WWE RAW VS SMACKDOWN PLUG & PLAY Chris Benoit Guerrero Eugene Batista juego de televisión

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Vendedor: sidewaysstairsco ✉️ (1.180) 100%, Ubicación del artículo: Santa Ana, California, US, Realiza envíos a: US y muchos otros países, Número de artículo: 204332251091 WWE RAW VS SMACKDOWN PLUG & PLAY Chris Benoit Guerrero Eugene Batista juego de televisión. Various feuds (2009–2011). Wrestler of the Year (2004)[120]. The Walking Dead Zombie Hunter. Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Top/Best of the Super Juniors (1993, 1995)[116]. Super J-Cup (1994)[115]. Blade Runner 2049 Denis Villeneuve.
Check out our other new and used items>>>>>HERE! (click me) FOR SALE: A Jakks Pacific exclusive Plug it in & Play TV Game 2005 WWE RAW VS SMACKDOWN! PLUG & PLAY VIDEO GAME DETAILS: The roster is unique and heartbreaking! The roster includes 2 men who died in separate tragic events, an oddball character with a short WWE career, and a guardian of the galaxy . This WWE plug and play video game was released the same year the great, late Eddie Guerrero tragically passed away. Less than two years later one of Eddie Guerrero's best friends and Canadian treasure, Chris Benoit, would take his own life - adding another tragic loss to WWE's history. WWE Raw Vs. SmackDown! Plug it in & Play TV Game from Jakks Pacific plugs directly into any television set with composite RCA A/V input jacks. 4 "AA" batteries are required for operation (batteries not included). Raw Roster: Chris "The Canadian Crippler" Benoit Triple H (Hunter Hearst Helmsley) Batista Randy Orton Eugene SmackDown! Roster: Kurt Angle JBL (John "Bradshaw" Layfield) Eddie Guerrero John Cena Booker T 2-Player Connectivity! WWE Raw Vs. SmackDown! Plug it in & Play TV Game from Jakks Pacific gives you the option for a second player to join in on the fun. Using a link cable (3.5mm/ 1/8"/ aux cable) you can plug in a second compatible Jakks Pacific controller to the first player controller for hours of challenging matches. GAMEKEY Ready! For about a year (2005-2006) Jakks Pacific produced expansion modules, named GAMEKEYS, for their Plug it in & Play TV Games. This WWE Jakks TV Game is capable of playing GAMEKEYs - add hours of more fun with Jakks GAMEKEY cartridges! A must have for the Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, or Eugene fanatic and collector! CONDITION: In very good, pre-owned condition. Tested and working. Please see photos. To ensure safe delivery all items are carefully packaged before shipping out. THANK YOU FOR LOOKING. QUESTIONS? JUST ASK. *ALL PHOTOS AND TEXT ARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF SIDEWAYS STAIRS CO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.* "Jakks Pacific, Inc. is an American company that designs and markets toys and consumer products, with a range of products that feature numerous children's toy licenses. The company is named after its founder, Jack Friedman, who had previously founded LJN and THQ and presided over the company until retiring as CEO and chairman after March 31, 2010,[2] a month before his death on May 3, 2010.[3][4][5] Jakks produces action figures, electronics, dolls, dress-up, role play, Halloween costumes, kids' furniture, vehicles, plush, art activity kits, seasonal products, infant/preschool, construction toys, and pet toys sold under various proprietary brands including Jakks Pacific, Creative Designs International, Road Champions, Funnoodle, Go Fly a Kite, Jakks Pets, EyeClops, Plug It In & Play TV Games, Girl Gourmet, Kids Only!, Tollytots and Disguise. Jakks is a licensee of several hundred trademarks including Disney, Star Wars and Nintendo. History Jakks Pacific's logo, 1995–2015 Jakks Pacific, Inc. was founded in 1995. Jakks acquired several companies, including Remco, Child Guidance, and Road Champions in 1997, Berk and Flying Colors in 1999, Pentech in 2000, Toymax, Go Fly A Kite and Funnoodle in 2002, Color Workshop and Trendmasters in 2003, Play Along Toys in 2004, Pet Pal Corp. in 2005, Creative Designs International in 2006, and Kids Only Toys, Tollytots, and Disguise in 2008. In February 2005, Jakks Pacific was instructed to restate the financial statements for fiscal year 2003 to account for the acquisition of Toymax, Trendmasters and P&M Products.[6] In 2010, the company formed Pacific Animation Partners LLC, a joint venture between that company and Dentsu Entertainment USA, Fremantle and Topps, to launch the Monsuno property in 2012.[7][8] In 2012, Jakks Pacific announced the successful negotiation of licences for The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man, promoting new toy ranges at the New York and other International Toy Fairs. In 2014, the company launched Jakks Meisheng Trading, a joint venture with Meisheng Culture and Creative Corp., to bring its toys to China.[9] In 2016, the two created Studio JP, a joint venture to produce animation.[10] Products     This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Jakks Pacific" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) The company makes a variety of toys including Plug It In and Play TV games, various electronics, and action figures. The company also licenses global brand names for manufactured toys. Plug It In & Play TV Games Plug It In & Play TV Games interactive products are a series of plug-n-play game devices produced by Jakks Pacific. When connected to a television set via RCA connector cables, the user is able to play a pre-defined selection of video games. Some models are collections of ports of games by companies such as Atari and Namco, while others are collections of original games. Some versions facilitate the addition of games, via proprietary GameKey expansion cards, and/or include wireless features. List of TV Games     1 vs 100     Activision     Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?     Atari series         Atari Joystick Controller TV Video Game System         Atari Paddle Controller TV Game System     Avatar: The Last Airbender     The Batman     Bejeweled Deluxe     Big Buck Hunter Pro     Big Buck Safari     Blue's Room     Capcom     Cars 2     Deal or No Deal     Disney series     Disney Princess     Dora the Explorer series     Dragon Ball Z     DreamWorks Animation     EA Sports Madden & NHL 95     Elmo's World     Fantastic Four     Frogger     Go, Diego, Go!     Hannah Montana     High School Musical     Jeopardy!     Max Force     Mortal Kombat     ¡Mucha Lucha!     My Little Pony     Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man series (Namco series)     PAW Patrol series     Nicktoons series     Pixar     Power Rangers series     The Price Is Right     Phineas and Ferb     Retro Arcade featuring Space Invaders     Scooby-Doo     Sesame Street     Shrek     Spider-Man series (Notable games include: The Amazing Spider-Man and the Masked Menace, Spider-Man's Villain Roundup, more)     SpongeBob SquarePants series (Notable games include: The Fry-Cook Games, Jellyfish Dodge, more)     Star Wars series     Superman     Super Silly Makeover     Tele-Doodle     Thomas & Friends series (Games include: Right on Time and Learning Circus Express)     Triple Header Sports     Total Nonstop Action Wrestling     Toy Story series     Ultimotion series (Unlicensed Wii Clones)     The Walking Dead Zombie Hunter     Wall-E     Winnie the Pooh     Winx Club     Wheel of Fortune series     WWE     World Poker Tour Visual electronics     EyeClops Toy Microscope - A 200X magnifying device that plugs into a TV.     EyeClops Bionic Eye Multi-Zoom - An EyeClops with 100X, 200X, and 400X magnification that plugs into a TV.     EyeClops Mini Projector - A mini projector that projects SD content up to 60 inches with loud & very clear audio.     EyeClops Night Vision - An infrared night vision device, in head-mounted and neck-strapped models.     EyeClops BioniCAM - A portable version of the EyeClops with an LCD screen, and the ability to save pictures and videos to a USB storage device. Handheld games     vMigo - A handheld virtual pet game, which can be docked into a TV adapter.     BioBytes - A handheld game, where the player uses their animal to attack the computer's, or a friend's (wirelessly).     Telestory Toy vehicles     Fly Wheels     Xtreme Performance Vehicle (XPV)     Custom Garage     Shock Racers     MXS     GX Racers     GX Skate     Power Trains Infant and toddler toys     Child Guidance     KnotWud Girls' activities     It's a Girl Thing     If you Say Sew!     Lucky Bee Bee     Girl Gourmet     Style Six Boys' activities     Max Force     Real Construction     Spy Net Toys Stationery products     BloPens     Vivid Velvet     Pentech     UltraSharp Seasonal     Funnoodle     Go Fly a Kite     The Storm     Disguise Halloween Costumes Pet     White Bites     Naturally Convenient Action figures     WWE     Rocky     Dragon Ball Z     Pokémon     UFPO     Real Steel     Ryuji Juwara     Total Nonstop Action Wrestling[11] Licensed brands The company also licenses various brands for toy production, including Black & Decker, Cabbage Patch Kids, Care Bears, DC Universe, Marvel Universe, Sonic the Hedgehog, Disney, Star Wars, and Nintendo." (wikipedia.org) "A handheld TV game or plug and play game is an integrated home video game console and game controller, usually battery powered, which connects directly to a television. The game software is built directly into the unit, which is typically designed to look like a toy or classic game console controller with the addition of a composite video cable to connect the unit. These systems usually contain either a collection of classic games or original games based on licensed properties. Because the game software is integrated into the game unit and almost never designed to be changed by the user, these game systems are typically marketed as electronic toys or collectibles rather than game consoles. Several manufacturers produced these devices beginning in the 1990s, though the concept became best known with the release in 2002 of Jakks Pacific's Atari Classic 10-in-1 TV. Most manufacturers have their own trademarked names for these systems, such as Radica's Play TV or Majesco's TV Arcade; however, most retailers refer to them as "TV games" or "plug and play" games. History From the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, three things happened: the retro game movement started to gain momentum, the price of system on a chip technology fell dramatically, and car television sets became popular. Several unlicensed family games, such as the TV Boy, were produced. These factors led to manufacturers officially licensing classic games. The first TV games include collections of classic games; one of the earliest is the Toymax Activision 10-in-1, released in 2001. The first TV games contain collections of classic games, and many manufacturers started incorporating original content and controls. Jakks Pacific reached licensing deals with Disney, DC Comics, Nickelodeon, and others. Criticism that video games were contributing to obesity in children led to the development of TV games with motion controls such as the Play TV series, including Play TV Baseball, Play TV Football, and Play TV Barbie Dance Craze in 2003. In 2004, Tiger Electronics created paintball and a The Lord of the Rings sword-fighting game, using a toy sword as the controller. In that year, Radica started producing collections of Sega games, such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, Columns, and Gain Ground. The C64 Direct-to-TV was released in 2004 by Toy:Lobster and Mammoth Toys with a copy of the Commodore 64 operating system and a virtual keyboard as a hidden extra. In 2005, Jakks Pacific produced original game content for the new Star Wars and Fantastic Four films, and Tiger produced a Jedi lightsaber fighting game using a lightsaber as the controller. In 2005, Milton Bradley started producing TV game versions of Whack-a-Mole and Miniature Golf." (wikipedia.org) "A home video game console is a video game console that is designed to be connected to a display device, such as a television, and an external power source as to play video games. Home consoles are generally less powerful and customizable than personal computers, designed to have advanced graphics abilities but limited memory and storage space to keep the units affordable. While initial consoles were dedicated units with only a few games fixed into the electronic circuits of the system, most consoles since support the use of swappable game media, either through game cartridges, optical discs, or through digital distribution to internal storage. There have been numerous home video game consoles since the first commercial unit, the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972. Historically these consoles have been grouped into generations lasting each about six years based on common technical specifications. As of 2021, there have been nine console generations, with the current leading manufactures being Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo; past console manufacturers have included Atari, Fairchild, Mattel, Coleco, Sega, NEC, 3DO, and SNK. Overview Main article: Video game console A home video game console is a predesigned piece of electronic hardware that is meant to be placed at a fixed location at one's home, connected to a display like a television screen or computer monitor, and to an external power source, to play video games on using one or more video game controllers. This differs from a handheld game console which will have a built-in screen, controller buttons/features, and a power supply like a battery or battery pack. Earlier home consoles were typically built from a selection of standard and highly customized integrated computer chips, packaged onto circuit boards and cases. Over time, home console design has converged to a degree with personal computers, using similar component and system design, including standardization with main computer chip architecture. Consoles remain as fixed systems, lacking the customization options that personal computer components have, and most consoles include customized components to maximize space and reduce power consumption to provide the best performance for game playing, while lowering costs with reduced storage and memory configurations.[1] Home video game consoles typically can play a multitude of games, offered either as game cartridges (or ROM cartridges), on optical media like CD-ROM or DVD, or obtained by digital distribution. Early consoles, also considered dedicated consoles, had games that were fixed in the electronic circuitry of the hardware. Some facets may be controlled by switching external controls on the console but the games could not be changed themselves. Most home consoles require a separate game controller, and may support multiple controllers for multiplayer games. Some console games can only be played with special, unconventional game controllers, such as light guns for rail shooters and guitar controllers for music games. Some consoles also possess the ability to connect and interface with a particular handheld game system, which certain games can leverage to provide alternate control schemes, second screen gameplay elements, exclusive unlockable content or the ability to transfer certain game data. History Main articles: History of video game consoles and Home video game console generations The first commercial video game console was the Magnavox Odyssey, developed by Ralph H. Baer and first released commercially in 1972. It was shortly followed by the release of the home version of Pong by Atari Inc. in 1975 based on the arcade game. A number of clones of both systems rushed to fill the nascent home console market and the video game industry suffered a small recession in 1977 due to this. The Fairchild Channel F, released in 1976, was the first console to use game cartridges, which was then used by the Atari VCS and several other consoles of the second generation and led to a second boom in the video game industry in the United States and around the globe. During this time, Atari Inc. had been sold to Warner Communications, and due to a change of leadership, several programmers left the company and founded Activision, becoming the first third-party developer. Activision's success led to a rush of new developers creating games without any publishing controls for these systems. The market became flooded with poor quality games, and combined with the rising popularity of the personal computer and the economic recession of the early 1980s, led to the video game crash of 1983 in the U.S. market. Nintendo, which had released its Famicom console in Japan that year, took several cautionary steps to limit game production to only licensed games, and was able to introduce the Famicom, rebranded as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985 into the U.S. market. The NES helped to revive the console market and gave Nintendo dominance during the late 1980s. Sega took advantage of the newfound U.S. growth to market its Sega Genesis against the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in the early 1990s in the so-called "console wars" and emphasized the notion of "bits" as a major selling point for consumers. The consumer adoption of optical discs with larger storage capacity in the mid-1995 led many console manufactures to move away from cartridges to CD-ROMs and later to DVDs and other formats, with Sony's PlayStation line introducing even more features that gave it an advantage in the market; the PlayStation 2, released in 2000, remains the best-selling console to date with over 155 million units sold. Microsoft, fearing that the PlayStation 2 was threatening the competitive edge of the personal computer, entered the console space with its Xbox line in 2001. Internet connectivity had become commonplace by the mid-2000s, and nearly all home consoles supported digital distribution and online service offerings by the 2010s. With Sony and Microsoft's dominance in hardware capabilities, most other major manufacturers have since dropped out of the hardware business, but maintain a presence in the game development and licensing space. Nintendo remains the only competitor having taken a blue ocean strategy by offering more original console concepts such as motion sensing in the Wii and the hybrid design of the Nintendo Switch. Within the home video game console market, the leading consoles have often been grouped into generations, consoles that were major competitors in the marketplace. There have been nine generations of consoles since the 1970s, with a new generation appearing about every five years in accordance with Moore's law. " (wikipedia.org) "World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., doing business as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and various other business ventures. The company is additionally involved in licensing its intellectual property to companies to produce video games and action figures. The promotion was founded in 1953 as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation. It is the largest wrestling promotion in the world, with its main roster divided up into two primary touring groups, along with a developmental roster based in Orlando, Florida (referred to by WWE as "brands"). Overall, WWE is available in more than one billion homes worldwide in 30 languages. The company's global headquarters is located in Stamford, Connecticut,[8] with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, and Munich.[9] As in other professional wrestling promotions, WWE shows are not legitimate contests but entertainment-based performance theater, featuring story line-driven, scripted, and partially choreographed matches; however, matches often include moves that can put performers at risk of injury, even death, if not performed correctly. The pre-determined aspect of professional wrestling was publicly acknowledged by WWE's owner Vince McMahon in 1989 in order to avoid taxes from athletic commissions. WWE brands its product as sports entertainment, acknowledging wrestling's roots in competitive sport and dramatic theater. The company's majority owner is its executive chairman, third-generation wrestling promoter Vince McMahon, who retains a 38.6% ownership of the company's outstanding stock and 81.1% of the voting power. The current entity, which was originally named Titan Sports, Inc., was incorporated on February 21, 1980, in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, but reincorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law in 1987. It acquired Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd., the holding company for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), previously known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), in 1982. Titan was renamed World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. in 1999, and then World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. in 2002. Since 2011, the company has branded itself solely with the initials WWE, though the legal name has not changed since 2002.[10] In 2023, WWE began to explore a potential sale of the company, amidst an employee misconduct scandal involving McMahon that had prompted him to step down as chief executive officer, although he returned as executive chairman.[11] In April 2023, WWE made a deal with Endeavor Group Holdings, under which it would merge with the mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to form a new public company majority-owned by Endeavor, with McMahon serving as executive chairman of the new entity, and Nick Khan remaining president. The merger is expected to be completed in the second half of 2023. WWE's origins can be traced back as far as the 1950s when on January 7, 1953, the first show under the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) was produced. There is uncertainty as to who the founder of the CWC was. Some sources state that it was Vincent J. McMahon,[12][13][14] while other sources cite McMahon's father Jess McMahon as founder of CWC.[15][16][17] The CWC later joined the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and famous New York promoter Toots Mondt soon joined the promotion. Vincent J. McMahon with Verne Gagne and Bruno Sammartino in 1975 In June 1963, Gilzenberg was named the first president of the WWWF.[21] Mondt left the promotion in the late 1960s and although the WWWF had previously withdrawn from the NWA, McMahon quietly re-joined in 1971. The WWWF was renamed to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979. Titan Sports, Inc. (1980–1999) Early years (1980–1982) Vincent J. McMahon's son, Vincent K. McMahon, and his wife Linda, established Titan Sports, Inc., in 1980 in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts and applied trademarks for the initials "WWF".[22][23] The company was incorporated on February 21, 1980, in the Cape Cod Coliseum offices, then moved to the building on Holly Hill Lane in Greenwich, Connecticut. Boom period (1982–1992) Main article: 1980s professional wrestling boom Vince McMahon, the former owner of the WWE from 1982 to 2023. He was the chairman and CEO until 2022. The younger McMahon bought Capitol from his father in 1982, effectively seizing control of the company. The actual date of sale is still unknown but the generally accepted date is June 6, 1982; however this was likely only the date the deal was struck but not finalized. On WWF television, Capitol Wrestling Corporation maintained copyrights and ownership past the June 1982 date. The World Wrestling Federation was not solely owned by Vincent J. McMahon but also by Gorilla Monsoon, Arnold Skaaland and Phil Zacko. The deal between the two McMahons was a monthly payment basis where if a single payment was missed, ownership would revert to the elder McMahon and his business partners. Looking to seal the deal quickly, McMahon took several loans and deals with other promoters and the business partners (including the promise of a job for life) in order to take full ownership by May or June 1983 for an estimated total of roughly $1 million with the three business partners receiving roughly $815,000 among them and Vincent J. McMahon receiving roughly $185,000.[24] Seeking to make the WWF the premier wrestling promotion in the country, and eventually, the world, he began an expansion process that fundamentally changed the wrestling business.[25] The WWF was hit with allegations of steroid abuse and distribution in 1992. This was followed by allegations of sexual harassment by WWF employees the following year.[30][31] McMahon was eventually exonerated, but the allegations brought bad public relations for the WWF, and an overall bad reputation. The steroid trial cost the company an estimated $5 million at a time of record low revenues. This helped drive many WWF wrestlers over to rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW), including 1980s babyface hero Hulk Hogan. During this period, the WWF promoted wrestlers of a younger age comprising "The New Generation", featuring Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Razor Ramon, Bret Hart, The Undertaker and Sycho Sid among others in an effort to promote new talent into the spotlight. In January 1993, the WWF debuted its flagship cable program Monday Night Raw. WCW countered in September 1995 with its own Monday night program, Monday Nitro, which aired in the same time slot as Raw.[32] The two programs would trade wins in the ensuing ratings competition (known as the "Monday Night Wars") until mid-1996. At that point, Nitro began a nearly two-year ratings domination that was largely fueled by the introduction of the New World Order (nWo), a stable led by former WWF performers Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall (the former Razor Ramon), and Kevin Nash (the former Diesel).[33] Start of the Attitude Era (1997–1999) Main article: Attitude Era See also: Montreal Screwjob As the Monday Night Wars continued between Raw Is War and WCW's Nitro, the WWF would transform itself from a family-friendly product into a more adult-oriented product, known as the Attitude Era. The era was spearheaded by WWF VP Shane McMahon (son of owner Vince McMahon) and head writer Vince Russo. 1997 ended with McMahon facing real-life controversy following Bret Hart's controversial departure from the company, dubbed as the Montreal Screwjob.[34] This proved to be one of several founding factors in the launch of the Attitude Era as well as the creation of McMahon's on-screen character, "Mr. McMahon". Before the Montreal Screwjob, which took place at the 1997 Survivor Series, former WCW talent were being hired by the WWF, including Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mankind, and Vader. Austin was slowly brought in as the new face of the company despite being promoted as an antihero, starting with his "Austin 3:16" speech shortly after defeating Jake Roberts in the tournament finals at the King of the Ring pay-per-view in 1996.[35] On April 29, 1999, the WWF made its return to terrestrial television, airing a special program known as SmackDown! on the fledgling UPN network. The Thursday night show became a weekly series on August 26, 1999 – competing directly with WCW's Thursday night program titled Thunder on TBS. World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. (1999–2002) Initial public offering (1999) In the summer of 1999, Titan Sports, Inc. was renamed World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. On October 19, 1999, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. launched an initial public offering as a publicly traded company, trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with the issuance of stock then valued at $172.5 million.[36] The company is traded on the NYSE under ticker symbol WWE.[37] Victory in the Monday Night Wars and end of the Attitude Era (1999–2002) Main article: The Invasion (professional wrestling) By the fall of 1999, the Attitude Era had turned the tide of the Monday Night Wars into WWF's favor. After Time Warner merged with America Online (AOL), Ted Turner's control over WCW was considerably reduced. The newly merged company lacked interest in professional wrestling as a whole and decided to sell WCW in its entirety. Although Eric Bischoff, whom Time Warner fired as WCW president in October 1999, was nearing a deal to purchase the company, in March 2001 McMahon acquired the rights to WCW's trademarks, tape library, contracts, and other properties from AOL Time Warner for a number reported to be around $7 million.[38] Shortly after WrestleMania X-Seven, the WWF launched the Invasion storyline, integrating the incoming talent roster from WCW and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). With this purchase, WWF now became by far the sole largest wrestling promotion in North America and in the world. The assets of ECW, which had folded after filing for bankruptcy protection in April 2001, were purchased by WWE in 2003.[39] In 2000, the WWF, in collaboration with television network NBC, launched the XFL, a new professional football league that debuted in 2001.[40] The league had high ratings for the first few weeks, but initial interest waned and its ratings plunged to dismally low levels (one of its games was the lowest-rated prime-time show in the history of American television). NBC walked out on the venture after only one season, but McMahon intended to continue alone. However, after being unable to reach a deal with UPN, McMahon shut down the XFL.[41] WWE maintained control of the XFL trademark[42][43] before McMahon reclaimed the XFL brand, this time under a separate shell company from WWE, in 2017[44] with intent to relaunch the XFL in 2020.[45] On June 24, 2002, episode of Raw, Vince McMahon officially referred to the start of the next era, called the "Ruthless Aggression" era.[46][47] World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (2002–present) Lawsuit and renaming (2002) Former WWE Chairwoman and CEO Stephanie McMahon (right) with her husband WWE CCO and Head of Creative Triple H (left) On May 6, 2002, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) changed both its company name and the name of its wrestling promotion to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) after the company lost a lawsuit initiated by the World Wildlife Fund over the WWF trademark.[48][49] Although mainly caused by an unfavorable ruling in its dispute with the World Wildlife Fund regarding the "WWF" initialism, the company noted it provided an opportunity to emphasize its focus on entertainment.[50] First brand split (2002–2011) Main articles: WWE brand extension and WWE Draft In March 2002, WWE decided to create two separate rosters, with each group of wrestlers appearing on one of their main programs, Raw and SmackDown!, due to the overabundance of talent left over from the Invasion storyline. This was dubbed as the "brand extension". Beginning in 2002 a draft lottery was held nearly every year to set the rosters, with the first draft to determine the inaugural split rosters, and subsequent drafts designed to refresh the rosters of each show. WWE expanded the brand split by relaunching ECW as a third brand on May 26, 2006.[51] Two years later, WWE adapted a more family-friendly format and their programming received a TV-PG rating.[52] The final ECW program aired on February 16, 2010, after which it was replaced with NXT.[53] On April 7, 2011, WWE, via the WWE Corporate website, the company ceased using the full name World Wrestling Entertainment and henceforth referred to itself solely as WWE, making the latter an orphan initialism. This was said to reflect WWE's global entertainment expansion away from the ring with the ultimate goal of acquiring entertainment companies and putting a focus on television, live events, and film production. WWE noted that their new company model was put into effect with the relaunch of Tough Enough, being a non-scripted program (contrary to the scripted nature of professional wrestling) and with the launch of the WWE Network (at the time scheduled to launch in 2012; later pushed back to 2014). However, the legal name of the company still remains as World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.[10] Brand reunification (2011–2016) Beginning with the August 29, 2011, episode, Raw - referred to as Raw Supershow - featured talent from both Raw and SmackDown (the "Supershow" epithet would be dropped on July 23, 2012).[54] Championships previously exclusive to one show or the other were available for wrestlers from any show to compete for; the "Supershow" format would mark the end of the brand split, as all programming and live events (until July 2016) featured the full WWE roster.[55] In 2013, the company built the sports medicine and training facility WWE Performance Center in the east Orange County, Florida in partnership with Full Sail University from Winter Park, Florida. The training facility is targeted at career and athletic development for the company's wrestlers.[56] Full Sail is also home base to WWE's NXT brand,[57] which served as a developmental territory for WWE.[58] On February 24, 2014, WWE launched WWE Network, an over-the-top streaming service that would feature archive content from WWE and its predecessors, all pay-per-views, (which would continue to be sold through television providers as well), and original programming.[59][60][61] Beginning in 2015 WWE started to push Roman Reigns as their face of the company since having him win the 2015 Royal rumble match, amidst mixed reception. By 2017 Roman Reigns became their highest merchandise seller.[62] Launch of second brand split (2016–2020) Raw and SmackDown have been WWE's two main brands since the brand split was first initiated in 2002. On May 25, 2016, WWE relaunched the brand split, billed as the "New Era". Subsequently, Raw and SmackDown have each featured their unique rosters, announcers, championships and ring sets/ropes. A draft took place to determine which wrestlers would appear on what show. SmackDown also moved from Thursdays to Tuesday nights, which began on July 19 (the night of the aforementioned draft), and airs live instead of the previous pre-recorded format.[63] On November 29, 2016, WWE introduced a new program specifically for their cruiserweight division (wrestlers 205 lbs. and under) called WWE 205 Live.[64] The program focuses exclusively on those wrestlers who qualify for the division.[65][66] The cruiserweights – who first became a fixture in WWE with the Cruiserweight Classic tournament – were originally exclusive to the Raw brand before landing their own brand.[67] On December 15, 2016, WWE established a new WWE United Kingdom Championship, with the inaugural champiopn being decided by a 16-man tournament to air on WWE Network featuring wrestlers from the UK and Ireland during January 2017. WWE executive Paul "Triple H" Levesque said the eventual plan with the new title and tournament was to establish a UK-based brand with its own weekly television show.[68][69] WWE subsequently launched its UK-based brand as an offshoot of NXT, NXT UK, in June 2018, with Johnny Saint serving as inaugural general manager.[70] Starting in September 2019, NXT had a weekly, live, two-hour show Wednesday nights on the USA Network and WWE began promoting NXT as their "third brand".[71][72] However, in 2021 NXT was moved to Tuesday nights, having conceded the Wednesday Night Wars to rival promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and in September of that year was reinstated to its original function as the developmental brand for the main roster (Raw and SmackDown), under the name "NXT 2.0". " (wikipedia.org) "Raw is a brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE that was established on March 25, 2002. Brands are divisions of WWE's roster where wrestlers are assigned to perform on a weekly basis when a brand extension is in effect. Wrestlers assigned to Raw primarily appear on the brand's weekly television program, Monday Night Raw, also referred to simply as Raw. It is one of WWE's two main brands, along with SmackDown, collectively referred to as WWE's main roster. The brand was discontinued for a period between August 2011 and July 2016. In addition to Raw's main television program, less-utilized wrestlers also appear on the brand's supplementary show, Main Event. Raw's wrestlers also perform on the branded and co-branded pay-per-view and livestreaming events. During the first brand split (2002–2011), Raw wrestlers also competed on the former supplementary show, Heat, and on ECW under a talent exchange program with the former ECW brand, while during the second brand split (2016–present), the brand's wrestlers have appeared in the interbrand Worlds Collide, Mixed Match Challenge, and annual Tribute to the Troops events. Additionally during the second split, Raw's cruiserweight wrestlers competed on 205 Live when WWE's revived cruiserweight division was exclusive to Raw from 2016 to 2018 before 205 Live became its own brand. History Main article: WWE brand extension First split (2002–2011) Eric Bischoff was the first Raw General Manager In early-to-mid-2002, then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) underwent a process they called the "brand extension".[2] The WWF divided itself into two de facto wrestling promotions with separate rosters, storylines and authority figures.[2] Raw and SmackDown! would host each division, give its name to the division and essentially compete against each other. The split came about as a result of the WWF purchasing their two biggest competitors, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW); and the subsequent doubling of its roster and championships. The brand extension was publicly announced by Linda McMahon during a telecast of Raw on March 25 and became official the next day. At the time, this excluded the WWE Undisputed Championship and the original WWE Women's Championship as those WWE titles would be defended on both shows. In September 2002, then WWE Undisputed Champion Brock Lesnar refused to defend the title on Raw, in effect causing his title to become exclusive to SmackDown. The following week on Raw, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff awarded a newly instated World Heavyweight Championship to Raw's designated number one contender Triple H. Because the WWE Undisputed Championship was now a SmackDown exclusive title, it was no longer referred to as "undisputed". Following this, the original WWE Women's Championship soon became a Raw exclusive title as well. As a result of the brand extension, an annual "draft lottery" was instituted to exchange members of each roster and generally refresh the lineups. Raw was the home brand for many top WWE stars including Triple H, Ric Flair, Batista, Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Goldberg, Booker T, Chris Jericho, Christian, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Kane, Trish Stratus, Lita and Stacy Keibler. The 2005 draft was held on the June 6 episode of Raw. The first draft lottery pick was then WWE Champion John Cena, thus moving the WWE Championship to Raw and having two titles on the brand. Eventually, then World Heavyweight Champion Batista was drafted to SmackDown as the last draft pick, leaving only the WWE Championship on Raw. In the 2008 draft lottery, CM Punk got drafted to Raw and then won the World Heavyweight Championship from Edge, who was a SmackDown wrestler. Triple H, who was the WWE Champion at the time, got drafted to SmackDown while Kane, who was the then ECW Champion, got drafted to Raw. After the draft lottery in 2009, the WWE Championship was brought back to Raw when Triple H was drafted from SmackDown while the World Heavyweight Championship was brought back to SmackDown when Edge defeated John Cena to win the title at Backlash. On the August 29, 2011, episode of Raw, it was announced that performers from Raw and SmackDown were no longer exclusive to their respective brand.[3] Subsequently, championships previously exclusive to one show or the other were available for wrestlers from any show to compete for—this would mark the end of the brand extension as all programming and live events featured the full WWE roster.[4] In a 2013 interview with Advertising Age, Stephanie McMahon explained that WWE's decision to end the brand extension was due to wanting their content to flow across television and online platforms.[5] Second split (2016–present) On May 25, 2016, it was announced that WWE would be reintroducing the brand split in July, with distinctive rosters for both Raw and SmackDown.[6] On the July 11 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon named Stephanie McMahon the Commissioner of Raw.[7] The draft took place on the live premiere of SmackDown on July 19, with the General Managers of the respective brands hand-picking the wrestlers for their brands.[8] Raw's Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and General Manager Mick Foley created a new championship—the WWE Universal Championship. This championship would be exclusive to the Raw brand, as the WWE World Championship had become exclusive to the SmackDown brand.[9] Clash of Champions was scheduled as the reintroduction of the cruiserweight division and the first Raw-exclusive pay-per-view since January 2007, whereas Elimination Chamber was scheduled as the final Raw-exclusive pay-per-view two years later. Subsequently, this saw all upcoming pay-per-views interbranded after WrestleMania 34. After SmackDown moved to Fox in October 2019, Raw lost its status as the main "A" Show.[10] Beginning in December 2021, talents from Raw begin to appear on NXT 2.0. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio reported that a Raw-NXT crossover between their talents as a way to help boost NXT 2.0 ratings as both shows air on the USA Network." (wikipedia.org) "WWE SmackDown, also known as Friday Night SmackDown or simply SmackDown, is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of March 2023 currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulcasts the program with Spanish-language commentary. The show features characters from the SmackDown brand, to which WWE employees are assigned to work and perform. The show as of October 2022 is currently considered to be one of two flagship shows, along with Monday Night Raw.[5] SmackDown! debuted in the United States on UPN on April 29, 1999 and was formerly broadcast on Thursday nights. The show moved to Friday nights on September 9, 2005, and began airing on The CW in September 2006, after the merger of UPN and the WB. The show later moved to MyNetworkTV in October 2008.[6][7] On October 1, 2010, SmackDown moved to cable network Syfy,[8][9] and eventually returned to Thursdays on January 15, 2015.[10] The show then moved to the sibling USA Network on January 7, 2016,[11][12][13] and later that year, beginning on July 19, 2016, SmackDown began broadcasting live on Tuesday nights.[14] SmackDown's move to Fox on October 4, 2019 marked the show's return to Friday nights and over-the-air broadcast television (as well as the second time SmackDown has aired on a Fox-owned network). SmackDown has been broadcast from 163 arenas, 148 cities and towns, six countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan in 2005, Italy in 2007, and Mexico in 2011. Prior to switching to its current live format, taped episodes premiered a few hours earlier in Ireland and the United Kingdom than in the United States (and a day earlier in Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the Philippines) due to time differences. For international broadcast listings, see below. The show celebrated its 15th anniversary on October 10, 2014,[15] and the 1000th episode on October 16, 2018. The WWE Network ceased operations in the United States on April 4, 2021, with all content moved to Peacock which now has all episodes of SmackDown. Recent episodes are still available for on-demand viewing 30 days after the original air date. History Main article: History of WWE SmackDown Early years (1999–2010) The first SmackDown! logo used on April 29, 1999 to August 9, 2001. WWF SmackDown! was set up to compete against World Championship Wrestling (WCW)'s Thursday night show, Thunder. SmackDown! first appeared on April 29, 1999 using the Raw set as a single television special on UPN. On August 26, 1999, SmackDown! officially debuted on UPN. Like Thunder, SmackDown! was recorded on Tuesdays and then broadcast on Thursdays. The new WWF show was so popular that WCW moved Thunder to Wednesdays so that it would not compete directly. Throughout the show's early existence, The Rock routinely called SmackDown! "his show", in reference to the fact that the name was derived from one of his catchphrases, "Layeth the Smack down".[16] In March 2002, WWF implemented the "brand extension", under which Raw and SmackDown! would have separate rosters of performers that are exclusive to their respective programs and events, and be positioned in-universe as competing "brands" (in a manner reminiscent of athletic conferences).[17] In the 2004–05 season, SmackDown! had an average viewership of 5.1 million viewers, making it UPN's second-highest-rated series behind America's Next Top Model. With the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise, SmackDown! moved into its former timeslot on Friday nights for the 2005–06 season, beginning September 9, 2005. WWE subsequently announced that the show would be renamed Friday Night SmackDown! to emphasize the new scheduling.[18] In January 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced that UPN and The WB would merge to form a new network known as The CW that fall. As part of the announcement, The CW announced that it would renew Friday Night SmackDown! for two more seasons as part of its launch schedule—which drew from the strongest programs of its two predecessors.[19] On September 22, 2006, Friday Night SmackDown! aired its first episode on The CW. The CW declined to renew SmackDown, resulting in the series being picked up in October 2008 by MyNetworkTV, a second new network that had been formed by Fox Entertainment Group to take on former UPN and WB affiliates who were not selected to join The CW.[20] Retaining its previous Friday-night time slot, the season premiere of SmackDown on MyNetworkTV was the highest-rated program in the fledgling network's history, with 3.2 million viewers.[21] On March 20, 2009, SmackDown celebrated its 500th episode.[22] Shifting to cable only (2010–2019) On October 1, 2010, as part of a new broadcast deal with NBC Universal, SmackDown moved to Syfy, retaining its Friday night timeslot.[8] Prior to this premiere of SmackDown, Michael Cole hosted a "pre-game" show. The move saw Syfy paying close to $30 million for the show as opposed to the $20 million paid by its former network MyNetworkTV.[9] During the August 29, 2011 episode of Raw, WWE dissolved the brand extension, thus allowing performers to appear on Raw and SmackDown at any given time without restriction.[23] The October 14, 2011, episode made SmackDown the second-longest-running weekly episodic television series of American television history (behind Raw, which surpassed that mark on August 1, 2005). On January 18, 2013, SmackDown celebrated its 700th episode. On October 10, 2014, SmackDown celebrated its 15-year anniversary.[15] To help celebrate the 15th anniversary, Stephanie McMahon came out first, then Laurinaitis and Long, respectively, the latter of which kept one-upping each other for the main event of the night until McMahon decided to keep the 15-man tag team match that Long suggested, on the condition Laurinaitis and Long be the captains of each team like at WrestleMania XXVIII.[24] Long's team won the match.[25] On December 16, 2014, SmackDown aired a live 800th episode special on Syfy's sister channel USA Network, SuperSmackDown Live!, featuring a main event between Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins.[26] In January 2015, SmackDown returned to a Thursday time slot. The return to Thursday nights was expected to help attract a younger audience to Syfy, as well as more premium advertising dollars from marketers, who tend to spend more to promote their products, especially film releases, on the night as consumers head into the weekend.[27] The last SmackDown airing on a Friday night had 2.43 million viewers with a 0.7 share.[28] On January 7, 2016, SmackDown moved to USA Network, remaining on Thursday nights.[11][12][13] With the move, all top three WWE programs—Raw, SmackDown and Tough Enough—would air on the same network for the first time ever.[12][29] On May 25, 2016, as part of the re-implementation of the brand extension and split between Raw and SmackDown, it was announced that SmackDown would move to Tuesday nights and be broadcast live.[30] On the July 11, 2016 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon named Shane McMahon the commissioner of SmackDown.[31] Then next week on Raw, Daniel Bryan was revealed as the new SmackDown General Manager.[32] On July 22, 2016, General Manager Daniel Bryan revealed the new SmackDown logo on his official Twitter page, renaming the show SmackDown Live.[33] On April 10, 2018, SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon announced that Daniel Bryan was back as a full-time WWE wrestler and named Paige the new General Manager.[34] Return to broadcast television and Fox (2019–present) On June 26, 2018, Fox announced a five-year agreement to air SmackDown, in a deal worth $205 million per year. SmackDown would debut on October 4, 2019, with its first episode being the 20th Anniversary special. The episode also marked the return of SmackDown to Friday nights and the return of WWE programming to Fox for the first time since the network aired the November 14, 1992 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event.[35][36][37] The agreement came as WWE's previous broadcast deal with USA Network to air both SmackDown and WWE Raw was set to expire, and as Fox has increasingly emphasized live sports programming and non-scripted entertainment in the wake of its then-upcoming sale of its in-house studios to Disney. Fox had hoped to acquire Raw for the Fox network and SmackDown for FS1.[38][39] However, amid a competitive bidding situation, NBCUniversal focused its efforts on renewing Raw, freeing up Fox to pursue SmackDown.[40] In particular, Fox promised a larger amount of promotion for SmackDown during its sports programming, as well as a WWE-oriented studio show (WWE Backstage) on FS1.[41] Fox began an advertising campaign by Wieden+Kennedy for the move, "We're All Superstars", to coincide with the beginning of football season, revealing a new logo and the reinstatement of the Friday Night SmackDown title.[42] Since the move to Fox, SmackDown has occasionally been pre-empted to FS1 due to conflicts with other Fox Sports programming airing in primetime, particularly the Major League Baseball postseason.[48][49] In one instance in October 2019 due to the World Series, an hour-long version of the episode aired on Fox the following Sunday afternoon.[50][51] In conjunction with the 2023 Money in the Bank event, which is being held at The O2 Arena in London, England on July 1, the June 30, 2023, episode of SmackDown will be held at the same venue and will be broadcast live. This marks the first time for the show to broadcast live and in primetime from the United Kingdom at 8pm local on BT Sport." (wikipedia.org) "Christopher Michael Benoit (/bəˈnwɑː/ bə-NWAH; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in the USA, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in Japan and Stampede Wrestling in Canada. Bearing the nicknames The (Canadian) Crippler alongside The Rabid Wolverine throughout his career, Benoit held 30 championships between WWF/WWE, WCW, NJPW, ECW and Stampede. He was a two-time world champion, having reigned as a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and a one-time World Heavyweight Champion in WWE;[7][8] he was booked to win a third world championship at a WWE event on the night of his death.[9] Benoit was the twelfth WWE Triple Crown Champion and the seventh WCW Triple Crown Champion, and the second of four men in history to achieve both the WWE and WCW Triple Crown Championships. He was also the 2004 Royal Rumble winner, joining Shawn Michaels and preceding Edge as one of three men to win a Royal Rumble as the number one entrant.[10] Benoit headlined multiple pay-per-views for WWE, including a victory in the World Heavyweight Championship main event match of WrestleMania XX in March 2004.[11] In a three-day double-murder and suicide, Benoit murdered his wife in their residence on June 22, 2007, killed his 7-year-old son on June 23, and committed suicide on June 24.[12][13] Subsequent research undertaken by the Sports Legacy Institute (now the Concussion Legacy Foundation) suggested that depression and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition of brain damage, from numerous concussions that Benoit had sustained during his professional wrestling career were both likely contributing factors of the crimes.[14] Due to his murders, Benoit's legacy in the professional wrestling industry has remained incredibly controversial and heavily debated.[15][16] Benoit has been renowned by many for his exceptional technical wrestling ability. Prominent combat sports journalist Dave Meltzer considers Benoit "one of the top 10, maybe even [in] the top five, all-time greats" in pro-wrestling history.[17] Benoit was inducted into the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2003.[18] His WON induction was put to a referendum-style re-vote for WON readers in 2008 to determine if he should remain a member of the WON Hall of Fame. Ultimately, the threshold percentage of votes required to remove Benoit was not met and he still remains in that Hall of Fame.[19] Early life Benoit was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Michael and Margaret Benoit. He grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, from where he was billed throughout the bulk of his career.[14] He had a sister living near Edmonton.[20] During his childhood and early adolescence in Edmonton, Benoit idolized Tom "Dynamite Kid" Billington[21][22] and Bret Hart;[22][23] at twelve years old, he attended a local wrestling event at which the two performers "stood out above everyone else".[21] Benoit trained to become a professional wrestler in the Hart family "Dungeon", receiving education from family patriarch Stu Hart. In-ring, Benoit emulated both Billington and Bret Hart,[21][23] cultivating a high-risk style and physical appearance more reminiscent of the former[21] (years later, he adopted Hart's trademark "Sharpshooter" hold as a finishing move).[citation needed] Professional wrestling career     This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Chris Benoit" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Stampede Wrestling (1985–1989) Benoit began his career in 1985, in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion. From the beginning, similarities between Benoit and Billington were apparent, as Benoit adopted many of his moves such as the diving headbutt and the snap suplex; the homage was complete with his initial billing as "Dynamite" Chris Benoit. According to Benoit, in his first match, he attempted the diving headbutt before learning how to land correctly, and had the wind knocked out of him; he said he would never do the move again at that point. His debut match was a tag team match on November 22, 1985, in Calgary, Alberta, where he teamed with "The Remarkable" Rick Patterson against Butch Moffat and Mike Hammer, which Benoit's team won the match after Benoit pinned Moffat with a sunset flip.[6] The first title Benoit ever won was the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship on March 18, 1988, against Gama Singh.[24] During his tenure in Stampede, he won four International Tag Team and three more British Commonwealth titles,[25] and had a lengthy feud with Johnny Smith that lasted for over a year, which both men traded back-and-forth the British Commonwealth title. In 1989, Stampede closed its doors, and with a recommendation from Bad News Allen, Benoit departed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1986–1999) Upon arriving in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Benoit spent about a year training in their "New Japan Dojo" with the younger wrestlers to improve his abilities. While in the dojo, he spent months doing strenuous activities like push-ups and floor sweeping before stepping into the ring. He made his Japanese debut in 1986 under his real name. In 1989, he started wearing a mask and assuming the name The Pegasus Kid. Benoit said numerous times that he originally hated the mask, but it eventually became a part of him. While with NJPW, he came into his own as a performer in critically acclaimed matches with luminaries like Jushin Thunder Liger, Shinjiro Otani, Black Tiger, and El Samurai in their junior heavyweight division.[citation needed] In August 1990, he won his first major championship, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, from Jushin Thunder Liger. He eventually lost the title in November 1990 (and in July 1991 in Japan and in November 1991 in Mexico, his mask) back to Liger,[25] forcing him to reinvent himself as Wild Pegasus. Benoit spent the next couple years in Japan, winning the Best of the Super Juniors tournament twice in 1993 and 1995. He went on to win the inaugural Super J-Cup tournament in 1994, defeating Black Tiger, Gedo, and The Great Sasuke in the finals. He wrestled outside New Japan occasionally to compete in Mexico and Europe, where he won a few regional championships, including the UWA Light Heavyweight Championship. He held that title for over a year, having many forty-plus minute matches with Villano III.[citation needed] World Championship Wrestling (1992–1993) Benoit first came to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in June 1992, teaming up with fellow Canadian wrestler Biff Wellington for the NWA World Tag Team Championship tournament; they were defeated by Brian Pillman and Jushin Thunder Liger in the first round at Clash of the Champions XIX. He did not return to WCW until January 1993 at Clash of the Champions XXII, defeating Brad Armstrong. A month later, at SuperBrawl III, he lost to 2 Cold Scorpio, getting pinned with only three seconds left in the 20-minute time limit. At the same time, he formed a tag team with Bobby Eaton. After he and Eaton lost to Scorpio and Marcus Bagwell at Slamboree, Benoit headed back to Japan. Extreme Championship Wrestling (1994–1995) In August 1994, Benoit began working with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in between tours of Japan. He was booked as a dominant wrestler there, gaining notoriety as the "Crippler" after he put Rocco Rock out. In his first appearance, Benoit competed in a one-night eight-man tournament for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship, losing to 2 Cold Scorpio in the quarter-finals match.[26][27] At November to Remember, Benoit accidentally broke Sabu's neck within the opening seconds of the match. The injury came when Benoit threw Sabu with the intention that he take a face-first "pancake" bump, but Sabu attempted to turn mid-air and take a backdrop bump instead. He did not achieve full rotation and landed almost directly on his neck.[28] After this match Benoit returned to the locker room and broke down over the possibility that he might have paralysed someone.[28] Paul Heyman, the head booker of ECW at the time, came up with the idea of continuing the "Crippler" moniker for Benoit. From that point until his departure from ECW, he was known as "Crippler Benoit". When he returned to WCW in October 1995, WCW modified his ring name to "Canadian Crippler Chris Benoit". In The Rise and Fall of ECW book, Heyman commented that he planned on using Benoit as a dominant heel for quite some time, before putting the company's main title, the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, on him to be the long-term champion of the company. Benoit and Dean Malenko won the ECW World Tag Team Championship - Benoit's first American title - from Sabu and The Tazmaniac in February 1995 at Return of the Funker.[25] After winning, they were initiated into the Triple Threat stable, led by ECW World Heavyweight Champion, Shane Douglas, as Douglas's attempt to recreate the Four Horsemen, as the three-man contingency held all three of the ECW championships at the time (Malenko also held the ECW World Television Championship at the time). The team lost the championship to The Public Enemy that April at Three Way Dance. Benoit spent some time in ECW feuding with The Steiner Brothers and rekindling the feud with 2 Cold Scorpio. He was forced to leave ECW after his work visa expired; Heyman was supposed to renew it, but he failed to make it on time, so Benoit left ECW in August 1995 as a matter of job security and the ability to enter the United States. He toured Japan until WCW called.[25] Return to WCW (1995–2000) The Four Horsemen (1995–1999) New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) had a working relationship, and because of their "talent exchange" program, Benoit signed with WCW in late 1995 along with a number of talent working in New Japan to be a part of the angle. Like the majority of those who came to WCW in the exchange, he started out in as a member of the cruiserweight division, having lengthy matches against many of his former rivals in Japan on almost every single broadcast. At the end of 1995, Benoit went back to Japan as a part of the "talent exchange" to wrestle as a representative for New Japan in the Super J-Cup: 2nd Stage, defeating Lionheart in the quarterfinals (he received a bye to the quarterfinals for his work in 1995, similar to the way he advanced in the 1994 edition) and losing to Gedo in the semifinals. Benoit with a fan during his time in WCW After impressing higher-ups with his work, he was approached by Ric Flair and the WCW booking staff to become a member of the reformed Four Horsemen in 1995, alongside Flair, Arn Anderson, and Brian Pillman; he was introduced by Pillman as a gruff, no-nonsense heel similar to his ECW persona, "The Crippler". He was brought in to add a new dynamic for Anderson and Flair's tormenting of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage in their "Alliance to End Hulkamania", which saw the Horsemen team up with The Dungeon of Doom, but that alliance ended with Dungeon leader and WCW booker, Kevin Sullivan feuding with Pillman. When Pillman abruptly left the company for the WWF, Benoit was placed into his ongoing feud with Sullivan. This came to fruition through a dissension between the two in a tag team match with the two reluctantly teaming with each other against The Public Enemy, and Benoit being attacked by Sullivan at Slamboree. This led to the two having violent confrontations at pay-per-views, which led to Sullivan booking a feud in which Benoit was having an affair with Sullivan's real-life wife and onscreen valet, Nancy (also known as Woman). Benoit and Nancy were forced to spend time together to make the affair look real, (hold hands in public, share hotel rooms, etc.).[29] This onscreen relationship developed into a real-life affair offscreen. As a result, Sullivan and Benoit had a contentious backstage relationship at best, and an undying hatred for each other at worst. Benoit did, however, admit having a certain amount of respect for Sullivan, saying on the DVD Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story that Sullivan never took undue liberties in the ring during their feud, even though he blamed Benoit for breaking up his marriage. This continued for over the course of a year with Sullivan having his enforcers apprehend Benoit in a multitude of matches. This culminated in a retirement match at the Bash at the Beach, where Benoit defeated Sullivan; this was used to explain Sullivan going to a behind-the-scenes role, where he could focus on his initial job of booking. Benoit in 1999 In 1998, Benoit had a long feud with Booker T. They fought over the WCW World Television Championship until Booker lost the title to Fit Finlay.[25] Booker won a "Best-of-Seven" series which was held between the two to determine a number one contender. Benoit went up 3 to 1 before Booker caught up, forcing the 7th and final match on Monday Nitro. During the match, Bret Hart interjected himself, interfering on behalf of Benoit in an attempt to get him to join the New World Order. Benoit refused to win that way and told the referee what happened, getting himself disqualified. Booker refused that victory, instead opting for an eighth match at the Great American Bash to see who would fight Finlay later that night. Booker won the final match and went on to beat Finlay for the title.[25] This feud significantly elevated both men's careers as singles competitors, and both remained at the top of the midcard afterward. In 1999, Benoit teamed with Dean Malenko once again and defeated Curt Hennig and Barry Windham to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship.[25] This led to a reformation of the Four Horsemen with the tag team champions, Anderson, and Steve "Mongo" McMichael. The two hunted after the tag team championship for several months, feuding with teams like Raven and Perry Saturn or Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio Jr. The Revolution and World Heavyweight Champion (1999–2000) After a falling out with Anderson and McMichael, Benoit and Malenko left the Horsemen; he won the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship[25] before bringing together Malenko, Perry Saturn, and Shane Douglas to form "the Revolution". The Revolution was a heel stable of younger wrestlers who felt slighted (both kayfabe and legitimate) by WCW management, believing they never gave them the chance to be stars, pushing older, more established wrestlers instead, despite their then-current questionable worthiness of their pushes. This led to the Revolution seceding from WCW, and forming their own nation, complete with a flag. This led to some friction being created between Benoit and leader, Douglas, who called into question Benoit's heart in the group, causing Benoit to quit the group, thus turning face, and having his own crusade against the top stars, winning the Television title one more time and the United States title from Jeff Jarrett in a ladder match. In October 1999 on Nitro in Kansas City, Missouri, Benoit wrestled Bret Hart as a tribute to Bret's brother Owen Hart, who had recently died due to an equipment malfunction. Hart defeated Benoit by submission, and the two received a standing ovation, and an embrace from guest ring announcer, Harley Race. Benoit was unhappy working for WCW.[30] One last attempt in January 2000 was made to try to keep him with WCW, by putting the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Championship on him by defeating Sid Vicious at Souled Out.[25][31] However, due to disagreements with management and to protest the promotion of Kevin Sullivan to head booker,[32] Benoit left the company the next day alongside his friends Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn, forfeiting his title in the process.[30] WCW then refused to acknowledge Benoit's victory as an official title reign, and Benoit's title reign was not listed in the title lineage at WCW.com.[33] However, the WWF recognized Benoit's title win, and Benoit's title reign is still listed in the title lineage at WWE.com.[34] Benoit spent the next few weeks in Japan before heading to the WWF, who acknowledged his WCW World Heavyweight Championship win and presented him as a former world champion.[35] World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2000–2007) The Radicalz and teaming with Chris Jericho (2000–2001) Main article: The Radicalz Benoit was disqualified from the 2000 King of the Ring for using a chair against Rikishi. Benoit joined the World Wrestling Federation near the end of its Attitude Era. Along with Guerrero, Saturn and Malenko, he debuted in the WWF as a stable that became known as the Radicalz. After losing their "tryout matches" upon entry, The Radicalz aligned themselves with WWF Champion Triple H and became a heel faction. Benoit quickly won his first title in the WWF just over a month later at WrestleMania 2000, pinning Chris Jericho in a triple threat match to win Kurt Angle's Intercontinental Championship. It was also in this time period that Benoit wrestled in his first WWF pay-per-view main events, challenging The Rock for the WWF Championship at Fully Loaded in July and as part of a fatal four-way title match at Unforgiven in September. On both occasions Benoit appeared to have won the title, only to have the decision reversed by then-WWF commissioner Mick Foley due to cheating on Benoit's part. Benoit simultaneously entered into a long-running feud with Jericho for the Intercontinental title, with the two meeting at Backlash, Judgment Day and SummerSlam; Benoit winning all three matches. The feud finally culminated in Jericho defeating Benoit in a ladder match at the Royal Rumble in January 2001. Benoit won the Intercontinental title three times between April 2000 and January 2001.[36] In early 2001, Benoit broke away from The Radicalz (who had recently reformed three months earlier) and turned face, feuding first with his former stablemates and then with Kurt Angle, whom he wrestled and lost to at WrestleMania X-Seven.[37] He gained some amount of revenge after beating Angle in an "Ultimate Submission" match at Backlash. The feud continued after Benoit stole Angle's cherished Olympic Gold Medal. This culminated in a match at Judgment Day where Angle won a two out of three falls match with the help of Edge and Christian. In response, Benoit teamed up with his former rival Jericho to defeat Edge and Christian in that night's Tag Team Turmoil match. The next night on Raw Is War, Benoit and Jericho defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H for their title. The pair used the win as a springboard to challenge Austin for his WWF Championship. Benoit got two title matches the following week, first losing in a manner similar to the Montreal Screwjob in Calgary and then losing in a close match in Benoit's hometown of Edmonton. However, Benoit injured his neck in a four-way TLC match that required surgery with Dr. Lloyd Youngblood. Despite this, he continued to wrestle until the King of the Ring, where he was pinned in a triple threat match versus Austin and Jericho. Benoit missed the next year due to his neck injury, missing the entire Invasion storyline. Championship pursuits and reigns (2002–2003) Benoit at the Tribute to the Troops in 2003 During the first WWF draft, he was the third wrestler picked by Vince McMahon to be part of the new SmackDown! roster,[38] although still on the injured list. However, when he returned, he did so as a member of the Raw roster. On his first night back, he turned heel again and aligned himself with Eddie Guerrero, and he feuded with Stone Cold Steve Austin briefly.[39] Benoit defeated Rob Van Dam on the July 29, 2002 edition of Raw to become Intercontinental Champion for the fourth time. He and Guerrero were then moved to SmackDown! during a storyline "open season" on wrestler contracts,[40] with Benoit taking his newly won belt with him.[41] Van Dam defeated Benoit at SummerSlam and returned the title to Raw.[42][43] After returning to SmackDown!, he embarked on a feud with Kurt Angle in which he defeated him at Unforgiven. On October 20, 2002, at No Mercy, he teamed with Angle to win a tournament to crown the first-ever WWE Tag Team Champions.[42][44] They became tweeners after betraying Los Guerreros. At Rebellion, Benoit and Angle made their successful title defence, defeating Los Guerreros. They lost the championships to Edge and Rey Mysterio Jr. on the November 7 episode of SmackDown! in a two-out-of-three falls match. They received a rematch at Survivor Series in a triple threat elimination match against Edge and Mysterio and Los Guerreros, but failed to win the titles after being the first team eliminated.[45] The team split up shortly afterward and Benoit became a face.[citation needed] Angle won his third WWE Championship from Big Show at Armageddon,[46] and Benoit faced him for the title at the 2003 Royal Rumble. The match was highly praised from fans and critics. Although Benoit lost the match, he received a standing ovation for his efforts.[47] Benoit returned to the tag team ranks, teaming with the returning Rhyno.[48] At WrestleMania XIX, the WWE Tag Team Champions, Team Angle (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin), put their titles on the line against Benoit and his partner Rhyno and Los Guerreros in a triple threat tag team match. Team Angle retained when Benjamin pinned Chavo.[49] On March 14, 2004, at WrestleMania XX, Benoit won the World Heavyweight Championship by forcing Triple H to tap out to his signature submission move, the Crippler Crossface, in a highly acclaimed match.[59] The match marked the first time the main event of a WrestleMania ended in submission.[60][61] After the match, Benoit celebrated his win with then-reigning WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero. The rematch was held at Backlash in Benoit's hometown of Edmonton. It was Michaels who ended up submitting to Benoit's Sharpshooter, allowing Benoit to retain his title.[59] The next night in Calgary, he and Edge won the World Tag Team Championship from Batista and Ric Flair, making Benoit a double champion.[62] Following his victories, Benoit and Edge engaged in a rivalry with La Résistance for the World Tag Team Championship, which saw a series of matches (including losing the titles to La Résistance on the May 31 episode of Raw), while simultaneously having confrontations with Kane over the World Heavyweight Championship. Benoit wrestled in two matches at Bad Blood in his respective rivalries; he and Edge failed to regain the World Tag Team Championship (winning by disqualification when Kane interfered) while he successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Kane. A month later at Vengeance, Benoit retained the title against Triple H.[63] United States Champion (2005–2007) On June 9, Benoit was drafted to the SmackDown! brand after being the first man selected by SmackDown! in the 2005 Draft Lottery and participated in an ECW-style revolution against the SmackDown! heels.[70][71] Benoit appeared at ECW One Night Stand, defeating Eddie Guerrero.[72] Benoit in September 2005 holding the WWE United States Championship On July 24 at The Great American Bash, Benoit failed to win the WWE United States Championship from Orlando Jordan,[73] but won a rematch at SummerSlam in 25 seconds.[73] Benoit then won three consecutive matches against Jordan in less than a minute.[74][75][76] Benoit later wrestled Booker T in friendly competitions,[73] until Booker and his wife, Sharmell, cheated Benoit out of the United States title on the October 21 episode of SmackDown!.[77] On November 13, 2005, Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room. The following night, Raw held a Guerrero tribute show hosted by both Raw and SmackDown! wrestlers. Benoit was devastated at the loss of his best friend and was very emotional during a series of video testimonials, eventually breaking down on camera.[78] The same week on SmackDown! (taped on the same night as Raw), Benoit defeated Triple H in a tribute match to Guerrero. Following the contest, Benoit, Triple H, and Dean Malenko all assembled in the ring and pointed to the sky in salute of Guerrero.[79] After controversy surrounding a United States Championship match against Booker T, Theodore Long set up a "Best of Seven" series between the two. Booker T won three times in a row (at Survivor Series, the November 29 SmackDown! Special, and the December 9 episode of SmackDown!), due largely to Sharmell's interference, and Benoit faced elimination in the series.[80][81][82] Benoit won the fourth match to stay alive at Armageddon,[80] but after the match, Booker suffered a legitimate groin injury, and Randy Orton was chosen as a stand-in. Benoit defeated Orton twice by disqualification on the December 30 and January 6, 2006 episodes of SmackDown!.[83][84] However, in the seventh and final match, Orton defeated Benoit with the help of Booker T, Sharmell, and Orlando Jordan, and Booker captured the United States Championship.[85] Benoit feuded with Orton for a short time, before defeating Orton in a No Holds Barred match on the January 27 episode of SmackDown! via the Crippler Crossface.[86] Benoit was given one last chance at the United States Championship at No Way Out and won it by making Booker submit to the Crippler Crossface, ending the feud.[80] The next week on SmackDown!, Benoit (kayfabe) broke John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL)'s hand (JBL actually needed surgery to remove a cyst).[87] A match was set up for the two at WrestleMania 22 for Benoit's title, and for the next several weeks, they attacked each other. At WrestleMania, JBL won the match with an illegal cradle to win the title.[60] Benoit used his rematch clause two weeks later in a steel cage match on SmackDown!, but JBL again won with illegal tactics.[88] Benoit entered the King of the Ring tournament, only to be defeated by Finlay in the opening round on the May 5 episode of SmackDown!, after Finlay struck Benoit's neck with a chair and delivered a Celtic Cross.[89] At Judgment Day, Benoit gained some revenge by defeating Finlay with the Crippler Crossface in a grudge match.[90][91] On the following episode of SmackDown!, Mark Henry brutalized Benoit during their match, giving him (kayfabe) back and rib injuries and causing him to bleed from his mouth.[92] Benoit then took a sabbatical to heal nagging shoulder injuries. On October 8, Benoit made his return at No Mercy, defeating William Regal in a surprise match.[93] Later that week, he won his fifth United States Championship from Mr. Kennedy.[94] Benoit then engaged in a feud with Chavo and Vickie Guerrero. He wanted answers from the Guerreros for their rash behaviour towards Rey Mysterio, but was avoided by the two and was eventually assaulted. This led to the two embarking on a feud with title matches at Survivor Series and Armageddon, matches that Benoit won.[93] The feud culminated with one last title match as a No disqualification match, which was also won by Benoit.[95] Later, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), who claimed that he was the best man to hold the United States title, challenged Benoit for the title at WrestleMania 23, where Benoit retained.[61] Their rivalry continued with similar results again at Backlash.[96] At Judgment Day, however, MVP gained the upper hand and won the title in a two out of three falls match, thus ending the feud.[97] Benoit would wrestle MVP one last time at Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIV on May 28, (aired June 2), in a winning effort in a tag-team match where Benoit partnered with Batista and MVP partnered with then-World Heavyweight Champion Edge.[98] ECW (2007) On the June 11 episode of Raw, Benoit was drafted from SmackDown! to ECW as part of the 2007 WWE draft after losing to ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley.[99] On the June 19 episode of ECW, Benoit wrestled his final match, defeating Elijah Burke in a match to determine who would compete for the vacated ECW World Championship at Vengeance on June 24. Since Lashley was drafted to Raw, he had vacated the title.[100] The diving headbutt was blamed as one of the primary causes of Benoit's death. Benoit missed the weekend house shows, telling WWE officials that his wife and son were vomiting blood due to food poisoning. When he failed to show up for the pay-per-view, viewers were informed that he was unable to compete due to a "family emergency" and he was replaced in the title match by Johnny Nitro, who won the match and became ECW World Champion. The crowd spent the majority of the match chanting for Benoit.[101] It would be revealed in the following days that Benoit had murdered his wife Nancy and son Daniel before committing suicide. WWE executive Stephanie McMahon later indicated that Benoit would have defeated CM Punk for the ECW World Championship had he been present for the event.[9] Professional wrestler and MMA fighter Bob Sapp, whom WWE had tried to sign up before a contract dispute with K-1 rendered it impossible, reported he would have been put into an oncoming angle with Benoit in case he would have been able to debut.[102] Professional wrestling style Benoit included a wide array of submission holds in his move-set and used a crossface, dubbed the Crippler Crossface, and a sharpshooter as finishers.[103][104] He also used a diving headbutt to finish off opponents.[105] The diving headbutt, which saw the deliverer leap off the top rope and land head first on the opponent, was partially blamed for the head trauma that caused Benoit to commit his crimes.[106][107] Another of Benoit's trademark moves was three rolling German suplexes.[108] This move would later be mimicked by multiple other wrestlers, including Brock Lesnar who uses it as Suplex City.[109] Benoit was renowned for his high-impact technical style. Former WWE rival Kurt Angle said in a 2017 interview that "he has to got to be in the top three of all time."[110] Professional wrestling games Year     Title     Notes 1997     WCW vs. nWo: World Tour     First video game appearance; Playable character 1997     Virtual Pro Wrestling 64     Only released in Japan; Playable character 1998     Shin Nippon Pro Wrestling: Toukon Retsuden 3     Only released in Japan; Playable character 1998     WCW/nWo Revenge     Playable character 1999     WCW Mayhem     Last WCW video game appearance; Playable character 2000     WWF Royal Rumble     First WWF/E video game appearance; Playable character 2000     WWF No Mercy     Playable character 2000     WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role     Playable character 2001     WWF Betrayal     Playable character 2001     With Authority!     Cover athlete; Playable character; Online game 2001     WWF Road to WrestleMania     Playable character 2001     WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It     Playable character 2002     WWF Raw     Playable character 2002     WWE WrestleMania X8     Playable character 2002     WWE Road to WrestleMania X8     Playable character 2002     WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth     Playable character 2003     WWE Crush Hour     Playable character 2003     WWE WrestleMania XIX     Playable character 2003     WWE Raw 2     Playable character 2003     WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain     Playable character 2004     WWE Day of Reckoning     Playable character 2004     WWE Survivor Series     Cover athlete; Playable character 2004     WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw     Playable character 2005     WWE WrestleMania 21     Cover athlete (PAL version); Playable character 2005     WWE Aftershock     Cover athlete (PAL version); Playable character 2005     WWE Day of Reckoning 2     Playable character 2005     WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006     Playable character 2006     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007     Last video game appearance; Playable character Championships and accomplishments Benoit celebrating with the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XX Benoit won the WWE/WCW United States Champion a total of five times across WWE and WCW.     Cauliflower Alley Club         Future Legend Award (2002)[111]     Catch Wrestling Association         CWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dave Taylor[112]     Extreme Championship Wrestling         ECW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dean Malenko[113]     New Japan Pro-Wrestling         IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[114]         Super J-Cup (1994)[115]         Top/Best of the Super Juniors (1993, 1995)[116]         Super Grade Junior Heavyweight Tag League (1994) – with Shinjiro Otani[117]     Pro Wrestling Illustrated         Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Triple H[118]         Match of the Year (2004) vs. Shawn Michaels and Triple H at WrestleMania XX[119]         Wrestler of the Year (2004)[120]         Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2004[121]         Ranked No. 69 of the top 500 greatest wrestlers in the PWI Years in 2003[122]     Stampede Wrestling         Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship (4 times)[24]         Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Ben Bassarab (1), Keith Hart (1), Lance Idol (1), and Biff Wellington (1)[123]         Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (1995)[124]     Universal Wrestling Association         WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[125][a]     World Championship Wrestling         WCW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[127][b]         WCW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Dean Malenko (1) and Perry Saturn (1)[128]         WCW World Television Championship (3 times)[129]         WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[130]         Seventh WCW Triple Crown Champion[131]     World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment         World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[132]         WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time, inaugural) – with Kurt Angle[133]         WWE United States Championship (3 times)[134][135]         WWF/WWE Intercontinental Championship (4 times)[136]         WWF/World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Chris Jericho (1) and Edge (2)[137]         Royal Rumble (2004)[138]         WWE Tag Team Championship Tournament (2002) – with Kurt Angle[139]         Twelfth Triple Crown Champion[131]     Wrestling Observer Newsletter         Best Brawler (2004)[140]         Best Technical Wrestler (1994, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2004)[140]         Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Shawn Michaels and Triple H[140]         Match of the Year (2002) with Kurt Angle vs. Edge and Rey Mysterio at No Mercy[140]         Most Outstanding Wrestler (2000, 2004)[140]         Most Underrated (1998)[140]         Readers' Favorite Wrestler (1997, 2000)[140]         Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2003)[c][141] Personal life Benoit spoke both English and French fluently.[142] He married twice, and had two children (David and Megan) with his first wife, Martina.[143] By 1997, that marriage had broken down, and Benoit was living with Nancy Sullivan, the wife of the WCW booker and frequent opponent Kevin Sullivan. On February 25, 2000, Chris and Nancy's son Daniel was born; on November 23, 2000, Chris and Nancy married. It was Nancy's third marriage. In 2003, Nancy filed for divorce from Benoit, citing the marriage as "irrevocably broken" and alleging "cruel treatment". She claimed that he would break and throw furniture around.[144][145] She later dropped the suit as well as the restraining order she had filed.[144] Benoit became good friends with fellow wrestler Eddie Guerrero following a match in Japan, when Benoit kicked Guerrero in the head and knocked him out cold. Benoit was also close friends with Dean Malenko, as the trio travelled from promotion to promotion together putting on matches, eventually being dubbed the "Three Amigos" by commentators.[146] According to Benoit, the Crippler Crossface was borrowed from Malenko and eventually caught on as Benoit's signature hold.[146][147] Benoit's lost tooth, his top-right lateral incisor, was commonly misattributed to training or an accident early on in his wrestling career. It actually resulted from an accident involving his pet rottweiler: one day while playing with the dog, the animal's skull struck Benoit's chin, and his tooth "popped out".[148] Death Main article: Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide Wikinews has related news:     Professional wrestler Chris Benoit and family found dead On June 25, 2007, police entered Benoit's home in Fayetteville, Georgia[149] when WWE, Benoit's employers, requested a "welfare check" after Benoit missed weekend events without notice, leading to concerns.[150] The officers discovered the bodies of Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their 7-year-old son Daniel at around 2:30 p.m. EDT.[151] Upon investigating, no additional suspects were sought by authorities.[152] It was determined that Benoit had committed the murders.[153] Over a three-day period, Benoit had killed his wife and son before committing suicide.[12][13] His wife was bound before the killing. Benoit's son was drugged with Xanax and likely unconscious before Benoit strangled him.[154] Benoit then committed suicide by hanging himself on his lat pulldown machine.[153][155] WWE cancelled the scheduled three-hour long live Raw show on June 25 and replaced the broadcast version with a three-hour tribute to his life and career, featuring his past matches, segments from the Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story DVD, and comments from wrestlers and announcers.[156] Toxicology reports released on July 17, 2007, revealed that at their time of death, Nancy had three different drugs in her system: Xanax, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, all of which were found at the therapeutic rather than toxic levels. Daniel was found to have Xanax in his system, which led the chief medical examiner to believe that he was sedated before he was murdered. Benoit was found to have Xanax, hydrocodone, and an elevated level of testosterone, caused by a synthetic form of the hormone, in his system. The chief medical examiner attributed the testosterone level to Benoit possibly being treated for a deficiency caused by previous steroid abuse or testicular insufficiency. There was no indication that anything in Benoit's body contributed to his violent behaviour that led to the murder-suicide, concluding that there was no "roid-rage" involved.[157] Prior to the murder-suicide, Benoit had illegally been given medications not in compliance with WWE's Talent Wellness Program in February 2006, including nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, and anastrozole, a breast cancer medication which is used by bodybuilders for its powerful antiestrogenic effects. During the investigation into steroid abuse, it was revealed that other wrestlers had also been given steroids.[158][159] After the double-murder suicide, former wrestler Christopher Nowinski contacted Michael Benoit, Chris' father, suggesting that years of trauma to his son's brain may have led to his actions. Tests were conducted on Benoit's brain by Julian Bailes, the head of neurosurgery at West Virginia University, and results showed that "Benoit's brain was so severely damaged it resembled the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient."[160] He was reported to have had an advanced form of dementia, similar to the brains of four retired NFL players who had had multiple concussions, sank into depression, and harmed themselves or others. Bailes and his colleagues concluded that repeated concussions can lead to dementia, which can contribute to severe behavioural problems.[160] Benoit's father suggests that brain damage may have been the leading cause.[161] Once the details of Benoit's actions became apparent, WWE made the decision to remove nearly all mentions of Benoit from their website,[162] future broadcasts, and all publications." (wikipedia.org) "Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he currently serves as the chief content officer for WWE. Born and raised in Nashua, New Hampshire, Levesque began his wrestling career in 1992 with the International Wrestling Federation (IWF) under the ring name Terra Ryzing. He joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994 and was soon repackaged as a French-Canadian aristocrat named Jean-Paul Lévesque. In 1995, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), where he became Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and later, Triple H.[5] In WWF, Triple H gained industry fame as a member of The Kliq and co-founding the influential D-Generation X (DX) stable, which became a major element of the "Attitude Era" in the 1990s. After winning his first WWF Championship in 1999, he became a fixture of the company's main event scene,[4][6] and was widely regarded as one of the best wrestlers in North America by the turn of the millennium.[7] Triple H has headlined several major WWE pay-per-view events, closing the company's flagship annual event, WrestleMania, on seven occasions.[a] Triple H won a number of championships in his career, being a five-time Intercontinental Champion, a three-time world tag team champion (two World Tag Team Championship reigns, and one Unified WWE Tag Team Championship reign), a two-time European Champion, and a 14-time world champion, making him the company's seventh Triple Crown Champion and second Grand Slam Champion. He is also a two-time Royal Rumble match winner, and a King of the Ring tournament winner.[8][9] Later in his career, Triple H gained notability for his behind-the-scenes work at WWE, creating the developmental branch NXT, and gaining praise for his business acumen in professional wrestling.[10] Outside wrestling, he has been a figure of substantial media attention due to his marriage to Stephanie McMahon, daughter of Vince McMahon and the CEO of WWE.[11] In 2019, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of D-Generation X.[12] Levesque suffered a major myocardial infarction in September 2021, which resulted in him having 15 hours of surgery and being fitted with ICD in December. He officially retired from in ring competition at WrestleMania 38, leaving his boots in the ring and signaling the end of his in ring career.[13] Early life Levesque was born in Nashua, New Hampshire.[14] He watched his first wrestling match, involving Chief Jay Strongbow, at the age of five. He attended Nashua High School, where he played baseball and basketball.[15] Following his graduation in 1987, Levesque continued to enter bodybuilding competitions—having taken up bodybuilding at the age of 14 because he wanted to look like professional wrestlers—and won the 1988 Mr. Teenage New Hampshire competition at the age of 19.[16][17] While working as a manager of a gym in Nashua, he was introduced to world champion powerlifter Ted Arcidi, who was employed by WWE at the time. Eventually, after numerous attempts, Levesque persuaded Arcidi to introduce him to former wrestler Killer Kowalski, who ran a professional wrestling school in Malden, Massachusetts.[18] Professional wrestling career Training and early career (1990–1993) In early 1990, Levesque began to train as a professional wrestler at Killer Kowalski's school in Malden.[4][15] His classmates included fellow future WWF wrestlers Chyna and Perry Saturn. He made his professional debut on March 24, 1992, in Kowalski's promotion, the International Wrestling Federation (IWF), under the name "Terra Ryzing", defeating Tony Roy.[19] In July 1992, he defeated Mad Dog Richard to win the IWF Heavyweight Championship.[1] Managed by John Rodeo, he wrestled for various promotions on the East Coast independent circuit until 1993.[20] World Championship Wrestling (1994–1995) In early 1994, Levesque signed a one-year contract with World Championship Wrestling (WCW).[17][21] In his first televised match, Levesque debuted as a villain named Terror Risin', defeating Keith Cole. His ring name was soon modified to Terra Ryzing, which he used until mid-1994, when he was renamed Jean-Paul Lévesque.[5][22] This gimmick referred to his surname's French origins and he was asked to speak with a French accent, as he could not speak French.[23] During this time, he began using his finishing maneuver, the Pedigree. Levesque had a brief feud with Alex Wright that ended on December 27 at Starrcade[5] with Wright pinning him.[24] Between late 1994 and early 1995, Lévesque briefly teamed with Lord Steven Regal, whose upper class British persona was similar to Lévesque's character.[22] The team was short-lived, however, as Levesque left for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in January 1995 after WCW turned down his request to be promoted as a singles competitor. World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE (1995 - present) Intercontinental Champion (1995–1997) Helmsley wore a tailcoat suit and carried a traditional atomizer perfume bottle to highlight his extreme snobbishness. In a modified version of his gimmick in WCW, Levesque started his WWF career as a "Connecticut Blueblood".[23] According to Levesque, J. J. Dillon originally gave him the name of Reginald DuPont Helmsley, but Levesque asked for a name to play with the first letters and management ultimately agreed to his suggestion of Hunter Hearst Helmsley.[25] He appeared in taped vignettes, in which he talked about how to use proper etiquette, up until his wrestling debut on the April 30, 1995 episode of Wrestling Challenge defeating Buck Zumhofe.[26] Helmsley made his WWF pay-per-view debut on August 27 at SummerSlam, defeating Bob Holly.[27] Helmsley remained undefeated during the early months of his career, suffering his first pinfall at the hands of The Undertaker in a Survivor Series match at the namesake event. In the fall of 1995, Helmsley began a feud with the hog farmer Henry O. Godwinn, culminating in an infamous Hog Pen match on December 17 at In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings, where Helmsley was victorious.[28] Helmsley in 1996 After being highly promoted in the first few months after his debut, his career stalled during 1996, starting off with a feud with Duke "The Dumpster" Droese following a loss during the Free for All at 1996 Royal Rumble.[29][30] Up until that event, his angle included appearing on television each week with a different female valet (which included Playboy Playmates Shae Marks and Tylyn John).[5] It was during this time that Helmsley suffered his first loss in singles competition in WWF, against Bret Hart on the March 4 episode of Raw. Sable would become Helmsley's valet at WrestleMania XII on March 31 and after his loss to The Ultimate Warrior,[31] as part of the storyline, he took his aggressions out on her. The debuting Marc Mero – her real-life husband – came to her rescue, starting a feud between the two wrestlers.[32] On June 1, 1996, Hunter appeared on an episode of Superstars in a match against Marty Garner.[33] When he attempted to perform the Pedigree, Garner mistook the maneuver for a double underhook suplex and tried to jump up with the move, causing him to land squarely on top of his head and suffer neck damage.[33] Garner sued the WWF, eventually settling out of court and later discussed the incident in an appearance on The Montel Williams Show. He was known backstage as one of the members of The Kliq, a stable of wrestlers including Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman and Scott Hall, who were known for influencing Vince McMahon and the WWF creative team.[29] It has been claimed that he was scheduled to win the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, but the victory was instead awarded to Stone Cold Steve Austin after the Madison Square Garden Incident, in which the Kliq broke character after a match to say goodbye to the departing Nash and Hall.[34] Despite the punishment, Helmsley did have success following the MSG Incident. Mr. Perfect became his manager and he won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time on October 21, by defeating Marc Mero.[32][34] When Mr. Perfect left the WWF, his departure was explained to be a result of Helmsley turning his back on his manager as soon as he won the Intercontinental Championship. Helmsley held the title for nearly four months before dropping it to Rocky Maivia on the February 13, 1997 special episode of Raw, called Thursday Raw Thursday.[35] For a very brief time, Helmsley was accompanied by Mr. Hughes, who was his storyline bodyguard reminiscent of Ted DiBiase and Virgil.[36] After losing the title, he feuded with Goldust, defeating him on March 23 at WrestleMania 13.[37] During their feud, Chyna debuted as his new bodyguard.[38] D-Generation X (1997–1999) Main article: D-Generation X Helmsley was being highlighted again in 1997, winning the 1997 King of the Ring tournament by defeating Mankind in the finals.[34][39] Later that year, Shawn Michaels, Helmsley, Chyna and Rick Rude formed D-Generation X (DX). This stable became known for pushing the envelope, as Michaels and Helmsley made risqué promos—using the catchphrase "Suck It" and a "crotch chop" hand motion[40]—and sarcastically derided Bret Hart and Canada. By that point, Helmsley had all but dropped the "blueblood snob" gimmick, appearing in T-shirts and leather jackets. During this period, his ring name was shortened to simply Triple H, though he was still called Helmsley from time to time and Hunter for the rest of his career.[34] Even after the DX versus Hart Foundation storyline ended, he continued to feud with the sole remaining Hart family member Owen over the European Championship, which Helmsley won by "defeating" Michaels after Michaels laid down for him on December 11, which aired on the December 22 episode of Raw is War. Triple H lost the title to Hart after The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust competed against Hart in a drag as Triple H on the January 22 episode of Raw is War. Triple H defeated Hart to win his second European Championship on the March 16 episode of Raw is War. At WrestleMania XIV on March 29, Triple H defended the title against Hart in a rematch, with the stipulation that Chyna had to be handcuffed to then-Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter. Triple H won after Chyna threw powder into Slaughter's eyes, momentarily "blinding" him and allowing her to interfere in the match. Triple H and Chyna in April 1999 After WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels was forced into temporary retirement due to a legitimate back injury sustained in January at the Royal Rumble,[41] with Triple H taking over the leadership position in DX,[34] claiming that his now-former associate had "dropped the ball". He introduced the returning X-Pac the night after WrestleMania and joined forces with The New Age Outlaws.[34][42] As 1998 went along, DX became more popular, turning the group from villains to fan favorites. During this time, he adopted an entrance gimmick of asking the crowd "Are you ready? I said, are you ready?", followed by a parody of rival promotion WCW's ring announcer Michael Buffer's famous catch-phrase, "Let's get ready to rumble", substituting the word "rumble" with the DX slogan, "suck it". Also during this time, Triple H began a feud with the leader of the Nation of Domination and rising WWF villain, The Rock.[16] This storyline rivalry eventually led to a feud over the Intercontinental Championship. As part of the feud, Triple H lost the European Championsihp to Rock's Nation teammate D-Lo Brown on the July 20 episode of Raw is War. Triple H eventually defeated Rock in a ladder match to win his second European Championship on August 30 at SummerSlam.[16] He did not hold the title long, as he was sidelined with a legitimate knee injury.[16] When The Rock won the WWF Championship on November 15 at Survivor Series,[43] the rivalry between the two continued, as DX fought The Corporation stable of which The Rock was the main star and Triple H received a shot at the WWF Championship on the January 25, 1999 Raw is War in an "I Quit" match, but the match ended when Triple H was forced to quit or see his aide Chyna chokeslammed by Kane.[16] This began a new angle for Triple H, as Chyna betrayed him by attacking him after the match and joining The Corporation.[16] On March 28 at WrestleMania XV, Triple H lost to Kane after Chyna interfered on his behalf and she was thought to have rejoined DX.[16] Later on in the night, he betrayed his long-time friend and fellow DX member X-Pac by helping Shane McMahon retain the European Championship and joined The Corporation,[16] turning heel in the process. In April, he started to move away from his DX look, taping his fists for matches, sporting new and shorter wrestling trunks and adopting a shorter hairstyle.[16] His gimmick changed as he fought to earn a WWF Championship opportunity.[16] After failed attempts at winning the championship, Triple H and Mankind challenged then WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin to a triple threat match on August 22 at SummerSlam, which featured Jesse "The Body" Ventura as the special guest referee. Mankind won the match by pinning Austin.[44] The following night on Raw Is War, Triple H defeated Mankind to win his first WWF Championship.[16] He dropped the WWF Championship to Mr. McMahon on the September 16, 1999 episode of SmackDown! before regaining it on September 26 at Unforgiven in a Six-Pack Challenge that included Davey Boy Smith, Big Show, Kane, The Rock and Mankind. He defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin on October 17 at No Mercy before dropping the title to Big Show on November 14 at Survivor Series. Triple H then continued his feud with Mr. McMahon by marrying his daughter Stephanie McMahon and defeating McMahon on December 12 at Armageddon. As a result of the feud, an angle with Triple H and Stephanie began which carried the WWF throughout the next seventeen months; together they were known as The McMahon-Helmsley Faction.[45] McMahon–Helmsley Era (2000–2001) Main article: Two-Man Power Trip By January 2000, Triple H had dubbed himself "The Game", after stating he was above the top of the wrestling world (as in not merely the "best in the game", but in fact "the game") and was nicknamed "The Cerebral Assassin" by Jim Ross. On the January 3 episode of Raw Is War, Triple H defeated Big Show to win his third WWF Championship.[46] During the main event of the May 21, 2001 episode of Raw Is War, he suffered a legitimate and career-threatening injury.[5][69] He and Austin were defending the WWF Tag Team Championship against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. At one point, Jericho had Austin trapped in the Walls of Jericho and Triple H ran in to break it up, but just as he did, he suffered a tear in his left quadriceps muscle,[5][69] causing it to come completely off the bone.[17] Despite his inability to place any weight on his leg, Triple H was able to complete the match.[17] He even allowed Jericho to put him in the Walls of Jericho, a move that places considerable stress on the quadriceps. The tear required an operation, which was performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. This injury brought an abrupt end to the McMahon-Helmsley Era, as the rigorous rehabilitation process kept Triple H out of action for over eight months,[5][17] completely missing The Invasion storyline. World Heavyweight Champion and Evolution (2002–2005) Main article: Evolution Triple H after he won the Undisputed WWF Championship at WrestleMania X8 Triple H returned to Raw as a face on January 7, 2002, at Madison Square Garden.[17] He won the Royal Rumble on January 20, receiving an Undisputed WWF Championship match on March 17 at WrestleMania X8,[70] where Triple H defeated Chris Jericho for the Undisputed WWF Championship.[5][70] After holding the title for a month, Triple H lost it to Hollywood Hulk Hogan on April 21 at Backlash.[70] Triple H then became exclusive to the SmackDown! roster due to the WWF draft lottery and continued to feud with Jericho, culminating in a Hell in a Cell match on May 19 at Judgment Day, which Triple H won. On the June 6 episode of SmackDown!, Triple H defeated Hogan in a #1 contender match for the WWE Undisputed Championship at King of the Ring against The Undertaker, but was unsuccessful at the event on June 23. In the interim, between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, the McMahon-Helmsley Faction was brought to an official on-screen conclusion. By the time he returned, Triple H's on-screen marriage to Stephanie McMahon was faltering, so Stephanie faked a pregnancy in order to get him back on her side.[71] When he learned that it was fake, he dumped her publicly on Raw when they were supposed to renew their wedding vows.[71] Stephanie aligned with Jericho afterward,[71] but she was forced to leave after losing a triple threat match on the March 25 episode of Raw when she was pinned by Triple H.[72] The divorce, and thus the storyline, was finalized on July 21 at Vengeance.[73] Meanwhile, Shawn Michaels had made his return to WWE and joined the New World Order (nWo). Michaels and Kevin Nash planned to bring Triple H over to Raw in order to put him into the group. Mr. McMahon disbanded the nWo following several backstage complications and brought in Eric Bischoff as the Raw general manager. One of Bischoff's first intentions was to follow up on the nWo's plan and bring Triple H over to the Raw roster. Triple H moved to the Raw brand at Vengeance, reuniting with Michaels, but he turned on Michaels by performing a Pedigree on him during what was supposed to be a DX reunion, turning heel once again. The following week, Triple H smashed Michaels' face into a car window to prove that Michaels was weak. These events led to the beginning of a long storyline rivalry between the former partners and an eventual "Unsanctioned Street Fight" on August 25 at SummerSlam, in which Michaels came out of retirement to win. Triple H then attacked him with a sledgehammer and he was carried from the ring on a stretcher.[74] Before September 2, 2002, WWE recognized only one world champion, the WWE Undisputed Champion, for both the Raw and SmackDown! brands. After SummerSlam, then WWE Undisputed Champion Brock Lesnar became exclusive to the SmackDown! brand, leaving the Raw brand without a world champion. Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff then awarded Triple H the World Heavyweight Championship, represented by the Big Gold Belt (which previously had been used to represent the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and WCW World Heavyweight Championship), making him the first World Heavyweight Champion.[75] Triple H retained his title against Rob Van Dam on September 22 at Unforgiven when Ric Flair hit Van Dam with a sledgehammer. After a four-month hiatus, Triple H returned to Raw on October 3, where he and Flair defeated Chris Masters and Carlito. After the match, Triple H turned on Flair by attacking him with a sledgehammer, sparking a feud between the duo.[92] Flair defeated Triple H in a steel cage match on November 1 at Taboo Tuesday for Flair's Intercontinental Championship.[93] Subsequently, Triple H defeated Flair in a non-title Last Man Standing match on November 27 at Survivor Series to end their feud.[93] Shawn Michaels returned on the June 12 episode of Raw and reunited with Triple H to re-form D-Generation X, turning Triple H face for the first time since 2002.[6] DX defeated The Spirit Squad on June 25 at Vengeance in a 5-on-2 handicap match.[96] They continued their feud with Mr. McMahon, Shane McMahon and The Spirit Squad for several weeks. They then defeated The Spirit Squad again on the July 15, 2006 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII in a 5-on-2 elimination match. They then again defeated the McMahons on August 20 at SummerSlam, withstanding the attack of several wrestlers who assaulted them before the match as directed by Mr. McMahon.[95] At Unforgiven on September 17, DX defeated the McMahons and ECW World Champion Big Show in a 3-on-2 handicap Hell in a Cell match. During the match, DX embarrassed Vince by shoving his face in between Big Show's buttocks, and DX won when Triple H broke a sledgehammer over the shoulders of Mr. McMahon after Michaels performed Sweet Chin Music on him.[97] At Cyber Sunday on November 5, during DX's feud with Rated-RKO (Edge and Randy Orton), special guest referee Eric Bischoff allowed the illegal use of a weapon to give Rated-RKO the win.[97] On November 26 at Survivor Series, DX got their revenge when their team defeated Edge and Orton's team in a clean sweep during their five-on-five elimination match.[98] At New Year's Revolution on January 7, 2007, DX and Rated-RKO fought to a no contest after Triple H suffered a legitimate torn right quadriceps (similar to the one he suffered in 2001 in his other leg) 15 minutes into the match.[99][100] Surgery was successfully performed two days later by Dr. James Andrews.[99] On the June 23 episode of Raw, Triple H was drafted to the SmackDown brand as a part of the 2008 WWE draft, in the process making the WWE Championship exclusive to SmackDown.[110] Triple H then went on to defeat John Cena cleanly to retain the WWE Championship on June 29 at Night of Champions.[111] He defended the championship over the summer by defeating the likes of Edge on July 20 at The Great American Bash[112] and The Great Khali on August 17 at SummerSlam,[113] and was the only champion to retain his title at Unforgiven's Championship Scramble matches on September 7.[114] He successfully defended it against Jeff Hardy both on October 5 at No Mercy[115] and Cyber Sunday on October 26.[116] On the August 10 episode of Raw, Triple H met with Michaels at an office cafeteria in Texas where Michaels was working as a chef; throughout the show, Triple H tried to convince Michaels to return to WWE from hiatus. After several incidents (including grease grill burgers on fire and Michaels shouting at a little girl), Michaels agreed to team with Triple H to face The Legacy at SummerSlam, superkicked the girl, and quit his chef job.[129] On the August 17 episode of Raw, Triple H and Michaels officially reunited as DX, but as they were in the process of their in-ring promo, The Legacy attacked them both.[130] Their first match after reuniting was against The Legacy at SummerSlam on August 23, which they won.[131] On September 13 at Breaking Point, they lost to The Legacy in the first ever Submissions Count Anywhere match in WWE history.[132] At Hell in a Cell on October 4, DX defeated The Legacy in a Hell in a Cell match.[133] DX unsuccessfully challenged John Cena for the WWE Championship in a triple threat match on November 22 at Survivor Series,[134] after which they remained friends and partners. On December 13 at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, DX defeated Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and Big Show) to win the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.[135] Triple H at the Tribute to the Troops in December 2010 Triple H returned on the February 25, 2013 episode of Raw, brawling with Brock Lesnar after he attempted to attack Mr. McMahon. The brawl resulted in Lesnar having his head split open and requiring 18 stitches.[162] The following week, Triple H issued a challenge to Lesnar, requesting a rematch with him at WrestleMania 29 on April 7, which Lesnar accepted on the condition that he could choose the stipulation.[163][164] The following week, after Triple H signed the contract and assaulted Heyman, the stipulation was revealed as No Holds Barred with Triple H's career on the line.[165] Triple H defeated Lesnar after a Pedigree onto the steel steps.[166] On May 19 at Extreme Rules, Triple H lost to Lesnar in a steel cage match after interference from Heyman, and also injured his jaw.[167] The next night on Raw, Triple H wrestled Heyman's newest client, Curtis Axel. He suffered a storyline concussion and was deemed to have forfeited.[168][169][170] Despite being medically cleared to wrestle before the June 3 episode of Raw, Vince and Stephanie McMahon did not allow Triple H to wrestle Axel, citing concerns for his well-being and the safety of his children. In response, Triple H stormed out the arena and vowed to return to the ring the next week on Raw.[171] The Authority (2013–2016) Main article: The Authority Triple H and Stephanie McMahon as The Authority On August 18 at SummerSlam, Triple H served as the special guest referee for the WWE Championship match between champion John Cena and Daniel Bryan. After Bryan won the match, Triple H attacked him, allowing Randy Orton to cash in his Money in the Bank contract and win the title, turning heel for the first time since 2006.[172] Along with his wife Stephanie, they subsequently created The Authority, with The Shield (Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose) as his enforcers, Kane as the Director of Operations and Orton as their hand-picked WWE Champion. Triple H making his entrance at WrestleMan.ia XXX The WWE World Heavyweight Championship was vacated after Rollins suffered a legitimate severe knee injury in November 2015 and a tournament to determine a new champion was held at Survivor Series on November 22, which was won by Roman Reigns. Throughout the remainder of 2015, The Authority aligned with Sheamus, who successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contact immediately after Reign's victory.[182] After Sheamus defeated Reigns at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 13, Reigns viciously attacked Triple H, which resulted in a storyline injury that took him off television. During this hiatus, Reigns regained the championship from Sheamus on the following episode of Raw.[183] On January 24, 2016, Triple H made his return during the Royal Rumble match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship as the unannounced 30th entrant. After eliminating Reigns, he then eliminated Dean Ambrose to secure his second Royal Rumble win and 14th (and final) world championship.[184] He successfully defended the championship against Ambrose on March 12 at Roadblock,[185] and defeated Dolph Ziggler in non-title match two days later on Raw, but lost the championship to Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 32 on April 3, ending his last world championship reign at 70 days.[186] After WrestleMania 32, with The Authority now disbanded, Triple H competed in the WWE Live tour of the United Kingdom in late April before taking a hiatus from WWE television. However, he continued making occasional appearances in an executive role for NXT.[187][188] Final feuds and retirement (2016–2022) On the August 29 episode of Raw, Triple H made his return by interfering in the main event for the recently vacated and established WWE Universal Championship. Firstly, he attacked rival Roman Reigns with a Pedigree, allowing former Authority stable member Seth Rollins to eliminate him, before attacking Rollins with a Pedigree, allowing Kevin Owens to win the title.[189] This began a feud with Rollins, which culminated in a "non-sanctioned match" at WrestleMania 33 on April 2, 2017,[190] where Rollins defeated him.[191] Triple H with his wife Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34 Despite being part of Kurt Angle's Team Raw on November 19 at Survivor Series, Triple H attacked him and caused him to be eliminated in their match against Team SmackDown, and he ultimately got credit for winning the match after he pinned Shane McMahon of Team SmackDown.[192] Angle subsequently joined forces with the debuting Ronda Rousey, and the two defeated Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a mixed tag match at WrestleMania 34 on April 8, 2018 after Stephanie submitted to Rousey's armbar.[193] In September 2021, Triple H suffered from heart failure and a defibrillator was installed in his chest.[202] Due to his newly discovered heart condition, Triple H announced his retirement from wrestling during an appearance on First Take on March 25, 2022.[203] On April 3, he introduced the second night of WrestleMania 38 as the COO of WWE, subsequently leaving a microphone and his wrestling boots in the ring to signify his official in-ring retirement.[13] Post-retirement and corporate roles (2022–present) On September 6, 2022, WWE announced that Triple H was promoted to Chief Content Officer of the company.[204] On the October 10 episode of Raw, he, along with Shawn Michaels, X-Pac, and Road Dogg, held a DX reunion to celebrate the stable's 25-year anniversary.[205] The group made an additional appearance at Raw is XXX on January 23, 2023.[206] He made further appearances on both the Raw and SmackDown episodes following WrestleMania 39 to announce the latest WWE Draft. On the April 24 episode of Raw, Triple H unveiled a new World Heavyweight Championship, with the winner to be determined at Night of Champions on May 27. Legacy in wrestling Triple H setting up the Pedigree on John Cena in October 2005 Triple H's later career, especially after 2014 during which he was a part-time performer, has been sometimes criticized. Bret Hart commented on Triple H winning the 2016 Royal Rumble match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship while not wrestling full-time, saying: "I didn't like the decision that Triple H, surprise, put the belt on himself again ... it just showed a real lack of imagination if you ask me."[212] Triple H using his relationship with the McMahon family to continually dominate the spotlight and book himself in high-profile matches has been a subject of criticism since his full-time career ended.[213] After his tag team match along with Michaels against Undertaker and Kane at Crown Jewel in 2018, Wade Keller from Pro Wrestling Torch wrote that Triple H "moves like the trees in Wizard of Oz".[214] Jason Powell from Pro Wrestling Dot Net stated that wrestlers like Triple H, alongside Michaels, Undertaker, and Kane, "need to accept their limitations, stop pretending they belong in main events, and stop acting like being in these main events isn't stealing the spotlight (from newer talent)".[215] In 2010, Levesque's role in WWE as an Executive Senior Advisor was officially formalized as he was given an office at the company's headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.[217] He was named Executive Vice President, Talent and Live Events in 2011. In 2013, his title was elevated to Executive Vice-president of Talent, Live Events and Creative, leading him to work with WWE creative direction and storylines of WWE's programming.[218] That year, he earned a combined salary of just over $1.5 million from his front office job and as a wrestler. He also owns just over $1.5 million in WWE stock.[11] In 2020, Levesque became WWE's Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development. In this role, he oversaw the company's Talent Development department and served as a senior advisor to the CEO for talent strategy.[219] He is also the founder and executive producer of WWE's NXT brand,[10] though he was not involved with the brand's "NXT 2.0" overhaul in the September of 2021.[220] On July 22, 2022, WWE promoted Levesque to Executive Vice President of Talent Relations.[221] Three days later, following the "retirement" of Vince McMahon, he was also named Head of WWE Creative.[222] On September 2, Levesque elevated to Chief Content Officer as announced by the company four days later.[223][224] In this role, he oversees the company’s creative writing, talent relations, live events, talent development and creative services departments.[219] Philanthropy In 2014, Levesque and his wife Stephanie created the Connor's Cure cancer fund in honor of Connor "The Crusher" Michalek, a WWE fan who died of cancer at the age of eight.[225] Personal life Triple H with Chyna in 1997 From 1996 to 2000, Levesque was in a relationship with fellow wrestler Joan "Chyna" Laurer. What began as an on-screen storyline marriage in 2000 became a real-life romance when Levesque began dating Stephanie McMahon. They were married in Sleepy Hollow, New York, on October 25, 2003.[226] They have three daughters: Aurora Rose Levesque (born 2006),[227] Murphy Claire Levesque (born 2008),[228][229] and Vaughn Evelyn Levesque (born 2010).[230] He has a sister named Lynn.[17] In 2004, Levesque released the book Making the Game: Triple H's Approach to a Better Body. It is mostly devoted to bodybuilding advice with some autobiographical information, memoirs, and opinions.[231] Levesque is an avid fan of English rock band Motörhead, who performed three different entrance themes for him over his career, and was good friends with the band's frontman Lemmy until Lemmy's death in December 2015.[232] He sported Lemmy-inspired facial hair during the early 2000s[233] and spoke at Lemmy's funeral on January 9, 2016.[234] He is a supporter of English football team West Ham United FC.[235] In September 2021, WWE reported that Levesque underwent a procedure at Yale New Haven Hospital following a "cardiac event" caused by a genetic heart issue.[236] During an appearance on First Take on March 25, 2022, Levesque gave his first interview since being hospitalized. He revealed that he had viral pneumonia and inflamed lungs, which worsened over time. He said that Stephanie noticed he was coughing up blood, and doctors subsequently discovered fluid in his lungs and around his heart; they informed him that his heart was working at a fraction of its full strength and that he was in a "bad" state of heart failure. He also said there were moments where he thought he would die and confirmed that the event forced his retirement: "I was nose-diving and sort of at the one-yard line of where you don't want to be really, for your family and your future. [...] I will never wrestle again. First of all, I have a defibrillator in my chest, which, you know, probably not a good idea for me to get zapped on live TV."[202] When asked how he felt about his forced retirement, Levesque said, "I rode it till the wheels fell off, and the wheels fell off. I'm done. I'm good. I did everything I wanted to do and then some."[237] Other media According to the Wrestling Figure Checklist, Levesque had 412 action figures produced of his likeness between the 1990s and 2010s. The majority of these were produced by Jakks Pacific and Mattel, making Levesque one of the most produced wrestlers in history.[238] Levesque wrote his own chapter giving advice in entrepreneur Tim Ferriss' 2016 book Tools of Titans." (wikipedia.org) "Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand, but is currently out of action due to a back injury. With the third most world championship reigns in history,[a] and a career spanning over 20 years, Orton is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.[4][5][6][7][8][9] Orton is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Bob Orton, father Bob Orton Jr., and uncle Barry Orton were all wrestlers.[10][11] Before being signed by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), he trained in and wrestled for the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association and Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling. He was then signed by the WWF and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he held the OVW Hardcore Championship twice.[12] He became a member of the stable Evolution shortly after his WWE debut, which quickly led to an Intercontinental Championship reign, his first championship with the company.[13] He also acquired the moniker "The Legend Killer" during a storyline where he began disrespecting and then physically attacking WWE Hall of Famers and wrestling veterans.[1] At the age of 24, Orton became the youngest world champion in WWE history after he won the World Heavyweight Championship.[14][15] With this win, he 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, they held the World Tag Team Championship.[16] After Rated-RKO disbanded in mid-2007, Orton gained two WWE Championship reigns in one night, becoming the second youngest two-time WWE Champion at the age of 27.[17][18] He formed the group The Legacy with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. in 2008. They disbanded in 2010, and Orton returned to singles competition. From 2013 to 2015, he was aligned with The Authority, who named him the "face of the WWE". In 2016, he joined The Wyatt Family, winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championship with Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper before turning on them in 2017. He won his first United States Championship in 2018, becoming the 18th overall Grand Slam Champion after already having been the 17th Triple Crown Champion. Orton's rivalry with John Cena has been recognized as one of the longest and greatest rivalries in WWE history.[19] Orton has held the WWE Championship[b] 10 times and WWE's World Heavyweight Championship four times. He was the final holder of the World Heavyweight Championship, which he unified with the WWE Championship to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in 2013.[20] Orton is recognized by WWE as having the third-most world championship victories in history at 14, behind John Cena and Ric Flair (both 16) and tied with Triple H (also 14). All totaled, he has won 20 championships in WWE. Orton is also the winner of the 2013 Money in the Bank ladder match, as well as a two-time Royal Rumble match winner (2009[21] and 2017) and has headlined multiple WWE pay-per-view events, including WrestleMania 25[22] and WrestleMania XXX.[23] Following his match at the 2021 Survivor Series, he broke Kane's record for wrestling the most PPV matches in WWE history.[24] Early life Orton as a Marine in 1998 Randal Keith Orton was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 1, 1980, the son of nurse Elaine[25] and professional wrestler Bob Orton Jr.[10][26] He is the grandson of Bob Orton and nephew of Barry Orton, both professional wrestlers.[27] He has a younger brother named Nathan, who is a stand-up comedian,[28][29] and a younger sister named Rebecca.[30] Knowing the hardships of life as a professional wrestler, his parents tried to convince him to stay away from the business[10] and his father warned him that life in the ring meant a life on the road and away from family.[1] Orton attended Hazelwood Central High School, where he was an amateur wrestler.[1][10] After graduating in 1998,[31] he enlisted with the Marines. At the base, he received a bad conduct discharge in 1999 after going AWOL on two occasions and disobeying an order from a commanding officer.[32] Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, he was tried and convicted under a special court-martial, subsequently spending 38 days in the brig at Camp Pendleton.[27][32] He previously had a Marine tattoo on his left arm, but covered it up after receiving his bad conduct discharge.[32] Professional wrestling career Training and early career (2000–2001) Orton made his wrestling debut in 2000 at the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling (MMWA-SICW) in St. Louis, Missouri, an offshoot of the historic St. Louis Wrestling Club headed by Sam Muchnick.[3] There, he was trained by both the staff of the promotion and his father, Bob Orton Jr.[27] He wrestled for the promotion where he performed with wrestlers such as Ace Strange and Mark Bland.[33] Orton also refereed a few matches with World Organized Wrestling (WOW), a promotion where his uncle Barry Orton worked.[citation needed] World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE Ohio Valley Wrestling (2000–2002) In 2000, Orton signed a deal with the then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was sent to its developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky, where he continued his training. During his time in OVW, he wrestled the likes of Rico Constantino and The Prototype and teamed with Bobby Eaton during a tag team title tournament. He won the OVW Hardcore Championship twice by defeating Mr. Black on February 14, 2001, and Flash Flanagan on May 5, 2001, respectively.[12] On several occasions he faced Rico Constantino on combined WWF/OVW events, and also lost to The Prototype (John Cena) in a tag match on July 28 in Jacksonville, Indiana. He also began appearing on several WWF house shows that were unaffiliated with OVW, the first being on May 1, 2001, when he faced Billy Gunn. After taking the mic and promising to beat Gunn, Orton was defeated.[34] That fall he began appearing regularly on WWF house shows and dark matches, facing Chuck Palumbo, Steven Richards and Shawn Stasiak, but mostly wrestling in tag team matches. Orton's promotion to the main roster made him a member of OVW's now legendary Class of 2002 as part of what has now been dubbed as the OVW 4 alongside the aforementioned Cena as well as Brock Lesnar and Dave Bautista.[35] Evolution (2002–2004) Main article: Evolution One of Orton's first official WWF appearances was March 16, 2002, at WrestleMania X8's Fan Axxess, where he was defeated by Tommy Dreamer. Orton's first televised WWF match was a victory against Hardcore Holly on SmackDown! on April 25, 2002.[36] Soon after, Orton became a face and was placed in a series of matches with Holly.[citation needed] In September 2002, Orton was traded to the Raw brand, where he defeated Stevie Richards in his debut on the show.[37] Within weeks of his debut on the Raw brand, Orton suffered a shoulder injury,[citation needed] leaving him sidelined for months.[38] While recovering, Orton still appeared on Raw in his own Randy News Network (RNN) segment, a weekly vignette featuring him talking about his condition.[38] The show interrupted other segments of Raw programming, which caused Orton to slowly transition himself into a narcissistic and self-centered heel.[39] After his injury healed, Orton joined the Evolution stable, which consisted of Ric Flair, Triple H, and relative newcomer Batista. The group was pushed on Raw from 2003 to 2004, with the height of their dominance occurring after Armageddon in 2003 when all of the men's titles on Raw were held by Evolution members.[40] In 2003, Orton spent much of his time helping Triple H overcome challenges for the World Heavyweight Championship.[41][42][43] He joined Triple H in an Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam, involved primarily to secure Triple H's title defense, and was eliminated by Goldberg, but the stable managed to fulfill its purpose and Triple H went on to eliminate Goldberg and retain his title.[44] Orton then began proclaiming himself the "Legend Killer", with his gimmick becoming that of a young upstart who was so talented that he touted himself as the future of wrestling. He embarked on numerous feuds with older, well-respected names in wrestling and gained infamy for blatantly disrespecting them. With the help of his stablemate and mentor Ric Flair, Orton defeated Shawn Michaels at Unforgiven in the first of many high-profile matches billed as "Legend vs. Legend Killer".[45] During this time, Orton began using the move that would become his signature finisher, the RKO, a jumping cutter named after his initials.[46] He defeated Rob Van Dam for the Intercontinental Championship at Armageddon in December 2003.[47] With this win, Orton started the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in seven years, holding the title for 210 days.[48] Orton continued to establish himself as a "Legend Killer" throughout 2004, challenging the semi-retired wrestler Mick Foley. Famed for his brutal hardcore matches and ability to handle excruciating pain, Foley challenged Orton to a hardcore "Legend vs. Legend Killer" match for his Intercontinental Championship, which Orton reluctantly accepted. At Backlash, Orton defeated Foley in a hardcore match to retain the Intercontinental Championship,[49] which included spots involving a table covered in barbed wire, fire, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire (a signature weapon of Foley's named "Barbie"), and Orton being thrown onto hundreds of thumbtacks.[50] Orton later spat in the face of Harley Race on the April 26 episode of Raw.[51] Two months later at Bad Blood, he retained the Intercontinental Championship against Shelton Benjamin. In July at Vengeance, he lost the title to Edge.[52] World Heavyweight Champion (2004–2005) Orton became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history at SummerSlam in August 2004. After losing the Intercontinental Championship, Orton became the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship after winning a 20-man battle royal on July 26.[citation needed] At SummerSlam, Orton defeated Chris Benoit for the championship, thus becoming the youngest world champion in WWE history at the age of 24.[53] Benoit congratulated Orton after the match, shaking his hand for showing the ability to "be a man".[54] The following night on Raw, after Orton successfully defended the title against Benoit in a rematch, Evolution threw Orton a mock celebration only to reveal that they were not pleased with his new victory. While Batista had Orton propped on his shoulders in elation, Triple H gave him a pleased thumbs-up and then abruptly changed it to a thumbs-down, which was followed by Batista dropping Orton to the mat.[citation needed] Triple H, Flair and Batista attacked Orton in the ring, resulting in Orton being kicked out of Evolution. The following week, he called out Orton and ordered him to hand over the championship, but he refused, spitting in Triple H's face and hitting him with the title belt.[citation needed] Orton's breakup with Evolution led to him turning face when he continued to feud with his former stablemates.[citation needed] A month later, Orton lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Triple H at Unforgiven after interference from Flair, Batista, and Jonathan Coachman.[55] Seeking revenge, Orton lashed out at his former Evolution members, catching them by surprise during a show by giving them a large cake as a make-up gift, which he came out of nowhere to beat and humiliate the group.[citation needed] At Taboo Tuesday, Orton defeated Ric Flair in a steel cage match. After this, Orton experienced another push, becoming general manager of the Raw brand for a week following a match stipulation at Survivor Series where he picked up the win for his team by last eliminating Triple H in a four-on-four Survivor Series elimination match.[56] He continued to feud with Triple H, using his authority to place his opponents at severe disadvantages during title defenses.[citation needed] In January 2005 at New Year's Revolution, Orton participated in an Elimination Chamber match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship, where he was the last man eliminated by Triple H after interference from Ric Flair and Batista.[57] On the January 10 episode of Raw, Orton defeated Batista to earn a match against Triple H at the Royal Rumble for the World Heavyweight title, which he lost.[citation needed] Feud with The Undertaker (2005–2006) Orton began an on-screen relationship with Stacy Keibler and briefly feuded with Christian in February 2005.[citation needed] On the February 28 Raw, Superstar Billy Graham made an appearance, in which he advised Orton to "go where no wrestler [had] gone before".[citation needed] Orton showing off his signature pose, August 2005 Orton then produced a copy of SmackDown! magazine, which featured The Undertaker on the cover.[citation needed] Heeding Graham's advice, Orton said he would set himself apart from all other wrestlers by ending The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania.[citation needed] Throughout March 2005, Orton taunted The Undertaker, claiming he was unafraid of him. On the March 21 Raw, Orton turned heel once again after he delivered an RKO to his unsuspecting on-screen girlfriend, Stacy Keibler, knocking her unconscious.[58] During Orton's promos, he ran for cover whenever signs of The Undertaker's appearance (lightning, darkness, or smoke) occurred.[citation needed] When wrestler Jake Roberts advised Orton not to underestimate The Undertaker, Orton performed an RKO on Roberts as well.[citation needed] In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, Orton became more defiant and unafraid of The Undertaker, taunting and assaulting him in the ring following distractions from his father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton. At WrestleMania 21, Orton lost the heavily hyped match.[59] After Armageddon, Orton entered the 2006 Royal Rumble match as the thirtieth and final wrestler, but he was eliminated by the eventual winner of the match Rey Mysterio, who earned a world championship at WrestleMania 22.[63] Orton challenged him to a match for his title shot at No Way Out.[64] In the weeks preceding No Way Out, Orton made controversial remarks about Eddie Guerrero, Mysterio's friend who had died a few months previously, in an attempt to gain villain heat.[65] Many fans felt the comments were highly distasteful so soon after Guerrero's death in November 2005.[citation needed] Orton won at No Way Out, earning Mysterio's title shot for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22.[66] SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long re-added Mysterio to the WrestleMania 22 title match, making it a triple threat match between Orton, Mysterio and then-champion Kurt Angle.[citation needed] On April 2 at WrestleMania, however, Orton lost after he was pinned by Mysterio. On the following episode of SmackDown!, Orton challenged Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship, but failed to win the title.[67] On April 4, Orton was suspended for sixty days for "unprofessional conduct".[68] In an interview, Orton stated, "my conduct was unbecoming of a champion, which is what I will be again when I return".[69] To cover for the suspension, a scripted injury was devised, where Kurt Angle broke Orton's ankle during a King of the Ring quarterfinal match.[70] Orton returned from his suspension in June to the Raw brand,[citation needed] where he entered a rivalry with Angle, culminating in matches at ECW One Night Stand (which he lost) and Vengeance (which he won) before engaging in a storyline feud with Hulk Hogan. Orton began cutting promos insulting the aging Hogan and flirted with Hogan's then-eighteen-year-old daughter Brooke.[citation needed] At SummerSlam, the two met in a "Legend vs. Legend Killer" match, which Hogan won.[71][72] He later defeated Carlito, at Unforgiven the following month. Edge and Orton as Rated-RKO After the newly reformed D-Generation X (DX) (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) cost Edge the WWE Championship, Edge approached Orton and asked him to join forces to defeat the team. Orton, whose championship reign had been ended by Triple H in 2004, agreed, forming the tag team Rated-RKO. The two defeated DX at Cyber Sunday with help from special guest referee Eric Bischoff, becoming the first team to defeat DX since their reunion in June and they quickly dominated the Raw brand's tag team division to become World Tag Team Champions by defeating Ric Flair and Roddy Piper on the November 13 episode of Raw.[73][74] As part of the angle, Rated-RKO attacked Ric Flair with steel chairs to enrage DX on the November 27 episode of Raw.[citation needed] At New Year's Revolution, Rated-RKO defended the World Tag Team Championship against DX, but the match was declared a no-contest when Triple H suffered a legitimate injury during the match. Afterwards, Rated-RKO were attacked by DX.[75] With Triple H out of action, Rated-RKO continued their on-screen rivalry with Michaels. At the Royal Rumble, both men competed in the eponymous match and made it to the final four, but both were eliminated by Michaels. Michaels later teamed with WWE Champion John Cena to defeat Rated-RKO to win the World Tag Team Championship the following night on Raw.[76] After losing the tag team titles, both Edge and Orton focused on the WWE Championship, causing friction between them. On the February 5, 2007 episode of Raw, they lost a triple threat match against Michaels to earn a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 23. They both competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania, but the match was won by Mr. Kennedy. On the April 9 episode of Raw, Orton and Michaels wrestled to a no contest in a number one contender's match for the WWE Championship after both men's shoulders were down during the pinfall. Finally, Orton and Edge faced off in a fatal four-way match for the title against Cena and Michaels at Backlash, however Cena retained the title after pinning Orton. On the April 30 episode of Raw, they competed against each other in a singles match, which Edge won.[77] Their alliance was effectively ended once Edge joined the SmackDown! brand. Orton then continued his "Legend Killer" persona, attacking Shawn Michaels by using frequent attacks to the head, including an elevated DDT and a running punt to the face. Orton defeated Michaels at Judgment Day via knockout when Michaels suffered a kayfabe concussion and collapsed during the match.[72] Orton continued his attacks when he engaged himself in feuds with Rob Van Dam at One Night Stand (after losing a stretcher match to Van Dam),[78] Ric Flair,[citation needed] Dusty Rhodes,[citation needed] and Sgt. Slaughter.[citation needed] During this time the commentators noted how Orton slithered around and stalked his victims like a snake; this led to "The Viper" becoming a nickname for Orton. WWE Champion (2007–2008) See also: Cena–Orton rivalry Orton during his first reign as WWE Champion On the July 23 episode of Raw, Orton was named number one contender for John Cena's WWE Championship.[citation needed] Three times before their scheduled bout at SummerSlam, Orton assaulted Cena with the RKO.[79] Orton lost the title match at SummerSlam when Cena pinned him after an FU.[citation needed] The next night on the August 27 episode of Raw, Orton demanded a rematch, but Raw General Manager William Regal denied him. He then appealed to Mr. McMahon, who offered him the shot if he "proved himself". That night, Orton interfered in Cena's match with King Booker, assaulting him before kicking his father, who was at ringside, in the head.[80] McMahon granted Orton his rematch at Unforgiven, which he won by disqualification when Cena refused to stop punching him in the corner; however, Cena retained the championship because titles cannot change hands by disqualification.[81] After the match, Cena's father, who was again at ringside, kicked Orton in the head, which led to a match the next night on the September 17 episode of Raw, in which Orton defeated Cena's father by disqualification, then hit him with an RKO while Cena was handcuffed to the ropes. Cena suffered a legitimate injury during a match with Mr. Kennedy on the October 1 episode of Raw, after which Orton attacked Cena with an RKO. After this, he adopted the nickname of "The Viper".[82] Orton then threw him outside the ring, and gave him an RKO on the broadcast table. Due to this injury, John Cena was forced to vacate the WWE Championship. Upon being medically cleared to return to the ring, Orton was reinjured in a motorcycle accident.[97][98] He returned to Raw on September 1, criticizing all the champions, including World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, who he berated and slapped for letting Cryme Tyme steal their belts. This inspired them to try to gain Orton's respect.[99] They achieved this at Unforgiven when, with new stablemate Manu, they assaulted World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, forcing him to vacate his title before his scheduled defense that night.[100] Orton returned to in-ring action on the November 3 episode of Raw, losing to Punk by disqualification when DiBiase interfered, resulting in Orton punting DiBiase in the head in retaliation.[101] At Survivor Series, Team Orton, which included Rhodes, defeated Team Batista with both Orton and Rhodes surviving as the sole survivors. On the December 1 episode of Raw, Orton proposed that he, Rhodes and Manu form an alliance.[102][citation needed] The stable, called "The Legacy", debuted the next week, defeating Batista and Triple H, Orton's former Evolution stablemates, in a three-on-two handicap match.[103] At Armageddon, Orton lost to Batista in a singles match. Orton after winning the 2009 Royal Rumble match Orton began feuding with the McMahon family on the January 19, 2009 episode of Raw when he confronted both Mr. McMahon and Stephanie, claiming that he was worth more than her, and that she had become "worthless". This infuriated Mr. McMahon, who demanded that Orton apologize, or he'd terminate him on the spot. As Mr. McMahon was about to fire him, Orton attacked and punted him in the head, leading to him being carried out of the arena on a stretcher. On January 25, Orton won the Royal Rumble match, last eliminating Triple H.[21] The next night on Raw, Orton claimed that he suffered from IED, and that he was not responsible for his actions towards Mr. McMahon, claiming that he suffered a "loss of control" because of the disorder. He also claimed that WWE knew of the condition, but did nothing, and threatened to sue WWE for that reason, and also, if Stephanie were to fire him, threatened a second lawsuit for breach of contract, due to the fact that he was legally entitled to compete at WrestleMania because he won the Royal Rumble. Though Stephanie teased firing Orton, she changed her mind and said that she had "bigger plans", leading to Shane McMahon returning to Raw and attacking Orton. This led to Orton facing Shane in a No Holds Barred match at No Way Out, which he won. The next night on Raw, Orton faced Shane again in an unsanctioned match, which ended in a no contest when he punted Shane in the head, thus rendering him unable to continue the match. Stephanie then ran down to the ring to tend to her brother, but Orton attacked her with an RKO. This drew Triple H into the feud, who claimed that Orton "crossed the line" when he attacked Stephanie, his real-life wife. Later, Orton claimed that everything he had done was part of a plan to get revenge on Triple H after he kicked him out of Evolution back in 2004; according to Orton, Triple H "ruined his life", so Orton was going to do the same and take everything that Triple H cared about away from him. He challenged Triple H for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 25, where he was unsuccessful.[104] He won it the next month at Backlash by pinning Triple H in a six-man tag team match between The Legacy and Triple H, Batista and Shane McMahon. At Judgment Day, Orton defended the championship against Batista, where he retained via disqualification after Rhodes and DiBiase interfered.[105] At Extreme Rules, he lost the title to Batista in a steel cage match.[106] The following night on Raw, Orton and Legacy attacked Batista and injured his arm, forcing him to vacate the title.[107] On the June 15 episode of Raw, Orton regained the title in a fatal four-way match against Big Show, Triple H and John Cena. The following week, Orton defended the WWE Championship against Triple H in a Last Man Standing match, which ended in a no-contest after both men failed to answer the referee's ten count. They faced off for the championship once more at The Bash in a Three Stages of Hell match, which Orton won after interference from Legacy.[108] At SummerSlam, he defended the title against John Cena, during which he used several underhanded tactics to retain the championship. He lost the title to Cena in an "I Quit" match at Breaking Point,[109] but regained it from Cena in a Hell in a Cell match at Hell in a Cell.[110] At Bragging Rights, Orton again lost the championship to Cena in a one-hour Iron Man match to end the feud.[111] Randy Orton with a shaved head in 2009 Orton then began a rivalry with Kofi Kingston, whom Orton blamed for him losing the WWE Championship due to Kingston interfering in his match with Cena to chase away Rhodes and DiBiase. On the November 16 episode of Raw, Orton and Kingston engaged in a brawl that ended with Kingston putting Orton through a table in the crowd. Both men were named captains for their respective teams at Survivor Series, where Kingston's team defeated Orton's team after Orton was last eliminated by Kingston. The two traded victories over each on following episodes of Raw, leading to a match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 13, which Orton won. The next night, he competed in a tournament to crown the 2009 Superstar of the Year, defeating The Undertaker by countout in the first round after interference from Legacy to advance to the finals later that night, where he lost to Cena.[112] Orton won a triple threat match on January 11, 2010, episode of Raw, with help from Rhodes and DiBiase, for the right to challenge Sheamus at the Royal Rumble for the WWE Championship.[113] Orton lost by disqualification when Rhodes interfered, which prompted Orton to attack both Rhodes and DiBiase after the match.[114] On the February 15 episode of Raw, Orton was again disqualified in a non-title rematch when Legacy interfered.[115] Orton and DiBiase both competed in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber, where DiBiase eliminated Orton after hitting him with a pipe Rhodes had given him.[116] The next night on the February 22 episode of Raw, during a six-man tag team match, Orton attacked them in retaliation, turning him face.[117] At WrestleMania XXVI, Orton defeated Rhodes and DiBiase in a triple threat match.[118] World Heavyweight Championship reigns (2010–2013) After The Legacy disbanded, Orton spent most part of the year in World Title feuds. He unsuccessfully challenged Jack Swagger for the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules in April.[119] At Fatal 4-Way in June, Orton competed in a fatal four-way WWE Championship match involving champion Cena, Edge, and Sheamus, who won the title after interference from The Nexus. On July 18 at Money in the Bank, Orton competed in a Money in the Bank ladder match for a WWE Championship contract, which was won by The Miz[120] and, at SummerSlam, he faced the WWE Champion Sheamus in a match that ended in a disqualification, giving Orton the win, but not the title.[121] Immediately afterward, Orton hit Sheamus with the chair and an RKO onto the broadcast table. Orton at Tribute to the Troops in December 2010 At Night of Champions, Orton won the WWE Championship in a six-pack challenge elimination match.[122] After successfully defending the title against Sheamus in a Hell in a Cell match at Hell in a Cell,[123] He feuded with Wade Barrett, who was blackmailing Cena to help him capture the title. Orton retained the title against him at Bragging Rights and Survivor Series.[124][125] However, on the November 22 episode of Raw, after Orton defeated Barrett again in a title match, he lost the championship against The Miz when he cashed his Money in the Bank contract.[126] Orton received his rematch against The Miz in a tables match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs and the Royal Rumble, but he lost both matches.[127] The next month at Elimination Chamber, Orton failed to win a WWE Championship number one contender Elimination Chamber match after being eliminated by CM Punk.[128] Over the next three weeks, Orton punted and injured all members of The New Nexus, Michael McGillicutty, David Otunga and Mason Ryan.[129][130][131] At WrestleMania XXVII, Orton defeated Punk after a mid-air RKO.[132] Two weeks later in the 2011 WWE draft, Orton was drafted to the SmackDown brand and later beat Punk in a Last Man Standing Match at Extreme Rules, ending his feud with The New Nexus.[133] On the May 6 episode of SmackDown, Orton defeated Christian to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the second time.[134] At Over the Limit, Orton made his first successful title defense in a rematch against Christian. At Capitol Punishment, Orton pinned Christian to retain the championship again, despite Christian's foot being under the bottom rope.[135][136] In July at Money in the Bank, Orton defended the championship against Christian once more, with the stipulation that if Orton got himself disqualified, or if there was "bad officiating", Christian would win the title. Christian spat in Orton's face, causing him to lose control of his temper, kick Christian in the groin and get disqualified, resulting in Orton losing the championship.[137][138] A month later at SummerSlam, Orton regained the title when he defeated Christian in a No Holds Barred match.[139] Orton ended his feud with Christian when he retained the World Heavyweight Championship in a steel cage match on the August 30 episode of SmackDown.[140] Orton then began a feud with Mark Henry after Henry became the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship.[141] Over the next few weeks, Henry regularly attacked Orton.[142][143][144][145] At Night of Champions, Orton lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Henry,[146] and failed to regain it two weeks later in a Hell in a Cell match at Hell in a Cell. He then began feuding with his former stablemate Cody Rhodes, who believed that Orton had mistreated and abused him during their time together in Legacy.[citation needed] On the October 14 episode of SmackDown, Orton won a 41-man battle royal to earn a title shot of his choice, and he chose to challenge Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship later that night; he won by disqualification after interference from Rhodes, but did not win the championship. He then defeated Rhodes at Vengeance,[147] and again on the November 4 SmackDown in a Street Fight.[148] Orton reignited his feud with Wade Barrett after both were named captain for a traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match. On the November 11 episode of SmackDown, Orton lost a match to Barrett after Barrett poked Orton in the eye. On the November 14 episode of Raw, Orton won a rematch by disqualification after Team Barrett interfered.[149][150] Orton's team was defeated at Survivor Series with Barrett and Cody Rhodes being the sole survivors.[151] Barrett then began attacking and distracting Orton during matches.[152] At TLC: Tables, Ladders, & Chairs, Orton defeated Barrett in a tables match after he put Barrett through the table with an RKO.[153] Barrett and Orton continued their feud on the December 23 episode of SmackDown, where they brawled backstage and Orton hit Barrett with an RKO onto a car.[154] This led to a Falls Count Anywhere match on December 30 episode of SmackDown, in which Barrett pushed Orton down a flight of stairs,[155] resulting in a herniated disc, which sidelined Orton for four weeks.[156][21] On the January 27, 2012 episode of SmackDown, he returned to the ring and attacked Barrett. On the February 3 episode of SmackDown, Orton defeated Barrett in a No Disqualification match to end the feud.[157] Orton at WrestleMania XXVIII On the February 13 episode of Raw, Orton suffered a concussion after World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan smashed Orton over the head with the title belt. Due to the injury, Orton was taken out of his Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship at Elimination Chamber.[158] When Orton returned on the March 2 episode of SmackDown, he feuded with Kane and was defeated by him at WrestleMania XXVIII.[159] Orton defeated Kane on the next SmackDown in a No Disqualification rematch[160] and at Extreme Rules in a Falls Count Anywhere match to end the feud.[161] He participated in a fatal four-way match at Over the Limit for the World Heavyweight Championship, where Orton failed to win after Sheamus pinned Chris Jericho to retain the title.[162] On May 30, WWE suspended Orton for 60 days due to his second violation of the company's Talent Wellness Program.[163][164] Orton returned on the July 30 episode of Raw defeating Heath Slater.[165] Orton began feuding with Mr. Money in the Bank Dolph Ziggler[166][167] and defeated Ziggler at Night of Champions.[168] He began feuding with Alberto Del Rio on the September 28 episode of SmackDown.[169][170] Orton defeated Del Rio at Hell in a Cell in a singles match and represented Team Foley as his team lost to Team Ziggler at Survivor Series in a traditional five-on-five elimination tag match.[171][172] On the December 3 episode of Raw, Orton began a feud with The Shield, after he was attacked by them following a victory over Brad Maddox.[173] On the December 14 episode of SmackDown, Orton was once again assaulted backstage by The Shield.[174] This was used to write him off television due to a shoulder injury.[175] Orton returned on the December 31 episode of Raw, helping Ryback and Sheamus fend off The Shield.[176] At Elimination Chamber, Orton eliminated Mark Henry and Chris Jericho before being the last man eliminated by Jack Swagger.[177] In late February, Orton aligned himself with Sheamus to feud with the Shield.[178] At WrestleMania 29, Orton, Sheamus and Big Show were defeated by The Shield, after which, both men were knocked out by Big Show.[179] The following night on Raw, Orton and Sheamus faced off in a match to earn a match with Big Show, however, the match ended in a no contest after Big Show interfered.[180] Orton and Sheamus then teamed up to defeat Big Show in two handicap matches, first on the April 12 SmackDown via count-out, and second on the April 15 Raw via pinfall.[181][182] The feud between Big Show and Orton led to an Extreme Rules match at Extreme Rules, which Orton won.[citation needed] After Extreme Rules, Orton began pairing with Daniel Bryan to face the Shield.[183][184] On the June 14 SmackDown, Orton teamed with Bryan and Kane to end the Shield's unpinned and unsubmitted streak in televised six-man tag matches.[185][186] Three days later at Payback, Orton and Bryan unsuccessfully challenged for Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins' WWE Tag Team Championship.[187] The following night on Raw, Orton and Bryan faced off in a No Disqualification match, which Orton won via referee stoppage after Bryan suffered a legitimate nerve injury.[188] Four days later on SmackDown, Orton was defeated by Bryan in a singles match via countout.[189] Orton and Bryan faced each other for the third time on the next Raw, but their match ended in a no-contest after both men were counted out.[190] Later that night, Orton was defeated by Bryan in a Street Fight Match after he was forced to submit to the Yes! Lock with a kendo stick applied to the move.[191] The Authority (2013–2015) Main article: The Authority See also: Cena–Orton rivalry Orton as WWE Champion in November 2013 On July 14 at Money in the Bank, Orton defeated Christian, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Rob Van Dam, and Sheamus to win the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match, thus earning him an opportunity to challenge for the WWE Championship at a time of his choosing within the next year.[192] On August 18 at SummerSlam, Orton turned heel after he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Daniel Bryan, who had just won the WWE Championship and had been subsequently attacked by special guest referee Triple H, who also counted the pinfall to give Orton his seventh WWE Championship.[193] The following night on Raw, Orton was endorsed as the "face of the company" by Vince McMahon and the newly formed Authority (Triple H and Stephanie McMahon).[194] On September 15 at Night of Champions, Orton lost the WWE Championship back to Bryan,[195] however, Triple H stripped Bryan of the title the next night on Raw, due to a fast count by referee Scott Armstrong, but refused to give the championship back to Orton.[196] Orton and Bryan faced off for the vacant title on October 6 at Battleground, but the match ended in a no contest after Big Show interfered and knocked out both men.[197] Orton once again challenged Bryan for the vacant championship at Hell in a Cell, where he was successful in regaining the WWE Championship after the special guest referee Shawn Michaels hit Bryan with Sweet Chin Music for attacking Triple H.[198] On November 24 at Survivor Series, after retaining the title against Big Show, Orton was confronted by World Heavyweight Champion and long-time rival John Cena.[199] The following night on Raw, Cena suggested that there should only be "one champion" in WWE, so Triple H stated there would be a unification match at the TLC pay-per-view. On December 15, Orton defeated Cena at TLC to unify both titles, and becoming the first WWE World Heavyweight Champion as well as officially being recognized as the final World Heavyweight Champion.[200] Orton retained the title at the Royal Rumble against Cena after interference by The Wyatt Family.[201] On February 23 at Elimination Chamber, Orton defeated Cesaro, Christian, Daniel Bryan, John Cena, and Sheamus to retain his WWE World Heavyweight Championship and secure his position in the title bout at WrestleMania XXX against Royal Rumble winner Batista.[202] On April 6 at WrestleMania XXX, the main event was changed to a triple threat match after Bryan defeated Triple H earlier that night, and Bryan won the match after making Batista submit to end Orton's reign at 161 days.[203] Orton (left) and Batista in April 2014 The following night on Raw, Orton and Batista were each denied a rematch for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and instead were forced by The Authority to team together to face The Usos for the WWE Tag Team Championship, despite their issues with one another. The title match ended in a double count-out after the two united and attacked them.[204] Later that night, Orton and Batista, along with Kane, attacked Bryan before he was set to defend his title against Triple H. Before Triple H could defeat Bryan, The Shield interrupted by spearing Triple H and taking out Orton, Batista, and Kane, causing the match to end in a no-contest.[205] On the April 14 episode of Raw, Orton, Batista, and Triple H came down to the ring to attack The Shield after their 11-on-3 handicap match, using the name and the theme of Evolution.[206] At Extreme Rules and Payback, Evolution lost to The Shield.[207][208] On the June 9 episode of Raw, The Authority automatically granted Orton a spot in the 2014 Money in the Bank ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but he failed to win. On the July 21 episode of Raw, Roman Reigns attacked Orton, which cost him another shot at the title, causing Orton to retaliate the following week by viciously attacking Reigns and challenging him to a match at SummerSlam, which Reigns won. At Night of Champions, Orton defeated Chris Jericho.[209] Orton celebrating after defeating Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 31 in March 2015 On the October 13 episode of Raw, Orton asked The Authority to face the loser of a No Holds Barred Contract on a Pole match between John Cena and Dean Ambrose. Ambrose won the match, setting up a Hell in a Cell match between Orton and Cena.[210] On the Raw before the event, Triple H revealed that the winner would receive a future WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Brock Lesnar. Later that night, Orton, Kane, and Seth Rollins defeated Cena and Ambrose in a handicap Street Fight after Orton pinned Ambrose, but he was immediately attacked by Rollins with a Curb Stomp post-match.[211] At Hell in a Cell, Orton lost to Cena.[212] On the October 27 episode of Raw, Orton attacked Rollins, turning face in the process.[213] The following week on Raw, Orton attacked Rollins during his Intercontinental Championship match against Dolph Ziggler, and demanded a match with Rollins to settle their dispute, which Triple H granted in order to keep Orton on their side. Rollins won, and Orton attacked The Authority before being attacked by The Authority, which ended with Rollins executing a Curb Stomp onto the steel steps on Orton.[214] He was carried on a stretcher after he sustained a scripted injury, so he could start filming The Condemned 2. After a three-month hiatus, Orton returned at Fastlane on February 22, 2015, by saving Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback from a post-match beatdown of Rollins, Big Show and Kane.[215] He feuded with The Authority's Seth Rollins, having a match at WrestleMania 31 where Orton defeated Rollins. After WrestleMania, with Rollins as the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Orton faced Rollins at Extreme Rules[216] and Payback, losing both title matches.[217] At Money in the Bank, Orton failed to win the championship contract ladder match, which was won by Sheamus.[218] Following this, Orton began feuding with Sheamus after both men attacked each other and faced off in various tag-team matches; Orton defeated Sheamus at Battleground, but lost to Sheamus at SummerSlam.[219][220] On the September 7 episode of Raw, Orton was attacked by The Wyatt Family,[221] starting a feud that was booked to end in the Hell in a Cell pre-show,[222] but canceled after Orton suffered a legit shoulder injury,[223] putting him out of action for the following months.[224] The Wyatt Family (2016–2017) On the July 7, 2016 episode of SmackDown, Orton was revealed as Brock Lesnar's opponent for SummerSlam.[225] On July 19 at the 2016 WWE draft, Orton was drafted to SmackDown, while Lesnar was drafted to Raw.[226] On July 24 at Battleground, Orton returned as a guest on Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel to be interviewed about his match with Lesnar. Orton explained that he wanted to face Lesnar to prove that he belonged in the top spot, before executing an RKO on Jericho.[227] On the July 26 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton interrupted Intercontinental Champion The Miz during his Miz TV segment before defeating Miz in a non-title match.[228] During Lesnar's promo on the August 1 episode of Raw, Orton appeared and delivered an RKO to Lesnar.[229] The following night on SmackDown Live, Lesnar attacked Orton during his match, delivering an F-5 to Orton.[230] At SummerSlam, Lesnar defeated Orton by technical knockout after a series of elbows to the head, leaving Orton with an open wound that required 10 staples.[231] Orton with Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt as one-third of the SmackDown Tag Team Champions On the August 23 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton spoke about his match against Lesnar and declared that he and Lesnar would cross paths again before Bray Wyatt interrupted him, therefore resuming their feud.[232] The following week on SmackDown Live, Orton accepted Wyatt's challenge for a match at Backlash, where Orton lost by forfeit after a backstage attack by Wyatt before the show.[233] It was later revealed that Orton was not cleared to wrestle at the event due to a legitimate concussion that occurred the previous month at SummerSlam.[234] Orton faced Wyatt at No Mercy, where he lost due to a distraction by the returning Luke Harper.[235] On the October 11 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton was teamed with Kane in a tag team match against Wyatt and Harper, but once again lost the match due to distraction by Harper.[236] On the October 25 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton interfered on Wyatt's behalf in his match with Kane, leading to speculation that he had joined The Wyatt Family, though this was neither confirmed nor denied by WWE or Orton.[237] On the November 1 episode of SmackDown Live, Wyatt and Harper helped Orton win his match against Kane, thus confirming Orton's alliance with the group, turning heel in the process.[238] That same night, Orton and Wyatt were revealed as members of Team SmackDown for Survivor Series.[238] At Survivor Series, Team SmackDown defeated Team Raw, where Orton and Wyatt became the last two surviving members of their team.[239] On the November 29 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton and Wyatt defeated American Alpha to earn a shot at the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against Heath Slater and Rhyno.[240] At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, they won the titles, marking Orton's first tag team championship in a decade. It was later announced that Harper was also champion under the Freebird Rule.[241] On the December 27 episode of SmackDown Live, they lost the SmackDown Tag Team Championship to American Alpha in a fatal four-way tag team elimination match, after Orton accidentally hit Harper.[242] On January 29, 2017, at the Royal Rumble, Orton won the Royal Rumble match for the second time in his career by lastly eliminating Roman Reigns.[243] Despite this, Orton came out after Wyatt successfully defended the WWE Championship and relinquished his shot at the title on the February 14 episode of SmackDown Live, basically giving his full devotion to Wyatt and leaving the main event of WrestleMania in the air. On the February 28 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton turned on Wyatt while Wyatt was delivering his promo and was seen entering Wyatt's compound, where he claimed that despite being Wyatt's home, it was not his home and declared his intentions to burn the soul of "Sister Abigail". He then set the entire compound on fire after stating that he would face Wyatt at WrestleMania 33, turning face again.[citation needed] On the March 7 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton defeated AJ Styles to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship.[244] On April 2 at WrestleMania 33, Orton defeated Wyatt to win the WWE Championship for the ninth time, which was also his first WWE Championship win at WrestleMania and 13th overall world championship.[245][246] On the following episode of SmackDown Live, Wyatt challenged Orton to a "House of Horrors" rematch,[247] but after Wyatt was moved to the Raw brand as a result of the Superstar Shake-up, it was made a non-title match and scheduled for Raw's Payback on April 30,[248] which he lost.[249] On the April 18 episode of SmackDown Live, Jinder Mahal, who was moved to the SmackDown brand as a result of the Superstar Shake-up, won a six-pack challenge to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship, after interference from The Singh Brothers.[250] The following week on SmackDown Live, Orton defeated Erick Rowan in a no disqualification match and was afterwards attacked by Mahal and The Singh Brothers; Mahal subsequently stole the WWE Championship belt.[251] At Payback, Orton lost to Wyatt after Mahal attacked him with the title belt.[252] SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon later returned the belt to Orton.[253] On May 21 at Backlash, Orton lost the WWE Championship to Mahal after interference from The Singh Brothers and failed to regain it the following month at Money in the Bank after The Singh Brothers again interfered.[254][255] On the June 27 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton demanded a rematch for the title, which McMahon would grant him at Battleground, but with Mahal allowed to choose the stipulation (Mahal came out and chose a Punjabi Prison match). At Battleground, Orton was again defeated by Mahal when The Great Khali returned and attacked Orton, allowing Mahal to escape the Punjabi Prison to win.[256] United States Champion (2017–2018) Orton as United States Champion at WrestleMania 34 Orton started a feud with Rusev, whom he defeated in 10 seconds at SummerSlam.[257] On the September 5 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton lost to Shinsuke Nakamura in a number one contender's match for the WWE Championship.[258] On the September 19 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton defeated Aiden English; after the match, he was challenged by Rusev to an impromptu match, which he lost in 10 seconds after a distraction from English.[259] At Hell in a Cell, Orton defeated Rusev to end the feud.[260] On the October 24 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton defeated Sami Zayn to qualify for a spot on Team SmackDown at Survivor Series.[261] During the match, Orton eliminated Finn Bálor and survived until only he and Team SmackDown captain Shane McMahon remained, but was eliminated by Braun Strowman. Team SmackDown ultimately went on to lose.[262] At the Royal Rumble, Orton entered Royal Rumble match at #24 and eliminated NXT Champion Andrade "Cien" Almas before later being eliminated by Roman Reigns.[263] During the following months, Orton was put in the orbit of the WWE United States Championship. He defeated the champion Bobby Roode at Fastlane (thus becoming the 18th Grand Slam Champion[264]) but lost it at WrestleMania 34 against Jinder Mahal in a fatal four-way match also involving Roode and Rusev.[265] He had another title match at Backlash against the new champion Jeff Hardy, but Orton lost again.[266] On May 18, WWE confirmed that Orton had undergone successful surgery to repair a medial meniscus tear in his left knee, sidelining him indefinitely.[267] Return of the Legend Killer (2018–2021) After a brief hiatus, Orton returned at Extreme Rules and attacked Jeff Hardy after Hardy's match against Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States Championship, turning heel in the process.[268] Two nights later on SmackDown Live, Orton interfered in the rematch and attacked Hardy again.[269] On the August 21 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton and Hardy faced off in a match that ended in a no-contest, with Hardy continuing to attack Orton after the match.[270] At Hell in a Cell, Orton defeated Hardy in a Hell in a Cell match.[271] On the October 9 episode of SmackDown Live, Orton defeated a returning Big Show to qualify for the WWE World Cup at Crown Jewel.[272] At Crown Jewel, he lost to Rey Mysterio in the first round.[273] He then started a feud with Mysterio, stealing Mysterio's mask on the November 21 episode of SmackDown Live and carrying it with him for a few weeks.[274] At TLC, Orton lost to Mysterio in a chairs match.[275] At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 27, 2019, Orton entered the namesake match at number 29, eliminating Mysterio before he was himself eliminated by Andrade.[276] Orton competed in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber, where he eliminated AJ Styles before being eliminated by Kofi Kingston.[277] He then started a feud with Styles, with the two berating each other about their history in the wrestling business. At WrestleMania 35, Orton lost to Styles.[278] In July, Orton feuded with Kingston over the WWE Championship, having matches at SummerSlam[279] and Clash of Champions, where Orton did not win the title.[280] At Crown Jewel and Survivor Series, Orton was part of two multi-tag matches, but his team lost both times.[281][282] As part of the 2019 WWE draft, Orton was drafted to Raw.[283] On the November 11 episode of Raw, Orton seemed like he was going to give Ricochet an RKO, but instead gave one to AJ Styles (who turned heel during the summer), thus turning face.[284] He reignited his feud with Styles and faced him throughout December and January.[285] At the Royal Rumble on January 26, 2020, Orton entered the titular match at number 25 and eliminated Karl Anderson before he was eliminated by his former Rated-RKO tag team partner Edge, who was returning to competition for the first time since retiring due to career-ending neck injuries in 2011.[286] The next night on Raw, Orton teased a Rated-RKO reunion with Edge before delivering an RKO and a con-chair-to, turning heel once again. Orton and Edge then began a feud, facing each other in a Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania 36, which Orton lost. Their second match at Backlash, billed as the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever", was won by Orton. Orton won after a punt to the head of Edge, marking the first punt Orton had delivered in years. The match put Edge out of action with a legitimate torn triceps, and the victory enabled Orton to call himself the "Greatest Wrestler Ever".[287] The following night on Raw, Edge's friend and former tag team partner Christian challenged Orton to an unsanctioned match, which Orton won with assistance from Ric Flair.[288] Orton would go on to revive his Legend Killer gimmick over the next few weeks, attacking legends such as Christian, Shawn Michaels, and Big Show, while becoming more unhinged. Orton then turned on Flair and set his sights on the WWE Championship. During the following months, Orton feuded with the WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, failing to win the title at SummerSlam[289] and Clash of Champions in an Ambulance match,[290] until he defeated McIntyre in a Hell in a Cell match at Hell In A Cell, winning his tenth WWE Championship.[291] However, he would lose the title back to McIntyre on the November 16 episode of Raw.[292] Three weeks before his title loss, on October 26, 2020, Orton started a feud with Bray Wyatt, now under his new gimmick, The Fiend, as well with his partner Alexa Bliss. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 20, Orton defeated The Fiend in a Firefly Inferno match before setting his body on fire.[293] Despite his victory over the Fiend, Orton would deal with the repercussions by dealing with Alexa Bliss (who aligned with The Fiend earlier) over the following weeks. After instigating Triple H into agreeing to face him in a No Holds Barred match, Bliss interfered and threw a fireball at Orton to end it in a no contest.[294] At the Royal Rumble on January 31, Orton entered as the second participant and continued his feud with a returning Edge, who entered as the first participant. Due to injuries inflicted on him by Edge, Orton left the match to be tended to by medical personnel without actually being eliminated. Orton returned to the match at the very end to eliminate Edge, but was then himself eliminated. The following night on Raw, Orton challenged Edge to one final match to again try to end his wrestling career but was defeated by him due to the interference of Bliss.[295] At Elimination Chamber on February 21, Orton competed in the Raw Elimination Chamber match for Drew McIntyre's WWE Championship, but was the first man eliminated by Kofi Kingston.[296] After Bliss repeatedly harassed and distracted him over the weeks, causing him to lose matches, Bliss challenged him to an Intergender Match at Fastlane on March 21, which he accepted. At the event, Bliss attacked him with supernatural powers and Orton lost after interference from The Fiend.[297] On the following episode of Raw, The Fiend attacked Orton again and a match between them was scheduled for WrestleMania 37.[298] On Night 2 of the event on April 11, Orton defeated The Fiend after Bliss seemingly turned on The Fiend by distracting him, allowing Orton to land the RKO and pin him for the win.[299] RK-Bro (2021–2022) Main article: RK-Bro After WrestleMania, Orton began to work with Riddle as a tag team, named RK-Bro, thus turning face in the process.[300] They would defeat AJ Styles and Omos at SummerSlam to become the Raw Tag Team Champions, their first reign each. RK-Bro defeated Styles and Omos in a rematch at Crown Jewel to successfully retain the championships and end the feud between the two teams. At Survivor Series, RK-Bro defeated SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso).[301] With this match, Orton broke Kane's record for wrestling the most PPV matches in WWE history.[24] At the inaugural Day 1 premium live-event, Orton and Riddle successfully defended their championships against The Street Profits. On the January 10, 2022 episode of Raw, RK-Bro lost the Raw Tag Team Championship to Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis), ending their reign at 142 days. However, exactly eight weeks later on the March 7 edition of the Raw, they regained the Raw Tag Team Championship in a Triple Threat match against Alpha Academy and the team of Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins. The win gave Orton and Riddle each their second Raw Tag Team Championship reign and Orton's fourth tag team championship reign overall. Later, during the Royal Rumble, Orton entered the namesake contest as the penultimate entrant, scoring two eliminations before being eliminated by eventual winner Brock Lesnar.[302] At WrestleMania 38, RK-Bro successfully defended the Raw Tag Team Championship against Alpha Academy and the Street Profits in a triple threat tag team match. After the match, the duo would celebrate with new WWE signee Gable Steveson. Following WrestleMania, RK-Bro would be challenged by The Usos to a championship unification match at WrestleMania Backlash with, both the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships on the line. Orton would later accept the challenge on RK-Bro's behalf. On the April 25 episode of Raw, WWE and Riddle celebrated "20 Years of Orton" to open the show. In the main event, RK-Bro teamed with Ezekiel and Cody Rhodes to defeat the team of the Usos, Seth Rollins, and Kevin Owens, after Orton delivered four RKOs. The WrestleMania Backlash match between RK-Bro and the Usos was later changed to a six-man tag team non-title match pitting Drew McIntyre and RK-Bro against The Bloodline, in which the latter emerged victorious when Roman Reigns pinned Riddle. The following night on Raw, RK-Bro successfully defended the Raw Tag Team Championships against the Street Profits. On the May 20 episode of SmackDown, following interference from Reigns, the Usos defeated RK-Bro to unify the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships. A few days later, it was announced that Orton had suffered a legitimate back injury and was expected to be on hiatus for the rest of 2022.[303] Professional wrestling style and persona Orton executing the RKO on The Miz in 2011 Orton's most notable move is his finishing maneuver, the RKO, a jumping variation of a cutter.[304][305] The name is a pun on his initials (Randal Keith Orton) with "Randy-KO". He also previously used a punt kick, which saw him run up to an opponent on their hands and knees and kick them in the head; within a storyline, this usually caused a concussion or some other sort of severe head injury to his opponent, and was often used to write off the on-screen characters of wrestlers who were scheduled to take time off. However, the move was legitimately banned by WWE management in 2012 due to the ease of imitation by viewers and the risk of injury should the move be botched.[306][307] The move was brought back in June 2020 as part of the feud between Orton and Edge where Orton used the Punt Kick to defeat Edge at Backlash. Orton would then start using the move regularly again.[308][309] During his initial years in WWE, Orton's gimmick was that of "the Legend Killer", a young and cocky talent who disrespected and usually defeated several legends. In late 2007, in the midst of his second WWE Championship reign, his character changed to a more unstable and treacherous personality. He then adopted the nicknames of "the Viper" and "the Apex Predator" due to his untrustworthy, snake-like character.[310] He has said numerous times that he prefers playing the villain, as it is easier and more natural for him.[311] In January 2008, Orton told 411Mania: "It's easy for me to go out there and be a prick on the show because it's me times ten. And even though you probably don't like me anyway, give me five minutes and I'll make you not like me more. Being a heel is fun. It comes so natural."[312] Acting career A former Marine,[32] Orton was set to star in the action film The Marine 2 (2009), but was replaced by Ted DiBiase after injuring his collarbone.[313] He had a supporting role as the father of a school bully in the comedy-drama film That's What I Am (2011).[314] He signed on to star in the action film The Marine 3: Homefront (2013),[315] but was replaced by The Miz due to his checkered military career.[316][317][318] He later starred in the action films 12 Rounds 2: Reloaded (2013)[319] and The Condemned 2 (2015). He had a guest role as James Richards, a former Navy SEAL and leader of a militia group, in a December 2016 episode of the USA action series Shooter.[320] He also had supporting roles in the comedy-drama film Changeland (2019) and the romantic comedy film Long Shot (2019). Other media In 2004, Orton appeared on the talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote Taboo Tuesday.[321] In March 2007, he appeared alongside Edge, John Cena and Bobby Lashley on the game show Deal or No Deal.[322] He was the cover athlete for the video game WWE '12.[323] In October 2014, he became a popular figure on Vine and the internet, when a trend began of clips of a superimposed Orton performing his signature RKO move on internet "fail" victims.[324] Personal life Orton married Samantha Speno on September 21, 2007.[325][326] The couple had a daughter together.[327][328][329] They separated in late 2012 and divorced in June 2013.[330] On November 14, 2015, Orton married Kimberly Kessler, who was previously a member of his fan club.[331] The couple have a daughter together (Orton's second child).[332] They reside in St. Charles, Missouri.[333] Orton suffers from hypermobility in both of his shoulders, which has been the cause of nearly all of his injuries throughout his career, sidelining him through incidents ranging from performing one of his signature taunts during a match to innocuous things such as taking out the trash at home.[334] Controversies and legal issues In March 2007, Sports Illustrated posted an article on its website as part of its continuing series investigating a steroid and growth hormone ring used by a number of professional athletes in several sports. The article mentioned several current and former WWE wrestlers, including Orton, who was alleged to have obtained nandrolone, oxandrolone, stanozolol, and testosterone, as well as ancillary drugs anastrozole and clomiphene citrate.[335] WWE simply claimed that the allegations preceded their Talent Wellness Program, launched in February 2006.[336] In August 2018, Orton was investigated by WWE for sexual harassment when it was claimed that he had exposed himself to new members of the company's writing staff during his early career,[337][338] though nothing came of the investigation.[339] WWE Video Games Year     Title     Role 2002     WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth     Video game debut 2003     WWE WrestleMania XIX     WWE Raw 2     WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain     2004     WWE Day of Reckoning     Cover athlete WWE Survivor Series     Cover athlete WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw     2005     WWE WrestleMania 21     WWE Day of Reckoning 2     WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006     2006     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007     2007     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008     2008     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009     2009     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010     Cover athlete 2010     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011     2011     WWE All Stars     Cover athlete WWE '12     Cover athlete 2012     WWE WrestleFest     WWE '13     2013     WWE 2K14     2014     WWE 2K15     2015     WWE Immortals     WWE 2K16     2016     WWE 2K17     2017     WWE Champions     WWE Tap Mania     WWE 2K18     WWE Mayhem     2018     WWE 2K19     2019     WWE 2K20     2020     WWE 2K Battlegrounds     2022     WWE 2K22     2023     WWE 2K23" (wikipedia.org) "David Michael Bautista Jr. (born January 18, 1969)[10] is an American actor and retired professional wrestler. He had several stints in WWE between 2002 and 2019. In his acting career, he is most widely known for his portrayal of Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Bautista began his wrestling career in 1999, and in 2000 signed with the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF, renamed WWE in 2002). From 2002 to 2010, he gained fame under the ring name Batista and became a six-time world champion by winning the World Heavyweight Championship four times and the WWE Championship twice. His first reign with the World Heavyweight Championship is the longest reign for that title at 282 days. He has also held 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). He was the winner of the 2005 Royal Rumble match and went on to headline WrestleMania 21, one of the top five highest-grossing pay-per-view events in professional wrestling history. After leaving WWE in 2010, he re-signed in December 2013, making his first appearance back in January 2014 and won that year's Royal Rumble match. He headlined WrestleMania XXX before again departing that June. In October 2018, Bautista made his second return to WWE and faced Triple H at WrestleMania 35 in April 2019, before retiring from wrestling. Altogether Bautista won a total of eleven championships throughout his wrestling career. Bautista began acting in 2006. He has starred in the films The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), Riddick (2013), Spectre (2015), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Army of the Dead (2021), Dune (2021), Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022), and Knock at the Cabin (2023). He competed in his lone mixed martial arts fight on October 6, 2012, defeating Vince Lucero via first round technical knockout. Early life Bautista[11] was born in Washington, D.C.,[12] the son of Donna Raye (née Mullins) and hairdresser David Michael Bautista. His mother is of Greek descent, and his father is the son of Filipino immigrants.[11][13] His paternal grandfather served in the Philippine military, worked as a taxi driver and barber, and held other jobs to feed the family. His mother is a lesbian.[14] Bautista has said that he lived in poverty,[15] and that he had a hard life—before he reached the age of nine, three murders had occurred on his front lawn.[16] As young as age 13, he was stealing cars.[17] By 17, he was estranged from his parents and living on his own.[18] He later said, "I am proud of my parents. They are good, honest, hard-working folks. They taught me the values of working hard."[17] He was a nightclub bouncer until he was arrested after a fight that left two patrons injured, one of whom was rendered unconscious.[18] After a trial, he was sentenced to one year of probation.[18] He also worked as a lifeguard[19] before pursuing a career in bodybuilding,[18] which he credits with saving his life.[20] He said he decided to turn his life around and become a wrestler after having a breakdown from the shame he felt after asking a coworker to lend him money so he could buy Christmas presents for his children.[14] Professional wrestling career Training and early career (1999–2000) Bautista tried out at the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Power Plant, but was told he would never make it in the wrestling business by Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker.[21] He then went to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), who advised him to train with Afa Anoa'i in the Wild Samoan Training Center wrestling school,[22] where he went to train and compete in Anoa'i's World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) promotion. He had his debut match as Khan on October 30, 1999.[5] Bautista also trained with Marrese Crump in Muay Thai and Eskrima.[23] Most recently, he trained at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Gracie and has become a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.[24] World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE Ohio Valley Wrestling (2000–2002) Upon signing with the WWF in 2000, Bautista was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), a WWF developmental territory. He made his OVW debut later that year under the ring name Leviathan, where he immediately joined forces with Synn. As a member of the Disciples of Synn stable, he went undefeated until being beaten at Christmas Chaos by Kane with help from Stone Cold Steve Austin. He later won the OVW Heavyweight Championship from "The Machine" Doug Basham before losing the belt to The Prototype. A few months later, Bautista left OVW after he was promoted to WWE's main roster.[4] Early storylines (2002–2003) While still in OVW, Bautista began appearing on non-televised WWE events.[25] He began his televised WWE career on May 9, 2002, on an episode of SmackDown! as Deacon Batista, a heel enforcer for Reverend D-Von.[26] He made his WWE in-ring debut in a tag team match teaming with D-Von against Faarooq and Randy Orton, pinning Orton. Over several weeks, Orton tried to beat D-Von and Batista with different partners, but ultimately lost each time.[27] Batista suffered his first loss in a match against Rikishi after D-Von accidentally punched him, allowing Rikishi to take advantage and pin Batista. Batista and D-Von argued over the forthcoming weeks, with Batista eventually turning on D-Von. On the November 14 episode of SmackDown!, Batista defeated D-Von to end their feud.[28] After splitting with D-Von, he was assigned to the Raw brand and was renamed Batista. He aligned himself with Ric Flair[29] and feuded with Kane, whom he defeated at Armageddon.[30] Evolution (2003–2005) Main article: Evolution In January 2003, Batista joined Triple H, Ric Flair and Randy Orton to form the heel stable Evolution.[31] Batista, however, was sidelined for much of 2003 after he tore his right triceps muscle at a Raw live event in a tag team match alongside Orton against The Dudley Boyz. While training after the injury, Batista re-tore his triceps, extending his stay on the sidelines.[32] Batista made his return on October 20 episode of Raw, interfering in a match between Goldberg and Shawn Michaels.[33] At Armageddon, Batista and Ric Flair became the World Tag Team Champions.[34] while Triple H won the World Heavyweight Championship and Randy Orton the Intercontinental Championship.[35] Batista and Flair held the title until February 16, 2004, episode of Raw, when they were defeated by Booker T and Rob Van Dam.[36] They later defeated Booker and Van Dam on the March 22 episode of Raw to regain the titles before losing them to Chris Benoit and Edge on the April 19 episode of Raw.[37][38][39] Since late 2004, the relationship between Batista and Triple H began to deteriorate in kayfabe. After a loss to Chris Jericho, Triple H verbally insulted Batista. Batista teased leaving Evolution that night, but declared that he was still part of Evolution and that they tricked everyone.[40] Despite this ploy, Batista began behaving more like a face over the next few weeks in comparison to Evolution's heel tactics. One particular moment saw Batista express disgust as Triple H and Ric Flair boasted about how they had intimidated and/or beat up Jim Ross, Danny Hodge, and Stacy Keibler. Regardless, he continued to show his loyalty to Triple H and Evolution by running down to the ring and assisting them in matches. Batista won the World Heavyweight Championship on April 3 in the main event of WrestleMania 21.[3][44] WrestleMania 21 received 1.09 million pay-per-view buys worldwide – the then-highest ever number of buys for any non-boxing pay-per-view. Batista's match with Triple H was described by sports journalist Dave Meltzer as "the peak of one of [WWE's] best storylines in years".[45] Batista won a rematch with Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash.[46] After Batista retained his title against Edge on the May 23 episode of Raw, he was betrayed by Ric Flair, who helped Triple H viciously attack the champion as Triple H challenged Batista to a Hell in a Cell match at Vengeance.[47] Batista won the match at Vengeance, retaining his title yet again. With this win, Batista became the first wrestler to pin Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match.[48] Batista led Team SmackDown! against Team Raw in an inter-brand feud before Survivor Series. The feud saw Big Show and Kane chokeslamming Batista several more times in the weeks leading up to Survivor Series in an on-camera explanation for Batista's injury.[56] Batista ultimately helped his team win the match at Survivor Series.[57] After Batista saved Rey Mysterio from Big Show and Kane on the December 2 episode of SmackDown!,[58] leading to a match with Mysterio teaming with Batista to face Big Show and Kane at Armageddon. Batista made an appearance at No Way Out and told the crowd that once his arm had healed he would return to regain the World Heavyweight Championship.[65] At WrestleMania 22, he interrupted a Randy Orton interview, putting SmackDown! on notice that the World Heavyweight Championship would return to him by WrestleMania 23.[66] Batista made his official return during the July 7 episode of SmackDown! immediately calling out and entering into a feud with Mark Henry.[67] At Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII, Batista won a six-man tag match with teammates Rey Mysterio and Bobby Lashley, defeating World Heavyweight Champion King Booker, Finlay, and Mark Henry.[68] Henry was legitimately injured and was ruled out of the scheduled match between the two at The Great American Bash, thus further delaying a potential feud between the two after being delayed by Batista's initial injury.[67] Batista put out an open challenge to replace the injured Henry, which was answered by Mr. Kennedy.[69] At The Great American Bash, Batista lost this match via disqualification for failing to stop choking Mr. Kennedy into the turnbuckle with his boot, but continued to attack Kennedy resulting in a laceration on his forehead so severe that it exposed his cranium and required more than 20 stitches to close.[70][71] Batista lost another match with Kennedy via count out in a rematch on the July 28 episode of SmackDown! before finally defeating Kennedy by pinfall on the August 4 episode of SmackDown!.[72][73] After the return of The Undertaker at Unforgiven, the duo reignited their feud at Cyber Sunday where the fans chose Stone Cold Steve Austin as the Special Guest Referee. Batista pinned The Undertaker after two Batista Bombs.[93] The feud continued with a Hell in a Cell match at Survivor Series. During the match, Edge returned and interfered by giving The Undertaker a con-chair-to. He then pulled an unconscious Batista on top of The Undertaker for the pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.[94] At Armageddon, Edge won a Triple Threat match, alongside The Undertaker for Batista's World Heavyweight Championship.[95] Batista in June 2008 Batista returned on the Raw after WrestleMania 25, to save Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Vince McMahon from The Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr.). Vince McMahon then scheduled Batista to team up with WWE Champion Triple H and Shane McMahon to face The Legacy at Backlash. During the match, Batista had brought out a chair, but Triple H tried to stop him, so they would not get disqualified (which would have cost Triple H the championship). This distraction, however, cost Triple H his championship, after he lost it to Orton. The following night on Raw, Batista won a singles match against Big Show due to a distraction by John Cena, to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship at Judgment Day, which he won by disqualification.[107] Batista went on to defeat Orton in a rematch at Extreme Rules in a Steel Cage match to capture his first WWE Championship.[108] However, on the June 8 episode of Raw, Batista was to vacate the title due to a staged brutal attack by Orton and the Legacy. It was later revealed that Batista had suffered a legitimate torn left biceps similar to what he suffered in 2006. Legacy was given on-screen credit for his injury.[109] Upon his return to WWE in 2014, Batista was heavily booed by the crowd after winning the Royal Rumble, despite playing a face character.[156] In an interview with WWE.com, he said the crowd reaction "...was weird. It wasn't like a normal response. It was almost like a personal attack. It had to do with factors that were not in my control, factors and things that were going on in the company with other people, stuff that really had nothing to do with me. To me, it was a little frustrating, a little confusing, and, you know, I don’t want to say I completely took it personal, but I did somewhat."[157] The fan reaction caused Batista to turn prematurely heel.[136] He was declared as the 50th greatest wrestling villain of all time by a WWE article in 2012.[158] WWE has also ranked him as the second best World Heavyweight Champion of all time.[159] WWE advertised the Batista character as being 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 290 pounds. (Both statistics are different from his actual height and weight as of August 2020.)[1][3] Mixed martial arts career After leaving WWE, Bautista attended Strikeforce: Los Angeles, a mixed martial arts (MMA) event, on June 16, 2010, having previously registered an interest in competing in MMA. On June 21, 2010, Bautista stated that he would be embarking on an MMA career.[160] He also became a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the tutelage of Cesar Gracie.[24] Bautista and Strikeforce agreed on a price and were negotiating a contract. However, in April 2011, Bautista stated that negotiations fell through when the organization was bought by the Zuffa company. Bautista has acted and guest-starred in several television shows as both himself and in-character as Batista. He guest-starred in the eighth episode of season 6 of the American drama action/adventure television series Smallville, where he played Aldar, an extraterrestrial alien who escaped from the Phantom Zone, who sucks the bones out of people for nourishment.[165] In June 2009, he made a cameo appearance as himself on the Australian soap opera Neighbours.[166] In 2010, he appeared in an episode of Chuck,[167] and also made a cameo appearance in Relative Strangers.[17] He worked alongside Rob Van Dam, Marrese Crump and Ja Rule on the 2010 action film Wrong Side of Town.[168] Bautista at the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 panel at the 2016 Comic-Con Bautista appeared as the villainous Brass Body in the Universal Studios film The Man with the Iron Fists. He played Drax the Destroyer in the 2014 Marvel Studios film Guardians of the Galaxy, which was a critical and commercial success.[169] He played Mr. Hinx in the James Bond film Spectre (2015),[170] and starred as the villain Tong Po in the reboot of the 1989 martial arts film Kickboxer, opposite Georges St-Pierre.[171] He had a memorable supporting role near the beginning of the epic science fiction film Blade Runner 2049,[172] released in 2017 to critical praise.[173] He reprised his role as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (released May 2017);[174] Avengers: Infinity War (April 2018); and Avengers: Endgame (April 2019).[175] In 2018, Bautista joined his castmates in support of Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn after Gunn's firing over old tweets joking about pedophilia and rape.[176] Bautista called Gunn's firing "nauseating", and declared that if Disney (parent company of Marvel Studios) did not use Gunn's script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he would ask to be recast.[177] Gunn was reinstated as the film's director in March 2019.[178] On May 24, 2021, during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Bautista confirmed that the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would be his final appearance as the character.[179] Bautista starred in Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead (2021).[180] He had a villainous role in Dune, a film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Frank Herbert,[181] which was released to glowing reviews.[182][183] He appeared in Glass Onion, the sequel to Knives Out (2019), playing 'Duke'.[184] He is to set to star in the fantasy-adventure film In the Lost Lands with Milla Jovovich, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.[185] On December 6, 2021, he was cast in Knock At The Cabin, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.[186] Other media Batista at a WWE meet and greet in 2005 Bautista appeared on the covers of the April 2005 Flex,[187] and Muscle & Fitness for September 2008.[188] Along with John Cena and Ashley Massaro, he appeared representing WWE on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in January 2007, giving the kids of the family whose house was renovated WWE merchandise and eight tickets to WrestleMania 23.[189] According to the Wrestling Figure Checklist, Bautista had 171 action figures released in the 2000s and 2010s; most were released in the mid-to-late 2000s by Jakks Pacific.[190] He remarked on his 2007 appearance on MTV Cribs, "I was trying to collect my action figures, but I gave up, there became too many".[191] On October 16, 2007, his autobiography, Batista Unleashed, was released.[4] In an interview about it, he claimed, "I didn't want to tell my story unless it was honest... You have to go through three sets of lawyers: Simon & Schuster lawyers, WWE lawyers, my lawyers. Everything now being the way it is, you can be sued for the simplest thing."[192] There was controversy over the book's mention of Chris Benoit, a wrestler who killed his wife and strangled his son in a murder-suicide, and about whom other details were removed from the book. Bautista said, "I loved the guy. I despise what he did, but that doesn't erase him from my life. I fought to keep him in there and am glad they did."[192] When asked about his ex-wife, Angie, Bautista says, "[We] have really become close again, which we really haven't been in years. I really learned a lot about her, and she learned a lot about me from reading the book. She actually saw things from a different perspective from reading the book. So that was definitely therapeutic."[192] During the week of November 5, 2007, Bautista appeared on Family Feud with several other WWE wrestlers.[193] On September 7, 2008, he was a judge on an episode of Iron Chef America, with snails as the theme ingredient.[194] Along with Candice Michelle, Shelton Benjamin, and Josh Mathews, he represented the WWE at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in an effort to persuade fans to register to vote in the 2008 presidential election.[195] He has also appeared on MTV Cribs showing his house and cars.[196] His first biographical DVD, Batista: I Walk Alone, was released through WWE Productions on October 20, 2009. A second DVD, WWE Batista: The Animal Unleashed (released June 2014) continued his life story, detailing his departure from WWE in 2010 and his return to it in 2014.[197] Personal life Bautista in July 2013 Bautista married his first wife, Glenda, in 1990. They had two daughters together, Keilani (born 1990) and Athena (born 1992), before they divorced in 1998.[198] Bautista married his second wife, Angie, on October 13, 1998. They have a son together, Oliver,[199] and divorced in 2006.[200] Before the age of 40, Bautista already had two grandsons through Keilani.[201][202] During his marriage to Angie, he became an avid collector of vintage metal lunchboxes. His favorite is the 1967 Green Hornet lunchbox, as it has Bruce Lee on it. The collection started when he bought Angie an E.T. lunchbox and she did not want to break it, so he bought a second one.[203] In October 2015, he married competitive pole dancer Sarah Jade.[204] They separated in early 2019.[199] As of August 2020, Bautista is 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighs 275 pounds (125 kg).[1] He has numerous tattoos, including a large dragon on his back, red kanji lettering on his upper left biceps which says "Angel" (in tribute to Angie), a signature design on his upper right biceps, and a small sun on his abdomen which encircles his navel.[205] He also has a tattoo on his arm of the flags of Greece and the Philippines. While taking time off due to injury in 2009, he had both upper arms covered in large, tribal style tattoos, and the phrase "DC soldier" added to his right biceps.[206] He once had a tattoo of a meteor on his arm, a logo associated with former friend Manny Pacquiao, but had it covered up with a sugar skull design after Pacquiao made homophobic remarks.[207] A baseball fan, Bautista grew up following the New York Yankees, although he has since embraced the Washington Nationals, who play at Nationals Park blocks from Bautista's childhood home.[208] Bautista supported Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.[209] He endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election and appeared in an ad for his presidential campaign.[210][211] Controversies During a commercial shoot for the 2006 SummerSlam pay-per-view, Bautista got into a legitimate fistfight with Booker T. The incident was reported on WWE.com, with both men telling their sides of the story. Booker T believed that Bautista considered himself better than the rest of the roster due to his main-event status and relatively quick climb to achieve it. Wrestlers backstage praised Booker for speaking his mind to Bautista about his attitude.[212][213][214] In August 2007, ESPN included Bautista on a list they claimed were clients of Signature Pharmacy of Orlando, Florida, which was under investigation for illicitly selling anabolic steroids.[215] Bautista denied the allegations, and said that he was "tested regularly by the WWE" and "in full compliance with the WWE Wellness Program".[216] Filmography Film Year     Title     Role     Director     Notes 2006     Relative Strangers     Wrestler     Greg Glienna     Uncredited cameo 2009     My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?     Police officer     Werner Herzog     2010     Wrong Side of Town     Big Ronnie     David DeFalco     2011     House of the Rising Sun     Ray     Brian A. Miller     The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption     Argomael     Roel Reiné     2012     The Man with the Iron Fists     Brass Body     RZA     2013     Riddick     Diaz     David Twohy     2014     Guardians of the Galaxy     Drax the Destroyer     James Gunn     2015     L.A. Slasher     The Drug Dealer #1     Martin Owen     Spectre     Mr. Hinx     Sam Mendes     Heist     Jason Cox     Scott Mann     2016     The Boss     Chad     Ben Falcone     Uncredited Kickboxer: Vengeance     Tong Po     John Stockwell     Marauders     Stockwell     Steven C. Miller     The Warriors Gate     Arun the Cruel     Matthias Hoene     2017     Bushwick     Stupe     Jonathon Milott & Cary Murnion     Also executive producer Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2     Drax the Destroyer     James Gunn     2048: Nowhere to Run     Sapper Morton     Luke Scott     Short film Blade Runner 2049     Denis Villeneuve     2018     Avengers: Infinity War     Drax the Destroyer     Anthony Russo & Joe Russo     Hotel Artemis     Everest     Drew Pearce     Escape Plan 2: Hades     Trent DeRosa     Steven C. Miller     Final Score     Michael Knox     Scott Mann     Also producer Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy     Owen Davidson     Yuen Woo-ping     2019     Avengers: Endgame     Drax the Destroyer     Anthony Russo & Joe Russo     Stuber     Det. Victor "Vic" Manning     Michael Dowse     Escape Plan: The Extractors     Trent DeRosa     John Herzfeld     2020     My Spy     JJ     Peter Segal     Also producer 2021     Army of the Dead     Scott Ward     Zack Snyder     Dune     Glossu Rabban     Denis Villeneuve     2022     Thor: Love and Thunder     Drax the Destroyer     Taika Waititi     Credited as David Bautista Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery     Duke Cody[217]     Rian Johnson     2023     Knock at the Cabin     Leonard     M. Night Shyamalan     Parachute     Bryce     Brittany Snow     Cameo Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3     Drax the Destroyer     James Gunn     Dune: Part Two     Glossu Rabban     Denis Villeneuve     Post-production Television Year     Title     Role     Notes 2006     Smallville     Aldar     Episode: "Static" 2007     Extreme Makeover: Home Edition     Himself     Episode: The Noyola Family 2009     Head Case     Episode: "All About Steve" Neighbours     Episode: "1.5719" 2010     Chuck     T.I.     Episode: "Chuck Versus the Couch Lock" 2015     TripTank     Delivery Guy (voice)     Episode: "Short Change" 2019     What We Do in the Shadows     Garrett     Episode: "The Trial" Running Wild with Bear Grylls     Himself     Episode: "Dave Bautista" 2020     Undertaker: The Last Ride     Documentary series Home Movie: The Princess Bride[218]     Fezzik     Room 104     Doug "Raw Dog Avalanche"     Episode "Avalanche" (season 4, episode 3) 2021     See     Edo Voss     Main role, 8 episodes (season 2) 2022     The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special     Drax the Destroyer     Television special TBA     Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas     Scott Ward     Voice role Video games WWE Video Games Year     Title     Role 2003     WWE WrestleMania XIX     Video game debut WWE Raw 2     WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain     2004     WWE Day of Reckoning     WWE Survivor Series     WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw     2005     WWE WrestleMania 21     WWE Aftershock     WWE Day of Reckoning 2     WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006     Cover athlete 2006     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007     Cover athlete (NTSC version) 2007     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008     2008     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009     2009     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010     2010     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011     2011     WWE '12     DLC 2013     WWE 2K14     2014     WWE SuperCard     WWE 2K15     2015     WWE Immortals     WWE 2K16     2017     WWE 2K18     DLC 2018     WWE 2K19     Unlockable wrestler through in-game currency 2019     WWE 2K20     Unlockable wrestler through in-game currency 2020     WWE 2K Battlegrounds     2022     WWE 2K22     Unlockable wrestler through showcase 2023     WWE 2K23     Unlockable wrestler through in-game currency Theme park attractions Year     Title     Role     Venue 2017     Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission Breakout!     Drax the Destroyer     Disney California Adventure 2022     Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind" (wikipedia.org) "Nicholas David Dinsmore (born December 17, 1975), better known by his ring name Eugene, is an American professional wrestler. Dinsmore's career began in 1996 in Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he would become the OVW Heavyweight Champion a record eight times as well as the OVW Southern Tag Team Champion eleven times. He debuted in the WWE in 2004 under the name Eugene Dinsmore, Eric Bischoff's nephew, and an intellectually disabled wrestling savant. During his time in the company, he was involved in various storylines and competed against such wrestlers like Triple H and Kurt Angle. He also won the World Tag Team Championship with William Regal. Dinsmore was eventually released in 2007, before returning to OVW, where he won the Heavyweight Championships two more times. He made a brief return to WWE in 2013, but he was released the next year. In 2015, he opened his own promotion, Midwest All Pro Wrestling. Professional wrestling career Early years (1996–2003) Dinsmore debuted in 1996, and soon began wrestling in the United States Wrestling Association (USWA). In Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), he formed a successful tag team with Rob Conway, called The Lords of The Ring.[1] The team had a record ten reigns as Southern Tag Team Champions.[1] Dinsmore also held the OVW Heavyweight Championship a record ten times.[1] While still in OVW, Dinsmore also made some appearances as a jobber in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), 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).[1] Dinsmore also appeared in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from August 1998 to January 1999, mainly used as a jobber on WCW Saturday Night he also worked 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).[5] World Wrestling Entertainment (2004–2007) Teaming with William Regal (2004–2005) On the April 5, 2004 episode of Raw, Dinsmore made his World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) debut as Eugene. WWE wrote Eugene as the "special" and overly excited nephew of Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff, who had savant-like wrestling ability from watching his favorites on television, Dinsmore has described his portrayal of Eugene as being inspired by a trainer's autistic child and Dustin Hoffman's performance in the film Rain Man.[6] Bischoff soon placed him under the care of the newly returned William Regal.[7] Although Regal was originally dispirited at having to manage Eugene, he would grow fond of him and the two would quickly become firm friends. In May 2004, Eugene began a feud with Jonathan Coachman, who attempted to banish him from WWE (only to be stopped by The Rock). The feud culminated in Eugene's pay-per-view debut, when he defeated Coachman at Bad Blood.[8] Eugene then feuded with Triple H,[1] which led to a match between the two at SummerSlam, which Eugene lost.[9] Two weeks later on Raw, they fought a no disqualification match, which Eugene won after interference from Randy Orton.[10] The next week, they had a steel cage match, which Eugene lost and suffered a kayfabe dislocated shoulder, ending the feud.[11] After taking a few weeks off to sell his injuries, he feuded with his uncle, Eric Bischoff. This led to a match at the first-ever Taboo Tuesday pay-per-view on October 19. The fan-chosen (via voting at WWE's website) stipulation for the match was that the loser would have his head shaved. Eugene won this match (with help from Mr. McMahon) and subsequently shaved Bischoff's head.[12] With Regal, Eugene won his first and only championship in WWE, taking the World Tag Team Championship from La Résistance on the November 15 episode of Raw.[13] Eugene suffered an injury at New Year's Revolution on January 9, 2005, in a match with Christian and Tyson Tomko, after botching a dropkick. Although they won the match, he suffered a ruptured left patellar ligament, which required surgery and sidelined him for six months. This also cost him the World Tag Team Championship, which Regal lost to La Résistance when forced to defend at a house show on January 16, teamed with Jonathan Coachman as a substitute.[14] During recovery, Eugene made a surprise appearance at WrestleMania 21, delivering a promo until being interrupted and attacked by Muhammad Hassan and Daivari. He would be saved by returning Hulk Hogan, after he attacked the villainous duo.[15] Singles competition (2005–2006) Eugene returned to wrestling on the July 25, 2005 episode of Raw, taking part in Kurt Angle's regular "Kurt Angle Invitational" challenge. Eugene defeated Angle, winning his cherished Olympic gold medal (per match stipulation), and starting a feud between the two.[16] The feud culminated at SummerSlam, where Angle defeated Eugene to regain his medal.[17] Eugene then briefly teamed with Tajiri (who, incidentally, had also previously teamed with William Regal). The team lasted until Tajiri's release in December 2005.[1] At Taboo Tuesday, Rob Conway teamed with Tyson Tomko to face Eugene and a "WWE Legend", to be chosen by the fans. "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka was chosen over Kamala and "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, and pinned Conway with his Superfly Splash to win the match.[18] On November 18, 2005, WWE.com reported Dinsmore was rushed to the hospital the previous night, after passing out in a hotel lobby in Manchester, and was suspended indefinitely. Days later, WWE.com stated Dinsmore admitted to taking prescription drugs, including somas.[19] This coincided with the announcement of WWE's new drug policy (established as a result of Eddie Guerrero's death from heart failure, aggravated by his history of drug abuse).[1] Eugene made his return to WWE in the Royal Rumble match at the namesake event on January 29, 2006, as the eighteenth entrant. He was eliminated by Chris Benoit.[1] At WrestleMania 22, Eugene competed in a preshow battle royal which was won by Viscera. Eugene briefly feuded with Matt Striker, after appearing in the "Matt Striker's Classroom" segment of Backlash on April 30, 2006.[20] Striker ultimately defeated Eugene to end the feud. After appearing at ECW One Night Stand,[20] Eugene formed a tag team with "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan.[1] He challenged Umaga to a match at Vengeance and lost, despite having Duggan, Doink the Clown, and Kamala in his corner.[20] He defeated Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon in a handicap match on the July 10 Raw, after interference from D-Generation X.[21] On the September 4 Raw, Eugene and Duggan challenged World Tag Team Champions the Spirit Squad for the title, but were unsuccessful. The team split up on the November 6 Raw. After losing a rematch to The Spirit Squad, Eugene attacked Duggan, turning heel.[22] However, the angle was soon dropped and, before the end of the year, Eugene became a face again. After this, he wrestled mainly on the Raw B-show, Heat. Brand switches and departure (2007) Dinsmore in 2007 On the March 19, 2007 episode of Raw, Eugene was forced into a match with Umaga, as a punishment for accidentally spilling a drink on Vince McMahon. After losing, McMahon shaved Eugene's head.[23] Eugene wrestled on the June 2, 2007 Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIV, where he debuted a new "Superman-esque" wrestling attire. He teamed with Kane and Doink The Clown to defeat Kevin Thorn, Viscera, and Umaga.[24] On June 17, Eugene was drafted to the SmackDown! brand as their final pick of the 2007 Supplemental Draft.[25] On the June 29 episode of SmackDown!, Eugene debuted for the brand, losing to The Great Khali. The following week, he was tricked into thinking Deuce 'n Domino were helping him win his match against Mark Henry, which led to a quick defeat. On the July 20 episode of SmackDown!, Eugene participated in a battle royal for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship, and was eliminated by Batista and Kane. Eugene made his final WWE appearance on the August 31 edition of SmackDown!. While shooting T-shirts into the crowd via T-shirt gun, he accidentally shot Mark Henry. Henry retaliated by squeezing him with a bearhug until he passed out. On September 1, 2007, Nick Dinsmore was released from his WWE contract.[26][27] Juggalo Championship Wrestling (2007, 2011–2013) Dinsmore debuted in Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) in October 2007, as U-Gene.[1] He returned in 2010, at the "Flashlight Wrestling: Legends & Loonies" event, and lost to Breyer Wellington. He became a full-time member of the roster the following year. He had a brief storyline in which he was infatuated with the wrestler Jailbird Man, inadvertently costing Jailbird his matches.[28][29] U-Gene participated in JCW's first internet pay-per-view, Hatchet Attacks, where he defeated Raven.[30] He formed a tag team with Zach Gowen at Up in Smoke, believing that he could be Gowen's second leg, but ended up costing his team the match by distracting the referee.[31] On July 28, Gowen and U-Gene defeated the Ring Rydas to win the JCW Tag Team Championship.[32] However, Gowen forfeited the championship after realizing that U-Gene cheated to win, causing U-Gene to attack him and disband the team.[32] U-Gene defeated Gowen at Bloodymania 5, but the referee reversed the decision after realizing U-Gene cheated to win. Independent circuit (2007–2013) Dinsmore at the Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin Tour in 2009 In October 2007, Dinsmore became the head official in charge of Derby City Wrestling, the intermediate-level group affiliated with Ohio Valley Wrestling, after Joey Matthews left the position. He made some appearances in Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council (WWC), as Eugene.[27] Dinsmore wrestled for WFX Wrestling in Canada, in a role similar to the one he played in WWE, under the names "U-Gene" and "U-gene Dinsmore". He formed a tag team with Luke Williams, better known as one half of The Bushwhackers.[citation needed] He wrestled for Ring of Honor (as Nick Dinsmore) in a Ring of Honor Wrestling taping, against "The Prodigy" Mike Bennett.[33] In 2009, he was part of Hulk Hogan's Australian tour, Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin, where he wrestled as U-Gene. Dinsmore made his Ring of Honor debut on December 9, 2010, at ROH Wrestling tapings, losing to Mike Bennett. In December 2011, Dinsmore took part in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's (TNA) India project, Ring Ka King as Dr. Nicholas Dinsmore.[4][34] On July 27, Dinsmore, as "U-Gene", unsuccessfully challenged Freight Train for the 5 Dollar Wrestling championship in the main event of that promotion's internet PPV debut.[35] Return to OVW (2008–2013) On February 20, 2008, Dinsmore returned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) under his real name and defeated Jay Bradley to win his ninth Heavyweight Championship. He lost the title to Anthony Barvado on July 25, 2008. On October 26, 2011, Dinsmore defeated Jason Wayne to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship for the tenth time, turning heel in the process.[36] Dinsmore lost the title to Rudy Switchblade seven days later in an Eight Man Melee, including Wayne, Adam Revolver, Ted McNaler, James Thomas, Rocco Bellagio and Mike Mondo. Returns to WWE (2009, 2013–2014) In July 2009, Dinsmore signed a contract to return to WWE.[37][38] On August 1, Dinsmore (as Eugene) defeated Ricky Ortiz at a SmackDown/ECW house show in Manchester, New Hampshire. On the August 10 Raw, Eugene returned to television, losing a Contract on a Pole match to The Calgary Kid, who afterwards removed his mask to reveal himself as The Miz. Four days later, Dinsmore was once again released from WWE, as a wrestler and a trainer.[39][40] Dinsmore was re-hired by WWE on September 20, 2013, as trainer on NXT, and he lasted a year before he was released on October 2, 2014.[41] Return to the independent circuit (2015–present) On January 10, 2015, Dinsmore returned to wrestling, this time with the British promotion International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. He defeated Grado in his first match for the promotion.[42] Dinsmore began running his own shows in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, under the banner of Midwest All Pro Wrestling. The first live event was held November 7, 2015.[43] In December 2021, Dinsmore announced his retirement tour.[44] He also sold Midwest All Pro Wrestling at the end of 2021.[45] Professional wrestling style, persona and reception During his run with WWE, Dinsmore's character was "Eugene", an overly-excited and "special" person who could outwrestle anyone in the ring, based upon some people with intellectual disability. The idea of the gimmick came from then OVW trainer Rip Rogers, who inspired it from his autistic son.[46] The "Eugene" gimmick received mixed reviews. Although WWE believed the gimmick would be a positive role model for mentally disabled people.[citation needed] However, the legacy of the gimmick has been criticised as being offensive towards people with intellectual disability.[47] Personal life In 2009, Dinsmore became engaged to Stephanie Fischer, whom he married in November 2015.[48] Championships and accomplishments Canadian Wrestling's Elite     123Approved.ca Open Rules Championship (1 time)[49] Covey Promotions     CP Tag Team Championships (1 time) – with Krazy T Heartland Wrestling Association     HWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[50] United States Wrestling Association     USWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Flash Flanagan Music City Wrestling     MCW North American Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rob Conway[51] Ohio Valley Wrestling     OVW Heavyweight Championship (10 times)[52]     OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (11 times, inaugural) – with Rob Conway (10) and Flash Flanagan (1)[53] Pro Wrestling Illustrated     PWI ranked him #21 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2004[54] River City Championship Wrestling     RCCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[55] Wisconsin Pro Wrestling     WPW Gather On Broadway Championship (1 time) World Wrestling Entertainment     World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with William Regal" (wikipedia.org) "Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Olympic Games, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in both WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). While at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Angle won numerous accolades, including being a two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion in the heavyweight division. After graduating from college, Angle won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1995 World Wrestling Championships. He then won the freestyle wrestling gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics despite competing with a broken neck. He is one of four people to win the Junior Nationals, NCAA, World Championships, and the Olympics (known as the amateur grand slam).[4] In 2006, he was named by USA Wrestling as the greatest shoot wrestler ever and one of the top 15 college wrestlers of all time. He was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 for his amateur accomplishments.[4] Angle made his first appearance at a professional wrestling event in 1996, and signed with the World Wrestling Federation (later renamed WWE) in 1998. Noted for his rapid comprehension of the business, he had his debut match that August within the company's developmental system after just days of training, and participated in his first match in the World Wrestling Federation in March 1999. After months of dark matches, Angle made his televised in-ring debut in November and received his first major push in the company in February 2000, when he held the European and Intercontinental Championships simultaneously. Four months later, he won the 2000 King of the Ring tournament and soon thereafter began pursuing the WWF Championship, which he won in October. Among other accomplishments, Angle has held the WWE Championship four times, the WCW Championship, and the World Heavyweight Championship. He is the tenth Triple Crown champion and the fifth winner of the Grand Slam. In 2017, Angle was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. After leaving WWE in 2006, Angle joined TNA where he became the inaugural and record six-time TNA World Heavyweight champion, and the second TNA Triple Crown winner, also holding all three championships simultaneously. Angle is also a two-time King of the Mountain. During his tenure with TNA, Angle competed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF), winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. In 2013, Angle was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame. He is the second wrestler, after Sting, to be inducted into both the WWE and Impact Halls of Fame. Angle has won 21 Professional wrestling championship and overall is a 13-time world champion. He is the only pro-wrestler to have won the WWE Championship, WWE's World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW Championship, the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Angle is also the only person to have been King of the Ring (WWE) and King of the Mountain (TNA), and the first to have held both the WWE and TNA Triple Crowns. He has headlined numerous pay-per-view events, including WrestleMania XIX and Bound for Glory on three occasions, the flagship events of the respective companies. In 2004, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter inducted Angle into its Hall of Fame and later named him "Wrestler of the Decade" for the 2000s.[5] He is considered one of the biggest stars of the Attitude Era[6] and one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.[7][8] Former opponent and industry veteran John Cena said of Angle's legacy within WWE: "He is, without question, the most gifted all-around performer we have ever had step into a ring. There will never be another like him."[9] Early life Kurt Steven Angle[10] was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mt. Lebanon Township, Pennsylvania, the son of Jackie and David Angle.[11] He attended Clarion University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a degree in education in 1993.[12] Angle has four older brothers (one of whom, Eric, is also a wrestler) and a sister, Le'Anne, who died in 2003.[13] His father, a crane operator,[14] was killed in a construction accident when Angle was 16, and Angle dedicated both his career and his autobiography to his father. Angle stated in an interview that, following the death of his father, he regarded his wrestling coach, David Schultz, as a paternal figure. While training Angle, Schultz was murdered in January 1996 by John Eleuthère du Pont, the sponsor of Schultz's team of Olympic prospectives.[15][16][17] Angle's mother died of cancer in 2015.[18] He is of Italian, Irish, English, German, and Lithuanian descent.[19] Wrestling career After graduating from college, Angle continued to wrestle. In 1995, he won a gold medal at the FILA Wrestling World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.[24] Following this victory, Angle began preparing for the 1996 Summer Olympics (also in Atlanta) under Dave Schultz at the Pennsylvanian Foxcatcher Club,[26] training between eight and ten hours a day.[27] In January 1996, not long after Angle began training at the club, Schultz was murdered by John Eleuthère du Pont, the sponsor of Schultz's team of Olympic prospectives.[15][28][17] As a result, Angle quit du Pont's team, searched for new sponsors, and joined the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club in Schultz's memory.[29] In 2006, Angle was named the greatest shoot wrestler of all time by USA Wrestling, as well as one of the top 15 college wrestlers.[33] In April 2011, Angle revealed that he was planning a comeback to amateur wrestling for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[34][35] He later announced he was unable to make the trials for the nationall team due to a knee injury, though he held an honorary title as team manager.[36] In 2016, Angle was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame for his amateur wrestling accomplishments.[4] Professional wrestling career     Extreme Championship Wrestling (1996) On October 26, 1996, Angle was convinced by fellow Pittsburgh native Shane Douglas to attend the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) event High Incident.[25] He gave an in-ring interview and provided guest commentary during a match between Taz and Little Guido, but left the building after Raven attached Sandman to a cross using barbed wire.[37] Angle, shocked by the controversial imagery and afraid that his career prospects were going to be damaged if he was associated with the incident, threatened to sue ECW owner Paul Heyman if he was shown on television in the same broadcast as the stunt.[25] World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1998–2006) Development and debut for WWF (1998–1999) As a celebrated amateur wrestler, Angle had an aversion to professional wrestling, considering it "beneath" him.[38] He was offered a 10-year contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) following the 1996 Olympics,[39] but talks fell apart when he told company chairman Vince McMahon that he would be unwilling to lose any matches.[40] Angle's opinion of professional wrestling changed when he began watching Monday Night Raw in 1998: he observed "world class athletes doing very athletic things", and developed an admiration for Stone Cold Steve Austin's talents as an entertainer.[39] Angle later conceded that his negative attitude toward the industry was misguided and "stupid".[38] With the WWF's original 1996 offer now rescinded, Angle had a tryout with the company,[40] and was signed to a five-year deal by August 1998:[41] the contract offer came three days after his tryout.[40] He trained under Dory Funk Jr., with whom the WWF had developed the Funkin' Dojo training camp in Stamford, Connecticut, and began wrestling in front of a live audience in under a week.[38] Angle's first match took place within WWF developmental territory the World Wrestling Alliance (WWA) on August 20, in a losing effort against his other trainer, Tom Prichard.[2] He wrestled multiple matches for the WWA in August and September, and solicited bookings outside of the WWF, participating in a battle royal at the National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) 50th Anniversary Show on October 24, and performing for Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling (PCW) and the East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) in February 1999.[2] In March, Angle began wrestling regularly for the WWF's Power Pro Wrestling (PPW) developmental league in Memphis, Tennessee.[2] His first appearance on WWF television was on the March 7 episode of Sunday Night Heat, where he took part in an angle with Tiger Ali Singh. His first WWF match was a dark match victory over Brian Christopher on April 11. In the following months, Angle wrestled on house shows and in other dark matches in preparation for his televised debut. He faced against Owen Hart in a dark match on Shotgun Saturday Night just two weeks before Owen died.[42] He also continued to wrestle for PPW through October and on July 24 won the PPW Championship. Angle then lost the championship to Steve Bradley on August 7. He is noted for learning the art of pro wrestling quicker than almost anyone else;[40] WWE executive and former opponent Triple H described Angle as "probably the fastest guy I've ever seen pick this business up", owing to "phenomenal" athleticism and an "aptitude" for the industry.[43] After several weeks of vignettes, Angle made his televised WWF in-ring debut on November 14 at Survivor Series at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, defeating Shawn Stasiak.[44] In his initial push, he remained undefeated for several weeks, eventually losing to the debuting Tazz at the Royal Rumble.[45] Angle won both the European Championship and the Intercontinental Championship in February 2000, losing both in a Triple Threat match with Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 2000.[46] WWF Champion (2000–2002) Angle at King of the Ring in 2000 – a tournament he eventually won Throughout mid-2000, Angle aligned himself with Edge & Christian and feuded with Too Cool and Rikishi, with Angle defeating Rikishi in the finals of the 2000 King of the Ring tournament.[47] And later feuded with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.[48][47] Angle then received another push and began pursuing the WWF Championship, winning the championship by defeating The Rock at No Mercy.[47] Angle retained the WWF Championship for the rest of the year in matches with The Undertaker at Survivor Series and in a six-man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon.[49] After beating Triple H at the Royal Rumble,[50] Angle eventually lost the title to The Rock at No Way Out.[51] Angle then feuded with Chris Benoit whom he defeated at WrestleMania X-Seven, but lost to him at Backlash in an Ultimate Submission match. Continuing the feud, Angle again defeated Benoit in a two out of three falls match at Judgment Day.[citation needed] Angle on SmackDown! When World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and ECW were purchased by the WWF in 2001, the wrestlers from both promotions joined and formed The Alliance and invaded the WWF in mid-2001 (dubbed as "The Invasion"). As a result, Angle turned face and began a storyline where he joined forces with WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin to repel them. At the Invasion event, Angle and Austin captained a team of five WWF superstars against five handpicked members of the Alliance. Team WWF lost to Team Alliance when Austin turned on his team to join the Alliance.[52] After winning and losing the WCW Championship, WCW United States Championship and the WWF Hardcore Championship in matches with Alliance members, Angle defeated Austin in a SummerSlam rematch to win his second WWF Championship at Unforgiven.[53][54] Angle lost the title back to Austin on the October 8 episode of Raw.[citation needed] On the October 29 episode of Raw, Angle subsequently turned heel again and joined the Alliance himself. Angle later ultimately returned to the WWF side by enabling The Rock to defeat Austin in a "Winner Takes All" match between the WWF and The Alliance at Survivor Series.[53] At Vengeance, Angle lost to Austin, who was the WWF Champion, as part of a one-night tournament to unify the WWF and WCW World Heavyweight championships also involving Chris Jericho and The Rock.[citation needed] In his first Royal Rumble match at the 2002 event, he lasted until the final two before being eliminated by eventual winner Triple H. Angle briefly feuded with Kane, defeating him at WrestleMania X8.[55] Angle then reignited his feud with Edge, defeating him at Backlash. The naturally balding Angle lost a "hair versus hair" match to Edge at Judgment Day, having his head shaved bald, which he would retain for the rest of his career.[56][57] During mid-2002, John Cena made his WWE televised debut losing to Angle after a roll-up pin.[58] In September, Angle started to feud with Chris Benoit, losing to him at Unforgiven. On the October 3 taping of SmackDown!, Angle and Benoit were teamed together to participate in a tournament to crown the first WWE Tag Team Champions. They won the tournament, making Angle the fifth WWE Grand Slam Champion.[citation needed] The match between the four men at No Mercy was named the 2002 Match of the Year by Wrestling Observer Newsletter.[59] They made their first successful title defense by defeating Los Guerreros (Eddie Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero) at Rebellion.[60] Their reign ended after they dropped the titles to Edge and Mysterio on the November 7 episode of SmackDown! in a two-out-of-three falls match. Angle and Benoit would receive another shot at the WWE Tag Team Championship in a triple threat elimination match against Edge and Mysterio and Los Guerreros at Survivor Series, but failed after they were the first team eliminated; Los Guerreros eventually won.[61] WWE Champion and Team Angle (2002–2004) Main article: Team Angle Angle and Brock Lesnar after their WWE Championship title match at WrestleMania XIX Angle won his third WWE Championship at Armageddon by defeating Big Show with the help of Brock Lesnar.[62] While still in his third reign, Angle began a new storyline when he gained the services of manager Paul Heyman and "Team Angle" (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) on the December 26 episode of SmackDown!. Then SmackDown! General manager Stephanie McMahon announced that Big Show would face Chris Benoit that night to determine who would face Angle for the title at the Royal Rumble. Benoit pinned Big Show to win the match. After the match Angle and Big Show brutally attacked Benoit. At the Royal Rumble, Angle defeated Benoit to retain the WWE Championship by forcing him to submit the ankle lock. He then began feuding with Brock Lesnar, who had won the 2003 Royal Rumble match.[63] Angle lost the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XIX to Lesnar, due to needing time off to recuperate from injuries.[64] On April 11, 2003, Angle underwent neck surgery performed by Dr. Hae-Dong Jho to repair nerve and spinal damage, calcium buildup, bone spurs, and intervertebral disc problems. Rather than have Dr. Jho remove the afflicted discs and fuse his vertebrae together, Angle opted for a less conventional surgery where Jho removed only the spurs and selected portions of the discs. The alternative surgery reduced Angle's rehabilitation time from one year to three months. Angle returned as a face on the June 5 episode of SmackDown!. Shortly after returning, Angle defeated Lesnar and Big Show in a triple threat match at Vengeance to regain the WWE Championship for the fourth time.[65] During this time, Lesnar seemed to become an ally to Angle. Lesnar, however, secretly worked with Vince McMahon on a plot against Angle, turning on him during a steel cage match on the August 7 episode of SmackDown! between Lesnar and McMahon in which Angle was the special guest referee, and stated that he never tolerated losing the belt to him at Vengeance.[66] After retaining the championship against Lesnar at SummerSlam by making him submit to the ankle lock, he lost the title to Lesnar in a 60-Minute Iron Man match on the September 18 episode of SmackDown!.[67] Angle then formed a five-man team to rival Lesnar's team at Survivor Series, with Angle's team coming out victorious, despite Angle being eliminated by Lesnar. On the November 4, 2004, episode of SmackDown!, during an unscripted segment of Tough Enough, Angle challenged the finalists to a squat thrust competition.[71] Chris Nawrocki won the competition, and the prize Nawrocki won was a match against Angle.[72] Angle quickly took Nawrocki down with a guillotine choke, but Nawrocki managed to make it to the ropes, forcing Angle to break the hold. Angle then took Nawrocki down with a double leg takedown, legitimately breaking his ribs.[72] Angle then locked another guillotine choke on Nawrocki, pinning him in the process. After Angle defeated Nawrocki, Angle challenged the other finalists.[72] Daniel Puder, an American professional mixed martial artist, accepted Angle's challenge.[72] Angle and Puder wrestled for position, with Angle taking Puder down, however, in the process, Puder locked Angle in a kimura lock.[71][72] With Puder on his back and Angle's arm locked in the kimura, Angle pushed Puder's shoulders down, pinning him and one of two referees in the ring, Jim Korderas, quickly counted three to end the bout,[71][72][73] despite the fact that Puder's shoulders were not fully down on the mat, bridging up at two.[71][72] Puder later claimed he would have snapped Angle's arm on national television if Korderas had not ended the match.[72] Dave Meltzer and Dave Scherer gave these following comments:     It was real. If you don't follow fighting, Puder had Angle locked in the Kimura, or keylock as Tazz called it, although Tazz didn't let on the move was fully executed. Not only was Angle not getting out of the move, but most MMA fighters would have tapped already. Angle couldn't tap for obvious reasons. The ref counted a three even though Puder's shoulders weren't fully down, trying to end the thing, because the reality was Angle would have been in surgery had it gone a few seconds longer or had Puder not given up the hold.     — Dave Meltzer[71][73]     As you would expect, Kurt Angle was less than happy backstage at Smackdown after almost being forced to tap out to Tough Enough contestant Daniel Puder. Downright ticked off would probably be the best way to describe his mood. The unscripted nature of the contest was the main reason that Angle was made to look so bad since Puder just reacted to the situation and could have forced Angle to submit had the referees not thought quickly and counted a pin that wasn't there on Puder.     — Dave Scherer[71] "The Wrestling Machine" (2005–2006) Angle applies the ankle lock to Shawn Michaels Angle resumed his feud with Michaels upon being drafted to the Raw brand in the 2005 WWE draft lottery, losing to Michaels at Vengeance.[77] On the July 25, 2005 episode of Raw, Eugene took part in the "Kurt Angle Invitational" challenge. Angle was unable to make Eugene submit in the three-minute limit, winning his cherished Olympic gold medal (per match stipulation), and starting a feud between the two. The feud culminated at SummerSlam, where Angle defeated Eugene to regain his medal.[78] Angle later feuded with John Cena for the WWE Championship. He challenged Cena at Unforgiven, but won by disqualification, therefore not winning the title. On the October 3 WWE Homecoming episode of Raw, he wrestled rival Shawn Michaels to a 2–2 draw in a 30-Minute Iron Man match, after which Michaels challenged him for a sudden death overtime, but Angle refused and walked out. He challenged Cena for the WWE Championship again in a triple threat match involving Michaels at Taboo Tuesday,[79] but lost, and then again lost to Cena at Survivor Series. Angle would continue his feud with Cena into 2006, defeating him in a non-title first blood match on the January 2 episode of Raw, after interference from Daivari.[80] At New Year's Revolution, Angle again challenged Cena for the title, this time in an Elimination Chamber match, also involving Shawn Michaels, Kane, Carlito and Chris Masters. Angle would fail to win the match, as he was eliminated by Michaels.[81] On the January 13 episode of SmackDown!, Angle returned to the SmackDown! brand as a surprise entrant in a twenty-man battle royal for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. Angle won by last eliminating Mark Henry, turning face in the process.[82][83] He retained the title against Henry at the Royal Rumble. Shortly after the match, The Undertaker made his return and challenged Angle for the title. At No Way Out, Angle retained the title against Undertaker after a controversial finish where Angle pinned Undertaker while locked in a triangle choke.[84] Their match was highly acclaimed, with it being considered by many to be one of the best of the year.[85][86][87] Undertaker challenged Angle to a rematch on the March 3 episode of SmackDown!, where Angle lost by disqualification after Mark Henry interfered and attacked Undertaker. This ensured that Angle would enter WrestleMania 22 as champion.[88] Angle then began a three-way feud with Royal Rumble winner Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton (who cheated to defeat Mysterio at No Way Out to gain entrance to the SmackDown! main event at WrestleMania). At WrestleMania, Angle lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Mysterio in the triple threat match after Mysterio pinned Orton.[89] On the May 29 episode of Raw, Angle was drafted to the newly created ECW brand. It was during this time that he acquired the nickname "The Wrestling Machine", wearing a mouth guard and quickly squashing opponents. Upon coming to ECW, he issued an open challenge for ECW One Night Stand, which was accepted by Randy Orton. Angle defeated Orton at ECW One Night Stand,[90] later losing to him in a rematch at Vengeance. On the June 27 episode of ECW, Angle challenged ECW World Heavyweight Champion Rob Van Dam to a title match, which he lost.[91] Angle appeared sporadically on WWE television throughout mid-2006. On August 25, 2006, Angle was granted an early release from his WWE contract because of health reasons.[92][93] Angle stated in the Kurt Angle: Champion documentary DVD that he asked for his release from WWE because he could not take time off and was working hurt, severely on some occasions. He also stated that when he quit, WWE lost their top talent, as he was at the very top of the payroll.[94] Angle wrestled his last match at an ECW house show on August 14, where he defeated Danny Doring. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2006–2016) The Angle Alliance (2006–2008) Main article: Angle Alliance Kurt and Karen Angle watching at ringside during Impact! Angle then went on to sign a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Angle made his TNA debut on October 19 as a face, confronting Samoa Joe after Joe refused to relinquish the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt that, according to the storyline, he had stolen from Jeff Jarrett. The two men ended up fighting while Jarrett took the title back.[95] Angle was then the special enforcer for the title vs. career match between Jarrett and Sting at Bound for Glory; however, as part of the worked finish, he took out referee Rudy Charles and assumed the referee's role for the rest of the match-up.[96] Angle's first match in TNA took place on the November 16 airing of Impact!, where he was booked to defeat Abyss with the ankle lock and be attacked after the match by Samoa Joe. At Genesis, Angle defeated Samoa Joe, ending Joe's undefeated streak.[96] Angle then joined forces with A.J. Styles and Tomko as The Angle Alliance at Turning Point against Samoa Joe, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. Styles had planned for Christian's Coalition and The Angle Alliance to team up together, but Christian Cage demanded to be the leader of The Angle Alliance after Cage denied Angle's request of being his "lackey". At Final Resolution, Angle successfully defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Cage due to interference from Styles and again at Against All Odds with help from Tomko. At Lockdown, Angle lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Samoa Joe after being pinned. The Main Event Mafia (2008–2009) Main article: The Main Event Mafia Angle as the "Godfather" of the Main Event Mafia After suffering a neck injury, Angle was out of action. In the storyline, he returned to Impact! to ask his estranged wife Karen to reunite with him, but she declined his offer. Later that night, after Styles suffered a beating at the hands of Team 3D, Booker T, and Tomko, Angle added to the mugging by hitting Styles with a steel chair. At Slammiversary, Angle lost to Styles, being pinned after interference from Karen. At Victory Road, Angle and Team 3D won a six-man tag team Full Metal Mayhem match defeating the team of Christian Cage, Rhino, and Styles. At Hard Justice, Angle once again lost to Styles – this time in a Last Man Standing match. The feud continued on the next episode of Impact!, with Styles winning Angle's gold medal in a mock amateur wrestling match. The next week Angle challenged Styles to a ladder match for the Olympic gold medal. As they both stood on the top of the ladder, the arena went dark and Jeff Jarrett's music played. When the lights turned on, Styles had a guitar and performed an Acoustic Equalizer on Angle to win the match. Angle began a feud with Jarrett after No Surrender when Jarrett hit Angle with his guitar, a match that involved him, Christian Cage and Samoa Joe for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On the October 2 episode of Impact, Mick Foley announced that he was going to be the special enforcer for Angle's match with Jarrett at Bound for Glory IV. Angle lost to Jarrett in this match, being pinned after taking the mandible claw from Foley and a guitar shot and Stroke from Jarrett. He started attacking other superstars backstage in order to get a rematch against Jarrett. On the first HD Impact!, Angle, Booker T, Kevin Nash, and Sting started a new stable of legends called The Main Event Mafia. Scott Steiner joined the group the following week. Angle then defeated Abyss at Turning Point in a Falls Count Anywhere match. After weeks of torturing Jeff Jarrett to give him a rematch, Jarrett said that if Angle could defeat Rhino at the second Final Resolution of 2008, with Mick Foley as the Special Enforcer, he would grant it. Angle defeated Rhino to earn a rematch with Jarrett at Genesis after Al Snow made a surprise appearance and distracted Foley for Angle to cheat. At Sacrifice, Angle lost his leadership of the Mafia to Sting because of their match's stipulation. On June 21 at Slammiversary, Angle won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the fourth time in a King of the Mountain match with help from Samoa Joe. On the following episode of Impact!, Angle regained leadership of the Main Event Mafia after he and the rest of the Mafia, attacked Sting while introducing Joe as their newest member. At No Surrender, Angle lost his championship to A.J. Styles in a five-way match which also included Matt Morgan, Sting, and Hernandez.[106] Various feuds (2009–2011) Angle returned on the May 20 episode of Impact! and was ranked number two by the Championship Committee in the inaugural top 10 rankings for a World Heavyweight title shot. Angle, however, decided to take his name out of the running for a title shot and vowed to fight his way through the top 10 and earn his spot at the top of the company.[121] At Slammiversary VIII Angle started his climb back to the top by defeating Kazarian, who was ranked number ten.[122] Angle continued his climb, defeating Desmond Wolfe, who was ranked number nine prior to the match, on the June 24 episode of Impact!, and D'Angelo Dinero, ranked number eight, at Victory Road.[123][124] Prior to his match with Dinero, Angle announced that should he lose on his way to the top of the rankings, he would retire from professional wrestling.[125] On the July 22 episode of Impact! Angle defeated number seven ranked Hernandez and followed that up three weeks later by defeating number six ranked A.J. Styles.[126][127] On the August 19 episode of Impact! the TNA World Heavyweight Championship was vacated and instead of continuing his climb, Angle was entered into an eight-man tournament for the title, defeating X Division Champion Douglas Williams in his first round match.[128] At No Surrender Angle first wrestled Jeff Hardy to a twenty-minute time limit draw, after which Eric Bischoff ordered a five-minute extra time. After that and a second five-minute extra time also ended in draws, it was ruled that, due to a cut, Angle could not continue the match, ending the match in a no contest.[129] After wrestling a draw on the September 16 episode of Impact!, it was announced that both Angle and Hardy had advanced to the finals at Bound for Glory, to wrestle Mr. Anderson in a three-way match.[130] Angle and Jeff Jarrett at Slammiversary IX Immortal (2011–2012) Main article: Immortal (professional wrestling) With his feud with Jarrett behind him, Angle aligned himself with Sting to feud with the rest of Immortal, including the group's newest member, TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mr. Anderson.[150] On the July 14 episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle helped Sting regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Anderson.[151] On August 7 at Hardcore Justice, Angle defeated Sting, after hitting him with a chair he snatched away from Hulk Hogan, to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the record-breaking fifth time, thus turning heel in the process.[152] On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle explained that he did not agree with Sting, who, using the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, wanted to hand the promotion back to Dixie Carter, as he had found out that she had lied to him about not knowing of the relationship between Karen and Jeff Jarrett. When Sting confronted Angle, he was attacked by Hogan, which led to Angle revealing that Hogan had been the one who had exposed Carter's lie to him. Angle also revealed that his goal was now to ruin Carter's youth movement in TNA by eliminating the younger wrestlers one-by-one and started by attacking Bound for Glory Series leader Crimson after the main event, cementing his heel turn.[153] Angle made his first televised title defense on the September 1 episode of Impact Wrestling, defeating Sting in a rematch, following interference from special enforcer Hulk Hogan and the rest of Immortal.[154] The following week, Angle's title match with Mr. Anderson ended in a disqualification, following interference from Immortal, which led to a three-way match between Angle, Anderson and Sting on September 11 at No Surrender, where Angle managed to retain the title, following interference from Hogan.[155][156] On October 16 at Bound for Glory, Angle successfully defended the title against Bobby Roode.[157] On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Roode's tag team partner, James Storm.[158][159] Angle returned on the November 17 episode of Impact Wrestling, attacking James Storm and revealing himself as the man who had attacked and bloodied him also the previous week, costing him his match with Bobby Roode for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.[160] On December 11 at Final Resolution, Angle was defeated by Storm in a singles match.[161] On January 8, 2012, at Genesis, Angle defeated Storm in a rematch.[162] On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Storm defeated Angle in a number one contender's match.[163] Angle returned on the February 16 episode of Impact Wrestling, costing Jeff Hardy his shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.[164] On March 18 at Victory Road, Angle defeated Hardy in a singles match, pinning him while grabbing a hold of the ring ropes.[165] On April 15 at Lockdown, Hardy defeated Angle in a rematch, contested inside a steel cage.[166] On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle defeated A.J. Styles, following interference from Styles' rivals Christopher Daniels and Kazarian.[167] The following week, Angle warned the two Immortal associates never to interfere in one of his matches again.[168] On May 13 at Sacrifice, Angle defeated Styles in a rematch, following another interference from Daniels and Kazarian. After the match, Angle made the save for Styles, chasing Daniels and Kazarian out of the ring.[169][170] On June 10 at Slammiversary, Angle and Styles defeated Daniels and Kazarian to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship.[171] On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle entered the 2012 Bound for Glory Series, taking part in the opening gauntlet match, from which he was eliminated by Daniels.[172] Two weeks later, Angle and Styles lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship back to Daniels and Kazarian.[173] Angle wrestled his final match in the 2012 Bound for Glory Series on the August 30 episode of Impact Wrestling, losing to Jeff Hardy, which resulted in him to get eliminated from the tournament.[174] On September 9 at No Surrender, Angle and Styles unsuccessfully challenged Daniels and Kazarian for the TNA World Tag Team Championships.[175] Angle and Styles received another title shot against Daniels and Kazarian on October 14 at Bound for Glory, in a three-way match, which was won by Chavo Guerrero, Jr. and Hernandez.[176] On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle defeated Daniels and Styles in a three-way match to become one of four wrestlers in consideration for a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.[177] New Main Event Mafia (2012–2013) Angle then began feuding with A.J. Styles, after Styles refused to answer Angle's question on whether he is with TNA or the Aces & Eights which led to a brawl between the two on the May 9 episode of Impact Wrestling.[193] On June 2 at Slammiversary XI, Angle was announced as the second inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame.[194] Later that night, Angle defeated Styles in a singles match.[195] On the following Impact Wrestling, Angle got into a verbal confrontation with the debuting Rampage Jackson who claimed he had to beat the best to be the best.[196] The following week, Angle was defeated by Styles in a rematch to earn the final spot in the 2013 Bound for Glory Series. Afterward, Angle was assaulted by Aces & Eights until Jackson came out and made the save.[197] On June 20 Angle attacked TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray at the end of the Impact Wrestling episode, and revealed himself as the first member of Sting's New Main Event Mafia.[198] In the following weeks, Angle and Sting recruited Samoa Joe, Magnus, and Rampage Jackson as members of the New Main Event Mafia.[199][200][201] Beginning on August 2, Angle took a hiatus from TNA after being admitted to rehab for drug and alcohol use.[202] Director of Wrestling Operations (2013–2014) On February 18, 2007, Angle made his debut in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), teaming with former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yuji Nagata to defeat fellow TNA wrestler Travis Tomko and fellow WWE alumnus Giant Bernard. Angle was booked to face Brock Lesnar in a champion versus champion match for the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) on June 29, 2007, and defeated him by submission to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[211] Angle then challenged Lesnar to an MMA fight.[212] On December 19, 2007, Angle defended the IWGP title successfully against Kendo Kashin.[213] On January 4, 2008, Angle made his third successful IWGP Heavyweight Championship defense when he defeated Yuji Nagata at the NJPW supershow Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome by forcing Nagata to submit to the ankle lock.[214] On February 17, 2008, Angle lost the IWGP title to the NJPW-recognized champion Shinsuke Nakamura in a unification match.[215] He returned in August during the G1 Climax in two special tag matches with A.J. Styles as his main opponent. In those matches Shinsuke Nakamura and Masahiro Chono became Angle's partners while Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinjiro Otani became Styles' partners. Angle's team won both matches.[216] He returned on January 4, 2009, at Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome in a special eight-man tag match, where he, Kevin Nash, Chono, and Riki Choshu faced Great Bash Heel (Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson, Takashi Iizuka and Tomohiro Ishii), with Angle getting the win for his team.[217] Angle then went on to defeat Bernard in a singles match at New Japan's ISM tour on February 15.[218] After Hiroshi Tanahashi retained the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Nakamura in the main event, Angle challenged him for the title, which Tanahashi accepted.[218] Tanahashi defeated Angle on April 5 at New Japan's Resolution '09 to retain the title.[219] Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2012) Angle made his debut for Mexican promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) on August 5, 2012, at Triplemanía XX, where he teamed up with Jeff Jarrett as Team Dorian Roldán in a hair vs. hair match, where they faced Team Joaquín Roldán (Electroshock and L.A. Park), with the Roldáns' hairs on the line. Electroshock won the match for his team by pinning Angle, forcing Dorian to have his head shaved bald. However, after the match, Angle, Jarrett and Dorian overpowered the winners and shaved Joaquín bald.[220] Independent circuit (2016–2017) On March 20, 2016, Angle competed for URFight, going against former rival and fellow WWE alumnus Rey Mysterio in a losing effort in a two-falls match that saw Angle as a heel by using dirty tactics. Angle wrestled for Revolution Pro Wrestling on June 12, where he defeated Zack Sabre Jr. On August 27, Angle lost to Cody Rhodes at Northeast Wrestling's Wrestling Under the Stars on August 27 in Wappingers Falls, New York.[221] Angle defeated Joe Hendry at the October 6 What Culture Pro Wrestling tapings.[222] On November 20, 2016, Angle lost to Joe Coffey at Insane Championship Wrestling's Fear & Loathing IX. On February 12, 2017, Angle defeated Alberto el Patrón at WCPW True Destiny in his final match in the United Kingdom. On March 3, 2017, Angle appeared for Northeast Wrestling in Connecticut, where he was defeated by Cody Rhodes in a steel cage match. This was his last match on the independent circuit.[223] Return to WWE WWE Hall of Famer and Raw General Manager (2017–2018) Angle as Raw General Manager in July 2017 On January 16, 2017, WWE announced that Angle would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.[224] On March 16, WWE revealed that his long-time rival John Cena would induct Angle at the Hall of Fame ceremony.[225] On the April 3 episode of Raw after WrestleMania 33, Angle made his first WWE appearance in nearly 11 years after Mr. McMahon appointed Angle as the new general manager of Raw.[226] On the May 29 episode of Raw, commentator Corey Graves informed Angle about some "scandalous information" that was sent to him about Angle, with Angle telling Graves "if this is true, it could ruin me". On the July 17 episode of Raw, Angle revealed that he had a son with a woman he dated in college. He stated that his son eventually ended up in the WWE. Angle then made the announcement that his (on-screen) son was Jason Jordan of American Alpha, thus moving Jordan to the Raw brand.[227] Angle at WrestleMania 34 with Ronda Rousey On the October 8 episode of Raw, Angle made a surprise return, disguised under a mask as "The Conquistador", winning a battle royal after last eliminating Baron Corbin and qualifying for the WWE World Cup at Crown Jewel.[232] At the event, Angle was defeated by Dolph Ziggler in the first round of the WWE World Cup Tournament.[233] On November 5, Angle competed in his first match on Raw since 2006, for a spot in the Survivor Series, losing to Drew McIntyre in dominating fashion, with McIntyre using Angle's own ankle lock finishing maneuver to make him submit.[234] Angle returned at TLC on December 16 to help Braun Strowman, along with Apollo Crews, Finn Bálor, Bobby Roode, Chad Gable, and referee Heath Slater, beat Baron Corbin to strip him of authoritative power.[235] The next night on Raw, Angle along with Crews, Roode and Gable, easily defeated Corbin in a handicapped-no disqualification match to prevent him from being the permanent general manager of Raw.[236] At the 2019 Royal Rumble on January 27, 2019, Angle entered the match at number four but was eliminated by Shinsuke Nakamura.[237] On the March 11 episode of Raw, Angle announced he would retire at WrestleMania 35 and chose Baron Corbin as his final opponent at the event.[3] Over the following weeks, Angle embarked on a "Farewell Tour", facing several handpicked opponents, including Apollo Crews,[3] Chad Gable,[238] Samoa Joe[239] and AJ Styles.[240] At WrestleMania 35, Angle lost to Corbin in his final match.[241] On the Raw after WrestleMania, Angle attacked Corbin, and was subsequently attacked by a debuting Lars Sullivan.[242] Afterwards, Angle transitioned to a backstage role as a producer.[243] Sporadic appearances (2019–present) On the May 27 episode of NXT, Angle served as the special guest referee in a steel cage match between Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher.[248] He appeared again two days later on the May 29 episode of SmackDown to announce the arrival of Matt Riddle to the brand.[249][250] In an interview with CBR, Angle revealed that WWE offered him a new deal to come back under the role of Matt Riddle's manager but he turned it down in order to focus on his health and his nutrition business.[251] On the June 27, 2022 episode of Raw, Angle made an appearance via a video message to congratulate John Cena on his 20-year career.[252] Angle would appear on the August 29 episode of Raw, which took place in his hometown of Pittsburgh, sporting his old Team Angle attire. He would get into an altercation with Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis) before being aided by the Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford), which led to a tag team match between the two teams with the stipulation that if Alpha Academy won, Angle would have to join them. The Street Profits would win the match and afterwards, Angle celebrated with them by drinking milk. Later on in the night, Angle reunited with Edge backstage and would get pranked by him with rigged pictures containing mocking slogans on the back of them in a similar fashion to a segment the duo had back in 2002.[253] Angle made his next appearance on the December 9 episode of SmackDown, where he celebrated his 54th birthday. He interacted with various superstars backstage including his storyline son, Jason Jordan, before once again getting into an altercation with Alpha Academy at the end of the show during his in-ring celebration. Angle would be aided by Gable Steveson, who drove a milk truck to the ring and the two sprayed Alpha Academy with milk from a hose mimicking Angle's famous 2001 segment.[254] After the show went off the air, Rey Mysterio led the superstars and audience in singing "Happy Birthday" to Angle.[255] On Raw is XXX on January 23, 2023, Angle appeared in a segment with D-Generation X (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg and X-Pac) before serving as the special guest referee in a six-man tag team match involving The Street Profits and Seth Rollins against Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci) which the former team won.[256] Professional wrestling style and persona Angle applying the Ankle Lock on Samoa Joe When Angle begun to train as a professional wrestler, he was asked to not watch old tapes, since the style changed during the Attitude Era and the matches were more aggressive. Instead, he learned watching then-current wrestlers like Steve Austin, Triple H or The Rock.[257] Angle said his match against The Rock at No Way Out 2001 was the transition between the "funny, goofy Kurt Angle to a more serious competitor", including more offense.[258] Angle's Olympic gold medal has frequently been incorporated into his professional wrestling persona. His personality varies depending on his alignment as a face or heel. As a face, Angle usually performs as a role model, but as a heel, arrogantly uses his achievements to insult other people. He mixes aspects from his amateur wrestling background into his in-ring work, performing various suplexes, including the belly-to-back, German[110] or Overhead belly-to-belly, as well as submissions, such as the Rear naked choke[259] or the Triangle choke.[110] He primarily performs two finishing maneuvers to end his matches: an Olympic slam, dubbed "Angle Slam" and an ankle lock.[1] During Angle's entrance, it is common for fans to chant "you suck!" to the tune of his entrance music. The chants originated during Angle's feud with The Rock in February 2001, but gained popularity during his feud with Edge in 2002. The chants have become a trademark of Angle's persona, regardless if he is a face or heel.[260] Other media Angle appeared in every WWE/F video game from 2000's WWF Royal Rumble up to WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, released in 2006. After an eleven-year absence, Angle made his return to WWE video games as a playable character in WWE 2K18 (as downloadable content), before subsequently appearing in WWE 2K19, WWE 2K20 and returning in WWE 2K23. He also appears in TNA Impact!, TNA Wrestling and TNA Wrestling Impact!.[261] Acting career Angle has expressed interest in pursuing an acting career after retiring from professional wrestling.[32] In 2008, he made his film debut as a  prison deputy in the short film Chains.[262] In 2009, he played serial killer Brad Mayfield in the film End Game. On a third-season episode of Pros vs. Joes, he was teamed up with Jimmy Smith and Kendall Gill against the Joes. Angle appeared in the "Car Wreck Vanish" episode of Criss Angel Mindfreak. He played Russian MMA champion Koba (in a non-speaking role) in the 2011 film Warrior, and starred as town sheriff Will Logan in the film River of Darkness.[263][264] On the Right After Wrestling program on Sirius Satellite Radio, Angle revealed he would become a part-time wrestler after his contract expired in 2011 to focus on Angle Foods and his acting career.[265] In the 2013 film Pro Wrestlers vs Zombies, he plays himself as both a human and a zombie.[266] Angle also had a small role in the 2014 cult-film Sharknado 2: The Second One and in the 2014 romantic-comedy film Not Cool. He appeared in the film The Last Witch Hunter. He also made a cameo appearance in the movie Pain and Gain in which he brawls against Dwayne Johnson's character in a prison fight. Angle appeared on an episode of Duck Dynasty in February 2016.[citation needed] In 1996, Angle became a marketing representative for Protos Foods, the manufacturers of OSTRIM, an ostrich-meat-based foodstuff.[15][269] In 1997, he worked for a year as a sportscaster on Pittsburgh's local Fox affiliate WPGH-TV.[270][271] He also did a commercial for Pittsburgh-based pizza chain Pizza Outlet. Both Angle's pizza commercial and his time on WPGH-TV would be referenced on WWE television (the latter through the WWE Network show Ride Along), and his time with WPGH-TV would also make him an alumnus of WPGH-TV parent Sinclair Broadcast Group without having ever appeared for Sinclair-owned wrestling promotion Ring of Honor.[272][273] Angle is a longtime fan of MMA, and has occasionally talked about his desire to compete. UFC president Dana White stated that Angle was in talks to appear as a heavyweight contestant on the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter, but failed the medical requirements. Angle signed with Bellator MMA on October 28, 2015. He attended a fan convention on November 6, the eve of Bellator 145, then joined the commentary booth the next night, during the Bobby Lashley vs. James Thompson match, where he teased possibly fighting for the promotion himself.[274] Angle's book, It's True It's True, was released on September 18, 2001.[275] In 2008, Angle was selected to be featured on the cover for metal band Emmure's second album The Respect Issue where he is depicted on the front and back covers for the record, as well as in the inlay.[276][unreliable source?] Angle began hosting a podcast called The Kurt Angle Show with Conrad Thompson in 2021.[277] Personal life Angle being helped by his then-wife Karen, with their daughter watching at ringside (far back) Angle married Karen Smedley[278] on December 19, 1998,[279] In September 2008, it was reported that Karen had filed for divorce from Kurt.[280] They have two children together.[281] In 2010, it was reported that Angle was engaged to actress Giovanna Yannotti.[282] They have three children (one adopted).[288] Angle and Yannotti were married on July 20, 2012.[289] Angle is a Christian,[290][291] and supported Marco Rubio in the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries.[292] He is a supporter of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Penguins.[293][non-primary source needed][294] In July 2015, Angle underwent emergency surgery to remove fluid buildup on his spinal cord after all of his extremities went numb.[295] A week before this emergency, he had surgery to remove a benign tumor from his neck." (wikipedia.org) "John Charles Layfield (born November 29, 1966),[1] better known by the ring name John "Bradshaw" Layfield (abbreviated to JBL),[2][3] is an American retired professional wrestler and football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is an ambassador for the company. Layfield is currently a financial commentator and is featured regularly on Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network. He is also employed by Northeast Securities as its senior vice president.[7] Layfield rose to prominence in WWE (then the World Wrestling Federation, WWF) during its Attitude Era under the ring name Bradshaw, during which time he became a three-time WWF Tag Team Champion with Ron "Faarooq" Simmons as part of the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA), a feared pair of strong and tough mercenaries who, aside from occasionally wrestling and doing “work” for “clients” spent most of their time sitting around in their “office” playing cards, drinking beer, fighting people backstage and then going out to bars and getting into bar fights. In 2004, Simmons retired and the APA separated, and Layfield was rebranded as the heel character JBL— a rough-mannered, brawling, blustering, bad-tempered and bigmouthed Texas elite businessman, driven into the arena by limousine. The gimmick was built off of Layfield's real-life accomplishments as a stock market investor. Later that year, he captured the WWE Championship and held it for 280 days. A month before his in-ring retirement at 2009's WrestleMania 25, he became Intercontinental Champion, which made him the 20th Triple Crown Champion and the 10th Grand Slam Champion in WWE history. After his retirement, Layfield became an on-air commentator for WWE programming. Layfield was inducted into the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2020. Early life Layfield was born on November 29, 1966, in Sweetwater, Texas.[1] Football career Layfield was a collegiate American football player for Trinity Valley Community College and for Abilene Christian University.[8] At Abilene, Layfield was a two-year starter on the offensive line and was named first-team All-Lone Star Conference as a junior and senior. Layfield signed with the Los Angeles Raiders as an undrafted free agent, but was released before the 1990 season began. Layfield did play in the World League of American Football, starting all ten games of the 1991 season at right tackle for the San Antonio Riders, wearing jersey number 61. Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett was the quarterback of that team. Professional wrestling career Early career (1992–1996) Layfield was trained initially by Black Bart and Brad Rheingans.[5] He debuted in September 1992 in the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF) in Texas. His first gimmick was as "John Hawk", storyline cousin of the Windham brothers. He formed the tag team "Texas Mustangs" with Bobby Duncum Jr.; they quickly won the GWF Tag Team Championship from Rough Riders (Black Bart and Johnny Mantell) on November 27[9] but dropped the titles to The Bad Breed (Ian and Axl Rotten) on January 29, 1993. In January 1993, Layfield went on his first overseas trip to Japan, wrestling for George and Shunji Takano's Network Of Wrestling. Later that same year, he would also wrestle in Mexico for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), wrestling under the name "Vampiro Americano" and frequently teamed with Vampiro Canadiense. He would also wrestle for Federacion Internacional de Lucha Libre, where he won its Heavyweight Championship. Hawk won his second GWF Tag Team Championship with Black Bart on December 25, 1993 from Steve Dane and Chaz Taylor, eventually losing them to The Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin and Terry Gordy) on June 3, 1994.[9] In June 1994, he went to Europe and toured Austria and Germany for Otto Wanz's Catch Wrestling Association (CWA) for the remainder of the year. In January 1995, Layfield joined NWA Dallas. He won the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship on January 14, 1995, defeating Kevin Von Erich.[10] Two months later, he lost the NWA North American title to Greg Valentine. He wrestled for NWA Dallas until May 1995. On the May 31, 1999 episode of Raw Is War, the Acolytes (still with the Corporate Ministry) won their first WWF Tag Team Championship by defeating Kane and X-Pac.[23] On the July 5 episode of Raw Is War, they dropped the titles to the Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff)[24] before defeating the Hardyz and their manager Michael "P.S." Hayes at Fully Loaded for their second WWF Tag Team Championship.[25] On the August 9 episode of Raw Is War, they lost the titles to Kane and X-Pac. The duo became fan favorites and changed their gimmick to that of cigar-smoking bar brawlers for hire.[22] In jeans and T-shirts, Faarooq and Bradshaw became the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA), with a motto of "because we need beer money." The duo was often seen in the backrooms of arenas with a poker table and later a framed doorway comically in the middle of the often large, open aired hallways. The Acolytes earned a shot at the WWF Tag Title at the Royal Rumble against the New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn), but lost the match.[26] Their next shot at the title was at Fully Loaded when they faced Edge and Christian. The Acolytes won the match by disqualification but did not become champions.[27] After unsuccessfully challenging for the tag title in 2000, APA won their third WWF Tag Team Championship on the July 9, 2001 episode of Raw is War by defeating the Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von).[28] On the August 9 episode of SmackDown!, they lost the tag title to Alliance members Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Kanyon.[29] On the October 22 episode of Raw Is War, Bradshaw defeated The Hurricane to win the WWF European Championship, his first singles title in the WWF.[30] He lost the title to Christian on the November 1 episode of SmackDown!.[31] At No Way Out in 2002, APA won a Tag Team Turmoil match[32] and as a result, they challenged for the tag title at WrestleMania X8 along with Hardys and Dudleys, in a Four Corners Elimination match. The champions Billy and Chuck retained their title.[33] Singles competition (2002–2003) Layfield at a 2002 house show during his time as Bradshaw Shortly after WrestleMania, Faarooq and Bradshaw split due to the brand extension. Bradshaw was drafted to Raw where his gimmick had an increased emphasis on his Texas roots, which included him carrying a cowbell to the ring and teaming up with fellow Texan Stone Cold Steve Austin. Bradshaw helped Austin in the latter's feud against the nWo, teaming up with him against them and had a brief feud with Scott Hall where he faced Hall at Backlash in a losing effort due to interference by X-Pac.[34] Following Austin's walkout on the WWE, Bradshaw joined the hardcore division and won the WWE Hardcore Championship seventeen times, with his first title win coming over Steven Richards on the June 3 episode of Raw.[35] He renamed the title the Texas Hardcore Championship. It was also during this time that his finishing move was briefly renamed from the "Clothesline From Hell" to the "Clothesline From Texas" or the "Clothesline From Deep in the Heart of Texas". Jim Ross often called the move as such during his commentary, although the name eventually reverted to the original "Clothesline From Hell". In the hardcore division, Bradshaw feuded and exchanged the title with the likes of Richards, Shawn Stasiak, Raven, Christopher Nowinski, Big Show, Justin Credible, Johnny Stamboli, Crash Holly, Jeff Hardy, and Tommy Dreamer,[35] before the title was unified by WWE Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam in August 2002. In September 2002, Bradshaw suffered a torn left biceps at a house show.[36] He was out of action for six months until returning to Ohio Valley Wrestling and then a few weeks later to the active WWE roster. APA reunion (2003–2004) Bradshaw returned on the June 19, 2003 episode of SmackDown!, which saw him and Faarooq saving the Undertaker from the hands of Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli, reuniting the APA in the process.[37] Bradshaw returned with a new look, cutting his long hair, returning it to its natural color blonde, and going clean shaven. On the June 26 episode of SmackDown!, the APA and the Undertaker defeated Stamboli, Palumbo and Nunzio.[38] At Vengeance, Bradshaw won a bar room brawl match which featured Faarooq and a variety of mid-card superstars and other WWE employees.[39] The duo lost to The Basham Brothers at No Mercy.[40] On the October 30 episode of SmackDown!, the APA defeated Big Show and Brock Lesnar by disqualification after Lesnar attacked Farooq with a steel chair.[41] On the November 13 episode of SmackDown!, Bradshaw defeated A-Train.[42] At Survivor Series, Bradshaw was part of Kurt Angle's team, as they faced Brock Lesnar's team in a five-on-five tag team match. Bradshaw managed to eliminate A-Train, before he himself was eliminated by Big Show. His team eventually won the match.[43] Bradshaw was defeated by A-Train on the November 20 episode of SmackDown!, ending their brief feud.[44] At WWE Tribute to the Troops on December 25, the APA defeated The World's Greatest Tag Team.[45] On the September 16 episode of SmackDown!, JBL lost to Rey Mysterio.[72] He hired Jillian Hall to "fix" his career. At No Mercy, JBL defeated Mysterio in a rematch.[73] In early 2006, JBL started a feud with The Boogeyman who scared him many times in the new year. The two had a match at the Royal Rumble, which the Boogeyman won.[74] His next opponent was Bobby Lashley, whom JBL defeated at No Way Out.[75] On the February 24, 2006 episode of SmackDown!, he suffered a broken hand at the hands of Chris Benoit in a six-man tag team match, and WWE.com announced that he underwent successful surgery.[76] JBL returned and feuded with Benoit, defeating him for his United States Championship at WrestleMania 22.[77][78] During this time, Jillian Hall remained at the side of JBL until the April 21 episode of SmackDown! when JBL fired Hall, due to a mistake she made during a steel cage rematch between JBL and Benoit the week before[79] as well as her lack of putting together an "appropriate" celebration for him.[80] At ECW One Night Stand, JBL announced that he would take Tazz's place as the new color commentator for SmackDown!.[83] He made his debut as a color commentator on the June 16 episode of SmackDown!.[84] JBL noted in a commentary on TheStreet.com that he was retiring from in-ring competition for good. In his final column on the website, JBL wrote, "I have also come to believe that you can't fight father time. A broken back suffered in a match in England, compounded by a herniated and bulged disc, finally made me realize my career as a professional wrestler was over. I since migrated to the color commentary position much in the way that Jesse Ventura did before me."[85] JBL returned to the ring on November 13, 2006, in the main event of a WWE house show in Dublin, Ireland. JBL teamed with Mr. Kennedy and King Booker against The Brothers of Destruction (Kane and The Undertaker), and Batista.[86] On the December 22 episode of SmackDown!, JBL cut a promo berating Theodore Long and cursing out the fans for cheering during the Inferno match at Armageddon five days earlier ("Rome didn't fall because of the gladiators in the ring. Rome fell because of the spectators in the stands.")[87] On the October 12, 2007 episode of SmackDown!, JBL was announced as one of the options WWE fans would be able to vote for to be the special guest referee at Cyber Sunday for the World Heavyweight Championship match between Batista and The Undertaker, but he lost the vote to Stone Cold Steve Austin.[88] At Cyber Sunday, he issued a heated altercation towards those running alongside him, ultimately receiving a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin. After this, he became physical as a color commentator, attacking both Batista and The Undertaker in the middle of a match as revenge after he was speared by Batista and later chokeslammed by The Undertaker after taunting them consecutively, in events leading up to Cyber Sunday. He justified these actions by explaining, "I am retired, not dead" (and that he [Layfield] should be respected).[89] In December 2007 at Armageddon, JBL was present at the SmackDown! announcer's table during the WWE Championship match. During this match, Randy Orton whipped a charging Chris Jericho over the announcer table where JBL was situated, and in the heat of the match, Jericho "pushed" JBL out of the way. Minutes later, an infuriated JBL kicked Jericho in the head, leading to a disqualification victory for Jericho meaning that Orton retained the title.[90] Layfield on Raw in 2008 On the December 17, 2007 episode of Raw, JBL announced that he would resume his wrestling career in response to a challenge made by Jericho.[91] On the December 21 episode of SmackDown!, JBL gave his farewell address from SmackDown!,[92] officially marking his return to Raw on December 31. Jericho was disqualified in their match at the Royal Rumble after hitting JBL with a chair.[93] The duo battled in a rematch on the February 11 episode of Raw, which Jericho won.[94] On February 18 on Raw, JBL interfered in the scheduled steel cage match between Mr. McMahon and his storyline illegitimate son, Hornswoggle. After Vince whipped Hornswoggle with his belt, JBL attacked Finlay from behind and handcuffed him to the top rope. After Mr. McMahon left the ring, JBL proceeded to beat Hornswoggle throwing him against the sides of the cage.[95] JBL later revealed to McMahon that Hornswoggle was Finlay's storyline son, not McMahon's.[96] On March 29, JBL inducted the Brisco Brothers into the WWE Hall of Fame.[97][98] On March 30, JBL defeated Finlay in a Belfast Brawl at WrestleMania XXIV.[99] JBL's first championship bid since returning to the ring came by challenging Randy Orton for the WWE Championship and participating in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match at Backlash that also included John Cena and Triple H. JBL was eliminated first in the match by tapping out to Cena's STFU, thus renewing their feud from 2005.[100] Cena defeated JBL at Judgment Day and then at One Night Stand in a First Blood match. He managed to defeat Cena in a New York City Parking Lot Brawl at The Great American Bash.[101] Intercontinental Champion and retirement (2008–2010) Shawn Michaels and Layfield JBL's next on-screen rivalry was with CM Punk, the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. During the feud, JBL insulted Punk's straight-edge lifestyle, calling it "boring". On the August 11 edition of Raw, JBL challenged Punk to a contest he claimed that Punk would not be able to win, which was revealed to be an alcohol drinking contest where he challenged Punk to drink a shot of Jack Daniel's whiskey to prove that he would do anything to remain champion. Punk refused, not wanting to risk compromising his beliefs, before throwing the drink in JBL's face.[102] JBL faced Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam, which he would lose after Punk hit him with his finishing move, the Go 2 Sleep.[103] On September 7 at Unforgiven, JBL faced Batista, Kane, Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho (who replaced Punk in the match after he was attacked by Randy Orton) in a Championship Scramble match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Jericho went on to win the match and the World Heavyweight Championship.[104] At No Mercy, JBL was defeated by Batista in a #1 Contender's match for the World Heavyweight Championship.[105] Throughout late 2008 and early 2009, JBL had a short rivalry with Shawn Michaels. At Survivor Series in a five on five tag team elimination tag team match in which Michaels' team emerged victorious.[106] Michaels had lost his family's personal savings due to the global financial crisis and would later become JBL's employee at Armageddon. After failing to secure JBL for the World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena at the Royal Rumble, Michaels agreed to take part in an "All or Nothing" match at No Way Out on February 15, 2009. Michaels won the match at No Way Out, after his wife (who was watching in the audience) punched JBL in the face and Michaels planted the Sweet Chin Music. This ended any employment links between the two with Michaels still receiving the full payment owed to him and end the feud. On the March 9 episode of Raw, JBL defeated CM Punk to win the Intercontinental Championship, thus becoming the tenth Grand Slam Champion and twentieth Triple Crown Champion.[107] He held the title for one month, losing the Intercontinental title at WrestleMania 25 against Rey Mysterio in 21 seconds.[108] After the match, he grabbed a microphone and said "I quit!"; the next day he announced his retirement on his WWE Universe blog.[6] Return to commentating (2011–2017) Layfield made his return to WWE on the March 7, 2011 episode of Raw as Michael Cole's choice for special guest referee for his match against Jerry Lawler at WrestleMania XXVII. He cut a promo claiming he was starting his "journey back to the main event at WrestleMania", before being interrupted by Stone Cold Steve Austin just as he was about to sign the contract. After a brief argument between the two, Austin hit Layfield with the Stone Cold Stunner and signed the contract to be the special guest referee. On March 31, 2012, Layfield inducted his former tag team partner and real life best friend Ron Simmons into the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame.[109] On July 23 Layfield returned with Simmons at Raw 1000 as the APA, after being called for protection by Lita. After a Clothesline from Hell, Lita defeated Heath Slater. Layfield (left) commentating on Raw with Michael Cole (center) and Jerry Lawler (right) in 2014 Following the 2016 WWE draft on July 19, WWE announced on their website that JBL would move to the SmackDown commentary team, joining Mauro Ranallo and David Otunga.[112] Layfield returned to his alma mater, Abilene Christian University, a color commentator for two radio broadcasts as the ACU football team faced Houston Baptist University and Stephen F. Austin State University in September 2016. He made his first appearance on the American Sports Network on October 1, 2016, when ACU hosted the University of Central Arkansas. On the January 17 episode of SmackDown Live, JBL saved Jerry Lawler, after Lawler interview with Dolph Ziggler, who took credit for Lawler's real life heart attack in September 2012, before Ziggler viciously kicking Lawler's chest and leaving the ring. Sporadic appearances and WWE Hall of Famer (2017–2023) On September 1, 2017, JBL announced that he was stepping away from the SmackDown Live commentary team to focus on humanitarian work in and out of WWE, mainly as a Beyond Sport Global Ambassador.[113][114] The APA made an appearance at the Raw 25 Years show on January 22, 2018, playing poker with other legends and superstars.[115] Layfield occasionally works on commentary during the Tribute to the Troops events with the latest one occurred on December 4, 2018 (aired on December 20) in Fort Hood. From October 2022 until February 2023, Layfield worked as the manager of Baron Corbin.[119][120] Business career WWE describes Layfield as a "self-made" millionaire.[121] In 2003, Layfield published a book on financial management titled Have More Money Now.[122] He and his wife, then Oppenheimer Holdings' financial analyst Meredith Whitney, were featured in the August 2008 issue of Fortune magazine.[121] Layfield is the founder of Layfield Energy. In 2008, Layfield Energy launched a drink called MamaJuana Energy.[51] In March 2009, Layfield Energy became the main sponsor and advertiser of Ohio Valley Wrestling, a former WWE developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky.[123] Layfield has lived full-time in Bermuda since shortly after his retirement from in-ring activity.[124] Feeling confined living in New York City, he spent the summer of 2009 in Bermuda at his wife's encouragement, and the couple soon bought a full-time home there. As he acclimated to Bermuda, he noticed what he called "the almost predominant black-on-black violence that is unfortunately pervasive throughout the local neighborhoods"[citation needed], and in 2011 created the nonprofit organization Beyond Rugby Bermuda, using rugby union to provide young people with an alternative to gangs. The organization is an offshoot of Beyond Sport, a South African nonprofit that uses running for similar purposes; Layfield was introduced to that group's founder when he and his wife visited the country for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He spends much of his time outside of WWE with the organization, filling duties as varied as celebrity fundraising and mowing the rugby field. Beyond Rugby Bermuda began with six boys; as of February 2017, more than 400 boys and girls were involved. Layfield is now a global ambassador for Beyond Sport alongside figures such as Tony Blair and Desmond Tutu.[125] In the spring of 2018, Major League Rugby announced that they would start an expansion team in New York City. In this announcement, it was announced that the co-founders of the club would be James Kennedy and Layfield.[126] Cable news In 2004, Layfield was hired by CNBC to be a contributor. During a WWE house show in Munich, Germany, early in June 2004, in an attempt to draw heel heat, he gave the crowd several Nazi salutes while goose-stepping around the ring.[127] Such a display is illegal in Germany,[128] and CNBC fired Layfield as a result of the controversy. In an interview with The Washington Post, Layfield explained "I'm a bad guy [on WWE TV]. I'm supposed to incite the crowd. I've done it for decades. I really didn't think anything of [the Nazi salute] – I know how bad it is, I've lived [in Germany]. I've been to Dachau, seen those places where they exterminated millions of Jews. I draw the line between me and my character. That's like saying Anthony Hopkins (who portrays Hannibal Lecter) really enjoys cannibalism".[129] Layfield left CNBC and was subsequently hired by Fox News Channel and sister network (and CNBC rival) Fox Business Network as a business commentator.[122] Other media In April 2009, following his departure from WWE, Ohio Valley Wrestling owner Danny Davis announced in a press release that Layfield would be color commentator and host for Vyper Fight League, which Layfield would also sponsor with Layfield Energy; however, the company folded the following year.[130] In November 2012, Layfield started hosting a new show on WWE's YouTube channel alongside Michael Cole and Renee Young called The JBL and Renee Show (formerly known as The JBL Show and The JBL and Cole Show). The series ended in May 2015.[131] Layfield used to run the website Layfield Report which highlighted a variety of his views and opinions in numerous articles. The site was ended in September 2014. Layfield has appeared as a playable character in a number of WWE video games. His first appearance as a playable character was in WWF Attitude, with his latest appearance in WWE 2K22, as well as being a playable character, in WWF WrestleMania 2000, WWF SmackDown!, WWF No Mercy, WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role, WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It, WWF Road to WrestleMania, WWF Raw, WWE WrestleMania X8, WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth, WWE Crush Hour, WWE Raw 2, WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw, WWE WrestleMania 21, WWE Day of Reckoning 2, WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010, WWE '13, WWE 2K14, WWE 2K15 as DLC, WWE 2K16, WWE 2K17 , WWE 2K18 and WWE 2K22.[132] Layfield also appears as a commentator for several games, including WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2008, WWE 2K16 and WWE 2K17.[133][134] Layfield began broadcasting American football games in 2016, serving as analyst for a pair of Abilene Christian University radio broadcasts and two Southland Conference games televised on American Sports Network.[135] His ASN debut pitted the University of Central Arkansas against Abilene Christian, followed by ACU's matchup at McNeese State University.[136] In 2021, Layfield began hosting a podcast series with Gerald Brisco.[137] Filmography Year     Title     Role     Notes     Ref. 2012–2015     The JBL and Renee Show     Himself     Web series; main role     [131] 2015–2017     Legends with JBL     Himself (host)     WWE Network series     [138] Personal life His parents are Lavelle Layfield, who is a minister, and Mary Layfield. Layfield married his second wife, Meredith Whitney, on February 11, 2005, in Key West, Florida. He was previously married to Cindy Womack on June 6, 1994, but divorced in 2003.[122] Bullying allegations and hazing" (wikipedia.org) "Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes[1] (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005)[2] was an American professional wrestler. A prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family, being the son of first-generation wrestler Gory Guerrero. He was widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential professional wrestlers of all time. Guerrero performed in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions, and in the United States he performed for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and most notably World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/WWE).[3] Guerrero's gimmick was that of a "Latino Heat", a crafty, resourceful wrestler who would do anything to win a match. His catchphrase became "I Lie! I Cheat! I Steal!" and was used in one of his entrance themes; he partly used this phrase in the title of his 2005 autobiography, Cheating Death, Stealing Life. Despite being a heel for most of his career, he was popular in and out of the ring and was at the peak of his career as a face during 2003–2005, becoming the top wrestler on the SmackDown brand in 2004. He experienced various substance abuse problems, including alcoholism and an addiction to painkillers; these real-life issues were sometimes incorporated into his storylines. Guerrero spent his early career wrestling in Mexican promotions and forming a popular tag team with Art Barr. After the death of Barr, Guerrero received his first mainstream exposure in the United States in 1995 by joining ECW and winning the ECW World Television Championship. Later that year, Guerrero moved to WCW, where he became WCW United States Champion and WCW Cruiserweight Champion and also led the Latino World Order. He left WCW in 2000 after the company failed to elevate him to a main event spot. He moved to WWF during the Attitude Era with his WCW colleagues Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn, who formed a group called The Radicalz. Guerrero went on to win the WWF European Championship and WWF Intercontinental Championship before he was released in 2001 due to addiction issues. After being rehired in 2002, he formed Los Guerreros with his nephew Chavo, winning the WWE Tag Team Championship, and established himself on the SmackDown brand. He climbed to main event status and won the WWE Championship, his sole world championship at No Way Out 2004. He lost the title later that year but remained a popular main eventer until his death on November 13, 2005.[6] He was posthumously inducted into the WWE, AAA, Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Hardcore halls of fame. Early life Guerrero was born and raised in El Paso, Texas,[3][4] where he graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School (La Jeff) in 1985. He attended the University of New Mexico, and then New Mexico Highlands University on an athletic scholarship. It was there that Guerrero entered collegiate wrestling before moving to Mexico to train as a professional wrestler.[5] He followed in the footsteps of his brothers and father, who had also wrestled in Mexico. As a boy, he would attend the wrestling promotions held by his father Gory Guerrero at the El Paso County Coliseum. Guerrero's father allowed him and his nephew Chavo to wrestle each other during intermissions. Professional wrestling career   Early career (1986–1992) Guerrero debuted in 1986. In 1989 he appeared with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as a jobber, most notably wrestling Terry Funk. In 1991, he would return for WrestleWar, wrestling a dark match, teaming with Ultraman to defeat Huichol and Rudy Boy Gonzalez. Guerrero wrestled as the original Mascara Magica in CMLL until his departure in 1992. He then left the company to pursue a career with AAA. Although the Mascara Magica gimmick was popular, CMLL owned the rights to the character. Guerrero then appeared on a televised AAA show as Mascara Magica, only to then unmask himself along with the aide of his tag team partner that night, Octagón. Being physically attacked by the opposing tag team for doing so. Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (1992–1995) See also: Los Gringos Locos In Mexico, Guerrero wrestled mainly for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA), teaming with El Hijo del Santo as the new version of La Pareja Atómica (The Atomic Pair), the tag team of Gory Guerrero and El Santo. After Guerrero turned on Santo and allied with Art Barr as "la Pareja del Terror" ("the Pair of Terror"), the duo became arguably the most hated tag team in lucha libre history.[2] Along with Barr, Konnan, Chicano Power, and Madonna's Boyfriend, Guerrero formed los Gringos Locos ("the Crazy Americans"), a villainous stable.[2][7] Guerrero later said that no matter how many people joined los Gringos Locos, the stable was all about Barr. Locos feuded mostly with El Hijo del Santo and his partner Octagón, eventually ending in a Hair vs. Mask match at the first Lucha pay-per-view in America, When Worlds Collide, which they lost.[8] Guerrero and Barr's first break would come when they were noticed in late-1994 by the owner of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Paul Heyman, and were approached about wrestling for him in 1995. Barr, however, died before he could join ECW with Guerrero. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1992–1996) In 1992, Guerrero began wrestling in Japan for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was known as the second incarnation of Black Tiger. He became more successful upon his return when he won the 1996 Best of the Super Juniors tournament of junior heavyweights. He received a shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion The Great Sasuke at Skydiving J, but lost the match.[9] Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995) Guerrero won the ECW World Television Championship from 2 Cold Scorpio in his debut match for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on April 8, 1995, at Three Way Dance.[10][11] He went on to have a series of acclaimed matches with Dean Malenko before they both signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) later that year.[12] Guerrero lost the ECW Television Championship to Malenko on July 21 of that year,[13] but Guerrero regained the title on July 28.[11] Guerrero lost the ECW Television Championship back to 2 Cold Scorpio on August 25.[14] The next day, they had their last match which ended in a draw in a two out of three falls match at the ECW Arena. After the match, the locker room emptied and the two were carried around the ring by their fellow wrestlers while the crowd chanted "please don't go".[15] World Championship Wrestling (1995–2000) Debut; championship reigns (1995–1997) Guerrero returned to WCW in late 1995 along with Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit with whom he had worked with in NJPW and ECW.[12][16] During his first few pay-per-view events, he competed in dark matches against Alex Wright.[17] His first televised pay-per-view appearance was at World War 3 where he competed in the 3-ring, 60-man World War 3 battle royal for the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Guerrero was one of the final nine men in the battle royal (notably being one of only two men in the group to be under the age of 35, the other being The Giant) until he was tossed out of the ring by Four Horsemen members.[18][19] At Starrcade: World Cup of Wrestling in December 1995, Guerrero represented WCW in a WCW vs. NJPW World Cup tournament, which saw him losing to Shinjiro Otani in the match, but WCW would go on to win the series at 4–3.[20] In 1996, Guerrero received several shots at the United States Heavyweight Championship against Konnan at Uncensored[21] and Ric Flair at Hog Wild.[22] He feuded with Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen during 1996 after Guerrero's partner Arn Anderson turned on him during a tag team match against Ric Flair and Randy Savage.[23] In late 1996, he feuded with Diamond Dallas Page after defeating him in a match at Clash of the Champions XXXIII.[24] He started feuding with DDP to steal his nickname of "Lord of the Ring", but lost.[25] Guerrero participated in a tournament for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship and defeated DDP in the final round at Starrcade to win the United States title in December 1996.[26] In 1997, Guerrero defended the United States Heavyweight Championship against Scott Norton at Clash of the Champions XXXIV,[27] Syxx in a ladder match at Souled Out,[28] and Chris Jericho at SuperBrawl VII.[29] His reign came to an end at Uncensored when Dean Malenko defeated him for the title.[30] After losing the United States Heavyweight Championship, Guerrero feuded with Jericho focusing on Jericho's Cruiserweight Championship. He challenged Jericho for the title at Clash of the Champions XXXV but lost.[31] Guerrero demanded a rematch for the title. In the opening match of Fall Brawl, Guerrero defeated Jericho to win the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship.[32] He dropped the Cruiserweight title to Rey Mysterio Jr. at Halloween Havoc in a title vs. mask match where Mysterio's mask was also on the line.[33] On the November 10 episode of Monday Nitro, he regained the Cruiserweight title from Mysterio,[34] and made a successful title defense against Mysterio at World War 3.[35] After retaining the title against Dean Malenko in the opening bout of Starrcade in December 1997,[36] Guerrero dropped the title to Último Dragón the following day on the December 29 episode of Nitro.[37] Latino World Order; Filthy Animals (1998–2000) Main articles: Latino World Order and Filthy Animals On the March 9, 1998 episode of Nitro, Guerrero's nephew Chavo Guerrero lost to Booker T in a match. After the match, Guerrero delivered a suplex to Chavo for the main purpose of teaching him a lesson.[38] On the March 12 episode of Thunder, he defeated his nephew Chavo in a match and forced him to become his "slave".[39] At Uncensored, Chavo was forced to support Guerrero when he faced Booker T for Booker's WCW World Television Championship. Guerrero lost the match after receiving a missile dropkick.[40] Guerrero and Chavo feuded with Último Dragón. Chavo lost to Dragón at Spring Stampede.[41] At Slamboree, Guerrero defeated Dragón despite interference from Chavo.[42] After the match, Chavo kissed Eddie and began to display insane behavior. At The Great American Bash, Chavo got an upset victory over Guerrero.[43] They faced each other in a hair vs. hair match at Bash at the Beach which Guerrero won. Continuing to show his crazy behavior Chavo would shave his own head while Guerrero looked on in disbelief.[44] Guerrero saved Chavo from beatings by Stevie Ray, seeming that he would align with Chavo but he wanted his release.[45] Despite his success and popularity, Guerrero had been one of many wrestlers who were frustrated at never being given a chance to be main event stars in WCW. These frustrations came to a head when Guerrero requested that WCW President Eric Bischoff either push his character or give him a raise for family reasons. Bischoff responded by allegedly throwing coffee at Guerrero (however, in his autobiography, Guerrero states that Bischoff accidentally knocked his coffee off the table and that it was a complete accident that he was hit). Furious, Guerrero demanded Bischoff release him from his contract on a live episode of Nitro. Guerrero then left the company for months, angry at Bischoff for what he had done. Guerrero later returned to WCW, leading to the belief that maybe Guerrero's angry speeches against Bischoff were a work (Guerrero later confirmed it to be a worked shoot). Guerrero would later contradict himself on WWE's DVD Monday Night War claiming that he tried to put personal differences aside for the good of the company, yet found himself angry and outraged once more because of Bischoff's supposed continued refusal to elevate Guerrero and other similar wrestlers. He let Brian Adams pin him and get an upset victory in a match.[45] On-screen, Guerrero responded to Bischoff's actions by forming the Latino World Order (LWO), which was a take-off of Bischoff's New World Order.[46] The group was an answer to Bischoff's "refusal" to push Latino wrestlers in ways they felt they deserved.[46] The LWO was formed in October when Guerrero returned to WCW, with Héctor Garza and Damien.[45] The group eventually grew to encompass almost all the Mexican wrestlers working for WCW at the time. They mainly feuded with Rey Mysterio Jr. and Billy Kidman because they wanted Mysterio to join the group. He faced Kidman in a match for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, but Mysterio interfered and helped Kidman win the match and keep the title.[45] However, Guerrero was involved in a car accident on New Year's Day 1999 that cut short the LWO storyline. After his return on the May 31, 1999 episode of Monday Nitro, Guerrero became a founding member of the Filthy Animals alongside Rey Mysterio Jr. and Konnan.[47] They feuded with the Dead Pool (Insane Clown Posse and Vampiro). They received two straight victories over the Dead Pool at Road Wild and Fall Brawl.[48][49] They next feuded with Revolution (Shane Douglas, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn). Guerrero was victorious over Saturn by disqualification in a singles match at Halloween Havoc.[50] At Mayhem, the Animals lost to Revolution in a mixed tag team elimination match.[51] When Vince Russo was fired as WCW booker and replaced by Kevin Sullivan, Guerrero asked for and received a release from his contract on January 19, 2000.[52] He signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 2000 along with fellow WCW stars Benoit, Malenko, and Saturn. World Wrestling Federation (2000–2001) Main article: The Radicalz Guerrero (bottom) facing Val Venis at King of the Ring in June 2000 Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn debuted in the WWF on the January 31, 2000 episode of Raw Is War as The Radicalz, interfering in a match involving The New Age Outlaws, establishing themselves as faces.[53] During his first match with the WWF, a tag team match with Perry Saturn against The New Age Outlaws, Guerrero performed a frog splash off the top rope and dislocated his elbow when he landed the move; as a result, he was sidelined for several weeks. Guerrero and Saturn had originally been booked to defeat The New Age Outlaws, but due to his injury, Guerrero panicked and told Road Dogg, who was in the tag team match with Billy Gunn against Guerrero and Saturn, to immediately pin him.[54] After losing their "tryout matches" upon entry, The Radicalz aligned themselves with WWF Champion Triple H and became a heel faction. In March, Guerrero, who was wrestling as a heel, began pursuing the affections of Chyna, who he referred to as his "Mamacita". At the time, Chyna was allies with Chris Jericho and initially rejected his advances. The night after WrestleMania 2000, on the April 3, 2000 episode of Raw Is War, Guerrero faced off against Jericho for the European Championship. During the match, Chyna turned on Jericho and helped Guerrero win, and later explained her actions by declaring that she could not resist his "Latino Heat".[54][55][56][57] After Guerrero abandoned Lita to be attacked by The Dudley Boyz, he and Chyna began a feud with Essa Rios and Lita, ending in a European title defense at Backlash, which was also billed as the night of Guerrero's prom (he was said to have just earned a GED). Guerrero defeated Rios after arriving at ringside in a 1957 Chevrolet, even wrestling in his tuxedo pants and a bow tie.[54][58] Guerrero turned face and successfully retained the title against former Radicalz friends Saturn and Malenko in a triple threat match at Judgment Day,[54][59] before losing the title to Saturn at Fully Loaded.[54] The two slowly began to become popular with the fans, but over the next few months friction began to build between Guerrero and Chyna. Chyna was upset when Guerrero pinned her to advance in the King of the Ring tournament.[54] Then at SummerSlam that August, Guerrero and Chyna wrestled an Intergender tag team match against Trish Stratus and Val Venis, who at the time was the reigning Intercontinental Champion. The Intercontinental Championship was on the line in the match, and whoever scored the pin would win the title. Guerrero's team won the match, but Chyna scored the pin on Trish and became a two-time Intercontinental Champion.[54][60] Although Guerrero said he did not mind that his partner was the champion, on the September 4 episode of Raw Is War he went to WWF Commissioner Mick Foley and asked to be inserted into Chyna's title defense against Kurt Angle claiming that he did not want Angle to hurt his "mamacita". During the course of the match, Angle knocked down Chyna with the title belt and Guerrero laid on top of her to try to revive her. However, this resulted in Guerrero "accidentally" pinning Chyna as her shoulders were still on the mat, and thus Guerrero won the match and his first Intercontinental Championship.[54][57][61] Chyna became visibly uncomfortable as Guerrero began to cheat in order to retain his title, while Guerrero was upset that Chyna was posing for Playboy magazine, even trying to invade the Playboy Mansion to stop the photo shoot.[54] Just when it appeared that Chyna would leave Guerrero, he proposed to her and she accepted.[54] At Unforgiven, Chyna helped Guerrero in retaining his title against Rikishi.[54][62] The engagement was called off when Guerrero was caught showering with two of The Godfather's hos (one of whom would later wrestle as Victoria) claiming that "two Mamacitas are better than one".[54] Guerrero turned heel again as a result of the incident. Then, The Radicalz reunited and feuded with the reformed D-Generation X (Chyna, Billy Gunn, Road Dogg, and K-Kwik). They defeated D-Generation X at Survivor Series in an elimination tag team match and assisted Triple H in his match with Stone Cold Steve Austin.[54][63] Guerrero was later defeated by Gunn for the Intercontinental Championship on the Thanksgiving episode of SmackDown!.[54] At Rebellion, Guerrero and Malenko lost to Gunn and Chyna.[54][64] Benoit left the group to focus on a singles career while the rest of The Radicalz feuded with Lita and The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff). At Armageddon, The Radicalz defeated The Hardy Boyz and Lita in an elimination tag team match.[54][65] In early 2001, Guerrero feuded with Chris Jericho, Benoit, and X-Pac over Jericho's Intercontinental Championship. At No Way Out, the four men faced each other in a fatal four-way match, which Jericho won.[66] Guerrero focused on the European Championship, feuding with the champion Test defeating him at WrestleMania X-Seven to win his second European Championship with help from Saturn and Malenko.[67][68] In April, The Radicalz feuded with Test and his partners. Guerrero eventually left the Radicalz, siding with The Hardy Boyz and Lita. At this point, Guerrero developed an addiction to pain medication stemming from his 1999 car accident and in May 2001 was sent to rehab, missing the entire Invasion storyline featured his former fellow WCW (and later ECW) wrestlers. To explain his absence, a storyline was created where Guerrero was "injured" by Albert in a match.[69] On November 9, 2001, he was arrested for drunk driving and was subsequently released by the WWF three days later. Independent circuit (2001–2002) Guerrero started wrestling on the independent circuit after his release from the WWF. On February 23, 2002, he faced Super Crazy on the debut show of Ring of Honor known as The Era of Honor Begins to crown the first-ever IWA Intercontinental Champion. Guerrero lost the match.[70][71] On February 24, he debuted in the Australian promotion World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) at The Revolution beating the champion Juventud Guerrera and Psicosis in a Triple Threat match for the WWA International Cruiserweight Championship.[70][72] On March 1, he defeated the champion CM Punk and Rey Mysterio in a Triple Threat match for the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship.[70][73] He dropped the title back to Punk one day later on March 2.[70] He vacated the WWA Cruiserweight title in April 2002 after returning to the WWF.[70] Return to New Japan (2002) Guerrero also returned to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) for a brief period in March 2002, this time unmasked. He aligned himself with the villainous Team 2000 stable, and primarily teamed with Black Tiger.[74] Return to WWF/WWE (2002–2005) Teaming with Chris Benoit (2002) Guerrero returned to the WWF on the April 1, 2002 episode of Raw, attacking Rob Van Dam.[75][76] He feuded with Van Dam, defeating him for his second Intercontinental Championship at Backlash.[77][78] After retaining the title against Van Dam at Insurrextion[79] and Judgment Day,[80][81] he finally lost the title to Van Dam on the May 27 episode of Raw in a ladder match in which a fan in an Edmonton Oilers jersey pushed him off a ladder. Guerrero then feuded with Stone Cold Steve Austin, but Austin left the WWE before a match could take place.[80] Chris Benoit returned to WWE the night Guerrero lost the title and reunited with him. Guerrero and Benoit feuded with Ric Flair for a while and Guerrero lost a match to Flair at King of the Ring.[80][82] Guerrero lies on a corner, one of his characteristic traits. On August 1, 2002, Guerrero and Benoit moved to WWE's SmackDown! brand. Guerrero feuded with Edge, to whom he lost at SummerSlam.[83] Guerrero continued his feud with Edge, whom he defeated at Unforgiven; they then had a no disqualification match four days after Unforgiven on SmackDown! which Edge won thus ending the rivalry.[84] Los Guerreros and championship reigns (2002–2004) Main article: Los Guerreros With Benoit focusing on Kurt Angle, Guerrero aligned himself with his nephew Chavo, forming the tag team Los Guerreros.[85][86] In contrast to a previous WCW storyline with his nephew, Chavo fully agreed with his uncle as their slogan stated: "We lie, we cheat, and we steal, but at least we're honest about it". To push the new tag team, vignettes were produced, which included things such as the two finagling their way into a rich lady's house and throwing a pool party. These segments marked the beginning of the rise of popularity for the team, especially Eddie, who continued to use the mannerisms.[85] The duo entered the eight-team tournament for the new WWE Tag Team Championship, sneaking past Rikishi and Mark Henry in the opening round,[85][86][87] before starting a feud with the newly formed tag team of Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit. In one of the team's definitive moments, Chavo told Benoit that his former friend Guerrero was assaulted by his tag team partner Angle. Benoit ran to make the save, only to have himself locked inside a room. Guerrero then appeared in the room and assaulted Benoit with a steel chair. Benoit and Angle managed to overcome their differences and eventually defeated Los Guerreros in the tournament semi-finals.[85][86][88] Later on, Benoit and Angle won the title. Benoit and Angle then fought for a trophy for being the first WWE Tag Team Champions. Much to Benoit's surprise, Los Guerreros helped him win the match. At Survivor Series, Los Guerreros faced the new champions Edge and Rey Mysterio and the team of Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit for the titles. Guerrero made Mysterio submit to the Lasso from El Paso to win their first WWE Tag Team Championship.[89][90] They turned face due to their popularity. They lost the titles to Team Angle (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) on the February 6, 2003 episode of SmackDown!.[91][92] Los Guerreros and Team Angle began feuding with each other. Los Guerreros participated at WrestleMania XIX as contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship, along with the team of Chris Benoit and Rhyno. Both teams lost to Team Angle in a triple threat match.[93] At Backlash, Los Guerreros lost to Team Angle in a rematch.[94] Five days prior to Judgment Day, his real-life nephew Chavo tore his biceps and forcing Guerrero to look for another partner. He chose Tajiri, and they won the WWE Tag Team Championship, Guerrero's second and Tajiri's first at Judgment Day by defeating Team Angle in a ladder match.[95][96] The following week, Guerrero and Tajiri managed to retain their titles against Team Angle by cheating.[91][97] They also defeated Roddy Piper and his protégé Sean O'Haire in Madison Square Garden on the June 26 episode of SmackDown!.[91][98] After Guerrero and Tajiri lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to The World's Greatest Tag Team (previously Team Angle) on the July 3 episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero turned on Tajiri, slamming his partner through the windshield of his low-rider truck, turning heel once again.[91][99] Guerrero in 2004 In July 2003, Guerrero competed in a tournament for the WWE United States Championship. He managed to advance to the final round, defeating Último Dragón and Billy Gunn in the process,[91] where he would meet Chris Benoit.[100][101] At Vengeance, Guerrero turned to his cheating tactics, hitting Benoit with the belt at one point in the match. Guerrero tried to get Benoit in trouble by placing the title belt on top of the unconscious Benoit. It did not work, however, since he knocked out the referee earlier with a championship belt shot to the kidneys. The match ended with interference and a Gore from Rhyno, Benoit's partner, who was furious at the team's failure. Guerrero pinned Benoit and won the United States Championship.[102][103] At SummerSlam, Guerrero retained his title by defeating Rhyno, Benoit, and Tajiri in a fatal four-way match.[91][104] He quickly reverted to being a face by engaging in a rivalry with John Cena. On the September 11 episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero challenged Cena to a "Latino Heat" Parking Lot Brawl match for the United States Championship, which Guerrero won with help from his returning nephew, Chavo.[91][105] The next week on SmackDown!, Los Guerreros defeated The World's Greatest Tag Team to win the WWE Tag Team Championship, making Guerrero a double champion (beginning Guerrero's third tag title reign). Guerrero engaged in a feud with Big Show, which involved Guerrero giving Big Show some laxative laced burritos and then later spraying Big Show from a sewage truck.[91][106][107] The feud ended when Guerrero lost the United States Championship to Big Show at No Mercy.[108] Four days later, Los Guerreros lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to the Basham Brothers (Danny and Doug).[86][91][109] They began feuding with the Basham Brothers, but failed to regain the championship at Survivor Series.[110] As Los Guerreros attempted to regain the tag team titles, things began to go downhill between Chavo and Eddie, as animosity began to build. Chavo then attacked and turned on Guerrero after he suffered a beating from the Basham Brothers on the January 8, 2004 episode of SmackDown!.[86][111][112] Guerrero feuded with Chavo and defeated him at the Royal Rumble to settle their feud. After the match Eddie attacked Chavo causing him to bleed.[113] WWE Champion (2004) Guerrero (right) with close friend Chris Benoit celebrating as reigning World Champions at WrestleMania XX When Chris Benoit jumped to the Raw brand after winning the Royal Rumble match, using his title shot to go for Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship, Guerrero won a 15-man Royal Rumble match on the January 29, 2004 episode of SmackDown! to earn a shot at the WWE Championship.[111][114] After becoming the number one contender, Guerrero elevated himself to main event status and began feuding with the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. At No Way Out, Guerrero defeated Lesnar in a shocking upset victory in the main event to win the WWE Championship. The victory made him a Triple Crown and Grand Slam Champion in the process.[115][116] His next feud was with Kurt Angle, whom he defeated at WrestleMania XX to retain his title in his first big defense.[117] At the end of this event, Guerrero celebrated in the ring with longtime friend Chris Benoit, who had just won the World Heavyweight Championship.[118]     "The chair shot was very stiff. [...] Eddie went deep. Very deep. I had no idea until I watched that tape back how much blood there was, I have seen some bloodbaths in Japan, Europe, Mexico and Texas-I had been in several-I have never seen anything like that." Layfield recounting the match between him and Guerrero at the 2004 Judgment Day event.[119] In March, he started a feud with fellow Texan John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) after JBL interrupted Guerrero's title match with Booker T.[111][120] The rivalry would soon turn personal when at a non-televised live event, JBL caused Guerrero's mother to suffer a (kayfabe) heart attack while in attendance at ringside. At Judgment Day, Guerrero defended his WWE title against JBL, retaining the title after getting himself disqualified, hitting JBL with the championship title.[121] The match witnessed Guerrero bleed heavily mid-way in the match as a result of Guerrero performing a bladejob after a stiff headshot ringside with a chair from JBL. It was later explained that he cut too deep, thus hitting an artery. After the match concluded, Guerrero was persuaded to go to hospital by WWE producer Bruce Prichard where his wound was stitched up and he received IV fluids.[122] At The Great American Bash, Guerrero defended the title against JBL in a Texas bullrope match. JBL won after Kurt Angle (who was General Manager of SmackDown! at the time) reversed the decision after Guerrero appeared to have retained the title.[123] On the July 8 episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero pulled a switcharoo with Shannon Moore, who was wrestling as "El Gran Luchadore" and wore the costume.[111][124] On the July 15 episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero faced JBL in a steel cage match for the WWE title where El Gran Luchadore appeared again and cost Guerrero the match; he later revealed himself as Kurt Angle. Guerrero continued his feud with Angle.[111][125] Final storylines (2004–2005) At SummerSlam, Guerrero lost to Angle after submitting to his ankle lock.[111][126] Guerrero then allied himself with Big Show. Each week Angle and his new allies Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak began targeting Guerrero and Big Show. Guerrero defeated Reigns in a singles match at No Mercy.[111][127] General Manager Theodore Long booked a Survivor Series Elimination match between a team led by Guerrero and a team led by Angle. Guerrero's team consisted of himself, Big Show, John Cena (replacing the originally chosen Rey Mysterio), and Rob Van Dam. At Survivor Series, Guerrero's team defeated Angle's team.[128] Guerrero, along with Booker T and The Undertaker, then challenged JBL for a WWE Championship rematch. Along the way, Guerrero found a partner in Booker T. At Armageddon, Guerrero and Booker's initial teamwork broke away, and the match ended with JBL pinning Booker following the Clothesline From Hell.[111][129] Afterwards, Guerrero and Booker briefly and unsuccessfully attempted to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.[111][130] At the Royal Rumble, Guerrero entered the Royal Rumble match at No. 1 and lasted 28:11 before being eliminated by Edge. In a skit before the Royal Rumble match, he drew his number the same time Ric Flair drew his. In an attempt to get a better draw, Guerrero switched his number with Flair's (and stole Flair's wallet in the process). Theodore Long made him return both items before the match. Flair would enter at No. 30. At No Way Out, Guerrero teamed up with longtime friend and sometimes rival, Rey Mysterio and defeated the Basham Brothers to win his final title, the WWE Tag Team Championship for a fourth time, with it being Mysterio's third reign.[131][132] Many expected the new champions to defend their title at WrestleMania 21, but after encouragement from Chavo,[133][134] Guerrero challenged Mysterio to a one-on-one match instead so they could "bring the house down".[133][135] The two wrestled a match at WrestleMania with Mysterio getting the win. Although visibly frustrated, Guerrero congratulated his partner.[136] After several mishaps in the weeks following WrestleMania, the growing tension between Guerrero and Mysterio finally erupted when they lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to the new team MNM (Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury) on the April 21 episode of SmackDown!.[137] Although the next week they received a rematch to regain the titles, Guerrero abandoned Mysterio, whom he had considered "his family" earlier in the show, costing them the match.[138] Guerrero (left) and Mysterio with the WWE Tag Team Championship belts At the end of the May 5 episode of SmackDown!, he saved Mysterio from an attack by Chavo and MNM, before attacking Mysterio, leaving him bruised and bloody after suplexing him onto a set of steel steps, turning heel in the process. Guerrero then adopted a new, brooding gimmick. During this time, he also stopped driving his low-riders down the ring and walked to the ring slowly with a frown on his face, gained a new theme which was a darker remix of "Lie, Cheat, And Steal" and started using his other finishing move, the Lasso from El Paso, more often.[133] At Judgment Day, Guerrero lost to Mysterio by disqualification after hitting Mysterio with a chair.[139] On the June 30 episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero threatened to reveal a secret about Mysterio and his son Dominik. The storyline grew to involve the families of both men, with both sides pleading for Guerrero not to reveal the secret.[140] Mysterio defeated Guerrero again at The Great American Bash, a match with a stipulation that if Guerrero lost, he would not tell the secret.[141] Yet Guerrero revealed the secret anyway on the following episode of SmackDown! – telling Dominik and the audience that Guerrero was his real father. In the following weeks, Guerrero revealed the details of the secret in a series of what he called "Eddie's Bedtime Stories".[142] During that time he now had a dark comical gimmick. He claimed that he had a child out of wedlock (Dominik) while his marriage was going through hard times. He claimed he then allowed Mysterio and his wife, who were "having trouble conceiving", to adopt the child as their own.[133] At SummerSlam, Guerrero lost a ladder match over Dominik's custody to Mysterio.[143] On the September 9 episode of SmackDown!, their feud ended when Guerrero defeated Mysterio in a steel cage match.[144] Following his feud with Mysterio, Guerrero was named number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship and given a title match with Batista. Despite this, Guerrero quickly proclaimed himself to be Batista's friend. Batista was well aware of Guerrero's sneaky reputation, and despite eventually accepting his friendship (initially to keep an eye on him), Batista would continually play mind games with Guerrero to expose his true intentions. A series of matches with MNM only supported Batista's suspicions that Guerrero was up to no good, as Guerrero appeared to have reverted to his cheating ways.[133] In response to Batista's suspicions, Guerrero helped Batista win a match against his tag team partners, JBL and Christian.[145] Batista defeated Guerrero at No Mercy to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in what would be Guerrero's last pay-per-view match. During the match, Guerrero struggled with a decision about whether or not to use a steel chair to secure the victory, eventually opting not to use it and losing as a result.[146] He would make his entrance the following SmackDown! using his signature low rider and old entrance theme with Batista, and turning him face once again. Guerrero wrestled in his last match on the November 11 episode of SmackDown!, defeating Mr. Kennedy by disqualification using his signature lie, cheat, and steal tactics, which allowed him to advance to the SmackDown! Survivor Series team. After the match, Kennedy hitting him with a steel chair. On the date of his death, a triple threat match between himself, Batista, and Randy Orton was supposed to take place to air on the following episode of SmackDown! for the World Heavyweight Championship, in which Guerrero had been booked to win the title so Batista could take time off to heal from an injured back[citation needed], but that was later denied by Batista in his own book. Orton was given Guerrero's spot in the traditional Survivor Series elimination match between the Raw and SmackDown! brands, which SmackDown! would win, with Orton being the sole survivor. Professional wrestling style and persona After the death of his friend Art Barr, Guerrero started to use the frog splash as a finisher.[147] He also used to perform 3 sequential suplexes, calling the triad the "Three Amigos”.[148] He would also use a variation of the Texas cloverleaf and called it the Lasso from El Paso. Often included in his matches, Eddie would employ what commentator Tazz would refer to as “The Smoking Gun;” a chair, championship belt, or other unauthorized item and toss it to his opponent as the referee turned around from a distraction. As the referee began assessing the issue or returning the item to its original location, Eddie would gain an advantage of some sort to win the match. Some matches had Eddie smack a chair on the mat and toss the chair to his opponent and lie on the ground. When the referee turned around and saw the opponent had the chair, they would call a disqualification and the match would end in Eddie's favor. Other media     This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) On March 13, 2004, Guerrero (WWE Champion), along with Big Show, Trish Stratus and Chris Jericho, made a guest appearance on MADtv as he and the other wrestlers "beat up" Frank Caliendo (portraying Jay Leno) while Aries Spears (portraying The Tonight Show Band leader Kevin Eubanks) watched on. There have also been several DVDs and books released about his life and career, including Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story (DVD, 2004), Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story (book, released on December 5, 2005), and Viva La Raza: The Legacy of Eddie Guerrero (DVD 2008). Additionally, the song "We Lie, We Cheat, We Steal" that he performed with Chavo was released on the WWE Originals CD. Guerrero's catchphrase during the latter part of his career with WWE was "Viva La Raza" (which is Spanish for "Long Live the Race"). In the mid parts of his career, Guerrero took the title of "Latino Heat", which was also his theme song in the early 2000s. He has also been featured in WWE's Best Smackdown matches video of its 15-year Friday Night span, upon the show being moved to Thursday nights on Thursday, January 15, 2015, he features in 5 of the top 15 matches including the number 1 spot where his No Disqualification bout with Edge topped the list of best Smackdown matches. Video games Key Video games that were released posthumously     Denotes video games that were released posthumously Year     Game     Notes 1997     WCW vs. the World     First video game appearance 1997     WCW vs. nWo: World Tour     1997     Virtual Pro Wrestling 64     Only released in Japan 1998     WCW Nitro     1998     Shin Nippon Pro Wrestling: Toukon Retsuden 3     Only released in Japan 1998     WCW/nWo Revenge     1999     WCW/nWo Thunder     Unlockable character 1999     WCW Mayhem     Last WCW video game appearance 2000     WWF No Mercy     First WWF/E video game appearance 2000     WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role     2001     WWF Betrayal     2001     With Authority!     Online game 2001     WWF Road to WrestleMania     2001     WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It     2002     WWF Raw     2002     WWE WrestleMania X8     2002     WWE Road to WrestleMania X8     2002     WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth     2002     Legends of Wrestling II     2003     WWE Crush Hour     2003     WWE WrestleMania XIX     2003     WWE Raw 2     2003     WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain     2004     Showdown: Legends of Wrestling     2004     WWE Day of Reckoning     2004     WWE Survivor Series     Cover athlete 2004     WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw     2005     WWE WrestleMania 21     2005     WWE Aftershock     Cover athlete (PAL version) 2005     WWE Day of Reckoning 2     2005     WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006     Last video game to be released while Guerrero was alive 2006     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007Video games that were released posthumously     Legend wrestler 2007     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008Video games that were released posthumously     PSP version only Legend wrestler 2011     WWE All-StarsVideo games that were released posthumously     2011     WWE '12Video games that were released posthumously     Legend wrestler 2012     WWE WrestleFestVideo games that were released posthumously     2012     WWE '13Video games that were released posthumously     Legend wrestler 2013     WWE 2K14Video games that were released posthumously     Legend wrestler 2014     WWE SuperCardVideo games that were released posthumously     2016     WWE 2K17Video games that were released posthumously     Unlockable wrestler through in-game currency 2017     WWE 2K18Video games that were released posthumously     Unlockable wrestler through in-game currency 2018     WWE 2K19Video games that were released posthumously     Unlockable wrestler through in-game currency 2019     WWE 2K20Video games that were released posthumously     Unlockable wrestler through in-game currency 2020     WWE 2K BattlegroundsVideo games that were released posthumously     2022     WWE 2K22Video games that were released posthumously     2023     WWE 2K23Video games that were released posthumously     Personal life Guerrero was married to Vickie Guerrero and had two daughters with her, one of whom is professional wrestler Shaul Marie Guerrero.[149] Guerrero was close friends with fellow wrestlers Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Dean Malenko, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, JBL, and Dave Batista. Guerrero was a born-again Christian.[150][151] Death On November 13, 2005, Guerrero was found unconscious in his hotel room at the Marriott Hotel City Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by his nephew, Chavo.[152][153] In a 2020 interview for the documentary Dark Side of the Ring, Chavo explained that Eddie had passed out in the hotel room bathroom with a toothbrush in his hand, and was barely clinging to life when Chavo discovered him.[154] Eddie Guerrero was pronounced dead upon the ambulance arriving at the scene. He was 38 years old. An autopsy revealed that Guerrero died as a result of acute heart failure due to underlying atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. He is interred at Green Acres Memorial Park Cemetery in Scottsdale, Arizona. His funeral service was officiated by "Superstar" Billy Graham who also has a burial plot near Guerrero. The episodes of Raw on November 14, 2005, and SmackDown! on November 18, 2005 (both filmed November 13, 2005), each aired as tributes to Guerrero. All storylines were put on hold, and no WWE employees were forced to perform, although several matches took place, including one featuring Chavo, who finished the match with his uncle's finishing maneuver the frog splash. Raw started with all the wrestlers and numerous backstage personnel on stage, as Vince McMahon addressed the live crowd before finishing with a ten-bell salute. In addition to the Raw and SmackDown! tribute shows, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) dedicated the pay-per-view Genesis (which aired the evening of his death) to Guerrero,[155] while Ring of Honor (ROH) named their next show "Night of Tribute".[156] Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), WWE's then developmental territory, also paid tribute to Guerrero on their television taping following his death. Many of the wrestlers there wore armbands with "E.G." on them. Eventually, other wrestlers, primarily his nephew Chavo and friends Mysterio and Christian Cage, paid tribute to him in their matches by using the Frog Splash, Guerrero's finisher. Combat Zone Wrestling also paid tribute to Guerrero with a ten-bell salute during one of their cards. Wrestlers CM Punk and Rey Mysterio dedicated some of their matches to Guerrero. The 3 Doors Down song "Here Without You" was used as a tribute song for Guerrero, as was Johnny Cash's "Hurt". Legacy Guerrero is regarded as one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time.[157] In a poll of the WWE roster, he was ranked the 11th greatest professional wrestler of all time.[158] Ric Flair ranked Guerrero as one of his top 10 opponents, while Chris Jericho said he was the best performer in the world when he was "on".[158] Kurt Angle named Guerrero as the second greatest professional wrestler of all time, behind Shawn Michaels, stating: "[Eddie] could have been the absolute greatest of all time because when I wrestled, he was still in that top three we were talking about, so Eddie had it all. He was so entertaining, but he also had all the technique. He was such a great wrestler and he got it. He got finishes. He knew how to structure them."[159] WWE named Guerrero one of the most beloved and accomplished WWE superstars of all time,[160] one of the best technical wrestlers ever,[161] and the fifth greatest performer in the history of the company's SmackDown brand.[162] Championships and accomplishments Guerrero (right) as WWF European Champion in June 2000 Guerrero as one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions in January 2005     Asistencia Asesoría y Administración         AAA World Tag Team Championship (1 time)[163] – with Art Barr         AAA Hall of Fame (Class of 2008)[164]     Cauliflower Alley Club         Men's Wrestling Award (2008) as part of The Wrestling Guerreros[165]     Extreme Championship Wrestling         ECW World Television Championship (2 times)[11]     Hardcore Hall of Fame         Class of 2015[166]     Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South         IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[73]     Latin American Wrestling Association         LAWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[167]     New Japan Pro-Wrestling         Best of the Super Juniors III (1996)[168]         Junior Heavyweight Super Grade Tag League (1996) – with The Great Sasuke[163]     Pro Wrestling Federation         PWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Héctor Guerrero[163]     Pro Wrestling Illustrated         Comeback of the Year (1999)[169]         Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2002, 2004)[169]         Stanley Weston Award (2005)[169]         Ranked No. 2 of the top 500 wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2004[170]         Ranked No. 81 of the top 500 wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003[171]         Ranked No. 18 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Art Barr in 2003[172]     World Championship Wrestling         WCW Cruiserweight Championship (2 times)[173][174]         WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[175]         WCW United States Championship Tournament (1996)         Battlebowl Championship Ring (1996)         World Cup Of Wrestling (1995) - with Randy Savage, Lex Luger, Johnny B. Badd, Sting, Chris Benoit, and Alex Luchas de Apuestas record See also: Luchas de Apuestas Winner (wager)     Loser (wager)     Location     Event     Date     Notes Eddie Guerrero (hair)     Ari Romero (hair)     Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua     Live event     1987     Eddie Guerrero (hair)     Negro Casas (hair)     Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua     Live event     N/A     El Hijo del Santo and Octagón (masks)     Eddie Guerrero and Art Barr (hair)     Los Angeles, California     AAA When Worlds Collide     November 6, 1994     Rey Misterio Jr. (mask)     Eddie Guerrero (Championship)     Las Vegas, Nevada     Halloween Havoc     October 26, 1997     Eddie Guerrero (hair)     Chavo Guerrero Jr. (hair)     San Diego, California     Bash at the Beach     July 12, 1998" (wikipedia.org) "John Felix Anthony Cena (/ˈsiːnə/ SEE-nə; born April 23, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper currently signed to WWE. With the most world championship reigns in WWE history,[a] Cena is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.[7][8][9][10][11][12] Cena moved to California in 1998 to pursue a career as a bodybuilder and switched to professional wrestling in 1999, and made his debut for Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW). He signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 2001 and was assigned to its developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), winning the OVW Heavyweight Championship and OVW Southern Tag Team Championship.[13][14] After moving to SmackDown in 2002, Cena gained fame and success after adopting the character of a trash-talking rapper.[15][16] After winning the WWE Championship in 2005, Cena transitioned into a clean-cut, heroic character which he described as a "goody-two shoes Superman".[17] He led the company as its franchise player[18] and public face for the next decade.[19] A joint-record 16-time world champion, Cena is a record 13-time WWE Champion and three-time World Heavyweight Champion. He is also a five-time WWE United States Champion, a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, a two-time World Tag Team Champion, a two-time Royal Rumble winner, and a one-time Money in the Bank winner. He has also headlined multiple major WWE pay-per-view events, including its flagship event, WrestleMania, five times. His professional wrestling career has been met with mixed critical and audience reception, with praise for his character work and promotional skills, but criticism for his perceived over-representation and on-screen dominance relative to other wrestlers.[18] Cena first starred in The Marine (2006), and gained praise for his performances in Trainwreck (2015), Ferdinand (2017), Blockers, and Bumblebee (both 2018).[9] He starred in F9 (2021) as Jakob Toretto, reprising his role in Fast X (2023), and portrayed Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad (2021) and the eponymous television series (2022–present). His only studio album, You Can't See Me (2005), was certified platinum. Outside his work in entertainment, Cena is known for his involvement in numerous charitable causes, namely with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he has granted the most wishes, at over 650.[20] Early life Cena was born in West Newbury, Massachusetts on April 23, 1977,[21] to Carol (née Lupien) and John Joseph Cena.[22] His mother is of English and French-Canadian descent, while his father, a former ring announcer for Chaotic Wrestling,[21] has Italian ancestry.[23] His maternal grandfather was baseball player Tony Lupien,[24] while his maternal great-grandfather was businessman Ulysses J. Lupien.[23] He is the second oldest of five brothers: Dan, Matt, Steve, and Sean.[25] A fan of wrestling growing up, he would create championship belts out of cardboard for himself and his brothers.[22] He is a cousin of computer scientist Natalie Enright Jerger and was raised Roman Catholic. Cena was teased and beaten up while in school, and asked for a weightlifting bench at the age of 12.[23] Cena attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts, before transferring to Cushing Academy, a private prep boarding school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. He then attended Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts,[26] where he was an NCAA Division III All-American center and captain on their college football team,[27][28] wearing the number 54.[26] He graduated from Springfield College in 1999 with a degree in exercise physiology and body movement,[29] after which he pursued a bodybuilding career[28] and worked as a limousine driver.[30] Cena worked in the store area of Gold's Gym for $6 an hour.[31] Professional wrestling career Ultimate Pro Wrestling (1999–2001) Cena facing Crash Holly at an Ultimate Pro Wrestling show in 2000 Part of a series on Professional wrestling Wrestling - Sikeston, MO 1938 - 1.jpg History Notable promotions Notable people By region Styles Concepts Controversies Lists     WikiProject     vte Cena idolized Hulk Hogan growing up,[15][25] moving to California in 1998[32] to begin training for a professional wrestling career the following year at Ultimate Pro Wrestling's (UPW) Ultimate University, operated by Rick Bassman.[21] He started wrestling in local flea markets,[22][31] and once he was placed into an in-ring role, Cena began using a semi-robotic character known as The Prototype.[2][33] Some of this period of his career was documented in the Discovery Channel program Inside Pro Wrestling School.[9] He held the UPW Heavyweight Championship for 27 days in April 2000,[34] and wrestled for the UPW until March 2001.[35] World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE Ohio Valley Wrestling (2000–2002) On October 10, 2000, while billed as The Prototype, Cena made his unofficial debut for then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on a SmackDown! taping in a dark match against Mikey Richardson, which he lost.[36] He received another tryout on January 9, 2001 at a SmackDown! taping in Oakland, California, defeating Aaron Aguilera before wrestling again in a dark match at a SmackDown! taping on March 13.[37] In 2001, Cena signed a developmental contract with the WWF and was assigned to its developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW).[21][37] During his time there, Cena wrestled under the ring name The Prototype and held the OVW Heavyweight Championship for three months and the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (with Rico Constantino)[28][32] for two months.[13][14] Throughout the early months of 2002, Cena constantly found himself competing on house shows for the WWF, where he wrestled against the likes of Shelton Benjamin and Tommy Dreamer. After his main call up in June 2002, he continued to appear on OVW programming until September 25, when he lost to Kenny Brolin in a Loser Leaves OVW match. He would later appear in a one-off appearance for the developmental farm in November under the ring name Mr. P in a six-man tag team match, where he teamed with Hall of Famer Big Boss Man and Charlie Haas, in a winning effort against Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch and Sean O'Haire.[37] Cena's call-up to the main roster meant that he was part of OVW's now legendary Class of 2002, alongside Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton and Batista, a class which would eventually become known as the "OVW 4".[32] The Doctor of Thuganomics (2002–2005) Cena performing an "FU" (standing fireman's carry takeover) on Kurt Angle in January 2005 Cena made his WWE television debut on the June 27 episode of SmackDown! by answering an open challenge by Kurt Angle.[28] After declaring he possessed "ruthless aggression", he lost by a pinning combination, but put on a good showing.[38] After the match, he was congratulated by Billy Kidman, Faarooq, Rikishi, and The Undertaker, becoming a fan favorite.[21] He began feuding with Chris Jericho, whom Cena defeated on July 21 at Vengeance.[21][38] In October, Cena and Billy Kidman failed to win a tag team tournament to crown the first WWE Tag Team Champions of the SmackDown! brand in the first round.[39] The next week on SmackDown!, Cena turned on and attacked Kidman, blaming him for their loss and turning heel for the first and only time in his WWE career.[38] On the October 17 episode of SmackDown!, Cena defeated Kidman,[40] but lost in a rematch the next week.[41] At Rebellion on October 26, Cena and Dawn Marie lost to Kidman and Torrie Wilson in a mixed tag team match.[42] Shortly after, on a Halloween-themed episode of SmackDown!, Cena dressed as Vanilla Ice, performing a freestyle rap.[38] The following week on SmackDown!, Cena received a new character: a rapper who cut promos while rhyming.[38][21] He used the nickname "The Doctor of Thuganomics" and expanded his gimmick to include rapping before his matches, wearing hats and sports jerseys as part of his ring gear.[21] While on a bus journey with other WWE superstars, Cena was involved in a freestyle rap session with Rikishi and Rey Mysterio, impressing Stephanie McMahon, leading to the gimmick's adoption.[16] As the character evolved, Cena began adopting a variant of the 1980s WWF logo—dropping the "F"—as his "signature symbol", along with the slogan "Word Life".[43] Moreover, he was joined by an enforcer, Bull Buchanan, who was rechristened to B-2 (also written B² and pronounced "B-Squared").[21] Buchanan was replaced with Red Dogg until he was sent to the Raw brand in February.[21][38] Cena then sought the WWE Championship, held by Brock Lesnar. He entered a number one contender's tournament for the title, gaining upset wins over Eddie Guerrero,[44] The Undertaker[45] and Chris Benoit.[46] At Backlash on April 27, Cena failed to win the title from Lesnar.[47] On May 18 at Judgment Day, Cena and The F.B.I. (Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli) defeated Benoit, Rhyno and Spanky.[48] At Vengeance on July 27, Cena lost to The Undertaker.[38][49] After losing to Kurt Angle at No Mercy on October 19,[50] Cena became a fan-favorite when he joined Angle as a member of his team on November 16 at Survivor Series.[51] Cena with his customized United States Championship belt in January 2005 Cena participated in the Royal Rumble match at Royal Rumble on January 25, 2004, but was eliminated by Big Show.[52] At No Way Out on February 15, Cena faced Big Show and Kurt Angle in a triple threat match for a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania XX, which Cena lost by submission to Angle.[53] At WrestleMania on March 14, Cena defeated Big Show to win the United States Championship, his first singles championship in WWE.[54] He retained the title against Rene Dupree on May 16 at Judgment Day,[55] and in a fatal four-way match involving Dupree, Rob Van Dam and Booker T at The Great American Bash on June 27,[56] until he was stripped of the title on the July 8 episode of SmackDown! by Kurt Angle (the SmackDown! General Manager) after accidentally attacking him in his wheelchair.[57] Cena won the title back by defeating Booker T in a best of five series that started on August 15 at SummerSlam[58] and culminated on October 3 at No Mercy,[59] only to drop it to the débuting Carlito Caribbean Cool the following week on SmackDown!.[60] The duo began a feud which resulted in Cena allegedly being stabbed in the kidney while at a Boston-area nightclub by Carlito's bodyguard, Jesús; this worked "injury" was used to keep Cena out of action for a month while he was filming The Marine.[21][37] After returning on November 14 at Survivor Series, Cena won the United States Championship back from Carlito on the November 18 episode of SmackDown!.[61] He retained the title against Jesús at Armageddon on December 12 in a street fight.[62] WWE Champion (2005–2007) On January 30, 2005, Cena took part in the Royal Rumble match, making it to the final two. He and Batista went over the top rope at the same time, at first ending the match but the match was restarted and won by Batista.[63] At No Way Out on February 20, Cena defeated Kurt Angle to earn a spot in the SmackDown! brand's WrestleMania 21 main event match,[64] beginning a feud with then WWE Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) and his Cabinet in the process. In the early stages of the feud, Cena lost the United States Championship to Cabinet member Orlando Jordan.[65] At WrestleMania 21 on April 3, Cena defeated JBL to win the WWE Championship, his first world championship.[66] Now with a spinner WWE Championship belt, JBL took the original title belt and claimed he was still the WWE Champion,[21] until Cena defeated him in an "I Quit" match at Judgment Day on May 22 to retain the title.[67] Cena was drafted to the Raw brand on the June 6 episode of Raw, becoming the first wrestler selected in the annual draft lottery.[68] Cena immediately entered into a feud with Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff, after refusing to participate in the "war" against the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) roster at the 2005 ECW One Night Stand.[69] At Vengeance on June 26, Cena retained the title against Christian and Chris Jericho in a triple threat match.[70] With Bischoff vowing to make Cena's stint on Raw difficult, he hand-picked Jericho to take Cena's championship from him.[21] During their feud, even though Cena was portrayed as the "face" (hero) and Jericho as the "heel" (villain), a vocal section of the live crowds, nonetheless, were cheering Jericho and booing Cena during their matches, most notably on August 21 at SummerSlam, when Cena defeated Jericho to retain the title.[71] Crowds booed Cena again during his next feud with Kurt Angle, who took over as Bischoff's hand-picked #1 contender after Cena defeated Jericho in a You're Fired match on the August 22 episode of Raw.[72][21] Cena held on to the WWE Championship through his feud with Angle, losing to him by disqualification on September 18 at Unforgiven,[73] pinning Shawn Michaels in a triple threat match involving Angle at Taboo Tuesday on November 1,[74] and pinning Angle on November 27 at Survivor Series.[75] The feud with Angle saw Cena add a secondary, submission based, finishing maneuver—the STFU (a stepover toehold sleeper, though named for a stepover toehold facelock)—when he was put into a triple threat submissions only match on the November 28 episode of Raw.[76] Cena facing off against Edge at a WWE house show At New Year's Revolution on January 8, 2006, Cena retained the WWE Championship in the Elimination Chamber match after last eliminating Carlito, but immediately afterwards, Mr. McMahon announced Edge was cashing in his Money in the Bank contract—a "guaranteed title match against the WWE Champion at a time and place of the owner's choosing". Two quick spears allowed Edge to pin Cena and win the championship.[77] Cena won the title back on January 29 at Royal Rumble.[77] After that, Cena began feuding with Triple H. The crowd, which had mostly cheered Cena over the previous few months, started booing him again and cheering the villain Triple H.[21] Cena beat Triple H at WrestleMania 22 on April 2 to retain the title.[78] The negative reaction towards him intensified when he faced Rob Van Dam at ECW One Night Stand on June 11 which took place in front of a boisterous crowd of mostly original ECW fans at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Cena was met with raucous jeering and chants of, Cena", "You can't wrestle", and "Same old s". When he began performing different moves as the match progressed, the fans started chanting "You still suck".[21] Cena lost the WWE Championship to Van Dam after interference from Edge.[79] Cena addressing fans at a Raw show On the July 3 episode of Raw, Edge won the championship from Van Dam in a triple threat match that also involved Cena, re-igniting their feud.[80] After Edge went about retaining the title by dubious means—getting himself disqualified (for which championships do not change hands)—and using brass knuckles on August 20 at SummerSlam[79] he introduced his own version of Cena's "custom" title belt, this one with his logo placed on the spinner.[21] Cena eventually regained the championship in a match and an arena of Edge's choice: a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match on September 17 at Unforgiven at the Air Canada Centre in Edge's hometown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, after performing the FU on Edge through two tables off a ladder; the match had a stipulation that had Cena lost, he would have joined the SmackDown! brand.[81] Cena returned with his version of the spinner title belt on the next night's Raw.[82] On the heels of his feud with Edge, Cena was placed in an inter-brand angle to determine the "Champion of Champions"—or which was the most dominant champion in WWE's three brands. Cena, World Heavyweight Champion King Booker, and ECW World Champion Big Show were booked in a triple threat match at Cyber Sunday, with the viewers voting on which of the three championships would be placed on the line.[83] At the same time, Cena was involved in a storyline with non-wrestler Kevin Federline, who appeared on Raw with Johnny Nitro and Melina. After getting into a worked physical altercation with Federline on Raw,[21] he appeared on November 5 at Cyber Sunday to hit Cena with the World Heavyweight Championship during the match, helping Booker retain his title.[79] On the January 1 episode of Raw, Cena was pinned by Federline with an assist from Umaga.[84] At New Year's Revolution on January 7, 2007, Cena defeated Umaga to end his undefeated streak and retain the WWE Championship.[85][86] At Royal Rumble on January 28, Cena retained the title against Umaga in a Last Man Standing match.[87] One night after the Royal Rumble, an impromptu team of Cena and Shawn Michaels defeated Rated-RKO (Edge and Randy Orton) for the World Tag Team Championship, making Cena a double champion.[88] At WrestleMania 23 on April 1, Cena retained the WWE Championship against Michaels.[89] The next night on Raw, Michaels turned on Cena, costing them the tag titles in the second of two 10-team battle royals, by throwing Cena over the top rope and eliminating the team. The Hardys (Matt and Jeff) won the match and the titles.[90] Cena retained the WWE Championship against Michaels, Orton, and Edge in a fatal four-way match on April 29 at Backlash.[91] The Great Khali then declared his intentions to challenge for Cena's championship, attacking and "laying out" all three of the top contenders before assaulting Cena and stealing the title belt.[92][93] On May 20 at Judgment Day, Cena became the first person to defeat Khali by submission[94] and then by pinfall on June 3 at One Night Stand in a Falls Count Anywhere match.[95] Cena retained the WWE Championship in a five-pack challenge on June 24 at Vengeance: Night of Champions,[96] and against Bobby Lashley on July 22 at The Great American Bash.[97] Later that summer, Randy Orton was named the #1 contender for Cena's championship.[98] Leading up to SummerSlam on August 26, Orton delivered a number of sneak-attacks, performing three RKOs to Cena, who in the actual match at SummerSlam, retained the championship.[99] A rematch took place at Unforgiven on September 16, which Orton won by disqualification after Cena ignored the referee's instructions and continued to beat on him in the corner.[100] During a match with Mr. Kennedy on the October 1 episode of Raw, Cena suffered a legitimate torn pectoral muscle while executing a hip toss.[101] Though finishing the match and taking part in the scripted attack by Orton after the match, surgery the following day found that his pectoralis major muscle was torn completely from the bone. At the time, it was estimated this would require six months to a year of rehabilitation.[102][103] As a result, Cena was stripped of the title by Mr. McMahon on the next night's episode of ECW,[104] ending the longest WWE Championship reign in over 19 years.[21] Cena's surgery was performed by orthopedic surgeon James Andrews at St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama.[101] Two weeks later in a video update on WWE.com, Dr. Andrews and Cena's physical trainer both said that he was several weeks ahead of where he was expected to be in his rehabilitation at that time.[105] World Heavyweight Champion (2008–2010) See also: Cena–Orton rivalry On January 27, 2008, at Royal Rumble, Cena made a surprise return as the final participant of the eponymous match, winning it and the traditional WrestleMania XXIV title shot, last eliminating Triple H.[106] Instead of waiting until WrestleMania, the shot was cashed in against WWE Champion Randy Orton at No Way Out on February 17, winning by disqualification, therefore not being awarded the title.[107] The following night on Raw, Cena was placed back into WrestleMania's WWE Championship match on March 30, defeating Orton in a non-title match with Triple H as special guest referee, making it a triple threat match,[108] during which he was pinned by Orton.[109] On April 27 at Backlash, Cena failed to regain the title in a fatal four-way elimination match, in which he was eliminated by Orton.[110] During the match, Cena eliminated JBL, renewing their feud from 2005.[110] Cena defeated JBL on May 18 at Judgment Day[111] and at One Night Stand on June 1 in a First Blood match.[112] Cena failed to regain the WWE Championship from Triple H on June 29 at Night of Champions.[113] JBL defeated Cena in a New York City Parking Lot Brawl at The Great American Bash on July 20 to end their feud.[114] On the August 4 episode of Raw, Cena won his second World Tag Team Championship with Batista, defeating Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase[115] but failed to retain the championship the following week against the former champions.[116] At SummerSlam on August 17, Batista defeated Cena.[117] Cena was named one of four contenders for CM Punk's World Heavyweight Championship in the Championship Scramble match at Unforgiven on September 7, but was replaced by Rey Mysterio after suffering a herniated disc in his neck in his SummerSlam match, which required surgery.[118] Cena underwent successful surgery to repair the injury.[119][120] Cena made his in-ring return at Survivor Series on November 23, defeating Chris Jericho for his first World Heavyweight Championship.[121] He retained the title against Jericho at Armageddon on December 14.[122] After defeating JBL at the Royal Rumble on January 25, 2009,[123] Cena lost the championship at No Way Out on February 15 to Edge, who attacked Kofi Kingston and took his place in the Elimination Chamber match.[124] Cena received his rematch for the title at WrestleMania 25 on April 5 in a triple threat match involving Big Show and won.[125] He lost the championship back to Edge in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash on April 26 after interference from Big Show, who chokeslammed Cena through a spotlight.[126] Cena defeated Big Show at Judgment Day on May 17[127] and Extreme Rules on June 7 in a submission match by applying the STF.[128] During Cena's feud with Big Show, The Miz challenged him to a match on the April 27 episode of Raw, but as Cena was out due to injury, Miz claimed an unofficial win via forfeit and continued to do this over the following weeks,[129] until Cena defeated him at The Bash on June 28.[130] Cena as WWE Champion in 2010 At Night of Champions on July 26, Cena challenged for the WWE Championship in a triple threat match against Triple H and defending champion Randy Orton (a rematch from WrestleMania XXIV), but was pinned by Orton after interference from Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase.[131] The next night on Raw, Cena won a beat the clock challenge to earn another shot at the WWE Championship at SummerSlam on August 23,[132] where Orton used underhanded tactics to retain.[133] At Breaking Point on September 13, Cena defeated Orton in an "I Quit" match to win his fourth WWE Championship.[134] He lost the title back to Orton in a Hell in a Cell match on October 4 at Hell in a Cell,[135] but regained it at Bragging Rights on October 25 in a sixty minute Anything Goes Iron Man match.[136] Cena retained the title against both Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a triple threat match at Survivor Series on November 22[137] but lost it to Sheamus on December 13 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in a tables match.[138] The next night on Raw, Cena competed in a tournament to crown the 2009 Superstar of the Year, defeating CM Punk in the first round and Orton in the finals later that night to win the honor.[139] He would get his rematch for the title against Sheamus on the December 28 episode of Raw, where he won by disqualification, but did not win the championship.[140] At Royal Rumble on January 31, 2010, Cena competed in the titular match, making it to the final two where he was eliminated by the returning Edge.[141] Cena regained the title at Elimination Chamber on February 21 in the eponymous match, but his reign was cut short after Mr. McMahon made him defend the title immediately against Batista, who emerged victorious.[142] Cena defeated Batista at WrestleMania XXVI on March 28 for the title,[143] and successfully defended it in a rematch at Extreme Rules on April 25 in a Last Man Standing match.[144] Cena defeated Batista for a third time in an "I Quit" match at Over the Limit on May 23, ending their feud.[145] Feuds with The Nexus, The Rock, and CM Punk (2010–2013) See also: The Nexus Cena being forced to read a public address by Wade Barrett while a member of The Nexus On the June 7 episode of Raw, during a match against CM Punk, Cena was attacked by all eight former contestants of the first season of NXT, with Wade Barrett as their leader. This group later referred to itself as The Nexus.[146] The stable's interferences made him lose the WWE Championship at Fatal 4-Way on June 20 to Sheamus[147] and a steel cage match against Sheamus on July 18 at Money in the Bank.[148] In response to The Nexus, Cena formed an alliance with Edge, Chris Jericho, John Morrison, R-Truth, The Great Khali and Bret Hart, defeating The Nexus at SummerSlam on August 15 with help from the returning Daniel Bryan, a former member of Nexus, who replaced Khali.[149] Cena faced Barrett at Hell in a Cell on October 3 with the stipulations that if he were to lose, he would join The Nexus, and if he were to win, The Nexus would disband. After Barrett defeated Cena, he reluctantly joined The Nexus.[150] Cena and fellow Nexus member David Otunga defeated Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre to win the WWE Tag Team Championship on October 24 at Bragging Rights.[151] Later that night, he was forced to help Barrett defeat Orton in a WWE Championship match, giving Barrett the disqualification win, but not the title.[151] The following night on Raw, Cena and Otunga lost the titles to fellow Nexus members Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel, when Barrett ordered Otunga to lay down and lose the titles.[152] At Survivor Series on November 21, Cena officiated a match for the WWE Championship between Barrett and Orton. Per stipulation, if Barrett didn't win the championship, Cena would be "fired" from the WWE; Orton defeated Barrett to retain the title, and Cena was fired (kayfabe).[153] The following night on Raw, Cena gave a farewell speech before costing Barrett the WWE Championship by interfering in his rematch with Orton.[154] A week later, Cena invaded Raw, first as a spectator, but then attacked members of Nexus, explaining he would still take down Nexus one by one despite not being employed.[155] On the December 13 episode of Raw, Cena was rehired by Barrett in exchange that he would face him on December 19 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in a chairs match,[156] which Cena won.[157] Cena at WWE Tribute to the Troops in 2010 On the January 17, 2011 episode of Raw, Cena returned and faced Punk in a match which ended in a no contest after Cena was attacked by the debuting Mason Ryan, who later joined The Nexus.[158] Cena competed in the Royal Rumble match on January 30, which saw Cena eliminate most of the Nexus members, ending his feud with the stable. He made it to the final five before being eliminated by WWE Champion The Miz, who was not part of the match.[159] Cena won the titular match at Elimination Chamber on February 20 to face Miz at WrestleMania XXVII for the WWE Championship.[160][161] Cena and The Rock agree to face each other at WrestleMania XXVIII. On the February 21 episode of Raw, Cena replied in rap form to comments made by The Rock the previous week, as he returned as the announced guest host of WrestleMania. That night, Cena was placed into a WWE Tag Team Championship match, teaming with The Miz to defeat Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater to become the new WWE Tag Team Champions. However, their rematch clause was immediately invoked, and Gabriel and Slater won the titles back after The Miz attacked Cena, making their reign the shortest in the title's history.[162] After weeks of insults, Cena and The Rock finally met on the March 28 episode of Raw, where, after a verbal confrontation, and a brief attack by The Miz and Alex Riley, Cena attacked The Rock with the Attitude Adjustment.[163] At WrestleMania on April 3, Cena and Miz fought to a double countout, but The Rock restarted the match and performed a Rock Bottom on Cena, allowing The Miz to retain the title.[164] The next night on Raw, Cena, in response to The Rock "screwing" him out of the title, agreed to face him in the main event of WrestleMania XXVIII, the first WrestleMania match to be set up one year in advance.[165] At Extreme Rules on May 1, Cena defeated The Miz and John Morrison in a triple threat steel cage match to become WWE Champion.[166] Cena then successfully defended the title against The Miz on May 22 at Over the Limit in an "I Quit" match,[167] and R-Truth on June 19 at Capitol Punishment.[168] Cena began a feud with CM Punk, who was leaving the company due to his contract expiring after Money in the Bank. Punk defeated Cena to win the WWE Championship on July 17 at Money in the Bank and left the company with the title.[169] Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awarded the match five stars, Cena's first and only five star match.[170] On the July 25 episode of Raw, after Rey Mysterio won the WWE Championship in a tournament, Cena challenged and defeated Mysterio later that night to become WWE Champion for a record-breaking ninth time,[171] only to be interrupted by Punk, who also claimed to be champion. Punk again defeated Cena at SummerSlam on August 14 in a championship unification match, after special guest referee Triple H missed Cena's foot on the rope.[172] After Alberto Del Rio became WWE Champion by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase to defeat Punk, Cena became the #1 contender and beat Del Rio at Night of Champions on September 18 for his tenth WWE Championship.[173] He lost it back to Del Rio at Hell in a Cell on October 2 in a triple threat Hell in a Cell match also involving Punk.[174] Cena lost his rematch to Del Rio at Vengeance on October 23 in a Last Man Standing match due to interference by The Miz and R-Truth.[175] After weeks of Miz and Truth attacking Cena and employees, Cena was allowed to choose his partner to challenge Miz and Truth at Survivor Series on November 20; Cena chose The Rock as his partner, and they defeated Miz and Truth, though The Rock gave Cena a Rock Bottom in the ending.[176] Cena and The Rock face off at WrestleMania XXVIII. Cena then began a feud with Kane, who cited his disgust for Cena's "Rise Above Hate" slogan and claimed that Cena would need to embrace the hate to defeat The Rock at WrestleMania.[177] Cena fought Kane to a double countout at Royal Rumble on January 29, 2012,[178] and then defeated him in an Ambulance match on February 19 at Elimination Chamber.[179] At WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1, Cena faced The Rock in the main event; the match ended when Cena attempted the People's Elbow on The Rock, and he countered with a Rock Bottom for the pinfall.[180] Brock Lesnar faces off with Cena after his return in April 2012. The following night on Raw, Cena accepted his loss and invited The Rock to the ring so that he could congratulate him. However, his call was answered instead by the returning Brock Lesnar, who attacked Cena with an F-5.[181] This led to Cena feuding with Raw and SmackDown General Manager John Laurinaitis, who revealed that he signed Lesnar to bring "legitimacy" to the WWE and for Lesnar to become its "new face".[182] At Extreme Rules on April 29, Cena defeated Lesnar in an Extreme Rules match.[183] He lost to Laurinaitis at Over the Limit on May 20 after interference from Big Show,[184] but at No Way Out on June 17, Laurinaitis was fired after Cena defeated Big Show in a steel cage match with both their jobs on the line.[185] The following night on Raw, Laurinatis was given one final opportunity to challenge Cena. However that night Cena defeated Laurinaitis and David Otunga in a handicap match to end his feud with Laurinaitis.[186] Cena won the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match on July 15 at Money in the Bank, earning a contract for a shot at the WWE Championship anytime within a year.[187] On July 23, on Raw 1000, Cena cashed in his contract on CM Punk, and won by disqualification after Big Show interfered, becoming the first person to cash in a Money in the Bank contract and not win a title.[188] Cena's feud with Punk continued into SummerSlam on August 19,[189] where Punk retained the title against Cena and Big Show in a triple threat match,[190] and at Night of Champions on September 16, where they fought to a draw.[191] After being sidelined with a legitimate arm injury,[192] Cena returned at Survivor Series on November 18, but was pinned by Punk in a triple threat match also involving Ryback.[193] Cena then feuded with Dolph Ziggler over an alleged relationship with AJ Lee and at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 16, he lost to Ziggler in a ladder match for Ziggler's World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract, after AJ turned on Cena.[194] The following night on Raw, Cena teamed with Vickie Guerrero to face Ziggler and AJ in a mixed tag team match which ended in a disqualification after Cena was attacked by the debuting Big E Langston.[195] Cena defeated Ziggler on the January 7 episode of Raw,[196] and again in a steel cage match the following week, despite interference from AJ and Langston in both matches, ending the feud.[197] On January 27, 2013, Cena won his second Royal Rumble match,[198] announcing that he would pursue the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29.[199] Cena, along with Ryback and Sheamus,[200] began feuding with The Shield, culminating in a six-man tag team match on February 17 at Elimination Chamber, which The Shield won.[201] On the February 25 episode of Raw, Cena defeated CM Punk to reaffirm his status as the #1 contender for the Rock's WWE Championship.[202] At WrestleMania on April 7, Cena defeated Rock in their rematch to win his eleventh WWE Championship.[203] Cena then began a rivalry with Ryback, during which he suffered a legitimate achilles tendon injury.[204] Cena retained his championship against Ryback in a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules on May 19; the match ended in a no contest after both men were down for a 10 count.[205] Cena then defeated Ryback in a Three Stages of Hell match on June 16 at Payback.[206] He defeated Mark Henry via submission on July 14 at Money in the Bank.[207] At SummerSlam on August 18, Cena lost the WWE Championship to Daniel Bryan, with Triple H as the special guest referee ending his reign at 133 days.[208] The following night on Raw, Cena announced he would undergo surgery for a triceps tear and would be out for four to six months.[209] World championship pursuits and reigns (2013–2015) Cena returned at Hell in a Cell on October 7, defeating Alberto Del Rio to win his third World Heavyweight Championship.[210] He retained the title against Damien Sandow on the October 28 episode of Raw,[211] and Alberto Del Rio in a rematch on November 24 at Survivor Series.[212] Cena next challenged then-WWE Champion Randy Orton to unify their respective championships, with The Authority agreeing and arranging for a Tables, Ladders and Chairs title unification match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15, which Cena lost.[213] A rematch occurred at the Royal Rumble for the now unified WWE World Heavyweight Championship on January 26, where Cena lost after being distracted by The Wyatt Family.[214] At Elimination Chamber on February 23, their interference caused Cena's elimination in the Elimination Chamber match.[215]     I know how John Cena feuds tend to work. He loses one match, then wins the next two or three. Look at Rusev and Bray Wyatt as examples. These feuds don't really help talent. They're established... as definitively below Cena. This is a running theme in WWE booking. [Kevin] Owens is... worse off than he would have been if he had never had the second and third matches with Cena. — Pro Wrestling Dot Net analyst Will Pruett in July 2015[216] After Elimination Chamber, Bray Wyatt accepted Cena's challenge for a WrestleMania XXX match.[217] Wyatt wanted to prove that Cena's heroic act was a facade characteristic of "this era of lies" and to turn Cena into a "monster".[218] At WrestleMania on April 6, Cena defeated Wyatt despite interference from Luke Harper and Erick Rowan.[219] The feud continued after WrestleMania based on the story that Wyatt was capturing Cena's fanbase, exemplified by Wyatt leading a children's choir to the ring on the April 28 episode of Raw, where they later donned sheep masks.[220] At Extreme Rules on May 4, Wyatt defeated Cena in a steel cage match after repeated interference from the rest of the Wyatt Family members and a demonic child.[221] At Payback on June 1, Cena defeated Wyatt in a well received Last Man Standing match to end their feud; Cena buried Wyatt under multiple equipment cases to win the match.[222] On the June 16 episode of Raw, Cena defeated Kane in a stretcher match to qualify for the ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank on June 29, where he won his 15th world championship.[223] He retained the title at Battleground on July 20 in a fatal four-way match against Roman Reigns, Randy Orton and Kane.[224] At SummerSlam on August 17, Cena lost the championship to Brock Lesnar in a squash match, during which Lesnar hit Cena with sixteen suplexes and two F-5s, ending his reign at 49 days.[225] Cena invoked his title rematch clause against Lesnar for Night of Champions on September 21, nearly winning before Seth Rollins attacked him to cause a disqualification. Despite this, he became the first wrestler to defeat Lesnar in two WWE pay-per-view events.[226] Cena then began feuding with Dean Ambrose for the right to face Rollins at Hell in a Cell on October 26, but Ambrose won the right by defeating Cena in a No Holds Barred Contract on a Pole match.[227] Cena faced Randy Orton instead in a Hell in a Cell match to determine the #1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, which Cena won.[228] Cena became a record 13-time WWE Champion in 2014. On the October 27 episode of Raw, Cena rejected The Authority's offer to join forces, resulting in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination tag match between Team Cena and Team Authority at Survivor Series.[229] His team consisted of Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Erick Rowan and Ryback. At Survivor Series on November 23, Big Show turned on Cena, causing his elimination, but Ziggler eventually won the match for Team Cena with the interfering Sting's help. Per the match stipulation, The Authority were stripped from power and only Cena could bring them back.[230] At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 14, Cena defeated Rollins in a tables match to retain his WWE World Heavyweight Championship #1 contender status. It was then announced that Cena would face Lesnar for the title at the Royal Rumble.[231] On the December 29 episode of Raw, Rollins and Big Show held guest host Edge hostage, forcing Cena to reinstate The Authority.[232] On the January 5 episode of Raw, The Authority added Rollins to the title match at Royal Rumble involving Cena and Lesnar. Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan were "fired" for joining Team Cena at Survivor Series.[233] On the January 19 episode of Raw, Cena won a handicap match against Rollins, Big Show and Kane to retain his title shot at the Royal Rumble and win back the jobs of Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan.[234] At the Royal Rumble on January 25, Cena was unsuccessful in capturing the title.[235] Cena after defeating Rusev for the United States Championship at WrestleMania 31 United States Champion (2015–2016) Cena then began feuding with United States Champion Rusev, and at Fastlane on February 22, Cena failed to win the title from Rusev after passing out from his submission, the Accolade. Rusev had hit Cena with a low blow following a distraction by his manager Lana.[236] Cena challenged Rusev to a rematch, which was declined, and Stephanie McMahon decreed that Cena would not compete at WrestleMania 31 unless Rusev agreed to a rematch.[237] On the March 9 episode of Raw, Cena attacked Rusev, refusing to release the STF submission hold, causing Lana to grant Cena the match.[238] Cena defeated Rusev at WrestleMania on March 29 to win his fourth United States Championship, marking Rusev's first pinfall loss in the main roster.[239] Cena would issue an open challenge each week on the program with his United States Championship on the line, successfully defending the title against the likes of Dean Ambrose,[240] Stardust,[241] Bad News Barrett,[242] Kane,[243] Sami Zayn,[244] Neville,[245] Zack Ryder[246] and Cesaro.[247] Cena retained his title against Rusev in a Russian Chain match on April 26 at Extreme Rules[248] and an "I Quit" match on May 17 at Payback, ending their feud.[249] The following night on Raw, Cena was attacked by then-NXT Champion Kevin Owens, setting up a Champion vs. Champion match at Elimination Chamber on May 31, which Owens won.[250] Cena defeated Owens in a rematch at Money in the Bank on June 14.[251] At The Beast in the East on July 4, Cena and Dolph Ziggler defeated Kane and King Barrett.[252] Cena defeated Owens again at Battleground on July 19 to retain the United States Championship and end their feud.[253] Cena then resumed his feud with then WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, with Rollins refusing Cena's challenges for the title. On the July 27 episode of Raw, The Authority forced Cena to defend the title against Rollins, which he did successfully despite suffering a legitimate broken nose during the match.[254] Cena then faced Rollins in a "Winner Takes All" match at SummerSlam on August 23, for both the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the United States Championship, which Cena lost after guest host Jon Stewart, appearing to side with Cena, instead attacked him with a steel chair, ending Cena's reign at 147 days.[255] Cena defeated Rollins to win the title for the fifth time on September 20 at Night of Champions, a record in the WWE ownership era of the title.[256] Cena retained his title against Rollins in a steel cage match on October 3 at WWE Live from Madison Square Garden,[257] while also restarting his open challenges. At Hell in a Cell on October 25, Cena lost the title to the returning Alberto Del Rio in an open challenge.[258] After a hiatus, Cena returned on the December 28 episode of Raw, defeating Del Rio by disqualification in a rematch for the title.[259] On January 7, he underwent surgery on a shoulder injury, which would keep him out of action for an undisclosed length of time.[260] Feud with AJ Styles (2016–2017) Cena returned at WrestleMania 32 on April 3, 2016, helping The Rock fend off The Wyatt Family.[261] Cena then made his full return on the Memorial Day edition of Raw on May 30, four months earlier than had been expected for his type of injury.[262] He was confronted by AJ Styles, only to be betrayed by Styles, who joined his former Club teammates Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in attacking Cena.[263] On June 19 at Money in the Bank,[264] Styles defeated Cena with interference from Gallows and Anderson.[265] On the July 4 episode of Raw, Cena was again attacked by The Club, but was saved by Enzo Amore and Big Cass,[266] setting up a six-man tag team match on July 24 at Battleground,[267] which Cena, Amore, and Cass won after Cena pinned Styles.[268] On the July 19 episode of SmackDown at the 2016 WWE draft, Cena was drafted to the SmackDown brand, while also defeating Club member Luke Gallows in a singles contest.[269] Cena continued his feud with Styles,[270] and at SummerSlam on August 21,[271] Cena lost their rematch.[272] With Styles later winning the renamed WWE World Championship, Cena challenged him and Dean Ambrose in a triple threat match for the title on October 9 at No Mercy.[273] He lost the match after being pinned by Styles, which came after Ambrose and Cena simultaneously made Styles submit, therefore restarting the match.[274] Cena took a sabbatical from WWE to film American Grit season 2.[275] On January 29, 2017, Cena defeated Styles at the Royal Rumble to win the WWE Championship and tie Ric Flair for the most recognized world title reigns at 16.[276][b] However, Cena would lose the championship two weeks later in an Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber on February 12 to Bray Wyatt.[278] Two nights later on SmackDown, Cena lost a triple threat match against Wyatt for the championship in a match also featuring Styles.[279] Cena then began a feud with The Miz,[280] with Miz accusing Cena of being a hypocrite because of his movie commitments, while Cena accused Miz of stealing other wrestlers' moves and personalities. Miz's wife Maryse then slapped Cena before Cena and his girlfriend Nikki Bella sent Miz and Maryse retreating.[281] SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan then set up a mixed tag team match for WrestleMania 33 on April 2,[282] which Cena and Bella won. Cena proposed marriage to Bella after the match and she accepted.[283] Free agent (2017–2019) Cena in March 2018 He appeared at WrestleMania 35 on April 7 in his "Doctor of Thuganomics" persona and interrupted Elias' concert, performing his finisher on Elias (calling it by its original name of the F-U) after insulting him.[300] On the July 22 episode of Raw titled Raw Reunion, he engaged in a rap battle with The Usos.[301] Cena's original gimmick portrayed a white rapper who wore jerseys, backwards hats, a chain with a padlock around his neck, and was known as the "Doctor of Thuganomics".[15][9] First as "The Prototype", and later under his real name, Cena sometimes used underhanded tactics to score victories, such as using his chain as a weapon behind the referee's back. Cena often rapped before his matches, insulting his opponents, events that happened in the media and even the crowd.[21] Cena also regularly performed "rap battles", where he and his opponent took turns rapping on each other.[16] In 2006, shortly after his debut film, The Marine, his wrestling character shifted from that of a rapper to a young military upstart, wearing dog tags and cargo shorts to the ring and also performing a salute to the crowd. Cena said in a 2011 interview with WWE.com that "every night when I do that salute, it's also a sign of respect to the men and women that don the uniform of the Armed Forces."[318] During WWE's change from TV-14 to TV-PG in mid-2008, the name of Cena's finishing move, the FU, was changed to the Attitude Adjustment and his finishing submission move, the STFU, was renamed the STF to fit with the WWE's new policies.[319] During his career, he has been known for ending his matches with a sequence of moves, dubbed the "Five Moves of Doom". The moves typically go in the following order: flying shoulder block, sit-out hip toss, protobomb, Five Knuckle Shuffle, and Attitude Adjustment.[320] Cena has portrayed a heroic character throughout his WWE career, except for a villainous run in 2002–2003.[15] His signature ring gear includes jean shorts, sneakers, wristbands, and armbands.[22] He also wears a variety of T-shirts and baseball caps, which commonly include one of his catchphrases: "Never Give Up", "You Can't See Me", "Hustle, Loyalty, Respect", and "Respect. Earn it".[31][319][321] He has a history of returning from both real and scripted injuries much sooner than expected. ESPN reporter David Shoemaker said in April 2016, "Never underestimate Cena's recuperative abilities. He's somewhere on the recovery scale between German platelet-rich plasma therapy and Deadpool."[322] Fellow wrestler Big Show said he felt most stable being lifted by Cena, despite Cena being over 200 lbs lighter and almost a foot shorter—a testament to Cena's functional strength.[323] Fashion Cena's T-shirt (left) next to The Miz's ring gear (right) in 2012 During his WWE career, Cena's has used his attire in an attempt to reflect the most current fashions and styling within the hip hop culture that his character represents. Cena started out wearing "throwback jerseys" and Reebok pumps until WWE produced specific Cena merchandise which he began wearing.[15][324] While Cena was a member of the SmackDown brand, one of his WWE-produced T-shirts bore the suggestive spoonerism "Ruck Fules". Whenever it appeared on television, the image was censored, not by the network, but by WWE to sell more shirts under the premise that it was "too hot for TV".[325] He also wore a chain with a large padlock, occasionally using it as a weapon,[62] until WrestleMania 21, when it was replaced with a chromed and diamond studded "Chain Gang" spinner medallion matching his spinner title belt. Around the time The Marine was released, Cena began wearing more military related attire, including camouflage shorts, dog tags, a Marine soldier cap, and a WWE produced shirt with the legend "Chain Gang Assault Battalion".[326] Shortly after WrestleMania 23, when promotion for The Marine ended, the military attire diminished and was replaced with apparel bearing his new slogan "American Made Muscle" along with denim shorts, not seen since he was a member of the SmackDown roster.[327] He then wore shirts that promoted Cenation and his trademark line "You Can't See Me".[23] Legacy Cena has been called the greatest professional wrestler of all time by his peers Kurt Angle,[328] John "Bradshaw" Layfield, and veteran industry personality Paul Heyman.[329] When discussing Cena's legacy on his podcast, Jim Cornette (who was head booker of OVW while Cena was there) stated "I think [Cena is] the last big star in wrestling", praising his work ethic, athletic ability and microphone skills.[330] WWE Studios, a division of WWE which produces and finances motion pictures, produced Cena's first movie—The Marine, which was distributed theatrically by 20th Century Fox America beginning on October 13, 2006. In its first week, the film made approximately US$7 million at the United States box office.[335] After ten weeks in theaters, the film grossed $18.7 million.[335] Once the film was released on DVD, it fared better, making $30 million in rentals in the first twelve weeks.[335] Cena filming on the set of 12 Rounds His second film, also produced by WWE Studios, was 12 Rounds.[336] Filming began on February 25, 2008, in New Orleans;[336][337] the film was released on March 27, 2009. Cena co-starred in his third film produced by WWE Studios, titled Legendary, which was played in selected theaters beginning on September 10, 2010 for a limited time.[338] It was then released on DVD on September 28, 2010.[339] That same year, Cena starred in the children's film Fred: The Movie, a film based on Lucas Cruikshank's YouTube videos of the same name, where he plays Fred's imaginary father.[340] The movie was first aired on Nickelodeon in September 2010.[341] In 2015, Cena made appearances in the comedy films Trainwreck,[342] Sisters[343] and a cameo in Daddy's Home.[344] In 2017, Cena starred in the war drama The Wall[345] and lent his voice for the animated films Surf's Up 2: WaveMania and Ferdinand.[346] He also appeared in Daddy's Home 2, reprising his role in a larger capacity than the 2015 film. In 2018, Cena starred in the comedy Blockers, and had a leading role in the Transformers spin-off prequel, Bumblebee. In 2019, he starred in Playing with Fire, playing the role of smokejumper superintendent Jake Carson. In 2020, he voiced Yoshi, a polar bear, in the adventure comedy film Dolittle.[347] In 2019, Cena was cast in Justin Lin's F9, playing Jakob Toretto, the brother of Vin Diesel's character Dominic Toretto.[348] During the film's promotional tour in 2021, Cena referred to Taiwan as "a country". He subsequently posted an apology on social media as China considers Taiwan a part of China.[349] Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher criticized Cena for his apology to China.[350] Cena also was cast as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, a role originally intended for Dave Bautista.[351][352][353] In 2023, he will be the voice of Rocksteady in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.[354][355] He is also set to reprise his role as Jakob Toretto in Fast X, which is set to premiere in theaters on May 19, 2023.[356] Guest appearances Before his WWE debut, Cena made an appearance on the webcast Go Sick as Bruebaker, an angry, cursing wrestler in 2001.[357] During his WWE career, Cena has appeared on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! three times. He has also appeared on morning radio shows including the CBS and XM versions of Opie and Anthony as part of their "walkover" on October 10, 2006. Other appearances have included NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Fuse's Celebrity Playlist, Fox Sports Net's The Best Damn Sports Show Period, FOX's MADtv, G4's Training Camp (with Shelton Benjamin), and two appearances on MTV's Punk'd (August 2006 and May 2007), as the victim of a practical joke. He also served as a co-presenter, with Hulk Hogan, at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards, as a guest judge during the third week of the 2006 season of Nashville Star, and appeared at the 2007 Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards.[358] Cena in 2008 In January 2007, Cena, Batista, and Ashley Massaro appeared representing WWE on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,[359] giving the children of the family whose house was being renovated WWE merchandise and eight tickets to WrestleMania 23.[360] Two months later, he and Bobby Lashley appeared on the NBC game show Deal or No Deal as "moral support" to longtime WWE fan and front row staple, Rick "Sign Guy" Achberger. Edge and Randy Orton also appeared, but as antagonists.[361] On April 9, 2008, Cena, along with fellow wrestlers Triple H and Chris Jericho, appeared on the Idol Gives Back fund-raising special.[362] In March 2009, Cena made an appearance on Saturday Night Live during the show's cold opening sequence.[363] On March 7, 2009, he was a guest on NPR's quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! in a Not My Job sequence titled "Sure, pro wrestling is a good gig, but when you win, do they throw teddy bears into the ring?".[364] In 2021, Cena co-hosted the TV game show Wipeout.[384] Music career John Cena Genres    Hip hop Years active    2004–2005, 2014 Labels    Columbia Records, WWE Music Group In addition to his wrestling career, Cena is a rapper. He performed his fifth WWE theme song, "Basic Thuganomics", and it was featured on the WWE soundtrack album WWE Originals. He also recorded a song, "Untouchables", for the company's next soundtrack album WWE ThemeAddict: The Music, Vol. 6. He collaborated on a remix for the song "H-U-S-T-L-E" along with Murs, E-40, and Chingo Bling.[385] Cena's debut album, You Can't See Me, was recorded with his cousin Tha Trademarc. It features, among other songs, his entrance theme, "The Time is Now", and the single "Bad, Bad Man", for which a music video was made that parodied 1980s culture, including the television show The A-Team. A video was also made for the second single, "Right Now", that premiered on the August 8, 2005 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw. Cena and Tha Trademarc were later featured on a track by The Perceptionists called "Champion Scratch". Cena appeared on T-Boz's album, Still Cool.[386] In October 2014, Cena was featured on two songs with rapper Wiz Khalifa for his two singles "All Day" and "Breaks" for the soundtrack to the WWE 2K15 video game.[387] In 2022, John Cena performed a piano rendition of Mötley Crüe's Home Sweet Home for the Peacemaker soundtrack.[388] Discography Studio albums     You Can't See Me (2005) Soundtrack albums     Peacemaker (2022) Other ventures Endorsements Cena signing merchandise for a young fan Before his professional wrestling career, Cena appeared in an advertisement for Gold's Gym. As a wrestler, he has endorsed the energy drink YJ Stinger,[389] appearing in commercials beginning in October 2003, and Subway,[390] for whom he filmed advertisements with their spokesperson Jared Fogle in November 2006 that began airing the following January. For a time in 2007, he also endorsed two "signature collections" of energy drinks and energy bars sold by American Body Builders.[391] In 2008, Cena filmed a commercial as part of Gillette's "Young Guns" NASCAR campaign.[392] In 2009, Cena expanded his relationship with Gillette by introducing a new online campaign called "Be A Superstar" featuring himself alongside fellow WWE wrestlers Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes. The campaign features motivational videos.[393] After Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson called Cena "Fruity Pebbles" during their feud (in reference to Cena's colorful merchandise) Cena appeared on the box of Fruity Pebbles cereal in 2013.[31][394][395] He was the pace car driver for the 58th annual Daytona 500.[396] On October 13, 2016, Cena made his debut as the voice of Ernie the Elephant in a new commercial campaign launched by Wonderful Pistachios. He was named to Adweek's "Creative 100" and received praise for his performance.[397] In 2020, Cena and Honda announced a partnership, with Cena becoming the new voice of Honda.[398] Philanthropy Cena posing with children Cena has granted over 650 wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses through the Make-A-Wish Foundation—the most in Make-A-Wish history,[399][400] with his first wish dating back to 2002.[20] The Guinness Book of World Records confirmed that not only had Cena granted this many wishes by mid-2022, but that second place was fewer than 200.[401] In 2009, Cena received the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award.[402] From late 2011 until WrestleMania XXVIII, Cena wore a black "Rise Above Hate" T-shirt promoting WWE's "Be a Star" anti-bullying campaign. In September and October 2012, Cena wore pink and black with the phrase "Rise Above Cancer" in partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.[403] In November 2016, Cena appeared in a public service announcement, "We Are America", sponsored by the Ad Council as part of its "Love Has No Labels" campaign.[404] Cena made a $1 million donation to Black Lives Matter in June 2020 as part of the #MatchAMillion initiative made popular by k-pop band BTS.[405] In popular culture See also: Unexpected John Cena His catchphrase "You Can't See Me" originates from his early days of wrestling in the WWE where he was dared by his little brother to do the yayo dance on TV, which consists of moving your head while looking into the palm of your hand. Cena accepted the dare, but waved his hand in front of his face instead to make it look more visible to his brother.[25] Over time, this evolved into his signature catchphrase "You Can't See Me".[406] In mid-2015, Cena was the subject of the Internet meme "Unexpected John Cena", also known as simply "Unexpected Cena" or "IT'S JOHN CENA".[407] He has also been the subject of many memes due to his catchphrase, "You can't see me" such as being invisible in photos.[408] Personal life Cena with then-fiancée Nikki Bella in March 2018 Cena resides in Land o' Lakes, Florida.[409] He has said numerous times that he does not want to have children because he does not want to be an absentee parent while he is focused on his career.[410][411] While promoting his 2009 film 12 Rounds, Cena announced his engagement to Elizabeth Huberdeau.[412][413] They were married on July 11, 2009. On May 1, 2012, Cena filed for divorce,[414] which was finalized on July 18.[415] Later that year, he began dating fellow wrestler Nikki Bella.[416] They became engaged when Cena proposed to her at WrestleMania 33 on April 2, 2017,[417] but ended their relationship in April 2018;[416] they had been scheduled to marry on May 5.[418] Cena is a fan of anime and has named Fist of the North Star as his favorite anime film.[419] He is also a fan of Star Wars and the first two Smokey and the Bandit movies.[23] Cena also plays video games, citing the Command & Conquer series as his favorite.[420] Cena supports numerous sports teams from his hometown area, such as the Boston Bruins, the Boston Celtics, the Boston Red Sox,[23] and the New England Patriots, as well as English soccer team Tottenham Hotspur FC.[419][421][422] He has over 20 muscle cars, some of which he describes are one-of-a-kind.[1] Cena started learning Mandarin Chinese in 2016 to help the WWE expand its reach, and he spoke in Mandarin at a press conference in China.[423] He also revealed in April 2018 that he learned to play the piano.[424] In December 2017, the Ford Motor Company filed a lawsuit against Cena for selling his 2017 Ford GT, therefore violating his purchase agreement. According to Ford, he signed a contract to keep the car for at least two years but breached the agreement by selling it to make a net profit shortly after receiving it.[425] In July 2018, Cena briefly moved to China, where he settled in Yinchuan. He went on to create a YouTube show on WWE's channel, highlighting his trips to local stores and markets. He explained that he would be living there for five months while working on a film, Project X-Traction, with Jackie Chan. The shoot concluded in November 2018.[426] On October 12, 2020, Cena married girlfriend Shay Shariatzadeh, whom he had been dating since early 2019, in a private ceremony in Tampa, Florida. The two met during the production of Cena's 2019 film Playing with Fire, which was filmed in Vancouver, where Shariatzadeh works.[427][428] Filmography Video games WWE Video Games Year     Title     Role 2003     WWE WrestleMania XIX     Video game debut WWE Raw 2     WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain     2004     WWE Day of Reckoning     WWE Survivor Series     Cover athlete WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw     2005     WWE WrestleMania 21     WWE Aftershock     WWE Day of Reckoning 2     Cover athlete WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 2006     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007     Cover athlete 2007     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008     Cover athlete 2008     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009     2009     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010     Cover athlete 2010     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011     Cover athlete 2011     WWE All Stars     Cover athlete WWE '12     2012     WWE WrestleFest     WWE '13     2013     WWE 2K14     2014     WWE 2K15     Cover athlete 2015     WWE Immortals     WWE 2K16     2016     WWE 2K17     2017     WWE Champions     WWE Tap Mania     WWE 2K18     WWE Mayhem     2018     WWE 2K19     2019     WWE 2K20     2020     WWE 2K Battlegrounds     Cover athlete 2022     WWE 2K22     2023     WWE 2K23" (wikipedia.org) "Booker T. Huffman Jr.[a] (born March 1, 1965),[1] better known by his ring name Booker T, is an American color commentator and retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he serves as a commentator on the NXT brand, and is also the owner and founder of the independent promotion Reality of Wrestling (ROW) in Texas City, Texas. Booker has been frequently named by peers and industry commentators as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time; he was voted WWE's greatest World Heavyweight Champion in a 2013 viewer poll. Booker is known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA - now Impact Wrestling), holding 35 championships between those organizations. He is the most decorated wrestler in WCW history, having held 21 titles, including a record six WCW World Television Championships (along with being the first African American titleholder), and a record 11 WCW World Tag Team Championships: 10 as one half of Harlem Heat with his brother, Lash "Stevie Ray" Huffman in WCW (most reigns within that company), and one in the WWF with Test. Booker was the final WCW World Heavyweight Champion and WCW United States Heavyweight Champion under the WCW banner. Booker is an overall six-time world champion in professional wrestling, having won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship five times, and WWE's World Heavyweight Championship once. With his fifth WCW Championship win (which occurred in the WWF), Booker T became the second African-American to win a world championship in WWF/E (after The Rock), and also the first to be of non-mixed race. He is also the winner of the 2006 King of the Ring tournament, the 16th Triple Crown Champion, and the eighth Grand Slam Champion in WWE history. As the ninth WCW Triple Crown Champion, Booker is one of four men to achieve both the WWE and WCW Triple Crowns. He has headlined multiple pay-per-view events for the WWF/E, WCW and TNA throughout his career. Booker was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 6, 2013, by his brother, Lash. Both he and Lash were inducted together into the 2019 class on April 6, 2019, as Harlem Heat, making Booker a two-time Hall of Famer. Early life Huffman was born the youngest of eight children, in Plain Dealing, Louisiana, though his birthplace is often misidentified as Houston, Texas.[1] By the time Booker was 13, both of his parents had died and he lived with his 16-year-old sister. He would move in with his older brother Stevie Ray at age 17.[10] In high school, Huffman was a drum major.[8] Professional wrestling career Early career (1986–1992) As a single father working at a storage company in Houston, Texas, Huffman was looking to make a better life for himself and his son.[8] His brother Lash (Stevie Ray) suggested that he and Booker check out a new wrestling school being opened, run by Ivan Putski, in conjunction with his Western Wrestling Alliance organization.[8] His boss from the storage company sponsored the money to pay for the wrestling lessons.[8] Booker trained under Scott Casey, who helped to turn Booker's background as a gangster and dancer into "professional wrestling", teaching the newcomer in-ring psychology and ring generalship.[8] Eight weeks later, Booker debuted as "G.I. Bro" on Putski's Western Wrestling Alliance Live! program.[8] The character was a tie-in to the raging Gulf War and the WWF's Sgt. Slaughter angle.[8] Even though the WWA met its demise some time later, Booker continued to wrestle on the Texas independent circuit, often with his brother Lash, who performed as Stevie Ray.[11] Global Wrestling Federation (1992–1993) They were spotted by Skandor Akbar who hired them to work for the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), where he and Eddie Gilbert were involved.[11][8] Gilbert teamed Stevie Ray and Booker T together as the Ebony Experience,[8] and they won the GWF Tag Team Championship on July 31, 1992. During their time with GWF, they held the tag title a total of three times.[11] Subsequently, Booker T and Stevie Ray left the GWF to work for World Championship Wrestling. During that time they also worked for Network Of Wrestling in Japan. World Championship Wrestling (1993–2001) Harlem Heat (1993–1997) Main article: Harlem Heat Booker and his brother Stevie Ray signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) after Sid Vicious recommended they sign with the company.[8] In August 1993, they debuted as the tag team Harlem Heat, with Booker renamed Kole and Lash renamed Kane.[11] They became heels and were on Harley Race and Col. Rob Parker's team in the WarGames match at Fall Brawl on September 19 against Sting, Davey Boy Smith, Dustin Rhodes, and The Shockmaster.[12] They lost the match but were over as heels because of the caliber of faces they wrestled. In 1994, they acquired the services of Sensational Sherri, dubbed 'Sister' Sherri, as their manager and changed their names back to Booker T and Stevie Ray, at their request. By the end of 1994, they held the WCW Tag Team Championship after defeating Stars and Stripes (The Patriot and Marcus Alexander Bagwell) in December.[11] After dropping the title to The Nasty Boys, Harlem Heat regained the belts on June 24, 1995. Afterward, Harlem Heat got into a feud with Col. Parker's "Stud Stable" of "Dirty" Dick Slater and Bunkhouse Buck. Parker and Sherri were carrying on a love affair and Parker eventually left the Stud Stable in favor of the Heat to be with Sherri. Harlem Heat won the WCW World Tag Team titles at Fall Brawl 1995, defeating Dick Slater and Bunkhouse Buck.[13] Their third title reign only lasted one day,[citation needed] but the duo regained the tag team title nine days later from The American Males (Buff Bagwell and Scotty Riggs). On the June 24, 1996, Nitro, Harlem Heat defeated Lex Luger and Sting to capture their fifth WCW World Tag Team titles.[citation needed] Three days after losing the tag team titles to the Steiner Brothers, Harlem Heat regained the titles back from the Steiners on July 27. On September 23, Booker T and Stevie Ray were defeated by Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge) but took the titles back for the seventh time on October 1.[citation needed] They lost the Tag Team Championship to the Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) on October 27.[11][14] Subsequently, they fired Col. Parker and beat him up and became full-fledged faces. They then entered into a brief feud against Col. Parker's newest team The Amazing French Canadians, a feud they won.[14] In 1997, they feuded with Public Enemy (Grunge & Rocco), The Steiners, and the nWo. In fall 1997, they fired Sherri and added a new manager, Jacqueline. They were briefly put out of action by the nWo and returned to feud with the Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian). Stevie then took five months off from WCW to recover from an ankle injury and Jacqueline left for the WWF. World Television Champion (1997–1999) Booker made the transition into singles action and won the WCW World Television Championship from Disco Inferno on the December 29, 1997, episode of Nitro.[11] Booker feuded over the title with Perry Saturn and Rick Martel culminating in a gauntlet match at SuperBrawl VIII. Martel, the man that was originally supposed to win the match, went down early due to a knee injury, meaning the finish and the remainder of the match had to be called in the ring.[15] During spring 1998, Booker began feuding with Chris Benoit.[11] Benoit cost Booker the TV title during a match against Fit Finlay.[11] As a result, Booker and Benoit engaged in a "best-of-seven series" with the winner meeting Finlay for the title.[11][16] After seven matches and interference from Bret Hart and Stevie Ray, Booker T won the series, and on June 14, regained the Television Championship.[11][17] Booker scored a clean pinfall victory over Bret Hart on the edition of February 22 of Nitro. The following month, he regained the TV Championship from Scott Steiner,[18] who, in turn, defeated Booker in the finals of the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship tournament.[18] Booker lost the Television title to Rick Steiner a month later at Slamboree.[18] Harlem Heat reunion; Misfits In Action (1999–2000) See also: Harlem Heat and Misfits In Action By mid-1999, Booker had convinced his brother, Stevie Ray, to leave the nWo and reunite Harlem Heat.[11] Harlem Heat defeated Bam Bam Bigelow and Kanyon for the WCW World Tag Team titles at Road Wild.[18] They lost the WCW World Tag Team titles to Barry and Kendall Windham on August 23,[citation needed] but Harlem Heat regained them about a month later at Fall Brawl.[19] When The Filthy Animals were stripped of the WCW World Tag Team belts due to an injury suffered by Rey Mysterio Jr., the title was put up in a three-way dance at Halloween Havoc. Harlem Heat claimed their tenth WCW World Tag Team title defeating Hugh Morrus and Brian Knobs and Konnan and Kidman.[19] By late 1999, a female bodybuilder named Midnight had joined Harlem Heat. Stevie neglected her help and started disputing with Booker over her. Stevie Ray eventually challenged Midnight in a match that decided whether or not she would stay with Harlem Heat. After being defeated with a surprise small package, Stevie Ray turned on both Booker and Midnight to form Harlem Heat, Inc. with Big T, Kash, and J. Biggs. Stevie Ray and Big T dubbed themselves Harlem Heat 2000.[11] Throughout this period, Huffman was referred to simply as Booker, as Harlem Heat 2000 won the rights to the name "T" in a match with Big T against Booker on February 20, 2000, at SuperBrawl X.[20] Kidman and Booker T defeated Harlem Heat 2000 (Ray and Big T) at Uncensored 2000.[21] When Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff formed The New Blood, Huffman eventually completely changed his in-ring persona, helping lead Captain Rection's military-themed Misfits In Action stable as G.I. Bro, reprising his gimmicks from his days in the WWA.[11] He defeated Shawn Stasiak at the Great American Bash in a Boot Camp match.[21] He returned to the Booker T name on the June 19 Nitro, promoting Rection to the status of General and demanding the Misfits start standing up to the New Blood.[11] WCW World Heavyweight Champion (2000–2001) Huffman was elevated to main event status in 2000. After WCW booker Vince Russo grew disgruntled with Hulk Hogan's politics, he fired Hogan during the live broadcast of Bash at the Beach on July 9, 2000, and announced an impromptu match between Jeff Jarrett and Huffman for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.[11] Huffman won the match, in the process becoming the second ever African American champion in WCW after Ron Simmons, and the third African American to win a World Heavyweight title.[21] He lost the title to Kevin Nash on August 28 on Nitro.[citation needed] He regained the title a few weeks later in a steel cage match with Nash at Fall Brawl,[21] but again lost the title, this time to Vince Russo himself in a cage match (Russo was speared out of the cage by Goldberg and won the title), Russo vacated the title and Booker won it for the third time in a San Francisco 49er Box Match against Jeff Jarrett on the October 2 episode of Nitro.[citation needed] Booker's next feud was with Scott Steiner, to whom he eventually lost the title in a Straitjacket steel cage match. Steiner won by TKO when he put an unconscious Booker into the Steiner Recliner at Mayhem.[21] Steiner was WCW's longest reigning champion in years, while Booker was briefly out with an injury.[11] Booker returned to the roster and defeated Rick Steiner for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship at Greed. This made Booker the ninth WCW Triple Crown winner.[22] On the final episode of Nitro, he defeated Scott Steiner to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship for the fourth time.[23] According to sports journalist Michael Landsberg, Huffman was salaried at "close to a million dollars a year" in WCW.[24] He won a total of twenty-one titles within the organization, making him the most decorated performer in its history. Booker was also the reigning WCW United States Heavyweight Champion and WCW World Heavyweight Champion when he accepted a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).[23] World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2001–2007) The Alliance (2001–2002) Main articles: The Invasion and The Alliance After WCW was bought by the WWF in March 2001, Booker T made his debut at the King of the Ring pay-per-view in 2001 attacking WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin during his match, promptly injuring him in his very first move in the WWF.[25] He later turned heel and became a leading member of The Alliance during the Invasion storyline.[16][26] In his debut match in the company, Booker defended his WCW Championship against Buff Bagwell on the July 2 episode of Raw;[11][27] sports journalist Michael Landsberg reported that many have called this bout "the worst match ever".[24] At InVasion, The Alliance defeated Team WWF when Austin joined the Alliance.[citation needed] On the July 26 episode of SmackDown!, Booker T gave up his WCW United States Championship and handed it over to Chris Kanyon.[11] He later lost the WCW Championship to Kurt Angle, but he went on to win the title back on the July 30 episode of Raw.[11] Booker T kept the title until SummerSlam, when he lost it to The Rock after feuding with him over the similarity in their gimmicks and their identical finishing moves, the Book End/Rock Bottom.[11][25] Booker T won the WCW Tag Team Championship for an eleventh time, this time with Test,[11] and he also had a WWF Tag Team Championship reign with Test.[28] At the Survivor Series, Booker T was eliminated third by The Rock after a roll-up and eventually The Alliance was defeated, causing them to disband.[25] In its aftermath, Booker remained a heel, and he joined forces with Vince McMahon and The Boss Man in December to feud with Steve Austin. After Booker T cost Austin a match against Chris Jericho for the Undisputed WWF Championship at Vengeance,[25] Austin gained revenge in a brawl in a supermarket, in which Austin won, assaulting Booker T with food. The brawl cost the company $10,000 to $15,000 in damage.[29] Then the week after Booker T vandalized Austin's truck causing Austin to chase Booker T around a bingo hall and a church. Booker T's first WrestleMania appearance was at WrestleMania X8 against Edge, a match he lost.[11] They feuded over who would appear in a fictional Japanese shampoo commercial.[25] When the brand extension was introduced in March, Booker T was drafted to the Raw brand.[citation needed] At Insurrextion, Booker briefly held the WWF Hardcore Championship twice, defeating Stevie Richards only to lose it to Crash Holly seconds later. He then re-defeated Crash and lost the title to Stevie Richards a few minutes later. Feud with Evolution (2002–2003) Goldust began trying to start a tag team with Booker, but Goldust kept costing Booker matches. With the nWo now operating in WWE, Booker T was eventually invited into the faction.[11] His time there was short-lived, when he was kicked out of the group by Shawn Michaels after a superkick from Michaels.[11] Booker then turned face and found a partnership with Goldust and the pair teamed to battle the nWo.[11] Booker and Goldust had a WWE Tag Team Championship match against The Un-Americans (Christian and Lance Storm) at SummerSlam, but The Un-Americans retained after interference from Test.[30] At No Mercy, Booker and Goldust battled Chris Jericho and Christian for the World Tag Team Championship, but they lost the match with Jericho using the title belt on Goldust.[30] He spent the rest of 2002 teaming with Goldust. They won the World Tag Team Championship at Armageddon in a Tag Team Elimination match defeating the teams of Christian and Chris Jericho, Lance Storm and William Regal, and the Dudley Boyz.[31] They held the belts for about three weeks, when they lost them to Regal and Storm.[31] Booker and Goldust lost the rematch and decided to go their separate ways.[11] The gimmick for Booker and Goldust was Goldust being a strange, yet dependable ally who Booker eventually warmed up to after initial skepticism. By 2003, however, Booker T's popularity had soared and he amicably separated from Goldust, at Goldust's request, in order to pursue the World Heavyweight Championship. In February 2003, he eliminated The Rock to win a battle royal to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XIX.[citation needed] Booker targeted Evolution after Batista and Randy Orton attacked Booker's former partner, Goldust.[11] Several weeks before WrestleMania, the incumbent champion and Evolution's leader, Triple H, cut a controversial promo on Booker T. Triple H downplayed Booker T's WCW success, pointing out that the WCW World Heavyweight Championship had been held by non-wrestlers like booker Vince Russo and actor David Arquette, calling WCW and its title "a joke", despite the fact that, as World Heavyweight Champion, Triple H was holding the WCW World Heavyweight Championship's physical belt, the Big Gold Belt, and that Triple H's Evolution stablemate, Ric Flair, had been a multiple-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion. He said that "people like" Booker T would never win world championships in WWE. This promo is often interpreted as  due to Triple H referencing Booker T's "nappy" hair and implying that Booker T was just in WWE to dance and entertain for "people like" Triple H. During the WrestleMania XIX press conference Michael Cole asked Triple H as to whether he had deliberately cut a promo, Triple H claimed this was not the case and that he was just referring to Booker's criminal past.[citation needed] A week later, Booker attacked Triple H in the bathroom and laid him out after Triple H had thrown a dollar bill at him, ordering Booker to get him a towel.[citation needed] However, Booker T lost to Triple H at WrestleMania.[31] For several weeks, he teamed with Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash in a feud against Triple H, Ric Flair, and Chris Jericho.[11] At Backlash, Booker's team lost when Triple H pinned Nash after a sledgehammer shot.[31] Various feuds (2003–2005) Afterward, Booker set his sights on the newly reactivated Intercontinental Championship.[11] After losing a battle royal for the title at Judgment Day,[31] Booker feuded with the champion Christian.[11] After a few matches, Booker defeated Christian to become the new Intercontinental Champion on the July 7 episode of Raw.[32] About a month later, because of a nagging back injury, Booker lost the Intercontinental title back to Christian at a non-televised house show on August 10.[33] Booker, meanwhile, was out of action until October.[11] Booker returned on the October 20 episode of Raw and subsequently joined Team Austin at Survivor Series for a match to determine whether Eric Bischoff or Stone Cold Steve Austin (both co-general managers) would be the sole General Manager of Raw.[citation needed] Team Bischoff won the match.[34] Booker then feuded with Mark Henry, who eliminated him in the Survivor Series match. Booker defeated Henry at Armageddon.[34] On the February 16, 2004, episode of Raw, Booker T and Rob Van Dam defeated Ric Flair and Batista for the World Tag Team Championship.[11] Booker and Van Dam held the titles for a month, even defending the belts at WrestleMania XX in a Fatal 4-Way tag team match.[35] Eight days later on the March 22 episode of Raw, they lost the World Tag Team Championship back to Ric Flair and Batista. He and Rob Van Dam, never got their rematch due to Rob Van Dam being drafted to SmackDown! that very same night. On March 23, 2004, he was "traded" (along with the Dudley Boyz) to the SmackDown! brand in exchange for Triple H, but as part of a new storyline, he appeared unhappy with the move calling SmackDown! "the minor leagues" and even disrespected Eddie Guerrero, the brand's WWE Champion, turning heel in the process.[11] Later on, Booker T bragged about how he was the biggest star on SmackDown! and feuded with The Undertaker.[11] Booker tried to utilize voodoo magic to try to overcome his "supernatural" foe;[citation needed] however, it did nothing to prevent him from losing to the Undertaker at Judgment Day.[35] On October 21, SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long placed Booker in a six-man tag team match with Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio against John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), René Duprée, and Kenzo Suzuki. JBL expected Booker to betray his partners, but instead Booker pinned him, thus turning face again.[citation needed] Booker T faced JBL for the WWE Championship at the Survivor Series on November 14, but lost after he was hit in the head with the championship belt.[35] The next night, Booker T demanded a rematch, citing Orlando Jordan's interference. He was then joined by Eddie Guerrero and The Undertaker who also wanted a shot at JBL's title, prompting Theodore Long to make a fatal four-way match for the WWE Championship at Armageddon.[11] Once again, Booker failed to win the title, as JBL retained it.[36] He then briefly teamed with Eddie Guerrero, at one point challenging Mysterio and Van Dam for the WWE Tag Team Championship, and feuded with Heidenreich.[11] Booker won a 30-man Battle Royal dark match at WrestleMania 21 last eliminating Raw's Viscera and Chris Masters.[citation needed] Subsequently, Booker was part of the tournament to name a new number one contender and made it to the Final Four.[11] After Kurt Angle eliminated Booker, he returned the favor, costing Angle the match against JBL.[11] The storyline then turned to a sexual nature,[23] as Angle began stalking Booker's new wife, Sharmell. Booker defeated Angle at Judgment Day.[11] On the May 26 episode of SmackDown!, Booker participated in a "Winners Choice" Battle Royal, with the winner choosing his opponent for the next week. Kurt Angle won and wanted to wrestle Sharmell.[citation needed] Booker protested, and the match was made into a Handicap match. Angle won by pinning Sharmell in a sexual position.[citation needed] The next week, Booker gained revenge on Angle, defeating him with a Scissors Kick.[citation needed] Booker at Tribute to the Troops On the June 30 episode of SmackDown!, JBL defeated Christian, The Undertaker, Chris Benoit, Muhammad Hassan, and Booker T in a six-man elimination match for the SmackDown! Championship. During the match, Booker got specifically involved with Christian.[citation needed] Booker later defeated Christian at The Great American Bash.[citation needed] United States Champion (2005–2006) Booker T began teaming with Chris Benoit, eying his United States Championship again.[citation needed] Benoit was allowed to pick his next challenger to see who would face him at No Mercy, so Booker, Christian, and Orlando Jordan tried to impress Benoit by winning matches. He instead decided not choose one opponent, so he made it a fatal four-way for No Mercy, where Benoit successfully defended his title.[citation needed] On the October 21 episode of SmackDown!, Booker T defeated Benoit for the United States Championship, due to unseen help from Sharmell.[11] Theodore Long later showed footage of Sharmell interfering in Booker's matches. Booker went to apologize to Benoit and give him a rematch, but then attacked Benoit, busting him open with the United States title belt and turning heel once again.[11] Booker then boasted that he had been fully aware of what Sharmell had been doing and had been playing dumb to fool everyone.[citation needed] On the February 24 episode of SmackDown!, Booker and Sharmell provided guest commentary for a match involving The Boogeyman. After defeating his opponents, Boogeyman dumped a bucket of worms onto the announce table where they were sitting, frightening the two.[citation needed] Over the next few weeks, Boogeyman would stalk Booker and Sharmell. Booker and Boogeyman were set to face off on the March 18 Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII, but the match was canceled due to Booker faking a knee injury to escape competition.[citation needed] The feud eventually culminated at WrestleMania 22, with Booker and Sharmell losing to Boogeyman.[38] The couple received a restraining order against The Boogeyman on the April 7 episode of SmackDown!, ending the feud.[citation needed] King Booker; World Heavyweight Champion (2006–2007) Main article: King Booker's Court After gaining his title of King, Booker continued to feud with Lashley. After Lashley defeated John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) for the United States Championship at the end of May, Booker began chasing after the title and even resorted to making Lashley kiss his "royal feet" on the June 2 episode of SmackDown!.[citation needed] The feud ended after a steel cage match on the June 30 episode of SmackDown! where Lashley defeated Booker by escaping the cage to retain the United States Championship.[citation needed] The next week, Booker entered a battle royal on SmackDown! with the winner to challenge Rey Mysterio for his World Heavyweight Championship at The Great American Bash.[citation needed] Booker won the battle royal and then defeated Mysterio at The Great American Bash to win the World Heavyweight Championship after Chavo Guerrero betrayed Mysterio by hitting him with a steel chair.[41] This was Booker's first world championship since joining WWE and the win caused him to proclaim himself as the "King of the World".[citation needed] This win would also make Booker the sixteenth Triple Crown Champion and eighth Grand Slam Champion (under the original format) in the history of the WWE. After Booker won the World Heavyweight Championship, he began a rivalry with the returning former champion Batista, who vowed to regain the title he was forced to forfeit due to injury. This rivalry spilled over to real life when the two got into a legitimate fistfight at a SummerSlam pay-per-view commercial shoot, reportedly due to Batista considering himself superior to the rest of the roster due to his quick climb to main event status. According to sources, both men were left bloodied and bruised, however Booker was reportedly praised by many wrestlers in the back for speaking his mind to Batista about his attitude.[42][43][44] At SummerSlam, Booker lost to Batista by disqualification after Queen Sharmell interfered on his behalf (thus retaining the title),[citation needed] but at No Mercy, Booker defeated Batista, Lashley and his own stablemate, Finlay, in a Fatal 4-Way match.[citation needed] Before the match, Booker assaulted Sir William Regal, resulting in the breakup of the King's Court. Despite the break-up of his Court, Booker lost to Batista by disqualification on the October 20 episode on SmackDown!, due to interference from WWE Champion John Cena from Raw and ECW World Champion Big Show, the two of whom King Booker was to face at Cyber Sunday in a "champion of champions" match.[citation needed] At Cyber Sunday, the fans voted for the World Heavyweight Championship to be on the line. Booker retained after defeating Big Show and Cena with help from Kevin Federline.[citation needed] After Cyber Sunday, the feud between King Booker and Batista continued with Batista unable to wrestle the title from Booker. Eventually this led to a match at Survivor Series on November 26, where Booker declared that if Batista failed to defeat him this time, it would be the last World Heavyweight Championship match he would receive as long as Booker was champion. At Survivor Series, SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long decided that if Booker got counted out or disqualified, he would lose the title. Late in the match, Queen Sharmell handed Booker his title belt while referee Nick Patrick was not looking. While she had Patrick distracted, Booker attempted to hit Batista with the belt. Batista moved out of the way, knocked the belt out of Booker's hands and hit him in the head with it, and King Booker lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Batista.[11] After losing the title, Booker feuded alongside former royal court member Finlay against Batista and John Cena, which led up to Armageddon where they lost.[citation needed] While competing in the Royal Rumble match, King Booker was eliminated by Kane. A frustrated Booker returned to the ring illegally and eliminated Kane.[citation needed] This started a short feud between the two resulting in a match at No Way Out, which Kane won.[citation needed] On the February 23 episode of SmackDown!, Booker won a Falls Count Anywhere Money in the Bank qualifying match, defeating Kane (with assistance from The Great Khali) and earned himself a spot in the match at WrestleMania 23.[citation needed] At WrestleMania, Matt Hardy set up Sharmell for a Twist of Fate during the Money in the Bank match with the briefcase in Booker's grasp – thus forcing him to choose between a guaranteed title shot and his wife.[11] He chose to defend Sharmell and lost the match.[11] On the April 6 episode of SmackDown!, Booker attempted to take revenge. However, he lost the match against Matt Hardy, and Sharmell declared her disappointment in him and slapped him. In an attempt to impress Sharmell, Booker attacked The Undertaker but was Tombstoned on an announcers' table.[citation needed] Booker was removed from television to deal with a knee injury.[11] WWE Championship pursuit and departure (2007) On the June 11 episode of Raw, both King Booker and Queen Sharmell were drafted to the Raw brand as part of the WWE Draft.[11] He then began a short feud with John Cena over the WWE Championship, Booker would wrestle Cena in a Five Pack Challenge along with Bobby Lashley, Mick Foley and Randy Orton at Vengeance: Night of Champions for the title in a losing effort. Cena would retain at the event by pinning Foley. On the July 16 episode of Raw, King Booker came to the ring using Triple H's theme music "The King of Kings", even using his video. King Booker declared that neither Triple H nor Jerry Lawler could be known as "The King".[11] Booker began a feud with Lawler, defeating him on the August 6 episode of Raw where the loser had to crown the winner the next week.[citation needed] When the time came, Lawler refused, declaring that Triple H was still a king and announcing that King Booker would battle Triple H at SummerSlam. Booker attacked Lawler, throwing him into the ring post and hitting him with a television monitor.[citation needed] At SummerSlam, Booker lost to the returning Triple H.[citation needed] On the August 27 episode of Raw, Booker wrestled against John Cena in a non-title match, which he lost by disqualification when Randy Orton interfered.[11] In August, he was linked to Signature Pharmacy, a company thought to be distributing performance-enhancing drugs.[45] He was suspended by WWE for violating its Wellness Policy.[45] He denied using any drugs and being a customer of Signature Pharmacy.[45] In October 2007, Booker T requested his and Sharmell's release from their WWE contracts due to the pressure he had in WWE and being burned out, which WWE granted.[46][39] Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2007–2010) Feud with Bobby Roode (2007–2008) Booker T (right) and Sharmell in TNA At the Genesis pay-per-view on November 11, 2007, Huffman debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as Sting's mystery partner in a tag team match against Kurt Angle and Kevin Nash for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship,[47] reverting to his Booker T character. His wife Sharmell also debuted, interfering in the match on Booker and Sting's behalf when Karen Angle interfered on behalf of Kurt Angle and Nash. On the November 29 episode of Impact!, Booker said he came to TNA to test his skills against the young talent, take TNA to a higher level, and win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Robert Roode came to the ring and challenged Booker to a match, claiming he has been pushed down by washed-up wrestlers and has-beens. Booker won his Impact! debut match, but afterwards, Christian Cage and Robert Roode beat down Booker until Kaz made the save.[citation needed] At Turning Point, Booker and Kaz defeated Roode and Cage when Booker pinned Cage.[citation needed] Booker and Sharmell won a mixed tag team match against Robert Roode and Ms. Brooks at Final Resolution. After the match, Roode punched Sharmell in the face,[citation needed] leading to a match at Against All Odds. While the punch was intended to be a work, Roode had in fact made contact with Sharmell during the punch, dislocating her jaw and causing her to be off TV for a few weeks, therefore making it into a shoot. The rivalry, however, went ahead as planned where Booker and Roode wrestled to a double-countout at Against All Odds, which saw them brawl to the parking lot.[citation needed] Roode defeated Booker in a strap match at Destination X after hitting Booker with a pair of handcuffs.[citation needed] On a special live episode of Impact!, Booker and Roode had another outing, this time with the fans being able to vote on the stipulation of the match. At Booker's request during a pre-match promo, the match became a First Blood Match, beating the Last Man Standing and I Quit stipulations. Booker T would go on to win the match-up. At Lockdown, Booker T and Sharmell defeated Robert Roode and Payton Banks after Sharmell pinned Banks with a roll-up. Main Event Mafia (2008–2010) Main article: The Main Event Mafia Booker T (left) as part of the Main Event Mafia in TNA. At this time Booker was the TNA Legends (later Television) Champion Booker T went go on to form the Mafia's resident tag team with Scott Steiner, and at Victory Road, Steiner and Booker defeated Beer Money, Inc. to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship, marking Booker's 15th World Tag Team title reign overall. Then at Hard Justice, Booker T and Steiner retained the World Tag Team Championship against Team 3D. Prior to No Surrender, Booker, Steiner, and British Invasion won a match to gain the man advantage at No Surrender's Lethal Lockdown match against Team 3D and Beer Money, Inc. Even with the advantage, Booker T's team lost at No Surrender when James Storm of Beer Money pinned Doug Williams of The British Invasion.[48] At Bound for Glory, Booker and Steiner lost the TNA World Tag Team Titles to the British Invasion in a four way Full Metal Mayhem Tag Team match, which also included Team 3D and Beer Money; during the match Booker was taken out on a stretcher.[49] Afterwards it was reported that the PPV had been Booker's final appearance with the company, and his and Sharmell's profiles were removed from the official TNA roster. On May 21, 2010, Booker T made a one night return to TNA at a live event in Lake Charles, Louisiana, replacing A.J. Styles, who was unable to attend the event due to travel issues, and wrestled Rob Van Dam for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort.[50][51] Puerto Rico and Mexico (2009–2010) Booker T debuted in the International Wrestling Association (IWA) on Histeria Boricua, a special event held on January 6, 2009.[52] There he was booked against Chicano, the incumbent IWA Undisputed Heavyweight Champion.[52] The match was won by Cotto, who reversed a "Book End" attempt and scored a pinfall victory. On July 11, 2010, Booker T was booked by World Wrestling Council in a match against Carlito which also involved Orlando Colón and El Mesias. On September 16, 2010, Booker T made his debut for Mexican promotion Perros del Mal. In the main event of the evening he teamed up with Dr. Wagner Jr. and El Mesías, who represented rival promotion AAA, against El Hijo del Perro Aguayo, Damián 666 and Halloween. After Aguayo pinned El Mesías, Booker turned on Wagner, unmasked him and joined Perros del Mal.[53] Return to WWE (2011–present) Color commentator and part-time wrestler (2011–2012) On January 30, 2011, Booker T returned to WWE to take part in the Royal Rumble. Booker entered the match at number 21 and was eliminated by Mason Ryan.[54] On the February 1 taping of SmackDown, Huffman debuted as the show's new color commentator, working beside Josh Mathews and Michael Cole, replacing Matt Striker.[55] He coached on the returning Tough Enough competition,[56] and at Elimination Chamber he introduced Trish Stratus as a fellow coach. At WrestleMania XXVII Booker T was on commentary during the Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole match. He would become involved in the match during the event. After the disqualification win for Cole, Booker T appeared in-ring post match alongside Stone Cold Steve Austin and Lawler and after a Spinaroonie, received a stone cold stunner from Austin. On the June 6 episode of Raw, Booker wrestled his first match on the brand in four years, gaining a victory against Jack Swagger by count out. On the November 21 episode of Raw, Cody Rhodes threw water in Booker T's face after Rhodes allegedly heard Booker T criticize him, thus starting a conflict between the two. On the November 29 episode of SmackDown Booker was scheduled to face Rhodes in a match but it did not happen after Rhodes attacked him from behind him during a backstage interview.[57][58] On the December 9 episode of SmackDown, Rhodes attacked Booker again while heading to the announcer's table leaving him with paramedics. Later that night, Booker T attacked Rhodes during his match with Daniel Bryan, leading to an Intercontinental Championship match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs,[59] which Rhodes won.[60] On the December 26 episode of Raw, Booker defeated Rhodes in a non-title match.[61] On the January 6, 2012, episode of SmackDown, Booker challenged Rhodes a second time for the Intercontinental Championship, but once again failed to win the title.[62] Booker T along with fellow commentators Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole all participated in the 2012 Royal Rumble. On the March 26, 2012 episode of Raw, Booker T saved Teddy Long from an attempted attack by Mark Henry, thus becoming the sixth and final member of Team Teddy at WrestleMania XXVIII, where Team Johnny emerged victorious.[63] This was his last official match for the WWE. On the July 9 episode of Raw, Jerry Lawler won by pinfall against Michael Cole in a WrestleMania XXVII rematch. However, Booker, who was subbing for Lawler on commentary, threw Cole back into the ring after he tried to escape. This caused the anonymous Raw General Manager to reverse the decision and give Cole the win as a result of a disqualification. SmackDown General Manager and Hall of Fame (2012–2013) On July 27, 2012, Booker T was appointed the new General Manager of SmackDown.[64] Booker would quickly add Eve Torres and Theodore Long to his staff, as his assistant and senior adviser respectively. Booker was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his brother, Stevie Ray, the night before WrestleMania 29. On the April 19 SmackDown, Booker became angry with Long for making matches without his consent. Big Show arrived and thanked Long for doing a better job than Booker, further infuriating him. On the April 22 Raw, upset with Long for making a World Heavyweight Championship match at Extreme Rules, made it a Triple Threat match. Booker took time off for a torn distal triceps, and had surgery for it on June 12.[citation needed] On the July 19 SmackDown, he returned to continue as SmackDown General Manager, but soon lost the job to Vickie Guerrero, on Vince McMahon's orders. Return to commentary and pre-show panelist (2014–present) Booker T in March 2015 Since 2014, Booker T has commonly done work on the WWE Network, including the Raw pre-show and also being a part of the "expert panel" on Kickoff shows before each pay-per-view event. On the 2015 premiere of Raw, Booker T replaced Jerry Lawler, who was suffering from diverticulitis, for commentating. However, it was later announced that Booker would be returning on a full-time basis to take Lawler's place on Raw, with Lawler moving to SmackDown.[65] On the March 30 episode of Raw, Booker, along with JBL and Michael Cole, were injured by Brock Lesnar after Seth Rollins refused Lesnar his WWE World Heavyweight Championship rematch. Booker was replaced by Byron Saxton for commentating as he became a coach for the sixth season of WWE Tough Enough. On August 6, 2016, Booker T replaced Tommy Dreamer in an intergender tag team match for Dreamer's House of Hardcore promotion.[citation needed] Booker T returned to his old "King Booker" gimmick in a segment with the SmackDown Live Survivor Series tag teams where he gave a motivational speech and convinced Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) to join the team. In December 2016, after Jerry Lawler and Lita left the pre-show team, WWE ended their Raw and SmackDown pre-shows leaving Booker T to the WWE pay-per-view pre-shows and other WWE Network specials. Following the 2017 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Booker T replaced David Otunga as color commentator on Raw. On the January 29, 2018, episode of Raw, Booker was replaced on commentary by the returning Jonathan Coachman. On the August 28 episode of SmackDown Live Booker T made a surprise appearance as "King Booker" in the opening segment when he interrupted and joined in on The New Day's "five timers" celebration, following the latter's fifth tag team championship win.[citation needed] In 2020, Booker made his return by wrestling at the Reality of Wrestling promotion. On October 6, 2022, WWE announced that they had shuffled their commentary and interview teams, with Booker T joining the NXT commentary team alongside Vic Joseph.[66] On January 28, 2023, Booker returned to the ring in WWE by participating in the 2023 Royal Rumble but was eliminated by Gunther in 42 seconds. This turned out to be his final bout in wrestling as he announced on his podcast that he was ‘done’ with professional wrestling due to his age. Legacy Longtime wrestler Kurt Angle said of Booker: "He's done it all... he legitimately is one of the top five best of all time."[67] In 2001, sports journalist Michael Landsberg stated that Booker was considered "one of the best wrestlers alive", capable of "any match, any style".[24] Industry veteran John Layfield later described him as "the best acquisition that WWE got when they bought WCW" in 2001.[68] Booker's 21 WCW titles render him the most decorated wrestler in the company's history.[69] He was the first African American WCW World Television Champion.[68] Harlem Heat were recognized by WWE as being – along with The Steiner Brothers – WCW's greatest ever tag team.[70] Considering both Booker's WCW and WWF/E accolades, WWE recognizes him as one of the most decorated performers of all-time.[71] With his fifth WCW Championship win (which occurred in the WWF), Booker T became the second African-American to win a world championship in WWF/E (after The Rock), and the first to be of non-mixed race.[72] Booker was voted WWE's greatest World Heavyweight Champion in a 2013 viewer poll.[73] Other media In 2000, Booker appeared in the film Ready to Rumble, starring as himself. He has appeared in an episode of Charmed, called "Wrestling with Demons" alongside Buff Bagwell and Scott Steiner. In 2001, along with several other WWE wrestlers, Booker competed on an episode of The Weakest Link, being eliminated second from the show. He also has appeared on Comedy Central and MTV. On January 13, 2004, the album WWE Originals was released, featuring Booker T performing "Can You Dig It?". On April 21, 2007, Booker began hosting a radio show titled Tea Time with King Booker on KBME 790 AM in Houston.[74] During the week of November 5, 2007, he appeared on Family Feud with several other WWE wrestlers.[75] On September 1, 2012, Booker released his first autobiography, Booker T: From Prison to Promise, with Medallion Press. Booker T made appearances to promote the book with The Score Television Network with Arda Ocal which aired on August 29, 2012.[76] He conducted a sixteen-page interview with Pro Wrestling Illustrated in the 2012 volume #50 issue.[77] On March 10, 2015, Booker released his second autobiography, Booker T: Wrestling Royalty with Medallion Press. In 2015, Booker T started a show on KILT (AM) that is also a podcast on Radio.com called "Heated Conversations – with Booker T".[78] The show is aired on Saturday nights locally in Houston, Texas, and covers subjects from wrestling, MMA, and boxing to many other sports. It has featured the biggest names from the WWE, as well as NBA stars like Dwight Howard. In February 2019, Booker T sued video game company Activision over the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 character David "Prophet" Wilkes. The lawsuit claimed that the Black Ops character contained similarities to Booker's GI Bro comic book character.[citation needed] On September 19, 2021, All41 Studios and Microgaming released WWE Legends: Link & Win,[79] a game for mobile and desktop browsers. Booker T was featured as one of four main characters alongside Macho Man Randy Savage, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Eddie Guerrero. On May 9, 2022, Booker was the subject of the Biography: WWE Legends. Video games WCW Video games Year     Title     Notes 1998     WCW Nitro     Video game debut WCW/nWo Revenge     1999     WCW/nWo Thunder     WCW Mayhem     2000     WCW Backstage Assault     WWE Video games Year     Title     Notes 2002     WWE WrestleMania X8     Video game debut WWE Road to WrestleMania X8     WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth     Cover athlete 2003     WWE Crush Hour     WWE WrestleMania XIX     WWE Raw 2     WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain     2004     WWE Day of Reckoning     WWE Survivor Series     WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw     2005     WWE WrestleMania 21     WWE Aftershock     WWE Day of Reckoning 2     WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006     2006     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007     2007     WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008     Billed as "King Booker" 2011     WWE '12     2012     WWE '13     2014     WWE SuperCard     WWE 2K15     Motion capture (Next-gen & PC) 2015     WWE 2K     WWE 2K16     Motion capture (Next-gen & PC) WWE Immortals     2016     WWE 2K17     Motion capture (Next-gen & PC) 2017     WWE 2K18     Motion capture WWE Champions     2018     WWE 2K19     Motion capture 2019     WWE 2K20     Motion capture 2020     WWE 2K Battlegrounds     2022     WWE 2K22     King Booker and Booker T TNA Video games Year     Title     Notes 2008     TNA Impact!     Video game debut Cover athlete TNA Wrestling     Mobile game Personal life Relationships and family Huffman married his first wife Levestia on May 23, 1996. Booker presented her to the Nitro crowd the night after his WCW World Heavyweight Championship win at Bash at the Beach.[80] Levestia was also used to further the feud between himself and Jeff Jarrett when Jarrett hit her in the head with a guitar on Nitro on July 31, 2000. However, they divorced on May 8, 2001.[81] Huffman has a son, from a previous relationship with a high school girlfriend, named Brandon (born in 1982),[82][10] with whom he has a strained relationship due to his time spent on the road.[83] Booker married his girlfriend of five years, Sharmell Sullivan, in February 2005.[84] The couple welcomed their twins, a boy named Kendrick and a girl named Kennedy, in 2010.[85] Huffman and his brother Lash opened a wrestling school in Houston in 2005.[23] He is also a fan of Formula One, and was in attendance at the 2012 U.S Grand Prix as a guest of Lewis Hamilton. Reality of Wrestling In 2005, Huffman started his own wrestling promotion in Houston, Texas, called Pro Wrestling Alliance. In 2012, the promotion rebranded to Reality of Wrestling. After his final 2013 event, Christmas Chaos, ROW was near to close, but Houston business man Hilton Koch, who assisted the event, became a partner with Booker.[86] On February 21, 2015, Booker T and Stevie Ray reunited as Harlem Heat for one last match in Reality of Wrestling for the promotion's "The Final Heat" event. They defeated the Heavenly Bodies to win the ROW Tag Team Championship. On March 14, the titles were vacated. In February 2020, Booker T returned to wrestle for the promotion in an eight-man tag team match. Politics On December 10, 2016, Huffman announced that he would be running in the 2019 Houston mayoral election.[87] He was quoted saying that, "2020 is going to be a new era in the city of Houston. We're going to be looked at now from a different perspective. The cool city, 2020 is coming."[88] Huffman was quoted in 2016, stating his focus for the three years leading up to the 2019 election would be concentrated on the city's "homeless, underprivileged, and low income areas."[88] However, in September 2019, Huffman was not among the 12 names listed who applied for the election ballot.[89] Legal issues Huffman spent nineteen months in prison after pleading guilty to armed robberies at Wendy's restaurants in Houston. He and his partners wore Wendy's uniforms during the holdups since they had been working there for 2½ years. Because of the gunmen's uniforms and familiarity with the fast food chain's operations, police suspected the robberies were inside jobs—and it did not take long before Huffman and three other men were found. He pleaded guilty in December 1987 to two aggravated robbery counts and was sentenced to five years in prison. Huffman was released after serving 19 months, and was placed on parole until April 1992." (wikipedia.org) "GameKeys are expansion modules made by Jakks Pacific for the purpose of adding games to GameKey-ready entries in their Plug It In & Play TV Games product line. History The GameKey was first announced at the 2005 International Toy Fair, and the first products were released in July 2005. GameKeys were mainly marketed for the Namco Ms. Pac-Man controller, but different GameKeys existed for other TV Games manufactured by Jakks Pacific, including Nicktoons, Star Wars, and Disney. There were also GameKeys that never saw release due to market failure, such as Fantastic Four and Capcom.[citation needed] GameKeys were discontinued in late 2006 after struggling for a year. List of GameKey-Ready Controllers     Namco Ms. Pac-Man     Star Wars (wireless version also)     Nicktoons     Disney     Disney Princess     Spider-Man     Fantastic Four     Dragon Ball Z     Justice League     SpongeBob SquarePants: The Fry Cook Games     Dora the Explorer     Capcom     Scooby-Doo     Care Bears     Wheel of Fortune     WWE" (wikipedia.org)
  • Condition: Usado
  • Condition: In very good, pre-owned condition. Please see photos and description.
  • Brand: JAKKS Pacific
  • Type: Plug And Play
  • Platform: Plug it in & Play TV Games
  • Color: Black
  • Model: WWE Raw Vs. SmackDown!
  • Connectivity: Composite RCA
  • Year Manufactured: 2005
  • Features: Plug & Play, 2-Player Connectivity, GameKey Ready
  • MPN: 58302
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: China

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