given the character at the advice of matchmaker George Scott. It was stated that he was an Olympic champion by various wrestling promoters.He challenged opponents with a $10,000 reward to whoever could break his Cobra clutch, as well as utilizing the deadly "Swinging Clothesline." The Masked Superstar was 6' 3" and weighed 300 lbs and created many mismatches due to his size, strength and catlike quickness. He had many bouts with the Mighty Igor, Paul Jones, Blackjack Mulligan, Mr. Wrestling II and "Wildfire" Tommy Rich, Dick Murdoch, etc. He was the first wrestler (Along with Blackjack Mulligan) to have 1 hour cagematches back in 1977.Then have a series of "12" ninety minute cage matches against Mulligan. It is believed that neither feat of hour or hour and half cage matches has since been performed by wrestlers. He is one of the first wrestlers to body slam André the Giant. Among other accomplishments, he won four Georgia Heavyweight titles and unified that title with the NWA National Heavyweight Championship. He also competed in the World Wrestling Federation against many top wrestlers in 1983-84. He fought against many top level opponents, including then WWF Champion Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan and the Iron Sheik, Jimmy Snuka and others.
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Bob Backlund
Robert Lee "Bob" Backlund (born August 14, 1949) is an American professional wrestler with an in-ring career that spanned over 30 years. Over that time, he was a two-time WWWF/WWF Champion. Backlund holds the records for the second longest reign as WWE Champion in history, behind Bruno Sammartino.
Backlund was also an accomplished amateur wrestler wrestling for the North Dakota State University Bison in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Backlund continues to work in the pro wrestling business in various capacities. In 2000, Backlund unsuccessfully ran for a Connecticut seat in Congress on a Republican ticket.
In 1969 during his freshman year, Backlund was an All American in both football and wrestling (191 lbs finishing 3rd) while at Waldorf Junior College in Forest City, IA. During his sophomore campaign, Backlund focused on wrestling and once again earned All American Honors (190 lbs and National Runner Up). Backlund was an amateur wrestler at North Dakota State University, winning the Division II NCAA Championship at 190 pounds in 1971. In 1972 Backlund moved up to the Heavyweight class and finished 5th at the NCAA DII Nationals. Graduate of Princeton, MN High School where he was a state finalist in wrestling. He graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in physical education.
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Bob Holly
Robert "Bob" Howard (born January 29, 1963) better known by his ring name Bob "Hardcore" Holly, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his 15-year stint with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
After debuting in 1990, Holly worked for Smoky Mountain Wrestling and other independent promotions, before joining WWE full-time in 1994. Initially portraying the character of a NASCAR driver, Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, his name was soon changed to Bob "Spark Plug" Holly, before forming a team with "Bodacious Bart", known as The New Midnight Express in 1998. After becoming known simply as "Hardcore Holly" in 1999, he was joined by on-screen cousins, Crash and Molly. In 2002, he suffered a broken neck, which sidelined him for over a year. Upon his return, he engaged in minor feuds with wrestlers such as Mr. Kennedy and Rob Van Dam, before forming a tag team with Cody Rhodes in 2007. Holly was released from WWE in 2009.
During his career, Holly has held the WWF/E Hardcore Championship seven times, the WWF/E Tag Team Championship three times (with 1-2-3 Kid, Crash Holly and Cody Rhodes), and the NWA World Tag Team Championship once with Bart Gunn.
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Bret Hart
Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian American writer, actor and retired professional wrestler currently signed with WWE under a Legends contract. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College. Along with his famed "Hit Man" nickname, Hart was known by the monikers "The Excellence of Execution", "The Best There Is, The Best There Was, and The Best There Ever Will Be" and "The Pink and Black Attack"—the latter being in reference to his ring attire, as well as his signature mirrored sunglasses, which he routinely gave away to a young audience member before matches.
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Brian Pillman
Brian William Pillman (May 22, 1962 – October 5, 1997) was an American football player and professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling.
Pillman had a legacy as "The Loose Cannon", a wrestling gimmick that would see him do a series of worked-shoots that would gain him a degree of infamy for his unpredictable character. He was also known for being extremely agile in the ring, although a car accident in April 1996 from which he received extensive ankle injuries limited his in-ring ability.
Brian graduated from Norwood High School in Norwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. While attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Pillman played football for the then-Redskins (now RedHawks) as a Defensive Tackle where he set records in the "tackles for loss" category. A two-time Second Team All-American, he went undrafted by the National Football League, joining the hometown Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent in 1984 (where he won the Ed Block Courage Award for his team) and later the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders in 1986. He also played for the Buffalo Bills in preseason action in 1985 but was the last player cut before the start of that season. His attempts to make the roster of the Bengals were covered in a series of articles in The Cincinnati Enquirer. Pillman and John Harbaugh, current head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, were roommates and defensive teammates while at Miami.[citation needed]
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Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar (/ˈlɛznər/; born July 12, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, actor, former mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler, signed with WWE and appearing on its Raw brand. He is also a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and former #1 ranked mixed martial arts (MMA) Heavyweight by Sherdog; he was ranked #5 before he announced his retirement at the end of 2011. Lesnar is an accomplished amateur wrestler, winning the 2000 NCAA heavyweight wrestling championship and placing second in 1999, losing in the finals to 1999 world freestyle wrestling champion and future New England Patriots offensive lineman Stephen Neal.
He gained prominence in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2002 to 2004, where he is a former three-time WWE Champion, becoming the youngest WWE Champion at age 25 with his first reign. Lesnar was the 2002 King of the Ring and the winner of the 2003 Royal Rumble. After leaving WWE, Lesnar pursued a career in the NFL. He played during the preseason for the Minnesota Vikings, but ended up being a late cut. Lesnar returned to professional wrestling at the end of 2005, and joined New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in his first match. He was officially stripped of the title by NJPW in July 2006, and took the physical belt with him to Inoki Genome Federation (IGF), where he was still recognized as IWGP Champion until June 2007.
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Camille Tourville
Camille Tourville (1927-December 24, 1985) was a professional wrestler and manager better known as Tarzan Tyler. He was one-half of the first WWF Tag Team Champions, along with Luke Graham. He died December 24, 1985 at the age of 58.
Tarzan Tyler began competing in the United States during the 1960s after having spent nearly 10 years wrestling in Canada. Tyler competed for World Championships against such stars as Verne Gagne, Lou Thesz, and Dory Funk, Jr. His greatest success came as a tag team competitor, as he and Crazy Luke Graham defeated the team of Dick the Bruiser and The Shiek in 1971 to become the first WWF World Tag Team Champions.
Tarzan Tyler died, along with fellow wrestler Pierre 'Mad Dog' Lefebvre and referee Adrien Desbois, in Laurentides Provincial Park upon returning from a wrestling event in Chicoutimi, Quebec on December 24, 1985, in a car crash.
He was a 3-time heavyweight champion for Grand Prix Wrestling in Montreal in the 1970s.
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Carly Colón
Carlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. (born on February 21, 1979) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), but was released from his contract on May 21, 2010. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both Carly Colón and Carlito. Colón occasionally still performs in the World Wrestling Council (WWC). He is a 13-time WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion.
In 2003, Colón signed a developmental contract with WWE. He worked in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) for sixteen months, mostly wrestling in tag team matches while making appearances in WWC. On October 7, 2004, Colón made his debut performing on the main event of SmackDown! as Carlito Caribbean Cool. Colón is a former United States Champion and Intercontinental Champion and has been part of both the Raw and SmackDown brands. He is the only wrestler to win a championship on two separate debuts in WWE and the second Puerto Rican to become Intercontinental Champion after Pedro Morales. At WrestleMania XXV, Colón and his brother, Eddie Colón, became the only tag team to unify the WWE Tag Team Championship and World Tag Team Championship.
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Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit (French pronunciation: [bəˈnwɑ]) (May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide. During his professional wrestling career, Benoit worked for such major promotions as Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE).
Among other accolades, Benoit is a two-time world champion: a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, one-time World Heavyweight Champion (tied for third longest reign in history). Both of his world title reigns were represented by the Big Gold Belt: Benoit is one of four men to have held the Big Gold Belt in both WCW and WWE, alongside Bill Goldberg, Booker T and Big Show. He is also a record-tying five-time WCW/WWE United States Champion, having held the championship twice in WCW, and three times in WWE. The twelfth WWE Triple Crown Champion and seventh WCW Triple Crown Champion, he is the second of four men in history to achieve both the WWF and WCW Triple Crown Championships.
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Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), known professionally as Chris Jericho, is an American-born Canadian professional wrestler, musician, media personality, actor, author and businessman. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its Raw brand in addition to being the lead singer of heavy metal band Fozzy. He is also well known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), and internationally in Canadian, Mexican and Japanese promotions.
Jericho has won 30 championships between WWF/E, WCW, and ECW - the three most prominent American promotions in the 1990s and early 2000s. He is credited as being the first Undisputed WWF Champion, having unified the WWE Championship and World Championship (formerly the WCW Championship) in 2001.
In WWE Jericho is a six-time world champion, having won the Undisputed WWF Championship once, the WCW/World Championship twice and the World Heavyweight Championship thrice. He is also a record nine-time Intercontinental Champion, and the fourth WWE Grand Slam Champion.
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Chris Kanyon
Christopher Klucsarits (January 4, 1970 – April 2, 2010) was an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation, under the ring names Chris Kanyon (or simply Kanyon) and Mortis.
After college, he began training under Pete McKay Gonzalez, Ismael Gerena and Bobby Bold Eagle at the Lower East Side Wrestling Gym in Manhattan at some point between December 1991 and January 1992. He wrestled his first match on April 5, 1992 in Levittown, New York at the Island Trees Junior High School, and wrestled one match as Chris Morgan before adopting the ring name Chris Canyon and later changed it to Chris Kanyon. Kanyon worked as a physical therapist for the next three years, wrestling on weekends and in the evenings, before finally deciding to become a full-time professional wrestler in 1995. Early in his career, Kanyon formed a tag team with Billy Kidman which saw both men wrestle in the uniform of hockey players.
In late 1994, he made several appearances with the World Wrestling Federation as a jobber, facing wrestlers such as Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Tatanka and Bob Holly. His friend and future manager James Mitchell saw potential in him and sent him for training with The Fabulous Moolah in South Carolina and with Afa at the Wild Samoan wrestling School.
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Chyna
Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1970) is a former American professional wrestler, actress, pornographic actress and former bodybuilder. She is best known for her career with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 2001, where she was billed as "Chyna: 'The Ninth Wonder of the World'" (André the Giant was already billed as the eighth). She began her WWF career as Paul "Triple H" Levesque's on-screen bodyguard, and the duo also dated in real-life. They were both members of the popular D-Generation X stable, a storyline alliance of several wrestlers, until 1999.
Chyna holds the distinction of being the only Diva in WWE history to compete, full time, in the men's division. She was the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble, qualify for the King of the Ring tournament, and be the number one contender for the WWF Championship. In 1999, she became the first and only woman to hold the WWF Intercontinental Championship, which she held twice. She also held the WWF Women's Championship once, before leaving the company in 2001. She claims that Levesque's affair with Stephanie McMahon, daughter of WWF owner Vince McMahon, was a factor in her departure. After originally retiring from professional wrestling in 2004, Chyna made a return in May 2011 by joining Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
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Clarence Mason
Herman Stevens, Jr. (born June 17, 1965) is an American attorney and former professional wrestling manager, best known for his attorney gimmicks as Clarence Mason in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and as J. Biggs in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1998–1999.
As a child, Stevens had always wanted to be a WWF Superstar. With no prior experience in the business, getting a foot in the door was difficult for the aspiring law school student. While in college, Stevens unsuccessfully attempted to obtain an internship with WCW. When Stevens was in law school, he befriended Ernie Ladd. Ladd managed to get Stevens a meeting with WWF. He went to New York to meet with Vince McMahon and was signed to a contract.
Stevens entered the WWF in 1995 as Clarence Mason, a lawyer primarily introduced to play off the publicity lawyers had gotten during the ongoing O. J. Simpson trial. The name Clarence Mason may have come from the Disbarred New York Civil Rights Attorney C. Vernon Mason (or possibly the fictional attorney Perry Mason) or Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, whilst his character and speaking style were based on Johnnie Cochran.
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CM Punk
Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE and appearing on its Raw brand as the reigning WWE Champion.
In professional wrestling, Brooks is a seven time World Champion, having held the ROH World Championship and ECW Championship once, the World Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWE Championship twice.
In addition to these championships Punk has also won the World Tag Team Championship (with Kofi Kingston), and the WWE Intercontinental Championship making him the nineteenth WWE Triple Crown Champion and the man to achieve this honor fastest at 203 days. Between WWE and Ring of Honor (where he is also a two-time World Tag Team Champion), Punk has won a total of eleven championships. He was also the winner of the 2008 and 2009 Money in the Bank ladder matches (the only wrestler to win the match twice in a row), and was the 2011 Superstar of the Year Slammy Award winner.
Punk initially came to prominence through his career on the professional wrestling independent circuit, primarily as a member of the ROH roster, where he was the first head trainer of the ROH wrestling school as well as winning both of their championships. In 2005, Punk signed a contract with WWE and was sent to its developmental promotion, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he won every championship available in the promotion. Throughout his career, Punk has consistently used the gimmick of being straight edge, a lifestyle he follows in his actual day-to-day life. Depending on Punk's alignment as a crowd favorite or villain, he emphasizes different aspects of the culture to encourage the desired audience reaction.
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Cody Rhodes
Cody Runnels (born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Cody Rhodes. Runnels is signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand.
Runnels is the half-brother of Goldust as well as the son of Dusty Rhodes, and worked as a referee in his father's promotion during high school. Runnels started wrestling professionally in 2006, using his real name, wrestling for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). While situated at OVW, he won various championships, both in tag team and singles competition, including the OVW Heavyweight Championship. He made his WWE television debut on July 16, 2007, under the ring name Cody Rhodes. In December 2007, Rhodes captured his first title with the company, the World Tag Team Championship with Hardcore Holly, and the two held it for six months.
Rhodes formed a secret alliance with Ted DiBiase during 2008. In the course of a match held on June 29 he turned on Holly by switching sides to join DiBiase, with whom he became World Tag Team champion. The new champions dropped their titles in August, only to win them back a week later. Rhodes and DiBiase were joined by Manu shortly afterwards, forming a faction of multi-generation wrestlers, although this alliance was to be short-lived. In January 2009, Rhodes and DiBiase formed a new alliance, The Legacy, with Randy Orton. Rhodes was moved to the SmackDown brand in April 2010, as part of the Supplemental Draft, and won the WWE Tag Team Championship with Drew McIntyre in September of the same year. In August 2011, Rhodes won the WWE Intercontinental Championship, his first singles championship in WWE, holding it for over seven months until he lost it at WrestleMania 28. He won the title back one month later at Extreme Rules (2012).
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Curt Hennig
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig (March 28, 1958 – February 10, 2003) was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who performed under his real name for the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). In the WWF, he found his greatest success as Mr. Perfect, a nickname introduced in his second run with the company which gradually became his official ring name as use of his real name was phased out; Hennig used the same ring name in his third and final run, however his real name was widely acknowledged. He was the son of wrestler Larry "The Axe" Hennig, and father to current WWE (formerly the WWF) superstar Michael McGillicutty.
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Dan Severn
Daniel DeWayne Severn (born June 8, 1958) is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, notable for his success in the early years of Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. Severn has fought and wrestled for many mixed martial arts and professional wrestling promotions, including King of the Cage, PRIDE FC, Cage Rage, WEC, RINGS, and the World Wrestling Federation. He holds a professional MMA Record of 100–18–7 and is a UFC Hall of Famer and a former UFC Superfight Champion.
In professional wrestling Severn is a two-time world champion, having won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship twice. As of January 2011, at age 52+, Severn still competes in MMA Competition and pro wrestling. Along with competition, Severn also makes special appearances and autograph signings. He also travels the globe instructing seminars in MMA, grappling, and amateur wrestling. More importantly, Severn is focused on getting his Law Enforcement Training (Danger Zone: LET) developed into more police departments, corrections facilities and the military.
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Dave Batista
David Michael Bautista, Jr. (born 18 January 1969), is a former American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and actor best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment. In WWE, he became a six-time world champion, winning the World Heavyweight Championship four times, and the WWE Championship two times. He is the longest-reigning World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history. In addition to these championships, Batista has won the World Tag Team Championship three times (twice with Ric Flair and once with John Cena) and the WWE Tag Team Championship once (with Rey Mysterio). Batista was also the winner of the 2005 Royal Rumble match.
After trying out at World Championship Wrestling's Power Plant, Batista signed a contract with the WWF in 2000 and was sent to its developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he won the OVW Heavyweight Championship.
Batista was born to David Michael Bautista, the son of Filipino immigrants to America and Donna Raye Bautista, who is Greek. His parents separated (and eventually divorced). His paternal grandparents were from the Philippines as his grandfather served in the military, worked as a taxicab driver, barber, and other jobs to feed the family. Batista says he is not ashamed to admit he lived in poverty.
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Dave Meltzer
David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist covering professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher/editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON). Meltzer has also written for the Oakland Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Yahoo! Sports, and The National. He has extensively covered mixed martial arts since UFC 1 in 1993.
Meltzer was born in New York City, lived in upstate New York until he was ten, before his family settled in San Jose, California. Meltzer earned a journalism degree from San Jose State University and started out as a sports writer for the Turlock Journal. He demonstrated an interest in professional wrestling and a journalistic approach to it early in life. Meltzer wrote several wrestling-related publications that predate WON, dating back to 1971. The most notable of these was the California Wrestling Report, ca. 1973–1974, which reported on the still-extant National Wrestling Alliance territories operating out of Los Angeles and San Francisco.
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Davey Boy Smith
David "Davey" Boy Smith (November 27, 1962 – May 18, 2002) was a British professional wrestler, also known as (The) British Bulldog, who was born in Golborne in North West England, United Kingdom. Smith is known for his appearances with Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Described by WWE (previously the WWF) as "one of the most physically impressive individuals in WWE history", Smith found success as both a singles and tag competitor, holding every major title in the organization except the WWF Championship. Smith competed in multiple pay-per-view main events in the WWF and WCW, and challenged for the top titles of both promotions.
Smith was trained by Ted Betley in Winwick, England before relocating to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to further his training under Stu Hart. While training with Hart, Smith met Stu and Helen Hart's youngest daughter Diana, whom he married in 1984. They had two children, Harry (born on August 2, 1985) and Georgia (born on September 26, 1987). He and Diana were divorced in 2000.
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David Hart Smith
Harry Smith (born August 2, 1985) is a Canadian professional wrestler of English descent. He is currently working for Inoki Genome Federation and is best known for his tenure in WWE under the ring name David Hart Smith, where he won the Unified Tag Team Championship along with Tyson Kidd before being released from his contract on August 5, 2011. He is the son of "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith and nephew of Bret Hart.
He also wrestled under the name DH Smith ("D" for his father Davey Boy Smith, and "H" for the Hart family) for WWE's Raw brand and developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling.
Smith began wrestling at the age of eight, he was trained by his father Davey Boy Smith and uncle Bruce Hart. He made an early appearance with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on October 5, 1996 at the age of 10 when he teamed with his cousin Ted Annis against TJ Wilson and Andrew Picarnia at a WWF house show in Calgary. He also appeared at the conclusion of In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede with the rest of the Hart family. He made his professional debut at the age of fifteen at the Rockyford Rodeo, and went on to become a mainstay of the Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling promotion. In May 2002, Smith teamed with his father on two occasions, shortly before his father died. Smith was offered a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment in the summer of 2004, but opted to attend college and wrestle in Japan before signing.
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Dean Hart
Dean Harry Anthony Hart (January 3, 1954 – November 21, 1990) was a Canadian professional wrestler, referee and member of the Hart family who wrestled in Canadian regional promotions during the 1970s and 1980s, most notably in the Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling.
Born to Stu and Helen Hart, Dean Hart began wrestling in his father's Stampede Wrestling promotion along with younger brothers Bret and Owen Hart during the 1970s and 80s and was later associated with Peter Maivia's Hawaii promotion.
Diagnosed with Bright's disease during the late 1980s, he eventually died of kidney disease on November 21, 1990. His death was the day before the WWF Survivor Series that year, and commentator Roddy Piper stated that Bret dedicated his match to Dean.
Hart was the first of the Hart family to suffer an early death. His sister, Diana Hart, stated in her book that had any members of the Hart family been tested as a compatible donor, a kidney transplant might have saved his life. However, this option was never discussed by the family.
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Dean Higuchi
Dean Higuchi is a retired American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Dean Ho, who competed in North American regional promotions including Pacific Northwest Wrestling, the World Wide Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance, specifically the Hawaii-based Big Time Wrestling during the 1960s and 1970s. A longtime veteran of the Vancouver's NWA All-Star Wrestling, he feuded with Terry Adonis, The Brute and former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Gene Kiniski.
After graduating from President Theodore Roosevelt High School, Higuchi was one of Hawaii's prominent bodybuilders during the 1950s winning the title "Mr. Hawaiian Islands" competition in 1956 and finishing sixth place in the "Mr. America" competition in Philadelphia.
He opened his gym on Kalakaua Avenue in 1957, and it was a popular training center for both bodybuilders and professional wrestlers. Many of the areas top bodybuilders such as Mike Brown and professional wrestlers trained for decades including Don Muraco, Beauregarde,Rene Goulet and Karl Gotch.
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Debra Marshall
Debra Gale Marshall (born March 2, 1960) is an American actress and former professional wrestling manager and WWE Diva. Arguably best known by her ring name, Debra, she gained recognition for her appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) between 1998 and 2002.
She began her career in professional wrestling in 1996, accompanying her husband Steve "Mongo" McMichael to the ring in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). She joined the WWF in 1998, where she managed the tag team of Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart. In 1999, she won the WWF Women's Championship from Sable in an Evening Gown match. She later appeared on-screen with her second husband Stone Cold Steve Austin until 2002, when the duo left the company. In addition to her wrestling career, Marshall has had small acting roles and formerly competed in beauty pageants.
Raised in West Blocton, Alabama, Marshall became a track-runner, cheerleader, and Homecoming Queen in high school before attending the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York. She then became a flight attendant. Before her involvement in wrestling she competed in beauty pageants, winning Miss Illinois.
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Dennis Knight
Dennis Knight (born December 26, 1968) is a retired American professional wrestler best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment as Phineas I. Godwinn and Mideon.
While working as a bouncer in Clearwater, Florida, in 1989, Dennis Knight was introduced to Steve Keirn, who trained him as a professional wrestler. He debuted in the same year using the name Tex Slazenger, facing his stepfather in his first match. When Slazenger signed with the United States Wrestling Association, he was given a Leatherface gimmick based on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre character complete with "bloodstained" apron, leather mask and chainsaw (without the chain). He was pushed as a "Monster" into a program with Jerry Lawler. During one infamous match between the two, Slazenger was set on fire. After dropping the Leatherface gimmick, Tex teamed up with Mark Canterbury who wrestled as the masked "Master Blaster".
Slazenger was later hired by World Championship Wrestling alongside the Master Blaster who was renamed "Shanghai Pierce" The team was dubbed "The Texicans" by color commentator Jesse Ventura. They remained with the promotion until 1994 without achieving much success.
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Diamond Dallas Page
Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg, Jr.; April 5, 1956), better known by his ring name "Diamond" Dallas Page (DDP), is an American retired professional wrestler, fitness instructor and actor, signed to WWE in a Legends contract[citation needed]. In the course of his wrestling career, which spanned two decades, Page has wrestled for mainstream wrestling promotions World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Page first broke into the wrestling business in 1988, as a manager in the American Wrestling Association, where he worked for nine months before signing with WCW in 1991. There, he continued as a manager until late 1991, when he became a wrestler. Over a decade in WCW, Page became a three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, two-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion, four-time WCW World Tag Team Champion and one-time WCW World Television Champion. He is the fourth WCW Triple Crown Champion.
After WCW was sold in 2001, Page signed with the WWF, where he became a one-time WWF European Champion and one-time WWF World Tag Team Champion. Due to a series of injuries, he allowed his contract with the company to expire in 2002. He worked for TNA from 2004 to 2005. Page is now an actor in small-budget films, as well as a fitness guru and motivational speaker.
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Diana Hart
Diana Joyce Hart-Smith (born October 8, 1963)[citation needed] is the youngest daughter of Canadian wrestling promoter Stu Hart and now his youngest living child. She is also the former wife of wrestler "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith and mother of former WWE superstar David Hart Smith. She was also the 1997 Mrs. Calgary Stampede.[citation needed]
Diana met Davey Smith at the age of 17 when Davey, 18, was training under her father. They married on October 7, 1984. The couple had two children together, Harry (born on August 2, 1985) and Georgia (born September 26, 1987). In early 2000, Diana divorced Davey and focused on her children. She helped her son, Harry, become a professional wrestler.[citation needed]
Diana was in attendance at SummerSlam in 1992 where her husband won the WWF Intercontinental Championship from her brother, Bret Hart, in the night's main event at Wembley Stadium. At the end of the match, Diana embraced both her brother and her husband to signify the family's unification. Diana occasionally accompanied her husband to the ring, including his WWF Championship match against Bret at the December 17, 1995 In Your House pay-per-view, which Davey lost.[citation needed]
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Dick Murdoch
Hoyt Richard "Dick" Murdoch (August 16, 1946 – June 15, 1996) was an American professional wrestler.
A second-generation wrestler, the son of 1950s Texas wrestler Frankie Hill Murdoch, Dick Murdoch grew up with fellow second-generation wrestlers Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk, watching their fathers fight all around Texas. Frank Murdoch held the NWA Southwest Junior Heavyweight Championship three times in his career.
Dick Murdoch started wrestling in 1965 as Ron Carson in a tag team with Don Carson. He soon started wrestling under his real name. In 1968, he formed a tag team that would continue throughout the early 1970s with Dusty Rhodes called "The Texas Outlaws". After splitting with Rhodes, he wrestled for Florida Championship Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance, and Mid-South Wrestling.
His most noted work as a wrestler came in Mid-South Wrestling in the early 1980s, where he teamed with Junkyard Dog. The pair was the most popular champions in the region, attracting the hardcore, working class white fans with his "Captain Redneck" persona and JYD drawing the support of the black fan base. Their feud with the Fabulous Freebirds was perhaps Mid-South's most compelling storyline.
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Dino Bravo
Adolfo Bresciano (August 6, 1948 – March 10, 1993) was an Italian-born Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his work as Dino Bravo, self-proclaimed as "Canada's Strongest Man".
Bresciano began wrestling in 1970, taking the "Dino Bravo" moniker from a wrestler from the early 1960s who had teamed with Dominic DeNucci as the Bravo brothers, Dino and Dominic. He was trained by Gino Brito and often worked in a tag team with his mentor, billed as Brito's cousin. Bravo worked in a number of other tag teams, partnering with, among others, "Mr. Wrestling" Tim Woods and DeNucci.
Bravo held the Jim Crockett Promotions version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Woods, winning the title from Gene and Ole Anderson and eventually losing the title to the Andersons. Bravo also had a major program with Blackjack Mulligan, pinning Mulligan twice in a televised non-title match to set up a series of matches for Mulligan's United States title. Bravo did not win the U.S. title from Mulligan, but did receive several shots at NWA World Champion Harley Race during his tenure with Crockett.
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Dolph Ziggler
Nicholas Theodore "Nick" Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, who is contracted to WWE. He wrestles on the Raw brand under the name Dolph Ziggler. He is also known for his performances with WWE as Spirit Squad member Nicky in 2006.
Nemeth signed a development contract with WWE in 2004, and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). He was brought up to the Raw brand in 2005 as Kerwin White's sidekick. He was, however, sent back to OVW shortly afterwards, where he joined the Spirit Squad. They debuted on Raw in January 2006, and won the World Tag Team Championship once before returning to OVW that November.
In September 2007, Nemeth was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), where he formed a tag team with Brad Allen. The pair won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship once, and Nemeth later won the championship for the second time with Gavin Spears as his partner. He returned to Raw as Ziggler in September 2008, and was drafted to the SmackDown brand in April 2009. At the SmackDown tapings on July 28, Ziggler won the WWE Intercontinental Championship for the first time. He held the championship for five months, until January 2011. He was awarded, and lost, his first World Heavyweight Championship on February 15, 2011. That March he returned to the Raw roster, and won the WWE United States Championship for the first time three months later.
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Dominic DeNucci
Dominic DeNucci is an Italian-American professional wrestler. He is also an accomplished trainer, counting former World Heavyweight champions Mick Foley and Shane Douglas, as well as referee Brian Hildebrand, among his students.
Teamed with the original Dino Bravo as Dominic Bravo forming a kayfabe brother tag team with him.
On June 18, 1971, DeNucci won his first WWWF title, the WWWF International Tag Team Championship, with Bruno Sammartino by defeating The Mongols. They lost the title back to The Mongols three days later.
On May 13, 1975, DeNucci and Victor Rivera won the WWWF World Tag Team Championship from Jimmy and Johnny Valiant. In June, however, Rivera left the WWF, and Pat Barrett became DeNucci's replacement partner. They lost the title approximately three months later to The Blackjacks on August 26.
DeNucci became a second time WWWF World Tag Team Champion when he and his partner Dino Bravo defeated Professor Tanaka and Mr. Fuji on March 14, 1978. They held the title until June 26 when they dropped it to The Yukon Lumberjacks.
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Don Muraco
Donald Muraco (born September 10, 1949), better known by his ring names "The Magnificent Muraco" and "The Rock" Don Muraco, is a retired American professional wrestler. Wrestling from the 1970s to the 1990s, Muraco is a former two time WWF Intercontinental Champion, a former two time ECW Heavyweight Champion, one Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship, and was the 1985 King of the Ring, the first-ever in WWF/WWE history.
A former state champion in amateur wrestling in Hawaii in 1967, Muraco chose professional wrestling over football and spent the first year of his career learning the ropes in Vancouver, Portland, Florida and Los Angeles before he got his first break, accepting an offer from Verne Gagne to work in the American Wrestling Association (AWA). A fan favorite at this early stage of his career, Muraco formed a tag team with Jimmy Snuka and squared off many times with the likes of Larry Hennig, Ivan Koloff and Dusty Rhodes. In 1973 Muraco left the AWA for the San Francisco territory, having become tired of life in Minneapolis.
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Drew McIntyre
Andrew "Drew" Galloway (born June 6, 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he wrestles on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre.
He began training from the age of 15 in England, before moving back to Scotland to begin his career. Before long he became a regular in British Championship Wrestling (BCW) using the gimmick "Thee" Drew Galloway, winning their Heavyweight Championship twice along with the Heavyweight Championship of Insane Championship Wrestling. He also found success abroad in Irish Whip Wrestling, winning their top title. During this time he completed an undergraduate degree in criminology.
After touring the independent circuit around the British Isles, Galloway moved to the United States in 2007 to sign with WWE. Along with a brief stint on the SmackDown brand, he spent time in developmental territories Ohio Valley Wrestling and Florida Championship Wrestling, winning the Heavyweight and Tag Team Championships later, before returning to SmackDown and quickly winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship. In 2010, he held the WWE Tag Team Championship with Cody Rhodes.
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Dustin Rhodes
Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. Runnels is best known for performing as Goldust in WWE and is also known for performing in various companies such as World Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Dustin Rhodes. Among the other names Runnels has performed under are Black Reign and Seven.
Runnels is the son of "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes and the half brother of Cody Rhodes.
Between WWF/E and WCW, Rhodes won 17 total championships. In World Championship Wrestling, he was a two-time United States Champion, a one-time Six-Man Tag Team Champion, a two-time World Tag Team Champion, and a one-time NWA World Tag Team Champion. In World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment, he is a three-time Intercontinental Champion, a seven-time Hardcore Champion, and a one-time World Tag Team Champion.
Rhodes debuted as a fan favorite in the World Wrestling Federation in late 1990, wrestling as Dustin Rhodes. In December 1990, Rhodes defeated Ted DiBiase in a televised ten-minute challenge match. On January 19, 1991 at the Royal Rumble, Rhodes and his father Dusty lost to Ted DiBiase and Virgil in a tag team bout, and left immediately after.
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Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler who is signed to WWE, appearing on the Raw brand. He is often credited as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Johnson was a college football player. In 1991, he was part of the University of Miami's national championship team. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, and was cut two months into the 1995 season. This led to his decision to become a professional wrestler like his grandfather, Peter Maivia, and his father, Rocky Johnson. He gained mainstream fame as a wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1996 to 2004, and was the first third-generation superstar in the company's history. Johnson was quickly given a push as a heroic character in the WWF, originally billed as "Rocky Maivia", and then as "The Rock". He would subsequently turn into a villain as a member of the Nation of Domination in 1997. Two years after he joined the WWF, Johnson won the WWF Championship, and became one of the most popular wrestlers within the company's history for his engaging interviews and promos. Johnson is regarded by many as one of the greatest talkers in professional wrestling history, Rock was voted third by the fans for his microphone ability behind Roddy Piper and Stone Cold Steve Austin who were second and first respectively.
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Dynamite Kid
Thomas Billington (born December 5, 1958), best known by the ring name Dynamite Kid, is a retired British professional wrestler who competed in the World Wrestling Federation, Stampede Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling in the mid- to late-1980s. With his cousin Davey Boy Smith, Billington became best known for being half of the tag team the British Bulldogs. He has had notable feuds with Tiger Mask in Japan and Bret Hart in Canada. He was born in Golborne, Lancashire.
Academics were not a priority to Tom, but he was drawn to the sport programme at his comprehensive school; his adherence to it, particularly wrestling and gymnastics, helped him develop a relatively small but powerful and agile shape. In addition, he had also received training in boxing during his formative years, which helped instill toughness in him before his career. His father, the brother of Davey Boy Smith's mother, was a miner and itinerant labourer who often took young Thomas to see wrestling matches in Wigan, then as now well known for its wrestling tradition. It was during a home visit that the younger Billington met and caught the attention of Ted Betley, who had been running a pro-wrestling school in his home; it was here that Billington began his training, as a way of avoiding the back breaking work of the coal mines.
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Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions. In the United States, Guerrero wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Guerrero's gimmick was that of "Latino Heat", a crafty, resourceful wrestler who would do anything to win a match. His catchphrase became "I Lie! I Cheat! I Steal!," which was used in one of his entrance themes. Guerrero partly used this phrase in his autobiography Cheating Death, Stealing Life.
Despite being a villain for most of his career, he got over in and outside the ring being the youngest, yet most popular and successful of the Guerrero brothers. Guerrero was widely regarded as one of the most respected and gifted technical wrestlers in history. Throughout his career, Guerrero encountered various substance abuse problems outside of wrestling, including alcoholism and an addiction to painkillers. His real-life problems were sometimes integrated into his storylines. Notwithstanding these issues, Guerrero won 23 titles during his career, including the WWE Grand Slam Championship.
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El Samurai
Osamu Matsuda (松田 納, Matsuda Osamu?) is a Japanese professional wrestler who is best known for his work in New Japan Pro Wrestling, and is better known by his stage name El Samurai.
Osamu Matsuda graduated from high school in 1985, and joined the New Japan Pro Wrestling dojo. He debuted in July 1986 and spent a few years working at the bottom of the card, wrestling with the likes of Kensuke Sasaki, Kenichi Oya, and Takayuki Iizuka. In March 1991 he went on a learning excursion to Mexico, and while working for the UWA promotion, adopted a mask and the El Samurai stage name. .
El Samurai returned to NJPW in March 1992. A month later, he made it to the finals of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, in which he lost to Jushin Liger. Two months later, he defeated Liger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. He would lose the title to Ultimo Dragon in November 1992.
In April 1994, El Samurai took part in the Super J Cup tournament; he defeated Masayoshi Motegi in the first round, before losing to The Great Sasuke in the quarterfinals. In December 1995, he entered into the second Super J Cup tournament, but he didn't fare as well as the year before, as he lost to Dos Caras in the first round. In August 1996, he took part in a tournament to determine the first J-Crown champion. At the time, El Samurai was the WWF World Light Heavyweight Champion. He defeated Gran Hamada in the first round, before losing to eventual winner The Great Sasuke in the quarterfinals.
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Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American entrepreneur, professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later, the General Manager of World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw brand.
With an amateur background in Tae Kwon Do, Bischoff also sporadically performed as an in-ring competitor, and is a former WCW Hardcore Champion. He wrote an autobiography, titled Controversy Creates Cash, that was released in 2006 under WWE Books.
Bischoff started in wrestling working for the American Wrestling Association under owner Verne Gagne and would eventually become an on-air interviewer and host until the AWA folded in 1991. Bischoff at first worked in the sales department on the AWA's syndicated programming, and became an on-air personality virtually by accident and at the last minute. Larry Nelson, whom at the time was employed by the AWA as an announcer, was arrested under suspicion of a DUI. Because of Nelson's sudden unavailability, Verne Gagne and his son, Greg, opted to recruit Bischoff (who initially had no desire to be in front of the camera) to fill-in on the interviews. Bischoff believed that the Gagnes thought that he would be a good replacement due to his immediate availability in the television studio, and the fact that he was already wearing a suit and tie.
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Ezekiel Jackson
Rycklon Stephens (born April 22, 1978) is an American bodybuilder and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, working on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Ezekiel Jackson. He is a former WWE Intercontinental Champion. He is also a former one-time world champion, having won the ECW Championship in February 2010, and is recognized by WWE as the final ECW Champion.
Stephens signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment in March 2007 and debuted in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) in late June. In his debut match on June 27, he teamed with Keith Walker to defeat Kofi Kingston and Eric Pérez. He continued to compete in the promotion in both tag team and singles matches. On February 8, 2008 he competed in a match with tag partner Bryan Kelly in a losing effort against Steve Lewington and Heath Miller in a mini-tournament to face WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz. On May 6, 2008, Stephens wrestled his final match in FCW before being called up to WWE's main roster.
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Fergal Devitt
Fergal Devitt (born 25 July 1981) is an Irish professional wrestler currently contracted by New Japan Pro Wrestling. Through New Japan's working relationship with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Devitt has also made appearances for the Mexican promotion, where he currently holds the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship. He is better known by his ring name, Prince Devitt, as well as the alter ego of Pegasus Kid II.
Devitt has wrestled for numerous promotions, including NWA UK Hammerlock, NWA Pro, New England Championship Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, as well as having founded NWA Ireland with Paul Tracey. Devitt is a two time NWA British Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion, a two time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and has held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship six times, twice with Minoru and four times with Ryusuke Taguchi.
After training there, Devitt debuted for NWA UK Hammerlock in 2000 at the relatively young age of eighteen, soon winning the NWA British Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship. After graduating, his wrestling career started quickly, and he started touring Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In mid-2002 Devitt opened up NWA Ireland, his own wrestling club in Ireland along with his co-promoter and fellow graduate of NWA UK Hammerlock, Paul Tracey; the company became the sister promotion of British counterpart under the same banner. As part of NWA Ireland, Devitt has trained numerous wrestlers, including Rebecca Knox.
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Gino Brito
Louis Gino Acocella (born May 18, 1941), better known by his ring name Gino Brito is a Canadian professional wrestler. He was a popular wrestler in Montreal, and was one of the promoters in the city in the 1980s. As Louis Cerdan, he was a WWWF Tag Team Champion, teaming with fellow Canadian-Italian wrestler Tony Parisi.
Brito was the son of wrestler Jack Britton, who was organized a central booking office for midget wrestlers in the 1950s. Brito had a job for the promotion shuttling the wrestlers from city to city. Before becoming a professional wrestler at the age of seventeen, Brito was an amateur wrestler. At age seventeen, he was trained by George Cannon. He began working with Detroit promoters Bert Ruby and Harry Light over a year later.
He first teamed with Tony Parisi in Tennessee, where the duo won the tag titles in Nick Gulas's promotion within two weeks. The two also won the WWWF Tag Team Championship in 1975 from Blackjack Mulligan and Blackjack Lanza. They later lost the title to The Executioners. Brito continued to wrestle through the mid-80s.
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Grady Johnson
James Grady Johnson (February 5, 1940 – June 23, 2006) better known as professional wrestler Crazy Luke Graham, was a member of the Graham family, a storyline family of wrestlers.
He began his career as the storyline brother of Dr. Jerry Graham after fellow wrestler Freddie Cain (The Great Mephisto)suggested they resembled each other. They began wrestling together in 1963 in Stampede Wrestling. Later that summer, Johnson wrestled a series of matches against Chief Big Heart.
He wrestled in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) with Jerry Graham beginning in 1964. They won the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship from Don McClarity and Argentina Apollo, holding it for eight months, before losing the belts to another heel tagteam, Gene Kiniski & Waldo Von Erich. It was during this time that he became known as "Crazy" Luke Graham.
Graham enjoyed most of his success for the Los Angeles territory in the mid to late 1960s. He held the WWA World Title for that office in 1965. He dropped the belt to Pedro Morales. In the late 60s, he was a mid card performer for Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association (AWA) out of Minneapolis.
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Great Sasuke
Masanori Murakawa (村川 政徳, Murakawa Masanori?), (born July 18, 1969), is a Japanese professional wrestler who is best known by his stage name The Great Sasuke, as well as a former Iwate Prefectural Assembly legislator. He has wrestled in Japan and in the United States in various wrestling promotions. He is said to have an incredible tolerance for pain, mainly in reference to the injuries he has had including a cracked skull on two occasions.
In his early career, Murakawa wrestled under the name Masa Michinoku. Masa, from his given name Masanori, and Michinoku, after the alternate name for his Japanese home region, Tōhoku. Taka Michinoku adopted a similar gimmick to parody him. Later, on a tour of Mexico, Murakawa adopted the mask, uniform, and name Ninja Sasuke. This was the predecessor to the Great Sasuke gimmick he would adopt upon returning to Japan.
Murakawa is also the owner, and founder, of Michinoku Pro Wrestling, the first Japanese independent promotion not to be based around the Tokyo area. Instead, it was centered around the northern island of Hokkaido.
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Greg Valentine
John Wisniski, Jr. (born September 20, 1951) is an American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine.
Born in Seattle, Washington, Valentine traveled around Texas in his teens with his father. During a summer vacation, he decided to drop out of college and become a wrestler. His father initially tried to deter him, but eventually ceded to his wishes and sent him to Canada in 1970 to train under Stu Hart in Calgary. Wisniski remained in Canada for a year, wrestling his debut match in July 1970 against Angelo "King Kong" Mosca (he lost in around five minutes). Six months later, Wisniski relocated to Detroit to complete his training under The Sheik.
Initially reluctant to take his father's ring name, Wisniski wrestled as Baby Face Nelson before becoming Johnny Fargo, one half of The Fargo Brothers with Don Fargo between 1971 and 1974. The Fargo Brothers initially competed in the Buffalo and Cleveland based National Wrestling Federation before moving on to Texas. They split in 1974 and Wisniski went to Florida, where he began performing as Johnny Valentine, Jr., hopeful that he could live up to his father's legacy. He later changed his ring name to Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, and was billed as Johnny Valentine's brother, not his son, because of fears that the elder Valentine would be thought of as too old to be a legitimate threat. Valentine remained in Florida for a year while also working in Los Angeles and in Japan under Antonio Inoki in 1975 and early 1976.
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Gregory Helms
Gregory Shane Helms (born July 12, 1974) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms.
Helms first began wrestling in 1991 at the age of 16, and wrestled in numerous independent promotions, including the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts, winning numerous light heavyweight and tag team championships. In 1999, he signed with WCW, and gained fame as "Sugar" Shane Helms, a member of 3 Count. During his time there he won both the WCW Hardcore Championship and the WCW Cruiserweight title. When WCW was bought by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) (now WWE), Helms' contract was kept by WWF. Helms renamed himself "The Hurricane" and won the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. He later picked up a sidekick, Rosey, and they won the World Tag Team Championship together.
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Harley Race
Harley Leland Race (born April 11, 1943) is a retired American professional wrestler and is a current promoter and trainer. During his career as a wrestler, he held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 8 times. He worked for all of the major wrestling promotions, including the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He was the first NWA United States Heavyweight Champion. Race is one of six men inducted into each of the WWE Hall of Fame, the WCW Hall of Fame, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
Race was an early fan of professional wrestling, watching programming from the nearby Chicago territory on the DuMont Network. After overcoming polio as a child, he began training as a professional wrestler as a teen under former world champions Stanislaus and Wladek Zbyszko, who operated a farm in his native Missouri. While in high school, an altercation with another classmate led to the principal kneeing Race in the back of the head as he tried to break up the fight. Enraged, Race attacked him, resulting in his expulsion. Already 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) and 225 lb (102 kg), Race decided to get his start in professional wrestling.
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Hiroshi Hase
Hiroshi Hase (馳 浩, Hase Hiroshi?, born on May 5, 1961) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler who worked for New Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling, prior to transitioning to a position in the Japanese parliament. He currently holds the position of chairman for the PWF, which is the governing body for all championships in All Japan Pro Wrestling. [1]
Hase started his career as an amateur wrestler, representing Japan at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He placed ninth in the Greco-Roman wrestling tournament.
Originally trained by Riki Chōshū, Hiroshi Hase began his pro wrestling career in February 1986, at Carlos Colón's World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico. Later that year, Hase went up to Calgary, where he was trained by Stu Hart and Mr. Hito, and wrestled in Stampede Wrestling, under a mask, in a tag team known as the Viet Cong Express with Fumihiro Niikura, with whom he held the Stampede International Tag Team Championship. By 1987, he started to wrestle under his name and unmasked in Stampede Wrestling. By the end of 1987, Hase would return to Japan.
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Howard Finkel
Howard Finkel (born June 7, 1950) is a professional wrestling ring announcer working with WWE in a variety of roles. Hired in 1975 by Vincent J. McMahon's World Wide Wrestling Federation, "The Fink" was the first person brought in to Vincent K. McMahon's nascent World Wrestling Federation and is widely credited as WWE's first and longest lasting employee.
Finkel, a native of Newark, New Jersey, began announcing wrestling shows at Madison Square Garden in 1977. By 1979, he was hired as the first employee of WWE (formerly WWF), and he was made lead ring announcer for the WWF's biggest events. Across three decades, Finkel's distinctive voice was one of the trademarks of WWF programming, and was sometimes used in the packaged intros for the company's weekly programming. Finkel's signature call was his announcement of a new champion following a change in titles, in which he would place increased emphasis while stretching out the word "New" in order to draw the greatest reaction from the crowd. Finkel also suggested the well-known pay-per-view name "WrestleMania," (he got it from The Beatles' theme in the 1960s BeatleMania) which owner Vince McMahon immediately accepted. Finkel also came up with Ricky Steamboat's "Dragon" nickname.
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Hulk Hogan
Terry Gene Bollea (born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Hogan enjoyed mainstream popularity in the mid 1980s through the early 1990s as the all-American character Hulk Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF—now WWE), and was notable in the mid-to-late 1990s as Hollywood Hogan, the villainous nWo leader, in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Following the closure of WCW, he made a brief return to WWE in the early 2000s before revising his heroic character by combining elements of his two most famous personas.
Hogan was later inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. He is a 12-time world champion being a six-time WWF/WWE Champion, six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, as well as a former WWE World Tag Team Champion with Edge. He won the Royal Rumble in 1990 and 1991, making him the first to win two consecutive Royal Rumbles. He was also the first WWE wrestler to win the WWE Championship three times. In his first reign as WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Hogan held the title for 469 days from July 17, 1994 to October 29, 1995—the longest ever reign for this championship.
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Iron Sheik
Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri (Persian:حسین خسرو علی وزیری) (born March 15, 1943) is a semi-retired Iranian professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name The Iron Sheik. He is known for ending the near six-year World Wrestling Federation Championship reign of Bob Backlund, and for being the man Hulk Hogan defeated for his first WWF Championship.
A heel throughout the 1980s, he later gained popularity on Opie and Anthony, Kidd Chris, The Howard Stern Show, and on the internet due to his shoot interviews and outbursts on the wrestling industry and the hatred he expressed for various wrestlers.
Khosrow was born in Tehran, Iran. He made a name for himself as an amateur wrestler, and also worked as a bodyguard for Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his family for several years.
Khosrow competed to become part of the Iranian Olympic Greco Roman team for the 1968 Summer Olympics held in Mexico.
After this, he moved to the United States and became the assistant coach of two US Olympic squads in the 1970s. In 1971, he was the Amateur Athletic Union Greco-Roman wrestling champion at 183.5 pounds. He was assistant coach to the USA team for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
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Ivan Putski
Józef Bednarski (born January 21, 1941), is a Polish former professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He is known by the ring name Ivan Putski and was given the nicknames "The Polish Hammer" and "Polish Power".
Putski is a former WWF World Tag Team Champion with Tito Santana. Ivan was known to have an ongoing feud with another professional at the time, "Superstar" Billy Graham over the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, who also had an incredible physique and strength, which led to many pose-downs, arm wrestling bouts, and long, physical matches between the two. Other rivals included Iron Sheik, Ivan Koloff, and Jesse "The Body" Ventura, who when commentating for the WWF would refer to Putski as "Puduski" in much the same way he would later refer to Tito Santana as "Chico".
Putski was born in Poland and migrated to the United States at a young age. He and his family arrived in Texas, where Putski began his professional wrestling career. Ivan stood 5'6" and weighed around 225 pounds. In his earlier days he was weighed in at the 250 pound mark.
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Jacques Rougeau
Jacques Rougeau Jr. (born June 13, 1960) is a retired French-Canadian professional wrestler from Saint-Sulpice, Quebec, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s with the World Wrestling Federation under his own name, and as The Mountie. Rougeau has held fifteen championships during his career. Among other accolades, he is a former Intercontinental Champion and three-time World Tag Team Champion (with Carl Ouellet) in the WWF.
The Rougeau family as a whole has been very involved in professional wrestling; Jacques is the younger brother of Raymond Rougeau, the son of Jacques Rougeau, Sr., and the nephew of Jean "Johnny" Rougeau, all of whom have worked as professional wrestlers and promoters of wrestling matches. Jacques' sister Johanne also promoted wrestling matches in Montreal, and brother Armand wrestled for smaller federations.
Jacques Rougeau began his career in 1977, working in Stu Hart's Calgary, Alberta based Stampede Wrestling promotion. In the 1980s he began wrestling in the United States, achieving success in Alabama and Tennessee, and in 1985 he and Ray were signed by the World Wrestling Federation.
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Jado
Shoji Akiyoshi (秋吉 昭二, Akiyoshi Shōji?), better known by his ring name Jado (邪道?) (born September 28, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his work in New Japan Pro Wrestling with his tag team partner Gedo. His career has largely paralleled that of his partner except for brief instances in Universal Lucha Libre in 1993 and Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling in 1997 where they were on opposing sides; additionally, Jado never toured North America with World Championship Wrestling like Gedo did. In 1992, he and Takayami defeated Scorpio, Jr. and Shu El Guerrero to win Michinoku Pro Wrestling's UWA/UWF Intercontinental Tag Team Title.
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Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, painter, poet, singer-songwriter and musician who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He is also known for his stint with the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWE).
Before gaining prominence in WWE, Hardy performed for the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA), a promotion he ran with his brother Matt. After being signed by WWE, the brothers worked as jobbers, before gaining notoriety in the tag team division, partly due to their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches. With the addition of Lita, the team became known as Team Xtreme and continued to rise in popularity. As a tag team wrestler, Hardy is a six-time World Tag Team Champion and a one-time WCW Tag Team Champion. Noted for his seemingly fearless airborne moves, Hardy's offensive toolbox more resembles a stunt man's than a pro wrestler's.
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Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born April 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), an organization he co-founded along with his father, Jerry. He is currently heading TNA's off-shoot promotion Ring Ka King in India. He is well-known from his multiple runs in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF) during the 1990s.
A third-generation wrestler, Jarrett has held seventy championships in various promotions throughout his career. Within TNA, he is currently recognized as an eleven-time world champion, having been a six-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, four-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and one-time AAA World Heavyweight Champion. He has also accumulated five additional world title reigns, being a three-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion and two-time WWA World Heavyweight Champion. He achieved notable championship success in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), becoming a six-time Intercontinental Champion (a record from 1999–2004), and one of three men to hold both the Intercontinental and European Championships simultaneously. While he never captured the WWF Championship, Jarrett challenged for the title and is recognized by the promotion as a four-time world champion, given his four reigns with the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, which is now a WWE (formerly WWF) trademark. He is the first wrestler to be a two-time King of the Mountain, and also won Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración's (AAA) Rey de Reyes tournament in 2004. Between the WWF, WCW, and TNA, Jarrett has held twenty-two total championships as well as other numerous regional titles.
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Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional wrestler. He also wrestles and occasionally commentates for the Memphis Wrestling promotion.
Lawler has held 168 championships throughout his career. Overall, Lawler has held more championships than any other current WWE performer, though he has never won any WWE championships since joining the company.
While working in Memphis, Tennessee as a disc jockey, Lawler's artistic ability attracted the attention of local wrestling promoter Aubrey Griffith. The two made an agreement in which Lawler would give Griffith free publicity in exchange for free wrestling training. Lawler debuted as a wrestler in 1970 and won his first championship in September 1971 by winning a battle royal. He soon won the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship under the managerial service of Sam Bass with partner Jim White. In 1974, Lawler began feuding with Jackie Fargo, who had been his trainer and mentor. This led to a match for the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. On July 24, 1974, Lawler was booked to win the belt and the title of "King of Wrestling." While Lawler began his career as a heel, he became a face after splitting from Bass at the end of 1974. On November 12, 1979, while working in the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), Lawler defeated Billy Graham to become the CWA World Champion. In 1980, his career was put on hold due to a broken leg, but he returned to the ring after several months.
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Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker who is currently working for the Ring of Honor promotion.
As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling. He has also worked as an on-screen character in an authoritative role; as "Commissioner" of Ring of Honor (in a previous stint with the company) and "Management Director" (and off-screen road agent) for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Cornette currently acts as Executive Producer of Ring of Honor Wrestling, as well as serving as the on-air authority figure.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Cornette always loved wrestling, reportedly installing a ten-foot antenna on top of his house as a youth so he could watch as much regional wrestling as possible. He began working at wrestling events at the age of 14, serving as a photographer, ring announcer, magazine correspondent, and public relations correspondent. In 1982, promoter Jerry Jarrett made the 21-year old Cornette the manager of Sherri Martel and gave Cornette the gimmick of a rich kid turned inept manager whose clients kept firing him after one match. The most notable wrestlers in this angle were Dutch Mantell and Crusher Broomfield (who would later gain fame as The One Man Gang and Akeem, The African Dream).
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Jim Neidhart
James Henry "Jim" Neidhart (born February 8, 1955) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Jim is the father of WWE Diva Natalya. Among other accolades, he is a two-time WWF Tag Team Champion with Bret Hart as part of the original Hart Foundation.
Neidhart holds dual citizenship with Canada and the United States.
Neidhart had an athletic career prior to his entrance into the world of professional wrestling. He first gained acclaim during high school for his success in many strength-oriented track and field events. A talented shot putter, Neidhart held the California high school record in the event from 1973–1985 for Newport Harbor High School (a school which was later made famous for its central role in the hit television show The O.C.). After graduating high school, Neidhart pursued a career in the National Football League, where he may have played briefly for the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys in practices and preseason games. Although some biographies state that he played in the NFL for those teams, DatabaseFootball.com contains no evidence that Neidhart ever recorded actual playing time in an NFL regular season game. In a shoot interview, Neidhart said that he spent some time in jail and actually saw Charles Manson during this period, as well.
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Jim Ross
James William "Jim" Ross (born January 3, 1952) is a professional wrestling commentator, referee, restaurateur, occasional wrestler, and former company executive of WWE, where he currently works as a talent relations consultant and on WWE NXT as a Play-by-Play announcer. Ross was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest commentators in wrestling history. He is known affectionately by wrestling fans as Good Ol' JR. In recent years, he has developed his own brand of barbecue sauces and cookbooks.
While attending Westville High School, Ross was the first baseman on the Westville baseball team. Ross was a two-time all-conference football player for the Westville Yellowjackets in 1968–69. His maternal grandparents owned a general store in Westville, Oklahoma and his paternal grandfather Dee Ross owned an off-sale beer store and was a carpenter. Ross was also President of the Student Body, a 4 year letterman in basketball, and State Vice President of the Future Farmers of America where he was State Speech Champion in 1968. Ross was also named Honorable Mention on the 1969 High School All State Football team by the Tulsa World as a center.
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Jimmy Valiant
James Harold Fanning (born August 6, 1942) is a former professional wrestler and author better known as Jimmy Valiant.
Jimmy Valiant was born in Franklin County, Tennessee, near Tullahoma as the youngest of five children of James and Effie Fanning. He later incorporated the names of his four sisters - Louise, Christine, Charlena and Patrica - into the spider web tattoo on his upper arm.
He later moved to Willingboro, New Jersey. He married Clara, with whom he fathered three children: Robin, Rhonda, and Dana. With Felicia, he has his youngest son Handsome. He is now married to Angel. He has 6 grandchildren: Lonna, Jenae, Beau, Chassie, Clarissa, and Delilah.
He started wrestling in 1964 as Big Jim Vallen. He went to the World Wide Wrestling Federation in the 1970s as Handsome Jimmy Valiant and formed a team with Johnny Valiant that would dominate the tag team scene for a while as WWWF Tag Team champions.
During the late 1970s - early 1980s, Valiant was a central player in the Memphis, Tennessee wrestling scene. He feuded regularly with Jerry Lawler and teamed with Bill Dundee to dominate the tag team matches of that time. He even recorded a song, "The Ballad of Handsome Jimmy" that began, "I've been rolling into Mempho ... TWA ... [T]ell all the women Handsome Jimmy's on the way..." The song was used in wrestling arenas as his entry music, and it became a mainstay on some Memphis radio stations for a few years. Despite the Memphis promotion desperately wanting to keep him in Memphis full-time, even offering to buy him a house in Memphis according to Jerry Lawler's biography, Valiant decided to move on after holding the AWA Southern Heavyweight title for roughly a year. Valiant also spent a brief amount of time in Jim Crockett Promotions in the late 1970s as the heel King James Valiant managed by Lord Alfred Hayes.
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John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena (/ˈsiːnə/; born April 23, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its Raw brand.
In WWE, Cena has won 19 championships in total, including 12 world titles (having won the WWE Championship a record 10 times and the World Heavyweight Championship twice). In addition, Cena has also won the WWE United States Championship three times, and is a four-time Tag Team Champion, having held the World Tag Team Championship twice (once each with Shawn Michaels and Batista), and the WWE Tag Team Championship twice (once each with David Otunga and The Miz). Cena also won the 2008 Royal Rumble match, and is a two-time Superstar of the Year Slammy Award winner (2009 and 2010). He also has the fourth highest number of combined days as WWE Champion behind Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino.
Cena started his professional wrestling career in 2000, wrestling for Ultimate Pro Wrestling, where he held the UPW Heavyweight Championship. In 2001, Cena signed a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) where he held the OVW Heavyweight Championship and the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (with Rico Constantino).
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John Hindley
John Hindley (born August 7, 1965) is a retired British professional wrestler best known by his ring name Johnny Smith.
Hindley was trained by his nephew Ted Betley firstly in Winwick Warrington and then Port Erin, Isle of Man. He made his debut in January 1982 at the age of 16 at Gloucester Leisure Centre, under the name John Savage. He wrestled in the United Kingdom for a couple years an having regular TV bouts with Alan Kilby,Drew Macdonald before moving over to Canada with his wife Jane.
Joining Stampede Wrestling in 1985, Hindley was billed as Davey Boy Smith's brother, Johnny Smith. In 1987, he went on his first Japanese tour in New Japan Pro Wrestling. In February 1989, he followed The Dynamite Kid to wrestle for All Japan Pro Wrestling and replaced Davey Boy Smith as Dynamite Kid's tag team partner in September 1990, forming the tag team: The British Bruisers.
In between tours in All Japan, Hindley would wrestle the independent circuit in the United States and Canada, as well as brief stints in Extreme Championship Wrestling.
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John Layfield
John Charles Layfield (born November 29, 1966) is an American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News. Layfield is best known by his ring names, Bradshaw, John "Bradshaw" Layfield or JBL while working for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he was the longest reigning WWE Champion in SmackDown history with a reign lasting 280 days.
Layfield's main gimmick as John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) – a wealthy, gladhanding, big-mouthed, fiery-tempered businessman – was based on Layfield's real-life accomplishments as a stock market investor. Layfield is a regular panelist on Fox News Channel's The Cost of Freedom, has appeared on CNBC, and has written a best-selling book on financial planning called Have More Money Now. (ISBN 0-7434-6633-0). Layfield also hosts a weekend talk radio program, syndicated nationally by Talk Radio Network, in which he discusses his conservative political views. Layfield is also employed by Northeast Securities as its Senior Vice President.
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Jules Strongbow
Frank Hill is a former professional wrestler, who is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he used to wrestle as Chief Jules Strongbow or simply Jules Strongbow, the brother of Chief Jay Strongbow.
Jules made his wrestling debut in the 1970s using his real name. In 1982, he entered the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and teamed with Chief Jay Strongbow, assuming his most famous ring name and billing himself as Chief Jay's brother. They formed a noted tag team, known as The Strongbows. On June 28, 1982, Strongbows defeated the team of Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito for their first WWF Tag Team Championship. On July 13 edition of Championship Wrestling, Strongbows lost the belts back to Fuji and Saito. On October 26 edition of Championship Wrestling, Strongbows defeated Fuji and Saito for their second tag title reign. They were defeated for the belts in Allentown, Pennsylvania on March 8, 1983 edition of Championship Wrestling by The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika). Shortly after losing the titles, Jules left the WWF.
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Jushin Liger
Keiichi Yamada (山田恵一, Yamada Keiichi?, born November 30, 1964), better known as Jushin Liger (獣神ライガー, Jūshin Raigā?) and later, Jushin "Thunder" Liger (獣神サンダー・ライガー, Jūshin Sandā Raigā?) is a Japanese professional wrestler who primarily works for New Japan Pro Wrestling.
He has wrestled and beaten many of the top smaller wrestlers in both Japan and the United States, and is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most revolutionary junior heavyweights during the 1990s.
Keiichi Yamada was an amateur wrestler while studying in high school, where in his senior year, he lost to Toshiaki Kawada in the finals of a national championship. After high school, he applied to the New Japan Pro Wrestling Dojo to become a professional wrestler in the early 1980s. He was not accepted because he did not meet the height requirements they had at that time. Yamada was determined not to give up his dream of becoming a professional wrestler, so he left for Mexico and began his training there. By his own account, he was almost starving while studying there, so NJPW officials who were visiting took pity on him and asked him to come back to Japan to train in their dojo, where he was trained alongside the likes of Keiji Mutoh, Masahiro Chono and Shinya Hashimoto.
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Juventud Guerrera
Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández (born November 23, 1974 in Mexico City, D. F.), better known as Juventud Guerrera, is a Mexican professional wrestler who is best known for his work in many wrestling promotions worldwide, including all the major American wrestling promotions, such as World Wrestling Entertainment, World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, as well as the major Mexican wrestling promotions Asistencia Asesoría y Administración and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre.
Early in his career Guerrera was a mainstay in the Asistencia Asesoría y Administración promotion. He had a very lengthy feud with Rey Mysterio, Jr. in which they traded the AAA Welterweight Title back and forth. The pair also had several tag team matches in which Guerrera would team with his father Fuerza, while Rey, Jr. would tag with uncle and trainer Rey Misterio, Sr.
Guerrera wrestled in many Mexican independent promotions as a masked wrestler but he first gained American exposure in Extreme Championship Wrestling alongside fellow luchadores Rey Misterio Jr., Psicosis, Konnan and La Parka, all of whom were also wrestling for Konnan's Promo Azteca in Mexico at the time. When Konnan left for WCW, Guerrera and the rest followed.
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Karl Istaz
Karl Istaz (August 3, 1924 - July 28, 2007) was a professional wrestler and trainer born in Antwerp, Belgium, best known by his ring name Karl Gotch. The German suplex is named after Gotch.[citation needed]
In Japan, Gotch was known as "God of Pro Wrestling" due to his influence in shaping the Japanese professional wrestling style.
Gotch was born in Antwerp.He grew up with his family, who were the well known "Istaz family". He learned Greco-Roman wrestling in his early years and from the beginning he was a very well known sportsman. He wrestled in "The Hippodroom", a notable sports center in Antwerp, where amateur fights like boxing matches and wrestling matches were fought.
Karl Gotch excelled in amateur wrestling and experienced a major breakthrough in his career by competing as Charles Istaz for Belgium in the 1948 Olympics in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. Gotch also trained in the Indian martial art of Pehlwani. This training led to Gotch's regime of calisthenic bodyweight exercise, which were used by Indian wrestlers and other athletes to build leg endurance and strength. He also adopted other Indian exercises, such as the bridge, Hindu squats, and Hindu press ups in his wrestling. Gotch's philosophy was later passed on to several of his students.
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Ken Patera
Ken Patera (born November 6, 1942 in Portland, Oregon) is a former professional wrestler, Olympic weightlifter, and Strongman competitor.
Patera is a former Olympic weightlifter and American powerlifter. He competed at Brigham Young University and won several medals at the Pan American Games (including gold), and finished second in the 1971 World Weightlifting Championships. He was the first American to clean and jerk 500(503½) lbs (227 kg), which he accomplished at the 1972 Senior Nationals in Detroit. He was also Mr. USA in weightlifting. He is also the only American to clean and press 500 lb (230 kg), and was arguably the last American to excel at weightlifting on an international level. He was a serious competitor to the Soviet legend Vasily Alexeev at the 1972 Summer Olympics, but he failed to total and was not among the medal recipients. After the press (a lift in which Patera was disproportionately talented) was eliminated from competition, Patera retired from weightlifting. He also competed in the Shot Put, finishing 6th in the 1968 Olympic Trials.
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Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock (born Kenneth Wayne Kilpatrick; February 11, 1964) is an American mixed martial artist, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler. Shamrock emerged as one of the biggest stars in the history of mixed martial arts, headlining over 15 main events and co-main events in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride Fighting Championships during the course of his career and set numerous pay per view records with his drawing power. Shamrock is widely considered to be a legendary figure and icon in the sport of mixed martial arts. Shamrock was named The World's Most Dangerous Man by ABC News in a special entitled "The World's Most Dangerous Things" in the early part of his UFC career, a moniker which has become synonymous as his nickname.
Shamrock became known early on in the UFC for his rivalry with Royce Gracie. After fighting to a draw with Gracie in the inaugural Superfight, he became the first UFC Superfight Champion after defeating Dan Severn at UFC 6; the title was eventually renamed the UFC Heavyweight Championship when weight categories were introduced to the UFC. He was also the first foreign MMA Champion in Japan, winning the title of King of Pancrase. During his reign as the UFC Superfight Champion, he was widely considered the #1 mixed martial artist in the world. Shamrock was also ranked by Inside MMA as one of the top 10 greatest mixed martial arts fighters of all time.
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Kendo Kashin
Tokimitsu Ishizawa (石澤常光 Ishiziwa Tokimitsu), better known by his ring name Kendo Kashin (ケンドー・カシン), is a Japanese professional wrestler. Though in Japan he is a widely known professional wrestler, in the West he is probably best known for his forays into mixed martial arts organization PRIDE Fighting Championship, where he defeated Gracie Jiu Jitsu fighter Ryan Gracie.
Ishizawa was an outstanding Amateur wrestling star of Waseda University before being scouted and initiated into the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion on September 21, 1992, wrestling against Tiger Mask III. During the NJPW vs. UWFi feud, he was taught the shoot style by Kazuo Yamazaki. After defeating Yuji Nagata to win the 1996 Young Lion Cup, he left on a learning excursion to Austria's CWA promotion, where he disguised himself under a mask and called himself Kendo Kashin.
He returned to New Japan as Kashin in May 1997 at the Osaka Dome, facing his mentor, Kazuo Yamazaki. Kendo Kashin quickly rose up the ranks of the Junior Heavyweight division, utilizing a cross armbreaker and other armbar techniques to quickly submit opponents. After defeating Koji Kanemoto to win the 1999 Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, he defeated Kanemoto again in August of that year to capture the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the first time.
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Kerry Von Erich
Kerry Gene Adkisson (February 3, 1960 – February 18, 1993) was an American professional wrestler under the ring names Kerry Von Erich, The Modern Day Warrior, and The Texas Tornado and was part of the Von Erich family of professional wrestlers. He is best known for his time with his father's promotion World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), where he spent eleven years of his career, and his time in World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Adkisson held forty championships in various promotions during his career. Among other accolades, he was a five-time world champion: a four-time WCWA World Heavyweight Champion and one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and a one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion.
Kerry was the son of wrestler Fritz Von Erich. His brothers, David, Kevin, Mike, and Chris, were also wrestlers. Kerry was also a standout in high school track and field and possessed a record-breaking discus throw. He debuted in his father's promotion, NWA Texas/Big Time Wrestling on June 17, 1979 against Gary Hart. In Big Time Wrestling, he held many Texas Tag Team and American Tag Team titles.
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Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program. Nash has wrestled under several ring names, but is most notably known by his real name in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)/World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE, where he has also been billed as Diesel.
Between WWE, WCW, and TNA, Nash has won a total of 21 championships. He is a six-time world champion: a five-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and one-time WWF Champion. He was the longest-reigning WWF Champion of the 1990s, having held the title for 358 days. He has achieved notable success in the tag team division as well, being a twelve-time world tag team champion: a nine-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, two-time WWF World Tag Team Champion and one-time TNA World Tag Team Champion. He is also a one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a two-time TNA Legends Champion. In addition to championships, he won the 1998 WCW World War 3. Nash was a member of The Kliq, a group which included Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman. He is also one of the three founding members of the New World Order (nWo), along with Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall.
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King Curtis Iaukea
Curtis Piehau Iaukea, III (September 15, 1937 – December 4, 2010) was a professional wrestler better known as King Curtis Iaukea. Iaukea won championships in several of the major regional US promotions, both as a single and in various tag team combinations, during the 1960s. He then competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) where he won the WWF Tag Team Championship. He was also later The Master of the Dungeon of Doom in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Under the name "Iau Kea" he appeared in the film The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze with Moe Howard declaring "That's not a man! That's a committee!".
He was the great grandson of Colonel Curtis Iaukea, a vice chamberlain and diplomat to the court of King Kalākaua and Queen Liliuokalani and later Sheriff of Honolulu and son of a Honolulu Police Department Inspector also named Curtis Iaukea. He attended Punahou School and the University of California Berkeley as an economics major where he lettered as a lineman until he dropped out. He played as a tackle for the BC Lions from 1958-1959.
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Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981), is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler signed to WWE and appearing on its Raw brand under the ring name, Kofi Kingston. He and R-Truth are the current WWE Tag Team Champions. Since debuting with WWE, he has won the Intercontinental Championship three times, the United States Championship twice, the World Tag Team Championship once with CM Punk and the WWE Tag Team Championship twice, once with Evan Bourne and once with R-Truth.
He made his official wrestling debut in 2006, when he faced Tony Omega at Chaotic Wrestling on February 24th. He faced Evan Siks on June 4 for the PWF Mayhem Heavyweight Championship. He competed primarily in the New England area, including stints in National Wrestling Alliance – New England, Millennium Wrestling Federation, New England Championship Wrestling, the Eastern Wrestling Alliance, and Chaotic Wrestling.
In September 2006, he signed a developmental contract with WWE and was assigned to Deep South Wrestling (DSW), a Georgia based developmental federation. He debuted in the new company, as Kofi Nahaje Kingston, in a dark match loss to Montel Vontavious Porter on September 21. For the rest of 2006 and the beginning of 2007, he appeared in DSW, as well as its Kentucky based sister promotion Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he was in a tag team dubbed the "Commonwealth Connection" with Harry Smith. In 2007, under the ring name "Kofi Nahaje Kingson", he had his first exposure to the main WWE roster, when he worked dark matches on March 5 and 26 before episodes of Raw against Charlie Haas and Trevor Murdoch, respectively. When he returned to the developmental federations, he shortened his original ring name to "Kofi Kingston" and continued to use both ring names throughout his duration there. He also worked live events, defeating Shelton Benjamin on May 5, and Val Venis on May 6.
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Koji Kanemoto
Kōji Kanemoto (金本 浩二, Kanemoto Kōji?, born October 31, 1966) is a professional wrestler. He is of Zainichi Korean descent.
Kanemoto practiced Judo during his high school days and won a few championships as a professional before being recruited by the New Japan Dojo. He debuted in November 1990, wrestling against Michiyoshi Ohara. In March 1992, he portrayed Tiger Mask in its third incarnation, succeeding Mitsuharu Misawa. In January 1994, he famously lost a "mask vs. mask" match against popular cruiserweight Jushin Liger at Battlefield. Since 1994 he has wrestled under his own name for New Japan. His style used to be the classic junior heavyweight wrestling, but repeated high-flying moves, the fans' change in taste, and inherent damage on his body put an incentive on him to use shoot-style taught by Kazuo Yamazaki, largely as a modification of his wrestling persona. Hard shoot kicks combined with scientific wrestling are his current trademark along with the facewash, which always gets the crowd going in a football stadium-like chant.
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Kota Ibushi
Kota Ibushi (飯伏幸太, Ibushi Kota?) (born May 21, 1982) is a Japanese professional wrestler, who currently wrestles for Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Kota Ibushi is currently a mainstay in the DDT Promotion but has also worked for El Dorado and Big Japan Pro Wrestling. Ibushi debuted in July 2004 and immediately gained popularity due to a combination of his high-flying skills and charisma. He won the DDT KO-D Tag League in 2005, which led to his first KO-D Tag Team Championship, a reign that lasted nearly 5 months. This was followed by an excursion to Mexico where he competed in the Toryumon promotion and won the Young Dragon's Cup in 2006. Recently, Kota gained some mainstream exposure when he participated in Pro Wrestling Noah's Nippon TV Cup Jr. Heavyweight Tag League in June/July 2007. He teamed up with Naomichi Marufuji. The team made it to the finals, but he and Marufuji would come up short. Although Kota may have lost, many agree that he shined the most out of all the participants. On August 26, 2007, Kota defeated Madoka in a decision at an Indie Summit in Differ Ariake to revive the Independent Junior Heavyweight Championship.
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Kuniaki Kobayashi
Kuniaki Kobayashi(小林邦昭) is a retired Japanese Junior Heavyweight professional wrestler. He wrestled numerous acclaimed matches against the first two Tiger Masks: Satoru Sayama and Mitsuharu Misawa.
Kuniaki Kobayashi debuted in New Japan Pro Wrestling in February 1973, against Masanobu Kurisu, at the young age of 17. Kobayashi stayed on the undercard, until he was sent abroad to North America in 1980.
Upon entering North America in 1980, Kobayashi's first stop was in Mexico, where he stayed until moving to the United States, in Los Angeles, where he wrestled under the name Kid Koby.
Upon returning to New Japan in October 1982, Kobayashi was involved in a feud with Tiger Mask. Because of his anti-heroic actions, he became regarded as the "Tiger Hunter." He also allied with Riki Choshu, Masa Saito, and Killer Khan to form Ishin Gundan. In September 1984, Ishin Gundan left NJPW to form Japan Pro Wresling.
Japan Pro Wrestling had a working agreement with All Japan Pro Wrestling. While there, Kobayashi feuded with Tiger Mask II, and he held the NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship and the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship.
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Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968 in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania) is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler and actor. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former five-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion. He is also known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (WWF/E), and for being the only Olympic gold medalist in the history of professional wrestling.
Angle was involved in amateur wrestling during both high school and college. In college at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, he won numerous accolades, including being a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I champion. After graduating, he won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1995 World Wrestling Championships. Angle then competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he won a gold medal in heavyweight freestyle wrestling. Kurt Angle is also one of only four people to complete a Grand Slam in amateur wrestling which is the junior nationals, the NCAAs, the World Championships and the Olympics. He was named the greatest shoot wrestler and one of the top 15 college wrestlers of all time by USA Wrestling.
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Lance Storm
Lance Evers (born April 3, 1969) known professionally by his ring name Lance Storm, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler, currently appearing in the Ring of Honor promotion. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling. He runs a pro wrestling school the, Storm Wrestling Academy, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Lance Storm was trained by Ed Langley and Brad Young of the Hart Brothers Wrestling Camp at the Silver Dollar Action Centre in Calgary where he became friends with fellow student Chris Jericho. Jericho has stated that despite the name of the school, the only involvement any of the Hart brothers had in their training was a "thirty-minute cameo" by Keith Hart to collect the student's fees. Lance would later debut against Jericho in 1990 as Lance T. Storm. Early on, he mainly wrestled in Calgary but also spent time in Japan in Wrestling Association "R". Along with Jericho, Storm debuted in Smoky Mountain Wrestling in 1994, forming a tag team known as the Thrillseekers. After Jericho was injured, Storm continued to compete in singles competition for a few months, even winning the "Beat the Champ" TV Title. He then left SMW and moved on to a Winnipeg-based West Four Wrestling Alliance, where he teamed once again with Jericho.
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Larry Zbyszko
Lawrence "Larry" Whistler (born December 5, 1951) is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Larry Zbyszko. Zbyszko is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino during the early 1980s.
Zbyszko's ring name has in the past been misspelled Zbysko or Zybysko. The correct spelling of the name, Zbyszko, is derived from the name of Polish wrestler Stanislaus Zbyszko.
Whistler trained under Bruno Sammartino and debuted in 1973 as the babyface "Larry Zbyszko", with his name a tribute to 1920s Polish American wrestler Stanislaus Zbyszko. He initially wrestled in the Pittsburgh area, appearing on the local wrestling program Studio Wrestling, before receiving bookings in Vancouver. He spent three years in the World Wide Wrestling Federation before traveling to California in 1975.
Zbyszko was one of the attractions in the 1976 Latin America Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight championship, held in Guatemala City, under Jose Azzari promotions. Three days after the end of the tournament (Mil Máscaras won the title, defeating Jose Azzari in the final), an earthquake destroyed much of that Central American nation.
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Linda McMahon
Linda Marie McMahon (née Edwards, born October 4, 1948) is an American professional wrestling magnate and politician. She is notable for her career developing WWE with her husband Vince McMahon. She was active with the company from 1980 to 2009. During this time, WWE grew from a small regional business in New York to a large multinational. McMahon and her husband became wealthy through the WWE's success, and the McMahon family name is now synonymous with the wrestling industry. As President and later CEO of the company, she negotiated business deals, launched wrestling merchandise, signed wrestler contracts, and managed and wrote for WWE publications. She also started the company's civic programs, Get REAL and Smackdown Your Vote. McMahon has occasionally performed in the ring, most notably in a wrestling feud with her husband which climaxed at WrestleMania 17.
McMahon left WWE in 2009 to run for U.S. Senator of Connecticut. She won the Republican primary and faced Democrat Richard Blumenthal. At one point in the campaign, she approached within three points of Blumenthal, but she lost on election day by 12 percent. McMahon spent over $50 million of her own money on the campaign.
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Low Ki
Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known under his ring names Low Ki and Senshi in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and Kaval in World Wrestling Entertainment. He is a former one-time PWG World Champion and a former ROH Champion. In addition, he has won a number of tournaments and other championships on the independent circuit, and was the winner of the second season of WWE NXT in 2010.
Silvestry began wrestling in late 1998 under the ring name Low Ki, which he admits came from the lyrics of the song "No Diggity". He began wrestling for Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) in 1998, challenging Homicide and Kane D for the JAPW Tag Team Championship. The following year he challenged for the JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship twice, unsuccessfully, but defeated Crazy Ivan and Judas Young to win the second Best of the Light Heavyweights tournament.
In 2000, he began making several appearances in the World Wrestling Federation on their programs Metal and Jakked, where he competed against the likes of Raven, Crash Holly, Christian and Essa Ríos. The following year he made it through to the finals of All Pro Wrestling's King of the Indies tournament, losing the crown to American Dragon. It was also during 2001 that he defeated Nick Berk and Homicide in separate matches on the same evening to win both the JAPW Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Titles; he would successfully defend both titles in separate matches at their Fourth Anniversary Show later that month in July. He lost both titles in a Three Way match the following month to Homicide, with Xavier as the other competitor.
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Marc Mero
Marc Mero (born July 9, 1963) is an American retired amateur boxer and professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation as Marc Mero and with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Johnny B. Badd. In 2007 he founded the non-profit organization Champion of Choices.
Mero was born in Buffalo, New York. His parents divorced when he was eight years old, with his mother supporting him and his three siblings by working two jobs. At the age of 12, Mero began playing hockey, eventually becoming his league's Most Valuable Player. In 1973, Mero's family relocated to Liverpool, New York, where Mero played for the Mid State Youth Hockey League. At age 15, Mero began playing for the Syracuse Stars Junior Hockey Team.
Mero began playing football in his senior year, with his high school team winning the New York State Title under the tutelage of future University of Central Florida coach George O'Leary. In the same year, Mero began training as a boxer under Golden Gloves coach Ray Rinaldi. Mero went on to win four New York State titles, including the New York Golden Gloves tournament. Mero intended to become a professional boxer, but his career was sidelined after his nose was broken in an accident. He briefly pursued a bodybuilding career, placing third in the Mr. New York State bodybuilding contest.
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Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry (born June 12, 1971) is an American powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and a professional wrestler with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic. Since joining the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in 1996, he has become a one-time WWF European Champion and a two-time world champion, having held the ECW Championship in 2008, and the World Heavyweight Championship in 2011.
Henry was a weightlifter, and competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, where he placed tenth in the super heavyweight division. Three years later, at the 1995 Pan American Games, Henry won a silver medal in the super heavyweight division. The following year, he became a North America, Central America, Caribbean Islands (NACACI) champion. In 1996, Henry signed a ten-year contract with the WWF. Henry was trained by former Canadian professional wrestlers Stu and Bret Hart and Leo Burke. He made his television wrestling debut in September 1996. In January 1998, Henry joined the stable Nation of Domination. After the disbanding of the group, he acquired the moniker "Sexual Chocolate", which led him to participate in controversial angles.
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Martha Hart
Dr. Martha Joan Hart née Patterson is the widow of professional wrestler Owen Hart.
Hart was born Martha Joan Patterson in 1966, and is the youngest of 11 children. Her mother, Joan, had battled breast cancer before Hart and her sister Virginia were born; her father left her mother when Martha was young. She has completed two degrees at the University of Calgary in Psychology (with distinction) and Sociology (1st class honors) before moving to England to complete a Masters degree in Social and Development Psychology at Cambridge University, and as of 2011, has now completed her PhD there. She met her husband, Owen Hart, in 1982, while they were both still in high school. She attended a Stampede Wrestling event with a friend, and met Owen after recognizing him as one of the wrestlers who attended her school for a wrestling practice. She later stated that it was love at first sight and their relationship was a dream come true. They married on July 1, 1989, and had two children together: Oje Edward Hart (born March 5, 1992) and Athena Christie/Christy Hart (born September 23, 1995). Owen died while performing a stunt on May 23, 1999 at the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)'s Over the Edge pay-per-view. As a result of the vast charitable contributions achieved through the good works of the Owen Hart Foundation, Martha was named Individual Philanthropist of the Year in 2004 by the AFP. She was Calgary's 2011 Champions of Learning.
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Marty Jannetty
Frederick Marty Jannetty is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation as part of tag team The Rockers with partner Shawn Michaels, and later as a singles competitor. While in the WWF, he became a one time Intercontinental Champion and a one time Tag Team Champion with the 1-2-3 Kid. With Michaels, The Rockers became two time World Tag Team Champions in the American Wrestling Association.
Jannetty began his wrestling career in April 1984, wrestling in the National Wrestling Alliance's Central States division. He wrestled in singles and tag team competition with various partners, including "Bulldog" Bob Brown and Dave Peterson and with Tommy Rogers as the Uptown Boys, until joining forces with fellow rookie Shawn Michaels in late 1985. The two teamed as The Midnight Rockers and quickly won the Central States Tag Team Championship from The Batten Twins.
In 1986, the duo left the NWA for the American Wrestling Association. In the AWA, Jannetty and Michaels quickly built a reputation as a talented tag team, performing many acrobatic moves in tandem and electrifying crowds with their athleticism. The two won the World Tag Team Championship twice, first defeating Buddy Rose and Doug Somers and then Original Midnight Express for their second and final reign. They also won the Southern Tag Team Championship twice after defeating the Rock 'n' Roll RPMs on two separate occasions before jumping to the World Wrestling Federation in 1988.
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Masa Saito
Masanori Saito (斎藤 昌典, Saitō Masanori?) (born February 1, 1942) is a former Japanese professional wrestler better known as Mr. Saito or Masa Saito (マサ 斉藤?). He wrestled for several years in various promotions operated by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He later joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he teamed with Mr. Fuji to hold the World Tag Team Championship twice. He also won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1990. In Japan, Saito wrestled for both All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Saito gained notoriety for his arrest after throwing a boulder through the window of a McDonald's restaurant in Waukesha Wisconsin and for a match wrestled against Antonio Inoki on a deserted island in Japan.
Saito competed in freestyle wrestling for Japan in the 1964 Olympic Games, placing seventh, making him one of the Top 10 Olympic wrestlers that year.
He began his pro wrestling career in 1965 and quickly established himself in both Japan and the United States. Nicknamed "Mr. Torture" for his punishing and sadistic style, Saito held numerous titles while wrestling in North America and Japan.
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Masayuki Naruse
Masayuki Naruse (成瀬 昌由, Naruse Masayuki?) is a Japanese professional wrestler and Professional mixed martial artist.
Naruse debuted in Fighting Network RINGS in 1992 where he was displayed as a scrappy junior heavyweight willing to take on opponents twice his size. He and other RINGS wrestlers made the transition to mixed martial arts with the promotion in the late 1990s. He was RINGS first ever Light-Heavyweight champion in 1997 after defeating Lee Hasdell, Wataru Sakata and Chris Haseman in an eight man tournament.
Naruse compiled a RINGS record of 36-37-4, with matches spanning between 1992 and 1999. His last fight for RINGS was against Ricardo Fyeet at Rings - Battle Genesis Vol. 7 on March 20, 1999. Naruse won by Submission in the first round.
In 2002, with RINGS' collapse, he moved to New Japan Pro Wrestling, it was a well timed move as owner Antonio Inoki was giving former MMA fighters immediate pushes & he was immediately placed into a feud with Minoru Tanaka, who used to work for BattlARTS, RINGS' rival promotion. Within 4 months of his debut, Naruse captured the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship from his rival Tanaka.
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Matt Bloom
Matthew Jason "Matt" Bloom (born November 14, 1972) is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand under the ring name Tensai. Between 1997 and 2004, Bloom wrestled for World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment under the ring names Prince Albert, Albert, and A-Train. During his time in the promotion, he became a one time Intercontinental Champion. After leaving WWE, Bloom, adopting the ring name Giant Bernard, began working for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he became a two time IWGP Tag Team Champion, holding the record for both the longest reign and the most title defenses alongside Karl Anderson as Bad Intentions. Bernard and Anderson are also one time GHC Tag Team Champions in Pro Wrestling Noah. He holds notable wins over current WWE Champion CM Punk and 12 time World Champion John Cena.
Bloom attended Peabody High School, where he earned three letters in football and basketball, two in track and field, and one in baseball. He went on to attend the University of Pittsburgh, where he played American football as an offensive tackle and an offensive guard.
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Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Before signing with WWE, Hardy, with his brother Jeff, founded a wrestling organization called Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA). While there, Hardy held many championships including the Heavyweight and Tag Team Championship, which he held with Jeff. The promotion folded in October 1999 when they signed contracts with WWE. The Hardys gained notoriety in WWE's tag team division due to their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches. As a tag team wrestler, Hardy is a six-time World Tag Team Champion, a one-time WWE Tag Team Champion, and a one-time WCW Tag Team Champion.
Apart from his success as a tag team wrestler, Hardy is a one-time world heavyweight champion, having won the ECW Championship in 2008. He also has won other singles championships, having held the Hardcore, European, Cruiserweight, and United States Championship on one occasion each. All totaled, Hardy has won 13 championships in WWE.
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Matt Hyson
Matthew "Matt" Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his performances in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Spike Dudley and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brother Runt.
In ECW, he was a two-time Tag Team Champion. In WWE, he was a one-time Cruiserweight Champion, a one-time Tag Team Champion with Tazz, a one-time European Champion and a seven-time Hardcore Champion.
Prior to his wrestling career, Hyson received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, and was a third grade English teacher. During the documentary Beyond the Mat, a heavily bleeding Hyson delivers the line "I shall, I do" (Henry IV of England's response to a request by Sir John Falstaff in the Shakespearean play Henry IV, Part 1).
In May 1993, Hyson entered All Pro Wrestling's "Boot Camp" in Hayward, California to train as a referee and manager. He quickly began training to be a wrestler as well, and spent the next three years wrestling on the California independent promotions.
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Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. (born June 7, 1965) is a American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he shares with Terry Funk. He is currently signed to a Legends contract with WWE, where he makes special guest appearances and serves as an ambassador.
Throughout his wrestling career, Foley has wrestled both under his real name and under various personas (most notably Dude Love, Cactus Jack and Mankind). He is a four-time World Champion (three WWF Championships, and one TNA World Heavyweight Championship). He is an 11-time Tag Team Champion (eight WWF Tag Team Titles, two ECW World Tag Team Titles, and one WCW World Tag Team Championship). He was also the first WWF Hardcore Champion, and held the TNA Legends Championship (now known as the Television Championship) once. Following his retirement from wrestling full-time, Foley appeared occasionally with WWE as a special guest referee and later as a color commentator for the SmackDown brand. Upon his departure from WWE in 2008, he signed with TNA, where he was a storyline stock holder of the company. All totaled, Foley has won 17 championships between WCW, ECW, WWF/E, and TNA.
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Mike Lockwood
Michael John "Mike" Lockwood (August 25, 1971 – November 6, 2003) was an American professional wrestler best known for his time with World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) under the ring name Crash Holly or simply Crash.
Lockwood wrestled on the independent circuit, and briefly for Extreme Championship Wrestling, before he signed a contract with the World Wrestling Federation in 1999. He debuted as Hardcore Holly's on-screen cousin, "Crash Holly". Lockwood earned his greatest success in WWE's hardcore division, winning the title 22 times, leading to him being nicknamed "The Houdini Of Hardcore". In June 2003, he was released from WWE and joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as "Mad Mikey", but died in November 2003, just four months later.
In WWF/E, he was a one-time European Champion, a one-time Light Heavyweight Champion, and a 22-time Hardcore Champion. He was also a one-time Tag Team Champion with Hardcore Holly as part of the tag team The Holly Cousins.
Lockwood made his wrestling debut in 1989, as "Johnny Pearson" in Bay Area Wrestling, where he competed until 1994. He dislocated his shoulder about five times, and ended up having to take a year and a half out to recover. He then competed on the independent circuit as "Irish Erin O'Grady", and in 1996, moved to All Pro Wrestling (APW), where he became known as "The Leprechaun Erin O'Grady". Lockwood became especially famous for his matches with Vic Grimes.
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Mikel Scicluna
"Baron" Mikel Scicluna (July 29, 1929 – March 20, 2010) was a Maltese-born professional wrestler who gained his fame during the 1960s and 1970s.
Scicluna started wrestling during the 1950s, and used the name Mike Valentino early in his career. Scicluna worked primarily in Canada until 1965, when he ventured to the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), now known as WWE, using his most famous moniker "Baron" Mikel Scicluna.
Scicluna was famous for entering the ring with a royal blue cape over his shoulders, indicating that he was of Maltese royal descent. Scicluna was also known for being a master of the "foreign object", mainly utilizing a roll of coins to bash opponents out of sight of the referee. He enjoyed success as a tag team wrestler, winning the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship with Smasher Sloan on September 22, 1966 in Washington, D.C. (though they eventually lost the belts in the same city to Spiros Arion and Antonio Pugliese), then the WWWF World Tag Team Championship with King Curtis Iaukea on February 1, 1972 in Philadelphia.
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Monty Sopp
Monty Kip Sopp (born November 11, 1963) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known under the ring name Billy Gunn and for his eleven year long tenure in the World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment. He has also worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Kip James. In WWE, Sopp was a one time Intercontinental Champion, a two time Hardcore Champion, and the 1999 King of the Ring, but found his greatest success as a tag team wrestler, becoming a ten time World Tag Team Champion.
When Sopp first arrived in the World Wrestling Federation, he used the name Billy Gunn and teamed with his on-screen brother, Bart Gunn, as The Smoking Gunns. In early 1995, they won their first Tag Team Championship by defeating the makeshift team of Bob Holly and The 1-2-3 Kid. They held the titles until WrestleMania XI when they were defeated by the team of Owen Hart and Yokozuna. They won the titles again in September 1995.
On February 15, 1996, the Gunns vacated the title because Billy was in need of neck surgery. After Billy returned from hiatus, The Smoking Gunns won the Tag Title for the third time by defeating The Godwinns in May. After the match, The Godwinns' manager Sunny turned on her team in favor of the Gunns. On September 22 at In Your House: Mind Games, the Gunns lost the Tag Team Title to Owen Hart and The British Bulldog. After the match, Sunny abandoned The Gunns, saying that she would only manage title holders. Billy, frustrated with losing both the championship and Sunny, walked out on Bart, breaking up The Smoking Gunns.
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Místico
Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde (born December 22, 1982) is a Mexican luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE, working on its SmackDown brand under the name Sin Cara (Spanish for "Faceless"). He is best known for his time in the lucha libre promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) under the ringname Místico, where since 2006 he was the main técnico (face/storyline hero) in CMLL and the biggest box office draw in all of Mexico. Místico is Spanish for "Mystic", a religious ring character who is the storyline protégé of the wrestling priest Fray Tormenta. Upon signing with WWE in January 2011, Urive was repackaged as Sin Cara.
Urive is the son of Manuel Almanza, who wrestled under the ring name "Dr. Karonte", the brother of wrestlers Astro Boy, Argos, Argenis and an unspecified member of Los Mini Psycho Circus, the cousin of wrestler Magnus and the nephew of CMLL booker Tony Salazar.
Urive was trained for his professional wrestling debut by his father and his uncle Tony Salazar who is a retired wrestler that works as a booker for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, Mexico's oldest and largest wrestling promotion. Místico made his debut on April 30, 1998 working as "Dr. Karonte, Jr." at the age of 15. In 2000 he changed his ring name to "Astro Boy" in honor of his older brother who had died months earlier, who had worked as the original Astro Boy. Later on he was joined by another brother who worked as "Astro Boy II" to form a tag team. In 2003 Místico travelled to Japan to work for Michinoku Pro where he was billed as "Komachi", a ring persona he took over from fellow luchador Volador, Jr. who had played the part for about a year.
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Naoki Sano
Naoki Sano (佐野直喜, Sano Naoki?) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He currently goes by the name Takuma Sano.
Sano was a member of the 1984 New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) dojo class, and in his first few years, he was a jobber. In 1989, he won the Young Lions Cup and he had numerous acclaimed matches against Jushin Liger. Sano defeated Liger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on August 10, 1989, but lost it back to Liger on January 31, 1990.
In July 1990, Sano moved to the Super World of Sports (SWS) after a big money offer from Megane Super, the company backing the promotion. In SWS he became the top junior heavyweight, feuding with native talent and outsider talent from the United States, Mexico, and outsider promotions Universal Lucha Libre and Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi. In December 1991, Sano won the tournament for the SWS Light Heavyweight Championship. He was the only titleholder.
After SWS collapsed in June 1992, Sano worked a few matches for Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi, but soon moved to Union of Wrestling Force International (UWFI) upon recommendation from former NJPW comrades Nobuhiko Takada and Kazuo Yamazaki, the top stars of UWFI.
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Naomichi Marufuji
Naomichi Marufuji (丸藤正道, Marufuji Naomichi?) (born September 26, 1979) is a Japanese professional wrestler who competes for Pro Wrestling Noah, with occasional appearances in other professional wrestling promotions like Ring of Honor, All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling, among others. Marufuji is the first of only two Grand Slam Champion in Pro Wrestling Noah history. He is also the only man to win Junior Heavyweight Championships in all three major Japanese promotions. In 2009, he was appointed to the position of Vice President of the promotion. and has retained the position since, being reappointed in September 2011.
Marufuji pursued amateur wrestling and basketball during his high school days before joining All Japan Pro Wrestling. His debut match came on August 28, 1998 against Yoshinobu Kanemaru. For the first two years of his career, under Giant Baba and Mitsuharu Misawa's isolationist policy, he was a jobber; one of the few rare interpromotional matches he worked was in Michinoku Pro Wrestling in 1999, a lucha libre six-man tag match, gave him a chance to shine. After the Noah secession, he joined the upstart promotion and became an integral part of its Junior Heavyweight division, impressing many with his high-flying style and charisma. He would go on to form a successful tag team with KENTA, as well as win the 2004 Super J Cup. On March 5, 2006, Marufuji pinned former AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and former GHC Heavyweight Champion Akira Taue.
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Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore (born December 17, 1975), better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler. Best known for his work for World Wrestling Entertainment, Dinsmore is currently working on the independent circuit for promotions such as Juggalo Championship Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling.
Dinsmore debuted in 1997, and soon began wrestling in the United States Wrestling Association.
In Ohio Valley Wrestling, he formed a successful tag team with Rob Conway, called The Lords of The Ring. The team had a record ten reigns as Southern Tag Team Champions. Dinsmore also held the OVW Heavyweight Championship a record ten times. While still in OVW, Dinsmore also made some appearances as a jobber in the World Wrestling Federation, first on an episode of Shotgun Saturday Night in 1999. He wrestled in the WWF as Doink the Clown on two later occasions, and as one half of Los Conquistadores (with Rob Conway). Dinsmore also appeared in World Championship Wrestling, wrestling on two episodes of Thunder (losing to Ernest Miller and Kanyon), and on two episodes of Nitro (first teaming with Lenny Lane to lose a handicap match to Scott Steiner, then losing a singles match to Wrath).
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Nikolai Volkoff
Josip Nikolai Peruzović (born October 14, 1947), better known by his ring name of Nikolai Volkoff, is a professional wrestler who is best known for his performances for the World Wrestling Federation. Although the Volkoff character is portrayed as Russian, Peruzović actually originated from Croatia and had a mixed background that was not entirely Russian.
Peruzović grew up in the Socialist Republic of Croatia, which was then part of the Yugoslavia, a Communist country. His mother is Italian and his father was Croatian. He was on the Yugoslavian weightlifting team until 1967, when he defected to Canada while at a weightlifting tournament in Vienna, Austria. He received training in Calgary from the legendary Stu Hart, followed by his arrival in the United States in 1970.
As soon as he arrived, he began wrestling in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) (currently known as WWE). Wrestling as Bepo Mongol, managed by "Captain" Lou Albano and partnered with Geto Mongol, he captured the WWF International Tag Team Titles from Tony Marino and Victor Rivera on June 15, 1970. After losing the titles to Luke Graham and Tarzan Tyler in a match that unified the WWF International and WWF World Tag Team Titles, Peruzovic went on to singles competition under the name Nikolai Volkoff.
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Nobuhiko Takada
Nobuhiko Takada (Japanese: 髙田延彦, born April 12, 1962) is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter and professional wrestler. He is best known for helping to popularize shoot-style professional wrestling, as one of the biggest stars of the Universal Wrestling Federation and Union of Wrestling Force International in the '80s and '90s. He has also competed for PRIDE Fighting Championships and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Presently, he is the owner of the HUSTLE Wrestling Organization.
Nobuhiko Takada made his professional wrestling debut in 1981 against Norio Honaga, for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he started his career as a Junior Heavyweight. He left NJPW in 1984, along with Rusher Kimura, Akira Maeda, Ryuma Go, Mach Hayato, and Gran Hamada, to form the original Universal Wrestling Federation.
The original UWF dissolved in 1986. Takada and Akira Maeda returned to NJPW and formed a UWF stable. Only a few months later, Takada defeated Shiro Koshinaka to capture the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, which he held for four months. In 1987, Takada moved to the Heavyweight ranks. Along with Akira Maeda, he won the IWGP Tag Team Championship from rival, Koshinaka & Keiji Mutoh. He left NJPW in 1988 to form the second incarnation of the Universal Wrestling Federation called Newborn UWF, becoming one of its top stars.
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Norio Honaga
Norio Honaga (保永 昇男, Honaga Norio?) is a Japanese professional wrestler.
Honaga started in New Japan Pro Wrestling but jumped to Riki Chōshū's Japan Pro Wrestling satellite of All Japan Pro Wrestling in an "invasion" angle. He returned to New Japan with Choshu and others in 1987. Immediately he began ascending in the junior heavyweight ranks and feuded with Jushin Liger and El Samurai over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Upon retirement in 1998, he became a referee. He stayed in New Japan until joining Riki Chōshū's short-lived Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling.
In 2007, Honaga was in a serious car accident. He pulled out of a driveway when he was hit in the driver's door by another car. He spent 8 days and 16 hours in a coma at the Japanese Hospital (Rota). All his doctors had already given up on him, but as he would later state 'Jesus came to him in a dream, and gave him the strength to hold on'. Since then, Honaga is a born-again Christian and has left the Japanese Wrestling world due to both his physical state, he lost the use of his left leg, and his love for Jesus Christ. It is rumoured in Japan that he intends to found either a church or a Christian hospital, to express his feelings as a Christian to the world.
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Owen Hart
Owen James Hart (May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999) was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The Blue Blazer. A member of the Hart wrestling family, Hart was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada the youngest of 12 children to Stampede Wrestling promoter and WWE Hall of Famer Stu Hart and Helen Hart.
Among other accolades, Hart was a one-time world champion: a one-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion; a two-time WWF Intercontinental Champion; one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion; one-time WWF European Champion and four-time WWF World Tag Team Champion. He was also the winner of the 1994 WWF King of the Ring. Hart has been cited by a number of peers as one of the WWF's greatest professional wrestlers.
Hart died on May 23, 1999 when an equipment malfunction occurred during his entrance from the rafters of Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S., at the WWF's Over the Edge pay-per-view event.
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Pat Barrett
Patrick "Pat" Barrett (born: 4 September 1941) is a former Irish professional wrestler who is best known for his time with NWA and WWWF. He has wrestled in many areas which include Ireland, Pacific Islands, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and United States of America.
The Irish wrestler Pat Barrett started wrestling in 1960 as Paddy Barrett. He was a successful Irish wrestler. He started his early years wrestling in Ireland and in 1963, he joined National Wrestling Alliance where he had a successful career. During this time he also appeared as the voice of doctor octopus in the animated series spider man returns again.
In 1963, he sailed from Ireland to the United States where he joined the sanctioned body of promotions in the U.S., National Wrestling Alliance. He was an international wrestler. He first toured Canada where he created a successful tag team with Tim Geoghegan.
Barrett and Geoghegan defeated Art Nelson and Ivan Kameroff on 8 November 1965 to win the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship. They lost their titles to John Tolos and Black Terror on 4 January 1966 but defeated them back for the titles on 28 February 1966.
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Pedro Morales
Pedro Morales (born October 22, 1942) is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He began his wrestling career as a teenager in 1959 and continued through to the late 1980s. Morales was the first man in wrestling history to win all three major men's titles in the World Wrestling Federation: the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, the Intercontinental Championship and the WWF World Tag Team Championship. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1995. Morales was also the first Latin American and Hispanic wrestler to win the WWWF Championship and the WWF Intercontinental Championship and to enter the WWF Hall of Fame.
Morales debuted in 1959 at the Sunnyside Gardens, beating Buddy Gilbert. He wrestled on the West Coast during the 1960s, taking on regional stars of the day such as Fred Blassie and The Destroyer, the latter from whom he took the World Wrestling Association's World Heavyweight Championship on March 12, 1965. Morales lost the title on July 23 to "Crazy" Luke Graham, but took it back from him on October 17. He held the title for nine months before being defeated by Buddy Austin on August 5, 1966. Morales then concentrated on tag team wrestling, co-holding the WWA tag belts four times during 1966-68, with four different partners: Luis Hernandez, Mark Lewin, Victor Rivera, and Ricky Romero. During a stint in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Morales held the Hawaiian U.S. title for two months in 1969.
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Perry Saturn
Perry Arthur Satullo (born October 25, 1966) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Perry Saturn. Since debuting in 1990, Saturn wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and Total Nonstop Action (TNA).
Satullo enlisted in the United States Army for four years at the age of seventeen, becoming an Army Airborne Ranger before eventually embarking on a career in professional wrestling.
Satullo began training at Killer Kowalski's school in Malden, Massachusetts around 1988, taking the ring name Saturn from the Roman god of the same name before later tweaking it to Perry Saturn. He debuted on October 27, 1990 in Waltham, Massachusetts, wrestling for the United States Wrestling Association (USWA). Satullo also wrestled in Kowalski's International Wrestling Federation as The Iron Horseman, a cowboy complete with black leather stetson and chaps. Satullo eventually won the IWF Light Heavyweight Championship. Satullo began wrestling for independent promotions throughout New England, as well as touring Japan with New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1993. In 1992 he worked as a jobber in WWF.
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Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand. Orton is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Bob Orton, Sr., father "Cowboy" Bob Orton, and uncle Barry O all competed in the professional wrestling industry.
Before being promoted to the main World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) roster, Orton trained in and wrestled for Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling for a month. He was then sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where Orton held the OVW Hardcore Championship on two separate occasions.
After signing with WWF, Orton became a member of the stable Evolution, which quickly led to a WWE Intercontinental Championship reign, his first title with the company. Orton also acquired the moniker "The Legend Killer" during a storyline where he began disrespecting Hall of Famers and physically attacking veterans of the industry outside of appropriate restrictions. At age 24, Orton became the youngest person ever to hold the World Heavyweight Championship. With this win, Orton departed from Evolution and a feud with his former stablemates began. In 2006, Orton joined forces with Edge in a tag team known as Rated-RKO. Together, Orton and Edge held the World Tag Team Championship. After the team disbanded, during mid-2007, Orton gained two WWE Championship reigns in one night. Orton formed the group The Legacy with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in 2008, however, they would disband in 2010 with Orton returning to singles competition. Overall, Orton has won eleven total championships in WWE, including being a nine-time world champion, having won the World Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWE Championship six times. He is also the winner of the 2009 Royal Rumble match.
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Randy Savage
Randy Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
Savage held twenty championships during his professional wrestling career. He held six world heavyweight championships between the WWF and WCW, having won the WWF Championship twice and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship four times. In addition, he won the ICW World Heavyweight Championship three times and the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship once. Also a one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion, WWE has mentioned Savage as the greatest Intercontinental champion and credited him for bringing "a higher level of credibility to the title through his amazing in-ring performances." Aside from championships, Savage was the 1987 WWF King of the Ring and the 1995 WCW World War 3 winner. For much of his tenures in the WWF and WCW, he was managed by his real life wife, "Miss Elizabeth" Hulette.
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Ray Traylor
Raymond Walter Traylor, Jr. (May 2, 1963 – September 22, 2004) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Big Boss Man (sometimes spelled Big Bossman) and World Championship Wrestling under various ring names, most notably Big Bubba Rogers.
Traylor, a prison guard in Cobb County, Georgia, made his debut in 1985, initially working in Jim Crockett's World Championship Wrestling promotion as an enhancement talent under his full name, Raymond Traylor. Seeing potential in Traylor, head booker Dusty Rhodes pulled him off TV for 12 weeks in order to repackage him as Big Bubba Rogers, a silent bodyguard for Jim Cornette, who along with the Midnight Express, was feuding with the James Boys (Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T.A. under masks). He got a solid push as a seemingly unstoppable villain and feuding with Rhodes, who was the top babyface at that time in a series of no holds barred battle royals called The Bunkhouse Stampede, in 1986. After the series, both he and Rhodes were tied in wins, which led to a tiebreaking cage match in which Rhodes came out victorious. In 1987, he won the Universal Wrestling Federation title from One Man Gang, who was dropping his belt after signing with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation.
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René Goguen
René Goguen (born December 15, 1983) is a French Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name René Duprée. Goguen is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion with Sylvain Grenier as the tag team La Résistance and a one time WWE Tag Team Champion with Kenzo Suzuki. Upon winning both titles, Goguen became the youngest wrestler in WWE history to win the World Tag Team Championship (at age 19) and the WWE Tag Team Championship (at age 20). His World Tag Team Championship win also made him the youngest man in WWE history to win any title. He is also the son of celebrated Canadian Maritimes wrestling promoter Emile Duprée.
As his father Emile was a wrestling promoter, Goguen was exposed and encouraged into wrestling at a young age. Goguen became a professional wrestler in 1997 at age 14, and began working for his father's Grand Prix Wrestling promotion. A few years later, he signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling to further develop his skills.
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Rey Mysterio
Rey Gutierrez Mysterio Jr. (born December 11, 1974) is a Mexican American professional wrestler in World Wrestling Entertainment currently wrestling on the RAW Brand. In WWE, Gutierrez was trained by his uncle Rey Misterio, Sr. and wrestled early on in Mexico where he learned the Lucha Libre high flying style that has been his trademark.
Gutierrez originally worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) in Mexico, from 1992 to 1995. He wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1996 and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1996 to 2001, as Rey Misterio, Jr./Rey Mysterio, Jr. but dropped the "Junior" from his name when he began working for WWE in 2002.
Mysterio is known for having a high flying style, which helped kick-start the cruiserweight wrestling revolution in the United States in the late 1990s during his time in WCW. In WCW he won the WCW World Tag Team Championship three times, and the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship once with Billy Kidman as part of the Filthy Animals. In WWE, Mysterio is a three time world champion having held the World Heavyweight Championship twice, the WWE Championship once and is currently listed as the lightest world champion in WWE history. He has also held the WWE Tag Team Championship a record-tying four times, and the WWE Intercontinental Championship twice. He also held the WCW/WWE Cruiserweight Championship a record eight times (five times in WCW, three in WWE). All totaled, he has won 21 titles between WWE and WCW. Mysterio was the 21st person to win the WWE Triple Crown Championship, and was the winner of the 2006 Royal Rumble.
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Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time with a professional career that spans 40 years. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and is noted for his lengthy and highly decorated tenures with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (now known as WWE). Flair is officially recognized by WWE, TNA and PWI as a 16-time World Heavyweight Champion (seven-time NWA Champion, seven-time WCW Champion and two-time WWF Champion) although his actual tally of World Championship reigns varies by source—Flair considers himself a 21-time world champion.
In World Championship Wrestling (WCW), he also had two stints as a booker—in 1989–1990 and 1994. Flair also became the first and only man to have won the WWF Championship in a Royal Rumble match, when he accomplished this in the 1992 edition of the event. In 2012, Flair became the first ever double inductee in the WWE Hall of Fame, first inducted in 2008 for his individual career, and for a second time in 2012 as a member of the Four Horsemen. He is also an NWA Hall of Famer (class of 2008). Flair's hair styles and mannerisms are based on those of Buddy Rogers, who previously and famously used the "Nature Boy" gimmick in the 1950s and '60s. Coincidentally, Flair also followed Rogers in becoming the second man to win both the WWF and the NWA World Heavyweight Championships.
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Rick Martel
Richard Vigneault (born March 18, 1956) is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) between 1980 and 1995 under the ring name Rick Martel. He is also known for his two-year long reign as AWA World Heavyweight Champion.
Martel is from a family of wrestlers, and made his professional debut at age sixteen when his brother Michel, a wrestler, asked him to replace an injured wrestler. Martel was already a skilled amateur wrestler, and quickly adapted to professional wrestling.
Martel wrestled throughout the world, winning titles in Canada (in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling and Vancouver-based NWA All Star Wrestling), New Zealand and Puerto Rico. His first real success in America came in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'s Portland affiliate, Pacific Northwest Wrestling, where he became a top talent, holding the Canadian and PNW tag team titles simultaneously. He left PNW on August 16, 1980, when he lost a Loser Leaves Town match to Buddy Rose. Martel also served a stint as a booker for a wrestling territory in Hawaii.[clarification needed]
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Rick Rude
Richard Erwin Rood (December 7, 1958 – April 20, 1999), better known by his ring name "Ravishing" Rick Rude, was an American professional wrestler who performed for many promotions, including World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), in the 1980s and 1990s.
Among other accolades, Rude was a four-time world champion (three-time WCW International World Heavyweight Champion, and one-time WCWA World Heavyweight Champion), one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion, and one-time WCW United States Champion.
The self-proclaimed "Sexiest Man Alive", Rude was noted for his chiseled physique as well as being one of the greatest talkers in the history of professional wrestling. He is also notable for being a member of the original incarnation of D-Generation X, alongside Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Chyna.
Born in St. Peter, Minnesota, Rood attended Robbinsdale High School in Robbinsdale, Minnesota with Tom Zenk, Brady Boone, Nikita Koloff, Curt Hennig, John Nord, Joseph Laurinaitis and Barry Darsow, all of whom later became professional wrestlers.
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Ricky Morton
Richard Wendell "Ricky" Morton (September 21, 1956) is an American professional wrestler who has worked for such wrestling organizations as Jim Crockett Promotions, the American Wrestling Association, Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Morton has held seventy-nine championships throughout his career, and is best known for his appearances with Robert Gibson, with whom he has been a four-time NWA World Tag Team Champion as one half of tag team The Rock 'n' Roll Express. The team also held the Mid-Atlantic version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship, later known as the WCW World Tag Team Championship, four times.
Morton was trained by his father, Paul, and started wrestling in 1978. He wrestled primarily for Mid-Southern Wrestling in Memphis, Tennessee, often teaming with Ken Lucas and Eddie Gilbert. He went on to Mid-Southern Wrestling in 1983 and formed the team that made him famous, The Rock 'n' Roll Express, with Robert Gibson. They won the Mid-South Tag Team Title three times and feuded with the team that would become their arch rivals, The Midnight Express of Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey.
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Ricky Steamboat
Richard Henry Blood (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career.[citation needed] He is best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
In the NWA and WCW, he was a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, a four-time United States Heavyweight Champion, a four-time World Television Champion, a twelve-time World Tag Team Champion (eight-time under the WCW banner,one-time (though unofficial) under the NWA banner, and three-time under the Mid-Atlantic banner), and a two-time Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion. In the WWF/E, Steamboat was a one-time Intercontinental Champion and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.
While little is known about Steamboat's personal life, it is a known fact that he went to high school in New York. He was a two time New York State Wrestling qualifier.
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Rico Constantino
Americo Sebastiano Costantino (born October 1, 1961) is a retired Italian American professional wrestler and wrestling manager. He is best known by his ring names Rico Costantino and Rico in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2001 to 2004. He is currently an Officer for the Nevada Taxi Cab Authority.
Prior to embarking on his wrestling career, Costantino entered Northwestern Military & Naval Academy. He graduated near the top of his class and at one point considered enrollment at West Point. Instead, Costantino returned to Las Vegas and settled into a career as a paramedic. This led to enrollment in the police academy, from which he graduated first in the entire state of Nevada. Costantino was also on the SWAT team at one point, paving the way for his next career as a bodyguard.
Costantino was a contestant on American Gladiators. He was challenged by Gemini (Michael Horton) to find out if "he had what it took" to be a contestant for the show. He would end up defeating Gemini in his best event, the Joust, one of the few contenders to do so (Horton lost only 8 of his 50 Jousts on his three seasons of AG).
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Rob Conway
Robert Thomas Conway (November 28, 1972), better known as Rob Conway, is an American professional wrestler best known for his seven year stint with World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently employed by Juggalo Championship Wrestling.
Rob Conway began his career in Memphis Championship Wrestling (MCW) and Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), teaming with Nick Dinsmore under the names Limited Edition (MCW), the Borkcin Brothers, and the Lords of the Ring (OVW). While in OVW, he and Dinsmore were also members of Kenny Bolin's Bolin Services along with The Prototype, Bull Buchanan, and Mark Henry. As the Lords of the Ring, Conway and Dinsmore won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship on 10 occasions and captured the MCW North American Tag Team Championship once. On April 28, 1999 Rob Conway defeated his partner Nick Dinsmore to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship, but lost it back to him the next week. Conway won the OVW Heavyweight Championship a second time on August 17, 1999, pinning Damaja. He lost the title to Rico Constantino on November 10, regaining it on September 6, 2000, with another victory over Dinsmore.
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Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander Szatowski (born December 18, 1970), better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (RVD), is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment, and Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Szatkowski has held 22 championships between ECW, WWE and TNA, as well as several regional titles in various promotions during his career. He is a former WWE champion, ECW champion and the TNA World Heavyweight champion once each. On the independent scene he has also won the World Heavyweight Championships for both American Wrestling Rampage and World Stars of Wrestling once each. He is the only man to achieve both WWE and ECW's version of the Triple Crown. Part of ECW's Triple Crown included the ECW World Television Championship, of which RVD's 700 day reign was the longest.
Szatkowski grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan and graduated from Pennfield High School. Rob made his first appearance on WWF television in 1987 in a skit with "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. At the time, DiBiase was selecting plants from the audience and offering to pay them to perform degrading acts and offered the 16 year old Szatkowski $100 to enter the ring and kiss his foot, which he did. This early appearance was later included as a bonus feature on WWE's Before They Were Superstars DVD and on WWE's Rob Van Dam: One of a Kind DVD.
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Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles; August 24, 1944) is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. Quite popular in his own right in the 1970s and 1980s, he is also known for being the father of actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. During his wrestling career he became a 1-time National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Georgia Champion and also became a 1-time NWA Southern Heavyweight Memphis Champion as well as winning many other championships. Along with his partner Tony Atlas, Johnson was a part of the first black tag team to win the World Tag Team championship in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
Rocky Johnson was born Wayde Douglas Bowles in Amherst, Nova Scotia, where he was raised, the fourth of five sons of Lillian and James Henry Bowles. A Black Nova Scotian, he is descended from slaves who escaped from the American South. At the age of 16, Johnson moved to Toronto, Ontario, where he began wrestling and worked as a truck driver. Initially, he trained to be a boxer and eventually sparred with greats such as Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, but he was always fascinated by wrestling.
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Rocky Romero
John R. Rivera (born on October 28, 1982) is a Cuban American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Rocky Romero and as the fourth incarnation of Black Tiger. As Romero he was one half of the tag team The Havana Pitbulls (formerly Los Cubanitos), along with Ricky Reyes. He also was a member of the No Remorse Corps in Ring of Honor with Roderick Strong and Davey Richards. Romero and Richards are former ROH World Tag Team Champions in the stable and in 2011 revived the name in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where they went on to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Romero's wrestling style based around stiff shoot-style kicks and multiple armlock variations.
Romero debuted in 1997. He has received training in the New Japan Dojo in Los Angeles and for some time now has been a regular trainer there. His career has taken him through promotions in the Southern California region to Mexico, where he competed successfully for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (the country's longest-running promotion) and in Japan where he has worked most notably in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he was chosen to become the fourth incarnation of Black Tiger, the villainous gaijin opponent of Tiger Mask (in this case Tiger Mask IV). On October 8, 2005, Romero, as Black Tiger IV, defeated Tiger Mask IV for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. After a four month reign, Tiger Mask IV regained the title from his nemesis.
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Roddy Piper
Roderick "Roddy" George Toombs (born April 17, 1954), better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE. Although he is Canadian, due to his Scottish heritage, he was billed as coming from Glasgow in Scotland and was known for his signature kilt and bagpipe entrance music. He earned the nickname "Rowdy" by displaying his trademark "Scottish" rage, spontaneity and quick wit. Despite being a crowd favorite for his rockstar-like persona, he often played the villain. He was also nicknamed "Hot Rod". Never a world champion, he accumulated 34 championships in various promotions during his career. Piper was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
Toombs was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He attended Windsor Park Collegiate. His father was an officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police while they lived in The Pas, Manitoba. After being expelled from junior high[citation needed] and having a falling out with his father, Piper hit the road and stayed in youth hostels wherever he could find them.
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Ron Simmons
Ronald "Ron" Simmons (born May 15, 1958) is an American former professional wrestler and American Football player. He performed for World Championship Wrestling under his real name and in the World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/E) under both his real name and the ring names Faarooq Asaad (sometimes spelled Asad) and Faarooq (sometimes spelled Farooq).
In WCW, he was a one time World Heavyweight Champion; as the first of two African Americans to win the title, he is recognized by WWE as the first Black world champion in professional wrestling history, followed by Booker T. He was also a one time World Tag Team Champion with Butch Reed and a one time United States Tag Team Champion with Big Josh. In the WWF, he was a three time Tag Team Champion with Bradshaw as one half of the Acolytes Protection Agency. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2012.
Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, Simmons was an American college and professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL) and United States Football League (USFL) for four seasons during the 1980s. He played college football for Florida State University, and was recognized as an All-American. He played professionally for the NFL's Cleveland Browns, the CFL's Ottawa Rough Riders and the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits.
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Ryusuke Taguchi
Ryusuke Taguchi (田口 隆祐, Taguchi Ryusuke?, born April 12, 1979) is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former five-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions and a one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Pursuing several sports in high school, Taguchi competed in 76 kg (170 lb) class amateur wrestling in college before entering the NJPW dojo in March 2002 and debuting in November of that year at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, wrestling in New Japan's famous junior heavyweight division.
Taguchi's gimmick is akin to a disco dancer, often sporting a short afro and colorful, flamboyant attire and celebrating victories with a post-match dance, encouraging his partners to join in during tag team matches. This has earned Taguchi the nickname "Funky Weapon".
During high school, Taguchi dabbled in many athletic pursuits, including baseball, soccer, and track and field, before entering the 76 kg (170 lb) class in amateur wrestling at Tōkai University. He enrolled in the New Japan dojo in March 2002, passing the promotion's notoriously tough entry test, before debuting on November 22, 2002 in a losing effort against Toru Yano. Taguchi continued to wrestle in minor matches through early 2003, before being entered into the tenth annual Best of the Super Juniors (BOSJ) tournament by default after Heat pulled out. Taguchi finished in last place with zero points, losing all of his matches.
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Santino Marella
Anthony Carelli (born March 14, 1979) is an Italian-Canadian professional wrestler,mixed martial artist and judoka, better known by his ring name Santino Marella. He is currently signed to WWE, competing on its Raw Brand, where he is the reigning United States Champion. He is a two-time Intercontinental Champion and former Tag Team Champion with Vladimir Kozlov.
In the United States, Carelli took wrestling classes at and worked for the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) a developmental territory for the national World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Upon joining OVW, Carelli was given the ring name Johnny Geo Basco. While there, he was involved in an infamous incident with Jim Cornette, the company's head booker and part-owner. After a storyline where he was supposed to act afraid of the Boogeyman but instead laughed, Cornette yelled at and slapped Carelli, leading to Cornette being removed from his position as booker of OVW by WWE.
Paul Heyman was appointed OVW booker to replace Cornette and changed Carelli's ring name from Johnny Geo Basco to Boris Alexiev, giving him a Russian shoot fighter gimmick. As Alexiev he made his debut on April 12, 2006 along with his manager and "comrade", Mr. Strongko. With his new gimmick he was booked to dominate opponents with stiff strikes and submission style wrestling, including a 10-second win over a wrestler named Dewey. He signed a developmental deal with WWE on August 11, 2006, and continued working in OVW.
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Scott Hall
Scott Oliver Hall (born October 20, 1958) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF ̶ now WWE) in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name. Since the late 2000s, Hall has become known for his much publicized battles with alcoholism and drug addiction, which he initially struggled with in the late 1990s during his time in WCW.
Hall began his career in 1984 in Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF), before working in territories across Jim Crockett Promotions as part of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). In 1985, Hall moved to the American Wrestling Association (AWA), winning the AWA World Tag Team Championship once with Curt Hennig in January 1986. Following further stints in the NWA and the World Wrestling Council - where he would briefly hold the WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship - Hall signed with the World Wrestling Federation in 1992. Hall would wrestle as Razor Ramon, a Latino-heel persona modeled after the characters of Tony Montana and Manny Ribera from the movie Scarface. While in the WWF, Hall would win the WWF Intercontinental Championship four times, before leaving for WCW in 1996.
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Sean Morley
Sean Allen Morley (born March 6, 1971) is a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name Val Venis, during his time with World Wrestling Federation, later known as World Wrestling Entertainment. He has also worked for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
During his career in WWF/E, Morley held the Intercontinental Championship twice, the European Championship once, and the World Tag Team Championship once with Lance Storm. In Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, he is a one time World Heavyweight Champion.
He began his wrestling training in the early 1990s under the tutelage of Jason and Dewey "The Missing Link" Robertson and debuted on the Canadian independent circuit before making his way to the international circuit, finding work with All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in Japan, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) in Mexico, and World Wrestling Council (WWC) in Puerto Rico where he was one half of a tag team known as the Canadian Glamour Boys with Shane Sewell. In Japan, he was known as Sean Morgan as the name Morley was difficult to pronounce due to the lack of phonetic differences between the L and R in Japanese. In Mexico, he adopted a robot-like mask and gimmick, changed his name to Steele, and won the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship.
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Sean Waltman
Sean Michael Waltman (born July 13, 1972) is an American professional wrestler currently signed with WWE in their developmental program. He wrestled there under the ring names 1–2–3 Kid and X-Pac off and on from 1993–2002, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name Syxx, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Syxx-Pac and also under his real name. Waltman is the only wrestler in history to have held the TNA X Division Championship, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, and the WWE Light Heavyweight Championship. Waltman is a member of the group known in wrestling as The Kliq, which also consists of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall.
After being trained by former professional wrestling brothers Boris and Joe Malenko, Waltman began his career as The Lightning Kid, working his way through various independent organizations such as Pro Wrestling America (PWA) and the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), winning the PWA Light Heavyweight title, the PWA Iron Horse TV Title and the GWF Light Heavyweight Championship. Throughout the early part of his career, Waltman worked extensively with wrestler Jerry Lynn in both North America and Japan. The duo even teamed up to win the PWA Tag Team titles twice in 1993.
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Shane Douglas
Troy Shane Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name "The Franchise" Shane Douglas. In the course of his career, which has spanned nearly three decades, Douglas has wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling and briefly in the World Wrestling Federation. Martin later worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Martin is former four time ECW World Heavyweight champion and one-time NWA World Heavyweight champion.
Martin was born one of six children, the son of a veteran of World War II, who died in 1991. He graduated cum laude from Bethany College in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in history and political science. He is an alumnus of the Psi Chapter of Beta Theta Pi. After earning his degrees, he was offered to join the Saba University School of Medicine but declined in order to continue wrestling.
Martin was trained by Dominic DeNucci in the Pittsburgh suburb of Freedom, Pennsylvania, alongside Mick Foley in the mid-1980s. He had been wrestling professionally to earn money since 1982. When he started, he used the character of Troy Orndorff, the fictional nephew of Paul Orndorff. In 1986, he wrestled Randy Savage at a WWF Superstars of Wrestling taping using his real name. He would also wrestle "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff in the debut episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge, once again using his real name. Later that year, he began wrestling as a fan favorite for the Universal Wrestling Federation using the name Shane Douglas, which was given to him by "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert and Missy Hyatt ("Shane" coming from Martin's middle name, and "Douglas" from Michael Douglas, who at the time had just appeared in Wall Street). Douglas defeated Gilbert for the World Television Championship on August 3, 1987, but did not rise above mid-card status. Douglas soon lost the title on September 2 to Terry Taylor.
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Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon (born January 15, 1970) is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon. He is also the older brother of Stephanie McMahon and brother-in-law of professional wrestler Paul "Triple H" Levesque. He spent over 20 years in WWE, leaving in January 2010.
In WWE, he is a one-time European Champion and a one-time Hardcore Champion. McMahon is considered a fourth generation McMahon as he follows his great-grandfather, Jess McMahon, his grandfather Vincent J. McMahon, and his father Vincent K. McMahon.
McMahon began his on-screen career as a referee named Shane Stevens in 1990 and was the first performer to walk out to greet the audience at WrestleMania VI. Shane McMahon also refereed during the 1991 Royal Rumble match. He soon left behind the blue shirt and bow-tie and took on the role of a backstage official at WrestleMania VIII in an attempt to break up a brawl between Randy Savage and Ric Flair.
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Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965), better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is a retired professional wrestler, and an American television host. He is currently signed to WWE, where he has served as an ambassador for the company since December 2010. Hickenbottom consistently wrestled for WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), from 1988 until his first retirement in 1998, due to injury. He appeared in non-wrestling roles from 1998 to 2000, and resumed his in-ring career in 2002, retiring in 2010. He also hosts the show MacMillan River Adventures, airing on the Outdoor Channel.
Hickenbottom began his wrestling career with Mid-South Wrestling, now known as Universal Wrestling Federation, and American Wrestling Association (AWA). During his time with AWA, he performed in partnership with Marty Jannetty, as The Midnight Rockers; winning the AWA World Tag Team Championship twice. Hickenbottom and Jannetty briefly signed with World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1987, while in contract with AWA. They returned to AWA, only to go back to the WWF in 1988.
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Sheamus
Stephen Farrelly (Irish: Stíofán Ó Fearghaile) (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish professional wrestler and actor, best known by his ring name Sheamus. He is signed with WWE and competes on the SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion.
Prior to joining WWE, Farrelly was also a two-time International Heavyweight Champion during his tenure in Irish Whip Wrestling. He is a three-time World Champion, having held the WWE Championship on two occasions and is the current World Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He also won the King of the Ring in 2010 and the Royal Rumble in 2012, as well as the WWE United States Championship once.
Farrelly was born in Cabra, Dublin and was raised within the city. His father, Martin, was an amateur bodybuilder. Farrelly speaks fluent Irish, having attended Scoil Caoimhin Primary and Secondary School, a Gaelscoil During his school years he sang in the Palestrina Choir until the age of thirteen, as part of which he appeared on the Late Late Show and Live at Three television programmes. He played Gaelic football for the Erin's Isle team where he was declared sports star of the month. He also played rugby for the National College of Ireland, where he gained a National Diploma.
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Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted as an assistant coach in amateur wrestling. He first spent time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he held the Southern Tag Team Championship four times. WWE then moved him to the main roster and put him into an alliance with Kurt Angle and Charlie Haas, known as Team Angle (and later the World's Greatest Tag Team). During his tenure with the company, he won the Intercontinental Championship three times, the United States Championship once, and the WWE Tag Team Championship twice with Haas. He currently wrestles for Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is one half of the World Tag Team Champions with Charlie Haas.
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Shinjiro Otani
Shinjiro Otani (大谷晋二郎, born July 21, 1972) is a Japanese professional wrestler contracted to Pro Wrestling ZERO1. Otani is also the acting President of the company.
Otani was the first WCW World Cruiserweight Champion, defeating Wild Pegasus in a tournament final to be crowned champion on March 20, 1996. This was the start of his push as a legitimate junior heavyweight contender. Over the years, Otani earned the J-Crown and was also part of the first IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions with Tatsuhito Takaiwa.
In 2000, New Japan booker Riki Chōshū, eager to push his protege Kensuke Sasaki above everyone else, downgraded the junior heavyweight members to mere jobbers for the heavyweights. Otani protested and was sent abroad to bulk up. Returning in 2001 as a full-fledged heavyweight, Otani challenged Sasaki for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but failed.
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Shiro Koshinaka
Shiro Koshinaka (越中 詩郎, Koshinaka Shirō?, born September 3, 1958) is a Japanese professional wrestler who has competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Wrestle Association "R" during the 1980s and 1990s. He was also the very first IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
In the 1990s, he formed the stable Heisei Ishingun with Kengo Kimura, Kuniaki Kobayashi, Tatsutoshi Goto, Michiyoshi Ohara, Akira Nogami, and Akitoshi Saito.
1Although he did win the title once more, with Togi Makabe, the win isn't recognized by New Japan.
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Smith Hart
Smith Stewart Hart (born November 28, 1949) is a former professional wrestler. He is the eldest child of Stu Hart.
He wrestled in his father's Stampede Wrestling promotion and in Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council in the 1970s. As well as trips to Japan, England, Germany and Holland. He also helped out behind the scenes at Stampede Wrestling.
Hart opened a "Hart Brothers Wrestling School" in Cambridge, Ontario which has trained many wrestlers including the Highlanders.
On March 28, 2010, Hart made an appearance at Wrestlemania 26 to help his brother Bret defeat Vince McMahon in a No Holds Barred Match.
He is the current booker for the Canadian based Great North Wrestling company.
On November 6, 2011 Smith is bringing back Stampede Wrestling in Barrie, Ontario.
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Stephanie McMahon
Stephanie McMahon Levesque (née Stephanie Marie McMahon; born September 24, 1976) better known by her maiden name Stephanie McMahon, is an American corporate executive who is currently the Executive Vice President, Creative, for World Wrestling Entertainment,. She is also a former professional wrestling valet and occasional wrestler. She is the daughter of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon, the younger sister of Shane McMahon, and wife of WWE wrestler and executive Paul "Triple H" Levesque.
McMahon began appearing regularly on WWE in 1999 as a part of a storyline with The Undertaker. After a brief on-screen relationship with Test, she was engaged to Triple H—who she married both on-screen and later in real life—which resulted in the McMahon-Helmsley Faction storyline. She has held the WWF Women's Championship once. In 2001, she was the on-screen owner of Extreme Championship Wrestling during The Invasion. The following year, she was the SmackDown General Manager, but stopped appearing regularly on television after an "I Quit" match with her father Vince. After making part time appearances for several years, she began appearing regularly on Raw in 2008 as the Raw brand General Manager.
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Steve Keirn
Stephen "Steve" Paul Keirn (born September 10, 1951) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for being part of the tag team The Fabulous Ones, with Stan Lane, and later for a run in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as Skinner, a gimmick that portrayed him as a tobacco spitting alligator hunter from the Everglades. During his time in WWF, Steve was also one of a number of wrestlers to play the role of the masked Doink the Clown. He is currently signed with WWE, and works as President of Florida Championship Wrestling, WWE's developmental territory.
Much of Keirn's early career was spent wrestling as part of a tag team. While wrestling in Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF), he held the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship twelve times; once each with Bob Backlund, Jimmy Garvin, and Brian Blair, and nine times with Mike Graham. In addition, the team of Keirn and Graham won the NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship three times.
In 1980 and 1981, Keirn focused on his career as a singles wrestler. He won many titles in Florida and Georgia, including the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title by defeating Chavo Guerrero Sr.. This title reign was recognized by New Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as the Los Angeles and Florida NWA territories, but not by the NWA as a whole, which considered the title vacant and held a tournament to crown a new champion. The title Keirn held was later renamed the NWA International Junior Heavyweight Title. Keirn also won the NWA National Television Championship twice, defeating Terry Funk and Kevin Sullivan.
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Stu Hart
Stewart Edward "Stu" Hart, CM (May 3, 1915 – October 16, 2003) was a Canadian amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. Hart founded Stampede Wrestling, a promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and associated wrestling school "The Dungeon." The patriarch of the Hart wrestling family, Stu was the father of many wrestlers, most notably Bret and Owen Hart. Along with Bret and Owen, Hart's trainees included future world champions Chris Jericho, Edge, Christian, Mark Henry, and Chris Benoit.
Hart played football for the Edmonton Eskimos in the 1938 and 1939 seasons. Stu Hart began amateur wrestling when he joined the YMCA in Edmonton in 1929. By 1937 he won a gold medal in the welterweight class from the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada. His amateur career peaked in May 1940 when Hart won the Dominion Amateur Wrestling Championship in the light heavyweight category. It must have been a bittersweet win for Hart as by that time the Phoney War had ended in Europe, and World War II had erupted. This led to the cancellation of the Olympics ending one of Hart's greatest dreams. Hart did enlist in the Canadian Navy and served as the Director of Athletics.
wn.com/Stu_Hart -
Sylvain Grenier
Sylvain Grenier (born March 26, 1977) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a four time World Tag Team Champion while a part of La Résistance.
Early in his life, Grenier played baseball, tennis and hockey at an amateur level, in addition to working as a model. He eventually decided to become a professional wrestler, and made his wrestling debut on November 9, 2002 for the Montreal-based Northern Championship Wrestling promotion.
Grenier auditioned for series one and two of Tough Enough, the reality television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment in 2001 and 2002, but was unable to attend the selection process due to visa problems. While he was in Florida training and taking part in a modeling shoot, Grenier met WWE producer Pat Patterson, with whom he became good friends. Patterson invited Grenier to attend WWE events for a few tryout matches under the ring name "Sly Grenier". Following a match, Grenier was offered a contract by WWE, and assigned to WWE developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling. During this period, Grenier made three appearances for WWE. The first was on the March 18, 2002 edition of Raw as a backstage security guard that was assaulted by Chris Jericho, the second as a referee that helped The Rock to defeat Hulk Hogan at No Way Out in 2003 and third at WrestleMania XIX.
wn.com/Sylvain_Grenier -
Tatsuhito Takaiwa
Tatsuhito Takaiwa (高岩竜一) is a Zainichi-Korean professional wrestler. Takaiwa is one of the more well-traveled junior heavyweights in Japan, having wrestled for New Japan, and Zero1, as well as making special appearances in All Japan and NOAH.
He formed a successful tag team with Shinjiro Otani during the 1990s and won the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Tag Titles in 1998 and 1999. He's a former holder of the Zero-One International Jr. Heavyweight Title, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title and a former holder of the Pro Wrestling Noah GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title, and the AWA World Jr. Heavyweight Title.
On February 15, 2009, Takaiwa debuted as the fifth Black Tiger, breaking the Black Tiger tradition of foreigners under the mask, by attacking Tiger Mask IV. On June 20, 2009, at Dominion Tiger Mask defeated him in a mask vs. mask match and afterwards Takaiwa revealed his identity by removing his mask. Takaiwa lost his mask as Black Tiger V for the second time on May 14, 2011, when he was defeated at a Toryumon Mexico event by Último Dragón.
wn.com/Tatsuhito_Takaiwa -
Tazz
Peter Senerchia (born October 11, 1967) is a retired American professional wrestler and color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz. Tazz is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he works as a color commentator.
He is best known from his tenure in Extreme Championship Wrestling, where he was a two time World Heavyweight Champion, a two time World Television Champion, a three time World Tag Team Champion, a two time (and the first ever) FTW Heavyweight Champion, and the fourth ECW Triple Crown winner (the final in the original ECW).
His World Wrestling Entertainment career as an in-ring performer came to an early halt in 2002 when mounting injuries forced him to retire and become a color commentator, which he continued to do until his contract with WWE expired in April 2009. Two months later, Senerchia debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling at their Victory Road pay-per-view under the ring name Taz and eventually reprised his role as a color commentator for TNA's broadcasts, replacing Don West.
wn.com/Tazz -
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. (born January 18, 1954) is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career. He is best recalled by mainstream audiences for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he wrestled as "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase.
Among other accolades in the WWF, DiBiase was the first WWF North American Heavyweight Champion, a three-time WWF Tag Team Champion (with Irwin R. Schyster) and the 1988 King of the Ring. DiBiase also created his own championship, the Million Dollar Championship. He was well known for his cutting-edge heel promos, which were often concluded with his trademark evil laugh; DiBiase has been described by WWE as the organization's "most despised villain" during the late 1980s. He held the WWF Championship belt in 1988 after purchasing it from André the Giant, but this period is not recognized by WWE as an official title reign. Nonetheless, DiBiase frequently performed in main event matches and has been cited as one of the finest in-ring technicians in history.
wn.com/Ted_DiBiase -
Teddy Hart
Teddy Annis (born February 2, 1980), is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Teddy Hart. He is currently working on the American independent circuit for promotions such as Jersey All Pro Wrestling and Dragon Gate USA. He has also wrestled for the Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración and the short-lived Wrestling Society X on MTV, and operates a wrestling school in Calgary.
Hart achieved a degree of fame when he became the youngest wrestler to be signed to the World Wrestling Federation. His subsequent release and controversial actions while wrestling on the independent circuit have earned him a measure of infamy.
Hart debuted in July 1995 at Rockyford, Alberta, where he teamed up with his brother, Matthew, for the first time, and defeated his cousin, Harry Smith, and TJ Wilson. In the Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling promotion, Hart teamed with Smith, Wilson and Jack Evans. In 2000, he wrestled for and was a key creative figure in the Matrats promotion.
wn.com/Teddy_Hart -
Terry Funk
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 held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once and ECW World Heavyweight Championship once (ECW awarded him the honorary lifetime title of ECW Champion due to his contributions to the promotion). In addition, he won the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship once, the IWA World Heavyweight Championship twice, the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once (the reign was under Eastern Championship Wrestling name), the 3PW World Heavyweight Championship once. 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.
wn.com/Terry_Funk -
The Honky Tonk Man
Roy Wayne "Presley" Farris (born January 25, 1953), better known by his ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American professional wrestler. A 1975 graduate from University of Memphis with a B.S. degree in Education, Farris coached high school football for two seasons at Munford High School in Munford, Tennessee. Currently working on the independent circuit, he previously worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF)--now WWE. He is best known for his first run with WWF, where he held the WWF Intercontinental Championship for a record 64 weeks, and lost it to Ultimate Warrior in the very first pay-per-view of SummerSlam. He is the cousin of professional wrestler and color commentator Jerry "The King" Lawler.
Farris began his career in Memphis Wrestling in 1978. He wrestled frequently in Birmingham, Alabama with SECW / CCW / CWF as Dynamite Wayne Farris. Originally a low-card wrestler, he later achieved greater success when he teamed with Larry Latham to form The Blond Bombers tag team with Sgt. Danny Davis as their manager. The Blond Bombers were involved in heated feuds with several baby faces across the two competing Tennessee promotions, appearing in both Nick Gulas Nashville based territory, and Jerry Jarrett's Memphis area. Their signature moment was the now famous "Tupelo Concession Stand Brawl" against Jerry Lawler and Bill Dundee. He then had stints in the American Wrestling Association, NWA Mid-Atlantic, World Wrestling Council, NWA Southeastern, and Stampede Wrestling through the early '80s, winning multiple singles and tag team championships in each.
wn.com/The_Honky_Tonk_Man -
The Undertaker
Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name The Undertaker. He is signed to WWE and is the company's most tenured competitor. Calaway began his wrestling career with World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) in 1984. He joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as "Mean" Mark Callous in 1989. When WCW did not renew Calaway's contract in 1990, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation in October and, after shortening his name from Kane the Undertaker to simply The Undertaker, has remained with the company since.
The Undertaker has two contrasting personas. The first is the role of The Deadman, an undead, occult-like figure, which has consisted of many different styles. He debuted his original Deadman persona during his own on-camera debut at Survivor Series (1990). At this event, the Undertaker was clad as a Western mortician. Next, in October of 1998, the Undertaker appeared as the leader of the Ministry of Darkness (with similar apparel). Since WrestleMania XX, the Undertaker has appeared as a hybrid version of the Deadman character, using elements of the previous Deadman incarnations.
wn.com/The_Undertaker -
Tiger Mask IV
Yoshihiro Yamazaki (born October 20, 1970), best known by his ring name Tiger Mask (IV) (タイガーマスク), is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Yamazaki is the fourth wrestler to portray the Tiger Mask image / persona; having used it since 1995. This makes him the person to have used the "Tiger Mask" gimmick the longest time.
The young Yamazaki was originally trained by the original Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) and The Great Sasuke and unlike Tiger Mask II and Tiger Mask III, Yamazaki has been endorsed by Sayama himself. He also traveled to Mexico where he trained in lucha libre.
He made his professional wrestling debut in 1995 for Michinoku Pro and became the fourth Tiger Mask, succeeding Koji Kanemoto. While working for Michioku Pro Tiger Mask IV won the “APEX OF TRIANGLE” Six Man Tag Team Championship with his trainer the Great Sasuke and Gran Hamada. Just over a year into his wrestling career Tiger Mask IV won the UWA World Middleweight Championship and held it for 3 months before being forced to vacate the title due to an injury. After returning from his injury Tiger Mask IV spent a couple of years working mid card and lower main event matches until he was finally given another run with a singles title when he won a tournament to crown a new British Commonwealth Jr. Heavyweight Champion in London, England. Despite it being called "British Commonwealth", the title was mainly promoted in Japan. Tiger Mask IV would later vacate the title due to an injury but was given a second reign with the title in 2000 that would last exactly one year shortly before Tiger Mask IV left Michinoku Pro.
wn.com/Tiger_Mask_IV -
Tito Santana
Merced Solis (born May 10, 1953) better known by his ring name Tito Santana, is an American professional wrestler whose heyday spanned from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, though he continues to appear on the independent circuit. He is best known from his time in the World Wrestling Federation. Competing almost exclusively in the WWF from 1979 to 1993, Solis helped bridge the gap between the 1980s "Rock 'n Wrestling Connection" era to the 1990s "New Generation" era. He also won the first match in WrestleMania history.
Solis played tight end for West Texas A&M University, where he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. The team was quarterbacked by future professional wrestler Tully Blanchard, who would introduce him into the world of professional wrestling. After graduation, Solis was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs during training camp. He played one season for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League, appearing in 13 regular-season games.
He pro debuted in Championship Wrestling From Florida in 1977, also worked in Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1977-78, until he joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1979. After a near 3 year run in the American Wrestling Association form 1980-1982 he returned to World Wrestling Federation in 1983.
wn.com/Tito_Santana -
Tony Atlas
Anthony White (born April 23, 1954) better known by his ring name "Tony Atlas" is an American bodybuilder, powerlifter, and professional wrestler who has held multiple titles and championships in each sport. He is also known by his bodybuilding title, "Mr. USA" (a distinction he earned three times), the nom de guerre the "Black Superman", as well as an alter ego named Saba Simba. He returned as an on screen manager for WWE, appearing on its now-defunct ECW brand.
Atlas started wrestling in 1975 for the National Wrestling Alliance World Wide/Mid Atlantic area. His debut, on July 10, was a tag team match with Bob Bruggers against Art Neilson and The Blue Scorpion. The match finished with Atlas winning the fall for his team with a sleeper hold on the Blue Scorpion.
Throughout his career he worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions, the World Wrestling Council (WWC), World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Among his regular partners were Tommy Rich (as "TNT"), Dick Murdoch, and Rocky Johnson. He was also the very first man to press slam and pin Hulk Hogan though Hogan's foot was on the rope and the referee didn't see it.[citation needed]
wn.com/Tony_Atlas -
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969) is an American professional wrestler, wrestling executive, and actor better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Currently, Levesque works in the front office of WWE as the Executive Vice President of Talent and Live Events, and as Triple H appears on television as the (storyline) Chief Operating Officer, and part-time wrestler.
Levesque began his wrestling career in the International Wrestling Federation as Terra Ryzing before joining World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994. After briefly using the Ryzing name, he changed his character to Jean-Paul Lévesque, a French-Canadian aristocrat which would be similar to his character Hunter Hearst Helmsley, that he used in his early years with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1995 onward. He later abbreviated his name to Triple H and adopted an alternative image in the D-Generation X (DX) stable. After the dissolution of DX, Triple H was pushed as a main event wrestler, winning several singles championships. As part of a storyline Triple H married Stephanie McMahon, who later became his real-life spouse. In 2003, Triple H formed another stable known as Evolution, and reformed DX with Shawn Michaels in 2006 and 2009. He is heavily involved in the writing process of WWE programming, and holds complete creative control over his television character's storylines, win/loss record, and championship reigns.
wn.com/Triple_H -
Victor Rivera
Victor Rivera was a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. Between 1967 and 1981, he held the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship 12 times, the NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship five times, the WWF International Tag Team Championship, and numerous other titles.
In the late 1960s, Rivera wrestling in Los Angeles' World Wrestling Association, where he won the WWA World Tag Team Championship with Pedro Morales.
In December 1969, Rivera teamed with Tony Marino at Madison Square Garden to win the WWWF International Tag Team Championship in 2 straight falls from Professor Toru Tanaka and Mitsu Arakawa. Rivera and Marino defended the belts successfully against teams like Killer Kowalski & Waldo Von Erich, as well as Kowalski & Krippler Karl Kovacs. They lost the championship against another undefeated team, The Mongols (Bepo and Geto Mongol) on June 15, 1970, 2 falls to 1 at Madison Square Garden. On May 13, 1975, Rivera and Dominic DeNucci won the WWWF World Tag Team Championship from The Valiant Brothers. That same year, he also teamed with a rookie Dino Bravo to challenge The Mongols (Geto & Bolo Mongol) for the IWA World Tag Team Championship.
wn.com/Victor_Rivera -
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon (born August 24, 1945) is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE. Upon acquiring World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), McMahon's WWE became the sole remaining major American professional wrestling promotion (until the national expansion of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor).
As an on-camera character, he can appear on all WWE brands (though the majority of the time, he appears on Raw). McMahon plays a character known by the ring name Mr. McMahon, based on his real life persona. In the world of WWE, he is a two-time world champion, having won the WWF Championship and ECW World Championship. He was also the winner of the 1999 Royal Rumble.
Vince is the husband of Linda McMahon, with whom he ran WWE from its establishment in 1980 until she resigned as the CEO in September 2009.
wn.com/Vince_McMahon -
Wade Barrett
Stuart Alexander "Stu" Bennett (born August 10, 1980) is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Wade Barrett. He won the first season of NXT in 2010 and made his Raw debut in June of that year, rising to prominence as the leader of the Nexus, a villainous stable composed of the NXT contestants. Barrett headlined five WWE pay-per-view events during the remainder of 2010, challenging for the WWE Championship in three of those.
After moving to SmackDown in January 2011, Barrett formed a new stable known as The Corre, which included former Nexus members. He challenged for the World Heavyweight Championship at the 2011 WWE Elimination Chamber and won his first singles championship, the WWE Intercontinental Championship, in March. Prior to his WWE debut, Barrett competed in various independent promotions under his own name, and the ring names of Stu Sanders and Lawrence Knight.
Bennett was born in Penwortham and lived in Preston, Lancashire until the age of six, when he moved to Wales with his family. He has an older brother named Martin. As a child, Bennett was a fan of "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Before becoming a professional wrestler, Bennett was a bareknuckle boxer while living in Liverpool. Bennett has a degree in marine biology from University of Liverpool. He worked in a science laboratory and later as a Recruitment Consultant at Venn Group's London Office, whilst training to become a wrestler.
wn.com/Wade_Barrett -
Wataru Inoue
Wataru Inoue (井上 亘, Inoue Wataru?, born July 27, 1973) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Inoue made his debut in 1999 on the Japanese independent circuit, then climbed the ladder to get to New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2004. He aligned himself with New Japan Junior Sekigun, a face stable created in order to counteract Jushin Liger's Control Terrorism Unit in the latter half of 2005. Within this feud against the CTU, Inoue became known for his physical toughness after surviving a brutal Brainbuster from Fergal Devitt in a tag match with Ryusuke Taguchi and Minoru as their respective partners. And another tag team match against Gedo & Jado where he bled profusely from his eyebrow but still picked up for the submission victory for himself & his mentor Kanemoto.
Along with making a name for himself in singles competition, he has also had success in tag team competition with Koji Kanemoto to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles in 2005.
wn.com/Wataru_Inoue -
Wikipedia Persondata
wn.com/Wikipedia_Persondata -
William Calhoun
William Dee Calhoun (August 3, 1934 – December 7, 1989) was an American professional wrestler, who used the professional name "Haystack" or "Haystacks" Calhoun.
The gargantuan wrestler was one of the foremost drawing cards during the industry’s “Golden Age” of the 1950s and 1960s, sporting his trademark white T-shirt, blue overalls, and horseshoe necklace. He is recognized as a chief pioneer of the sport’s super-heavyweight attractions.
Born on August 3, 1934, William Dee Calhoun grew up on a farm in McKinney, Texas; a rural suburb located in Collin County about 30 mi (48 km) north of Dallas. William was an unusually large child with an extraordinary appetite, it was said that he regularly ate a dozen eggs for breakfast; and by age 14, he already weighed 300 lb (140 kg). His weight continued to climb; and by the time he was in his early 20s, Calhoun tipped the scales at over 600 lb (270 kg), prompting his personal physician to suggest he did not have long to live, unless he reformed his diet.
wn.com/William_Calhoun -
William Regal
Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968) is an English professional wrestler, author and color commentator currently signed to WWE and competing on the SmackDown brand under the ring name William Regal. He is also known for his time in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Steven Regal. Having started his career wrestling on the carnival circuit in England, Matthews moved on to wrestle around the world in countries such as Germany and South Africa, before being called up to World Championship Wrestling in 1993. In 2000, after leaving WCW, Matthews joined the World Wrestling Federation (later World Wrestling Entertainment and now just WWE), where he became commissioner. More recently he has been General Manager of Raw, the 2008 King of the Ring and is currently the Official Match Coordinator for NXT Redemption.
Never a world champion, Matthews has, nonetheless, achieved considerable championship success in professional wrestling. Throughout his career, he has won more than 60 titles worldwide, including four in WCW and 13 in WWE. He has overcome multiple drug problems as well as a major heart defect during his career, and he has written an autobiography, Walking a Golden Mile.
wn.com/William_Regal -
Yoshihiro Tajiri
Yoshihiro Tajiri (田尻 義博, Tajiri Yoshihiro?, born September 29, 1970), is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently working in Japan as TAJIRI.
Tajiri had originally wanted to become a kickboxer and trained in kickboxing, but after watching countless wrestling matches from Mexico, he entered the Animal Hamaguchi Wrestling gym and soon won its test match tournament. He debuted professionally in 1994 for Michinoku Pro Wrestling beating Akihiro Yonekawa and also wrestled for Wrestle Association-R. On 16 October 1994 Tajiri made his debut for IWA Japan under his real name. In 1996 he joined Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre.
In 1996 he left CMLL and joined the hardcore wrestling promotion Big Japan Pro Wrestling in Tokyo. He debuted for BJW under the name Aquarius and beat Unicorn in his first match. On 19 July 1996 he beat Dr. Wagner Jr for the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship and lost it to him on 27 July. On July 23, 1997 Tajiri would team up with Ryuji Yamakawa to win the vacant BJW Tag Team Championship and lost it to Gedo and Jado on December 22. The team would regain the titles eleven days later and lose it to Shadow Winger and Shadow WX. He beat Gedo to become the first BJW Junior Heavyweight Champion he would later be stripped of the title when he left the company.
wn.com/Yoshihiro_Tajiri -
Último Dragón
Yoshihiro Asai (浅井 嘉浩, Asai Yoshihiro?), (born December 12, 1966), better known as Último Dragón (ウルティモ ドラゴン?), is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor. In addition to having trained in Japan, Asai learned to wrestle in the lucha libre style while working in Mexico. He is credited with popularizing the "Asai Moonsault".
Asai holds a record as the professional wrestler with the most concurrent championships. On October 11, 1996, he won the J-Crown, a unification of eight junior (lightweight) division titles from various international promotions. At the time, he already held the NWA Middleweight championship; during this reign he also became the WCW World Cruiserweight champion, making him the most decorated wrestler in recorded history. From December 29, 1996 through January 27, 1997 he was the active reigning and defending champion of ten titles, a record which still stands. Asai speaks Spanish fluently, and resided in Mexico for several years.
The name "Ultimo Dragon", which means "Final Dragon" in Spanish was initially used as a gimmick of Asai claiming to be the last student taught by legendary martial artist Bruce Lee, whose nickname was "The Dragon". The gimmick was later forgotten, but the name remained.
wn.com/Último_Dragón
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WWE Unauthorized - Owen Hart's Accident
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:23
- Updated: 26 Dec 2012
I own nothing this footage is from the DVD, WWE Unauthorized.
http://wn.com/WWE_Unauthorized_Owen_Hart's_Accident
I own nothing this footage is from the DVD, WWE Unauthorized.
Owen Hart News stories 1999
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:52
- Updated: 25 Dec 2012
News stories on the death of WWF wrestler Owen Hart.
http://wn.com/Owen_Hart_News_stories_1999
News stories on the death of WWF wrestler Owen Hart.
- published: 16 Sep 2006
- views: 3505683
- author: wwfnews818
WWE '13 Community Showcase: Owen Hart (PlayStation 3)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:43
- Updated: 24 Dec 2012
WWE '13 Community Showcase: Owen Hart (PlayStation 3) Download Details: caws.smacktalks.org Video Formula: www.youtube.com Facebook: facebook.com Twitter: twitter.com
http://wn.com/WWE_'13_Community_Showcase_Owen_Hart_PlayStation_3
WWE '13 Community Showcase: Owen Hart (PlayStation 3) Download Details: caws.smacktalks.org Video Formula: www.youtube.com Facebook: facebook.com Twitter: twitter.com
- published: 15 Nov 2012
- views: 7906
- author: Smacktalks
Ahmed Johnson talks about Owen Hart
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:29
- Updated: 22 Dec 2012
Original video property of HighSpots.com
http://wn.com/Ahmed_Johnson_talks_about_Owen_Hart
NoDQ&AV; #232: Owen Hart in the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame, Jeff Hardy's TNA contract, more
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:55
- Updated: 27 Dec 2012
Visit nodq.com for the latest WWE and TNA news! Add Aaron Rift on Facebook facebook.com
http://wn.com/NoDQ&AV;_232_Owen_Hart_in_the_2013_WWE_Hall_of_Fame,_Jeff_Hardy's_TNA_contract,_more
Visit nodq.com for the latest WWE and TNA news! Add Aaron Rift on Facebook facebook.com
- published: 21 Dec 2012
- views: 5418
- author: nodqcaw
X-Pac tells A Great Owen Hart Story
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:25
- Updated: 25 Dec 2012
This is from X-Pac's Youshoot. X-Pac here tells a funny Owen Hart Story about a match against his brother Bret Hart. Funny Stuff. If you want to see the entire Youshoot interview go to this website. "dvd available at www.kayfabecommentaries.com
http://wn.com/X-Pac_tells_A_Great_Owen_Hart_Story
This is from X-Pac's Youshoot. X-Pac here tells a funny Owen Hart Story about a match against his brother Bret Hart. Funny Stuff. If you want to see the entire Youshoot interview go to this website. "dvd available at www.kayfabecommentaries.com
- published: 27 Jan 2011
- views: 121761
- author: 45Yankeeclipper
Owen hart raw tribute
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:21
- Updated: 21 Dec 2012
Heartbreaking :(
http://wn.com/Owen_hart_raw_tribute
New 2012 Bret Hart / Lanny Poffo Shoot on Eric Bischoff / WWE Writers / Hogan / Warrior
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 25:10
- Updated: 26 Dec 2012
Bret Hart & Lanny Poffo Exclusive
http://wn.com/New_2012_Bret_Hart_Lanny_Poffo_Shoot_on_Eric_Bischoff_WWE_Writers_Hogan_Warrior
WWE '13 Community Showcase: Owen Hart (Xbox 360)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:47
- Updated: 25 Dec 2012
WWE '13 Community Showcase: Owen Hart (Xbox 360) Download Details: caws.smacktalks.org Video Formula: www.youtube.com Facebook: facebook.com Twitter: twitter.com
http://wn.com/WWE_'13_Community_Showcase_Owen_Hart_Xbox_360
WWE '13 Community Showcase: Owen Hart (Xbox 360) Download Details: caws.smacktalks.org Video Formula: www.youtube.com Facebook: facebook.com Twitter: twitter.com
- published: 15 Nov 2012
- views: 7704
- author: Smacktalks
Owen Hart Tributes 1/4
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:38
- Updated: 25 Dec 2012
Due to popular demand, here is part 1. enjoy
http://wn.com/Owen_Hart_Tributes_1_4
British Bulldog vs Owen Hart - RAW June 5th, 1995
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 15:17
- Updated: 26 Dec 2012
http://wn.com/British_Bulldog_vs_Owen_Hart_RAW_June_5th,_1995
EWF/FEC - Col. Brodey vs Owen Hart - During the 90's
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:38
- Updated: 26 Dec 2012
This is a match which took place in France during the 90's between Col. Brodey and Owen Hart. The match was for the Fédération Européenne de Catch (FEC) also known as European Wrestling Federation (EWF) created in 1985 by Jean-Claude Blanchet. This federation is now know as Wrestling Stars. Yep, you can call that a very rare match. Thanks to the german, 'cause without them we would have forgot about that ! Yep, Owen Hart wrestled in France.
http://wn.com/EWF_FEC_Col_Brodey_vs_Owen_Hart_During_the_90's
This is a match which took place in France during the 90's between Col. Brodey and Owen Hart. The match was for the Fédération Européenne de Catch (FEC) also known as European Wrestling Federation (EWF) created in 1985 by Jean-Claude Blanchet. This federation is now know as Wrestling Stars. Yep, you can call that a very rare match. Thanks to the german, 'cause without them we would have forgot about that ! Yep, Owen Hart wrestled in France.
- published: 24 Dec 2012
- views: 8
- author: xVinceWHCx
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Owen Hart Survivor Series 1997
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:47
- Updated: 23 Dec 2012
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Owen Hart Survivor Series 1997
http://wn.com/Stone_Cold_Steve_Austin_vs_Owen_Hart_Survivor_Series_1997
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Owen Hart Survivor Series 1997
- published: 25 Feb 2012
- views: 8287
- author: dennis6091
Owen Hart "wins" the WWF championship
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:24
- Updated: 24 Dec 2012
A Coliseum Home Video Exclusive lumberjack match! The result was overturned a minute later and the match was restarted. Bret ended up winning the match.
http://wn.com/Owen_Hart_wins_the_WWF_championship
A Coliseum Home Video Exclusive lumberjack match! The result was overturned a minute later and the match was restarted. Bret ended up winning the match.
- published: 18 Oct 2009
- views: 36321
- author: SmartApe
Monday Night Raw '95 - Bret Hart v. Owen Hart -- NO HOLDS BARRED
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:38
- Updated: 24 Dec 2012
The date is March 27. On the Raw before WrestleMania 11, Bret Hart meets his brother Owen Hart in the first-ever 'no holds barred' match on Monday Night Raw. Leading up to the big show, Bret has been preparing to meet the legendary and crazy Bob Backlund in an "I Quit" match while Owen Hart sets his sights on the tag team belts as he has threatened the champions the Smokin' Gunns with a "mystery partner". Check this one out, folks.
http://wn.com/Monday_Night_Raw_'95_Bret_Hart_v_Owen_Hart_-_NO_HOLDS_BARRED
The date is March 27. On the Raw before WrestleMania 11, Bret Hart meets his brother Owen Hart in the first-ever 'no holds barred' match on Monday Night Raw. Leading up to the big show, Bret has been preparing to meet the legendary and crazy Bob Backlund in an "I Quit" match while Owen Hart sets his sights on the tag team belts as he has threatened the champions the Smokin' Gunns with a "mystery partner". Check this one out, folks.
- published: 09 Oct 2011
- views: 17280
- author: WCWRULES4LYF
The Rock Tribute To Owen Hart
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:11
- Updated: 26 Dec 2012
Monday Night Raw, The Rock Vs. Val Venis, The night after Owen Hart died. May 24th, 1999
http://wn.com/The_Rock_Tribute_To_Owen_Hart
Monday Night Raw, The Rock Vs. Val Venis, The night after Owen Hart died. May 24th, 1999
- published: 19 Aug 2008
- views: 540293
- author: CyrusDeasel
The Top Ten Moves of Owen Hart
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:48
- Updated: 24 Dec 2012
This man is probably familiar to most, if not all of you. Owen Hart was born into one of the most famous wrestling families in history. Training with his father, he made his debut for Stampede Wrestling in 1986. Two years later, he traveled to New Japan Pro Wrestling, and honed his skills against future legends such as Jushin "Thunder" Liger and Hiroshi Hase. He would defeat Hase for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title, and also defended the belt against Liger. After losing the belt to Shiro Koshinaka, he returned to Canada, and was quickly signed by the WWF. To keep his identity as Bret Hart's brother, he was packaged as the Blue Blazer before returning to Japan. Here, he would face Liger more, including a match for the Best of the Super Juniors Tournament. Before leaving, he would also face off against Wild Pegasus. He would soon return to the WWF, where he would team with Jim Neidhart as the New Hart Foundation. Upon Neidhart's departure, Owen's future was uncertain, and he traveled to Pro Wrestling WAR to compete against Ultimo Dragon. Back in the WWF, he would be paired with big brother Bret, and the two proved to be a popular team. However, as Owen watched his brother become WWF World Champion, Owen grew envious. He would get into a heated confrontation with his brother at the 1993 Survivor Series, and disappeared. Upon returning, it was revealed that the two worked things out over the Holidays, and the two set their sights on the WWF World Tag Team Titles at the Royal ...
http://wn.com/The_Top_Ten_Moves_of_Owen_Hart
This man is probably familiar to most, if not all of you. Owen Hart was born into one of the most famous wrestling families in history. Training with his father, he made his debut for Stampede Wrestling in 1986. Two years later, he traveled to New Japan Pro Wrestling, and honed his skills against future legends such as Jushin "Thunder" Liger and Hiroshi Hase. He would defeat Hase for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title, and also defended the belt against Liger. After losing the belt to Shiro Koshinaka, he returned to Canada, and was quickly signed by the WWF. To keep his identity as Bret Hart's brother, he was packaged as the Blue Blazer before returning to Japan. Here, he would face Liger more, including a match for the Best of the Super Juniors Tournament. Before leaving, he would also face off against Wild Pegasus. He would soon return to the WWF, where he would team with Jim Neidhart as the New Hart Foundation. Upon Neidhart's departure, Owen's future was uncertain, and he traveled to Pro Wrestling WAR to compete against Ultimo Dragon. Back in the WWF, he would be paired with big brother Bret, and the two proved to be a popular team. However, as Owen watched his brother become WWF World Champion, Owen grew envious. He would get into a heated confrontation with his brother at the 1993 Survivor Series, and disappeared. Upon returning, it was revealed that the two worked things out over the Holidays, and the two set their sights on the WWF World Tag Team Titles at the Royal ...
- published: 19 Jun 2011
- views: 11896
- author: TheSuicidalDragon
Will Owen Hart FINALLY get inducted into WWE Hall of Fame?
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:46
- Updated: 25 Dec 2012
LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE SHOW: solomonster.podbean.com twitter.com www.sescoops.com From "Solomonster Sounds Off," host Solomonster examines whether WWE will finally induct Owen Hart into it's Hall of Fame. While Owen certainly is deserving on the honor, it's a very difficult situation given the way that he died and the legal situation with his widow Martha Hart. CC Photo Attribution By Mandy Coombes ([1]) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (creativecommons.org via Wikimedia Commons CC Photo Usage License: creativecommons.org
http://wn.com/Will_Owen_Hart_FINALLY_get_inducted_into_WWE_Hall_of_Fame?
LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE SHOW: solomonster.podbean.com twitter.com www.sescoops.com From "Solomonster Sounds Off," host Solomonster examines whether WWE will finally induct Owen Hart into it's Hall of Fame. While Owen certainly is deserving on the honor, it's a very difficult situation given the way that he died and the legal situation with his widow Martha Hart. CC Photo Attribution By Mandy Coombes ([1]) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (creativecommons.org via Wikimedia Commons CC Photo Usage License: creativecommons.org
- published: 02 Sep 2012
- views: 5484
- author: TVTraX
Bret Hart vs Chris Benoit (Owen Hart Tribute Match)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 26:25
- Updated: 26 Dec 2012
Owen Hart tribute match RIP Owen Hart, Chris, Nancy and Daniel Benoit
http://wn.com/Bret_Hart_vs_Chris_Benoit_Owen_Hart_Tribute_Match
Owen Hart tribute match RIP Owen Hart, Chris, Nancy and Daniel Benoit
- published: 19 Dec 2011
- views: 39965
- author: Terev316
WWE 13 - 5 Must Have Attitude Era Tag Teams
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:06
- Updated: 25 Dec 2012
Please support my content by dropping a 'Like' on the video - Thanks! ★ NEW UNIVERSE EP: www.youtube.com ★ ★ This is my 3rd video of the day, be sure to take a look back if you wish ★ Here are 5 amazing sets of CAWs for your WWE 13. Would be perfect to put in a Universe Mode or simply to play exhibition. All CAWs can be found on the Xbox 360 community creations. Great job to their creators! (Found in video & below). Let me know any other CAWs you want featured in some way! Headbangers - Dre41 T&A; - Dre41 Dudley Boyz - Luv2BeMe94 Hart Foundation (Owen & Neidhart) - The NOMODDER Hardy Boyz - Dre41
http://wn.com/WWE_13_5_Must_Have_Attitude_Era_Tag_Teams
Please support my content by dropping a 'Like' on the video - Thanks! ★ NEW UNIVERSE EP: www.youtube.com ★ ★ This is my 3rd video of the day, be sure to take a look back if you wish ★ Here are 5 amazing sets of CAWs for your WWE 13. Would be perfect to put in a Universe Mode or simply to play exhibition. All CAWs can be found on the Xbox 360 community creations. Great job to their creators! (Found in video & below). Let me know any other CAWs you want featured in some way! Headbangers - Dre41 T&A; - Dre41 Dudley Boyz - Luv2BeMe94 Hart Foundation (Owen & Neidhart) - The NOMODDER Hardy Boyz - Dre41
- published: 15 Nov 2012
- views: 3695
- author: 1o1GAMING
Owen Hart vs Tatanka - King of the Ring 1994
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:34
- Updated: 30 Nov 2012
King of the Ring Quarter-Final match
http://wn.com/Owen_Hart_vs_Tatanka_King_of_the_Ring_1994
Superstars 03/02/96
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 46:10
- Updated: 24 Dec 2012
Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) vs. Barry Horowitz Tag Team Title Tournament Quarter-Finals: Henry & Phinneas Godwinn vs. Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy (Al Snow's debut as Leif Cassidy) Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) vs. Tony Williams (Austin's last TV appearance under the 'Ringmaster' persona) IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) vs. Hakushi Jake Roberts vs. Sherdell Taylor
http://wn.com/Superstars_03_02_96
Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) vs. Barry Horowitz Tag Team Title Tournament Quarter-Finals: Henry & Phinneas Godwinn vs. Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy (Al Snow's debut as Leif Cassidy) Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) vs. Tony Williams (Austin's last TV appearance under the 'Ringmaster' persona) IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) vs. Hakushi Jake Roberts vs. Sherdell Taylor
- published: 03 Nov 2012
- views: 8861
- author: TheArmstrongCurse
Owen Hart (Blue Blazer) Accident
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:40
- Updated: 25 Dec 2012
Owen Hart comes flying down from the rafters only this time he doesn't die!!! He is supported by the pulleys. Next time his fate isn't that lucky with him.....
http://wn.com/Owen_Hart_Blue_Blazer_Accident
Owen Hart comes flying down from the rafters only this time he doesn't die!!! He is supported by the pulleys. Next time his fate isn't that lucky with him.....
- published: 10 Aug 2008
- views: 848697
- author: massori
photo: Creative Commons / Axou
24 Dec 2012
Steve Jobs was controversial in life, and now his high-tech mega-yacht is associated with a controversy long after his death. The former Apple CEO's ship was impounded in Amsterdam in the middle of a financial battle over a disputed bill. Phillippe Starck, a French product designer and architect, has alleged that Jobs' heirs owe him 3 million euros for his work on Venus, the 256-foot yacht Jobs commissioned before his death ... ... ....(size: 2.6Kb)
photo: Creative Commons / Giorgione
24 Dec 2012
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. A deadly silence immediately followed after a bullet penetrated the calf's skull. Against my wishes, Vic had decided against either amputating its leg or contacting a veterinarian-something he reasoned would have been too expensive. The unfortunate calf had slid down into a ravine where its hind leg, which was mangled and torn, became wrapped in barbed wire ... But it was more than a bellow ... 9....(size: 6.3Kb)
photo: AP / Musadeq Sadeq
24 Dec 2012
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan policewoman shot and killed an American adviser outside the police headquarters in Kabul on Monday, the latest in a rising tide of insider attacks by Afghans against their foreign allies, senior Afghan officials said. The woman, identified as Afghan police Sgt ... The woman was taken into Afghan custody shortly after the attack ... As many Afghans, the policewoman uses only one name ... Air Force Lt. Col ... Gen ... ....(size: 4.6Kb)
photo: AP / Hasan Jamali
26 Dec 2012
The six Gulf states have sharpened their tone against their neighbour Iran, demanding an immediate halt to its "interference" in their internal affairs while urging action to halt mass killings and violations of international law in Syria ... The council said they "reject and denounce" Iran's "continued interference" in their internal affairs that increase regional tension and threaten security and stability ... 419 Source.. Agencies. Share ... ....(size: 18.7Kb)
The Examiner
21 Dec 2012
One name that has been mentioned almost annually for possible induction is Owen Hart, a talented wrestler who tragically died in an accident at a WWE Pay Per View event in 1999 ... The Owen Hart Foundation led by Martha's effort has granted college scholarships to needy high school students throughout Canada ... Owen Hart in action....(size: 1.7Kb)
The Examiner
18 Nov 2012
Plus Stone Cold Steve Austin continued his rise to superstardom as he defeated Owen Hart to win the Intercontinental Title and gain revenge for the serious neck injury he suffered against Owen at SummerSlam ’97 ... But this show is remembered almost solely on the main event – Bret Hart defending his WWF Championship against Shawn Michaels ... - Stone Cold Steve Austin beat WWF Intercontinental Champion Owen Hart to win the Championship....(size: 9.3Kb)
The Examiner
18 Nov 2012
Stone Cold Steve Austin was a star on the rise in the WWF and laid out an open challenge to Bret Hart, who had been on hiatus through 1996 since his loss to Michaels at WrestleMania XII ... - Doug Furnas, Philip Lafon and Henry & Phineas Godwinn beat Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith & The New Rockers (Leif Cassidy & Marty Jannetty) in an elimination match ... - Bret “Hit Man” Hart beat Stone Cold Steve Austin....(size: 9.7Kb)
The Examiner
17 Nov 2012
Their opponents, loosely captained by Dean Douglas, featured former Tag Team Champions Yokozuna & Owen Hart and Razor Ramon, the team’s only hero and Douglas’ archrival ... - Shawn Michaels (captain), Davey Boy Smith, Sid & Ahmed Johnson beat Dean Douglas (captain), Yokozuna, Owen Hart & Razor Ramon in a Wild Card elimination match....(size: 9.9Kb)
The Examiner
16 Nov 2012
In particular Tatanka beat Rick Martel in a rivalry that had been brewing since WrestleMania VIII, The Big Boss Man finally got his hands on Nailz after being attacked back in May, and Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels finally locked up for the first time on a major stage after battling over the Intercontinental Championship all summer ... Ware & Owen Hart)....(size: 9.8Kb)
The Examiner
16 Nov 2012
The entire Hart Family match hinged on them getting their hands ... - The Hart Family. Bret “Hit Man” Hart (captain), Owen Hart, Keith Hart & Bruce Hart beat Shawn Michaels (captain) (replacing Jerry “The King” Lawler), The Blue Knight, The Black Knight & The Red Knight in an en elimination match. Bret, Keith & Bruce Hart were the survivors....(size: 9.2Kb)
The Examiner
16 Nov 2012
Related topics ... Advertisement. WWF Survivor Series ‘94 ... Backlund versus Hart in a Submission bout for the WWF Championship was very long, slow and plodding despite giving Backlund a historic second WWF Title reign ... Jeff Jarrett (captain), Owen Hart, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, Diesel & Shawn Michaels in an elimination match ... - Bob Backlund beat Bret “Hit Man” Hart in a Submission Match to win the WWF World Heavyweight Championship ... Pics....(size: 8.5Kb)
The Examiner
15 Nov 2012
14 that the many people inside the WWE have started pushing for Owen Hart to receive an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame for 2013. Owen Hart wrestled in the WWE from 1991 until his death in 1999 ... Owen Hart pushed for Hall of Fame induction ... While the WWE would love to honor Owen Hart in the Hall of Fame, his widow Martha stands in the way. Owen's brother Smith Hart said recently that she would never allow Owen's induction....(size: 8.0Kb)
The Examiner
15 Nov 2012
Owen Hart. The late great Owen Hart would be a moving induction after his tragic accidental death in a WWE ring in 1999. The Rocket would likely be inducted by his Hall of Fame brother Bret "the Hitman" Hart ... Owen certainly has the career resume to earn an induction as a King of the Ring winner, Tag Team Champion, and a classic showstealing match with Bret Hart at Wrestlemania X....(size: 8.5Kb)
The Examiner
15 Nov 2012
Related topics. WWEWWE Survivor SeriesCody Rhodes. Advertisement. Cody Rhodes suffered a concussion during his tag team match on WWE Main Event as well as a strained shoulder. PWTorch reported on Nov ... Shawn S ... Owen Hart pushed for Hall of Fame inductionJoss Whedon adds two new actors to 'S.H.I.E.L.D.'Ashley Greene talks 'Breaking Dawn 2' and changes from bookJackson Rathbone talks favorite 'Twilight' moments ... ....(size: 7.4Kb)
The Examiner
15 Nov 2012
Related topics. Sons Of AnarchyTheo Rossi. Advertisement. Theo Rossi stars on the FX television series "Sons of Anarchy" as Juice, someone who spent the early years of the show as a funny guy, but recently sees death coming at him fast and furious ... Photo credit. ... Owen Hart pushed for Hall of Fame inductionJoss Whedon adds two new actors to 'S.H.I.E.L.D.'Ashley Greene talks 'Breaking Dawn 2' and changes from book....(size: 8.2Kb)
The Examiner
15 Nov 2012
Related topics. TNA Impact WrestlingJeff HardyHulk HoganKurt AngleAustin Aries. Advertisement ... Kurt Angle came out and celebrated with him ... Owen Hart pushed for Hall of Fame inductionJoss Whedon adds two new actors to 'S.H.I.E.L.D.'Ashley Greene talks 'Breaking Dawn 2' and changes from bookJackson Rathbone talks favorite 'Twilight' momentsKellan Lutz talks 'Breaking Dawn 2' and 'Tarzan' ... ....(size: 8.1Kb)
IMC
13 Sep 2012
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| Owen Hart | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Ring name(s) | The Blue Blazer[1] The King of Harts[1] Owen Hart[1] Owen James[1] The Rocket[1] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 227 lb (103 kg)[1] |
| Born | (1965-05-07)May 7, 1965[1] Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Died | May 23, 1999(1999-05-23) (aged 34) Kansas City, Missouri |
| Billed from | Calgary, Alberta, Canada Parts Unknown (as the Blue Blazer) |
| Trained by | Stu Hart [1] |
| Debut | May 30, 1986[1] |
Owen James Hart (May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999)[1] was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The Blue Blazer. A member of the Hart wrestling family, Hart was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada the youngest of 12 children to Stampede Wrestling promoter and WWE Hall of Famer Stu Hart and Helen Hart.
Among other accolades, Hart was a one-time world champion: a one-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion; a two-time WWF Intercontinental Champion; one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion; one-time WWF European Champion and four-time WWF World Tag Team Champion. He was also the winner of the 1994 WWF King of the Ring. Hart has been cited by a number of peers as one of the WWF's greatest professional wrestlers.[2][3][4]
Hart died on May 23, 1999 when an equipment malfunction occurred during his entrance from the rafters of Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S., at the WWF's Over the Edge pay-per-view event.
Contents
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Professional wrestling career[link]
Training and independent circuit (1986–1988)[link]
Hart first gained wrestling experience in the amateur wrestling division at high school, through which he met his wife, Martha.[5] Wrestling was not Hart's first choice for a career; as Martha explained in her book Broken Harts, Owen tried numerous times to find a profitable living outside of wrestling.[6] As those attempts were unsuccessful, Hart was trained in his father's Hart Dungeon and made his professional debut in 1986 for his father’s federation, Stampede Wrestling. He remained with Stampede for the next couple of years while honing his skills. During 1986, Hart teamed with Ben Bassarab and won the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship.[7] The success of the team and Hart's in ring skills earned him Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Rookie of the Year Award in 1987. After he and Bassarab lost the tag team title,[7] he feuded with Johnny Smith and Dynamite Kid.
In 1987, Hart branched out to Japan where he wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) on several tours. In NJPW, he wrestled Keiichi Yamada both unmasked[8] and later under the Jushin Liger gimmick. On May 27, 1988, Hart defeated Hiroshi Hase for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.[7]
World Wrestling Federation (1988-1989)[link]
Hart's success in Japan and Stampede’s working relationship with the World Wrestling Federation led to Hart signing with the company in the fall of 1988. He debuted at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in August 1988 under a mask called the Blue Angel. Instead of promoting Owen as Bret Hart’s younger brother, the WWF decided to create a masked "superhero" type gimmick for him known as The Blue Blazer. The Blazer was eliminated at Survivor Series,[9] lost to Ted DiBiase on the March 11, 1989 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event,[10] and was defeated by Mr. Perfect at WrestleMania V.[11]
Return to independent circuit (1989-1991)[link]
Shortly after WrestleMania, Hart left the WWF to tour the world both with and without the Blue Blazer gimmick. He also returned to Stampede, until it shut down in December 1989. In 1991, Hart lost the Blue Blazer mask in a mascara contra mascara match against Mexican wrestler El Canek, thus bidding farewell to the Blue Blazer gimmick.[12]
World Championship Wrestling (1991)[link]
Owen debuted in World Championship Wrestling's self-titled TV show on March 16, 1991, the first of five TV matches he competed in, all of which were against preliminary talent. One of the bouts saw Owen team with Ricky Morton.[13]
Return to World Wrestling Federation[link]
The New Foundation (1991–1992)[link]
Hart had been engaged in contract discussions with WCW but the deal was never struck, as Owen was not willing to move himself and his family to the company's headquarters in Atlanta.[6] Instead, he signed with the WWF for a second time. In the WWF the popular Hart Foundation, composed of his brother Bret and real-life brother-in-law Jim Neidhart, had split up; Bret set out on a singles career while Neidhart was used sparingly. When Neidhart returned from a storyline injury, he joined Owen to form a team known as The New Foundation.
Owen and Neidhart first feuded with the Beverly Brothers. They then had their only pay-per-view match at the Royal Rumble in January 1992 where they beat The Orient Express.[14] Neidhart left the WWF shortly afterward, and Hart set out on a very short run as a singles wrestler, including a match at WrestleMania VIII against Skinner.[15] Shortly after WrestleMania, Hart was teamed up with Koko B. Ware to form the duo known as High Energy. They had only one pay-per-view match as a team, at the Survivor Series where they lost to The Headshrinkers.[16] The team was quietly dropped at the start of 1993 with Hart starting a singles career.
Feud with Bret (1993–1995)[link]
See also: Owen Hart and Yokozuna
In the middle of 1993, when Bret Hart’s feud with Jerry Lawler ignited, Owen stood by his brother’s side and fought against Lawler in the United States Wrestling Association where most of the WWF talent were considered the heels. Owen won the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship from Papa Shango.[7] Owen’s participation in the WWF vs. USWA feud was cut short when he suffered a knee injury in the summer of 1993 and was forced to take some time away from the ring.
Hart returned to the WWF ring in the fall of 1993, at a time when Bret’s feud with Lawler was temporarily sidetracked. Bret, along with Owen and their brothers Bruce and Keith, were scheduled to face Lawler and his team at Survivor Series. However, Lawler was unable to make it to the show, and as a result could not appear on WWF television. Lawler was replaced with Shawn Michaels. During the match Owen and Bret inadvertently crashed into each other, causing Owen to be eliminated from the team. Owen showed up after the match and had a heated confrontation with Bret, while Keith, Bruce and Stu tried to calm things down. This confrontation resulted in Owen leaving the ring to boos while his brothers and father watched in dismay and mother Helen cried at ringside. The following night Owen adopted the pink and black tights, sunglasses and Sharpshooter finisher to send a message to his brother. Owen, angry with being in Bret's shadow, challenged his brother which Bret declined. Instead the brothers seemed to reunite by the holidays.
.jpg)
Bret tried to make amends with Owen, teaming with him on a regular basis. Bret even secured the two a shot at the WWF Tag Team Championship. They faced the Quebecers for the title at the Royal Rumble in January 1994. Initially everything was fine between the brothers, but when Bret hurt his knee (kayfabe) and was unable to tag Owen in for a long period of time, the younger Hart got frustrated. When the referee stopped the match due to Bret's damaged knee, Owen snapped; he kicked his brother in the knee and then walked off, berating Bret on the Titantron shortly after as Bret was being helped backstage. This started his run as a heel.[17] After the act an infuriated Owen accused his brother of being selfish and holding him down. Owen admitted that it felt good to take out his brother. The two brothers faced off for the first time at WrestleMania X, where Owen cleanly pinned his older brother. Later in the evening, Bret won the WWF Title while Owen stood by and watched in jealousy as Bret celebrated in the ring.[18] Owen won the King of the Ring Tournament with Jim Neidhart’s help.[19] After the victory, Owen took the nickname “The King of Harts."
Owen and Bret feuded throughout the summer of 1994, clashing many times both in singles and later in tag team matches (with Bret joined by the returning British Bulldog). Two matches stand out in this feud: first, their Steel Cage match at SummerSlam for Bret's WWF Championship, which Bret won.[20] This match later recevied a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer. The second was a lumberjack match on August 17 that Owen initially won and was announced as WWF Champion; Bret won the match after it was ordered to continue due to interference.[21] At the Survivor Series, Owen struck the most damaging blow against his brother as he conned his own mother Helen to throw in the towel for Bret. The ploy cost Bret the world title to Bob Backlund.[22] Owen also prevented Bret from regaining the title at the Royal Rumble in 1995 when he interfered in the match between Bret and new champion Diesel.[23] In the weeks after the Rumble, Bret and Owen clashed again with Bret soundly defeating his brother, thus putting an end to their feud for the time being.
Owen rebounded from the loss to Bret by winning the WWF Tag Team title from The Smoking Gunns at WrestleMania XI.[7] Owen, who was joined by a "Mystery Partner", had challenged the Gunns to a title match; the partner turned out to be former world champion Yokozuna.[24][25] After the victory Owen took Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji as his managers, who already managed Yokozuna. The team defended the title for 5 months until they lost them to Shawn Michaels and Diesel at In Your House 3. They would briefly hold the title a second time when the belts were handed back to them[26] before the Smoking Gunns regained the title.[7] Owen and Yokozuna would continue to team off and on until the end of the year.
Team with The British Bulldog (1996–1997)[link]
Main article: Owen Hart and The British Bulldog
File:Owen Hart in 1995.jpg
Hart making his entrance to the ring
In 1995, Owen's brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith turned heel and joined the Camp Cornette stable. During the summer of 1996 the two brothers in law started to team up more and more, sometimes alongside Vader who was also a member of Camp Cornette.[27] Owen was also a color commentator for the 1996 King of the Ring (exhibiting clear partisan support for Vader and Smith) and during this time wore a cast on his right forearm for several months, feigning a nagging injury to subsequently use his cast as a weapon during his matches.
In September 1996, Bulldog and Hart earned a pay-per-view shot at the tag team title at In Your House 10.[28] Owen and Bulldog left with the gold after defeating the Smoking Gunns.[7][29] They also left with a new manager as Clarence Mason had conned Jim Cornette into signing over the contracts of the new champions. Signs of dissension, however, slowly started to show. One occasion where this was evident was at the Royal Rumble when Hart accidentally eliminated Bulldog.[30] After the Rumble, Bulldog fired Mason, something which did not sit well with Hart. Another bone of contention between the two was the newly created WWF European Championship; both men had fought their way to the finals to crown the first champion with Bulldog coming out as the victor.[7]
After retaining the tag team title against the Headbangers by disqualification on the March 24, 1997 edition of Monday Night Raw, the tension between the two bubbled over. An incensed Hart demanded a shot at Bulldog’s European title the next week.[31] The match was booked for March 31; on the night, the two went at it with such intensity that many thought the tag team champions had finally gone their separate ways. Then in a shocking moment, the recently turned heel Bret Hart appeared at ringside and stopped the match. Bret appealed to both Owen and Bulldog, talking about the importance of family.[32] They agreed to put their differences aside and join with Bret to form the new Hart Foundation, an anti-American stable that also included Hart in-law Jim Neidhart and Hart family friend Brian Pillman.
The Hart Foundation (1997)[link]
Main article: The Hart Foundation
After forming the Hart Foundation, Owen quickly gained singles gold of his own as he pinned Rocky Maivia to win his first WWF Intercontinental Championship.[7][33] This meant that the Hart Foundation held every WWF title except the World title, cementing their dominance over the federation. It was not all success for Owen, though, as he and the British Bulldog lost their tag team title to Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels on May 25, 1997.[7] He began feuding with Austin shortly thereafter.
Owen and Bulldog got a second chance at regaining the tag team titles after Michaels vacated his half of the championship due to an injury. On the July 14, 1997 edition of Raw the two entered a tournament and won to face Austin and a partner of his choice that evening for the vacant titles. That partner turned out to be Dude Love, who declared himself to be Austin's partner and helped him defeat Hart and Bulldog for the tag team championship.
At SummerSlam in August, Hart was to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Austin in a "Kiss My Ass" match, where Hart put the title up against Austin having to kiss his buttocks if he lost. During the match, Hart botched a piledriver and dropped Austin on the top of his head, injuring his neck.[34] Austin won the title from Hart that evening,[7] but due to the injury was forced to vacate the title. Although the entire situation was an accident, the WWF decided to make it part of the storyline as Owen began wearing a t-shirt patterned after Austin's that read "Owen 3:16/I Just Broke Your Neck". Hart was then entered into a tournament to crown a new champion.
Hart fought his way to the finals of the tournament to crown the next Intercontinental champion and was set to face Faarooq at In Your House: Bad Blood. Owen beat Faarooq with Austin’s help.[35] Afterward, Austin explained that he wanted to beat Hart for the title when he returned and would not allow Faarooq or anyone else to beat him. After Hart retained the title twice by disqualification between Bad Blood and Survivor Series in Montreal, Austin got his wish and defeated Hart for the Intercontinental Championship again.[7][36] Later that night, the Montreal Screwjob took place. Bret left the Federation after the event and both the British Bulldog and Jim Neidhart were granted quick releases from their contracts to jump to WCW. This left Owen as the only Hart family member remaining in the WWF, due to his contractual obligations. Unlike Smith and Neidhart, Vince McMahon did not grant Owen a release from his contract and Owen remained with the company. He was skeptical about returning to WCW anyway, as he was not confident that the organization would use him correctly. Bret has said that the biggest reason Owen did not make the move was because WCW president Eric Bischoff was unwilling to match his WWF contract.[37]
The Black Hart and Nation of Domination (1997–1998)[link]
Main article: Nation of Domination
Hart was not seen or mentioned on WWF programming until he made a surprise appearance after Shawn Michaels retained his title following a disqualification loss to Ken Shamrock at In Your House: D-Generation X where he attacked Michaels. Now a fan favorite, but with a new edgy, antisocial attitude, Hart became known as "The Lone Hart" and also "The Black Hart".[38] Owen had a feud with DX and challenged Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship on the December 29, 1997 edition of Raw: Hart had Michaels locked in the sharpshooter when Triple H interfered in order to save Michaels' title, giving Hart the victory by disqualification.[39] He later won the European title from Triple H, although not directly.[40] Goldust dressed up as Triple H in an attempt to swerve Hart, but Commissioner Slaughter considered him to be a legitimate replacement.[7][40] Hart later suffered a kayfabe ankle injury during a match involving Triple H. When Hart joined the commentary at ringside, Triple H managed to draw Owen into an impromptu title match and regained the title. Chyna interfered while the referee wasn't looking and while Triple H was distracting the referee, she struck Hart behind the left knee with a baseball bat, picked him up and threw him back into the ring where Triple H put Hart in a reverse ankle lock to his injured right ankle to win the Europeon Championship under referees discretion in controversial fashion. [7]
Four weeks after WrestleMania, during a tag team match with Ken Shamrock against D'Lo Brown and Rocky Maivia (later known as The Rock), Hart turned on Shamrock, "snapping" his ankle and "biting his ear" in the process.[41] After the attack on Shamrock, Hart became the co-leader, with The Rock, of the Nation of Domination, claiming that “Enough is enough and it’s time for a change". The Nation’s first big feud after Hart joined was against DX. It was during this feud that D-Generation X parodied the Nation of Domination. The imitation was complete with Jason Sensation dressing up as Hart and coining the phrase “I am not a nugget"; this was in response to Shawn Michaels referring to Owen as a nugget of feces sticking to the side of a toilet bowl, and no matter how many times Shawn Michaels flushed, it kept sticking around and he was unable to get rid of it. "Nugget" became a derisive term that followed Hart for the rest of his career. Hart’s participation in the DX feud was sidetracked when Shamrock returned from injuries dead set on getting revenge on Hart. The two split a pair of specialty matches on pay-per-view,[42][43] but nothing was ever conclusively settled between them.
Teaming with Jeff Jarrett (1998–1999)[link]
Hart remained with the Nation throughout the year until the stable slowly dissolved. After SummerSlam, he teamed with Jeff Jarrett. Hart and Jarrett had Jarrett's manager Debra in their corner. During this time a storyline was proposed that Hart was supposed to have an on-screen affair with Debra, something which Owen turned down.[6]
After a match in which Hart "accidentally injured" Dan Severn, Hart seemingly quit the WWF.[44] Playing off the legitimate injury Hart had inflicted on Austin the year before, the angle blurred the lines between reality and "storyline". Yet as soon as Hart "quit", the Blue Blazer appeared in the WWF claiming to in no way be Hart despite it being very obvious who was under the mask. Unlike the first run of the character, the Blazer was now an overbearing, self-righteous heel who treated the edgy Attitude Era WWF with disdain. Hart and Jarrett ended up making the storyline comical. To prove that Hart was not the Blazer, he showed up beside the Blue Blazer, who was a masked Jarrett. In a later attempt to prove that neither Hart or Jarrett was the Blazer, they both appeared next to a man in the Blue Blazer mask; however, it was obvious that a black man was under the mask (Hart's former tag team partner Koko B. Ware).[1] On January 25, 1999, in the midst of the Blue Blazer angle Hart and Jarrett defeated Ken Shamrock and The Big Boss Man for the tag team title.[7][45] They continued to team together until Hart's death in May during the Over the Edge pay-per-view event.
Personal life[link]
He met Martha Joan Patterson in 1982.[citation needed]They married on July 1, 1989, and they had two children. Oje Edward Hart was born on March 5, 1992 and Athena Christie Hart was born on September 23, 1995.[citation needed]
On May 28, 2011- Owen was inducted into the Legends Pro Wrestling "Hall of Fame" by Jack Blaze in Wheeling, WV at their "LPW Hart & Soul Tour" event. The award was accepted by his brother-in-law Jim Neidhart who was also inducted that night.
Death[link]
On May 23, 1999, Hart fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri during the Over the Edge pay-per-view event.[46] Hart was in the process of being lowered via harness and grapple line into the ring from the rafters of Kemper Arena for a booked Intercontinental Championship match against The Godfather. In keeping with the Blazer's new "buffoonish superhero" character, he was to begin a dramatic entrance, being lowered to just above ring level, at which time he would act "entangled", then release himself from the safety harness and fall flat on his face for comedic effect—this necessitated the use of a quick release mechanism. It was an elaboration on a Blue Blazer stunt done previously on the Sunday Night Heat before Survivor Series in 1998.[44] Many suspected the harness was made for lowering small tools to carpenters, not for any human being. Hart fell 78 feet (24 m) into the ring, landing chest-first on the top rope, approximately a foot from the nearest turnbuckle, throwing him into the ring.[47]
Hart had performed the stunt only a few times before and was worried about performing the stunt at Kemper due to the height involved. Hart's wife Martha has suggested that, by moving around to get comfortable with both the harness and his cape on, Hart unintentionally triggered an early release. Television viewers at home did not see the incident or its aftermath—at the moment of the fall, a pre-taped vignette was being shown on the pay-per-view broadcast as well as on the monitors in the darkened arena. After, while Hart was being worked on by medical personnel inside the ring, the live event's broadcast showed only the audience. Meanwhile, WWF television announcer Jim Ross repeatedly told those watching live on pay-per-view that what had just transpired was not a wrestling angle or storyline and that Hart was hurt badly, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation.[48] Hart was transported to Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, where several attempts to revive him were made, until he died from his injuries; some believe he died in the ring.[49] He was 34 years old. The cause was later revealed to be internal bleeding from blunt chest trauma. [50]
Controversy and lawsuit[link]
The WWF management controversially chose to continue the event.[51] Later, Jim Ross announced the death of Hart to the home viewers during the pay-per-view, but not to the crowd in the arena.[52] While the show did go on, it has never been released commercially by WWF Home Video. In the weeks that followed, much attention was focused on the harness Hart used that night, especially on the "quick release" trigger and safety latches. When someone is lowered from the rafters in a harness, there are backup latches that must be latched for safety purposes.
Three weeks after the event, the Hart family sued the WWF over how dangerous and poorly planned the stunt was, and that the harness system was defective.[53] After over a year and a half into the case, a settlement was reached on November 2, 2000, which saw the WWF give the Hart family $18 million.[54][55][56] The manufacturer of the harness system was also a defendant against the Hart family, but they were dismissed from the case after the settlement was reached.[53][54] Martha used millions of the settlement to establish the Owen Hart Foundation.[57] Martha wrote a book about Hart's life in 2002 called Broken Harts: The Life and Death of Owen Hart.[6]
In his DVD set Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be, Bret said that he wishes he had been with the WWF the night Owen's accident happened, as he would have discouraged Owen from performing the stunt.[58]
[edit] Raw is Owen
Raw is Owen is the name given to a special live episode of WWF Raw is War that aired on May 24, 1999, the night after Hart's death. It was broadcast live from the Kiel Center in St. Louis.[4] It featured shoot interviews from his fellow wrestlers.[4][59] According to Raw Exposed (a special that aired before the first Raw airing on its return to USA Network on October 3, 2005), WWF management gave all wrestlers on the roster the option of working or not. Nevertheless, ten matches were booked with no angles.
The show began with all the wrestlers, managers, referees and agents of the WWF (except WWF Champion The Undertaker and Kane) standing on the entrance ramp; Vince, Linda, and Stephanie McMahon were at the front of the ramp. Howard Finkel called for a ten-bell salute. Hart's former Nation of Domination comrades were emotional, most notably Mark Henry, who read a poem that he wrote in memory of Hart. A tribute video narrated by Vince then played on the Titan Tron.[60] Throughout the broadcast, personal thoughts on Hart in the form of shoot interviews with various WWF Superstars were played. Before the first commercial break, such thoughts were aired from Mick Foley and Bradshaw. Foley noted that Hart was his son's favorite wrestler and had proudly gotten a haircut like Owen's, although he also said his son did not quite understand that "nugget" was not a term of endearment.[61] Bradshaw talked about how Hart spent less money on the road than most wrestlers because he wanted to retire early and spend time with his family. Owen's friend and Nation of Domination partner The Rock also made a short speech before engaging in a short match against Val Venis. The broadcast ended with Steve Austin coming out for a special salute to Hart by climbing the turnbuckle and performing his famous beer guzzling routine, and leaving one beer in the ring 'for Owen'. The only notable absence from this show was The Undertaker as he decided to visit his real-life good friend, Bret Hart.
The tribute show scored a Nielsen ratings score of 7.2, making the highest rated show in Raw history. Shawn Michaels, in his Heartbreak and Triumph autobiography, notes that "Owen is the only guy you could have a 2-hour show for, and no-one would say a bad word about him." The next day, WWF taped the episode of Raw for May 31, 1999. During that show, Jeff Jarrett defeated The Godfather to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship,[7] the title Hart was booked to win for a third time at Over the Edge. Jarrett screamed Hart's name as the belt was handed to him.
In wrestling[link]
- Finishing moves
- As Owen Hart
- Bridging Northern Lights suplex – Early career;[62] Used as a regular move from 1994–1999
- Missile dropkick[1] – Early career;[62] Used as a regular move from 1994–1999
- Reverse piledriver,[1] sometimes while kneeling[1] – 1997–1999
- Sharpshooter[1]
- As The Blue Blazer
- As Owen Hart
- Signature moves
- Entrance themes
- World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
- "Superhero (V1)" As Blue Blazer
- "Rocket"
- "Enough Is Enough"
- "Enough Is Enough (Nation)" Used While Part Of The Nation Of Domination
- "Blackhart (V1)"
- "Blackhart (V2)"
- "Country Rock Theme" Used While Teaming With Jeff Jarrett
- "Superhero (V2)" As Blue Blazer
- World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
Championships and accomplishments[link]
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- Legends Pro Wrestling
- Inducted into the LPW Hall of Fame (5/28/11)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Editor's Award[66] (1999)
- PWI Feud of the Year[67] (1994) vs. Bret Hart
- PWI Rookie of the Year[68] (1987)
- PWI ranked him #10 of the 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1994[69]
- PWI ranked him #84 of the 100 best tag teams of the PWI Years with Davey Boy Smith in 2003[70]
- PWI ranked him #66 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003[71]
- World Wrestling Federation
- WWF European Championship (1 time)[40]
- WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)[33][35]
- WWF World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Yokozuna (2),[25][26] The British Bulldog (1),[29] and Jeff Jarrett (1)[45]
- King of the Ring (1994)
- Slammy Award for Squared Circle Shocker (1996)1
- Slammy Award for Best Bow Tie (1997)2[77]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- 5 Star Match (1994) vs. Bret Hart in a cage match at SummerSlam
- Best Flying Wrestler (1987, 1988)
- Feud of the Year (1997) with Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, Davey Boy Smith, and Brian Pillman vs. Steve Austin
1Awarded to Shawn Michaels for collapsing but Hart accepted the award for himself.
2After he presented the Award, Hart never awarded it to any of the possible candidates and instead stole it for himself.
See also[link]
References[link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae "Owen Hart Profile". Online World Of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/o/owen-hart.html. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
- ^ "Remembering Owen", Bret Hart, Calgary Sun, May 31, 1999 (archived at Slam Sports)
- ^ Statements on Owen Hart at wrestlingfever.de
- ^ a b c "Raw is Owen". Fortune City. http://olympia.fortunecity.com/bischoff/30/raw.html. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- ^ 411 Video Review: The Life & Death Of Owen Hart, 411mania.com
- ^ a b c d Hart, Martha (2004). Broken Harts: the Life and Death of Owen Hart. M. Evans and Company, Inc.. ISBN 978-1-59077-036-8.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "Junior 1988". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/japan/. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWF Survivor Series Results (1988)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/survivor.html#88. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event Results (#20)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/snme.html#20. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWF WrestleMania Results (V)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/mania.html#V. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ Lourdes Grobet, Alfonso Morales, Gustavo Fuentes, and Jose Manuel Aurrecoechea (2005). Lucha Libre: Masked Superstars of Mexican Wrestling. Trilce. ISBN 978-1-933045-05-4.
- ^ Cawthon, Graham. "WCW Show Results". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20070927005503/http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/wrestling/cawthon777/wcw91.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWE Royal Rumble results (1992)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rumble.html#9. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWF WrestleMania Results (VIII)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/mania.html#VIII. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWF Survivor Series Results (1992)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/survivor.html#92. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWE Royal Rumble results (1994)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rumble.html#94. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWF WrestleMania Results (X)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/mania.html#X. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWF King of the Ring Results (1994)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/kingring.html#94. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWF SummerSlam Results (1994)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/summer.html#94. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ Cawthon, Graham. "1994 WWF Ring Results". http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/94.htm. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
- ^ "WWF Survivor Series Results (1994)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/survivor.html#94. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWE Royal Rumble results (1995)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rumble.html#95. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWF WrestleMania Results (XI)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/mania.html#XI. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ a b "History Of The World Tag Team Championship - Owen Hart and Yokozuna(1)". WWE. 1995-04-02. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldtagteam/30445413212114. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
- ^ a b "History Of The World Tag Team Championship - Owen Hart and Yokozuna(2)". WWE. 1995-09-25. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldtagteam/30445413212123. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
- ^ "WWE PPV results (International Incident)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/miscppvs1990s.html#9. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWE PPV results (Mind Games)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/miscppvs1990s.html#10. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ a b "History Of The World Tag Team Championship - Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith". WWE. 1996-09-22. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldtagteam/30445413212222. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
- ^ "WWE Royal Rumble Results (Elimination Info 1997)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rumble2.html#97. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ Cawthon, Graham. "WWE Ring Results 1997". http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/97.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ Cawthon, Graham. "WWE Ring Results 1997". http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/97.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ a b "History Of The Intercontinental Championship - Owen Hart(1)". WWE. 1997-04-27. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/intercontinental/322536. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
- ^ Powell, John (2997-08-04). "WWF Summerslam '97 results". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/aug4_slam_results.html. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
- ^ a b "History Of The Intercontinental Championship - Owen Hart (2)". WWE. 1997-10-05. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/intercontinental/322544. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
- ^ Powell, John (1997-11-10). "Survivor Series screws the fans". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/nov10_wre1.html. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
- ^ Glicksman, Gavin. "Hart: I wish Owen was still here". The Sun. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
- ^ "WWF PPV Results (Degeneration-X)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/miscppvs1990s.html#19. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ Raw results: December 29, 1997. Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
- ^ a b c "History Of The European Championship - Owen Hart". WWE. 1998-01-22. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/euro/358458. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
- ^ Cawthon, Graham. "WWF Show Results 1998". http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/98.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWF Fully Loaded Results (1998)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/loaded.html#98. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ "WWF SummerSlam Results (1998)". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/summer.html#98. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ a b Cawthon, Graham. "WWF Ring Results 1998". http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/98.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ a b "History Of The World Tag Team Championship - Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett". WWE. 1999-01-25. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldtagteam/30445413213122. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
- ^ "Under the Edge 1999 results". Hoffco. http://www.hoffco-inc.com/wwe/ppv/ppv/ote99.html. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
- ^ "Owen Hart Biography". Biography. http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9542223. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
- ^ "Owen Hart Tragedy". Wrestling Gone Wrong. http://www.wrestlinggonewrong.com/video/owen_hart_tragedy.html. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
- ^ Jerry "The King" Lawler claimed this was the case at the end of the "Raw is Owen" special the night after the accident.
- ^ "Owen Hart". Mahalo.com. http://www.mahalo.com/owen-hart/. Retrieved 2012-05-17.
- ^ Powell, John. "Hart tragedy overshadows Taker's win". SLAM! Sports. http://slam.canoe.ca/OwenHart/may24_overtheedge.html. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
- ^ "Over the Edge 1999 results". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/wweppv/overtheedge99.html. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
- ^ a b Margolies, Dan (2000-11-11). "Deal approved in WWF case". The Kansas City star. Robb & Robb. http://www.robbrobb.com/NewsPressDetail.aspx?Id=70. Retrieved 008-01-20.
- ^ a b Skinner, Stephanie (2000-11-27). "Record $18M settlement for Wrestler's family". Robb & Robb. Archived from the original on 2007-08-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20070822145239/http://www.robbrobb.com/articles_Record-Settlement-Wrestlers-Family.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- ^ "Owen Hart Family awarded $18 million US". CTV. 2000-11-08. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1025827430770_21236630/. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- ^ "WWE Entertainment, Inc. Announces Settlement in Owen Hart Case". WWE Corporate. 2000-11-02. http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2000/2000_11_02.jsp. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- ^ "Hart family feud With WWF suit settled, dead wrestler's widow lashes out at in-laws". http://slam.canoe.ca/OwenHart/nov8_hart-sun.html.
- ^ Bret Hart (2005-11-15). Bret Hart: The Best there is, was and ever will be (DVD). USA: WWE Home Video. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0476487/. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
- ^ Zimmerman, Christopher. "Raw is OWEN results". The Other Arena. Archived from the original on 2006-10-26. http://web.archive.org/web/20010929153859/www.otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/history.cgi?1999/raw052499. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- ^ Cawthon, Graham. "WWE Show Results 1999". http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/99.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ Foley, Mick (1999). Have a Nice Day!: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. Regan Books. ISBN 0-06-039299-1.
- ^ a b "WWF 1993 results (do a page text search for "Owen Hart")". Graham Cawthon. http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/93.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
- ^ a b "WWF 1988 results (Do a page text search for "Blue Blazer")". Graham Cawthon. http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/88.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
- ^ "Jim Cornette profile". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/j/jim-cornette.html. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
- ^ IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners Editor's Award". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwiedit.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners Feud of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwifoty.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwiroty.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 1994". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi50094.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi500yr.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
- ^ British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ "Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (1948-1990)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003. http://www.wrestling-titles.com/canada/ab/hof.html.
- ^ USWA Unified World Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ "WWE Slammy Awards". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/wwf/slammy.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
External links[link]
- Owen Hart's Funeral
- Owen Hart at Find a Grave
- Bret Hart column mentioning he and Owen holding dual citizenship
- Bret Hart and Hart family News
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hart, Owen James |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Professional wrestler |
| Date of birth | May 7, 1965 |
| Place of birth | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Date of death | May 23, 1999 |
| Place of death | Kansas City, Missouri |
http://wn.com/Owen_Hart
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Owen Hart
http://es.wn.com/Owen Hart
http://ru.wn.com/Харт, Оуэн
http://nl.wn.com/Owen Hart
http://pt.wn.com/Owen Hart
http://pl.wn.com/Owen Hart
http://fr.wn.com/Owen Hart
http://de.wn.com/Owen Hart
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Hart
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Anthony Norris | |
|---|---|
| Ring name(s) | Ahmed Johnson[1][2] Big T[1][2] Moadib[1][2] Night Breeder[3] Siva[3] Tony Norris[2] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 305 lb (138 kg)[1] |
| Born | (1970-06-06) June 6, 1970 (age 42)[1] Kokomo, Indiana[3][4] |
| Resides | Houston, Texas[4] |
| Billed from | Pearl River, Mississippi[1][2] |
| Trained by | Skandor Akbar[3] Ivan Putski[1] Steve Casey[1] |
| Debut | 1989[3] |
| Retired | 2003[3] |
Anthony "Tony" Norris (born June 6, 1970), better known by his ring name, Ahmed Johnson, is an American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation, where he was a one time Intercontinental Champion, and the first African American to ever to win a singles championship in the company.[4] He is also the first winner of the company's Kuwait Cup.[4]
Contents |
Professional wrestling career[link]
Early years (1994–1995)[link]
After a brief career as a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys,[3][4] Norris began training under Skandor Akbar, Scott Casey and Ivan Putski. After making his debut in 1989, he competed on the independent circuit for the next few years before debuting in the Global Wrestling Federation in 1994 as Moadib.[2]
World Wrestling Federation (1995–1998)[link]
Debut (1995)[link]
Norris made his WWF debut as a face under the ring name Ahmed Johnson on the October 23, 1995 episode of Raw. Prior to his first televised match, he appeared at the end of a Raw taping by entering a post-match brawl and slamming Yokozuna. He made his pay-per-view debut at Survivor Series, as the team of Razor Ramon, Yokozuna, Owen Hart, and Dean Douglas took on the team of Johnson, Shawn Michaels, Sycho Sid, and The British Bulldog. In the end, Johnson, Michaels, and Bulldog won the match as the survivors of their team. At Season's Beatings on December 17, Johnson defeated Buddy Landel (who replaced Dean Douglas) in only 42 seconds. After the match, Johnson was interviewed by Jerry Lawler, at which time Lawler distracted him in order for Jeff Jarrett to attack him, starting a feud between the two in the process. At the 1996 Royal Rumble, Johnson defeated Jarrett by disqualification after Jarrett struck him with a guitar (Ahmed got taken to the Hospital because of a concussion from the guitar). At WrestleMania XII, Camp Cornette (Vader, Owen Hart, and The British Bulldog) took on the team of Yokozuna, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and Ahmed Johnson. Camp Cornette won when Vader pinned Roberts with the Vader Bomb. At Good Friends, Better Enemies on April 28, Roberts and Ahmed teamed up to take on Hart and Bulldog. While Jim Cornette had the referee distracted, Bulldog hit him in the knee with Cornette's tennis racket; he then forced Roberts to submit with a single leg Boston crab. After the match, Roberts and Ahmed attempted to put Roberts' python, Revelations, on Cornette, but Hart pulled Cornette out of the ring.
Intercontinental Champion (1996)[link]
At King of the Ring, Johnson defeated Goldust to win the Intercontinental Championship.[5][6] As the first African American Intercontinental Champion, most assumed it was only a matter of time before he climbed to main event status. He was soon paired on-screen with Shawn Michaels in several tag team matches and often helped Michaels against Jim Cornette and his men, known as Camp Cornette. At International Incident, Johnson along with Sycho Sid and Michaels lost to Vader, Owen Hart, and the British Bulldog.[7]
On the July 22 edition of Raw, Michaels and Johnson teamed again and challenged The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart) for the Tag Team Championship. During the match, Faarooq Asad debuted and attacked Johnson.[8] This was supposed to lead to a match at SummerSlam for the Intercontinental Title. On the August 5 edition of Raw, Ahmed won an 11-man battle royal, last eliminating the man whom he beat for the IC title, Goldust to be the #1 contender for the WWF Championship for the day after SummerSlam.[9] However, Johnson was diagnosed with legitimate kidney problems, and was forced to miss SummerSlam, and his scheduled WWF Championship match the following night.[1] As a result, he was out for four months and in order to keep the angle going, the attack by Farooq was said to be the cause of the kidney damage.[1] By the time the news was made public on WWF programming, the third (out of four) showings of Raw from Seattle taped on the same night as the attack had not been broadcast, and it included the 11-man battle royal which Johnson won. Voice-over correction was done so that Ahmed's participation in the battle royal was said to be against doctors' orders when in reality his kidney problem had yet to be discovered. The injury forced him to vacate the Intercontinental Championship, which was subsequently won in a tournament by Marc Mero. The title shot the day after Summerslam was given to the runner-up of the battle royal, Goldust.[1]
Feud with the Nation of Domination and departure (1996–1998)[link]
Main article: Nation of Domination
He returned in 1996 to enter a feud with Faarooq (who by then had a new gimmick and formed his own stable, the Nation of Domination). Finally, the two had an encounter at Royal Rumble 1997, where Johnson won by disqualification.[10] Two days later, Johnson and The Undertaker defeated Faarooq and Nation member Crush in a No Holds Barred match at the Triple Threat event.[11] He began teaming with the Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) and the three fought the entire Nation at WrestleMania 13 in a Chicago Street Fight.[12] At A Cold Day In Hell, he defeated Crush and Savio Vega in a gauntlet match before losing to Faarooq.[13]
Johnson eventually in June 1997, turning on WWF Champion The Undertaker and joined the New Nation, with Kama Mustafa, D'Lo Brown, and Faarooq.[14] Johnson was injured soon after this; he was scheduled to face Undertaker at Canadian Stampede for the WWF Title, but was plagued by injuries and was replaced by Vader.
The Nation turned on him after he recovered and returned in August 1997, which resulted in Johnson turning face once more. He restarted his feud with the Nation, and would reunite with the Legion of Doom as well as join forces with Ken Shamrock during the feud. At Survivor Series 1997, they defeated the Nation in a Survivor Series match.[15] His last WWF appearance was at the pay-per-view No Way Out of Texas in February 1998, alongside Shamrock and the Disciples of Apocalypse (Chainz, Skull, and 8-Ball) against the Nation.[16]
World Championship Wrestling (2000)[link]
Main article: Harlem Heat 2000
In late 1999, Norris signed a contract with World Championship Wrestling and debuted at Souled Out as a heel named Big T. He interfered in a match between Harlem Heat tag team partners and real-life brothers, Booker T and Stevie Ray. He attacked Booker, causing Ray to be disqualified.[17] Big T and Stevie formed the tag team Harlem Heat 2000.[17][18] At SuperBrawl, he defeated Booker to earn the rights to the Harlem Heat name.[19] At Uncensored, he and Stevie lost to Booker and Billy Kidman.[20] At Spring Stampede, they participated in a 5-team tag team tournament for the vacant World Tag Team Championship, where they lost to the eventual winners Shane Douglas and Buff Bagwell in the semi-finals of the tournament.[21] He was released by WCW shortly afterwards due to ongoing weight issues.
Retirement[link]
Norris stayed away from wrestling after his release from WCW until he wrestled his return match for Professional Championship Wrestling in 2002 against Jake Steele. He wrestled his final match in 2003 in a tag team match for Maximum Pro Wrestling, teaming with Monty Brown in a losing effort against Sabu and Gangrel. Since retiring, Norris began working for Booker T and Stevie Ray's Pro Wrestling Alliance wrestling school.[3][4]
Personal life[link]
Though born in Kokomo, Indiana, Norris also grew up in Auburn, Florida and Pearl River, Mississippi before taking up residence in Houston, Texas with his daughter Nina.[4] He endured a harsh childhood, where his father abused his mother regularly and abused him if he intervened.[4] While in high school, Norris excelled at football, basketball, amateur wrestling, and track and field.[4]
Norris attended the University of Tennessee from 1990 to 1991, but left soon after to play for the Dallas Cowboys.[4] After his stint with the Cowboys, Norris joined the United States Army, but was later discharged due to striking his captain over viewing his orders as "kind of cowardly."[4]
After retiring from wrestling, Norris returned to college and earned a degree in criminology from Huston–Tillotson University.[4]
Media[link]
Television appearances[link]
- Walker, Texas Ranger (1993) in episode "Unfinished Business" as Bruno[22]
Acting career[link]
- Witness to the Execution (1994) as Reggie Foster[22]
- Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story (2001) as Marion "Suge" Knight[1][22]
In wrestling[link]
- Finishing moves
- Pearl River Plunge (Sitout double underhook powerbomb)[1][23]
- Signature moves
- Managers
- Clarence Mason / J. Biggs[24]
- Cash / Kash[24]
Championships and accomplishments[link]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him #5 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1996[25]
- PWI ranked him #380 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003
- PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (1996)[2]
- Texas All-Pro Wrestling
- TAP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[26]
- World Wrestling Federation
- WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)[29]
- Kuwait Cup (1996)[30]
- Slammy Award for New Sensation of the Squared Circle (1996)[31]
References[link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Ahmed Johnson's Profile". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/a/ahmed-johnson.html. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Ahmed Johnson's Bio". Accelerator's Wrestling Rollercoaster. http://www.accelerator3359.com/Wrestling/bios/ajohnson.html. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Cagematch profile". http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=618&name=Ahmed+Johnson. [unreliable source]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Ahmed Johnson: Found!". http://www.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2005/07/03/1115819.html.
- ^ "King of the Ring 1996 results". Wrestling Supercards and Tournaments. http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/kingring.html#96. Retrieved May 20, 2008.
- ^ "Ahmed Johnson's first Intercontinental Championship reign". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/intercontinental/322520. Retrieved May 20, 2008.
- ^ "International Incident results". Wrestling Supercards and Tournaments. http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/miscppvs1990s.html#9. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
- ^ Podsiadlik, Kevin (July 22, 1996). "WWF Raw: July 22, 1996". The Other Arena. Archived from the original on February 12, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080212225059/http://www.otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/history.cgi?1996/raw072296. Retrieved May 23, 2008. "The Smoking Gunns (w/Sunny Gunn-Bodydonna-Godwinn and cake) vs. Shawn Michaels and Ahmed Johnson (w/Jose Lethargio) for the WWF Tag Team championship. At this point, the only thing that can save us is a cheesy ending, and here he comes, in even cheesier headgear. This oddly-dressed fellow makes a beeline for Ahmed and starts putting the boot to him. This fellow, whose gimmick seems to be on a sort of Roman gladiator theme, tries ramming Ahmed's back into the ring post and comes within two feet of hitting the mark. Jerry Lawler, much to our surprise, correctly identifies the newcomer as Ron Simmons." [unreliable source?]
- ^ Podsiadlik, Kevin (August 5, 1996). "WWF Raw: August 5, 1996". The Other Arena. Archived from the original on June 10, 2003. http://web.archive.org/web/20030610163015/http://otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/history.cgi?1996/raw080596. Retrieved May 23, 2008. "Raw Invitational Battle Royale (for a WWF title shot) involving: Bradshaw, Bulldog, Austin, Vega, Owen Hart, Mero, Mankind, Ahmed, Goldust, Sid, and Undertaker. At the last second, Goldie's feet catch Ahmed, and send him over the top rope. Well, no, as one of the participants managed to hook his legs over the top rope, thus saving himself while the other crashed to the floor. And your winner is.... Ahmed Johnson" [unreliable source?]
- ^ "Royal Rumble 1997 official results". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/1988114111/results/. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
- ^ "The Triple Threat results". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/wweppv/thetriplethreat.html. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
- ^ "WrestleMania 13 official results". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/history/wm13/results/. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
- ^ "A Cold Day In Hell results". Wrestling Supercards and Tournaments. http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/miscppvs1990s.html#15. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
- ^ Petrie, John (June 16, 1997). "Raw is War: June 16, 1997". The Other Arena. Archived from the original on September 4, 2001. http://web.archive.org/web/20010904035416/http://www.otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/history.cgi?1997/raw061697. Retrieved May 13, 2008. "Faarooq promises that the two new members of the Nation that he will be debuting tonight will be "bigger, better, badder, and blacker!" THE UNDERTAKER/AHMED JOHNSON (w/Paul Bearer) vs. FAAROOQ/KAMA MUSTAFA. Faarooq then calls in his newest NOD member: Kama Mustafa! Ahmed drops to the floor and shoves Paul Bearer down. Kama tags in and grabs him around the neck, applying a belly-to-belly suplex. He then covers for the upset pin, beating the current World Heavyweight Champion in his Nation of Domination debut. Ahmed climbs up the ramp and takes his rightful place alongside his Nation and raises his fist into the air." [unreliable source?]
- ^ "Survivor Series 1997 official results". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/history/1997/results. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
- ^ "No Way Out 1998 official results". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/history/1998/results. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
- ^ a b "Souled Out 2000". PWWEW.net. http://www.pwwew.net/ppv/wcw/january/2000.htm. Retrieved May 23, 2008. "Booker T vs. Stevie Ray. During the match, a man comes out (he looks like the former Ahmed Johnson from the WWF with a few pounds put on) and attacks Booker T. The bell is rung. He says that he and Big T are the new Harlem Heat!" [unreliable source]
- ^ "Harlem Heat profile". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/h/harlem-heat.html. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
- ^ "Superbrawl 2000". PWWEW.net. http://www.pwwew.net/ppv/wcw/february/2000.htm. Retrieved May 23, 2008. "Booker vs. Big T. Big T does a "Pearl River Plunge" on Booker for the win" [unreliable source]
- ^ "Uncensored 2000". PWWEW.net. http://www.pwwew.net/ppv/wcw/march/2000.htm. Retrieved May 23, 2008. "Booker & Kidman with Torrie vs. Harlem Heat 2000 with Jay Biggs and Cassius. Kidman does a Sunset Flip on Big T and gets the quick win" [unreliable source]
- ^ "Spring Stampede 2000". PWWEW.net. http://www.pwwew.net/ppv/wcw/april/2000.htm. Retrieved May 23, 2008. "Harlem Heat 2000 vs. Shane Douglas and Buff Bagwell Tag Team Tournament Match. After a Vertical Suplex by Shane, he pins Stevie Ray in this quick match to advance in the tournament" [unreliable source]
- ^ a b c "IMDB profile". http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0635911/.
- ^ "WCW Nitro report on January 17, 2000". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/2000013m.htm. [unreliable source?]
- ^ a b "WCW Thunder report on March 8, 2000". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/2000031t.htm. [unreliable source?]
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 – 1996". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. http://web.archive.org/web/20110522012052/http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi50096.htm. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2000). Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship history at Wrestling-Titles". The Great Hisa's Puroresu Dojo. http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/tn/uswa/uswa-uh.html. Retrieved May 20, 2008.
- ^ "USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship history at Solie". Solie's Title Histories. http://www.solie.org/titlehistories/uhtuswa.html. Retrieved May 20, 2008.
- ^ "WWE Intercontinental Championship history". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/intercontinental/. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
- ^ "WWF Kuwait Cup history". http://www.solie.org/titlehistories/kuwaitwwf.html.
- ^ "1996 Slammy Award winners". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/slammy.html#96.
External links[link]
|
|||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Norris, Anthony |
| Alternative names | Johnson, Ahmed; Big T; Moadib; Night Breeder; Siva; Norris, Tony |
| Short description | American professional wrestler |
| Date of birth | June 6, 1970 |
| Place of birth | Kokomo, Indiana |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Anthony_Norris
Related pages:
http://nl.wn.com/Ahmed Johnson
http://it.wn.com/Ahmed Johnson
http://es.wn.com/Anthony Norris
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Norris
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is about the American professional wrestler. For the Australian rugby league player, see Jeff Hardy (rugby league). For the Australian Paralympic swimmer, see Jeff Hardy (swimmer).
| Jeff Hardy | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Ring name(s) | Galaxion[1] Gladiator[1] The Iceman[1] Jeff Hardy[2] Mean Jimmy Jack[1] Willow the Whisp[3] Wolverine[1] |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[4] |
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg)[4] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[5] |
| Billed weight | 215 lb (98 kg)[5] |
| Born | (1977-08-31) August 31, 1977 (age 34)[6] Cameron, North Carolina[5] |
| Resides | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Billed from | Cameron, North Carolina[2] |
| Trained by | Dory Funk, Jr.[2] Michael Hayes[2] |
| Debut | October 15, 1993 |
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy[6] (born August 31, 1977)[3] is an American professional wrestler, painter, poet, singer-songwriter and musician who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).[7] He is also known for his stint with the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWE).
Before gaining prominence in WWE, Hardy performed for the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA), a promotion he ran with his brother Matt.[3] After being signed by WWE, the brothers worked as jobbers,[8] before gaining notoriety in the tag team division, partly due to their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches.[9] With the addition of Lita, the team became known as Team Xtreme and continued to rise in popularity.[2] As a tag team wrestler, Hardy is a six-time World Tag Team Champion and a one-time WCW Tag Team Champion.[2][10] Noted for his seemingly fearless airborne moves, Hardy's offensive toolbox more resembles a stunt man's than a pro wrestler's.[11]
Hardy has also experienced success as a singles wrestler and is a five-time world champion, having held the WWE Championship once, the World Heavyweight Championship twice and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship twice, a four-time Intercontinental Champion, and has held the Light Heavyweight, and European Championships once each. He is also a former Hardcore Champion, having held the championship on three occasions. Between WWE and TNA, Hardy has won 21 total championships.[10] He received his first major main event push in WWE towards the end of 2007, including challenging for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble in 2008, and eventually won the WWE Championship at the Armageddon pay-per-view in December 2008.[12][13] Hardy went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship twice, before he left WWE in mid-2009. He returned to TNA in January 2010, and in October of that year, he won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time. Moreover, Hardy is involved in motocross, music, painting, and other artistic endeavors.[14] He is currently a member of the band Peroxwhy?gen.[15]
Contents
|
Early life[link]
Hardy is the son of Gilbert and Ruby Moore Hardy, and the younger brother of Matt.[2][8][16] Their mother died of brain cancer in 1986, when Hardy was nine.[8][17][18] He developed an interest in motocross aged 12 and got his first bike, a Yamaha YZ-80, at age 13.[19] He had his first race when he was in ninth grade.[20] Hardy played baseball as a child, but had to stop after he crashed during a motocross race, injuring his arm.[20] He also played football during high school as a fullback and linebacker.[19] He briefly competed in amateur wrestling in high school.[21] He had to stop playing sports in high school, after he was ordered to pick between professional wrestling and playing sports, and he chose wrestling.[22] Hardy's favorite subjects in school were U.S. history and art, which he did for extra credit.[23]
Professional wrestling career[link]
Early career[link]
Hardy cites Sting, The Ultimate Warrior, and Shawn Michaels as his childhood inspirations to wrestle.[24] Hardy had been on World Wrestling Federation (WWF) television as a jobber—a wrestler who consistently loses to make his opponents look stronger—as early as age sixteen. His first WWF match was against Razor Ramon on May 24, 1994 in Youngstown, Ohio, with "Macho Man" Randy Savage mentioning on-air in a commentary role "Welcome to the big leagues".[25] The next day he wrestled against The 1-2-3 Kid, and the match aired on the June 25 episode of Superstars.[26] He occasionally wrestled as a jobber as late as 1997 (including a match against Rob Van Dam during the ECW "invasion" storyline that had Hardy billed as being from Virginia instead of Cameron, North Carolina)[27] before beginning his first major run in 1998.[8] Hardy, along with his brother Matt and friends, started their own federation, the Trampoline Wrestling Federation (TWF) and mimicked the moves they saw on television.[8] Later on, the TWF went under several different names, eventually being integrated into a county fair in North Carolina. The brothers and their friends then began to work for other independent companies. They drove all over the East Coast of the United States, working for companies such as ACW and other small promotions.[6]
Before arriving in the WWF, Matt formed his own wrestling promotion, the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA) with Thomas Simpson.[3] The promotion was a more successful version of the original TWF and included talent such as both Hardy brothers, Shannon Moore, Gregory Helms, Joey Matthews, and Steve Corino, among others.[28] In OMEGA, each of the brothers portrayed several different characters; Hardy portrayed such characters as Willow the Wisp, Iceman, Mean Jimmy Jack Tomkins, and The Masked Mountain.[3] While there, Hardy held the New Frontier Championship as a singles competitor and the Tag Team Championship with Matt.[3][29][30] The promotion folded in April 1998 when they signed contracts with the WWF.[31]
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment[link]
The Hardy Boyz (1998–2002)[link]
Main article: Hardy Boyz
The Hardy brothers eventually caught the eyes of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). After being signed to a contract in 1998,[8][32] they were trained by Dory Funk, Jr. in his Funkin' Dojo with other notable wrestlers such as Kurt Angle, Christian, Test, and A-Train.[6] When the team was finally brought up to WWF television, after months of 'jobbing' and live events, they formed the acrobatic tag team called the Hardy Boyz.[3] While feuding with The Brood in mid-1999, they added Michael Hayes as their manager.[3] On July 5, they won their first WWF Tag Team Championship by defeating the Acolytes, but lost it back to them a month later.[33] After the dissolution of the Brood, the Hardys joined forces with Gangrel as The New Brood and feuded with Edge and Christian.[3][34] This stable did not last long, however, and on October 17, 1999 at No Mercy, the Hardy Boyz won the managerial services of Terri Runnels in the finals of the Terri Invitational Tournament in the WWF's first ever tag team ladder match against Edge and Christian.[8][35]
In 2000, the Hardy Boyz found a new manager in their real-life friend Lita.[2] Together, the three became known as "Team Xtreme".[2] They continued their feud with Edge and Christian throughout 2000, defeating them for the WWF Tag Team Championship on two occasions.[36][37] At SummerSlam the Hardy Boyz competed in the first ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match (TLC match), for the Tag Team Championship against the Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian, but were unsuccessful.[9]
Hardy gained attention for his high risk stunts in the TLC matches in the year 2000,[9] 2001,[38] and 2002.[39] He made a name for himself as one of the most seemingly reckless and unorthodox WWF performers of his time.[40] In 2001, Hardy received a push as a singles competitor, and he held the WWF Intercontinental (defeating Triple H),[41] Light Heavyweight (defeating Jerry Lynn)[42] and Hardcore Championships (defeating Mike Awesome and Van Dam on two separate occasions).[43] At the end of 2001, the Hardys began a storyline in which they began to fight, which led to Matt demanding a match at Vengeance, with Lita as the special guest referee.[44] After Hardy beat Matt at Vengeance, while Matt's foot was on the ropes, Hardy and Lita began feuding against Matt.[45] In the middle of the feud, however, Hardy faced The Undertaker in a Hardcore Championship match and lost.[46] After the match, the Undertaker was scripted to attack both Hardy and Lita, injuring them.[46] On the next episode of SmackDown!, the Undertaker also attacked Matt, also injuring him, in storyline.[47] The Hardys and Lita were not seen again until the Royal Rumble, because WWE did not have another storyline for their characters.[48] The Hardys later came back as a team, and there was never any mention of their previous storyline split.[48]
In early April 2002, the Hardy Boyz began a feud with Brock Lesnar after Lesnar gave Matt an F-5 on the steel entrance ramp, which led to an angered Hardy seeking revenge on Lesnar.[49] At Backlash, Hardy faced-off against Lesnar in his first televised match.[50] Lesnar dominated Hardy and won the match by knockout.[51] Lesnar and the Hardys continued to feud over the next few weeks, with the Hardys coming out victorious only once by disqualification.[52] At Judgment Day, Lesnar gained the upper hand on the Hardy Boyz before tagging his partner, Paul Heyman, in to claim the win for the team.[53] In July 2002, Hardy won his third Hardcore Championship by defeating Bradshaw.[10][43]
Singles competition (2002–2003)[link]
After years in the tag team division, Hardy took on The Undertaker in a ladder match for the Undisputed Championship.[3][54] Hardy came up short, but earned the Undertaker's respect.[3] Hardy competed for singles titles on several occasions and defeated William Regal for the WWE European Championship.[55] Hardy was defeated a few weeks later by Rob Van Dam in a match to unify the European Championship and the Intercontinental Championship, and the European Championship was dropped.[55] Finally, the Hardy Boyz split apart, as Hardy continued to pursue his singles ambitions on Raw and his brother, Matt was drafted to the SmackDown! brand.[56]
In January 2003, he briefly turned into a heel (villain) after he attacked Van Dam and Shawn Michaels.[6][57][58] It ended a month later when he saved Stacy Keibler from an attack by then-villain, Christian.[59] In February, he had a brief program with Michaels, which saw the two team up.[54][60] Then, in storyline, Hardy began dating Trish Stratus after saving her from Steven Richards and Victoria in March.[61] Hardy and Stratus had a brief on-screen relationship that saw the duo talking backstage, kissing, and teaming together in matches.[6][62] Hardy, however, was released from WWE on April 22, 2003.[6][63] The reasons given for the release were Hardy's erratic behavior, drug use, refusal to go to rehab, deteriorating ring performance, as well as constant tardiness and no-showing events.[2][63] Hardy also cites "burn out" and the need for time off as reasons for leaving WWE.[24]
Independent circuit (2003)[link]
Hardy made his first wrestling appearance after being released from WWE at an OMEGA show, on May 24.[3] Using his old gimmick, "Willow the Wisp", Hardy challenged Krazy K for the OMEGA Cruiserweight Championship, but lost the match.[3] Hardy performed with the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion on one occasion.[64] Hardy appeared at ROH's 2003 show, Death Before Dishonor, under his "Willow the Wisp" gimmick, wearing a mask and trench coat.[64] Hardy was quickly unmasked and lost his jacket, wearing attire similar to that he wore in WWE.[64] Hardy was booed and heckled before, during, and after the match by the ROH audience, who chanted "We want Matt!" and "You were fired!" during his match with Joey Matthews and Krazy K, which Hardy won.[64] Hardy then took a whole year off of wrestling to concentrate on motocross and finish his motocross track.[14]
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004–2006)[link]
Hardy debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on June 23, 2004, at the Second Anniversary Show, in a match against TNA X Division Champion A.J. Styles, for the title.[65] He also debuted his new entrance theme "Modest", a song performed by Hardy himself,[66] and a new nickname, "The Charismatic Enigma".[3] The match ended in a no contest when Kid Kash and Dallas interfered.[65] Hardy returned to TNA on July 21 and was awarded a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.[67] Hardy challenged for the title on September 8, losing to NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett.[68] In October 2004, he won a tournament,[69] earning a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on November 7 at Victory Road, TNA's first monthly pay-per-view.[70] Hardy was defeated by Jarrett once again in a ladder match at Victory Road following interference from Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.[70] One month later at Turning Point, Hardy, Styles and Randy Savage defeated Jarrett, Hall and Nash (collectively known as the Kings of Wrestling).[71] Hardy went on to defeat Hall in a singles match, substituting for Héctor Garza at Final Resolution on January 16, 2005.[72]
At Against All Odds in February 2005, Hardy lost to Abyss in a "Full Metal Mayhem" match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.[73] Hardy returned the favor by defeating Abyss in a Falls Count Anywhere match at Destination X in March.[74] Hardy then went on to feud with Raven,[75][76] with Hardy booked to defeat Raven in a steel cage match at Lockdown in April.[77] Hardy was suspended from TNA after no-showing his "Clockwork Orange House of Fun" rematch with Raven at Hard Justice on May 15, allegedly due to travel difficulties.[3][78][79] Hardy's suspension was lifted on August 5, and he returned at Sacrifice approximately a week later, attacking Jeff Jarrett.[80] He wrestled his first TNA match in four months at Unbreakable on September 11, losing to Bobby Roode following interference from Jarrett.[81] Throughout October 2005, Hardy became embroiled in a feud with Abyss, Rhino and Sabu.[82][83] The four way feud culminated in a Monster's Ball match at Bound for Glory on October 23, which Rhino won after delivering a second rope Rhino Driver to Hardy.[6][84] In the course of the match, Hardy delivered a Swanton Bomb to Abyss from a height of approximately 17 ft 0 in (5.18 m).[84] Later that night, Hardy competed in a ten-man battle royal for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, which Rhino also won.[84] At Genesis in November, Hardy lost to Monty Brown in another number one contender match.[85]
Hardy was scheduled to wrestle on the pre-show of Turning Point in December 2005, but once again no-showed the event, again citing traveling problems.[3][6] Hardy was suspended as a result and did not appear on TNA television again.[3] In March, April, and May 2006, Hardy appeared on several live events promoted by TNA in conjunction with Dave Hebner and the United Wrestling Federation.[3][6]
Return to World Wrestling Entertainment[link]
Raw (2006)[link]
On August 4, 2006, WWE announced that Hardy had re-signed with the company.[63] In the following weeks, vignettes aired hyping his return on the August 21 episode of Raw.[86] On the day of his return, Hardy received a push and defeated then-WWE Champion Edge by disqualification when Lita pulled Edge out of the ring.[87] After failing to capture the Intercontinental Championship from Johnny Nitro over the next few weeks, including at Unforgiven,[88] Hardy finally defeated Nitro to win his second Intercontinental Championship on the October 2 episode of Raw.[89] On the November 6 episode of Raw, Hardy lost the Intercontinental Championship back to Nitro, after Nitro hit him with the Intercontinental Championship title belt.[90] One week later, Hardy regained it on the November 13 episode of Raw, with a crucifix pin.[91] This marked Hardy's third reign as Intercontinental Champion.[41]
The Hardys reunion (2006–2007)[link]
On the November 21 episode of ECW on Sci Fi Hardy teamed with his brother, Matt, for the first time in almost five years to defeat the Full Blooded Italians.[92] At Survivor Series, they both were a part of Team D-Generation X, which gained the victory over Team Rated-RKO with a clean sweep.[93] The brothers then received their first opportunity since Hardy's return to win a tag team championship at Armageddon.[94] They competed in a four-team ladder match for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but they came up short in their attempt.[94] In the course of the match, however, they inadvertently legitimately injured Joey Mercury's face.[95]
With Hardy still feuding with Johnny Nitro and the other members of MNM into 2007, he was challenged once again by Nitro at New Year's Revolution in a steel cage match for the Intercontinental Championship.[96] Hardy once again defeated Nitro.[96] Hardy then teamed with Matt to defeat MNM at both the Royal Rumble and No Way Out pay-per-views.[97][98] The next night on Raw, February 19, Hardy was defeated for the Intercontinental Championship by Umaga.[99] In April 2007, Hardy competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23.[100] During the match, Matt threw Edge onto a ladder and encouraged Hardy, who was close to the winning briefcase, to finish him off.[100] Hardy then leaped off the 20-foot-high (6.1 m) ladder, drove Edge through the ladder with a leg drop, seemingly injuring both Edge and himself.[100] The two were unable to continue the match and were removed from ringside on stretchers.[100]
The next night on Raw, April 2, the Hardys competed in a 10-team battle royal for the World Tag Team Championship.[101] They won the titles after eliminating Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch.[101] They then began a feud with Cade and Murdoch, with the Hardys retaining the Championship in their first title defense against them at Backlash and again at Judgment Day.[102][103] The Hardys, however, dropped the titles to Cade and Murdoch on June 4 on Raw.[104] The Hardys earned a rematch at Vengeance: Night of Champions but were defeated.[105]
Main event status and departure (2007–2009)[link]
In the midst of feuding with Umaga, who defeated Hardy at The Great American Bash to retain the Intercontinental Championship in late July,[106] Hardy was abruptly taken off WWE programming.[3] He posted on his own website and in the forums of TheHardyShow.com that it was time off to heal, stemming from a bad fall taken in a match against Mr. Kennedy on the July 23 episode of Raw.[3] He made his return on the August 27 episode of Raw beating Kennedy by disqualification after Umaga interfered.[107] The following week, on September 3, Hardy successfully captured his fourth Intercontinental Championship by defeating Umaga for the title.[108]
This was the start of a push for Hardy, and at Survivor Series, Hardy and Triple H were the last two standing to win the traditional elimination match.[109] Hardy began an on and off tag team with Triple H,[110][111] which eventually led to a respectful feud between the two.[111] The scripted rivalry continued at Armageddon, when Hardy defeated Triple H to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship.[112] In the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble, Hardy and Randy Orton engaged in a personal feud, which began when Orton kicked Hardy's brother, Matt, in the head in the storyline.[113] Hardy, in retaliation, performed a Swanton Bomb on Orton from the top of the Raw set and seemed to have all the momentum after coming out on top in their encounters.[13][114][115] Hardy, however, lost the title match at the Royal Rumble,[13] but was named as one of six men to compete in an Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out, where he survived to the final two before being eliminated by the eventual winner, Triple H.[116]
During the March 3 episode of Raw, Hardy appeared on Chris Jericho's "Highlight Reel" segment as a special guest, but ended up attacking Jericho.[117] This led to an Intercontinental title match on the following Raw where Hardy dropped the title to Jericho.[118] Off-screen, Hardy dropped the title after he was suspended for sixty days, as of March 11, for his second violation of the company's Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy.[119] Hardy was also removed from the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXIV after the suspension was announced.[119][120] Hardy returned on the May 12 episode of Raw, defeating Umaga.[121] This reignited the rivalry between the two, and they met in a Falls Count Anywhere match at One Night Stand, which Hardy won.[122]
On June 23, 2008, Hardy was drafted from the Raw brand to the SmackDown brand, as a part of the 2008 WWE Draft.[123] Hardy made his SmackDown debut on the July 4 episode, defeating John Morrison.[124] Hardy participated in the WWE Championship Scramble match at Unforgiven and also challenged for the Championship at No Mercy and Cyber Sunday, but failed to win each time.[125][126][127] He was originally scheduled to be in the WWE Championship match at Survivor Series, but, in storyline, was found unconscious in his hotel, allowing the returning Edge to replace him in the match and win the title.[128][129] At Armageddon in December 2008, Hardy defeated the defending champion Edge and Triple H in a triple threat match to capture the WWE Championship, his first world heavyweight championship.[12][130]
In January 2009, Hardy's next storyline led to his involvement in scripted accidents, including a hit-and-run automobile accident and an accident involving his ring entrance pyrotechnics.[131][132] At the 2009 Royal Rumble, Hardy lost his WWE Championship to Edge after Hardy's brother, Matt, interfered on Edge's behalf and hit Hardy with a steel chair.[133] The buildup to this feud involved Matt implying that he was responsible for all of Hardy's accidents over the past few months, and at WrestleMania XXV, Hardy was defeated by Matt in an Extreme Rules match.[134][135] In a rematch at Backlash, however, Hardy defeated Matt in an "I Quit" match.[136]
At Extreme Rules, Hardy defeated Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship in a ladder match. Immediately after the match, however, CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase, which gave him a guaranteed world championship match at any time he wanted, and defeated Hardy to win the championship.[137] Hardy received his rematch at The Bash, and won the match via disqualification, with Punk still retaining the title.[138] At Night of Champions, however, Hardy won the championship for the second time, by defeating Punk.[139][140] At the SummerSlam pay-per-view in August, Hardy lost the title back to Punk in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.[141] On the August 28 episode of SmackDown, Punk defeated Hardy in a steel cage rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship, resulting in Hardy being forced to leave WWE, in storyline, per the pre-match stipulation.[142] This storyline was put in place to allow Hardy to leave WWE to heal his injuries, including a neck injury.[143][144] Hardy also had two herniated discs in his lower back and was suffering from Restless legs syndrome.[143][144]
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling return[link]
Early storylines (2010)[link]
On TNA's first live Monday episode of Impact! on January 4, 2010, Hardy made his return to TNA, along with Shannon Moore.[145] He was attacked by Homicide after emerging from the crowd, but hit Homicide with a steel chair and performed the Twist of Fate on the Impact! Zone ramp.[145] He later appeared in backstage segments throughout the evening.[146] The following day, it was reported that Hardy had signed a new contract with TNA.[7] Hardy would make his next appearance for the company on the March 8 episode of Impact!, saving D'Angelo Dinero, Abyss and Hulk Hogan from A.J. Styles, Ric Flair and Desmond Wolfe.[147] The following week Hardy defeated the TNA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles in a non-title match.[148] On the April 5 episode of Impact! Hardy was introduced as a member of Team Hogan for the annual Lethal Lockdown match, where they would face Team Flair.[149] At Lockdown Team Hogan (Hardy, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett and Rob Van Dam) defeated Team Flair (Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode and James Storm).[150] At Sacrifice Hardy defeated Mr. Anderson.[151] After the event, Anderson turned face and eventually managed to convince the skeptical Hardy that he really had changed, after which the two went on to form a tag team.[152][153] At Slammiversary VIII Hardy and Anderson, now known as Enigmatic Assholes, defeated Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode and James Storm) in a tag team match.[154]
Immortal and World Heavyweight Champion (2010–2011)[link]
On the August 19 episode of Impact! the TNA World Heavyweight Championship was vacated and Hardy was entered into an eight man tournament for the championship, defeating Rob Terry in his first round match.[155] At the semifinals at No Surrender Hardy first wrestled Kurt Angle to a twenty minute time-limit draw, after which Eric Bischoff ordered a five minute period of extra time. After that and a second five minute extra time period also ended in draws, it was ruled that Angle was unable to continue and the match ended in a no contest.[156] After wrestling a draw on the September 16 episode of Impact!, it was announced that both Hardy and Angle would advance to the finals at Bound for Glory, where they would compete with Mr. Anderson in a three–way match.[157]
At Bound for Glory, Hardy turned heel with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff and with their help defeated Angle and Anderson to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time. They were then joined by Jeff Jarrett and Abyss, revealing the group that Abyss had been referring to as "they" for several months.[158] On the following episode of Impact! the stable was named Immortal, as it formed an alliance with Ric Flair's Fortune. Meanwhile, Hardy debuted a new dark character, using cryptic messages as he explained the reasons behind his turn.[159] At Turning Point Hardy retained his title in a defense against Matt Morgan, a replacement for Mr. Anderson, who was sidelined after suffering a concussion during an attack by Hardy.[160] On the following episode of Impact! Hogan presented Hardy with a new design of the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, which he dubbed the TNA Immortal Championship.[161] At Final Resolution in December, Hardy successfully defended the championship in a rematch against Morgan after incapacitating the special guest referee Mr. Anderson and having a replacement referee count the pinfall.[162] On January 4, 2011, Hardy made his debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) at Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome, where he successfully defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naitō.[163][164]
On January 9 at Genesis, Hardy's brother, Matt, made his TNA debut as a surprise member of Immortal and defeated Rob Van Dam to prevent him from receiving a match at Hardy's championship. That same night Hardy gave Anderson a match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, immediately following Anderson's victory in a number one contender's match. Despite Matt, Flair, and Bischoff interfering in an attempt to help Hardy, Anderson defeated Hardy for the championship.[165] On the January 13 episode of Impact! the Hardy Boyz reunited and defeated Anderson and Van Dam in a tag team match, following interference from Beer Money, Inc.[166] On the February 3 episode of Impact!, Hardy received his rematch for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. The rest of Immortal interfered in the match, but were stopped by Fortune, which led to Anderson retaining the championship.[167] On February 13 at Against All Odds Hardy defeated Anderson in a ladder match to regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.[168] Hardy held the championship for less than two weeks, defending it once against Rob Van Dam, before losing it to Sting on February 24, at the tapings of the March 3 episode of Impact!.[169][170][171] On March 13 at Victory Road, Hardy received a rematch for the title under No Disqualification rules, but was defeated in ninety seconds.[172] TNA had made the decision to cut the match short after deeming that Hardy was in no condition to wrestle.[173] The following day it was reported that TNA had sent Hardy home from the week's Impact! tapings.[173] On the March 17 episode of Impact!, Immortal severed their ties with Hardy.[174]
Return (2011–present)[link]
On August 23, 2011, TNA announced that Hardy would be making his return to the promotion at the Impact Wrestling tapings on August 25 in Huntsville, Alabama.[175] The return would take place only five days after Matt Hardy was released from his TNA contract.[176] In his return, which was taped for the September 8 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy spoke to the audience, acknowledging that he had hit rock bottom at Victory Road in March, before asking the fans for "one more shot".[177][178] Hardy wrestled his first match in six months on September 15 at a live event in York, Pennsylvania, defeating Jeff Jarrett.[179] Hardy then began feuding with his former stable Immortal, attacking Eric Bischoff on the October 6 episode of Impact Wrestling and engaging in brawls with Jeff Jarrett at Bound for Glory and on the October 20 episode of Impact Wrestling.[180][181][182] Hardy wrestled his first televised match since his return on the October 27 episode of Impact Wrestling, defeating Immortal member Bully Ray.[183] On November 13 at Turning Point, Hardy defeated Jeff Jarrett three times, first in six seconds, the second in six minutes, and the third in ten seconds.[184] On December 11 at Final Resolution, Hardy defeated Jarrett in a steel cage match to become the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.[185] On January 8, 2012, at Genesis, Hardy defeated TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode via disqualification; as a result, the title remained with Roode.[186] On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, a rematch between Hardy and Roode ended in a no contest, following interference from Bully Ray.[187] The following week, Hardy was entered into a number one contender's match against James Storm, which ended in a no contest following interference from Ray and Roode.[188] On February 12 at Against All Odds, Hardy was unable to capture the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Roode in a four-way match, which also included Bully Ray and James Storm.[189] On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy lost his shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, following interference from the returning Kurt Angle.[190] On March 18 at Victory Road, Hardy was defeated by Angle in a singles match.[191] On April 15 at Lockdown, Hardy defeated Angle in a rematch, contested inside a steel cage.[192] On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy and Mr. Anderson were defeated by Rob Van Dam in a three-way number one contender's match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.[193] During the first "Open Fight Night" the following week, Hardy teamed up with Anderson to unsuccessfully challenge Magnus and Samoa Joe for the TNA World Tag Team Championship.[194] On May 13 at Sacrifice, Hardy was defeated by Anderson in a singles match.[195] On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy defeated Anderson in a rematch.[196] On the live May 31 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy won a fan voting to become the number one contender to the TNA Television Championship. However, his title match with Devon ended in a no contest, following interference from Robbie E and Robbie T.[197]
Other media[link]
Hardy appeared on the February 7, 1999 episode of That '70s Show entitled "That Wrestling Show", along with Matt, as an uncredited wrestler.[198][199] Hardy and Matt also appeared on Tough Enough in early 2001, talking to and wrestling the contestants.[200] He appeared on the February 25, 2002 episode of Fear Factor competing against five other World Wrestling Federation wrestlers.[201] He was eliminated in the first round.[201] Hardy also appears on The Hardy Show, an internet web show which features the Hardys, Shannon Moore and many of their friends.[202] In September 2009, Hardy signed a deal with Fox 21 studios to appear in a reality television show.[143]
In 2001, Hardy, Matt and Lita appeared in Rolling Stone magazine's 2001 Sports Hall of Fame issue.[203] In 2003, Hardy and Matt, with the help of Michael Krugman, wrote and published their autobiography The Hardy Boyz: Exist 2 Inspire.[204]
As part of WWE, Hardy has appeared in several of their DVDs, including The Hardy Boyz: Leap of Faith (2001) and The Ladder Match (2007).[205][206] He is also featured in the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling release Enigma: The Best of Jeff Hardy (2005) and Pro Wrestling's Ultimate Insiders: Hardy Boys – From the Backyard to the Big Time (2005). On April 29, 2008, WWE released "Twist of Fate: The Matt and Jeff Hardy Story".[205] The DVD features footage of the brothers in OMEGA and WWE, and also briefly mentions Hardy's first run with TNA.[205] In December 2009, WWE released a DVD about Hardy entitled Jeff Hardy: My Life, My Rules.[207]
Artistic pursuits[link]
Hardy has an eclectic set of interests outside of wrestling. He calls his artistic side "The Imag-I-Nation".[208] At one stage, Hardy constructed a 30-foot (9.1 m) statue of an "aluminummy" named "Neroameee" out of tin foil outside of his recording studio (a spray painted trailer).[2] On another occasion, he created an artificial volcano in his front yard, which he then jumped over on his motocross dirtbike. On another occasion Hardy created a large sculpture of his brother Matt's hand signal "V1", which was seen on "The Hardy Show", an Internet web show which features both the Hardys, Shannon Moore and many of their friends.[209] Hardy is also an artist and poet.[2]
Hardy taught himself how to play guitar and later bought a drum kit.[210] In 2003, Hardy formed a band, Peroxwhy?gen, with members of the band Burnside 6, and Moore, who later left.[66][210] He also converted a trailer into a recording studio.[210] The band recorded two songs;[17] One song was "September Day", a song Jeff wrote in reaction to the September 11, 2001 attacks.[211] Rumors arose that Peroxwhy?gen split up in 2004 shortly after recording the second song, "Modest", which Hardy later used as his entrance music in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.[66] On the official Peroxwhy?gen MySpace, however, the rumors were denounced.[15] Currently, Peroxwhy?gen only has three members, Hardy, Shannon Moore and JR Merrill.[15]
Personal life[link]
He has a tattoo of roots that starts on his head, behind his ear, and finishes at his hand.[212] He also has a few other signature designed tattoos, one of which, a dragon, he hid from his father.[212] It was also the first tattoo he got in 1998.[213] He later got tattoos of the Chinese symbols for "Peace" and "Health", as well as tattoos of fire and a wave.[213] Hardy regards his tattoos as his "artistic impulses".[214] Hardy is very good friends with Shannon Moore, who he has known since around 1987.[215] He is also good friends with Marty Garner, Jason Arhndt and John Morrison .[216][217] He regards Vanilla Ice as a big influence on him,[218] and he was even nicknamed "Ice" by Scott Hall.[219]
Hardy met his girlfriend Beth Britt in 1999, shortly after the Hardy Boyz had won the WWF Tag Team Championship for the first time.[220] Hardy and his brother Matt went to a club in Southern Pines, North Carolina, where Hardy met her.[220] On March 15, 2008, it was reported that Hardy's house had burned to the ground in a fire.[119][120] Hardy and his girlfriend were not home at the time, but his dog, Jack, was killed in the fire.[119][120] It is believed that the fire was started by faulty electrical wiring.[221] In October 2008, Hardy was building a new home in the same area, which was expected to be completed by early 2009.[119][120] In August 2010, Hardy announced that Britt was pregnant with the couple's first child,[222] a daughter, who was born on October 28, 2010.[223][224] Hardy married Britt on March 9, 2011.[225]
On September 17, 2008, Hardy was involved in an incident at the Nashville International Airport's Southwest gate.[226] A Southwest Airline employee reported that Hardy appeared to be intoxicated and therefore, he was not allowed to board the flight.[226] He was not, however, arrested as he was said to be "calm" and "co-operative", and he made other arrangements to get home.[226]
On September 11, 2009 Hardy was arrested on charges of trafficking in controlled prescription pills and possession of anabolic steroids, after a search of his house yielded 262 Vicodin prescription pills, 180 Soma prescription pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, a residual amount of powder cocaine, and drug paraphernalia.[227] Over a year later, the district attorney announced that Hardy would plead guilty to the charges.[228] On September 8, 2011, Hardy was sentenced to ten days in jail, 30 months of probation and a fine of $100,000.[229][230] Hardy served his jail sentence from October 3 to October 13, 2011.[231]
In wrestling[link]
- Finishing moves
- Reverse of Fate (Inverted facelock neckbreaker slam)[3]
- Spine Line (Armlock cloverleaf)[232] – OMEGA;[3] used as a regular move in TNA[232]
- Swanton Bomb / The Swanton (High-angle swan dive senton bomb)[2][5]
- Twist of Fate[2] (Front facelock dropped either into a cutter – WWF/E / TNA or a stunner – TNA) / Twist of Hate[233] (TNA; 2010–2011)
- Signature moves
- Baseball slide[234]
- Diving clothesline from off a barricade[235]
- Double leg drop to an opponent's midsection[3]
- Hardyac Arrest[236] (Rope-aided corner dropkick)[237]
- Mule kick[238]
- Plancha[239][240]
- Positioned at the top rope or on another ladder, Hardy performs a diving leg drop or a splash after leapfrogging over a ladder[232]
- Sitout inverted suplex slam[237]
- Sitout jawbreaker[3]
- Whisper in the Wind (Turnbuckle climb into a rebounded corkscrew senton to a standing opponent)[2]
- Entrance themes
- "Loaded" by Zack Tempest[244] (WWF / WWE; 1999–2003, 2006–2008)
- "Tourniquet" by Marilyn Manson[245] (ROH; 2003)
- "Modest" by Peroxwhy?gen[66] (TNA; 2004–2006, 2010, 2011)
- "No More Words" by EndeverafteR[246] (WWE; 2008–2009)
- "Another Me" by Jeff Hardy and Dale Oliver[247][248] (TNA; 2010–2011)
- "Immortal Theme" by Dale Oliver[249] (TNA; 2010–2011)
- "Resurrected" by Jeff Hardy and Dale Oliver[250][251] (TNA; 2011–present)
Championships and accomplishments[link]
- National Championship Wrestling
- NCW Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[3]
- New Dimension Wrestling
- NDW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6]
- NDW Tag Team Championship (1 time)1[252] – with Matt Hardy
- New Frontier Wrestling Association
- NFWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6]
- North East Wrestling
- NEW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6]
- NWA 2000
- NWA 2000 Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matt Hardy[6]
- Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts
- OMEGA New Frontiers Championship (1 time)[30]
- OMEGA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matt Hardy[6][253]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Comeback of the Year (2007)[254]
- PWI Match of the Year (2000)[255] with Matt Hardy vs. The Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian in a Triangle Ladder match at WrestleMania 2000
- PWI Match of the Year (2001)[255] with Matt Hardy vs. The Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at WrestleMania X-Seven
- PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2008, 2009)[256]
- PWI Tag Team of the Year (2000)[257] with Matt Hardy
- PWI ranked him #13 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2009[258]
- World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
- World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[139][259]
- WWE Championship (1 time)[10][12]
- WWE European Championship (1 time)[10][55]
- WWF Hardcore Championship (3 times)[43]
- WCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matt Hardy[3]
- WWF/E Intercontinental Championship (4 times)[41]
- WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[42]
- WWF/E World Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Matt Hardy[10][260]
- Terri Invitational Tournament[35] – with Matt Hardy
- Ninth Grand Slam Champion
- Eighteenth Triple Crown Champion
- Slammy Award for Extreme Moment of the Year (2008) Swanton Bomb to Randy Orton from the top of the Raw set (Raw, January 14) [261]
- Slammy Award for Extreme Moment of the Year (2009) Jumping from ladder onto CM Punk at SummerSlam
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Flying Wrestler (2000)[262]
- Feud of the Year (2009) vs. CM Punk
- Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2008) Hardy attacked in stairwell before Survivor Series[263]
- Worst Worked Match of the Year (2011) vs. Sting at Victory Road[264]
1The titles have been vacant since 1999 due to the Hardy Boys signing contracts with the WWF and have been declared inactive until they defend the titles again.
Notes[link]
- ^ a b c d e Hardy, Hardy, and Krugman: p. 23.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "WWE Bio". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2009-08-27. http://www.webcitation.org/5jL4Fhltr. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad "Online World of Wrestling: Jeff Hardy". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/j/jeff-hardy.html. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
- ^ a b "Wrestler Jeff Hardy Begins 10 Day Jail Sentence for Drug Conviction". TMZ.com. 2011-10-04. http://www.tmz.com/2011/10/04/jeff-hardy-jail-sentence-2009-drug-bust-wwe-tna-pills-steroids-cocaine/. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- ^ a b c d "TNA Wrestling profile". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. http://www.tnawrestling.com/roster/Wrestler-Roster/item/1814-jeff-hardy. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Jeff Hardy". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/jeffhardy.html. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
- ^ a b Caldwell, James (2010-01-05). "TNA News: Jeff Hardy – Why Hardy signed, Homicide interview on Hardy feud, L.A. Times covers Hardy's return, drug charges in question". Pro Wrestling Torch. http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/TNA_News_1/article_37887.shtml. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g Varsallone, Jim (December 2001). "Flying to the top: the Hardy Boyz used hard work, dedication, and passion to become a premier WWF tag team". Wrestling Digest. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCO/is_4_3/ai_80302525/. Retrieved 2007-06-04. [dead link]
- ^ a b c "SummerSlam 2000". World Wrestling Entertainment. http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/history/2000/results/. Retrieved 2008-09-26.
- ^ a b c d e f "Jeff Hardy's Title History". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2009-08-27. http://www.webcitation.org/5jL4Ss0Yd. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
- ^ http://bleacherreport.com/articles/913632-50-most-acrobatic-wrestlers-in-wwe-history
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- ^ "Observer: Best Flying Wrestler" (in German). Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Genickbruch: Die Wrestlingseite des alten Europa. http://www.genickbruch.com/index.php?befehl=observer&award=12. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- ^ "Observer: Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic" (in German). Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Genickbruch: Die Wrestlingseite des alten Europa. http://www.genickbruch.com/index.php?befehl=observer&award=27. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (January 30, 2012). "Jan 30 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Gigantic year-end awards issue, best and worst in all categories plus UFC on FX 1, death of Savannah Jack, ratings, tons and tons of news". Wrestling Observer Newsletter (Campbell, CA). ISSN 10839593.
References[link]
- Hardy, Matt; Hardy, Jeff; Krugman, Michael (2003). The Hardy Boyz: Exist 2 Inspire. New York: HarperCollins. pp. 288. ISBN 0-06-052154-6. OCLC 369561409.
- Varsallone, Jim (December 2001). "Matt and Jeff Hardy – Interview". Wrestling Digest. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCO/is_4_3/ai_80302525/. Retrieved June 4, 2007. [dead link]
External links[link]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jeff Hardy |
- TNA Wrestling profile
- Professional wrestling record for Jeff Hardy from The Internet Wrestling Database
- The Hardy Show
- Slam! Sports bio and story archive
- Jeff Hardy at the Internet Movie Database
- Online World of Wrestling profile
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hardy, Jeff |
| Alternative names | Willow the Wisp; Itchweed; Galaxion; Gladiator; Iceman, The; Mean Jimmy Jack; Wolverine |
| Short description | professional wrestler and musician; artist |
| Date of birth | August 31, 1977 |
| Place of birth | Cameron, North Carolina |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Jeff_Hardy
Related pages:
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http://ru.wn.com/Харди, Джефф
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Hardy
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is about the professional wrestler. For the author, see Bret Harte. For other uses, see Hitman (disambiguation).
| Bret Hart | |
|---|---|
 Hart in 2010. |
|
| Ring name(s) | Bret Hart[1] Brett Hart[1] Buddy Hart[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2] |
| Billed weight | 234 lb (106 kg) |
| Born | (1957-07-02) July 2, 1957 (age 54)[1] Calgary, Alberta, Canada[1] |
| Billed from | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Trained by | Stu Hart[1] Katsuji Adachi[1] Kazuo Sakurada Harley Race[1] The Iron Sheik[citation needed] |
| Debut | 1978[3] |
| Retired | 2000;[4] has made sporadic in-ring appearances since |
Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian American writer, actor and retired professional wrestler currently signed with WWE under a Legends contract. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College. Along with his famed "Hit Man" nickname, Hart was known by the monikers "The Excellence of Execution", "The Best There Is, The Best There Was, and The Best There Ever Will Be" and "The Pink and Black Attack"—the latter being in reference to his ring attire, as well as his signature mirrored sunglasses, which he routinely gave away to a young audience member before matches.
Hart joined his father Stu Hart's promotion, Stampede Wrestling, in 1976, carrying out non-wrestling duties. He made his in-ring debut in 1978.[3] He found mainstream popularity and championship success throughout the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF—later WWE), where he helmed the Hart Foundation faction and was a challenger for singles and tag team championships in both decades. He left for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) following the controversial "Montreal Screwjob" in 1997, where he enjoyed continued championship success until his departure from that promotion in 2000, due to a 1999 concussion. He officially retired in October 2000. In a publication that year, WCW described Hart as "universally respected by other wrestlers", and "perhaps the greatest pure wrestler ever to lace up a pair of boots."[5] He returned to sporadic in-ring competition in 2004 and 2006, and in 2010 with WWE, where he won his final championship, headlined that year's SummerSlam event, and served as the General Manager of Raw. He makes occasional appearances for WWE, who has described him as "arguably the greatest technical wrestler in WWE history."[6] In other WWE publications, Hart has been described as one of the biggest names in the history of the business,[7][8] and perhaps the most popular in the world by the mid 1990s.[9]
Hart has held championships in five decades from the 1970s to the 2010s, with a total of thirty-two held throughout his career, and seventeen held between the WWF/WWE and WCW. He is a seven-time world champion, having held the WWF Championship five times and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice. He spent more time as WWF Champion than any other wrestler during the 1990s, with a total of 654 days as champion, and was the first WCW World Heavyweight Champion born outside the United States. He is also a record-tying five-time WCW/WWE United States Champion, with his four WCW reigns being the most in the history of the organization; and the second WWF Triple Crown Champion and fifth (with Bill Goldberg) WCW Triple Crown Champion. He was the first man to win both the WWF and WCW Triple Crown Championships. In addition to championships, he is the 1994 Royal Rumble winner (with Lex Luger), and the only two-time King of the Ring in WWE history, having won the 1991 tournament and the first King of the Ring pay-per-view in 1993. Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by former on-screen rival, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Contents
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Early life[link]
The eighth child of wrestling patriarch Stu Hart, Bret Hart was born in Calgary, Alberta into the Hart wrestling family. His introduction to professional wrestling came at an early age. As a child, he witnessed his father training future wrestling stars like Billy Graham in the Dungeon, his household basement which served as possibly the most notorious training room in the world of wrestling. Before school, Hart's father, also a wrestling promoter, had him hand out fliers to local wrestling shows. In the 1998 documentary, Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows, Hart reflected on his father's discipline, describing how Stu inflicted excruciating submission holds while uttering morbid words to his teenage son. The suffering endured in these sessions even left broken blood vessels in his eyes. Hart also, cited his father's otherwise pleasant demeanor and growing up in the professional wrestling atmosphere. Hart also repeated these statements in his 2007 autobiography.[10]
Amateur wrestling[link]
File:Hartamateur.jpg
Hart as a collegiate wrestler.
At Ernest Manning High School, Hart became a standout student in the amateur wrestling division. Hart has stated that he joined the wrestling team "for the sole reason that my dad expected me to... no-one asked me to."[11] He would go on to win significant championships in tournaments throughout Alberta, including the 1974 city championships in Calgary. He would score a victory over competitor Bob Eklund – who would go on to become a CIS national champion, winning Outstanding Wrestler of the Year 1980-1981[12] – en route to the championship.[13] Hart describes the moment where he displayed the medal to his father, Stu, as a "powerful moment", and that the relationship with his father "took a different direction from that point on."[11] To this day, Hart considers his scholastic medal as one of his most prized possessions, "The fact is, even after winning all the big pro wrestling championships in both organizations, including seven world heavyweight titles that took me around the world, I still hold in high regard the city championship medal I won back in '74. It did so much to bolster my confidence and self esteem that it proved to be one of the biggest turning points in my entire life." After reading a Calgary Sun column by Hart, Canadian Olympic amateur wrestling gold medalist Daniel Igali told Hart that it means a lot to him to know how much that medal means to Hart.[14]
By 1977, Hart was collegiate champion at Mount Royal College, where he was studying filmmaking;[11][15] his coaches and other people around him felt that he had shown sufficient promise to compete at the following year's Commonwealth Games, and encouraged him to begin training for the event. Hart, however, was beginning to find amateur wrestling unrewarding amid injuries and fluctuating weight, and wanted to "get off this train".[11][16] Hart has told how Stu still believed that his son, whom he described as being able to "turn around in his own skin", was capable of making it to the Olympic or Commonwealth Games if he put forth the effort. When asked by his father, "Don't you want to walk down the street and hear people say, there goes Bret Hart; he won a gold medal in wrestling?", Hart replied, "I'd rather drive by those very same people in a brand-new car", alluding to his dream of becoming a successful film director.[17] Hart felt that the only way to give up amateur wrestling, without disappointing his father, was to become a professional wrestler. His college grades became poorer as his interest in filmmaking waned; he dedicated himself to professional wrestling, and began training with his father's Stampede Wrestling promotion.[11] Hart has often spoken of how helpful his amateur background was in his professional wrestling career, and also of what a positive effect amateur wrestling has on junior high school and high school-aged boys in terms of building self confidence.[14]
Professional wrestling career[link]
Stampede Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling (1976–1984)[link]
In 1976, Hart began working for his father's Stampede Wrestling promotion in Calgary. Hart first began helping the promotion by refereeing matches, but at one fateful event, a wrestler was unable to perform his match.[18] This forced Stu to ask his son to stand in as a replacement, paving the way for Hart's very first match in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Before long, he became a regular contender, eventually partnering with brother Keith to win the Tag Team Championship four times. Earlier on, however, he was still unsure he wanted to make a career of professional wrestling and continually contemplated the idea.
Hart gained some of his most prominent experience with Japanese combatants and real-life trainers Mr. Hito and Mr. Sakurada, later praising them as his most significant teachers. Before long, Hart was amazing crowds with his high-impact matches against the Dynamite Kid. In the midst of wrestling alongside his brothers and even his aging father, Hart made a point not to ride on the shoulders of his elders as other sons of promoters have. Hart faithfully jobbed as requested of him, taking pride in the believability of his performances. As he said himself, "no one could take a shit kicking like Bret Hart."[11] Although he dreaded partaking in interviews and speaking in front of a crowd, Hart went on to win the promotion's top titles, including two British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championships, five International Tag Team Championships, and six North American Heavyweight Championships. Hart also wrestled the famous Tiger Mask in New Japan Pro Wrestling, a promotion for whom he often wrestled during the early-to-mid 1980s. He remained one of Stampede's most successful performers until the promotion, along with several wrestlers, was acquired by the World Wrestling Federation in August 1984.
World Wrestling Federation[link]
Debut and Hart Foundation (1984–1991)[link]
Main article: The Hart Foundation
Hart was asked to start out in the World Wrestling Federation as a singles wrestler with a cowboy gimmick but refused, citing that where he comes from "if you called yourself a cowboy, you'd better be one".[19] He instead requested to join Jimmy Hart's heel stable, the Hart Foundation, which included brother-in-law Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. He made his televised World Wrestling Federation debut on August 29, 1984, in a tag team match where he teamed with another brother-in-law, The Dynamite Kid.[20] On September 11, in Poughkeepsie, New York, Hart defeated Aldo Marino in his televised debut singles match, which aired on the September 29 edition of Superstars. By 1985, he was billed as Bret "Hit Man" Hart[6] and began to increasingly team with Neidhart in order to build the promotion's tag team division. The "Hart Foundation" name then became exclusive to Hart, Neidhart and manager Jimmy Hart, due to the similar family names of both team members and their manager.[1] Hart's agile, technical style—which earned him the moniker "The Excellence of Execution" (coined by Gorilla Monsoon)[6][21]—created an intriguing contrast with his partner Neidhart's strength and brawling skills. During this time, Hart began wearing his signature[22] mirrored sunglasses, initially to conceal his nervousness during promos.[11] Hart considers his microphone work throughout his career to have been a weakness in his repertoire: he instead relied on his in-ring performances to win over the fans.[23]
In 1986, Hart began his first singles program, with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. In a match originally planned for WrestleMania II,[24] he lost to Steamboat at the Boston Garden on March 8, 1986, which would be included on Hart's 2005 DVD as one of his all-time favorite matches.[11] At WrestleMania II, Hart would instead participate in a 20-man battle royal which was eventually won by André the Giant.[25] Hart was the last man to be eliminated by André, however.[26] He lost to Steamboat again on the July 28, 1986 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.[27] Hart headlined his first televised WWF card when he beat Ray Rougeau, of The Fabulous Rougeaus, in the main event of the November 3, 1986 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.[27] The Hart Foundation won their first of two World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Championships on the February 7, 1987 edition of Superstars when they defeated the British Bulldogs.[28][29]
The Hart Foundation would adopt the nickname, "The Pink and Black Attack", which would continue to be used by Bret after the team's disbandment. This was in reference to the team's ring attire, as well as Hart's signature mirrored sunglasses, which he would routinely give away to a young audience member before matches, following his face turn in 1988.[22][30][31] As Hart's WWF career progressed, he would also increasingly describe himself as "The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be" (derived from the 1984 film The Natural), which he would later justify through three claims: he never injured an opponent through any fault of his own; through the entire course of his career he missed only one show (as a result of flight difficulties); and that he only once refused to lose a match—his final WWF match with long-time adversary Shawn Michaels at the Survivor Series event in 1997, which culminated in the now infamous Montreal Screwjob.[32]
The Hart Foundation lost the WWF Tag Team Championship to Strike Force on the October 27 edition of Superstars.[28] Hart subsequently competed in his most high-profile singles contest to date on the November 28, 1987 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, when he faced "Macho Man" Randy Savage in a losing effort.[33] He began 1988 with a decisive victory over Paul Roma of The Young Stallions (who had scored an upset victory over the Hart Foundation the previous year[34]) on January 11 edition of Prime Time Wrestling,[27] and, at WrestleMania IV, was the last man eliminated in a battle royal by the eventual winner Bad News Brown, which set the wheels in motion for a face turn.[35] Due to Hart's increasing popularity, Vince McMahon approached him with the idea of splitting up the Hart Foundation and turning him face, telling Hart that he received the most fan mail of any of his wrestlers.[36] Ultimately, McMahon decided that the Hart Foundation were too over to split up, but would turn the team face, and have them sack Jimmy Hart as their manager. As a face, Hart enjoyed significant popularity in singles wrestling. In his first singles championship opportunity, he challenged The Honky Tonk Man for the WWF Intercontinental Championship in the main event of the July 18 edition of Prime Time Wrestling, with the match ending in a double count-out.[27]
At a live event in Milan on April 8, 1989, André the Giant requested to work a singles match with Hart. Hart lost the match, but considered André's praise and encouragement after the match to be of key importance in his singles career.[37] He wrestled his first pay-per-view singles match on October 10, losing to Dino Bravo in the first British WWF pay-per-view, which was held at the London Arena and broadcast on Sky Television[38] (Hart was in fact booked to win the match, but incurred a broken sternum, causing an unplanned count-out loss[11]). Hart would score victories over the likes of Barry Horowitz (who had previously wrestled as "Brett Hart"[39]),[40] Steve Lombardi[28] (whom Hart had wrestled in his first WWF match[11]) and defecting Hart Foundation member "Dangerous" Danny Davis[28] throughout 1989. In the first televised contest of a rivalry that would span Hart's WWF and WCW careers, he lost to Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig on the November 6, 1989 edition of Prime Time Wrestling, when Perfect pulled Hart's tights during a roll-up.[41] In their first ever singles meeting, Shawn Michaels and Hart wrestled to a double count-out on the February 11, 1990 edition of the Wrestling Challenge.[42]
At SummerSlam in 1990, the Hart Foundation began their second, and final, WWF Tag Team Championship reign by defeating Demolition members Crush and Smash in a two out of three falls match with some help from the Legion of Doom.[43][44] On October 30, the Hart Foundation lost the title to The Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels), but a few days later, President Jack Tunney returned the title to the Hart Foundation because the decision had been reversed due to a rope coming off of the turnbuckle during the match and the win was never acknowledged on television. The Hart Foundation's reign lasted until WrestleMania VII, where they lost to The Nasty Boys, after which the team split.[45]
Intercontinental Champion (1991–1992)[link]
Hart won his first WWF Intercontinental Championship by defeating Mr. Perfect with the Sharpshooter at SummerSlam in 1991,[46][47] and subsequently won the 1991 King of the Ring tournament on September 7, 1991 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Hart's first pay-per-view title defense occurred at This Tuesday in Texas, where he beat the undefeated Skinner.[48]
In January 1992, Hart placed in a feud with the Mountie. This feud came about when the Mountie's manager, Jimmy Hart, threw water on Hart. Then, the Mountie proceeded to shock Hart with a cattle prod. Following the loss, Roddy Piper (his real life cousin) defeated Mountie with a sleeper hold at the 1992 Royal Rumble,[49] and Bret would later pin Piper for his second Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania VIII later that year,[50][51] making him the first, and one of few wrestlers to ever pin Piper's shoulders to the mat.[11] At a Wrestling Challenge taping on July 21, 1992, Hart defeated Shawn Michaels, with the Intercontinental Championship suspended above the ring, in the WWF's first ever Ladder match, which would subsequently be made available on multiple Coliseum/WWE Home Video releases.[52] Hart dropped the Intercontinental Championship to his brother-in-law, Davey Boy Smith, in Hart's first WWF pay-per-view main event at SummerSlam 1992 held before over 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.[53] Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers voted it the "Match of the Year";[54] WWE has named the match as the greatest in the history of SummerSlam.[55] Upon induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006, Hart would cite the contest as his favorite match of his career.[56]
WWF Champion, various rivalries and hiatus (1992-1996)[link]
Hart won the WWF Championship from Ric Flair at a Superstars taping at Saskatchewan Place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on October 12 of that year, in a match not originally broadcast on WWF television[57]—the match was instead made available on a series of Coliseum/WWE Home Video releases.[58] Hart dislocated one of the fingers on his right hand during the match and popped it back in himself so it would not affect the rest of the match.[11] He would headline his first pay-per-view as champion with a successful title defense against Shawn Michaels at the 1992 Survivor Series,[59] and defeated Razor Ramon at the 1993 Royal Rumble.[60] He would also defend the title against contenders such as Papa Shango[61] and former champion Ric Flair[6] before losing the title to Yokozuna in his first WrestleMania main event at WrestleMania IX, after interference from Mr. Fuji. Fuji then challenged Hulk Hogan, who had come out to help Hart, to compete for the title; Hogan then won his fifth WWF Championship from Yokozuna.[62] Shortly after, however, Hart won the first pay-per-view King of the Ring tournament in 1993 (prior King of the Ring tournaments were non-televised live events), defeating Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, and Bam Bam Bigelow, thus becoming the only two-time King of the Ring in WWE history.[63] After being crowned as the King of the Ring, Hart was attacked by Jerry "The King" Lawler. Lawler claimed he was the rightful King and began a barrage against Hart and his family. This began an intense two-year feud which would go on to be considered as one of the greatest in professional wrestling history. The two met at SummerSlam in 1993, to determine the "Undisputed King of the World Wrestling Federation",[64] where Hart originally won the match by submission, via the Sharpshooter. Hart, however, would not let go of the hold and the decision was reversed to a Lawler victory by disqualification[65] (according to Hart, he was scheduled to defeat WWF Champion Hulk Hogan at the event, but Hogan elected to drop the belt to Yokozuna instead in his last WWF appearance at the 1993 King of the Ring).[66] Hart and his younger brother, Owen Hart, would also feud with Lawler during 1993 in the United States Wrestling Association (USWA), with Lawler notably defeating Owen for Owen's USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship.[67] Hart's feud with Lawler was named "Feud of the Year" by Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and voted "Feud of the Year" by readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.[68]
After months of dealing with Lawler, Hart invoked his rematch clause from his match with WWF Champion Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX on the November 20 edition of WWF Superstars. When Bret appeared to have the match won, with Yokozuna locked in the sharpshooter, Owen came to ringside to congratulate his brother. The referee began questioning Owen's motives, which allowed Fuji to assault Bret. Owen then involved himself in the match, resulting in a victory for Yokozuna via disqualification. The brothers' post-match disagreement set the wheels in motion for a family feud that would span the entirety of 1994.[69] At Survivor Series, the Harts (Bret, Owen, Bruce, and Keith) took on Shawn Michaels (a substitution for Lawler, who was facing legal troubles[70]) and his knights. The Harts won the match, with all of the brothers surviving except for Owen, the only Hart family member eliminated.[71] Bitter about his elimination, Owen blamed Bret for this and in the weeks ahead, blamed Bret for holding him back. Owen demanded a one-on-one match with Bret, which Bret refused to accept. In the storyline, Bret, along with his parents, worked over the Christmas holidays to reunite the family and to settle their rivalry. Bret was voted "WWF Superstar of the Year" 1993 by fans,[72] as well as the greatest wrestler of the year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers.[73]
At the Royal Rumble in January, Bret and Owen took on The Quebecers for the WWF Tag Team Championship. Referee Tim White stopped the match after he considered Bret unable to continue after he sustained a kayfabe knee injury during the match. After the match, Owen berated his brother for costing him a title opportunity and attacked the injured knee, setting the feud between the two.[74] Later on, Hart managed to participate and win the 1994 Royal Rumble match amid controversy. Hart and Lex Luger were the final two participants and the two were eliminated over the top rope at the same time. Therefore, both men were named co-winners of the 1994 Royal Rumble match and received title shots at WrestleMania X.[75] Luger won the chance to face Yokozuna first, with Hart having to wrestle his brother Owen, before receiving his title shot. Hart lost his match against Owen[76] but went on to defeat Yokozuna for his second WWF Championship.[77][78][79]
Hart continued to feud with his brother Owen while he also started feuding with Diesel. Hart's friend and former tag team partner Jim Neidhart returned to the WWF and reunited with Hart. At King of the Ring, Hart defended the WWF Championship against Diesel. When Hart was winning the match, Shawn Michaels interfered on Diesel's behalf. Diesel appeared close to victory after he delivered a Jackknife Powerbomb yet before he could pin Hart, Neidhart interfered. Diesel won by disqualification but Hart retained his title. Neidhart left when Diesel and Michaels attacked Hart following the match. Neidhart's motivation was made clear when he helped Owen win the tournament that night, so that he could receive a title shot against his brother.[80] At SummerSlam, Hart successfully retained the WWF Championship against Owen in a steel cage match.[81] This match would get a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and the brothers' feud would be voted "Feud of the Year" by readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.[68]
Hart eventually lost his WWF Championship at Survivor Series in a submission match against Bob Backlund where the manager of either competitor (Davey Boy Smith for Hart, Owen for Backlund) would have to 'throw in the towel' for the wrestler they were representing. When Hart was in Backlund's Crossface Chickenwing and Davey Boy was kayfabe knocked out, Owen persuaded his mother Helen to throw in the towel for Hart, giving Backlund the championship victory.[82] Bret's feud with Backlund would continue into the following year. He was voted the greatest wrestler of 1994 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers, winning the vote for the second straight year.[83]
Three days after Hart's title loss, Diesel would swiftly defeat Backlund with a jackknife powerbomb to become the new WWF Champion. By 1995, Hart was focusing on projects outwith the business, such as acting, and shifted to the number two face in the company, behind Diesel.[84] Hart would challenge for Diesel's WWF Championship at the 1995 Royal Rumble, in a match that was continually marred by outside interference and ruled a draw. Both men embraced in a display of sportsmanship after the match. In a rematch from Survivor Series, Hart defeated Bob Backlund in an "I Quit" Match at WrestleMania XI.[85] Hart would be the focal point of the first event in the In Your House pay-per-view series, competing in two matches at In Your House 1. He defeated Hakushi in the very first match of the In Your House series. Hart's acclaimed feud with Jerry Lawler was reignited at the event, losing to him in the penultimate match of the card due to Hakushi's (now Lawler's protégé) interference. Hart beat Lawler in a "Kiss My Foot" match at King of the Ring, and defeated his private dentist, the seven-foot, 320 pound Isaac Yankem, by disqualification at SummerSlam 1995. Their King of the Ring match would end with one of the most iconic images in WWF history, with Hart shoving his foot into Lawler's mouth, then forcing Lawler to kiss his own foot.[86] Although Hart was victorious in their in-ring feud, Lawler remained strongly opposed to Hart as a commentator, however, and would routinely encourage Hart's opponents during matches; it would not be until Over the Limit 2011, some sixteen years later, that both men would finally bury the hatchet. After disposing of Lawler, Hart shifted his focus back to the WWF Championship, defeating Diesel in a No Disqualification match at Survivor Series to commence his third reign.[87][88]
In a rematch from their SummerSlam 1992 encounter, Hart successfully defended his title against the now heel Davey Boy Smith at In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings. He lost to The Undertaker by disqualification at the 1996 Royal Rumble when Diesel interfered, ultimately retaining the WWF Championship, and defeated The Undertaker by disqualification in a rematch on the February 5 edition of Raw, again due to Diesel's interference.[89] Hart retained his WWF Championship against Diesel in a steel cage match at In Your House 6, and defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley, who was undefeated on Raw, on the March 4 edition of the show.[90] WWF Commissioner Roddy Piper ruled that Hart would face Shawn Michaels, who had earned a WWF Championship match at WrestleMania XII by winning the Royal Rumble,[91] in a 60-minute Iron Man match at the event. The wrestler with the most decisions during the 60 minutes would win the match and the WWF Championship.
At WrestleMania, with less than a minute left on the clock and the score still 0–0, Michaels jumped from the middle rope; his legs were caught by Hart, and Hart locked in his Sharpshooter. However, Michaels did not submit in the last 30 seconds so the match ended in a tie. President Gorilla Monsoon ruled that the match would continue in sudden death overtime. Michaels hit a superkick to win the championship.[92] Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers voted it the "Match of the Year";[54] in 2004, WWE fans voted the match as the greatest in the history of WrestleMania.[93] After WrestleMania, Hart took his hiatus from television. Towards the end of the year, he would consider offers of employment from both WCW and the WWF, but would ultimately re-sign with the WWF.[94] He was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame Class of 1996.
Return, Hart Foundation reunion and departure (1996–1997)[link]
Main articles: Hart Foundation reunion and Montreal Screwjob
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Over the summer, Steve Austin, who was fresh from winning the 1996 King of the Ring,[95] continually taunted Hart and challenged him to come back and have a match. After an eight month hiatus from television, Hart returned and defeated Austin at Survivor Series in a match for the #1 contender spot to the WWF Championship.[96] Hart challenged champion Sycho Sid at the following month's In Your House 12: It's Time; Shawn Michaels, who was serving as a guest commentator at ringside, accidentally cost Hart the victory when he attempted to become involved in the match after being assaulted by Sid. The building tension between Hart and Michaels climaxed after the match, when Hart assaulted Michaels. Hart's feud with Austin escalated at the Royal Rumble, when Hart tossed Austin out of the ring, only for Austin (unbeknownst to the referees) to climb back into the ring and win the Rumble.[97] Hart quit the WWF the next night on Raw in protest. In order to deal with this controversy, a Fatal Four-Way between Austin and the participants he eliminated after re-entering the ring (Vader, The Undertaker and Hart) was set up for In Your House 13: Final Four, with the winner becoming the number one contender. After current champion Shawn Michaels relinquished the belt, though, the match officially became one for the WWF Championship. Hart defeated Austin, Vader, and The Undertaker in the Fatal Four-Way.[98][99] However, Austin made sure Hart's fourth reign was short-lived, costing him a title match against Sid the next night on Raw, and making it the only reign of Hart's to last less than three months.[100] Hart challenged for Sid's WWF Championship in a steel cage match shortly before WrestleMania 13 (Hart's twelfth consecutive and final WrestleMania until WrestleMania XXVI), which saw Austin actually attempt to help Hart win, in order to make their scheduled match at WrestleMania 13 a title match. Concurrently, The Undertaker, who had a scheduled title match with Sid at WrestleMania, attempted to help Sid win. Sid ultimately retained, leading to a pure grudge match for Hart and Austin.[101] Following his loss to Sid, Hart shoved "announcer" Vince McMahon to the ground when he attempted to conduct a post-match interview, and engaged in an expletive-laden rant against McMahon and WWF management. This incident has been cited as one which helped lay the foundations of the WWF's Attitude Era, as well as the starting point of McMahon's on-air character, the tyrannical WWF owner, "Mr. McMahon".[102]
At WrestleMania 13, Hart and Austin had their rematch in a Submission match that would later get a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer. In the end, Hart locked the Sharpshooter on a bloody Austin, who refused to give up. In fact, Austin never quit, but passed out from the blood loss and pain. Ken Shamrock, the special guest referee, awarded Hart the match, after which he continued to assault Austin.[103] This turned Austin face, and Hart became a heel. It was named "Match of the Year" by Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and voted "Match of the Year by" Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers.[54] Hart challenged The Rock for the WWF Intercontinental Championship in the main event of the March 31 edition of Raw. The Rock won by disqualification when Hart refused to release a figure-four leglock applied around the ringpost. He would face Austin again in the main event of In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, to determine who would challenge the WWF Champion in a title match at the following month's In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell. Austin had Hart locked in his own finishing move, the Sharpshooter, in the middle of the ring when The British Bulldog interfered on Hart's behalf, resulting in disqualification and giving Austin the victory and title match. They would meet once again in a street fight on the April 21 edition of Raw, in which Austin injured the now-heel Hart's ankle with a steel chair. The match was ultimately awarded to Hart when Austin refused to release Hart from the sharpshooter. Austin continued to beat Hart while on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance.
Hart's feud with Austin saw Hart shift to the top heel in the company. In the ensuing weeks, Hart denounced American fans, because of their negative reaction to him in the recent weeks in contrast to his continued popularity through the rest of the world, and reunited with brother Owen and brothers-in-law Davey Boy Smith and Jim Neidhart. The family members formed a new Hart Foundation with Brian Pillman; this incarnation was an anti-American stable which was popular within Canada and Europe. As the leader of this stable, Hart would routinely carry a Canadian flag to the ring and engage in promos where he declared the superiority of his home nation; he became so despised by U.S. audiences that they would often throw debris during his ring entrances, interviews and matches.[11] He would go on to be voted by Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers as the "Most Hated Wrestler of the Year" 1997.[104] At In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede, in Hart's home town of Calgary, the Hart Foundation would defeat the team of Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust and The Legion of Doom, representing the U.S., in a ten-man tag team match main event.[105] The Canada vs U.S. rivalry escalated on the July 21 edition of Raw in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Bret, Owen and Davey Boy Smith, representing Canada and the Hart Foundation, defeated the team of Dude Love, Austin and The Undertaker, representing the U.S., in a Flag Match.[106] The Hart Foundation's feud with Austin was named "Feud of the Year" by Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and voted "Feud of the Year" by readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.[68] Hart vowed that if he could not defeat The Undertaker for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam, he would never wrestle in the United States again. The Undertaker agreed to the match, and Hart won his fifth WWF Championship after spitting in guest referee Shawn Michaels' face; Michaels swung a steel chair in retaliation, which accidentally struck the Undertaker. Michaels, who, as part of another pre-match stipulation, would be banned from wrestling in the United States if he did not remain impartial as referee, had no option but to count the pinfall, giving his bitter rival Hart the victory and the WWF Championship.[107][108]
After SummerSlam, Michaels was pushed as the top heel in the company and negative fan reactions towards Hart softened somewhat, as he adopted a tweener role and declared, "I'm not so much anti-American as I am just very, very pro-Canadian".[11] Hart successfully defended his title against The Patriot, with whom Hart had become involved in a feud as part of the Canada vs U.S. storyline, at Ground Zero: In Your House,[109] avenging a loss to him weeks earlier on Raw,[110] and the Canada vs U.S. feud would conclude at Badd Blood: In Your House, where Hart and Davey Boy Smith, representing Canada and The Hart Foundation, defeated The Patriot and Vader, representing the U.S., in a Flag Match.[111] Erstwhile, in a rematch from SummerSlam, The Undertaker challenged Hart for the WWF Championship at One Night Only; after reversing a Tombstone Piledriver attempt from Hart, The Undertaker dumped Hart on the apron when he would not let go of the ropes. As a result, Hart's neck was caught in the ropes, and The Undertaker was disqualified.[112] Hart would cite this as his favorite of all his matches with The Undertaker,[11] and his last great match in the WWF.[113] During the Hart Foundation's feud with the Shawn Michaels-led D-Generation X, DX framed the Hart Foundation in vandalizing the locker room of the African American stable, Nation of Domination with racist motifs. In retaliation, during a promo with D-Generation X, Hart called members Triple H (previously billed as "Hunter Hearst Helmsley") and Shawn Michaels "homos". Hart later apologized for his participation in the storyline and said that he had been pressured into it, saying, "I am not in any shape or form a racist. And I don't believe it is anything to kid around about. I also want to apologize for any remarks I made about gay people. It was a stupid mistake on my part."[113] Hart successfully defended the WWF Championship against Nation of Domination leader, Faarooq, on the October 20 edition of Raw,[114] and, in his penultimate WWF Championship match, wrestled Ken Shamrock to a no-contest on the October 27 edition of the show when both men were assaulted by Shawn Michaels.[115]
Around this time, Hart's on-air rivalry with Vince McMahon also escalated. A heated ringside altercation between the two led many fans to dislike McMahon, who at the time was being exposed as owner of the WWF more and more frequently on-air. Although Hart was signed to a 20-year contract back in 1996, the WWF was in a rough financial position by late 1997 and could not afford the contract. Although Hart was arguably the biggest wrestler in the world during the mid-1990s,[9] McMahon also felt that the value of his character was beginning to wane,[116] but wished for Hart to remain with the WWF and discuss the contract and the character's future. Nonetheless, McMahon gave Hart his blessing to talk to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) about possibly taking a second look at their original offer to him.[117] Hart subsequently signed a three-year contract with WCW. His final match with the WWF would be a title match against his real life rival Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series in Montreal. Hart did not want to end his WWF career with a loss to Michaels in his home country; McMahon agreed to Hart's idea of forfeiting the championship the next night on Raw or losing it a few weeks later.
Although Hart stated to McMahon he would not take the WWF Championship with him to WCW TV (and despite insistence from then-WCW President Eric Bischoff, according to Hart's DVD biography,[117] that Hart would join WCW with a "clean slate"), McMahon was still concerned; this led to him breaking his word in what eventually came to be known as the Montreal Screwjob. Even though Hart did not submit to the Sharpshooter, referee Earl Hebner called for the bell as if he had, on McMahon's orders. This resulted in Hart "losing" the WWF Championship to Michaels.[118] The night ended with an irate Hart spitting in McMahon's face, destroying television equipment, and punching McMahon backstage in front of Gerald Brisco, Pat Patterson, and McMahon's son Shane. Hart also confronted Michaels backstage about the match finish. Many behind-the-scenes events leading up to the Montreal Screwjob were filmed for the documentary Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows, released in 1998. WWE has described the Montreal Screwjob as "arguably the most controversial, most jarring moment in the annals of sports-entertainment."[119]
World Championship Wrestling[link]
Various feuds and United States Champion (1997–1999)[link]
Hart signed a three-year contract with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in November 1997, the perks of which included a salary of $2.5 million per year, a substantial increase from his WWF contract, as well as a greatly reduced live schedule and complete creative control over his television character.[120] A day after the Survivor Series pay-per-view, Eric Bischoff, while with the New World Order (nWo), announced that Hart was going to be coming to WCW, and joining the nWo. Hart made his debut on WCW Monday Nitro on December 15, 1997,[121] and was heavily involved in that month's Starrcade pay-per-view. Due to a 60 day no-compete clause from the WWF, he served as the special guest referee for the match between Bischoff and Larry Zbyszko; during the Sting versus Hulk Hogan main event for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, he used his referee's license to step in toward the conclusion of the match as impromptu referee. He attacked referee Nick Patrick, accusing him of making a fast count and shouting he would not let "it happen again" (a reference to the Montreal Screwjob), and declaring Sting the winner and new champion by submission.[122] During Bischoff's period in control of the company, the goodwill towards Hart generated by the Montreal Screwjob resulted in his being pushed as a face. In January, his no-compete clause expired, and he was immediately pushed as a main event superstar. His first feud in WCW was against Ric Flair: both Flair and Hart considered themself the greatest professional wrestler of all time. Hart main-evented the Souled Out 1998 pay-per-view with a victory over Flair in his first WCW match.[123] After this, Hart would elect to defend the honor of WCW against the nWo, defeating members Brian Adams in his debut Nitro match on March 2, and old WWF rival Curt Hennig (formerly known as "Mr. Perfect") at Uncensored.[124]
In April 1998, Hart turned heel by interfering in a Nitro main event between Hogan and Randy Savage, helping Hogan recapture the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. He became an associate of the nWo, but did not officially join the group. Hart defeated Savage in singles action in his second WCW pay-per-view main event at Slamboree, thanks to assistance from Hogan. The following night on Nitro, however, guest referee Roddy Piper changed his decision and declared Savage as the winner by disqualification.[125] In a tag team match at The Great American Bash, Hart and Hogan defeated Savage and Piper.[126]
Hart competed in his second Nitro match on June 22, defeating Chris Benoit with assistance from nWo members: Hart had attempted to recruit his long-time friend into the nWo, but the offer was rejected.[127] At Bash at the Beach, Hart competed in his first championship match in WCW when he faced Booker T for Booker's WCW World Television Championship. He was disqualified after hitting Booker with a steel chair.[128] He would headline his first Nitro card on July 20, defeating Diamond Dallas Page for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Champion, with assistance from nWo member, The Giant.[129] WWE would later write, "Hart added to the significance of the already prestigious championship as many major WCW events were headlined by a U.S. Title bout rather than a WCW World Title contest."[130] On the August 10 edition of Nitro, Hart lost the United States Heavyweight Championship to fellow WWF alumnus Lex Luger.[131] Hart regained the title from Luger, the next night on Thunder.[132] In the main event of Fall Brawl, Hart would compete for the #1 contender spot to the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, losing to Diamond Dallas Page in a WarGames match.[133] Hart subsequently asked the fans for forgiveness, turning his back on Hogan and the nWo and ostensibly turning face again. A match between Hart and Hogan was booked to headline the September 28 edition of Nitro. During the match, Hart sustained a knee injury, with Sting taking his place. Hart's rift with Hogan had been a swerve: Hart turned on Sting, delivering a DDT, and the match was officially ruled a no-contest. Sting, a member of the rival nWo Wolfpac, was assaulted after the match; this betrayal began an intense feud between Hart and Sting. On the October 11 edition of Nitro, Sting and the Warrior beat Hart and Hogan. Hart's feud with Sting ended at Halloween Havoc with Hart controversially defending the United States Heavyweight Championship and (kayfabe) injuring Sting. On the October 26 edition of Nitro, Hart lost the title to Diamond Dallas Page.[134] The two would headline the following month's World War 3 pay-per-view in a title match which Hart lost.[135] Hart regained the title from Page on the November 30 edition of Nitro in a No Disqualification match with help from The Giant.[136]
On the February 8 edition of Nitro, Hart lost the United States Heavyweight Championship to family friend Roddy Piper.[137] In subsequent weeks, Hart declared that he was shifting his focus back to the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. On the March 29, 1999 edition of Nitro held at Toronto's Air Canada Centre, Hart appeared in street clothes and derided champion Ric Flair, as well as Hogan, for avoiding a match with him. Finally, he called out "franchise player" Bill Goldberg, claiming he could beat him in five minutes and verbally coercing Goldberg into tackling him. Hart was wearing a metal breastplate under his Toronto Maple Leafs sweater, which resulted in Goldberg being knocked out. Hart then counted his own pinfall over Goldberg's unconscious body, announced over the mic "Hey WCW, Bischoff, I quit!", to close the show, arising speculation on whether Hart was actually leaving the company. In reality, Hart had suffered a groin injury at the hands of Dean Malenko in November, and needed time off for surgery, removing him from the WCW World Heavyweight Championship picture.[138] On May 23, 1999, the night before Hart was scheduled to make an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to hype his imminent WCW return, his brother Owen Hart died in an accident during a WWF pay-per-view. Hart took a further four months off from WCW to be with his family.
World Heavyweight Champion, nWo and departure (1999–2000)[link]
Hart returned to wrestling as a face on the September 13, 1999 edition of Nitro in a match with Hulk Hogan against Sting and Lex Luger. On the October 4, 1999 edition of Nitro he defeated Chris Benoit in a tribute match for Owen — this match took place in Kemper Arena in Kansas City, where Owen had died months earlier.[139] Hart challenged for Sting's WCW World Heavyweight Championship on the October 18 edition of Nitro, but lost the match when he was attacked by Lex Luger.[140] Due to controversy over a series of WCW World Heavyweight Championship matches between Sting, Hogan, and Goldberg at Halloween Havoc, the title was declared vacant. A tournament then took place over several episodes of Nitro. Hart's first round match came against Goldberg the night after Halloween Havoc, with the match being a tournament match for a berth in the next round, as well as being a match for the United States Heavyweight Championship that Goldberg had won the night before. Thanks to outside interference, Hart was able to defeat Goldberg, handing him his second official WCW loss, and winning the United States Heavyweight Championship for the fourth time. Hart holds the record for most reigns with the title during the company's history (he would again make history with the title in 2010 by winning the rebranded WWE United States Championship, making him a record-tying five-time champion overall).[141][142]
On the November 8 edition of Nitro, Hart lost the United States Heavyweight Championship to Scott Hall in a ladder match which also involved Sid Vicious and Goldberg.[143] Hart went on to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship tournament by defeating Perry Saturn,[143] Billy Kidman,[144] Sting, and Chris Benoit at Mayhem, held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, giving him his first of two reigns in WCW and his sixth world title overall.
On December 7, Hart and Goldberg won the WCW World Tag Team Championship from Creative Control, thus not only making Hart a double champion (as he was still World Champion at that point) but also the first wrestler to win both the WWF and WCW version of the Triple Crown Championship.
Hart and Goldberg would lose the tag team titles to The Outsiders on the December 13 edition of Nitro.[145] At Starrcade, Hart defended his WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Goldberg. During the match, Hart was struck with a thrust kick to the head, resulting in a severe concussion. Hart later speculated that he may have suffered up to three additional concussions within matches over the course of that day along with the days immediately following Starrcade, having been unaware of the severity of his injuries.[146] As a part of this, Hart placed Goldberg on the post in a figure-four leg lock which ended with Hart hitting his head on the concrete floor when Goldberg failed to receive the move correctly.[147] The sum total of those injuries left Hart with post-concussion syndrome and ultimately forced his retirement from professional wrestling. Hart wrote a Calgary Sun column in which he said that Goldberg "had a tendency to injure everyone he worked with."[148] As part of his DVD documentary, Hart expressed regret that "someone as good-hearted as Bill Goldberg" was responsible for hurting him.[117] As with the Montreal Screwjob, referee Roddy Piper simply rung the bell when Hart held Goldberg in the Sharpshooter, although Goldberg did not submit. Piper simply walked away, leaving both Goldberg and Hart bewildered.[149] This would be Hart's last WCW pay-per-view.
Out of respect for Goldberg, Hart vacated the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on the December 20 edition of Nitro and suggested that he, without the championship advantage, face Goldberg that night to determine the true champion. During the match, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash came to the ring looking to attack Goldberg with baseball bats. Hart convinced them to stop, then in a swerve hit Goldberg with one of the bats. The three continued to beat down Goldberg and were eventually joined by Jeff Jarrett.[150] As a result, not only did Hart regain the championship, the nWo was reformed (now billed as "nWo 2000"), and Hart turned heel once again.[151][152] Hart wrestled Terry Funk to a no-contest in a non-title, hardcore rules match on the January 6 edition of Thunder. In his final match in WCW, he defended the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Kevin Nash on the January 10 edition of Nitro, which also ended in a no-contest. Hart vacated the title in late January 2000 when he was forced to withdraw from the main event of WCW's Souled Out due to his injuries. Hart continued to make appearances on WCW television, generally cutting promos. He was an official participant in a battle royal on the May 3, 2000 edition of Thunder to determine the number one contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship: the extent of his involvement in the match—ultimately won by Ric Flair—was to hit Hulk Hogan with a chair. His final WCW appearance occurred on the September 6, 2000 edition of Thunder, in a promo where he confronted Bill Goldberg on the injury he sustained nine months prior. WCW released Hart from his contract in October 2000, due to his ongoing incapacity, and he announced his retirement from professional wrestling soon afterward.
Hart and several critics considered his storylines during his tenure to be lackluster. Nonetheless he had, upon departing, held seven titles, including the WCW Triple Crown, and headlined multiple pay-per-views for WCW.[11][153] Hart has cited his WCW World Heavyweight Championship victory at Mayhem 1999, the "steel plate" segment with Goldberg and his tribute match to Owen, against Chris Benoit, as his greatest moments with the company.[11]
Retirement appearances[link]
World Wrestling All-Stars (2001; 2003)[link]
In 2001, Hart became the on-screen commissioner of World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA), a role that ended prematurely due to a 2002 stroke, which temporarily rendered him a wheelchair user.[154] In his first major appearance since recovering, Hart traveled to Australia to appear at another WWA event in May 2003.
Theater and return to the ring (2004; 2006)[link]
Hart donned his famed "Hit Man" singlet, along with additional costume, and wrestled in-ring matches against jobbers (playing minor villain characters) as part of his performance as the Genie in a 2004 stage production of Aladdin, which capitalized on his past as a professional wrestler.[155] He reprised the role in 2006.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2005–2006)[link]
In mid 2005, Hart worked with the renamed World Wrestling Entertainment for the first time since 1997, contributing hours of interview footage and selecting matches for his WWE Home Video release, Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be. He was interviewed by Todd Grisham on the November 16, 2005 edition of Byte This!, marking his first appearance on WWE programming since his departure.[156] In April 2006, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by former on-screen rival, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Independent promotions (2007–2009)[link]
On May 9, 2007, it was announced that Hart would make his first appearance for a professional wrestling event since the 2006 WWE Hall of Fame. Hart signed autographs at "The Legends of Wrestling" show at the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.[157] On June 11, 2007, Hart made his first appearance on Raw since October 27, 1997 when he appeared in a pre-taped interview voicing his opinions on Vince McMahon as part of "Mr. McMahon Appreciation Night." During the months of October and November 2008, Hart went on tour with American Wrestling Rampage promotions, touring many places throughout the UK and Ireland, posing for photographs and signing autographs before the show. On the weekend of July 11, 2009, he made an appearance at One Pro Wrestling in Doncaster, England, where he held a Q&A, and then entered the ring to address the fans at the show. On September 27, 2009, Hart appeared in New York City's Manhattan Center to sign autographs during a Ring of Honor event. He spoke to the crowd, reminiscing about some of his more memorable matches in New York.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2009-2011)[link]
Hart re-signed with WWE in late 2009. On December 28, after weeks of controversy surrounding Hart and his presence in World Wrestling Entertainment, Chairman Vince McMahon announced that Hart would be special guest host on the January 4, 2010 episode of Raw.[158] Hart made his first live appearance on Raw in over 12 years by hosting the program. There, he thanked the fans for their continued support, jokingly teased announcer Jerry Lawler about their long-running 1990s feud, and confronted Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon regarding the Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series in 1997. Hart and Michaels were able to agree on a truce, shaking hands and hugging. While many cast doubts on the sincerity of their reconciliation, both men have confirmed that it was indeed genuine.[159][160] It also appeared that he had buried the hatchet with Vince later in the night, until Vince subsequently kicked Bret in the gut (this was in fact part of a storyline, as Bret and Vince have been on speaking terms since 2005).[159]
During different encounters the following month, Hart and McMahon would reproduce similar events that occurred in the Montreal Screwjob: McMahon spitting in Hart's face (as Hart did to McMahon), and Hart destroying parts of the technical equipment that goes into producing Raw (as he did to the Survivor Series equipment).[161] On the February 15 episode of Raw, Hart made a farewell from WWE, but as he left to go inside his limousine, another vehicle reversed into the door of his limo and injured his leg. On the March 1 episode of Raw, Mr.McMahon, who would take advantage of Hart's condition, challenged Hart to a match at WrestleMania XXVI; Hart accepted.[162] The match was later changed to a No Holds Barred Match as Hart revealed the staging of his injury. Hart, along with his family, inducted his father Stu Hart into the WWE Hall of Fame, a controversial decision that aggravated Hart and McMahon's rivalry in 2010. At WrestleMania, McMahon attempted to buy Hart's family into turning against him; however, they turned against McMahon instead and helped Hart defeat McMahon.[163]
On the Raw episode after WrestleMania, Hart was about to announce his farewell from WWE until Unified WWE Tag Team Champions The Miz and The Big Show taunted Hart. This led Hart to request a match between the champions and The Hart Dynasty (David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd), a stable stemmed from the Hart family. Ultimately, the Dynasty would win a championship match that culminated in them winning the championship on April 26. Hart would manage in the Dynasty's corners while they battled with the Miz and Show in various matches, which eventually led to The Miz losing a match that guaranteed a WWE United States Championship match to a Hart family member against him. Instead of choosing a member of the Dynasty, The Miz chose Bret; with the help of the Dynasty, Hart would defeat The Miz to win his record-tying fifth United States Championship on May 17.[164]
On the May 24 edition of Raw, Hart was named the new General Manager of Raw. He set up qualifying matches for Fatal 4-Way Pay-per-view, but one of which involving the injured Batista and Randy Orton. Batista refused to take part and quit the WWE. He vacated the United States title, which was later won by R-Truth, and once again retired from the ring to fulfill his duties as General Manager.[165] The next week, he was confronted by Vince McMahon who congratulated Hart on becoming General Manager but warned him that he would have to make tough decisions in the future. Hart retaliated by declaring a Viewer's Choice episode of Raw.[166] The week after the Viewer's Choice episode, he confronted the NXT rookies who demanded WWE contracts. Hart denied their requests and fired NXT Season 1 winner Wade Barrett. At the end of the night, the NXT rookies attacked Hart and demanded for contracts giving Hart until the Fatal 4-Way pay per view for his answer.[167] Hart legitimately did not appear at the pay-per-view or the following night's Raw as advertised. On Raw, Vince McMahon scolded Hart for failing to appear at the pay-per-view, and to hire extra security to prevent the "chaos" caused by the NXT rookies, relieving him of his duties as General Manager.[168] Hart's profile was subsequently removed from the Raw roster on WWE.com. Some speculated that Hart had left the company, with the most commonly reported explanation being that Lloyd's of London, with whom he has an insurance settlement following his career ending injury in WCW, were unhappy with the level of physicality involved in his WWE appearances.[169][170]
After a five-week absence from WWE programming, Hart returned to Raw on July 19, where it was announced by John Cena that he, The Great Khali, R-Truth, Edge, Chris Jericho, John Morrison, and Hart would face the NXT rookies, now known as The Nexus, at SummerSlam.[171][172] The following week, Hart teamed with John Cena to wrestle SummerSlam teammates Edge and Chris Jericho to a no-contest.[173] In the SummerSlam main event, Hart's first pay-per-view headlining match since Starrcade 1999, he was disqualified for using a steel chair on Skip Sheffield. However, his team went on to win the match.[174] On the August 16 edition of Raw, Bret Hart introduced the new tag team title belts to the champions, The Hart Dynasty. Later on in the night during the Nexus vs. Raw challenge, Hart was scheduled to face Justin Gabriel, but was unable to compete after the anonymous GM, citing his disdain for Hart, removed him from the match and replaced him with Randy Orton.[175] On August 30 Hart appeared on the 900th episode of Raw and was booked in a match against The Undertaker by the anonymous GM. The match, however, would never take place as The Undertaker was assaulted by the Nexus and Kane.[176] On September 25, 2010, WWE hosted a tribute event to Hart in Madison Square Garden, where he and the Hart Dynasty defeated Nexus members Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel and Michael Tarver in a six man tag team match, when Gabriel submitted to Hart's Sharpshooter.[177] At Raw on October 18, 2010, Hart made an appearance in his hometown of Calgary, working as the special enforcer in the main event dark match between Randy Orton, Sheamus and Wade Barrett and, after the match, saved Orton from a Nexus beatdown and locked Heath Slater in a Sharpshooter.[178] As of November 2010, Hart's WWE contract had expired.[179][180][181]
Hart appeared on WWE.com's Legends of Wrestling: Rivalries on March 23, 2011, discussing the greatest professional wrestling rivalries of all time with other prominent industry figures. On the April 25, 2011 edition of Tough Enough, the contestants focused on developing their agility. Hart, who was described in his introduction by host Steve Austin as the personification of "courage, technique and agility", motivated the contestants by giving a talk on the attributes required to be successful in WWE.[182] On May 22 at Over The Limit, Hart's long-running 1990s rival, Jerry Lawler, defeated Michael Cole in a Kiss My Foot match. Harking back to Hart's victory over Lawler in a Kiss My Foot Match at the 1995 King of the Ring, Hart came to the ring after the match and, along with Jim Ross and Eve Torres, forced Michael Cole back into the ring so he could kiss Lawler's foot, as agreed in the pre-match stipulation; Hart placed Cole in the Sharpshooter to accomplish this. Hart and Lawler then embraced, laying past animosities to rest. The following night on Raw, Hart refereed the main event, which saw John Cena and Rey Mysterio defeat R-Truth and CM Punk with Hart's assistance. On the August 23, 2011 tapings of the August 26, 2011 edition of Smackdown, Hart served as guest General Manager. Hart announced that Mark Henry would get a shot at Randy Orton's World Heavyweight Championship the following week, but he was forced to give Christian a title shot instead, after Christian invoked his rematch clause. Hart, however, used his authority to add a steel cage stipulation to the match. Hart also guest refereed a Street Fight between Randy Orton and Christian in a Dark Match. After the match, Christian squared off with Bret, who applied the sharpshooter on Christian.
On September 12, 2011 Hart appeared on RAW and was placed in a tag team match with John Cena against Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez which he won after putting Rodriguez into a sharpshooter.[183] Later that week on Smackdown, which was filmed in Toronto, he took part in a post-show tribute for one of his biggest fans (who also was forced to retire early, due to injuries), Edge.
Legacy[link]
Hart has been credited by WWE and prominent industry figures as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.[11][6] WWE has also described him as one of the biggest names in the history of the business,[7][8] and said of his popularity, "In the mid ’90s, there were very few, if any, Superstars as popular as Bret “Hit Man” Hart."[9] WCW said, "Bret "Hit Man" Hart [is] perhaps the greatest pure wrestler ever to lace up a pair of boots. Universally respected by other wrestlers, Hart is almost as controversial as he is technically adept." The organization also called Hart "an incredible international draw, attracting standing room only crowds in every corner of the globe."[5] Since Hart's retirement, WWE chairman Vince McMahon has described him as the greatest technical wrestler and storyteller in the history of the business, and as having given the best match of the night every time he wrestled.[184] Stone Cold Steve Austin,[185] The Undertaker,[186] Shawn Michaels,[187] Chris Benoit,[188] Roddy Piper,[189] Bam Bam Bigelow[190] and other wrestlers[191][192] have named Hart as one of their favorite opponents. Veteran AWA, WWF/E and WCW announcer Gene Okerlund has asserted that Hart should appear in anyone's list of the top ten greatest wrestlers of all time.[193] Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) readers voted Hart the greatest wrestler of 1993 and 1994 in the "PWI 500",[73] as well as the "Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year" 1994.[194] He was voted "WWF Superstar of the Year" 1993 by fans.[72] PWI ranked him #4 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003, after Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Andre The Giant.[195] WWE has also credited Hart as the top "Submission Specialist" in professional wrestling history,[196] and for popularizing the Sharpshooter submission hold, named by the organization as the most devastating submission hold in professional wrestling history.[197]
In 2004, Hart was chosen as one of the Greatest Canadians, coming in at number thirty-nine. He was also the advocate for Don Cherry during the televised portion of the competition. Hart said he would be done with professional wrestling following his U.S. book tour. He believed his wrestling career would be complete after saying good-bye to his American fans on various book signing tours to promote its release in the States. Hart was content saying good-bye to wrestling through his book and not working for a promotion after spending seven years on the project. "I'd be happy being remembered for really brilliant storytelling in my matches, not for some last chance to snap up some money," Hart said. "I respectfully understand my light in wrestling is fading. I can live with that." Hart said he nearly gave up on the project while trying to fight with the illnesses he faced after suffering a stroke in 2002. However, Hart wanted to bring closure on his wrestling career. "A lot of times, I thought about giving up because it was hard reliving some of these events. But I couldn't say goodbye to my wrestling character until I finished."
On the February 16, 2006, episode of Raw, it was announced that Hart would be a 2006 inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame.[198] Hart had also been approached by Vince McMahon for a potential match between the two at WrestleMania 22 but declined the offer.[199] On April 1, 2006, Hart was inducted by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.[200] He thanked every wrestler he worked with (even thanking Vince McMahon) and said he's "in a good place in life."[201] Despite Hart's claims around the time of WrestleMania 22, the idea of a match between Hart and McMahon was revived in 2010 following Bret's guest appearance on the January 4th edition of Raw. On March 1, 2010, it was confirmed that Hart and McMahon would have their match at WrestleMania XXVI.
On July 15, 2006, Bret Hart was inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, at the International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Newton, Iowa. The induction took place in an immensely crowded and humid display room showcasing one of Hart's ring entrance jackets. The honor is only awarded to those with both a professional and amateur wrestling background, making Hart one of the youngest inductees. During his acceptance, Hart compared this induction to his place in the WWE Hall of Fame, saying "This is a much bigger honor for me."[202]
In June 2008, Hart returned to the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremony, this time to induct his father Stu Hart. At the induction ceremony in Waterloo, Iowa, he ridiculed Slam Wrestling editor Greg Oliver, calling him a "charlatan" and his books on wrestling "fiction" to the standing ovation of some wrestlers in attendance. At the end of the speech, Hart said "Either you go or I go." After Oliver refused to leave, Hart walked out of the ceremony with other wrestlers to scattered applause.[203]
On October 16, 2010, Bret Hart was honored at MainStream Wrestling Entertainment's Maritime Wrestling Expo event in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Mayor of Halifax, Peter Kelly, declared the date as Bret "Hit Man" Hart Day and delivered a proclamation in honor of Bret's lifetime contributions to wrestling and for naming the City of Halifax as a favorite place in which to perform. Bret was also given a special custom-made plaque by MainStream Wrestling Entertainment, which was designed by Custom Design Cycle in Liverpool, Nova Scotia.
In December, 2010, WWE released the "50 Greatest Superstars of All-Time" DVD in which Bret was ranked #4 behind Steve Austin, Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels.
Outside the ring[link]
Writing[link]
Hart wrote a weekly column for the Calgary Sun from June 1991 until October 2004.
On October 16, 2007, Hart's autobiography titled Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, was released in Canada by Random House Canada, and released in fall 2008 in the United States by Grand Central Publishing, with a U.S. book signing tour. Hart began writing the book in July 1999 with Marcy Engelstein, his longtime close friend and business associate. They did not complete the book until eight years later in September 2007 due to Hart suffering his stroke in 2002, among numerous other tragedies that occurred during the writing. Hart's chronicle is based on an audio diary that he kept for all of his years on the road in professional wrestling.
Acting[link]
In 1994, Hart played a prison inmate in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers; however, the scene he appeared in was deleted.
From 1995 to 1996 Hart appeared in the Lonesome Dove television series playing "Luther Root". He has made numerous televised appearances since, including a guest spot on The Simpsons in 1997 (as himself, in "The Old Man and the Lisa") and episodes of the Honey I Shrunk The Kids TV series (along with his brother Owen), The Adventures of Sinbad, Big Sound, and The Immortal. Hart provides the voice of pro wrestler character "The Hooded Fang" in Jacob Two-Two.
Hart also guest starred on the sketch comedy series MADtv in 1997 where he acted as enforcer at a fan's house, appearing with his WWF Championship belt. Hart later appeared again on MADtv in 1999 and 2000 in an angle with actor Will Sasso in which the two feuded on the set of MADtv and in World Championship Wrestling; this culminated in a grudge match on WCW Monday Nitro, where Hart decisively defeated Sasso.
Hart had a stint playing The Genie in a theatrical production of Aladdin in 2004, a role which he reprised in the Canadian Touring production of Aladdin in late 2006.
Wrestling-related[link]
Hart was the subject of 1998 documentary, Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows, which chronicles the events leading up to his transition from WWF to WCW.
In mid-2005, WWE announced the release of a three-disc DVD originally named Screwed: The Bret Hart Story, with the title a reference to the Montreal Screwjob. After he was approached about appearing in the DVD, Hart visited WWE Headquarters on August 3, 2005 and met with Vince McMahon. Hart filmed over seven hours of interview footage for the DVD, which was renamed Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be. The DVD includes a compendium of Hart's favorite matches, including a match against his brother Owen held in White Plains, New York and his first match with Ricky Steamboat. Before the DVD's release, WWE released a special magazine covering Hart's career. The collection was released on November 15, 2005.
On April 6, 2010, WWE released Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology, which is a 3 DVD set featuring a documentary on the Hart wrestling family as well as 12 matches. It is unique in that it also features previously unseen home movies from the Harts as well as candid interviews from surviving family members.
Hart appeared on many talk shows (Larry King Live, Nancy Grace, Hannity & Colmes, On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren, etc.) discussing the Chris Benoit double murder and suicide. Hart is shown putting his finishing hold, the Sharpshooter, on Chris Benoit in the opening credits of Malcolm in the Middle which was footage from WCW Mayhem 1999 .
In 2010, The Fight Network produced a documentary titled 'Bret Hart - Survival of the Hitman' produced by John Pollock, Jorge Barbosa and Wai Ting chronicling the rise of Hart, his split with WWE in 1997 and his road back to the company in January 2010. The documentary features interviews with Bret, members of the family, Carl DeMarco, former sports agent Gord Kirke, producer of 'Wrestling with Shadows' Paul Jay and more.
In June 2011, tweets from Jim Ross, Shawn Michaels and Hart announced that the three were working on a DVD chronicling the careers of Hart and Michaels that the WWE was planning to release in October 2011. The subject of the DVD would be their on-screen rivalry and real-life conflicts, with a particular focus on the Montreal screwjob. In his tweet, Hart described working on the DVD as a "cathartic" experience, and Ross asserted that both Hart and Michaels had been very honest and emotional in their interviews.
Personal life[link]
Family[link]
Hart married Julie Smadu-Hart (born March 25, 1960) on July 8, 1982. Bret and Julie have 4 children:[204] Jade Michelle Hart (born March 31, 1983); Dallas Jeffery Hart (born August 11, 1984); Alexandra Sabina Hart (born May 17, 1988), nicknamed "Beans"; and Blade Colton Hart (born June 5, 1990).[205] The 4 hearts located on the right thigh of his tights symbolize his 4 children, as do the 4 dots following his signature.[206] Bret and Julie separated in May 1998 and they eventually got divorced on June 24, 2002 just hours before Bret suffered his stroke.[207] Hart married an Italian woman named Cinzia Rota in 2004, but they got divorced in 2007 after failing to agree on where they should live.[207] In July 2010 Hart married a woman named Stephanie Washington.[208]
His 7 brothers were either wrestlers or involved backstage with the wrestling business; his 4 sisters all married professional wrestlers. 3 of his brothers-in-law, the Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, and Jim Neidhart had successful careers in the business. His youngest brother Owen Hart had become a decorated wrestler in his own right before his death in 1999, caused in a real-life accident at the WWF pay-per-view Over the Edge.
He is a cousin of Roddy Piper.
Health problems[link]
On June 24, 2002, Bret Hart suffered a stroke after hitting his head in a bicycle accident. The Calgary Herald reported that Hart hit a pothole, flew over the handlebars of the bike, and landed on the back of his head. Hart suffered total paralysis on his left side, which required months of physical therapy. Hart has since recovered much of his mobility and is in good health, although he suffers from an emotional imbalance and other lasting effects common to stroke survivors. Hart wrote in detail about his stroke in his autobiography, Hitman: My Real Life In The Cartoon World of Wrestling.[209] Hart later became a spokesperson for March of Dimes Canada's Stroke Recovery Canada program.[210]
Feud with Ric Flair[link]
In 2004, Hart engaged in an off-screen rivalry with Ric Flair. In his autobiography, Flair criticizes Hart for exploiting the death of his brother, Owen Hart, and the controversy surrounding the Montreal Screwjob.[211] Flair also claimed in his autobiography that, despite Hart's popularity in Canada, he was not a formidable money-making draw in the United States, a claim which Hart dismissed as "plain ridiculous" in a column written for the Calgary Sun.[212] Hart claimed that he drew greater revenue than Flair, citing his headlining performances on consistently sold-out tours throughout his WWF career, while Flair wrestled to allegedly near-empty arenas. He also criticized Flair on what he perceived as insults to fellow wrestlers Mick Foley and Randy Savage. Hart did acknowledge a decline in the WWF's popularity during the mid-1990s, but he, and others, felt that this was largely attributed to the WWF's well-publicised sex and steroid scandals, as well as WCW's acquisition of former top WWE stars.[212][213][214] In contrast to Flair's claims, longtime dirtsheet writer Dave Meltzer, of the Wrestling Observer, said of Hart, "there is no denying he was a major draw in the United States";[215] WWE owner Vince McMahon has asserted that whichever company hired Hart could "have built the entire franchise around [him]," describing him as an "extraordinary star who you know is going to give you the best match of the night every time he goes out there." McMahon added that it was "fortunate for me, in terms of my company," that his chief competitor, WCW, did not utilize Hart to his full potential.[11] WCW described Hart as "an incredible international draw, attracting standing room only crowds in every corner of the globe."[5]
Other[link]
When Hart began the controversial "Canada versus America" angle, he was criticized in public, accused of being anti-American and often told by angry American fans "go back where you came from". Hart responded in an interview with the Calgary Sun, stating that "[there is] a difference between a show and reality". In actuality, Hart holds dual citizenship with Canada and the U.S. as his mother is originally from Long Island, New York in the U.S.[216]
The Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League took their name from Hart, who was a founder and part-owner.[217]
In wrestling[link]
- Finishing moves
- Signature moves
- Bulldog, sometimes from the second rope
- DDT[219]
- Dropkick
- Enzuigiri
- Figure four leglock,[218] sometimes while using the ringpost for extra pressure[1]
- Headbutt,[219] sometimes to to the opponent's lower abdomen[1]
- Inverted atomic drop[1]
- Kip-up, often from a prone position
- Multiple pinning variations
- Multiple suplex variations
- Pendulum backbreaker[1][218][219]
- Plancha
- Russian legsweep[218][219]
- Seated senton to an opponent's leg draped over the first rope
- Second or top rope dive into either an axe handle elbow drop or a side elbow drop[1][218]
- Sleeper hold
- Standing legdrop
- Stomp to the opponent's abdomen[1]
- Suicide dive
- Swinging neckbreaker
- Wrestlers Managed
- Entrance themes
- "Hart Beat" by Jimmy Hart and J.J. Maguire (WWF; 1988–1994)
- "Hart Attack" by Jim Johnston, Jimmy Hart, and J.J Maguire (WWF; 1994–1997)
- "Hitman in the House" (WCW; 1997–1999)
- "Hitman Theme" by Keith Scott (WCW; 1999–2000)
- "Rockhouse" by Jimmy Hart and H. Helm (WCW; used while a part of the nWo 2000; 1999–2000)
- "Return of the Hitman" by Jim Johnston (WWE; 2010–present)
Championships and accomplishments[link]
Amateur[link]
- City championships, Calgary (1974)[11][13]
- Mount Royal Collegiate Champion (1977)[11][15]
Professional wrestling[link]
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Iron Mike Award (2008)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Comeback of the Year (1997)[222]
- PWI Feud of the Year (1993)[68] vs. Jerry Lawler
- PWI Feud of the Year (1994)[68] vs. Owen Hart
- PWI Match of the Year (1992)[54] vs. British Bulldog at SummerSlam
- PWI Match of the Year (1996)[54] vs. Shawn Michaels in an Iron Man match at WrestleMania XII
- PWI Match of the Year (1997)[54] vs. Steve Austin in a Submission match at WrestleMania 13
- PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1997)[104]
- PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1994)[194]
- PWI Stanley Weston Award (2003)[223]
- PWI ranked him #1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1993 and 1994[73][83]
- PWI ranked him #4 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003[195]
- PWI ranked him #37 of the top 500 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Jim Neidhart in 2003[224]
- World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
- WWE United States Championship (1 time)[142]
- WWF Championship (5 times)[7]
- WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)[234]
- WWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Jim Neidhart[45]
- King of the Ring (1991, 1993)
- WWF Superstar of the Year (1993)[72]
- Royal Rumble (1994)2[231]
- Second Triple Crown Champion (2 times)[231][232]
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2006)
- Slammy Award for Put a Fork in Him, He's Done (1996) The Sharpshooter[235]
- Slammy Award for Best Music Video (1996)[235]
- Slammy Award for Which WWF champion, past or present, in attendance, is Hall of Fame bound? (1996)[235]
- Slammy Award for Match of the Year (vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XII) (1996)[235]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- 5 Star Match (1994) vs. Owen Hart in a cage match at SummerSlam
- 5 Star Match (1997) vs. Steve Austin in a Submission match at WrestleMania 13
- Best Pro Wrestling Book (2007) Hitman
- Best Pro Wrestling DVD (2006) Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be
- Best Pro Wrestling DVD (2011) WWE Greatast Rivalries: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart
- Feud of the Year (1993) vs. Jerry Lawler
- Feud of the Year (1997) with Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, British Bulldog, and Brian Pillman vs. Steve Austin
- Match of the Year (1997) vs. Steve Austin in a Submission match at WrestleMania 13
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
1 Hart became the fifth man to win the Triple Crown along with Goldberg because they defeated Creative Control to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship, with both already holding all other required titles. Therefore, they both achieved Triple Crown status at the exact same time.
2Hart co-won the Royal Rumble with Lex Luger after both simultaneously eliminated each other.
References[link]
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- ^ "Pro Wrestling Wikia". http://prowrestling.wikia.com/wiki/Bret_Hart.
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- ^ Hart, Bret (2007). Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, p. 526
- ^ a b c WCW: The Ultimate Guide. DK Books. 2000. (p.104-105)
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- ^ Update On Bret Hart’s WWE Contract Status & Future. iFight365.com. November 25, 2010.
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- ^ Bret Hart Story (2005). Vince McMahon: "His technical skills and knack for storytelling are basically unparalleled... [an] extraordinary star who you know is going to give you the best match of the night every time he goes out there".
- ^ Bret Hart Story (2005). Stone Cold Steve Austin: (On their WrestleMania 13 submission match): "Anyone who's been in the ring with Bret knows how talented he is"... "that was the match of the year, that was awesome".
- ^ The Undertaker interview. The Score. 2003. "Some of my favorite matches are with [Bret Hart]... to this day I think my matches with Bret were some of the best."
- ^ "Off The Record". 2003. 20 minutes in. TSN. Shawn Michaels discussing his matches at WrestleMania. The hour with Bret, is that number one? "If it's not number one it's one and a half for sure"... "I loved wrestling him, I really did. You could go out there and just have a wrestling match with him - it was a sheer joy to be in the ring with him." You used to watch him backstage and think, 'that guy is unbelievable', didn't you? "I did, yeah. I used to think: 'I'd like to be out there with him'."
- ^ Bret Hart Story (2005). Chris Benoit: "The times that I was in the ring with Bret, those matches are up on a pedestal".
- ^ Bret Hart Story (2005). Roddy Piper: (On their WrestleMania VIII match) "One of the few guys who has a 'total package'"... "I think he's one great man".
- ^ Bam Bam Bigelow shoot interview. RF Video. 1998. On his 1993 King of the Ring final match with Hart: "One of the best matches in my career... Bret's just such a talent."
- ^ Bret Hart Story (2005). Road Warrior Animal: (speaking on in-ring opponents): "I put Bret number two or three best of all time, technician-wise".
- ^ Bret Hart Story (2005). Steve Lombardi: "One of the soundest"... "I've ever worked with in the ring".
- ^ Bret Hart Story (2005). Gene Okerlund: "Got to be in anyone's book... as one of the top ten greatest wrestlers of all time".
- ^ a b "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners Inspirational Wrestler of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwiinsp.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
- ^ a b "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi500yr.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- ^ WWE.com Countdown: Top 10 Submission Specialists. WWE. December 22, 2010.
- ^ "The Top 25 Most Devastating Submission Maneuvers". WWE. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
- ^ "McMahons 2, Michaels 0". WWE. 2006-03-06. http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/03062006/. Retrieved 2008-01-16. "Stone Cold will induct Bret “Hit Man” Hart"
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- ^ Hart, Bret (2007). Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, p. 224, 255
- ^ Hart, Bret (2007). Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, p.255
- ^ Hart, Bret (2007). Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, p.254
- ^ a b Hitman: My life in the cartoon world of wrestling
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Further information[link]
- Hart, Bret (2008). Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling. Vintage Canada,. ISBN 978-0-307-35567-6. http://books.google.ca/books?id=9w_ufNyxo3YC&lpg=PP1&dq=Bret%20%22Hitman%22%20Hart%3A&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true
- Hart, Bret; Lefko, Perry (March 2000). Bret "Hitman" Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be. Balmur/Stoddart. ISBN 0-7737-6095-4.
- Documentary
- Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Vince McMahon (December 8, 2009). Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows (Documentary film). ASIN B001NG9GZ0.
External links[link]
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bret Hart |
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Bret Hart |
- Official website
- Bret Hart on Twitter
- Bret Hart on Facebook
- Professional wrestling record for Bret Hart from The Internet Wrestling Database
- Audio Interview (2010) from 'Rafferty/Mills Connection' Podcast
- WWE: Home is where the Hart is? The return of The Hitman
- WWE Hall of Fame profile
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| Lanny Poffo | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Ring name(s) | The Genius[1] Lanny Poffo[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 240 lb (110 kg)[1] |
| Born | (1954-12-28) December 28, 1954 (age 57)[1] Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Resides | Largo, Florida[1] |
| Billed from | Downers Grove, Illinois[1] |
| Trained by | Angelo Poffo |
| Debut | 1973[1] |
Lanny Mark Poffo (born December 28, 1954 in Calgary, Alberta), better known by his ring names "Leaping" Lanny and The Genius is an American professional wrestler. Poffo was born in Calgary, Canada, to Angelo Poffo, an Italian American Catholic, and Judy, a Jewish American.[2] He is also the brother of wrestling legend "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Poffo grew up in Downers Grove, Illinois. He still wrestles regularly and is the co-owner of a new wrestling promotion in Canada called Hannibal Pro Wrestling along with Devon Nicholson.
Contents |
Career[link]
Early career[link]
He began wrestling in the NWA territories in the 1970s before becoming a star in his father's promotion, International Championship Wrestling, where he held the promotion's title. Over the course of his regional career, Poffo both tag teamed and feuded with older brother Randy. Upon the ICW's folding in 1984, he joined Randy in the CWA before traveling with him again to the World Wrestling Federation in June 1985. The brother angle was never worked in the WWF and the relationship was never mentioned on-air.[3]
World Wrestling Federation (1985-1992)[link]
While Lanny never attained the popularity of his brother in the WWF, he still managed to find a niche for himself as a minor fan favorite. As Leaping Lanny Poffo he would bring frisbees to the ring, read a short ode written on one of them that he himself had penned, and throw the frisbees into the crowd.[4] Each poem typically ridiculed the heel that he was about to wrestle against, or angered the heel by building heat for the face that the heel was feuding with at the time. Despite wrestling as a jobber, he was usually allowed to get in a fair amount of offense in his matches, and won some matches on occasion. Poffo wrestled a high-flier style at a time when big, heavy wrestlers still dominated the promotion. He was one of the first wrestlers in North America to utilize such moves as the Senton Bomb and the moonsault in their arsenal,[4] though the announcers referred to it at the time as a "leaping backflip". He made some publicity in late 1986 and early 1987 by competing in a series of Bunkhouse Battle Royals in full knight's armor, though he was eliminated quickly.[3] He also is noted for competing in a Battle Royal on Saturday Night's Main Event in 1987, where he was headbutted and eliminated by André the Giant, causing him to bleed immensely all over the floor. He was carried out by a stretcher.
In April 1989, Poffo was re-introduced as The Genius, adopting a highly intelligent,[4] snooty persona and wearing an academic cap and gown to the ring. He officially turned heel at the Boston Garden on March 18, 1989 still known as Leaping Lanny, he berated Hulk Hogan and stuck up for Randy Savage in his poem. This was a mere two weeks before WrestleMania V. His poems now ridiculed the face wrestlers, and he now behaved in an even more effeminate manner to infuriate the crowd. During the match, the Genius would construct a mathematical equation that would tilt the balance of the match in his favor. In addition, the Genius also served as "executive consultant" (and occasional tag team partner) for Mr. Perfect.[5]
On the November 25, 1989 edition of WWF Saturday Night's Main Event, The Genius beat WWF Champion Hulk Hogan by countout due to Mr. Perfect hitting Hogan with the championship belt. Later in the show, Mr. Perfect and Poffo took a hammer to the belt, shattering it to pieces. Shortly after WrestleMania VI Bobby Heenan became Mr. Perfect's manager. Poffo then became an occasional undercard wrestler until fall of 1991 when he became the manager of the Beverly Brothers (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom).[5] He would leave the WWF shortly after Survivor Series 1992.
World Championship Wrestling (1995–1999)[link]
Poffo signed a WCW contract in 1995, but he was rarely used. In his autobiography, Chris Jericho commented that he only saw Lanny Poffo work once and probably received the same paycheck as Chris who worked 22 dates a month. Although it is rumored that Poffo did in fact work WCW events as WCW's mascot, Wild Cat Willie, Poffo disputes this claim in an online interview.[6]
In a later shoot interview, Poffo clarified the details of his WCW tenure. He explained that he was contacted by his brother (Randy Savage) with the guarantee of a WCW contract. Savage, who had recently purchased the Gorgeous George gimmick, offered the character to Poffo, feeling that his brother would generate some great heat with the character. Poffo signed the contract and then began a strict training regimen (as well as bleaching his hair blonde) in preparation for his return to the ring.[citation needed]
However, as Poffo recalls, the phone simply never rang. Despite being under contract, he was never contacted with any bookings. Poffo's own calls to the office went unreturned, and he was simply never used by WCW. Ultimately Savage gave the Gorgeous George moniker to his then-girlfriend and valet Stephanie Bellars.[citation needed]
Life after wrestling[link]
Outside of wrestling, Poffo has released a collection of poems and limericks, most of which were related to drug and alcohol awareness, directed toward young children. Poffo is a staunch anti-smoker and has released a book of limericks entitled Limericks from the Heart and Lungs!.[7] He is also a certified credit counselor. He was last seen on television in infomercials as an endorser of Tony Little's Gazelle Freestyle exercise machine. Lanny Poffo was a part of Wrestle Reunion in Tampa, Florida on January 28–30, 2005. Poffo defeated "The Royal Stud" Adam Windsor at that event. He also wrestled in Canada as part of the Supershow in Pembroke and Hawkesbury Ontario.
Poffo remains on good terms with WWE, having written a poem for WWE.com in 2007 for the "Battle of the Billionaires" at WrestleMania 23 between Vince McMahon and Donald Trump.[8]
Poffo recently completed a tour of the East Coast of Canada with UCW. He wrestled in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.
Since the Atlantic Canadian tour, Poffo has wrestled in Poland and Orlando, Florida as well as a show in England.
He now tours the world as an independent wrestler and motivational speaker and has written two books.
It was announced in March 2012 that Lanny Poffo and Devon "Hannibal" Nicholson would be joining forces to open a new wrestling federation called Hannibal Pro Wrestling that will be running events in Canada[9]. They plan to run events in Canada with the first event to be held May 5th in Smiths Falls ON. Poffo will wrestle on the events while Nicholson will focus on the behind the scenes operations.
Personal life[link]
Lanny has a daughter named Magen Poffo (born 1984) with his ex-wife.[10]
In wrestling[link]
- Wrestlers managed
- Entrance themes
- "Theme of Exodus" by Ernest Gold (WWF; as The Genius; 1989-1992)
Championships and accomplishments[link]
-
- AGPW International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[14]
- Great North Wrestling
-
- GNW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
-
- ICW Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[16]
- ICW United States Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with George Weingeroff (3) and Mike Doggendorf (1)1[17]
- ICW World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)[18]
-
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Detroit version) (2 times) – with Angelo Poffo (1) and Chris Colt (1)[19]
-
- PWI ranked him # 350 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 1993.
1The ICW United States Tag Team Championship is referred to as the ICW World Tag Team Championship in some publications.
References[link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Lanny Poffo profile". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/l/lanny-poffo.html. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
- ^ Floridian: A wrestling dynasty
- ^ a b Remembering...Lanny Poffo/The Genius
- ^ a b c Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
- ^ a b Lanny Poffo Interview Recap from WrestlingEpicenter.com
- ^ Wrestling Observer - headlines
- ^ Amazon.com: Limericks from the Heart (and Lungs!)
- ^ Lanny "The Genius" Poffo
- ^ http://netnewsledger.com/2012/03/07/all-star-promoter-tag-team-of-lanny-the-genuis-poffo-devon-hannibal-nicholson-ready-to-bodyslam-easter-ontario/
- ^ Lanny is so very proud of his daughter, Magen Poffo, for being a non-smoker. "That's one thing my ex-wife and I can agree on and feel proud of as we, at least, have raised a child that is a non-smoker."
- ^ a b "Finishing Moves List". OtherArena. http://www.otherarena.com/nCo/finish/finish.html. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- ^ "Jimmy Hart profile". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/j/jimmy-hart.html. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
- ^ "Big Business Brown's website". Big Biz. http://www.bigbusinessbrown.com. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
- ^ AGPW International Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ ICW Southeastern Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ ICW World Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ ICW World Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ NWA World Tag Team Title (Detroit) history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
External links[link]
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lanny Poffo |
- Official website
- Newspaper article on the wrestling league that Lanny Owns http://netnewsledger.com/2012/03/07/all-star-promoter-tag-team-of-lanny-the-genuis-poffo-devon-hannibal-nicholson-ready-to-bodyslam-easter-ontario/
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Poffo, Lanny |
| Alternative names | The Genius, Leaping Lanny Poffo |
| Short description | Professional Wrestler / Motivational Speaker / Author |
| Date of birth | December 28, 1954 |
| Place of birth | Calgary, Alberta |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Lanny_Poffo
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
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Wiki Summary
Owen James Hart (May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999) was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The Blue Blazer. A member of the Hart wrestling family, Hart was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada the youngest of 12 children to Stampede Wrestling promoter and WWE Hall of Famer Stu Hart and Helen Hart.
Among other accolades, Hart was a one-time world champion: a one-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion; a two-time WWF Intercontinental Champion; one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion; one-time WWF European Champion and four-time WWF World Tag Team Champion. He was also the winner of the 1994 WWF King of the Ring. Hart has been cited by a number of peers as one of the WWF's greatest professional wrestlers.
Hart died on May 23, 1999 when an equipment malfunction occurred during his entrance from the rafters of Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S., at the WWF's Over the Edge pay-per-view event.
