MICKIE JAMES
nemanja6807 | 21 Decembar, 2008 19:40
MICKIE JAMES
Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) is an American professional wrestler signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) appearing on its Raw brand.
James began her professional wrestling career in 1999 as a valet on the independent circuit, where she was known under the name Alexis Laree. She trained in several camps to improve her wrestling abilities before working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in June 2002, where she gained national attention. After only a few appearances, she joined a stable called The Gathering and was written into angles with the group. She is also the first and only woman to be involved in Clockwork Orange House of Fun matches.
James appeared in WWE in October 2005 and was placed in a storyline with Trish Stratus, in which James' gimmick was that of Stratus' biggest fan turned obsessed stalker, an angle which lasted almost a year. She received a push, and she won her first WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 22, a title she has held a total of four times.
Outside of wrestling, James has received her associate of arts degree in business administration and is studying for her Bachelor of Arts degree in operations management. She also grew up on a farm and has an interest in horses, owning three Morgan horses and riding since she was 11 years old.
Mickie James was raised on a farm with her sister Latoya in Montpelier, Virginia. She is of Native American heritage. As a child, she watched weekend horse shows. James started riding horses when she was eleven years old after her grandmother bought her a horse. James was also a fan of professional wrestling and used to watch it with her father. Her favorite wrestlers were Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair. She posed nude in the May 2000 issue of Leg Show magazine.
After a suggestion from a friend, James attended a professional wrestling school in the Washington, D.C. area. She made her professional debut on the independent circuit in 1999 as a valet for KYDA Pro Wrestling under the ring name Alexis Laree, a name created as the result of a combination of her stage name from when she was a dancer and her middle name. As Laree, she managed several male wrestlers, including managing Tommy Dreamer to win the KYDA Pro Heavyweight Championship. In March, she wrestled in her first match, an intergender tag team match with Jake Damian against American Mike Brown and Candie. She trained to improve her wrestling abilities by attending training camps such as the Funking Conservatory, a workshop run by Dory Funk, Jr., and an Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) dojo. She also started competing for Maryland Championship Wrestling, where she trained at camps run by Ricky Morton and Bobby Eaton. Due to the low salary of the independent shows, James supplemented her income by working as a waitress at an Olive Garden restaurant.
While working in Ring of Honor for a year, James also debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on the company's second ever weekly pay-per-view under her Alexis Laree gimmick as a participant in a lingerie battle royal. She was not prominently featured until March 26, 2003, when she teamed with Amazing Red as part of his feud against Kid Kash—the X Division Champion—and Trinity.Weeks later, she became the first member of the Gathering, a stable led by Raven in his feud against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett.On April 16, Laree became the first (and thus far, only) woman to compete in a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match after the Gathering challenged and defeated Jarrett. She continued to wrestle with the stable when they feuded with the Disciples of The New Church, taking part in an angle with Father James Mitchell kayfabe burning her with a fireball and wrestling in another Clockwork Orange House of Fun match before leaving the company.
After two years of sending tapes and making phone calls, as well as wrestling a tryout match with Dawn Marie, James was signed to a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, who sent her to train at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), their farm territory, in August. Still using the Alexis Laree name, she began making television appearances for OVW on January 29, 2004 and competed in several tag team matches throughout the year. She also won a Halloween Costume Contest on October 30 and defeated Jillian Hall in a $1,000 match on November 12.
On May 17, 2005, Laree was placed into a tournament for the OVW Television Championship. She was booked to go over Mike Mondo in the first round, only to lose to Blaster Lashley in the next one. She began a feud with Beth Phoenix on July 20 after Phoenix interrupted Laree during an interview, setting up a match on July 29 which Laree lost. Their angle continued into September, with Shelly Martinez being added to the storyline to side with Phoenix against Laree. On October 12, she appeared in OVW under her real name and finished the year on the losing end of matches against Martinez and Jillian Hall.
James debuted in WWE on the October 10 2005 episode of Raw, continuing to use her real name, under the gimmick of WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus' biggest fan. The angle had the two WWE Divas competing together in tag team matches, with James' character becoming increasingly obsessed with Stratus.The storyline included a Halloween Costume Contest in which James was dressed like Stratus and helped Stratus retain the Women's Championship in a Fulfill Your Fantasy Battle Royal at Taboo Tuesday by eliminating herself and Victoria at the same time.She even began utilizing Stratus' signature finishing moves as her own during matches. James became the number one contender for the Women's Title on December 12 by defeating Victoria in a match to determine who would face Stratus at New Year's Revolution. Subsequently, the storyline between James and Stratus developed into a lesbian angle after James initiated an intimate kiss with Stratus under a sprig of mistletoe and complimented Stratus on her breasts.In the championship match at the pay-per-view, James jobbed to Stratus but continued to be enamored of her the next night on Raw, and she confessed her love for Stratus at the Royal Rumble.
On March 6 2006 the storyline had Stratus confront James, telling her that they needed time apart from each other. The duo teamed together at the March 18, 2006 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event to defeat Candice Michelle and Victoria. After the match, James agreed to honor Stratus' wishes and attempted to kiss her. After Stratus pushed her away, James' character made a complete heel turn by attacking Stratus in the ring and later vowing to destroy her. The two women wrestled each other at WrestleMania 22, where James was booked to win the match to claim her first reign as Women's Champion. During the match, despite the fact that James was playing the heel character, the fans frequently cheered James and booed Stratus whenever Stratus hit an offensive maneuver. The angle ended at Backlash during a rematch after Stratus legitimately dislocated her shoulder when James threw her out of the ring.James dropped the Women's Title on August 14 to Lita after Lita hit James with the title belt while Lita's on-screen boyfriend Edge distracted the referee, resulting in a face turn for James' on-screen persona. After the Women's Championship was vacated due to the legitimate retirement of Trish Stratus, James entered a tournament to determine the new champion. She defeated Victoria and Melina in the qualifying rounds before making it to the finals at Cyber Sunday, where she lost to Lita. The two Divas wrestled in a series of matches where Lita kayfabe chose the stipulations, all of which involved hindering James' wrestling ability.The storyline feud ended at Survivor Series, where James defeated Lita to win her second Women's Championship.
An angle was created between James and Melina, beginning on January 29 2007 when Melina became the number one contender for the Women's Title.Following a successful title defense on February 5,James teamed with Super Crazy in a mixed tag team match against Melina and Johnny Nitro. After Melina pinned James for the victory, she challenged her to a rematch for the title.James dropped the Women's Championship to Melina on February 19 and, in continuation of their storyline feud, failed to regain the title during the first ever Women's Falls Count Anywhere match in WWE history.Near the end of the match, James fell from the turnbuckle and landed on her neck but was not seriously injured.
The scripted feud between James and Melina continued on April 2 when James interrupted and attacked Melina during a photo op on Raw. At a house show in Paris, France on April 24, James won her third Women's Championship during a Triple Threat Match that also involved Victoria. However, since James pinned Victoria and not Melina, Jonathan Coachman announced that a rematch would take place immediately. James dropped the title back to Melina, giving her the shortest Women’s Championship reign in WWE history.
On the November 26 edition of Raw, James defeated Melina in a number one contenders match for Beth Phoenix's Women's Championship, setting up a title match between the two at Armageddon 2007, a match in which Phoenix successfully defended her Women's title. On the April 14, 2008 edition of Raw, held in London, James defeated Phoenix to win her fourth Women's Championship. At Judgment Day James successfully defended the Women's Championship against Phoenix and Melina in a Triple Threat match, pinning Melina after a Mickie-DT to win. James lost the championship back to Phoenix in an intergender tag team match at SummerSlam, and her partner Kofi Kingston lost the Intercontinental Title to Phoenix's partner Santino Marella.On the date of Cyber Sunday 2008, Mickie as Lara Croft won the Divas Halloween costume contest, after which started a fight between the heel and face divas. She has won the contest twice in a row. On November 11 Santino scheduled a match with Beth and Mickie, Santino grabbed her leg then Mickie went over and kicked him in the head. She didn't get the women's championship for her fifth time Beth knocked her out and pinned her.
• Finishing moves
• Long Kiss Goodnight (Reverse roundhouse kick preceded by a kiss) - late 2007
• Mickie-DT/ Laree DDT(Jumping standing tornado DDT or a jumping DDT)
• Mick Kick (Roundhouse kick) - 2005-2006 during her feud with Trish Stratus
• Stratusfaction (Springboard bulldog) – 2005–2006 during her feud with Trish Stratus
• Signature moves
• Baseball slide through the opponent's legs
• Bridging leg hook suplex
• Diving crossbody
• Mick-a-rana (Back elbow from the corner, followed by rope-aided twisting headscissors)
• Missile dropkick
• One-handed cartwheel followed by monkey flip as a reversal
• Running neckbreaker
• Snapmare into a baseball slide to the face
• Spinning sole kick to the midsection, followed by a front kick to the face and chest and finished with a spinning back kick to the head
• Thesz press followed by multiple punches,sometimes from the top rope
• Wheelbarrow reversal into a victory roll
• Virginia Necktie (Arm trap neckbreaker slam
James owns three Morgan horses named Rhapsody, Bunny and Casanova. After she has finished her wrestling career, James plans to own a farm and be an equine trainer. James also owns a dog named Butch.
She was previously engaged to WWE Superstar Ken Doane, better known by his ring name "Kenny Dykstra". She was previously in a relationship with Adam Birch,better known by his ring name "Joey Mercury". James has two tattoos: an Asian symbol meaning 'love' on her ankle and a dragon that wraps around it.
On April 13, 2008, James, along with Layla, Melina and Kelly Kelly, appeared in an episode of Celebrity Fit Club Boot Camp. On September 5 of that same year, James appeared on the USA Network show Psych, playing a roller derby girl called Rita "Lethal Weapon" Westwood.
James, along with Mr. Kennedy and Josh Matthews, represented WWE at the 2008 Republican National Convention in an effort to persuade fans to register to vote in the 2008 Presidential election.
James made a special appearance on Redemption Song which is hosted by fellow WWE wrestler Chris Jericho along with Candice Michelle, Maryse, and Eve Torres. It was originally aired on November 12, 2008.
James began her professional wrestling career in 1999 as a valet on the independent circuit, where she was known under the name Alexis Laree. She trained in several camps to improve her wrestling abilities before working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in June 2002, where she gained national attention. After only a few appearances, she joined a stable called The Gathering and was written into angles with the group. She is also the first and only woman to be involved in Clockwork Orange House of Fun matches.
James appeared in WWE in October 2005 and was placed in a storyline with Trish Stratus, in which James' gimmick was that of Stratus' biggest fan turned obsessed stalker, an angle which lasted almost a year. She received a push, and she won her first WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 22, a title she has held a total of four times.
Outside of wrestling, James has received her associate of arts degree in business administration and is studying for her Bachelor of Arts degree in operations management. She also grew up on a farm and has an interest in horses, owning three Morgan horses and riding since she was 11 years old.
Mickie James was raised on a farm with her sister Latoya in Montpelier, Virginia. She is of Native American heritage. As a child, she watched weekend horse shows. James started riding horses when she was eleven years old after her grandmother bought her a horse. James was also a fan of professional wrestling and used to watch it with her father. Her favorite wrestlers were Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair. She posed nude in the May 2000 issue of Leg Show magazine.
After a suggestion from a friend, James attended a professional wrestling school in the Washington, D.C. area. She made her professional debut on the independent circuit in 1999 as a valet for KYDA Pro Wrestling under the ring name Alexis Laree, a name created as the result of a combination of her stage name from when she was a dancer and her middle name. As Laree, she managed several male wrestlers, including managing Tommy Dreamer to win the KYDA Pro Heavyweight Championship. In March, she wrestled in her first match, an intergender tag team match with Jake Damian against American Mike Brown and Candie. She trained to improve her wrestling abilities by attending training camps such as the Funking Conservatory, a workshop run by Dory Funk, Jr., and an Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) dojo. She also started competing for Maryland Championship Wrestling, where she trained at camps run by Ricky Morton and Bobby Eaton. Due to the low salary of the independent shows, James supplemented her income by working as a waitress at an Olive Garden restaurant.
While working in Ring of Honor for a year, James also debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on the company's second ever weekly pay-per-view under her Alexis Laree gimmick as a participant in a lingerie battle royal. She was not prominently featured until March 26, 2003, when she teamed with Amazing Red as part of his feud against Kid Kash—the X Division Champion—and Trinity.Weeks later, she became the first member of the Gathering, a stable led by Raven in his feud against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett.On April 16, Laree became the first (and thus far, only) woman to compete in a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match after the Gathering challenged and defeated Jarrett. She continued to wrestle with the stable when they feuded with the Disciples of The New Church, taking part in an angle with Father James Mitchell kayfabe burning her with a fireball and wrestling in another Clockwork Orange House of Fun match before leaving the company.
After two years of sending tapes and making phone calls, as well as wrestling a tryout match with Dawn Marie, James was signed to a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, who sent her to train at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), their farm territory, in August. Still using the Alexis Laree name, she began making television appearances for OVW on January 29, 2004 and competed in several tag team matches throughout the year. She also won a Halloween Costume Contest on October 30 and defeated Jillian Hall in a $1,000 match on November 12.
On May 17, 2005, Laree was placed into a tournament for the OVW Television Championship. She was booked to go over Mike Mondo in the first round, only to lose to Blaster Lashley in the next one. She began a feud with Beth Phoenix on July 20 after Phoenix interrupted Laree during an interview, setting up a match on July 29 which Laree lost. Their angle continued into September, with Shelly Martinez being added to the storyline to side with Phoenix against Laree. On October 12, she appeared in OVW under her real name and finished the year on the losing end of matches against Martinez and Jillian Hall.
James debuted in WWE on the October 10 2005 episode of Raw, continuing to use her real name, under the gimmick of WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus' biggest fan. The angle had the two WWE Divas competing together in tag team matches, with James' character becoming increasingly obsessed with Stratus.The storyline included a Halloween Costume Contest in which James was dressed like Stratus and helped Stratus retain the Women's Championship in a Fulfill Your Fantasy Battle Royal at Taboo Tuesday by eliminating herself and Victoria at the same time.She even began utilizing Stratus' signature finishing moves as her own during matches. James became the number one contender for the Women's Title on December 12 by defeating Victoria in a match to determine who would face Stratus at New Year's Revolution. Subsequently, the storyline between James and Stratus developed into a lesbian angle after James initiated an intimate kiss with Stratus under a sprig of mistletoe and complimented Stratus on her breasts.In the championship match at the pay-per-view, James jobbed to Stratus but continued to be enamored of her the next night on Raw, and she confessed her love for Stratus at the Royal Rumble.
On March 6 2006 the storyline had Stratus confront James, telling her that they needed time apart from each other. The duo teamed together at the March 18, 2006 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event to defeat Candice Michelle and Victoria. After the match, James agreed to honor Stratus' wishes and attempted to kiss her. After Stratus pushed her away, James' character made a complete heel turn by attacking Stratus in the ring and later vowing to destroy her. The two women wrestled each other at WrestleMania 22, where James was booked to win the match to claim her first reign as Women's Champion. During the match, despite the fact that James was playing the heel character, the fans frequently cheered James and booed Stratus whenever Stratus hit an offensive maneuver. The angle ended at Backlash during a rematch after Stratus legitimately dislocated her shoulder when James threw her out of the ring.James dropped the Women's Title on August 14 to Lita after Lita hit James with the title belt while Lita's on-screen boyfriend Edge distracted the referee, resulting in a face turn for James' on-screen persona. After the Women's Championship was vacated due to the legitimate retirement of Trish Stratus, James entered a tournament to determine the new champion. She defeated Victoria and Melina in the qualifying rounds before making it to the finals at Cyber Sunday, where she lost to Lita. The two Divas wrestled in a series of matches where Lita kayfabe chose the stipulations, all of which involved hindering James' wrestling ability.The storyline feud ended at Survivor Series, where James defeated Lita to win her second Women's Championship.
An angle was created between James and Melina, beginning on January 29 2007 when Melina became the number one contender for the Women's Title.Following a successful title defense on February 5,James teamed with Super Crazy in a mixed tag team match against Melina and Johnny Nitro. After Melina pinned James for the victory, she challenged her to a rematch for the title.James dropped the Women's Championship to Melina on February 19 and, in continuation of their storyline feud, failed to regain the title during the first ever Women's Falls Count Anywhere match in WWE history.Near the end of the match, James fell from the turnbuckle and landed on her neck but was not seriously injured.
The scripted feud between James and Melina continued on April 2 when James interrupted and attacked Melina during a photo op on Raw. At a house show in Paris, France on April 24, James won her third Women's Championship during a Triple Threat Match that also involved Victoria. However, since James pinned Victoria and not Melina, Jonathan Coachman announced that a rematch would take place immediately. James dropped the title back to Melina, giving her the shortest Women’s Championship reign in WWE history.
On the November 26 edition of Raw, James defeated Melina in a number one contenders match for Beth Phoenix's Women's Championship, setting up a title match between the two at Armageddon 2007, a match in which Phoenix successfully defended her Women's title. On the April 14, 2008 edition of Raw, held in London, James defeated Phoenix to win her fourth Women's Championship. At Judgment Day James successfully defended the Women's Championship against Phoenix and Melina in a Triple Threat match, pinning Melina after a Mickie-DT to win. James lost the championship back to Phoenix in an intergender tag team match at SummerSlam, and her partner Kofi Kingston lost the Intercontinental Title to Phoenix's partner Santino Marella.On the date of Cyber Sunday 2008, Mickie as Lara Croft won the Divas Halloween costume contest, after which started a fight between the heel and face divas. She has won the contest twice in a row. On November 11 Santino scheduled a match with Beth and Mickie, Santino grabbed her leg then Mickie went over and kicked him in the head. She didn't get the women's championship for her fifth time Beth knocked her out and pinned her.
• Finishing moves
• Long Kiss Goodnight (Reverse roundhouse kick preceded by a kiss) - late 2007
• Mickie-DT/ Laree DDT(Jumping standing tornado DDT or a jumping DDT)
• Mick Kick (Roundhouse kick) - 2005-2006 during her feud with Trish Stratus
• Stratusfaction (Springboard bulldog) – 2005–2006 during her feud with Trish Stratus
• Signature moves
• Baseball slide through the opponent's legs
• Bridging leg hook suplex
• Diving crossbody
• Mick-a-rana (Back elbow from the corner, followed by rope-aided twisting headscissors)
• Missile dropkick
• One-handed cartwheel followed by monkey flip as a reversal
• Running neckbreaker
• Snapmare into a baseball slide to the face
• Spinning sole kick to the midsection, followed by a front kick to the face and chest and finished with a spinning back kick to the head
• Thesz press followed by multiple punches,sometimes from the top rope
• Wheelbarrow reversal into a victory roll
• Virginia Necktie (Arm trap neckbreaker slam
James owns three Morgan horses named Rhapsody, Bunny and Casanova. After she has finished her wrestling career, James plans to own a farm and be an equine trainer. James also owns a dog named Butch.
She was previously engaged to WWE Superstar Ken Doane, better known by his ring name "Kenny Dykstra". She was previously in a relationship with Adam Birch,better known by his ring name "Joey Mercury". James has two tattoos: an Asian symbol meaning 'love' on her ankle and a dragon that wraps around it.
On April 13, 2008, James, along with Layla, Melina and Kelly Kelly, appeared in an episode of Celebrity Fit Club Boot Camp. On September 5 of that same year, James appeared on the USA Network show Psych, playing a roller derby girl called Rita "Lethal Weapon" Westwood.
James, along with Mr. Kennedy and Josh Matthews, represented WWE at the 2008 Republican National Convention in an effort to persuade fans to register to vote in the 2008 Presidential election.
James made a special appearance on Redemption Song which is hosted by fellow WWE wrestler Chris Jericho along with Candice Michelle, Maryse, and Eve Torres. It was originally aired on November 12, 2008.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Komentari (1) |
Trekbekovi (0)
LILIAN GARCIA
nemanja6807 | 21 Decembar, 2008 19:18
LILIAN GARCIA
Lilian Garcia
Lilian Annette García (born August 19, 1973) is an American singer and ring announcer. She is currently employed by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), as the lead announcer for their Raw brand.
Resided in Madrid, Spain for the first eight years of her life due to her father's employment with the American Embassy, and was schooled on an American military base, leading her to describe herself as a "military brat". Upon returning to the United States, Garcia graduated from Irmo High School in Columbia, South Carolina. She went on to attend the University of South Carolina, graduating cum laude.
García was a top ten finalist in the Miss South Carolina beauty pageant.Garcia was also one half of a popular morning show on radio station WYYS,"YES 97" in Colombia with Chuck Finley in the early 90's. She was a VJ in Atlanta, Georgia, where she also had a drive-time afternoon radio show. Garcia appeared in the 1990 movie Modern Love as a singer.
García began singing at an early age, and began taking part in singing contests alongside her sister at the age of five. Garcia served as karaoke host at the Nitelites nightclub in the Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbia, South Carolina, and later at the West Columbia Ramada. She often sings the national anthem at home games of the NBA's Phoenix Suns and has performed at the 1996 Summer Olympics, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, and as an opening act for James Brown.[citation needed]
García released her first single, "Shout", in 2002. In November of that same year, she recorded Torrie Wilson's theme song, "Need A Little Time", for the WWE Anthology album. In January 2004 WWE released the album WWE Originals which included a new track from Garcia that was inspired by Paul Brown, entitled, "You Just Don't Know Me At All". This became Garcia's WWE theme song for WWE live events. Out of all the musicians who have opened WrestleMania events (most commonly singing "America the Beautiful"), Garcia is one of two singers to have sung the opening song at WrestleMania more than once. Aretha Franklin is the other.
García has been working on a debut solo album with producers George Noriega and Tim Mitchell since 2005. In January 2006, she recorded a duet with Latin pop singer Jon Secada. On RAW in August, she announced that the title of her album would be Quiero Vivir, Spanish for I Wanna Live. It was released on October 9, 2007.
García was hired by the World Wrestling Federation as a ring announcer in 1999. She made her debut on the August 23, 1999 episode of Raw is War in Ames, IA. She was involved in her first angle on the September 13, 1999 episode of RAW is WAR, when Jeff Jarrett applied a figure four leglock to her after she angered him by announcing his loss by disqualification to Luna Vachon.
García sang in the WWF for the first time on February 14, 2000 at a house show, and began singing The Star-Spangled Banner at television tapings later that month.Her first televised performance was on April 2, 2000 where she opened WrestleMania 2000 with The Star-Spangled Banner. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Garcia sang The Star-Spangled Banner on the September 13, 2001 episode of Smackdown!, receiving a standing ovation. In the course of the evening, Garcia commented on the attacks, saying "Well, to say the least, this has been a real roller coaster of a week. And especially because I live in New York City. Um, I have loved ones there, and I'm just very fortunate and very glad that a specific one didn't get to go to his meeting at 8:30 in the morning that he was supposed to be at the Twin Towers, and uh...so I thank God for that, and I still don't know about a lot of my friends. I have...uh, we'll be finding out, I guess, little by little. I pray for everybody there...".
In mid-2002, García briefly "feuded" with rival announcer Howard Finkel after Finkel left her to be decimated by Three Minute Warning, culminating in an "evening gown versus tuxedo match" that Garcia won with the assistance of Stacy Keibler and Trish Stratus.
In June 2005, García began an on-screen romance with wrestler Viscera. The angle saw García propose to Viscera, stating that she wanted to marry him during the Vengeance 2005 pay-per-view on June 26, 2005. The angle ended at Vengeance when Viscera rejected Garcia in favor of The Godfather's "Hos". The angle was briefly resurrected eleven months later when Viscera proposed to Garcia on the May 22, 2006 episode of RAW, but was interrupted by Umaga before receiving an answer.
García took part in her first major Diva publication in 2005 with the release of the Divas 2005 swimsuit magazine and related DVD Viva Las Divas of the WWE.
At WrestleMania 22 on April 2, 2006, Garcia became the first female to announce at a WrestleMania event. However, Gennifer Flowers announced a sole match at WrestleMania XIV between The Rock and Ken Shamrock.
On the June 5, 2006 episode of RAW, Garcia (legitimately) suffered a sprained wrist when wrestler Charlie Haas inadvertently knocked her to the ground as she stood on the ring apron. One week later, the accident was metamorphosed into a storyline, with Haas incurring the wrath of Viscera. The storyline ended on the July 10, 2006 episode of RAW, when Viscera "accidentally" performed a Samoan drop on Garcia while confronting Haas. Garcia was removed from television for several weeks in order to sell the Samoan drop.
García took part in her second major Diva publication in 2007 with the release of WWE Divas Do San Antonio, in honor because WWE was in San Antonio for Royal Rumble. . On the April 2, 2007 episode of RAW, García's skirt was torn off by Lashley after Vince McMahon attempted to hide his newly shaven bald head under her skirt. The incident resulted in a large surge in searches for Garcia on the Internet, with searches for "Lilian Garcia" jumping 301% and becoming the fourth most searched-for term on the search engine Yahoo!.She returned to announcing on the July 2, 2007 edition of RAW after taking time off to recover from a skiing injury in which she tore the ACL in her right knee. She was not fully recovered as was evident from her only announcing the first two matches from the ring and the rest from the floor.
On August 6 edition of RAW, Lilian announced her new album entitled "Quiero Vivir". Lilian then started a feud with Jillian Hall, who claimed to be a better singer than Lilian. The next week, Lilian competed in WWE Idol, a parody of American Idol, in which she sang "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra before being interrupted by Santino Marella.
García was previously married, but is now divorced. She announced on the show "El Show De Fernando" that she at the moment was dating someone outside of WWE.
García is fluent in English and Spanish.
On March 17, 2007, García twisted her knee in heavy snow while skiing in Killington, Vermont, incurring a torn anterior cruciate ligament. She underwent surgery on her knee on April 5, 2007 in New York City under Dr. Amin Tehrany. She returned to Raw on July 2.
García's first album, ¡Quiero Vivir!, was released on October 9, 2007
• Entrance themes
o Thorn In Your Eye/All Together Now
o Used Up
o Whiplash - Trish Stratus also used this entrance theme, Jim Johnston
o Shout
o Shout - version 2
o You Just Don't Know Me At All by herself
o You Just Don't Know Me At All - version 2, Jim Johnston
o iQuiero Vivir - one of Garcia's songs from her 1st album, current theme
Lilian Annette García (born August 19, 1973) is an American singer and ring announcer. She is currently employed by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), as the lead announcer for their Raw brand.
Resided in Madrid, Spain for the first eight years of her life due to her father's employment with the American Embassy, and was schooled on an American military base, leading her to describe herself as a "military brat". Upon returning to the United States, Garcia graduated from Irmo High School in Columbia, South Carolina. She went on to attend the University of South Carolina, graduating cum laude.
García was a top ten finalist in the Miss South Carolina beauty pageant.Garcia was also one half of a popular morning show on radio station WYYS,"YES 97" in Colombia with Chuck Finley in the early 90's. She was a VJ in Atlanta, Georgia, where she also had a drive-time afternoon radio show. Garcia appeared in the 1990 movie Modern Love as a singer.
García began singing at an early age, and began taking part in singing contests alongside her sister at the age of five. Garcia served as karaoke host at the Nitelites nightclub in the Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbia, South Carolina, and later at the West Columbia Ramada. She often sings the national anthem at home games of the NBA's Phoenix Suns and has performed at the 1996 Summer Olympics, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, and as an opening act for James Brown.[citation needed]
García released her first single, "Shout", in 2002. In November of that same year, she recorded Torrie Wilson's theme song, "Need A Little Time", for the WWE Anthology album. In January 2004 WWE released the album WWE Originals which included a new track from Garcia that was inspired by Paul Brown, entitled, "You Just Don't Know Me At All". This became Garcia's WWE theme song for WWE live events. Out of all the musicians who have opened WrestleMania events (most commonly singing "America the Beautiful"), Garcia is one of two singers to have sung the opening song at WrestleMania more than once. Aretha Franklin is the other.
García has been working on a debut solo album with producers George Noriega and Tim Mitchell since 2005. In January 2006, she recorded a duet with Latin pop singer Jon Secada. On RAW in August, she announced that the title of her album would be Quiero Vivir, Spanish for I Wanna Live. It was released on October 9, 2007.
García was hired by the World Wrestling Federation as a ring announcer in 1999. She made her debut on the August 23, 1999 episode of Raw is War in Ames, IA. She was involved in her first angle on the September 13, 1999 episode of RAW is WAR, when Jeff Jarrett applied a figure four leglock to her after she angered him by announcing his loss by disqualification to Luna Vachon.
García sang in the WWF for the first time on February 14, 2000 at a house show, and began singing The Star-Spangled Banner at television tapings later that month.Her first televised performance was on April 2, 2000 where she opened WrestleMania 2000 with The Star-Spangled Banner. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Garcia sang The Star-Spangled Banner on the September 13, 2001 episode of Smackdown!, receiving a standing ovation. In the course of the evening, Garcia commented on the attacks, saying "Well, to say the least, this has been a real roller coaster of a week. And especially because I live in New York City. Um, I have loved ones there, and I'm just very fortunate and very glad that a specific one didn't get to go to his meeting at 8:30 in the morning that he was supposed to be at the Twin Towers, and uh...so I thank God for that, and I still don't know about a lot of my friends. I have...uh, we'll be finding out, I guess, little by little. I pray for everybody there...".
In mid-2002, García briefly "feuded" with rival announcer Howard Finkel after Finkel left her to be decimated by Three Minute Warning, culminating in an "evening gown versus tuxedo match" that Garcia won with the assistance of Stacy Keibler and Trish Stratus.
In June 2005, García began an on-screen romance with wrestler Viscera. The angle saw García propose to Viscera, stating that she wanted to marry him during the Vengeance 2005 pay-per-view on June 26, 2005. The angle ended at Vengeance when Viscera rejected Garcia in favor of The Godfather's "Hos". The angle was briefly resurrected eleven months later when Viscera proposed to Garcia on the May 22, 2006 episode of RAW, but was interrupted by Umaga before receiving an answer.
García took part in her first major Diva publication in 2005 with the release of the Divas 2005 swimsuit magazine and related DVD Viva Las Divas of the WWE.
At WrestleMania 22 on April 2, 2006, Garcia became the first female to announce at a WrestleMania event. However, Gennifer Flowers announced a sole match at WrestleMania XIV between The Rock and Ken Shamrock.
On the June 5, 2006 episode of RAW, Garcia (legitimately) suffered a sprained wrist when wrestler Charlie Haas inadvertently knocked her to the ground as she stood on the ring apron. One week later, the accident was metamorphosed into a storyline, with Haas incurring the wrath of Viscera. The storyline ended on the July 10, 2006 episode of RAW, when Viscera "accidentally" performed a Samoan drop on Garcia while confronting Haas. Garcia was removed from television for several weeks in order to sell the Samoan drop.
García took part in her second major Diva publication in 2007 with the release of WWE Divas Do San Antonio, in honor because WWE was in San Antonio for Royal Rumble. . On the April 2, 2007 episode of RAW, García's skirt was torn off by Lashley after Vince McMahon attempted to hide his newly shaven bald head under her skirt. The incident resulted in a large surge in searches for Garcia on the Internet, with searches for "Lilian Garcia" jumping 301% and becoming the fourth most searched-for term on the search engine Yahoo!.She returned to announcing on the July 2, 2007 edition of RAW after taking time off to recover from a skiing injury in which she tore the ACL in her right knee. She was not fully recovered as was evident from her only announcing the first two matches from the ring and the rest from the floor.
On August 6 edition of RAW, Lilian announced her new album entitled "Quiero Vivir". Lilian then started a feud with Jillian Hall, who claimed to be a better singer than Lilian. The next week, Lilian competed in WWE Idol, a parody of American Idol, in which she sang "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra before being interrupted by Santino Marella.
García was previously married, but is now divorced. She announced on the show "El Show De Fernando" that she at the moment was dating someone outside of WWE.
García is fluent in English and Spanish.
On March 17, 2007, García twisted her knee in heavy snow while skiing in Killington, Vermont, incurring a torn anterior cruciate ligament. She underwent surgery on her knee on April 5, 2007 in New York City under Dr. Amin Tehrany. She returned to Raw on July 2.
García's first album, ¡Quiero Vivir!, was released on October 9, 2007
• Entrance themes
o Thorn In Your Eye/All Together Now
o Used Up
o Whiplash - Trish Stratus also used this entrance theme, Jim Johnston
o Shout
o Shout - version 2
o You Just Don't Know Me At All by herself
o You Just Don't Know Me At All - version 2, Jim Johnston
o iQuiero Vivir - one of Garcia's songs from her 1st album, current theme
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
BETH PHOENIX
nemanja6807 | 15 Decembar, 2008 09:57
BETH PHOENIX
Beth Phoenix
Elizabeth Carolan née Kocanski (born November 24, 1980) better known by her ring name Beth Phoenix "The Glamazon", is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on the Raw brand, where she is in her second reign as WWE Women's Champion.
Amateur wrestling
Carolan began wrestling on the Elmira, New York Notre Dame High School scholastic wrestling team. She was the first female varsity wrestler in her high school's history. She became the North-East freestyle women's champion (72 kg weight class) in 1999. She also became the women's champion (72 kg weight class) at the New York State Fair Tournament in 1999 and was named the most outstanding wrestler that same year in the Brockport Freestyle Tournament. At the time she was also a member of USA Wrestling (a freestyle wrestling association). Her life goal was, according to her, to become a professional wrestler and she believed that having a solid amateur background would help her reach it.
Professional wrestling career
After graduating from high school in 1999, she enrolled in both a professional wrestling school and Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. Her first choice for wrestling school was Stu Hart's Dungeon, but because of the location she decided on a more local school. At the school, she was trained by the "All Knighters"--Joey Knight and Robin Knightwing, who themselves had trained in the Hart Dungeon. Her professional wrestling debut match was against Alexis Laree, and she made the rounds competing with various independent promotions against both male and female wrestlers. In one match against Lexis Wine for the now defunct MadMar Entertainment, her back was accidentally cut open by a steel chair.
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Phoenix debuted on Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) television in July 2004 as the on-screen girlfriend and valet of Chris Masters. The angle was short lived, and the following month Phoenix was repackaged as the manager of Aaron "The Idol" Stevens. The duo was then joined by Shelly Martinez who Beth soon feuded with in early 2006. Phoenix then stopped appearing regularly on OVW after debuting on WWE's Raw television show.
On August 16, 2006, Phoenix returned to action in OVW as the surprise opponent for Serena in a number one contenders match - she was hand picked by OVW Women's Champion ODB herself to be the opponent. After a distraction from Charles Evans, Phoenix picked up the win hitting Serena. The following week, both Serena and Phoenix wanted a title shot, so ODB said if they can beat her in a tag match, the pinfall winner would receive a shot. Serena won the match for her and Phoenix's team by pinning newcomer Katie Lea (but only after Phoenix was forced to leave the ring as she was not the legal woman in the match). So, in the interest of fairness, the following week, it was announced that there would be a women's battle royal with the title on the line - Phoenix, Serena, Lea, and ODB were the final four women in the ring, with ODB eventually coming out on top. The following week, ODB put her women's title on the line in a four-way match that also featured Phoenix, Serena and Lea. Serena won the match, but after the match Phoenix laid out Serena with her newly won belt. At the October 4, 2006 OVW TV tapings, Phoenix defeated Serena to capture the OVW Women's Championship. On the November 4, 2006 show, Beth lost the OVW women's title to Lea in a gauntlet match - defeating Roni Jonah, Melody, Ariel, and Jenny Mae first. Lea, Serena, ODB, and Phoenix were the final four in the match with Lea taking the win.
Phoenix and Lea entered into a feud with each other, with Phoenix claiming that Lea never defeated her for her title so she was still the champion; Phoenix even came out with her own version of the OVW Women's Championship. This brought out Danny Basham OVW's TroubleShooter, who told Phoenix her title was not real, and that after doing some digging Lea's title was not real either. Basham set up a ladder match where the winner would become the undisputed OVW Women's Champion. Lea won the match, and was presented with the title belt on the first show of 2007. Phoenix took the belt from Basham, and after taking a look for herself, handed the Belt to Lea and shook her hand. In early 2007, Phoenix became involved in a "love triangle" along with Dan Rodman and Jacob Duncan. After the "love triangle" angle ended, Phoenix continued to manage Duncan in OVW. Beth made her last appearance in OVW at their August 15, 2007 TV tapings where she lost to Lea in a No.1 contenders match and then joined the main World Wrestling Entertainment roster full-time.
World Wrestling Entertainment
2006–2007
Beth Phoenix debuted on the May 8, 2006 episode of Raw as a face attacking then-heel Mickie James during James' assault on Trish Stratus. After this incident, James berated Phoenix for "ruining everything" and questioned why she even showed up in the first place. A week later, Phoenix was formally introduced by Stratus and then battered a distracted James on Stratus' behalf. When James finally escaped, Phoenix claimed that James had ruined her life and would not let her get away with it, before calling her a psycho. On the following edition of Raw, Phoenix, now an official Raw diva, again attacked the then Women's Champion after her match with Torrie Wilson. Then, on the May 29, 2006 episode of Raw, Beth teamed up with Wilson (with Stratus in their corner) to take on Candice Michelle and Victoria (with Mickie James in their corner). Phoenix got the pin on Candice.During the June 5, 2006 episode of Raw, Beth suffered a fractured mandible during a match with Victoria, but was victorious despite the injury. She spent a year having surgeries and recovering, including getting a titanium plate and nine screws placed in her jaw, but she was only out of action for two months, as she returned to action in OVW instead of on the main roster.
On the July 9, 2007 edition of Raw, Phoenix returned as a heel when Melina claimed to be injured and needed a replacement as Jillian Hall's tag team partner. At the SummerSlam pay-per-view, Phoenix won the Interpromotional Divas Battle Royal to become the number one contender for Candice Michelle's Women's Championship. Phoenix was then pushed as a dominating Diva, calling herself a "Glamazon" and attacking Mickie James, Jillian Hall and Candice on the September 10 edition of Raw However, at Unforgiven, she failed to capture the Women's Championship from CandiceTheir storyline feud continued when Phoenix pinned Candice during a non-title mixed tag team match on Raw on September 24.At No Mercy, Phoenix defeated Candice to win her first Women's title .She retained her belt on the October 22 Raw in a Two out of three falls match; Michelle was injured by Phoenix's shaking the rope, causing her to fall off the top turnbuckle and legitimately break her clavicle.
Beth attacked Kelly Kelly on the October 29 edition of Raw after Kelly won the Halloween Costume Contest Battle Royal.The following week on Raw, Beth defeated Kelly in a non-title match.This cumulated into a 10 Divas Tag Match at Survivor Series, which Phoenix's team lost after Melina was pinned by Mickie James. On the November 26 edition of Raw, Mickie James defeated Melina in a number one contenders match for Phoenix's Women's Championship, setting up a title match between the two at Armageddon, a match in which Phoenix successfully defended her Women's title.On New Years Eve 2007, Phoenix successfully defended her title in a Triple Threat match against Melina and James, after pinning Melina.
2008–presen.
Phoenix along with old ally Melina took part in the Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjack match at WrestleMania XXIV where she defeated Ashley and Maria by pinfall after a Fisherman suplex.On April 14, Phoenix faced Mickie James with her Women's Championship on the line and lost, ending her reign as champion.
Phoenix also had a rematch on the May 5 edition of Raw but lost after Melina unintentionally hit her in the face with her boot. On the May 11 edition of Raw, Phoenix and Melina partnered up to go against James and Maria. During the match Melina unintentionally knocked Phoenix off of the ring apron resulting in Phoenix abandoning Melina which then would earn James and Maria the three count to pick up the win. During a backstage segment along with Jillian Hall, Melina confronted Phoenix which then resulted in both Melina and Phoenix getting into a brawl with one another. At Judgment Day, Phoenix failed to regain the Women's Championship in a Triple Threat match after James pinned Melina to retain the title. At One Night Stand Phoenix defeated Melina in the first ever Divas "I Quit" match. The next night on Raw, Phoenix teamed with Katie Lea Burchill to defeat Melina and James in a tag team match, but was pinned by James one week later in a non-title match, and was once again attacked by Melina post-match.
After little over a month off television, Phoenix returned on the July 14 edition of Raw, where she defeated Santino Marella after he issued an open challenge to any WWE Superstar backstage, pinning him with a roll-up. The angle continued the following week after Marella lost to the returning D-Lo Brown. Phoenix confronted Marella after the match, and they briefly grappled with each other before unexpectedly sharing a kiss, to which both expressed considerable confusion afterwards. The two then became an onscreen supercouple, and the pairing of The Glamazon and Marella later became known by the portmanteau Glamarella. At SummerSlam, they defeated Kofi Kingston and James in an intergender tag team match. Phoenix pinned James, winning the Women's Championship, while Marella won Kingston's Intercontinental Championship.On August 25 edition of Raw, Kelly Kelly accidentally gave Beth Phoenix a stiff kick and caused her nose to bleed, but did not break it. She successfully defended the WWE Women's Championship against Candice Michelle at No Mercy.
Personal life
She was raised in Buffalo, New York. When she was eleven years old, she won a coloring contest with a prize of tickets to a television taping for World Wrestling Federation.Carolan credits this as when she fell in love with professional wrestling.
Despite popular internet belief, Beth Phoenix has never dated Chris Masters; however they did work together in OVW as a storyline couple. She is married to Joey Carolan, known by the ring-name Joey Knight.
In wrestling
• Finishing moves
o Down in FlamesSitout scoop slam piledriver)
o Death Valley driver
o Chokebomb
o Delayed fisherman suplex ckenwing sitout facebuster)
• Signature moves
o Cloverleaf
o Double axe handle blow to the chest
o Electric chair drop
o Elevated double chickenwing drop
o Gorilla press drop/slam
o Gutwrench suplex
o Missile dropkick
o Overhead gutwrench backbreaker rack
o Pendulum backbreaker
o Release powerbomb
o Sidewalk slam
o Slingshot suplex
• Wrestlers managed
o Aaron "The Idol" Stevens
o Brent Albright
o Chris Masters
o Dan Rodman
o Jacob Duncan
o Santino Marella
• Nicknames
o The Glamazon
o Total Package of Women's Wrestling
• Entrance themes
o "Hey Baby" by No Doubt (OVW)
o "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé Knowles (OVW)
o "Brick House" by Rob Zombie (OVW)
o "Trip Like I Do" by Filter (OVW)
o "Count On It" from Ded Good production music service (WWE)
o "Glamazon" by Jim Johnston (WWE)
Championships and accomplishments
• Far North Wrestling
o FNW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
• GLORY Wrestling
o GLORY Championship (1 time) (First)
• Ohio Valley Wrestling
o OVW Women's Championship (1 time)
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
o Ranked # 2 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2008.
• World Wrestling Entertainment
o WWE Women's Championship (2 times, current)
Elizabeth Carolan née Kocanski (born November 24, 1980) better known by her ring name Beth Phoenix "The Glamazon", is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on the Raw brand, where she is in her second reign as WWE Women's Champion.
Amateur wrestling
Carolan began wrestling on the Elmira, New York Notre Dame High School scholastic wrestling team. She was the first female varsity wrestler in her high school's history. She became the North-East freestyle women's champion (72 kg weight class) in 1999. She also became the women's champion (72 kg weight class) at the New York State Fair Tournament in 1999 and was named the most outstanding wrestler that same year in the Brockport Freestyle Tournament. At the time she was also a member of USA Wrestling (a freestyle wrestling association). Her life goal was, according to her, to become a professional wrestler and she believed that having a solid amateur background would help her reach it.
Professional wrestling career
After graduating from high school in 1999, she enrolled in both a professional wrestling school and Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. Her first choice for wrestling school was Stu Hart's Dungeon, but because of the location she decided on a more local school. At the school, she was trained by the "All Knighters"--Joey Knight and Robin Knightwing, who themselves had trained in the Hart Dungeon. Her professional wrestling debut match was against Alexis Laree, and she made the rounds competing with various independent promotions against both male and female wrestlers. In one match against Lexis Wine for the now defunct MadMar Entertainment, her back was accidentally cut open by a steel chair.
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Phoenix debuted on Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) television in July 2004 as the on-screen girlfriend and valet of Chris Masters. The angle was short lived, and the following month Phoenix was repackaged as the manager of Aaron "The Idol" Stevens. The duo was then joined by Shelly Martinez who Beth soon feuded with in early 2006. Phoenix then stopped appearing regularly on OVW after debuting on WWE's Raw television show.
On August 16, 2006, Phoenix returned to action in OVW as the surprise opponent for Serena in a number one contenders match - she was hand picked by OVW Women's Champion ODB herself to be the opponent. After a distraction from Charles Evans, Phoenix picked up the win hitting Serena. The following week, both Serena and Phoenix wanted a title shot, so ODB said if they can beat her in a tag match, the pinfall winner would receive a shot. Serena won the match for her and Phoenix's team by pinning newcomer Katie Lea (but only after Phoenix was forced to leave the ring as she was not the legal woman in the match). So, in the interest of fairness, the following week, it was announced that there would be a women's battle royal with the title on the line - Phoenix, Serena, Lea, and ODB were the final four women in the ring, with ODB eventually coming out on top. The following week, ODB put her women's title on the line in a four-way match that also featured Phoenix, Serena and Lea. Serena won the match, but after the match Phoenix laid out Serena with her newly won belt. At the October 4, 2006 OVW TV tapings, Phoenix defeated Serena to capture the OVW Women's Championship. On the November 4, 2006 show, Beth lost the OVW women's title to Lea in a gauntlet match - defeating Roni Jonah, Melody, Ariel, and Jenny Mae first. Lea, Serena, ODB, and Phoenix were the final four in the match with Lea taking the win.
Phoenix and Lea entered into a feud with each other, with Phoenix claiming that Lea never defeated her for her title so she was still the champion; Phoenix even came out with her own version of the OVW Women's Championship. This brought out Danny Basham OVW's TroubleShooter, who told Phoenix her title was not real, and that after doing some digging Lea's title was not real either. Basham set up a ladder match where the winner would become the undisputed OVW Women's Champion. Lea won the match, and was presented with the title belt on the first show of 2007. Phoenix took the belt from Basham, and after taking a look for herself, handed the Belt to Lea and shook her hand. In early 2007, Phoenix became involved in a "love triangle" along with Dan Rodman and Jacob Duncan. After the "love triangle" angle ended, Phoenix continued to manage Duncan in OVW. Beth made her last appearance in OVW at their August 15, 2007 TV tapings where she lost to Lea in a No.1 contenders match and then joined the main World Wrestling Entertainment roster full-time.
World Wrestling Entertainment
2006–2007
Beth Phoenix debuted on the May 8, 2006 episode of Raw as a face attacking then-heel Mickie James during James' assault on Trish Stratus. After this incident, James berated Phoenix for "ruining everything" and questioned why she even showed up in the first place. A week later, Phoenix was formally introduced by Stratus and then battered a distracted James on Stratus' behalf. When James finally escaped, Phoenix claimed that James had ruined her life and would not let her get away with it, before calling her a psycho. On the following edition of Raw, Phoenix, now an official Raw diva, again attacked the then Women's Champion after her match with Torrie Wilson. Then, on the May 29, 2006 episode of Raw, Beth teamed up with Wilson (with Stratus in their corner) to take on Candice Michelle and Victoria (with Mickie James in their corner). Phoenix got the pin on Candice.During the June 5, 2006 episode of Raw, Beth suffered a fractured mandible during a match with Victoria, but was victorious despite the injury. She spent a year having surgeries and recovering, including getting a titanium plate and nine screws placed in her jaw, but she was only out of action for two months, as she returned to action in OVW instead of on the main roster.
On the July 9, 2007 edition of Raw, Phoenix returned as a heel when Melina claimed to be injured and needed a replacement as Jillian Hall's tag team partner. At the SummerSlam pay-per-view, Phoenix won the Interpromotional Divas Battle Royal to become the number one contender for Candice Michelle's Women's Championship. Phoenix was then pushed as a dominating Diva, calling herself a "Glamazon" and attacking Mickie James, Jillian Hall and Candice on the September 10 edition of Raw However, at Unforgiven, she failed to capture the Women's Championship from CandiceTheir storyline feud continued when Phoenix pinned Candice during a non-title mixed tag team match on Raw on September 24.At No Mercy, Phoenix defeated Candice to win her first Women's title .She retained her belt on the October 22 Raw in a Two out of three falls match; Michelle was injured by Phoenix's shaking the rope, causing her to fall off the top turnbuckle and legitimately break her clavicle.
Beth attacked Kelly Kelly on the October 29 edition of Raw after Kelly won the Halloween Costume Contest Battle Royal.The following week on Raw, Beth defeated Kelly in a non-title match.This cumulated into a 10 Divas Tag Match at Survivor Series, which Phoenix's team lost after Melina was pinned by Mickie James. On the November 26 edition of Raw, Mickie James defeated Melina in a number one contenders match for Phoenix's Women's Championship, setting up a title match between the two at Armageddon, a match in which Phoenix successfully defended her Women's title.On New Years Eve 2007, Phoenix successfully defended her title in a Triple Threat match against Melina and James, after pinning Melina.
2008–presen.
Phoenix along with old ally Melina took part in the Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjack match at WrestleMania XXIV where she defeated Ashley and Maria by pinfall after a Fisherman suplex.On April 14, Phoenix faced Mickie James with her Women's Championship on the line and lost, ending her reign as champion.
Phoenix also had a rematch on the May 5 edition of Raw but lost after Melina unintentionally hit her in the face with her boot. On the May 11 edition of Raw, Phoenix and Melina partnered up to go against James and Maria. During the match Melina unintentionally knocked Phoenix off of the ring apron resulting in Phoenix abandoning Melina which then would earn James and Maria the three count to pick up the win. During a backstage segment along with Jillian Hall, Melina confronted Phoenix which then resulted in both Melina and Phoenix getting into a brawl with one another. At Judgment Day, Phoenix failed to regain the Women's Championship in a Triple Threat match after James pinned Melina to retain the title. At One Night Stand Phoenix defeated Melina in the first ever Divas "I Quit" match. The next night on Raw, Phoenix teamed with Katie Lea Burchill to defeat Melina and James in a tag team match, but was pinned by James one week later in a non-title match, and was once again attacked by Melina post-match.
After little over a month off television, Phoenix returned on the July 14 edition of Raw, where she defeated Santino Marella after he issued an open challenge to any WWE Superstar backstage, pinning him with a roll-up. The angle continued the following week after Marella lost to the returning D-Lo Brown. Phoenix confronted Marella after the match, and they briefly grappled with each other before unexpectedly sharing a kiss, to which both expressed considerable confusion afterwards. The two then became an onscreen supercouple, and the pairing of The Glamazon and Marella later became known by the portmanteau Glamarella. At SummerSlam, they defeated Kofi Kingston and James in an intergender tag team match. Phoenix pinned James, winning the Women's Championship, while Marella won Kingston's Intercontinental Championship.On August 25 edition of Raw, Kelly Kelly accidentally gave Beth Phoenix a stiff kick and caused her nose to bleed, but did not break it. She successfully defended the WWE Women's Championship against Candice Michelle at No Mercy.
Personal life
She was raised in Buffalo, New York. When she was eleven years old, she won a coloring contest with a prize of tickets to a television taping for World Wrestling Federation.Carolan credits this as when she fell in love with professional wrestling.
Despite popular internet belief, Beth Phoenix has never dated Chris Masters; however they did work together in OVW as a storyline couple. She is married to Joey Carolan, known by the ring-name Joey Knight.
In wrestling
• Finishing moves
o Down in FlamesSitout scoop slam piledriver)
o Death Valley driver
o Chokebomb
o Delayed fisherman suplex ckenwing sitout facebuster)
• Signature moves
o Cloverleaf
o Double axe handle blow to the chest
o Electric chair drop
o Elevated double chickenwing drop
o Gorilla press drop/slam
o Gutwrench suplex
o Missile dropkick
o Overhead gutwrench backbreaker rack
o Pendulum backbreaker
o Release powerbomb
o Sidewalk slam
o Slingshot suplex
• Wrestlers managed
o Aaron "The Idol" Stevens
o Brent Albright
o Chris Masters
o Dan Rodman
o Jacob Duncan
o Santino Marella
• Nicknames
o The Glamazon
o Total Package of Women's Wrestling
• Entrance themes
o "Hey Baby" by No Doubt (OVW)
o "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé Knowles (OVW)
o "Brick House" by Rob Zombie (OVW)
o "Trip Like I Do" by Filter (OVW)
o "Count On It" from Ded Good production music service (WWE)
o "Glamazon" by Jim Johnston (WWE)
Championships and accomplishments
• Far North Wrestling
o FNW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
• GLORY Wrestling
o GLORY Championship (1 time) (First)
• Ohio Valley Wrestling
o OVW Women's Championship (1 time)
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
o Ranked # 2 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2008.
• World Wrestling Entertainment
o WWE Women's Championship (2 times, current)
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
CANDICE MICHELLE
nemanja6807 | 15 Decembar, 2008 00:52
CANDICE MICHELLE
Candice Michelle Beckman-Ehrlich (born September 30, 1978) better known as Candice Michelle or just Candice, is an American model, actress, and professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment performing on its Raw brand.
After spending years modeling and acting, Candice Michelle was hired by WWE in 2004, after she participated in the WWE Diva Search. Outside of wrestling, she is known as the Go Daddy Girl,performing in the company's annual Super Bowl commercials. She also posed for a cover and nude pictorial in the April 2006 issue of Playboy. At Vengeance in 2007, she defeated Melina to win her first WWE Women's Championship and became the first former Diva Search contestant to win a WWE title.
At sixteen, Candice Beckman, as she was then known, won a modeling competition at her local skating rink. Around 1999, she moved to Los Angeles, California to become a professional model and actress.She studied Theater Arts at Santa Monica College and had on camera acting and Meisner technique training at The Piero Dusa Acting Studio.It was during this time that Beckman adopted her middle name Michelle as her working last name.She appeared in numerous bodybuilding and car magazines such as FLEX and Lowrider Magazine, as well as being named Cyber Girl of the Week in the June 2002 issue of Playboy.Candice also worked as a foot fetish and bondage model for FM Concepts, under the pseudonym Mackenzie Montgomery. During this time, Candice made appearances on television programs such as Party of Five and 7th Heaven, as well as appearing in such films as Tomcats, Anger Management and A Man Apart. She also starred in a softcore role for the HBO series Hotel Erotica.
In July 2004, Candice auditioned to be a contestant for World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw Diva Search. Despite not being chosen to be in the final ten, she was hired by the company under the gimmick of a makeup artist.She competed on Raw in several Diva contests, including lingerie fashion shows and limbo contests, until the end of the year.
On June 30, 2005, Candice was moved to SmackDown! where she became involved in a storyline between Torrie Wilson and Melina. On July 24, Candice made her pay-per-view debut at The Great American Bash where she served as the Special Guest Referee for the Bra and Panties match between Wilson and Melina. She was then moved back to Raw in a trade along with Wilson. In her next storyline, Candice and Torrie became villains by taunting 2005 Diva Search winner Ashley Massaro, and they joined forces with fellow Raw Diva Victoria to form an alliance known as Ladies in Pink (later Vince's Devils, a play on the Charlie's Angels television series and films). They continued feuding with Massaro until Trish Stratus returned from a legitimate injury to help Massaro "retaliate" against Vince's Devils. In November, Candice signed on to pose for the April 2006 issue of Playboy.She had her first shot at the WWE Women's Championship in a Fulfill Your Fantasy Battle Royal at Taboo Tuesday but was eliminated from the match by Massaro.
In January, Candice appeared at New Year's Revolution in the first ever Bra and Panties Gauntlet match, where she was eliminated by Maria. After winning a number one contender's Diva battle royal on Raw, Candice got her first singles WWE Women's Championship match, but lost to then-champion Trish Stratus on February 27. After the match, Candice slapped Wilson, blaming her, in storyline, for the loss.Vince's Devils later broke up when Wilson became a fan favorite after Candice and Victoria turned on her during Candice's Playboy cover unveiling. This feud led to a match at WrestleMania 22 in which both Playboy cover girls competed in a Playboy Pillow Fight.Wilson won the match, but the feud continued sporadically in backstage segments where Candice was depicted as Vince McMahon's "sex slave".
On the July 17 edition of Raw, Candice was the Special Guest Referee during a tag team match of Stratus and Wilson against Victoria and Mickie James. James entered the match without being tagged in, so Candice threw her out of the ring. Afterwards, Victoria tried to clothesline Candice, but she ducked out of the way, allowing Stratus to perform a Stratusfaction for the victory. As a result of her participation in the match, Candice became a fan favorite.On the Raw following Unforgiven, Candice won a match against Lita. The next week, in her second match against Lita, Candice was pinned after she was speared by guest referee Edge, in the first round of the WWE Women's Championship tournament. On the November 27 edition of Raw, during the Diva battle royal, Candice suffered a legitimate broken nose when Victoria kicked her in the face. She had surgery on November 30 to repair her deviated septum.
Candice returned at New Year's Revolution on January 7, when she went to the ring with Maria to fight off Melina as she tried to interfere in the Women's Championship match between then-champion Mickie James and Victoria. Candice made her in-ring return on January 22 when she and Mickie James defeated Victoria and Melina in a tag team match with Candice scoring the pinfall. Candice then resumed her feud with Melina, who claimed in her blogs that no Playboy cover model was capable of defeating her in the ring. Candice took offense to this, which led to a Bra and Panties match between the two, which she lost.During this time, Candice began training on her off-days to improve her in-ring abilities.Weeks later, Candice was beginning to receive more air-time and higher profile matches, and she won tag matches that pitted her with Mickie James against Victoria and Melina. She also picked up several wins against the latter two in singles matches, which culminated at One Night Stand, where Candice defeated Melina in the first ever match held in a swimming pool full of pudding.Candice defeated Melina to capture her first WWE Women's Championship at Vengeance, becoming the first ever WWE Diva Search contestant to win the Women's Title. Candice retained her title against Melina in a rematch at The Great American Bash as well as debuting a new finisher called the Candywrapper.
Beth Phoenix became the number one contender for the Women's Title after winning a Diva battle royal at SummerSlam. At the Unforgiven pay-per-view, however, Candice successfully retained her title in their match by countering one of Phoenix's moves with a crucifix pin. Their feud continued when Phoenix pinned Candice during a non-title mixed tag team match on Raw on September 24. At No Mercy on October 7, Candice dropped the title to Phoenix, ending her reign as Women's Champion.On October 22, Candice legitimately cracked her clavicle during her rematch for the Women's Title against Phoenix in a two out of three falls match; Phoenix pushed herself into the ropes, causing Candice to fall off of the turnbuckle onto her head, neck and shoulders and putting out of action for 14 weeks.
Candice made her on-screen return on the February 18 edition of Raw, distracting Beth Phoenix during a match with Maria. She returned to in-ring action on March 17, teaming up with Maria to defeat Jillian Hall and Victoria. During the match, Candice injured her left shoulder by tearing the scar tissue over her previously broken left clavicle. Unlike her previous injury, Candice broke her clavicle in four separate places, in essence, shattering it. As a result, Candice was replaced by Ashley for her scheduled match at WrestleMania XXIV. On March 23, Candice underwent successful surgery on her re-broken clavicle. On the September 1 edition of Raw Candice made her in-ring return match teaming up with Kelly Kelly and Mickie James to defeat Jillian Hall, Katie Lea Burchill and Beth Phoenix, with Candice pinning Phoenix. Candice received a push upon her return as she was named the #1 Contender for the WWE Women's Championship, but lost to Beth Phoenix at No Mercy.
During the week of November 5, 2007, Candice appeared on an episode of Family Feud with several other WWE superstars and Divas.Also in 2007, Candice Michelle was #82 on AskMen.com's "100 Most Desirable Women" list.She has also appeared on the Playboy TV show "Totally Busted", a hidden camera show which puts unsuspecting people in awkward situations. Candice is a member of the group of regulars on the show and even features in the opening credits.Candice appeared on the February 6, 2008 episode of Project Runway, in an episode where the contestants were challenged to design wrestling attire for several of WWE's female wrestlers. She will also guest star on Wizards of Waverly Place and Hannah Montana on Disney Channel.
Candice made a special appearance on Redemption Song which is hosted by fellow WWE wrestler Chris Jericho along with Mickie James, Maryse, and Eve Torres. It was originally aired on November 12, 2008.
Candice gained national attention in 2005 when she appeared in a commercial for internet domain provider Go Daddy, which aired during Super Bowl XXXIX.She played a character named "Nikki Cappelli" who had trouble with a snapped spaghetti strap on her tank top as she testified before a panel holding broadcast censorship hearings. The commercial was a parody of the 2004 "wardrobe malfunction" in which Janet Jackson's right breast was exposed. She then became widely known as "Miss GoDaddy.com" and the "Go Daddy Girl".
The following year, she was featured in several more Go Daddy commercials. During the 2006 NFC playoffs, she was featured cleaning windows.She later appeared in a commercial during Super Bowl XL, where she seduced an ABC executive to acquire an advertising slot for Go Daddy. She appeared in another commercial for Super Bowl XLI in 2007, where she danced in a room being doused with champagne.Candice appeared on American Chopper to promote the commercial as well as Go Daddy's custom made chopper. In 2008, she was featured in her fourth consecutive Go Daddy commercial for Super Bowl XLII, entitled "White Light", but Fox refused to air it.
Candice Michelle grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and she is of German and Costa Rican descent. She played varsity and college basketball and has an avid interest in many sports. Because she is from the state of Wisconsin, Candice is a Green Bay Packers fan.
On May 7, 2005, she married Dr. Ken Gee Ehrlich, a West Los Angeles chiropractor. They met at the Key Club on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood on the same week she initially moved to Los Angeles to pursue and acting and modeling career. Candice is home with her husband only one-to-four days a week due to her touring schedule with WWE.
In early and mid-2007, Candice Michelle had a real-life feud with fellow Diva Melina Perez in the WWE.com blogs. The feud began when Candice accused Perez of stealing one of her signature moves in the ring.Perez responded to Candice's accusation in her blog by posting a picture of herself performing that move during an independent wrestling show in 2003, proving that she has been using the same move long before she joined the WWE and before Candice began her professional wrestling career. She then wrote a blog in April of that year that WWE.com would not publish due to the feelings she expressed towards Perez. Candice took exception to Perez claiming that she had a "spare tire" during an episode of Raw, and in retaliation, Candice claimed Perez was just jealous. The off-screen fighting between the duo was eventually turned into an on-screen storyline.
She has a tattoo of the word "faith" on her inner wrist, which she considers a "personal affirmation". It is also a reminder, in her words, to "believe in myself and have 'faith'". She got the tattoo, which was documented on the reality show LA Ink, after breaking her collarbone in 2007.The tattoo is also related to her Christian beliefs.When Candice made her return, she had new tattoos on her back, her new tattoos are of five stars, which starts at the lower part of her back then finished at the middle of her back.
Candice Michelle, along with Batista, Shelton Benjamin, and Josh Matthews, represented WWE at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in an effort to persuade fans to register to vote in the 2008 Presidential election.
• Finishing moves
o Candywrapper(Jumping inverted double underhook facebuster)
o Spinning heel kick
• Signature moves
o Bridging northern lights suplex
o Candylicious (Hanging figure four necklock)
o Diving crossbody
o Go Daddy dance followed by an elbow drop
o Forward Russian legsweep
o Hurricanrana
o Running leaping clothesline
o Sitout rear mat slam
o Springboard arm drag
o Springboard roundhouse kick
o Tilt-a-whirl headscissors takedown
• Entrance themes
o Her theme music was initially promoted as being "Holla", performed by Desiree Jackson on the track listing of WWE Wreckless Intent, but the track was allocated to Kelly Kelly instead.
o Candice used a track entitled "What Love is", produced by Jim Johnston.
o Candice currently uses a house version of "What Love is", a remix by Scooter and Lavelle.
• Playboy
o Cover girl (April 2006)
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
o PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2007)
o PWI Woman of the Year (2007)
o PWI ranked her # 10 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2008.
• World Wrestling Entertainment
o WWE Women's Championship (1 time)
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Komentari (1) |
Trekbekovi (0)
HULK HOGAN
nemanja6807 | 08 Decembar, 2008 15:24
HULK HOGAN
Terry Gene Bollea[(born August 11, 1953) better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American actor, and semi-retired professional wrestler. He starred in the VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best and is the co-host of American Gladiators on NBC. He also hosts the CMT series Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling, which he also produces. In addition, he co-stars in the reality show Brooke Knows Best.
Bollea had mainstream popularity in the mid 1980s through the early 1990s as the all-American, working-class hero character Hulk Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF—now World Wrestling Entertainment) and was notable in the mid-to-late 1990s as "Hollywood" Hogan, a villainous nWo leader, in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Following WCW's fold, he made a brief return to the WWE in the early 2000s, revising his heroic character by combining elements of his two most famous personas.
Bollea was later inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 and is officially a twelve-time world champion: a six time WWF/E Champion and a six time WCW World Heavyweight Champion as well as a former one time Tag Team Champion with Edge. He is also the winner of the Royal Rumble in 1990 and 1991.
The son of Ruth, a homemaker and dance teacher, and Peter Bollea, a construction foreman, he was raised in Tampa, Florida. As a boy, he was a pitcher in Little League Baseball. He began watching professional events at 16 years old. While in high school, he revered Dusty Rhodes, and he regularly attended cards at the Tampa Sportatorium. It was at one of those wrestling cards where he first turned his attention towards "Superstar" Billy Graham and looked to him for inspiration. Hogan was also a skilled musician, spending ten years playing bass guitar in several Florida-based rock bands. Many of the wrestlers who competed in the Florida territory at that time visited the bars where Hogan was performing. He then attended the University of South Florida, of which he later dropped out; he spent most of his time at a local gym, where he met pro wrestler Mike Graham, the son of legendary wrestler and National Wrestling Alliance president Eddie Graham. Hogan's physical stature also caught the attention of Jack Brisco and his brother Gerald. Together, they convinced Hogan to try wrestling. Having been a wrestling fan since childhood, Hogan agreed, and in 1976, Mike Graham introduced Hogan to Hiro Matsuda, who was among the sport's top trainers. According to Hogan, during their first training session, Matsuda sarcastically asked him, "So you want to be a wrestler?" and purposely broke Hogan's leg.
Within a year, Matsuda had prepared him for his professional debut, in which Eddie Graham booked him against Brian Blair in Fort Myers, Florida on August 10, 1977. A short time later, Bollea donned a mask and assumed the persona of "The Super Destroyer," a hooded character first played by Don Jardine and subsequently used by several other wrestlers. A few months later, he joined Louie Tillet's Alabama territory, where he tag teamed with Ed Leslie (later known as Brutus Beefcake) as Terry and Ed Boulder. These early matches as a tag team with the surname Boulder being used by both men prompted a rumor among wrestling fans unaware of the inner workings of the sport that Hogan and Beefcake were brothers, as few people actually knew their real names outside of immediate friends, family, and of course the various promoters the two worked for. During this time, he appeared on a talk show, where he sat beside Lou Ferrigno, star of the television series The Incredible Hulk. The host commented how Terry, who stood 6 ft 7 in and weighed 295 pounds with 24 inch biceps, actually dwarfed "the Hulk." As a result, Bollea began performing as Terry "The Hulk" Boulder and sometimes wrestled as Sterling Golden.
In May 1979, Bollea had an early shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, whose holder was at the time generally recognized as the industry's best. In June 1979, Bollea won his first wrestling championship, the NWA Southeast Heavyweight Championship, recognized in Alabama and Tennessee when he defeated Ox Baker.
Later that year, former NWA World Champion Terry Funk introduced Bollea to World Wrestling Federation (WWF) chief Vincent J. McMahon, who was impressed with his charisma and physical stature. McMahon gave Bollea the last name Hogan, as he was obsessed with using Irish names. At this time, Hogan wrestled Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship,[15] and he started his first big feud with André the Giant, which culminated in a match with André at Shea Stadium.Hulk Hogan claims in his autobiography that he and André the Giant were the reason for the Shea gate. However, Sammartino/Zbyszko sold out everywhere they wrestled leading up the show. Hogan and Andre wrestled in White Plains, New York, drawing 1,200 in a building that held 3,500 as the main event before they wrestled at Shea.
After filming his scene for Rocky III, against McMahon's wishes, Hogan made his debut in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), owned by Verne Gagne. Hogan started his AWA run as a heel, taking on "Luscious" Johnny Valiant as his manager, but AWA audiences loved the muscular and more charismatic Hogan, and soon the AWA's bookers were compelled to turn Hogan face. Using "Eye of the Tiger" as his theme music, Hogan soon became the promotion's top babyface, and throughout 1983, he engaged in a big feud against AWA World Champion Nick Bockwinkel and his manager Bobby Heenan. Gagne, however, continued to tease the AWA audience by booking numerous screwjobs meant to keep the championship with Bockwinkel, who was a veteran of the territory and had assumed the mantle of the organization's centerpiece following Gagne's retirement from active competition. Because Hogan was not an "old school" technical wrestler, Gagne would not let him be champion. On several occasions, Hogan defeated Bockwinkel to win the title, only to have the decision later reversed. This practice increasingly drew the ire of the fans, so much so that on one occasion, according to Hogan's autobiography and other books, one crowd nearly rioted until Hogan himself calmed the audience down.[citation needed] Hogan himself also began to grow frustrated with Verne Gagne's unwillingness to give Hogan a larger share of his merchandise sales. Eventually, Gagne was finally ready to book Hogan to win the AWA title; however, according to Hogan, Gagne wanted a piece of the large money Hogan was making from his frequent trips to Japan, more control over the bookings that Hogan took overseas. Hogan refused flatly, saying he didn't need the AWA title at that point. Also according to Hogan in his autobiography, Verne wanted Hogan to be brought into the family by marriage before handing the AWA title over to him. Hogan, unwilling to give up his life as a bachelor just for the world title of the AWA, continued to turn down the belt. Shortly after these attempts to woo Hogan into giving Gagne more of a share of his profits and booking in Japan and attempts to bring him into the Gagne family, Hogan was lured back to the Northeast by Vincent K. McMahon, who had just recently purchased the WWF from his ailing father.
Over twenty years later, just prior to Hulk Hogan's WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2005, the revived AWA, under the authority of owner Dale Gagne (real last name: Gagner), relented and acknowledged the legitimacy of Hogan's two title wins over Nick Bockwinkel, making him a two-time AWA champion. This resolution, however, has been regarded as apocryphal to most as the resurrected AWA is generally regarded as an entirely different body than the Verne Gagne-owned AWA of old. As recently as the release of the DVD The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA, interviews between Hogan and the Gagnes show that there is still animosity between both parties, indicating the unlikelihood Hogan's AWA title reign would have been retroactively instated under the original ownership. The WWE also sought legal action against Dale Gagne, due to alleged trademark infringement, which calls Gagne's claims to ownership of the AWA into doubt, and as such may render the resolution moot, as the WWE only recognizes twelve American world titles being attributed to Hulk Hogan, and the AWA World Title is not among that number.
A great deal of Hogan's early success was achieved in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Japanese wrestling fans were in awe of the gargantuan blond American and nicknamed him "Ichiban" (which translates to "Number One"). Hogan first appeared in Japan on May 13, 1980, while he was still with the WWF. He toured the country from time to time over the next few years, facing a wide variety of opponents ranging from Tatsumi Fujinami to Abdullah the Butcher. When competing in Japan, Hogan used a vastly different repertoire of wrestling moves, relying on more technical, traditional wrestling holds and maneuvers as opposed to the power-based, brawling style U.S. fans became accustomed to seeing from him. Another difference is that Hogan used a running forearm lariat (called the "Axe Bomber") as his finisher in Japan, as opposed to the running leg drop that has been his traditional finisher in America. On June 2, 1983, Hogan became the first International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP) tournament winner, defeating Japanese wrestling icon Antonio Inoki by knockout in the finals of a 10-man tournament featuring top talent from throughout the world. Hogan and Inoki also worked as partners in Japan, winning the prestigious MSG Tag League tournament two years in a row: in 1982 and 1983. Hogan's popularity in Japan was so great, he even recorded an album there—a forerunner to the World Wrestling Federation's "Rock 'n' Wrestling" of the mid 1980s.
After purchasing the World Wrestling Federation from his father in 1982, Vincent K. McMahon had plans to expand the territory into a nationwide promotion, and he handpicked Hulk Hogan to be the company's showpiece attraction due to his charisma and name recognition. Hogan made his return to the WWF at a television taping in St. Louis, Missouri on December 27, 1983 defeating Bill Dixon.Initially, Hogan was a heel, allied with veteran wrestler-turned-manager "Classy" Freddie Blassie; however, this was short-lived.
On January 7, 1984 edition of Championship Wrestling, Hogan saved Bob Backlund from a three-way assault. Hogan's turn was explained simply by Backlund: "He's changed his ways. He's a great man. He's told me he's not gonna have Blassie around". The storyline shortcut was necessary because less than three weeks later on January 23, Hogan won his first WWF Championship, pinning The Iron Sheik (who had Blassie in his corner) in Madison Square Garden. The storyline accompanying the victory was that Hogan was a "last minute" replacement for the Sheik's original opponent Bob Backlund,and became the champion by way of being the first man to escape the camel clutch (the Iron Sheik's signature move).
Immediately after the title win, commentator Gorilla Monsoon officially proclaimed "Hulkamania is here!" Hogan frequently referred to his fans as "Hulkamaniacs" in his interviews and introduced his three "demandments": training, saying prayers, and eating vitamins. Eventually, a fourth demandment (believing in oneself) was added following his feud with Earthquake in the 1990s. Hogan's ring gear developed a characteristic yellow-and-red color scheme; his ring entrances involved him ritualistically ripping his shirt off his body, flexing, and listening for audience cheers in an exaggerated manner. The majority of Hogan's matches during this time involved him wrestling heels who had been booked as unstoppable monsters, using a format which became near-routine: Hogan would deliver steady offense, but eventually lose momentum, seemingly nearing defeat. He would then experience a sudden second wind, fighting back while "feeding" off the energy of the audience, becoming impervious to attack—a process described as "hulking up". His signature maneuvers, the big boot and Atomic Leg Drop, would follow and ensure him a victory.
Over the next year, Hulk Hogan became the face of pro wrestling as McMahon pushed the WWF into a pop culture enterprise with the The Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection on MTV, drawing record houses, pay-per-view buyrates, and television ratings in the process. The centerpiece attraction for the first WrestleMania on March 31, 1985, Hogan teamed with real-life friend Mr. T to defeat his archrival "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. On the first-ever edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, Hogan successfully defended the WWF title against Cowboy Bob Orton in a match which Hogan won by disqualification.
In the process, Hogan was portrayed as a real-life superhero while reaching out to young fans. The consummate role model, he was named the most requested celebrity of the 1980s for the Make-a-Wish Foundation children's charity. As a result, Hogan transformed the business into a sports entertainment spectacle that appealed to prime-time audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Never before had the industry seen anything like Hulkamania, as Hulk Hogan action figures and T-shirts began turning up in malls across the nation. Moreover, Hogan was featured on the covers of Sports Illustrated, TV Guide, and People magazines, while also appearing on The Tonight Show and having his own CBS Saturday morning cartoon titled Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling. Hogan went on to headline eight of the first nine WrestleMania events, and he also co-hosted Saturday Night Live on March 30, 1985 during this lucrative run. Hogan also owned another money-making machine in the early 1990s; AT&T reported that his 900 number information line was the single biggest 900 number in the industry from 1991 to 1993. Hogan operated the 900 number through his stint in WWF and then recreated it when he joined World Championship Wrestling.
On the October 5, 1985 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, he successfully defended the title against Nikolai Volkoff in a flag match. He met long-time rival Roddy Piper in a WWF title match at the historic Wrestling Classic pay-per-view (PPV) event. Hogan retained the title by disqualification after Bob Orton interfered and hit Hogan with his cast.Hogan had many challengers in the way as the new year began. Throughout 1986, Hogan made successful title defenses against challengers such as Terry Funk, "The Magnificient" Don Muraco, King Kong Bundy (in a steel cage match at WrestleMania 2), Paul Orndorff, and Hercules Hernandez.
In the fall of 1986, Hogan occasionally wrestled in tag matches with The Machines as Hulk Machine under a mask copied from New Japan Pro Wrestling gimmick "Super Strong Machine." At WrestleMania III in 1987, Hogan was booked to defend the title against André the Giant, who had been the sport's premier star and was pushed as undefeated for the previous two decades. A new storyline was introduced in early 1987; Hogan was presented a trophy for being the WWF Champion for three consecutive years. André the Giant, a good friend came out to congratulate him. Shortly afterwards, André was presented a slightly smaller trophy for being "undefeated in the WWF for 15 years." Hogan came out to congratulate André, who walked out in the midst of Hogan's speech. Then, on an edition of Piper's Pit, Hogan was confronted by Bobby Heenan, who announced that André was his new protégé, and Andre challenged Hogan to a title match at WrestleMania III. At WrestleMania III, Hogan successfully defended the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against André the Giant. During the match, Hogan bodyslammed the 520-pound Frenchman and won the match after executing a scoop slam and a leg drop.
Hogan remained WWF Champion for four years and 13 days (1,474 days). He became the third longest reigning WWF Champion in the process, only after Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund. In front of 33 million viewers, however, Hogan finally lost the belt to André on the February 5 edition of The Main Event after a convoluted scam involving "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and "evil" twin referee Earl Hebner (in place of the match's appointed arbiter, his twin brother Dave Hebner). After André delivered a belly to belly suplex on Hogan, Hebner counted the pin while Hogan's left shoulder was clearly off the mat. After the match, André handed the title over to DiBiase to complete their storyline business deal. As a result, the WWF Championship was vacated for the first time in its 25-year history. At WrestleMania IV, Hogan participated in a tournament for the vacant WWF title to regain it and faced André in the tournament quarter-finals but their match resulted in a double disqualification. Later that night in the main event, Hogan interfered and helped his on/off friend "Macho Man" Randy Savage in beating Ted DiBiase to win the vacant WWF title. The relationship between the two would lead to the main event of the following WrestleMania.
Together, Hogan, Savage, and manager Miss Elizabeth formed a partnership known as The Mega Powers. After Savage became WWF Champion at WrestleMania IV, they feuded with The Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase and André the Giant), and defeated them at the main event of the first-ever SummerSlam.The Mega Powers, however, soon imploded from within in 1989, due to Savage's burgeoning jealousy of Hogan and his paranoid suspicions that Hogan and Elizabeth were "more than friends." This all started at Royal Rumble 1989, when Hogan accidentally eliminated Savage from the Royal Rumble match. They began a feud with The Twin Towers, and defeated them on the February 3, 1989 edition of The Main Event, but with controversy. During the match, Savage collided with Miss Elizabeth when he was thrown through the ropes to the floor. Hogan took her backstage to receive medical attention, thus abandoning Savage. He quickly returned to the ring but Savage slapped Hogan and turned on him by leaving the ring.Hogan later won the match by himself. After the match, Savage attacked Hogan backstage and the Mega Powers exploded, which started a feud between the two. Their feud culminated in Hogan beating Savage for his second WWF Championship at WrestleMania V.
Hogan's second run lasted a year, during which time he starred in the movie No Holds Barred. The film was the inspiration of a feud with Hogan's co-star Tom Lister, Jr., who appeared at wrestling events as his movie character, Zeus. Zeus was a monster heel who was "jealous" over Hogan's higher billing and wanted revenge. Hogan, however, was easily able to defeat Zeus in a series of matches across the country during late 1989, beginning with a tag team match at SummerSlam 1989, in which Hogan and Brutus Beefcake topped Zeus and Savage. Hogan and Beefcake defeated Zeus and Savage in a rematch at the No Holds Barred PPV to end the feud.
Also during his second run, Hogan won the 1990 Royal Rumble match. He dropped the title to Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior in a title vs. title match at WrestleMania VI. It was the first time in over seven years that Hogan suffered a defeat with a clean finish. This title match was unique because the two wrestlers were both faces, and Hogan graciously handed Warrior the belt and hugged him at the conclusion of the match.
Hogan soon became embroiled in a heated feud with the 468-pound Earthquake, who gained infamy by crushing Hogan's ribs in a sneak attack on The Brother Love Show in May 1990. On television, announcers explained that Hogan's injuries and his WrestleMania VI loss to The Ultimate Warrior both took such a huge toll on his fighting spirit that he wanted to retire. Viewers were asked to write letters to Hogan and send postcards asking for his return (they got a postcard-sized picture in return, autographed by Hogan, as a "thank-you"). Hogan returned by SummerSlam 1990 and for several months, dominated Earthquake in a series of matches across the country. His defeat of this overwhelmingly large foe caused Hogan to add a fourth demandment: believing in yourself. He would also be known as "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan.
Hogan became the first wrestler to win two Royal Rumble matches in a row, as he won the 1991 Royal Rumble match. At WrestleMania VII, Hogan stood up for the USA against Iraqi-sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter, defeating him for his third WWF Championship. Hogan started a feud with The Undertaker in the fall of 1991 and lost the WWF title to Undertaker at Survivor Series due to interference from Ric Flair. Just six days later, Hogan regained the title in a match held on a special pay-per-view named This Tuesday in Texas, beginning his fourth WWF Championship reign but due to the controversy surrounding the end of both matches, the title was again declared vacant.
The WWF Championship was decided at Royal Rumble 1992 in the Royal Rumble match. Hogan was eliminated by storyline friend Sid Justice and failed to regain the championship. The two patched things up and teamed up together on the February 8, 1992 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event against the new WWF Champion Ric Flair and The Undertaker. Sid turned heel by abandoning Hogan but Flair slapped the referee, which gave Hogan and Sid a disqualification victory. This began a feud between Hogan and Sid. In the ensuing months, Hulk Hogan announced he was contemplating retirement from wrestling and would "bow out" after his match against Sid at WrestleMania VIII. Hogan eventually won the match via disqualification due to interference by Sid's manager Harvey Wippleman. Hogan was then attacked by Papa Shango (who was scripted to cause the disqualification, but arrived too late) and was saved by the returning Ultimate Warrior.
Hogan returned to the WWF in January 1993, helping out his friend Brutus Beefcake in his feud with Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster) and officially renamed themselves The Mega-Maniacs. At WrestleMania IX, Hogan and Beefcake took on Money Inc. for the WWF Tag Team Championship but ended up losing the match by disqualification. Later that night, Hogan won his fifth WWF Championship by pinning Yokozuna only moments after Yokozuna's defeat of Bret Hart. At the first annual King of the Ring pay-per-view on June 13, 1993, Hogan defended the championship against the former champion, Yokozuna, in his first title defense since defeating Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX. During the course of the match, Yokozuna kicked out of Hogan's signature leg drop. The hard-fought bout came to its close when a "Japanese photographer" (actually a disguised Harvey Wippleman) got on the apron and distracted Hogan, before shooting some sort of fireball out of the camera and into Hogan's face. This was followed by Yokozuna hitting a leg drop on Hogan for the pin. After his victory, Yokozuna proceeded to give Hogan a Banzai Drop amidst the crying children and cursing adults. As Yokozuna celebrated, Hogan was helped back to the locker room by ringside officials as he clutched his face. Hulkamania had seemingly taken its final breath. This would be Hogan's last WWF pay-per-view appearance until 2002, as both he and Jimmy Hart were preparing to leave the promotion. Hogan would continue his feud on the house show circuit with Yokozuna until August 1993. After that, Hogan would sit out the rest of his contract which expired later that year.
In 1994, a steroids scandal threatened the WWF, and Hogan testified in court that he had used steroids over a period of 12 years "to get big" and had also introduced WWF Chairman Vince McMahon to steroids during the filming of No Holds Barred. Both men also had Pennsylvania doctor George Zahorian send steroids to WWF's corporate office via FedEx. Hogan, however, never accused McMahon of distributing steroids himself, but Hogan also testified that steroid use was rampant in the WWF. His testimony may have kept McMahon out of prison, but it hurt both Hogan and the WWF's public image.
After Hogan left the WWF in the summer of 1993, he decided to take a few months off from wrestling to concentrate on movies, television, and his family. In June 1994, Hogan signed with Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and began appearing on television the next month. Hogan won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in his debut match, defeating Ric Flair in a 'dream' match at Bash at the Beach. After overcoming the likes of Flair, The Butcher (former partner Brutus Beefcake), Vader, and the Dungeon of Doom for the next eighteen months, Hogan dropped the belt to The Giant at Halloween Havoc 1995 via DQ. Following the controversial loss (which was due to a "contract clause"), the WCW title became vacant.
In early 1996, Hogan feuded with The Giant and with the Alliance to End Hulkamania. After coming out victorious from his feuds, Hogan began to only appear occasionally on WCW programming. It was also around this time, WCW fans began to grow tired of seeing Hogan's "red-and-yellow good guy" persona they had seen for ten years in the WWF. This led to one of the most talked about moments in wrestling history in the summer of 1996. During a six man tag team match at Bash at the Beach, Hulk Hogan interfered on behalf of The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall), attacking babyface Randy Savage. This action caused Hogan to turn heel for the first time in over ten years. After the match, Hogan delivered a now-infamous promo, accosting the fans and WCW for underappreciating his talent and drawing power. This culminated with Hogan's announcement of the formation of a "New World Order of Wrestling" This statement gave the trio it's iconic name: The new World order (nWo).
This would come to fruition, as the stable, known officially as the New World Order (nWo), would gain prominence in the coming weeks and months. Hogan grew a beard alongside his famous mustache and dyed it black, traded his red and yellow garb in for black clothing, renamed himself Hollywood Hogan, and returned to WCW programming eight days after his heel turn.
Hogan won his second WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Hog Wild, defeating The Giant for the title. He spray painted a black "nWo" across the title belt, scribbled across the nameplate, and referred to the title as the "nWo title" during this and any other time he held the title while in the nWo. Hogan then started a feud with Lex Luger after Luger and The Giant defeated Hogan and Dennis Rodman in a tag team match at Bash at the Beach 1997.
On the August 4, 1997 edition of Nitro, Hogan lost the WCW title to Luger by submission via Luger's Torture Rack submission finisher. Five days later, at Road Wild, Hogan defeated Luger to regain the WCW title and begin his third WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Hogan then lost the belt to Sting in a hugely-hyped, eighteen-months-in-the-making match at Starrcade. In the match, WCW's newly-contracted Bret Hart accused referee Nick Patrick of fast-counting a victory for Hogan and had the match restarted—with himself as referee. Sting later won by submission. After a rematch the following night, where Sting controversially retained the title, the WCW Championship became vacant. Sting then went on to win the vacant title against Hogan at SuperBrawl VIII.
Hogan then developed a rivalry with former friend (and recent nWo recruit) Randy Savage, who had just cost Hogan the title match at SuperBrawl by hitting him with a spray can. The heat culminated in a steel cage match at Uncensored 1998, which ended in a no contest. Savage took the World Championship from Sting at Spring Stampede 1998, while Hogan teamed with Kevin Nash to take on Roddy Piper and The Giant in the first-ever Bat match. Marking the breakup of the original nWo, Hogan betrayed Nash by hitting him with the bat and then challenged Savage the following night for his championship. In the no disqualification match for Savage's newly won title, Nash entered the ring and powerbombed Hogan as retribution for the attack the previous night, and Bret Hart turned heel by jumping in to attack Savage and preserve the victory for Hogan, who regained his fourth WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Hogan defended the title until July of that year, when WCW booked him in a match against newcomer and then WCW United States Champion Bill Goldberg, who had yet to lose a match in the company. Late in the match, Hogan was distracted by Karl Malone delivering a Diamond Cutter to nWo member Curt Hennig, who was approaching the ring to assist the champion. A spear and a jackhammer from Goldberg then followed, and the rookie pinned Hogan to win his first and only WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
Hogan spent the rest of 1998 wrestling celebrity matches. His second tag team match with Dennis Rodman pitted them against Diamond Dallas Page and Karl Malone at Bash at the Beach 1998 and at Road Wild 1998, he and Bischoff lost to Page and Jay Leno thanks to interference from Kevin Eubanks, who leveled Bischoff with a Diamond Cutter. Hogan also had a highly hyped rematch with Warrior at Halloween Havoc 1998, where his nephew Horace aided his victory. On the Thanksgiving episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Hogan officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling, as well as his candidacy for President of the United States. Campaign footage aired on Nitro of Hogan and Bischoff holding a press conference, making it appear legitimate. In the long run, however, both announcements were false and merely done as a publicity stunt attempting to draw some of the hype of Jesse Ventura's Minnesota gubernatorial win back to him.
After some time off from WCW, a still "retired" Hogan returned on the January 4, 1999 edition of Nitro to challenge Kevin Nash for the WCW title. He controversially regained his fifth WCW World Heavyweight Championship in what was later dubbed the Fingerpoke of Doom. This reformed the divided nWo branches—nWo Hollywood and nWo Wolfpac—which began feuding with Bill Goldberg and The Four Horsemen.
He then lost the title to Ric Flair at Uncensored 1999 in a Steel Cage First Blood match. A heavily bleeding Flair won via pinfall thanks to biased referee Charles Robinson. During that match, however, Hogan began to show some signs that a face turn was imminent, showing off some old tactics like his "Hulking up" no-sell. On the July 12 edition of Nitro, Hogan made his grand return as a full-fledged face and accepted a challenge from Savage, who had gained the world title at Bash at the Beach 1999 the night before. Thanks to interference from Nash, who had lost the title to Savage, Hogan defeated Savage to win his sixth and final WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
On August 9, 1999, he started the night dressed in the typical black and white, but after a backstage scene with his son, Hogan came out dressed in the traditional red and yellow for his main-event 6-man tag team match. Injuries and frustrations were mounting up however, and he was absent from television from October 1999 to February 2000. In his book Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Bollea said that he was asked to take time off by newly hired head of creative booker Vince Russo and was not told when he would be brought back at the time. Despite some reservations, he agreed to do so. On October 24 at Halloween Havoc, Hogan was to face Sting for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship (which he had lost to Sting at Fall Brawl the previous month, when Sting beat Hogan by cheating and had turned heel in the process). Hogan, however, came to the ring in street clothes, laid down for the pin, and left the ring.
Soon after his return in February 2000, at Bash at the Beach, Hogan was involved in a controversial, real-life incident with Vince Russo. Hogan was scheduled to wrestle Jeff Jarrett for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Before the match, there was a dispute between Hogan and Russo. Unbeknownst to Hogan, Russo told Jarrett to lie down in the middle of the ring and asked Hogan to pin him straight away. A visibly confused Hogan complied with a foot on Jarrett's chest after getting on the microphone and telling Russo, "Is this your idea, Russo...? That's why this company is in the damn shape it's in, because of bullshit like this!" Russo responded by coming out and saying that "From day one, that I've been in WCW, I've done nothing... nothing... but deal with the bullshit of the politics behind that curtain." Since Hogan refused to job to Jarrett, a new WCW World Heavyweight Championship was created, setting the stage for a title match between Booker T and Jeff Jarrett later that night. Whether or not the whole incident was a shoot or a work is still a hot debate. As a result, Hogan filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Russo soon after, which was eventually dismissed in 2002. Russo claims the whole thing was a work, and Hogan claims that Russo made it a shoot. Eric Bischoff contends that Hogan winning and leaving with the title was a work, claiming that he and Hogan celebrated after the event over the success of the angle, but that Russo coming out to fire Hogan was an unplanned shoot which led to the lawsuit filed by Hogan.
In the months following the eventual demise of WCW in March 2001, Hogan underwent surgery on his knees in order for him to wrestle again. As a test, Hogan worked a match in Orlando, Florida for the X Wrestling Federation promotion run by his longtime handler Jimmy Hart. Hogan defeated Curt Hennig in this match and felt healthy enough to accept an offer to return to the WWF in February 2002.
At No Way Out in 2002, Hogan returned to the company that had made him a pop culture icon. Returning as leader of the original nWo with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, the three got into a confrontation with The Rock and cost Stone Cold Steve Austin a chance at becoming the WWF Undisputed Champion against Chris Jericho in the main event. The nWo feuded with both Austin and The Rock, and Hogan accepted The Rock's challenge to a match at WrestleMania X8. At the event, Hogan asked Hall and Nash not to interfere, wanting to defeat The Rock by himself. Despite the fact that Hogan was supposed to be the heel in the match, the crowd favored Hogan throughout it; this effectively turned him face. The Rock cleanly won the contest but befriended Hogan at the end of the bout and helped him fight off Hall and Nash, who were upset by Hogan's conciliatory attitude. After the match, Hogan was a definite face again, siding with The Rock, though he continued wearing black and white tights for a few weeks after WrestleMania X8 until he resumed wearing his signature red and yellow tights. During this period, the "Hulk Rules" logo of the '80s was redone with the text "Hulk Still Rules." Hulk wore the original "Hulk Rules" attire 12 years earlier, when he headlined WrestleMania 6 at the same arena, in the SkyDome. For a time, he was still known as "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, notably keeping the Hollywood Hogan style blond mustache with black beard while wearing Hulkamania-like red and yellow tights. At Backlash, he defeated Triple H for his sixth and final WWF "Undisputed" Championship. He lost the belt to The Undertaker at Judgment Day.
On the July 4, 2002 edition of SmackDown, Hogan teamed with Edge to defeat Billy and Chuck and capture the WWE Tag Team Championship for the first time. They celebrated by waving the American flag as the overjoyed audience sang along to Hogan's theme song "Real American." They later dropped the titles to The Un-Americans (Lance Storm and Christian), at Vengeance. After an angle with Brock Lesnar, which saw Lesnar hand Hogan a defeat in August 2002, Hogan went on hiatus. He returned in early 2003 to battle The Rock (who had turned heel) once again at No Way Out and defeated Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XIX in a match billed as "20 years in the making."He then had another run as Hulk Hogan, shaving off the black Hollywood beard and dropping "Hollywood" from his name.
Later, he had a run as the masked Mr. America. The persona was supposed to be Hulk Hogan in disguise, wearing a mask. He used Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme music and used all of Hogan's signature gestures, moves, and phrases. He was the subject of a storyline that took place after Hollywood Hulk Hogan was forced by Vince McMahon to sit out the rest of his contract. After Hogan won at WrestleMania XIX, McMahon, in storyline, was frustrated with him and wanted Hulkamania to die. A WWE pre-debut push took place with mysterious Mr. America promos airing for weeks during SmackDown!. There was also on-screen discussion on SmackDown! between then General Manager Stephanie McMahon and other players concerning her hiring Mr. America "sight unseen." On May 1, Mr. America debuted on SmackDown! on a Piper's Pit segment. McMahon appeared and claimed that Mr. America was Hulk Hogan in disguise; Mr. America shot back by saying, "I am not Hulk Hogan, brother!" (lampooning Hogan's use of "brother" in his promos). The feud continued through the month of May, with a singles match between Mr. America and Hogan's old rival Roddy Piper at Judgment Day. McMahon tried desperately to prove that Mr. America was indeed Hulk Hogan but failed at all attempts. Mr. America even passed a lie detector test.
Mr. America's last WWE appearance was on the June 26 edition of SmackDown! when The Big Show and The World's Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas) defeated the team of Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and Mr. America in a six-man tag team match when Show pinned Mr. America. After the show went off the air, Mr. America unmasked to show the fans that he was indeed Hulk Hogan, putting his finger to his lips telling the fans to keep quiet about his secret. The next week, Hogan quit WWE due to frustration with the creative team.On the July 3 edition of SmackDown!, Vince McMahon showed the footage of Mr. America unmasking as Hogan and "fired" him, although Hogan had already quit in real life. The Mr. America gimmick came under fire briefly from Marvel Comics, who anointed it a rip-off of Captain America, citing costume similarity; the single star on the mask was also a trademark on Captain America's chest piece. This was also adding fuel to the fire over the rights to use the Hulk Hogan name because of Marvel's ownership of the Incredible Hulk character. Because of these problems, WWE was forced to edit out all references to the "Hulk Hogan" name, including pictures which featured Hogan wearing memorabilia that said "Hulk" (a majority of them) and started to refer to Hogan under the "Hollywood Hogan" name he used in WCW. It was later revealed that Hogan was unhappy with the payoffs for his matches after his comeback under the Mr. America gimmick. Vince decided to terminate Hogan's contract, and Hogan left WWE in 2003.
A few months afterwards, Hulk Hogan worked a match for New Japan Pro Wrestling, beating Masahiro Chono at the Ultimate Crush II event, an event that featured both pro wrestling and mixed martial arts matches.
According to various reports, Hulk Hogan was approached by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2003 regarding appearing at a planned event titled Bound for Glory, a three hour pay per view event in October meant to be the annual alternative. Hogan willingly took a guitar shot from Jarrett during a press conference in Japan to hype the storyline, but withdrew from negotiations citing knee problems that would require surgery and prevent him from participating. "I was getting ready to go to TNA, was hoping of working with Jarrett and those guys, and giving McMahon a run for his money one more time," said Hulk Hogan on the Main Event radio show in December 2006. The footage of Jarrett breaking a guitar over Hogan's head was thereafter frequently used by TNA. Hogan would soon return to WWE in 2005 to be inducted to the Hall of Fame Class of 2005.
In 2005, weeks before WrestleMania 21, it was announced on all WWE programming that Hogan would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. On April 2, Hogan was inducted by actor and friend Sylvester Stallone. Hogan was applauded for several minutes before he was able to make a speech. When he paused during his speech, the crowd chanted "One More Match! One More Match!" The fans also chanted "Austin, Hogan" (referring to a Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan match); Hogan responded "that may be a good match someday". At WrestleMania 21 on April 3, the "American Patriot" Hogan came out to rescue Eugene, who was being attacked by Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari. Some of the build-up to Hogan's induction into the Hall of Fame and preparation for this angle were shown on the first season of Hogan Knows Best.
The next night on Raw, Hassan and Daivari came out to confront and assault fan favorite Shawn Michaels. The following week, Michaels approached Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff demanding a handicap match with Hassan and Daivari. Bischoff refused but told Michaels if he found a partner he would be granted a tag team match. Michaels then made a plea for Hulk Hogan to come back and team with him. On the April 18 episode of Raw, Hassan again led an attack on Michaels until Hogan appeared, and saved Michaels and accepted his offer. At Backlash 2005, Hassan and Daivari lost to Hogan and Michaels.
Hogan then appeared on July 4 edition of Raw as the special guest of Carlito on his talk-show segment Carlito's Cabana. After being asked questions by Carlito concerning his daughter Brooke Hogan, Hogan proceeded to attack Carlito. This was then followed up by an appearance of Kurt Angle, who made comments about Brooke, which further upset Hogan. Hogan was eventually double teamed by Carlito and Angle but was saved by Shawn Michaels. Later that night, Michaels and Hogan defeated Carlito and Kurt Angle in a tag match. During the post match celebration, Michaels delivered Sweet Chin Music to Hogan and walked off. The following week on Raw, Michaels appeared on Piper's Pit and challenged Hogan to face him one-on-one for the first time. Hogan appeared on Raw one week later and accepted the challenge. The match took place at SummerSlam. The "Legend vs. Icon" storyline was the main event for the Raw brand going into SummerSlam. The match went back and forth, with two referees getting "knocked out" and Michaels using a steel chair to try to gain an advantage. Even after Michaels hit his Sweet Chin Music, Hogan still kicked out and mounted some offense against Michaels, finally hitting him with the legdrop and scoring the victory. Michaels extended his hand to him, telling him that he "had to find out for himself," and Hogan and Michaels shook hands. Michaels left the ring to allow Hogan to celebrate with the crowd.
Prior to WrestleMania 22, Hogan inducted friend and former announcer "Mean" Gene Okerlund into the WWE Hall of Fame. Hogan returned on the July 15, 2006 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event with his daughter Brooke. During the show, Randy Orton flirted with Hogan's daughter, and he later challenged Hulk to a match at SummerSlam, which Hogan won.
After a brief fall out with McMahon and WWE, Hogan was lured to Memphis Wrestling with the proposal of wrestling Jerry "The King" Lawler. The match had been promoted on Memphis Wrestling Prime Time for several months. On April 12, 2007, however, Lawler announced in a news conference that WWE had barred him from wrestling Hogan on the basis that NBC performers (including Lawler, on the basis of co-hosting the NBC-owned USA Network's WWE Raw and his appearances on the biannual WWE Saturday Night's Main Event) are contractually prohibited from appearing on VH1, the channel on which Hogan Knows Best airs. The situation resulted in a lawsuit being filed against WWE by event promoter Corey Maclin.
Lawler was replaced with Paul Wight, formerly known as Big Show. Hulk Hogan defeated Paul "The Great" Wight at PMG Clash of Legends on April 27, 2007 when he picked up and bodyslammed Wight and pinned him following the leg drop.
In December 2007 on the 15th Anniversary edition of Monday Night Raw, Hogan came back for a one night appearance coming to the aid of Hornswoggle against The Great Khali. During his in-ring speech, Hogan said to never say never about another match and alluded to his longtime rival Randy Savage using his signature catchphrase of "Oh Yeah!".
Hulk Hogan's crossover popularity led to several television and movie roles. Along with Rocky III (1982) and No Holds Barred (1989), he starred in the family films Suburban Commando (1991), Mr. Nanny (1993), Santa with Muscles (1996), and 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998).He starred in his own television series, Thunder in Paradise, in 1994. He is the star of The Ultimate Weapon (1997), in which Brutus Beefcake also appears in a cameo.
Hogan plays an old guy in a bar in Colma: The Musical (2006) in which he sings and dances about being single. Hogan also starred in a pair of television movies, originally intended as a pilot for an ongoing series for TNT, produced by Eric Bischoff. The movies, Shadow Warriors: Assault on Devil's Island and Shadow Warriors: Hunt for The Death Merchant, starred Hogan alongside Carl Weathers and Shannon Tweed as a freelance mercenary team. In 1995, he appeared on TBN's Kids Against Crime.
Hogan made cameo appearances in Muppets from Space, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (the theatrical cut) and Spy Hard as himself. Hogan was offered the role of Zeus in Little Hercules in 3D on an episode of Hogan Knows Best and was shown during the filming of the movie. He also had a cameo at the end of the movie Little Monsters. Hogan also made two appearances on The A-Team (in 1985 and 1986), and along with Roddy Piper, Hogan lent his voice for a few episodes of the stop-motion animation skit show, Robot Chicken. He guest-starred in a two-part episode of Suddenly Susan in 1999. In 2001, Hogan guest-starred on an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger, playing a reformed criminal now operating a Christian Community Center and helping Walker steer teenagers away from gangs.
On July 10, 2005, VH1 premiered a new reality show titled Hogan Knows Best which centers around Hulk Hogan, his wife Linda, and their children Brooke and Nick. Set in their home in Clearwater, Florida, the show follows the family in their efforts to fulfill the dreams of their children while still maintaining their sense of closeness. At the show's onset, 16-year-old Brooke is trying to break into the music industry while younger brother Nick (age 14) goes through a series of career aspirations including becoming a professional race car driver and following in his dad's footsteps as a pro-wrestler.
As of July 2008, Hogan Knows Best transferred its focus into a new show called Brooke Knows Best which focuses on his daughter's move into a new apartment to continue her pursuit of a music career.
On December 18, 1983, Bollea married Linda Claridge (born August 24, 1959). They have a daughter Brooke (born May 5, 1988) and a son Nick (born July 27, 1990). Bollea made his personal life the centerpiece of the television show Hogan Knows Best, which includes his wife and two children.
Bollea's 17 year old son Nick was indicted as an adult on November 7, 2007 on four criminal charges. The charges stemmed from an August car accident which seriously injured the passenger in Nick's car, John Graziano. Nick pleaded no contest and was sentenced to eight months in jail on May 9, 2008.
On November 20, 2007, Bollea's wife Linda filed for divorce in Pinellas County, Florida. Hulk told St. Petersburg Times he was not even aware of the filing when the paper called for a comment. The Graziano family's lawyer believes the divorce might be an attempt to divide the family's assets from a planned civil suit against the Bolleas regarding their son, Nick.
Linda Bollea was seen with her new 19 year-old boyfriend, whose name is Charlie Hill. They were seen together at the beach and Linda has been buying him gifts and clothes since they started dating. Charlie Hill went to the same high school as her kids, a year ahead of Nick and a year below Brooke.
Bollea was honored as the 2008 king of the Krewe of Bacchus, a New Orleans carnival organization. As Bacchus XL, he joined the ranks of Charlton Heston, Jackie Gleason, and Bob Hope. Hogan visited the Children's Hospital of New Orleans and rode in the parade where he threw doubloons with his likeness. Hogan received the honor in part because meeting Hogan is one of the most requested "wishes" of the terminally ill children benefited by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Bollea is currently living with his daughter Brooke who currently stars in the VH1 reality series Brooke Knows Best.
• Finishing and signature moves
o Atomic Leg Drop / Hollywood Leg Drop (Running leg drop)
o Axe Bomber (Crooked arm lariat)
o Back rake
o Back suplex
o Bear hug
o Big boot
o Clothesline
o Collar-and-elbow tie-up into a powerful shove across the ring
o Elbow drop
o Eye poke
o Eye rake
o Irish whipping the opponent into the corner and following them for a cornered running back elbow smash
o Scoop slam
o Three left-handed and right-handed punches followed by a big right-handed wind-up punch
o Vertical suplex
• Signature taunts
o Hulk Up Combination (Hulk starts by taking punches while in a kneeling position and shaking violently as he raises to his feet upon which he points to the opponent and says (in unison with the crowd) "YOU!". He then punches his opponent until his opponent reaches the ropes. He then throws his opponent towards opposite ropes then hits his opponent with a big boot and finally hits the opponent with the Atomic Leg Drop)
o Wrist twist to cupping the ear
o Rapidly pointing at his opponent
o Finger wag
o Flexing arms
• Nicknames
o "The Hulkster"
o "The Hulk"
o "The Immortal"
o "The Immortal Icon of Professional Wrestling"
o "The Incredible"
o "Hollywood"
• Managers
o "Classy" Freddie Blassie
o "Luscious" Johnny Valiant
o "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart
o Miss Elizabeth
o Trillionaire Ted
o Eric Bischoff
• Theme songs and entrance music
o "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.
o "Real American" by Rick Derringer.
o "American Made by the Hulk Rules
o "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Bollea had mainstream popularity in the mid 1980s through the early 1990s as the all-American, working-class hero character Hulk Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF—now World Wrestling Entertainment) and was notable in the mid-to-late 1990s as "Hollywood" Hogan, a villainous nWo leader, in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Following WCW's fold, he made a brief return to the WWE in the early 2000s, revising his heroic character by combining elements of his two most famous personas.
Bollea was later inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 and is officially a twelve-time world champion: a six time WWF/E Champion and a six time WCW World Heavyweight Champion as well as a former one time Tag Team Champion with Edge. He is also the winner of the Royal Rumble in 1990 and 1991.
The son of Ruth, a homemaker and dance teacher, and Peter Bollea, a construction foreman, he was raised in Tampa, Florida. As a boy, he was a pitcher in Little League Baseball. He began watching professional events at 16 years old. While in high school, he revered Dusty Rhodes, and he regularly attended cards at the Tampa Sportatorium. It was at one of those wrestling cards where he first turned his attention towards "Superstar" Billy Graham and looked to him for inspiration. Hogan was also a skilled musician, spending ten years playing bass guitar in several Florida-based rock bands. Many of the wrestlers who competed in the Florida territory at that time visited the bars where Hogan was performing. He then attended the University of South Florida, of which he later dropped out; he spent most of his time at a local gym, where he met pro wrestler Mike Graham, the son of legendary wrestler and National Wrestling Alliance president Eddie Graham. Hogan's physical stature also caught the attention of Jack Brisco and his brother Gerald. Together, they convinced Hogan to try wrestling. Having been a wrestling fan since childhood, Hogan agreed, and in 1976, Mike Graham introduced Hogan to Hiro Matsuda, who was among the sport's top trainers. According to Hogan, during their first training session, Matsuda sarcastically asked him, "So you want to be a wrestler?" and purposely broke Hogan's leg.
Within a year, Matsuda had prepared him for his professional debut, in which Eddie Graham booked him against Brian Blair in Fort Myers, Florida on August 10, 1977. A short time later, Bollea donned a mask and assumed the persona of "The Super Destroyer," a hooded character first played by Don Jardine and subsequently used by several other wrestlers. A few months later, he joined Louie Tillet's Alabama territory, where he tag teamed with Ed Leslie (later known as Brutus Beefcake) as Terry and Ed Boulder. These early matches as a tag team with the surname Boulder being used by both men prompted a rumor among wrestling fans unaware of the inner workings of the sport that Hogan and Beefcake were brothers, as few people actually knew their real names outside of immediate friends, family, and of course the various promoters the two worked for. During this time, he appeared on a talk show, where he sat beside Lou Ferrigno, star of the television series The Incredible Hulk. The host commented how Terry, who stood 6 ft 7 in and weighed 295 pounds with 24 inch biceps, actually dwarfed "the Hulk." As a result, Bollea began performing as Terry "The Hulk" Boulder and sometimes wrestled as Sterling Golden.
In May 1979, Bollea had an early shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, whose holder was at the time generally recognized as the industry's best. In June 1979, Bollea won his first wrestling championship, the NWA Southeast Heavyweight Championship, recognized in Alabama and Tennessee when he defeated Ox Baker.
Later that year, former NWA World Champion Terry Funk introduced Bollea to World Wrestling Federation (WWF) chief Vincent J. McMahon, who was impressed with his charisma and physical stature. McMahon gave Bollea the last name Hogan, as he was obsessed with using Irish names. At this time, Hogan wrestled Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship,[15] and he started his first big feud with André the Giant, which culminated in a match with André at Shea Stadium.Hulk Hogan claims in his autobiography that he and André the Giant were the reason for the Shea gate. However, Sammartino/Zbyszko sold out everywhere they wrestled leading up the show. Hogan and Andre wrestled in White Plains, New York, drawing 1,200 in a building that held 3,500 as the main event before they wrestled at Shea.
After filming his scene for Rocky III, against McMahon's wishes, Hogan made his debut in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), owned by Verne Gagne. Hogan started his AWA run as a heel, taking on "Luscious" Johnny Valiant as his manager, but AWA audiences loved the muscular and more charismatic Hogan, and soon the AWA's bookers were compelled to turn Hogan face. Using "Eye of the Tiger" as his theme music, Hogan soon became the promotion's top babyface, and throughout 1983, he engaged in a big feud against AWA World Champion Nick Bockwinkel and his manager Bobby Heenan. Gagne, however, continued to tease the AWA audience by booking numerous screwjobs meant to keep the championship with Bockwinkel, who was a veteran of the territory and had assumed the mantle of the organization's centerpiece following Gagne's retirement from active competition. Because Hogan was not an "old school" technical wrestler, Gagne would not let him be champion. On several occasions, Hogan defeated Bockwinkel to win the title, only to have the decision later reversed. This practice increasingly drew the ire of the fans, so much so that on one occasion, according to Hogan's autobiography and other books, one crowd nearly rioted until Hogan himself calmed the audience down.[citation needed] Hogan himself also began to grow frustrated with Verne Gagne's unwillingness to give Hogan a larger share of his merchandise sales. Eventually, Gagne was finally ready to book Hogan to win the AWA title; however, according to Hogan, Gagne wanted a piece of the large money Hogan was making from his frequent trips to Japan, more control over the bookings that Hogan took overseas. Hogan refused flatly, saying he didn't need the AWA title at that point. Also according to Hogan in his autobiography, Verne wanted Hogan to be brought into the family by marriage before handing the AWA title over to him. Hogan, unwilling to give up his life as a bachelor just for the world title of the AWA, continued to turn down the belt. Shortly after these attempts to woo Hogan into giving Gagne more of a share of his profits and booking in Japan and attempts to bring him into the Gagne family, Hogan was lured back to the Northeast by Vincent K. McMahon, who had just recently purchased the WWF from his ailing father.
Over twenty years later, just prior to Hulk Hogan's WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2005, the revived AWA, under the authority of owner Dale Gagne (real last name: Gagner), relented and acknowledged the legitimacy of Hogan's two title wins over Nick Bockwinkel, making him a two-time AWA champion. This resolution, however, has been regarded as apocryphal to most as the resurrected AWA is generally regarded as an entirely different body than the Verne Gagne-owned AWA of old. As recently as the release of the DVD The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA, interviews between Hogan and the Gagnes show that there is still animosity between both parties, indicating the unlikelihood Hogan's AWA title reign would have been retroactively instated under the original ownership. The WWE also sought legal action against Dale Gagne, due to alleged trademark infringement, which calls Gagne's claims to ownership of the AWA into doubt, and as such may render the resolution moot, as the WWE only recognizes twelve American world titles being attributed to Hulk Hogan, and the AWA World Title is not among that number.
A great deal of Hogan's early success was achieved in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Japanese wrestling fans were in awe of the gargantuan blond American and nicknamed him "Ichiban" (which translates to "Number One"). Hogan first appeared in Japan on May 13, 1980, while he was still with the WWF. He toured the country from time to time over the next few years, facing a wide variety of opponents ranging from Tatsumi Fujinami to Abdullah the Butcher. When competing in Japan, Hogan used a vastly different repertoire of wrestling moves, relying on more technical, traditional wrestling holds and maneuvers as opposed to the power-based, brawling style U.S. fans became accustomed to seeing from him. Another difference is that Hogan used a running forearm lariat (called the "Axe Bomber") as his finisher in Japan, as opposed to the running leg drop that has been his traditional finisher in America. On June 2, 1983, Hogan became the first International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP) tournament winner, defeating Japanese wrestling icon Antonio Inoki by knockout in the finals of a 10-man tournament featuring top talent from throughout the world. Hogan and Inoki also worked as partners in Japan, winning the prestigious MSG Tag League tournament two years in a row: in 1982 and 1983. Hogan's popularity in Japan was so great, he even recorded an album there—a forerunner to the World Wrestling Federation's "Rock 'n' Wrestling" of the mid 1980s.
After purchasing the World Wrestling Federation from his father in 1982, Vincent K. McMahon had plans to expand the territory into a nationwide promotion, and he handpicked Hulk Hogan to be the company's showpiece attraction due to his charisma and name recognition. Hogan made his return to the WWF at a television taping in St. Louis, Missouri on December 27, 1983 defeating Bill Dixon.Initially, Hogan was a heel, allied with veteran wrestler-turned-manager "Classy" Freddie Blassie; however, this was short-lived.
On January 7, 1984 edition of Championship Wrestling, Hogan saved Bob Backlund from a three-way assault. Hogan's turn was explained simply by Backlund: "He's changed his ways. He's a great man. He's told me he's not gonna have Blassie around". The storyline shortcut was necessary because less than three weeks later on January 23, Hogan won his first WWF Championship, pinning The Iron Sheik (who had Blassie in his corner) in Madison Square Garden. The storyline accompanying the victory was that Hogan was a "last minute" replacement for the Sheik's original opponent Bob Backlund,and became the champion by way of being the first man to escape the camel clutch (the Iron Sheik's signature move).
Immediately after the title win, commentator Gorilla Monsoon officially proclaimed "Hulkamania is here!" Hogan frequently referred to his fans as "Hulkamaniacs" in his interviews and introduced his three "demandments": training, saying prayers, and eating vitamins. Eventually, a fourth demandment (believing in oneself) was added following his feud with Earthquake in the 1990s. Hogan's ring gear developed a characteristic yellow-and-red color scheme; his ring entrances involved him ritualistically ripping his shirt off his body, flexing, and listening for audience cheers in an exaggerated manner. The majority of Hogan's matches during this time involved him wrestling heels who had been booked as unstoppable monsters, using a format which became near-routine: Hogan would deliver steady offense, but eventually lose momentum, seemingly nearing defeat. He would then experience a sudden second wind, fighting back while "feeding" off the energy of the audience, becoming impervious to attack—a process described as "hulking up". His signature maneuvers, the big boot and Atomic Leg Drop, would follow and ensure him a victory.
Over the next year, Hulk Hogan became the face of pro wrestling as McMahon pushed the WWF into a pop culture enterprise with the The Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection on MTV, drawing record houses, pay-per-view buyrates, and television ratings in the process. The centerpiece attraction for the first WrestleMania on March 31, 1985, Hogan teamed with real-life friend Mr. T to defeat his archrival "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. On the first-ever edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, Hogan successfully defended the WWF title against Cowboy Bob Orton in a match which Hogan won by disqualification.
In the process, Hogan was portrayed as a real-life superhero while reaching out to young fans. The consummate role model, he was named the most requested celebrity of the 1980s for the Make-a-Wish Foundation children's charity. As a result, Hogan transformed the business into a sports entertainment spectacle that appealed to prime-time audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Never before had the industry seen anything like Hulkamania, as Hulk Hogan action figures and T-shirts began turning up in malls across the nation. Moreover, Hogan was featured on the covers of Sports Illustrated, TV Guide, and People magazines, while also appearing on The Tonight Show and having his own CBS Saturday morning cartoon titled Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling. Hogan went on to headline eight of the first nine WrestleMania events, and he also co-hosted Saturday Night Live on March 30, 1985 during this lucrative run. Hogan also owned another money-making machine in the early 1990s; AT&T reported that his 900 number information line was the single biggest 900 number in the industry from 1991 to 1993. Hogan operated the 900 number through his stint in WWF and then recreated it when he joined World Championship Wrestling.
On the October 5, 1985 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, he successfully defended the title against Nikolai Volkoff in a flag match. He met long-time rival Roddy Piper in a WWF title match at the historic Wrestling Classic pay-per-view (PPV) event. Hogan retained the title by disqualification after Bob Orton interfered and hit Hogan with his cast.Hogan had many challengers in the way as the new year began. Throughout 1986, Hogan made successful title defenses against challengers such as Terry Funk, "The Magnificient" Don Muraco, King Kong Bundy (in a steel cage match at WrestleMania 2), Paul Orndorff, and Hercules Hernandez.
In the fall of 1986, Hogan occasionally wrestled in tag matches with The Machines as Hulk Machine under a mask copied from New Japan Pro Wrestling gimmick "Super Strong Machine." At WrestleMania III in 1987, Hogan was booked to defend the title against André the Giant, who had been the sport's premier star and was pushed as undefeated for the previous two decades. A new storyline was introduced in early 1987; Hogan was presented a trophy for being the WWF Champion for three consecutive years. André the Giant, a good friend came out to congratulate him. Shortly afterwards, André was presented a slightly smaller trophy for being "undefeated in the WWF for 15 years." Hogan came out to congratulate André, who walked out in the midst of Hogan's speech. Then, on an edition of Piper's Pit, Hogan was confronted by Bobby Heenan, who announced that André was his new protégé, and Andre challenged Hogan to a title match at WrestleMania III. At WrestleMania III, Hogan successfully defended the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against André the Giant. During the match, Hogan bodyslammed the 520-pound Frenchman and won the match after executing a scoop slam and a leg drop.
Hogan remained WWF Champion for four years and 13 days (1,474 days). He became the third longest reigning WWF Champion in the process, only after Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund. In front of 33 million viewers, however, Hogan finally lost the belt to André on the February 5 edition of The Main Event after a convoluted scam involving "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and "evil" twin referee Earl Hebner (in place of the match's appointed arbiter, his twin brother Dave Hebner). After André delivered a belly to belly suplex on Hogan, Hebner counted the pin while Hogan's left shoulder was clearly off the mat. After the match, André handed the title over to DiBiase to complete their storyline business deal. As a result, the WWF Championship was vacated for the first time in its 25-year history. At WrestleMania IV, Hogan participated in a tournament for the vacant WWF title to regain it and faced André in the tournament quarter-finals but their match resulted in a double disqualification. Later that night in the main event, Hogan interfered and helped his on/off friend "Macho Man" Randy Savage in beating Ted DiBiase to win the vacant WWF title. The relationship between the two would lead to the main event of the following WrestleMania.
Together, Hogan, Savage, and manager Miss Elizabeth formed a partnership known as The Mega Powers. After Savage became WWF Champion at WrestleMania IV, they feuded with The Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase and André the Giant), and defeated them at the main event of the first-ever SummerSlam.The Mega Powers, however, soon imploded from within in 1989, due to Savage's burgeoning jealousy of Hogan and his paranoid suspicions that Hogan and Elizabeth were "more than friends." This all started at Royal Rumble 1989, when Hogan accidentally eliminated Savage from the Royal Rumble match. They began a feud with The Twin Towers, and defeated them on the February 3, 1989 edition of The Main Event, but with controversy. During the match, Savage collided with Miss Elizabeth when he was thrown through the ropes to the floor. Hogan took her backstage to receive medical attention, thus abandoning Savage. He quickly returned to the ring but Savage slapped Hogan and turned on him by leaving the ring.Hogan later won the match by himself. After the match, Savage attacked Hogan backstage and the Mega Powers exploded, which started a feud between the two. Their feud culminated in Hogan beating Savage for his second WWF Championship at WrestleMania V.
Hogan's second run lasted a year, during which time he starred in the movie No Holds Barred. The film was the inspiration of a feud with Hogan's co-star Tom Lister, Jr., who appeared at wrestling events as his movie character, Zeus. Zeus was a monster heel who was "jealous" over Hogan's higher billing and wanted revenge. Hogan, however, was easily able to defeat Zeus in a series of matches across the country during late 1989, beginning with a tag team match at SummerSlam 1989, in which Hogan and Brutus Beefcake topped Zeus and Savage. Hogan and Beefcake defeated Zeus and Savage in a rematch at the No Holds Barred PPV to end the feud.
Also during his second run, Hogan won the 1990 Royal Rumble match. He dropped the title to Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior in a title vs. title match at WrestleMania VI. It was the first time in over seven years that Hogan suffered a defeat with a clean finish. This title match was unique because the two wrestlers were both faces, and Hogan graciously handed Warrior the belt and hugged him at the conclusion of the match.
Hogan soon became embroiled in a heated feud with the 468-pound Earthquake, who gained infamy by crushing Hogan's ribs in a sneak attack on The Brother Love Show in May 1990. On television, announcers explained that Hogan's injuries and his WrestleMania VI loss to The Ultimate Warrior both took such a huge toll on his fighting spirit that he wanted to retire. Viewers were asked to write letters to Hogan and send postcards asking for his return (they got a postcard-sized picture in return, autographed by Hogan, as a "thank-you"). Hogan returned by SummerSlam 1990 and for several months, dominated Earthquake in a series of matches across the country. His defeat of this overwhelmingly large foe caused Hogan to add a fourth demandment: believing in yourself. He would also be known as "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan.
Hogan became the first wrestler to win two Royal Rumble matches in a row, as he won the 1991 Royal Rumble match. At WrestleMania VII, Hogan stood up for the USA against Iraqi-sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter, defeating him for his third WWF Championship. Hogan started a feud with The Undertaker in the fall of 1991 and lost the WWF title to Undertaker at Survivor Series due to interference from Ric Flair. Just six days later, Hogan regained the title in a match held on a special pay-per-view named This Tuesday in Texas, beginning his fourth WWF Championship reign but due to the controversy surrounding the end of both matches, the title was again declared vacant.
The WWF Championship was decided at Royal Rumble 1992 in the Royal Rumble match. Hogan was eliminated by storyline friend Sid Justice and failed to regain the championship. The two patched things up and teamed up together on the February 8, 1992 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event against the new WWF Champion Ric Flair and The Undertaker. Sid turned heel by abandoning Hogan but Flair slapped the referee, which gave Hogan and Sid a disqualification victory. This began a feud between Hogan and Sid. In the ensuing months, Hulk Hogan announced he was contemplating retirement from wrestling and would "bow out" after his match against Sid at WrestleMania VIII. Hogan eventually won the match via disqualification due to interference by Sid's manager Harvey Wippleman. Hogan was then attacked by Papa Shango (who was scripted to cause the disqualification, but arrived too late) and was saved by the returning Ultimate Warrior.
Hogan returned to the WWF in January 1993, helping out his friend Brutus Beefcake in his feud with Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster) and officially renamed themselves The Mega-Maniacs. At WrestleMania IX, Hogan and Beefcake took on Money Inc. for the WWF Tag Team Championship but ended up losing the match by disqualification. Later that night, Hogan won his fifth WWF Championship by pinning Yokozuna only moments after Yokozuna's defeat of Bret Hart. At the first annual King of the Ring pay-per-view on June 13, 1993, Hogan defended the championship against the former champion, Yokozuna, in his first title defense since defeating Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX. During the course of the match, Yokozuna kicked out of Hogan's signature leg drop. The hard-fought bout came to its close when a "Japanese photographer" (actually a disguised Harvey Wippleman) got on the apron and distracted Hogan, before shooting some sort of fireball out of the camera and into Hogan's face. This was followed by Yokozuna hitting a leg drop on Hogan for the pin. After his victory, Yokozuna proceeded to give Hogan a Banzai Drop amidst the crying children and cursing adults. As Yokozuna celebrated, Hogan was helped back to the locker room by ringside officials as he clutched his face. Hulkamania had seemingly taken its final breath. This would be Hogan's last WWF pay-per-view appearance until 2002, as both he and Jimmy Hart were preparing to leave the promotion. Hogan would continue his feud on the house show circuit with Yokozuna until August 1993. After that, Hogan would sit out the rest of his contract which expired later that year.
In 1994, a steroids scandal threatened the WWF, and Hogan testified in court that he had used steroids over a period of 12 years "to get big" and had also introduced WWF Chairman Vince McMahon to steroids during the filming of No Holds Barred. Both men also had Pennsylvania doctor George Zahorian send steroids to WWF's corporate office via FedEx. Hogan, however, never accused McMahon of distributing steroids himself, but Hogan also testified that steroid use was rampant in the WWF. His testimony may have kept McMahon out of prison, but it hurt both Hogan and the WWF's public image.
After Hogan left the WWF in the summer of 1993, he decided to take a few months off from wrestling to concentrate on movies, television, and his family. In June 1994, Hogan signed with Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and began appearing on television the next month. Hogan won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in his debut match, defeating Ric Flair in a 'dream' match at Bash at the Beach. After overcoming the likes of Flair, The Butcher (former partner Brutus Beefcake), Vader, and the Dungeon of Doom for the next eighteen months, Hogan dropped the belt to The Giant at Halloween Havoc 1995 via DQ. Following the controversial loss (which was due to a "contract clause"), the WCW title became vacant.
In early 1996, Hogan feuded with The Giant and with the Alliance to End Hulkamania. After coming out victorious from his feuds, Hogan began to only appear occasionally on WCW programming. It was also around this time, WCW fans began to grow tired of seeing Hogan's "red-and-yellow good guy" persona they had seen for ten years in the WWF. This led to one of the most talked about moments in wrestling history in the summer of 1996. During a six man tag team match at Bash at the Beach, Hulk Hogan interfered on behalf of The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall), attacking babyface Randy Savage. This action caused Hogan to turn heel for the first time in over ten years. After the match, Hogan delivered a now-infamous promo, accosting the fans and WCW for underappreciating his talent and drawing power. This culminated with Hogan's announcement of the formation of a "New World Order of Wrestling" This statement gave the trio it's iconic name: The new World order (nWo).
This would come to fruition, as the stable, known officially as the New World Order (nWo), would gain prominence in the coming weeks and months. Hogan grew a beard alongside his famous mustache and dyed it black, traded his red and yellow garb in for black clothing, renamed himself Hollywood Hogan, and returned to WCW programming eight days after his heel turn.
Hogan won his second WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Hog Wild, defeating The Giant for the title. He spray painted a black "nWo" across the title belt, scribbled across the nameplate, and referred to the title as the "nWo title" during this and any other time he held the title while in the nWo. Hogan then started a feud with Lex Luger after Luger and The Giant defeated Hogan and Dennis Rodman in a tag team match at Bash at the Beach 1997.
On the August 4, 1997 edition of Nitro, Hogan lost the WCW title to Luger by submission via Luger's Torture Rack submission finisher. Five days later, at Road Wild, Hogan defeated Luger to regain the WCW title and begin his third WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Hogan then lost the belt to Sting in a hugely-hyped, eighteen-months-in-the-making match at Starrcade. In the match, WCW's newly-contracted Bret Hart accused referee Nick Patrick of fast-counting a victory for Hogan and had the match restarted—with himself as referee. Sting later won by submission. After a rematch the following night, where Sting controversially retained the title, the WCW Championship became vacant. Sting then went on to win the vacant title against Hogan at SuperBrawl VIII.
Hogan then developed a rivalry with former friend (and recent nWo recruit) Randy Savage, who had just cost Hogan the title match at SuperBrawl by hitting him with a spray can. The heat culminated in a steel cage match at Uncensored 1998, which ended in a no contest. Savage took the World Championship from Sting at Spring Stampede 1998, while Hogan teamed with Kevin Nash to take on Roddy Piper and The Giant in the first-ever Bat match. Marking the breakup of the original nWo, Hogan betrayed Nash by hitting him with the bat and then challenged Savage the following night for his championship. In the no disqualification match for Savage's newly won title, Nash entered the ring and powerbombed Hogan as retribution for the attack the previous night, and Bret Hart turned heel by jumping in to attack Savage and preserve the victory for Hogan, who regained his fourth WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Hogan defended the title until July of that year, when WCW booked him in a match against newcomer and then WCW United States Champion Bill Goldberg, who had yet to lose a match in the company. Late in the match, Hogan was distracted by Karl Malone delivering a Diamond Cutter to nWo member Curt Hennig, who was approaching the ring to assist the champion. A spear and a jackhammer from Goldberg then followed, and the rookie pinned Hogan to win his first and only WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
Hogan spent the rest of 1998 wrestling celebrity matches. His second tag team match with Dennis Rodman pitted them against Diamond Dallas Page and Karl Malone at Bash at the Beach 1998 and at Road Wild 1998, he and Bischoff lost to Page and Jay Leno thanks to interference from Kevin Eubanks, who leveled Bischoff with a Diamond Cutter. Hogan also had a highly hyped rematch with Warrior at Halloween Havoc 1998, where his nephew Horace aided his victory. On the Thanksgiving episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Hogan officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling, as well as his candidacy for President of the United States. Campaign footage aired on Nitro of Hogan and Bischoff holding a press conference, making it appear legitimate. In the long run, however, both announcements were false and merely done as a publicity stunt attempting to draw some of the hype of Jesse Ventura's Minnesota gubernatorial win back to him.
After some time off from WCW, a still "retired" Hogan returned on the January 4, 1999 edition of Nitro to challenge Kevin Nash for the WCW title. He controversially regained his fifth WCW World Heavyweight Championship in what was later dubbed the Fingerpoke of Doom. This reformed the divided nWo branches—nWo Hollywood and nWo Wolfpac—which began feuding with Bill Goldberg and The Four Horsemen.
He then lost the title to Ric Flair at Uncensored 1999 in a Steel Cage First Blood match. A heavily bleeding Flair won via pinfall thanks to biased referee Charles Robinson. During that match, however, Hogan began to show some signs that a face turn was imminent, showing off some old tactics like his "Hulking up" no-sell. On the July 12 edition of Nitro, Hogan made his grand return as a full-fledged face and accepted a challenge from Savage, who had gained the world title at Bash at the Beach 1999 the night before. Thanks to interference from Nash, who had lost the title to Savage, Hogan defeated Savage to win his sixth and final WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
On August 9, 1999, he started the night dressed in the typical black and white, but after a backstage scene with his son, Hogan came out dressed in the traditional red and yellow for his main-event 6-man tag team match. Injuries and frustrations were mounting up however, and he was absent from television from October 1999 to February 2000. In his book Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Bollea said that he was asked to take time off by newly hired head of creative booker Vince Russo and was not told when he would be brought back at the time. Despite some reservations, he agreed to do so. On October 24 at Halloween Havoc, Hogan was to face Sting for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship (which he had lost to Sting at Fall Brawl the previous month, when Sting beat Hogan by cheating and had turned heel in the process). Hogan, however, came to the ring in street clothes, laid down for the pin, and left the ring.
Soon after his return in February 2000, at Bash at the Beach, Hogan was involved in a controversial, real-life incident with Vince Russo. Hogan was scheduled to wrestle Jeff Jarrett for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Before the match, there was a dispute between Hogan and Russo. Unbeknownst to Hogan, Russo told Jarrett to lie down in the middle of the ring and asked Hogan to pin him straight away. A visibly confused Hogan complied with a foot on Jarrett's chest after getting on the microphone and telling Russo, "Is this your idea, Russo...? That's why this company is in the damn shape it's in, because of bullshit like this!" Russo responded by coming out and saying that "From day one, that I've been in WCW, I've done nothing... nothing... but deal with the bullshit of the politics behind that curtain." Since Hogan refused to job to Jarrett, a new WCW World Heavyweight Championship was created, setting the stage for a title match between Booker T and Jeff Jarrett later that night. Whether or not the whole incident was a shoot or a work is still a hot debate. As a result, Hogan filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Russo soon after, which was eventually dismissed in 2002. Russo claims the whole thing was a work, and Hogan claims that Russo made it a shoot. Eric Bischoff contends that Hogan winning and leaving with the title was a work, claiming that he and Hogan celebrated after the event over the success of the angle, but that Russo coming out to fire Hogan was an unplanned shoot which led to the lawsuit filed by Hogan.
In the months following the eventual demise of WCW in March 2001, Hogan underwent surgery on his knees in order for him to wrestle again. As a test, Hogan worked a match in Orlando, Florida for the X Wrestling Federation promotion run by his longtime handler Jimmy Hart. Hogan defeated Curt Hennig in this match and felt healthy enough to accept an offer to return to the WWF in February 2002.
At No Way Out in 2002, Hogan returned to the company that had made him a pop culture icon. Returning as leader of the original nWo with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, the three got into a confrontation with The Rock and cost Stone Cold Steve Austin a chance at becoming the WWF Undisputed Champion against Chris Jericho in the main event. The nWo feuded with both Austin and The Rock, and Hogan accepted The Rock's challenge to a match at WrestleMania X8. At the event, Hogan asked Hall and Nash not to interfere, wanting to defeat The Rock by himself. Despite the fact that Hogan was supposed to be the heel in the match, the crowd favored Hogan throughout it; this effectively turned him face. The Rock cleanly won the contest but befriended Hogan at the end of the bout and helped him fight off Hall and Nash, who were upset by Hogan's conciliatory attitude. After the match, Hogan was a definite face again, siding with The Rock, though he continued wearing black and white tights for a few weeks after WrestleMania X8 until he resumed wearing his signature red and yellow tights. During this period, the "Hulk Rules" logo of the '80s was redone with the text "Hulk Still Rules." Hulk wore the original "Hulk Rules" attire 12 years earlier, when he headlined WrestleMania 6 at the same arena, in the SkyDome. For a time, he was still known as "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, notably keeping the Hollywood Hogan style blond mustache with black beard while wearing Hulkamania-like red and yellow tights. At Backlash, he defeated Triple H for his sixth and final WWF "Undisputed" Championship. He lost the belt to The Undertaker at Judgment Day.
On the July 4, 2002 edition of SmackDown, Hogan teamed with Edge to defeat Billy and Chuck and capture the WWE Tag Team Championship for the first time. They celebrated by waving the American flag as the overjoyed audience sang along to Hogan's theme song "Real American." They later dropped the titles to The Un-Americans (Lance Storm and Christian), at Vengeance. After an angle with Brock Lesnar, which saw Lesnar hand Hogan a defeat in August 2002, Hogan went on hiatus. He returned in early 2003 to battle The Rock (who had turned heel) once again at No Way Out and defeated Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XIX in a match billed as "20 years in the making."He then had another run as Hulk Hogan, shaving off the black Hollywood beard and dropping "Hollywood" from his name.
Later, he had a run as the masked Mr. America. The persona was supposed to be Hulk Hogan in disguise, wearing a mask. He used Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme music and used all of Hogan's signature gestures, moves, and phrases. He was the subject of a storyline that took place after Hollywood Hulk Hogan was forced by Vince McMahon to sit out the rest of his contract. After Hogan won at WrestleMania XIX, McMahon, in storyline, was frustrated with him and wanted Hulkamania to die. A WWE pre-debut push took place with mysterious Mr. America promos airing for weeks during SmackDown!. There was also on-screen discussion on SmackDown! between then General Manager Stephanie McMahon and other players concerning her hiring Mr. America "sight unseen." On May 1, Mr. America debuted on SmackDown! on a Piper's Pit segment. McMahon appeared and claimed that Mr. America was Hulk Hogan in disguise; Mr. America shot back by saying, "I am not Hulk Hogan, brother!" (lampooning Hogan's use of "brother" in his promos). The feud continued through the month of May, with a singles match between Mr. America and Hogan's old rival Roddy Piper at Judgment Day. McMahon tried desperately to prove that Mr. America was indeed Hulk Hogan but failed at all attempts. Mr. America even passed a lie detector test.
Mr. America's last WWE appearance was on the June 26 edition of SmackDown! when The Big Show and The World's Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas) defeated the team of Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and Mr. America in a six-man tag team match when Show pinned Mr. America. After the show went off the air, Mr. America unmasked to show the fans that he was indeed Hulk Hogan, putting his finger to his lips telling the fans to keep quiet about his secret. The next week, Hogan quit WWE due to frustration with the creative team.On the July 3 edition of SmackDown!, Vince McMahon showed the footage of Mr. America unmasking as Hogan and "fired" him, although Hogan had already quit in real life. The Mr. America gimmick came under fire briefly from Marvel Comics, who anointed it a rip-off of Captain America, citing costume similarity; the single star on the mask was also a trademark on Captain America's chest piece. This was also adding fuel to the fire over the rights to use the Hulk Hogan name because of Marvel's ownership of the Incredible Hulk character. Because of these problems, WWE was forced to edit out all references to the "Hulk Hogan" name, including pictures which featured Hogan wearing memorabilia that said "Hulk" (a majority of them) and started to refer to Hogan under the "Hollywood Hogan" name he used in WCW. It was later revealed that Hogan was unhappy with the payoffs for his matches after his comeback under the Mr. America gimmick. Vince decided to terminate Hogan's contract, and Hogan left WWE in 2003.
A few months afterwards, Hulk Hogan worked a match for New Japan Pro Wrestling, beating Masahiro Chono at the Ultimate Crush II event, an event that featured both pro wrestling and mixed martial arts matches.
According to various reports, Hulk Hogan was approached by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2003 regarding appearing at a planned event titled Bound for Glory, a three hour pay per view event in October meant to be the annual alternative. Hogan willingly took a guitar shot from Jarrett during a press conference in Japan to hype the storyline, but withdrew from negotiations citing knee problems that would require surgery and prevent him from participating. "I was getting ready to go to TNA, was hoping of working with Jarrett and those guys, and giving McMahon a run for his money one more time," said Hulk Hogan on the Main Event radio show in December 2006. The footage of Jarrett breaking a guitar over Hogan's head was thereafter frequently used by TNA. Hogan would soon return to WWE in 2005 to be inducted to the Hall of Fame Class of 2005.
In 2005, weeks before WrestleMania 21, it was announced on all WWE programming that Hogan would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. On April 2, Hogan was inducted by actor and friend Sylvester Stallone. Hogan was applauded for several minutes before he was able to make a speech. When he paused during his speech, the crowd chanted "One More Match! One More Match!" The fans also chanted "Austin, Hogan" (referring to a Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan match); Hogan responded "that may be a good match someday". At WrestleMania 21 on April 3, the "American Patriot" Hogan came out to rescue Eugene, who was being attacked by Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari. Some of the build-up to Hogan's induction into the Hall of Fame and preparation for this angle were shown on the first season of Hogan Knows Best.
The next night on Raw, Hassan and Daivari came out to confront and assault fan favorite Shawn Michaels. The following week, Michaels approached Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff demanding a handicap match with Hassan and Daivari. Bischoff refused but told Michaels if he found a partner he would be granted a tag team match. Michaels then made a plea for Hulk Hogan to come back and team with him. On the April 18 episode of Raw, Hassan again led an attack on Michaels until Hogan appeared, and saved Michaels and accepted his offer. At Backlash 2005, Hassan and Daivari lost to Hogan and Michaels.
Hogan then appeared on July 4 edition of Raw as the special guest of Carlito on his talk-show segment Carlito's Cabana. After being asked questions by Carlito concerning his daughter Brooke Hogan, Hogan proceeded to attack Carlito. This was then followed up by an appearance of Kurt Angle, who made comments about Brooke, which further upset Hogan. Hogan was eventually double teamed by Carlito and Angle but was saved by Shawn Michaels. Later that night, Michaels and Hogan defeated Carlito and Kurt Angle in a tag match. During the post match celebration, Michaels delivered Sweet Chin Music to Hogan and walked off. The following week on Raw, Michaels appeared on Piper's Pit and challenged Hogan to face him one-on-one for the first time. Hogan appeared on Raw one week later and accepted the challenge. The match took place at SummerSlam. The "Legend vs. Icon" storyline was the main event for the Raw brand going into SummerSlam. The match went back and forth, with two referees getting "knocked out" and Michaels using a steel chair to try to gain an advantage. Even after Michaels hit his Sweet Chin Music, Hogan still kicked out and mounted some offense against Michaels, finally hitting him with the legdrop and scoring the victory. Michaels extended his hand to him, telling him that he "had to find out for himself," and Hogan and Michaels shook hands. Michaels left the ring to allow Hogan to celebrate with the crowd.
Prior to WrestleMania 22, Hogan inducted friend and former announcer "Mean" Gene Okerlund into the WWE Hall of Fame. Hogan returned on the July 15, 2006 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event with his daughter Brooke. During the show, Randy Orton flirted with Hogan's daughter, and he later challenged Hulk to a match at SummerSlam, which Hogan won.
After a brief fall out with McMahon and WWE, Hogan was lured to Memphis Wrestling with the proposal of wrestling Jerry "The King" Lawler. The match had been promoted on Memphis Wrestling Prime Time for several months. On April 12, 2007, however, Lawler announced in a news conference that WWE had barred him from wrestling Hogan on the basis that NBC performers (including Lawler, on the basis of co-hosting the NBC-owned USA Network's WWE Raw and his appearances on the biannual WWE Saturday Night's Main Event) are contractually prohibited from appearing on VH1, the channel on which Hogan Knows Best airs. The situation resulted in a lawsuit being filed against WWE by event promoter Corey Maclin.
Lawler was replaced with Paul Wight, formerly known as Big Show. Hulk Hogan defeated Paul "The Great" Wight at PMG Clash of Legends on April 27, 2007 when he picked up and bodyslammed Wight and pinned him following the leg drop.
In December 2007 on the 15th Anniversary edition of Monday Night Raw, Hogan came back for a one night appearance coming to the aid of Hornswoggle against The Great Khali. During his in-ring speech, Hogan said to never say never about another match and alluded to his longtime rival Randy Savage using his signature catchphrase of "Oh Yeah!".
Hulk Hogan's crossover popularity led to several television and movie roles. Along with Rocky III (1982) and No Holds Barred (1989), he starred in the family films Suburban Commando (1991), Mr. Nanny (1993), Santa with Muscles (1996), and 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998).He starred in his own television series, Thunder in Paradise, in 1994. He is the star of The Ultimate Weapon (1997), in which Brutus Beefcake also appears in a cameo.
Hogan plays an old guy in a bar in Colma: The Musical (2006) in which he sings and dances about being single. Hogan also starred in a pair of television movies, originally intended as a pilot for an ongoing series for TNT, produced by Eric Bischoff. The movies, Shadow Warriors: Assault on Devil's Island and Shadow Warriors: Hunt for The Death Merchant, starred Hogan alongside Carl Weathers and Shannon Tweed as a freelance mercenary team. In 1995, he appeared on TBN's Kids Against Crime.
Hogan made cameo appearances in Muppets from Space, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (the theatrical cut) and Spy Hard as himself. Hogan was offered the role of Zeus in Little Hercules in 3D on an episode of Hogan Knows Best and was shown during the filming of the movie. He also had a cameo at the end of the movie Little Monsters. Hogan also made two appearances on The A-Team (in 1985 and 1986), and along with Roddy Piper, Hogan lent his voice for a few episodes of the stop-motion animation skit show, Robot Chicken. He guest-starred in a two-part episode of Suddenly Susan in 1999. In 2001, Hogan guest-starred on an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger, playing a reformed criminal now operating a Christian Community Center and helping Walker steer teenagers away from gangs.
On July 10, 2005, VH1 premiered a new reality show titled Hogan Knows Best which centers around Hulk Hogan, his wife Linda, and their children Brooke and Nick. Set in their home in Clearwater, Florida, the show follows the family in their efforts to fulfill the dreams of their children while still maintaining their sense of closeness. At the show's onset, 16-year-old Brooke is trying to break into the music industry while younger brother Nick (age 14) goes through a series of career aspirations including becoming a professional race car driver and following in his dad's footsteps as a pro-wrestler.
As of July 2008, Hogan Knows Best transferred its focus into a new show called Brooke Knows Best which focuses on his daughter's move into a new apartment to continue her pursuit of a music career.
On December 18, 1983, Bollea married Linda Claridge (born August 24, 1959). They have a daughter Brooke (born May 5, 1988) and a son Nick (born July 27, 1990). Bollea made his personal life the centerpiece of the television show Hogan Knows Best, which includes his wife and two children.
Bollea's 17 year old son Nick was indicted as an adult on November 7, 2007 on four criminal charges. The charges stemmed from an August car accident which seriously injured the passenger in Nick's car, John Graziano. Nick pleaded no contest and was sentenced to eight months in jail on May 9, 2008.
On November 20, 2007, Bollea's wife Linda filed for divorce in Pinellas County, Florida. Hulk told St. Petersburg Times he was not even aware of the filing when the paper called for a comment. The Graziano family's lawyer believes the divorce might be an attempt to divide the family's assets from a planned civil suit against the Bolleas regarding their son, Nick.
Linda Bollea was seen with her new 19 year-old boyfriend, whose name is Charlie Hill. They were seen together at the beach and Linda has been buying him gifts and clothes since they started dating. Charlie Hill went to the same high school as her kids, a year ahead of Nick and a year below Brooke.
Bollea was honored as the 2008 king of the Krewe of Bacchus, a New Orleans carnival organization. As Bacchus XL, he joined the ranks of Charlton Heston, Jackie Gleason, and Bob Hope. Hogan visited the Children's Hospital of New Orleans and rode in the parade where he threw doubloons with his likeness. Hogan received the honor in part because meeting Hogan is one of the most requested "wishes" of the terminally ill children benefited by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Bollea is currently living with his daughter Brooke who currently stars in the VH1 reality series Brooke Knows Best.
• Finishing and signature moves
o Atomic Leg Drop / Hollywood Leg Drop (Running leg drop)
o Axe Bomber (Crooked arm lariat)
o Back rake
o Back suplex
o Bear hug
o Big boot
o Clothesline
o Collar-and-elbow tie-up into a powerful shove across the ring
o Elbow drop
o Eye poke
o Eye rake
o Irish whipping the opponent into the corner and following them for a cornered running back elbow smash
o Scoop slam
o Three left-handed and right-handed punches followed by a big right-handed wind-up punch
o Vertical suplex
• Signature taunts
o Hulk Up Combination (Hulk starts by taking punches while in a kneeling position and shaking violently as he raises to his feet upon which he points to the opponent and says (in unison with the crowd) "YOU!". He then punches his opponent until his opponent reaches the ropes. He then throws his opponent towards opposite ropes then hits his opponent with a big boot and finally hits the opponent with the Atomic Leg Drop)
o Wrist twist to cupping the ear
o Rapidly pointing at his opponent
o Finger wag
o Flexing arms
• Nicknames
o "The Hulkster"
o "The Hulk"
o "The Immortal"
o "The Immortal Icon of Professional Wrestling"
o "The Incredible"
o "Hollywood"
• Managers
o "Classy" Freddie Blassie
o "Luscious" Johnny Valiant
o "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart
o Miss Elizabeth
o Trillionaire Ted
o Eric Bischoff
• Theme songs and entrance music
o "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.
o "Real American" by Rick Derringer.
o "American Made by the Hulk Rules
o "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Komentari (1) |
Trekbekovi (0)
MARK WILLIAM CALAWAY(THE UNDERTAKER)
nemanja6807 | 08 Decembar, 2008 00:20
MARK WILLIAM CALAWAY(THE UNDERTAKER)
Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965)is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name The Undertaker. He is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), wrestling on its SmackDown brand.
Calaway began his wrestling career with World Class Championship Wrestling in 1984. He joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1989. When WCW did not renew Calaway's contract in 1990, in November of that year he joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, which later became the WWE in 2002). Having remained with that company ever since, Calaway is currently one of the senior performers in WWE. He is one of only two wrestlers, the other being Shawn Michaels, to have appeared on the very first episode of Raw who are still with the company today.
The Undertaker is also the originator of several speciality matches, those being; the casket match, the Boiler Room Brawl match, the Buried Alive match, the Hell in a Cell match and the Inferno match.
He is undefeated at WrestleMania with a 16-0 record (sometimes referred to as simply The Streak) and is a six-time world champion (four-time WWE Champion and two-time World Heavyweight Champion). He was also the winner of the 2007 Royal Rumble.
Calaway made his debut in 1984 in the Dallas, Texas based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) under the ring name "Texas Red".He wrestled and lost his first match against Bruiser Brody. In 1988, after four years in the promotion, he left. After leaving WCCW, Mark joined the CWA (which became the USWA after Jerry Jarrett merged CWA with WCCW) and wrestled under several gimmicks. On April 1, 1989, he was booked to win his first professional wrestling title, the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Jerry "The King" Lawler, under the stage name "The Master of Pain". While performing as the "The Punisher", Calaway won the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship on October 5, 1989 when Eric Embry forfeited the title.
His first mainstream exposure was in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). While there, he was known as "Mean" Mark Callous and wrestled as part of the Skyscrapers tag team along with "Dangerous" Dan Spivey managed by Teddy Long. During his time in the Skyscrapers, he and Spivey were involved in a feud with the Road Warriors, but Spivey left before the feud came to an end. Calaway then took on the guidance of Paul E. Dangerously and muscled his way through Brian Pillman and Johnny Ace. His most famous match in WCW was against Lex Luger for the NWA United States Championship at The Great American Bash, which he lost when Luger pinned him after a clothesline. WCW declined to renew Calaway's contract, after losing his last match to Sting on September 1, 1990 at a house show. Calaway then briefly wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling as Punisher Dice Morgan and in October 1990, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
After leaving WCW, he briefly returned to the USWA to participate in a tournament to determine the new USWA Unified World Heavyweight champion; he defeated Bill Dundee in the first round, but lost to Jerry Lawler in the quarterfinals.
Calaway made his WWF debut as "Cain the Undertaker" at a taping of WWF Superstars on November 19, 1990. He made his official on-camera debut on November 22 at Survivor Series as the mystery partner of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar team, where he was simply called The Undertaker. Approximately one minute into the match, Undertaker eliminated Koko B. Ware with his signature maneuver, the Tombstone Piledriver. He also eliminated Dusty Rhodes before being counted out. Shortly after Survivor Series, "Cain" was dropped from his name, and he was called simply The Undertaker. The appearance of Undertaker was modeled after a mortician from old Western movies, with the gimmick that he was impervious to pain and possessed supernatural powers, such as teleportation and manipulation of flames and lightning. It was at this time that the Undertaker switched managers from Brother Love to Paul Bearer.
He made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania VII, squashing "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. The win was the first in his undefeated streak at the event. After a year of battles with the Ultimate Warrior in body bag matches, Randy Savage, and Hulk Hogan, he defeated Hogan to win his first WWF Championship at Survivor Series.WWF President Jack Tunney ordered a rematch for This Tuesday in Texas six days later, where Undertaker dropped the title back to Hogan.
After Undertaker's ally Jake "The Snake" Roberts lost a match to Randy Savage on the February 8, 1992 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, Roberts tried to attack Savage's manager/wife Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair when the Undertaker stopped him, turning him face. The Undertaker defeated Roberts at WrestleMania VIII.He then feuded extensively with wrestlers managed by Harvey Wippleman throughout 1992 and 1993, most notably Kamala,whom he faced and defeated in the first televised coffin match in WWF history at Survivor Series, and Giant Gonzales, whom he defeated by disqualification at WrestleMania IX and by pinfall at SummerSlam. In November 1993, he challenged then-WWF Champion Yokozuna to a casket match at the Royal Rumble. At the Royal Rumble, Yokozuna sealed Undertaker in the casket with the assistance of several other heel wrestlers, winning the match. The Undertaker's "spirit" appeared from inside the casket on the video screen, warning that he would return. This began Undertaker's first hiatus. In reality, he had a back injury that was getting worse and needed time off.
After WrestleMania X, Ted DiBiase introduced the Undertaker back to the WWF. This Undertaker, however, played by Brian Lee, was dubbed "Underfaker" later on by the fans and led to the return of the original Undertaker (this time appearing as a zombie version of his original persona, and now wearing purple gloves and boot covers), and a battle at SummerSlam between the two, where the real Undertaker won the match after three Tombstone Piledrivers. At Survivor Series, Undertaker had a rematch against Yokozuna, once again in a casket match, with Chuck Norris as a special guest enforcer to keep anyone from interfering in the match. While King Kong Bundy and Bam Bam Bigelow distracted Norris, Irwin R. Schyster interfered in the match; despite this, the Undertaker won the match by delivering a running big boot to Yokozuna, which pushed Yokozuna into the casket, and then closed the lid.
Throughout most of 1995, the Undertaker feuded with members of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation. At WrestleMania XI, while Undertaker was facing King Kong Bundy, Kama Mustafa stole the Undertaker's source of storyline power, the urn, and disrespected the Undertaker by melting it into a large gold necklace. As part of the angle, the two faced each other in a casket match at SummerSlam, which the Undertaker won.Several weeks later, Undertaker injured his orbital bone near his eye, forcing a period of absence for surgery, until his return at Survivor Series
The Undertaker returned at the 1995 Survivor Series, wearing a Phantom-like ghostly Grey upper facemask. At the Royal Rumble, the Undertaker was unmasked in a WWF Championship match against Bret Hart. Diesel interfered in the match to cost the Undertaker the championship,and one month later, while Diesel was facing Hart in a steel cage match, Undertaker came up from under the ring to drag Diesel underneath, allowing Hart the victory. This feud culminated in a match between the duo at WrestleMania XII, in which the Undertaker was victorious.
His next feud commenced the very next night, when Mankind made his debut, interfering in the Undertaker's match with Justin Hawk Bradshaw. For the next few months, Mankind ambushed and cost the Undertaker several matches. The Undertaker faced Mankind for the first time in a match at the King of the Ring, which Mankind won. The feud intensified, and they began taking their battles into crowds, backstage areas, and in the boiler rooms of different arenas. As a result, the first ever Boiler Room Brawl match was booked between the two at SummerSlam. During the match, when Undertaker reached for his urn, Paul Bearer hit him with it, turning on the Undertaker and allowing Mankind to "incapacitate" The Undertaker with the Mandible claw, giving him the win. After Bearer's betrayal, the Undertaker took his rivalry with Mankind to a new level, resulting in a Buried Alive match at In Your House: Buried Alive. Undertaker won the match after a Chokeslam into the open grave, but after interference from The Executioner, as well as the help of several other superstars, The Undertaker was ultimately "Buried Alive".As a result, a match was booked for the upcoming Survivor Series, again pitting The Undertaker against Mankind, with a unique stipulation. Hanging 20 ft above the ring was Paul Bearer, enclosed in a steel cage. If Undertaker won the match, he would be able to get his hands on Bearer. Even though Undertaker won the match, interference from The Executioner enabled Bearer to escape the Undertaker's clutches.The Undertaker then shifted feuds and briefly turned his attention to The Executioner, who had become a thorn in his side since his arrival. At In Your House: It's Time, the Undertaker defeated The Executioner in an Armageddon rules match. By the end of 1996, the Undertaker began a feud with Vader, culminating in a loss to Vader at the Royal Rumble after Bearer interfered on behalf of his new protégé. After this loss, the Undertaker's character began to focus his attention on the WWF Championship.
At WrestleMania 13, The Undertaker defeated Sycho Sid to win the WWF Championship for the second time in a No Disqualification match.After the event, Paul Bearer attempted to rejoin with the Undertaker, using the threat of revealing 'Taker's "biggest secret". In the storyline, Bearer announced that Undertaker was a murderer, who as a child had burned down the family funeral home business (where Bearer worked), killing his parents and his younger brother. Undertaker claimed there was no way for Bearer to have that information, but Paul announced that he was told this by Undertaker's brother Kane, who was still alive but horribly burned and scarred. Bearer raised Kane after the fire, having him institutionalized. Now, Kane was waiting for revenge after all these years. In defense, Undertaker responded that Kane, a pyromaniac, had been the one to set the fire and could not have possibly survived.
His next major storyline began at SummerSlam in 1997 when referee Shawn Michaels accidentally hit Undertaker with a steel chair shot meant for Bret Hart, costing the Undertaker his WWF Championship. Although the chair shot was accidental, Michaels taunted the Undertaker in the following weeks. The feud culminated at In Your House: Badd Blood, where the Undertaker challenged Michaels to the first ever Hell in a Cell match. During this match, Undertaker's storyline brother Kane made his debut, ripping off the door to the cell and giving Undertaker a Tombstone Piledriver, Undertaker's trademark finisher, allowing Michaels to pin him. As the angle progressed, Kane, with Paul Bearer, challenged the Undertaker to fights, but the Undertaker consistently refused to fight his brother. The Undertaker's final encounter with Michaels was in the return of the casket match at the Royal Rumble, where Kane cost the Undertaker the win by trapping him in the coffin, padlocking the casket lid, and setting it ablaze. The Undertaker, however, had disappeared when the casket lid was reopened. After a two-month hiatus, Undertaker returned to continue the angle and defeat Kane at WrestleMania XIV.The two had a rematch, the first ever Inferno match, one month later at In Your House: Unforgiven, where The Undertaker was booked to win by setting Kane's right arm on fire.
Undertaker's longtime feud with Mankind was renewed afterwards, when Mankind cost the Undertaker a number one contenders match against Kane.As a result, Undertaker and Mankind faced each other in a Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring. During the match, Undertaker threw Mankind off the roof of the sixteen foot cell onto the Spanish announcers' table below, in what was a preplanned move. He later chokeslammed Mankind through the roof of the cell into the ring -- which legitimately knocked Mick Foley (Mankind) unconscious -- and finished the match by chokeslamming Mankind onto a pile of thumbtacks.
The Undertaker has both feuded and teamed up with his half-brother Kane numerous times.
In July at Fully Loaded, Undertaker and Steve Austin were booked to defeat Kane and Mankind to win the WWF Tag Team Championship. Undertaker and Austin's reign as tag champions lasted for only two weeks, as Kane and Mankind regained the titles on an episode of Raw.Undertaker then became the number one contender for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam, now held by Austin. Shortly before SummerSlam, however, Undertaker revealed that he and Kane were working together as brothers. Despite this revelation, Undertaker told Kane that he did not want him to interfere in the match with Austin, and even though Undertaker lost the match, he handed Austin his belt back after the match in a show of respect. In September, the storyline continued, and Undertaker began to show heel characteristics, becoming a tweener, when he and Kane revealed the fact that they were in cahoots to rid Austin of his title for Vince McMahon. At Breakdown: In Your House, Undertaker and Kane were booked in a triple threat match with Austin for his WWF title; McMahon stated that the brothers were not allowed to pin each other. Undertaker and Kane pinned Austin simultaneously after a double chokeslam, so the title was vacated by McMahon, whose leg was then kayfabe broken in response by the brothers. This led to a match at In Your House: Judgment Day between the two brothers for the title, with Stone Cold as the Special Guest Referee. Near the end of the match, Paul Bearer seemed about to assist Kane by handing him a steel chair to hit Undertaker with, but as Kane had his back turned, both Bearer and Undertaker hit Kane with the chair. Undertaker went for the pin, but Austin refused to count the fall, attacked the Undertaker, and counted out both brothers. Finally, Undertaker turned heel the next night on Raw is War for the first time in over six years, reconciling with Paul Bearer and claiming that he and Bearer would unleash their Ministry of Darkness on the World Wrestling Federation. As part of this new angle, he admitted that he had indeed set the fire that killed his parents, for which he had previously blamed Kane.
After Survivor Series, Undertaker returned his attention back to his previous feud with Austin for having costing him the title at Judgment Day, viciously hitting Austin in the head with a shovel during a title match with The Rock, returning the favor for what happened a month earlier. With this twist in the angle, McMahon scheduled a Buried Alive match between Undertaker and Austin in December 1998 at Rock Bottom: In Your House. In the weeks leading up to Rock Bottom, the Undertaker character became increasingly demonic and satanic, attempting to embalm Austin alive, trying to have Kane committed to a mental asylum, and having his druids chain Austin to his symbol and raising it high into the arena. Undertaker, however, lost the match after Kane interfered.
In January 1999, Undertaker returned, remaining a monster heel and forming the Ministry of Darkness, explaining that he was taking orders from a "Higher Power." Eventually, the Ministry merged with Shane McMahon's Corporation heel stable to form the Corporate Ministry.During this time, The Undertaker was booked to defeat Austin for his third WWF Championship at Over the Edge with help from Shane McMahon, the special referee. Two weeks later, it was revealed on Raw that Vince McMahon had been the Undertaker character's "Higher Power" all along. After Undertaker dropped the WWF title back to Austin one night after King of the Ring,and lost a First Blood match at Fully Loaded, his relationship with the McMahons dissolved and the Corporate Ministry disbanded.
Undertaker then began a storyline where he teamed with The Big Show in a tag team known as The UnHoly Alliance, which held the WWF Tag Team Championship twice. He was then scheduled to perform at Unforgiven, contending for the WWF Championship, but a groin injury knocked him out of action for the remainder of the year and part of the next. Onscreen, his absence was explained by The Undertaker quitting.
Undertaker was due to return to action for WrestleMania 2000, but a legitimate biceps injury in February 2000 delayed his return until May 2000. When he returned at Judgment Day, Undertaker's gimmick was dramatically modified in line with the WWF's change to a more realistic approach. His gimmick became that of an intimidating biker, known as the "American Bad Ass", and he began using the Last Ride (Elevated Powerbomb) as his finishing move, as opposed to the Tombstone Piledriver, which had become synonymous with the Undertaker over the years. Upon his return, his storyline called for him to take out all the members of the McMahon-Helmsley Faction, which quickly turned him face again. He also targeted their leader, WWF Champion Triple H. At King of the Ring, Undertaker teamed with The Rock and Kane to defeat the team of Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Vince McMahon. Afterwards, he was booked to team with Kane to contend for the WWF Tag Team Championship. They defeated Edge and Christian, earning the right to face them the following week for the tag titles, which Edge and Christian retained. Kane turned on The Undertaker by chokeslamming him twice on the August 14 episode of Raw.This led to another match between the two at SummerSlam, which ended in a no-contest as Kane ran from the ring area after The Undertaker removed Kane's mask.
Undertaker was then booked to challenge Kurt Angle for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series.Angle, however, defeated Undertaker following interference from Kurt's real life brother Eric Angle. Undertaker demanded and was awarded a spot in the Six-Man Hell in a Cell match for the WWF Championship at Armageddon. Undertaker did not win the match, but did perform a move where he threw Rikishi off the roof of the cell.
In 2001, Undertaker reunited with Kane as the Brothers of Destruction, challenging for the WWF Tag Team Championship once again. As part of the angle, they received a shot at the title at No Way Out, facing Edge and Christian and then-champions the Dudley Boyz in a Tables Match. The Brothers of Destruction dominated almost the entire match but were not the winners. Undertaker was then booked to defeat Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven, where he improved his WrestleMania winning streak to 9-0. He and Kane continued a storyline that focused on Triple H, who formed a "surprise alliance" with WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin. After Austin and Triple H kayfabe injured Kane's arm, the Brothers of Destruction were granted an opportunity to face Triple H and Austin. After Undertaker and Kane acquired the WWF Tag Title from Edge and Christian, Triple H pinned Kane after attacking him with a sledgehammer at Backlash, where the Brothers of Destruction dropped the titles. With Kane injured, Undertaker feuded briefly Steve Austin for his WWF Championship, but at Judgment Day, Austin retained his title against the Undertaker.
As part of the 2001 Invasion angle, The Undertaker's next nemesis was Diamond Dallas Page, who was obsessively following The Undertaker's wife Sara. At SummerSlam, WCW Tag Team Champions Undertaker and Kane defeated Page and his partner Chris Kanyon in a steel cage match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship. At Survivor Series, Undertaker began a storyline where he took on The Alliance's Steve Austin, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Shane McMahon, and Kurt Angle while teaming up with Kane, the Rock, Chris Jericho, and the Big Show. Angle pinned the Undertaker due to interference by Austin. After the Alliance was defeated, The Undertaker turned heel once again by forcing commentator Jim Ross to kiss Vince McMahon's ass. This was the beginning of a new persona for the Undertaker, as he cut his long hair short and called himself "Big Evil". At Vengeance, the Undertaker was booked to defeat Van Dam to capture the WWF Hardcore Championship.
The Undertaker during his "Big Evil" persona
Undertaker's next angle began at the Royal Rumble in 2002 when Maven eliminated him by dropkicking him from behind. Subsequently, The Undertaker eliminated Maven in return and brutally assaulted him backstage. On an episode of SmackDown!, The Rock mentioned The Undertaker's elimination at the Royal Rumble, angering The Undertaker. The Undertaker responded by costing The Rock the number one contendership for the WWF Undisputed Championship.The storyline continued when The Rock cost The Undertaker his match with Maven for the Hardcore Championship.The two faced off at No Way Out, where The Undertaker lost due to interference from Ric Flair.This began a storyline with Flair, who declined a challenge to wrestle Undertaker at WrestleMania X8,and, as a result, Undertaker assaulted his son David Flair.Flair eventually accepted the match after The Undertaker threatened to inflict the same punishment on Flair's daughter. A no disqualification stipulation was added to the match, and The Undertaker defeated Flair.
After the angle with Flair, Undertaker defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin at Backlash to win the number one contendership for the WWF Undisputed Championship. Later that night, his storyline called for him to help Hulk Hogan win his title match against the Undisputed Champion Triple H. The Undertaker was then booked to defeat Hogan for his fourth world championship at Judgment Day. Undertaker soon turned face after a ladder match with Jeff Hardy, whose hand he raised after the match as a sign of respect. Undertaker, however, dropped the title at Vengeance to The Rock in a Triple Threat match that also involved Kurt Angle. The Undertaker was then switched from Raw to SmackDown!, alongside former Raw talent Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero. Undertaker was booked to challenge Lesnar in a title match at Unforgiven that inevitably ended in a double-DQ. Their feud carried over to No Mercy in a Hell in a Cell match. Undertaker performed in the match with a legitimate broken hand and eventually lost to the champion.
Undertaker then suffered a kayfabe injury after the Big Show threw him off the stage in Memphis, sparking a feud (in reality, he and his wife, Sara, were expecting their first child together).The Undertaker returned at the Royal Rumble in 2003.He immediately continued his feud with Big Show and defeated him via submission at No Way Out with a triangle choke. A-Train entered the angle by attempting to attack Undertaker after the match, but Nathan Jones came to his aid.The storyline resumed as Undertaker began to train Jones to wrestle, and the two were scheduled to fight Big Show and A-Train in a tag team match at WrestleMania XIX.Jones, however, was removed prior to the match, making it a handicap match, which Undertaker won with the help of Jones.
Over the remainder of the year, he was booked to have two WWE Championship opportunities. The first, on the September 4 SmackDown!, against Kurt Angle, ended in a no contest, due to interference from Brock Lesnar. The second, at No Mercy, was a Biker Chain match between Undertaker and Lesnar, which Lesnar won with the help of Vince McMahon.This resulted in a storyline feud with McMahon, culminating at Survivor Series where Undertaker lost a Buried Alive match against McMahon when Kane interfered.The Undertaker disappeared for some time following the match, with Kane claiming that he was "dead and buried forever."
In the storyline leading up to WrestleMania XX, Kane was haunted by vignettes proclaiming an Undertaker return. The first was during the Royal Rumble when Undertaker's bells tolled, distracting Kane and allowing Booker T to eliminate him. At WrestleMania XX, the Undertaker, accompanied by Paul Bearer and in his "Deadman" persona, returned and defeated Kane. Three months later, Bearer was kidnapped by the Dudley Boyz at the direction of Paul Heyman, who then took "control" of Undertaker. The angle added a new twist at The Great American Bash where Undertaker was forced to fight a handicap match against the Dudleys, and if he lost, Heyman would bury Bearer in cement. The Undertaker won but buried Bearer anyway, explaining that Bearer was merely a liability now and that he had no use for him anymore.Fans were later told that Bearer was "seriously injured," but in reality, he was simply removed from WWE programming due to health reasons. The Undertaker also remained a face.
After defeating the Dudley Boyz, Undertaker began a new storyline feud by challenging then WWE Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) to a title match at SummerSlam, which Undertaker lost when he disqualified himself.At No Mercy, Undertaker and JBL were booked to compete in the first ever "Last Ride" match, although Undertaker lost after Heidenreich interfered.After a brief program with Heidenreich, Undertaker turned his focus to the WWE Championship once again. Along with Eddie Guerrero and Booker T, he challenged JBL to a championship rematch at Armageddon in a Fatal Four-Way, in which Undertaker was unsuccessful, again due to Heidenreich's interference.This led to a Casket match between Undertaker and Heidenreich at the Royal Rumble, where Undertaker sealed Heidenreich in a casket for the victory to end the storyline.
The Undertaker making his entrance during an episode of SmackDown!.
Soon afterward, Randy Orton challenged The Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania 21, in an angle where Orton claimed that he would end The Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak. Even with help from his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Randy failed, and the Undertaker improved his WrestleMania record to 13-0. Following WrestleMania, Undertaker took a two month hiatus from wrestling after the birth of his second daughter in late May 2005. He returned for the June 16 episode of SmackDown! but lost to JBL, thanks to interference from Randy Orton. After The Great American Bash, Undertaker became number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship, a position that JBL felt he should have. As part of the feud, on the following SmackDown!, Undertaker lost a number one contender match against JBL, once again due to interference from Orton.With this, Undertaker resumed his feud with Orton. At SummerSlam, Orton defeated Undertaker in a WrestleMania rematch.The storyline intensified as the two taunted each other with caskets, leading to a casket match at No Mercy, in which Undertaker lost to Randy and his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton. After the match, the Ortons poured gasoline on the casket and set it afire. When the charred casket was opened, however, Undertaker had once again vanished. He returned at the Survivor Series, emerging from a burning casket. Undertaker returned to SmackDown! in early December to haunt Orton and set up a Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon.After winning the match, Calaway took a short hiatus from wrestling, presumably due to controversy associated with the match, as Bob Orton was diagnosed with hepatitis but was allowed to bleed during the match without Calaway knowing of his condition.
In early 2006 at the Royal Rumble, Undertaker returned during Kurt Angle's celebration of his world title defense against Mark Henry on a horse drawn cart and kayfabe destroyed the ring with lightning bolts. As part of their storyline feud, Undertaker lost his match with Angle at No Way Out after a thirty minute bout. Undertaker cornered Angle after the match, and after a stare down, told Angle that he had his number and that he was not finished with him yet.The Undertaker had his No Way Out rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship against Angle on SmackDown! when Henry attacked Undertaker from behind, costing him the title.This began an angle between the duo, as Undertaker then challenged Henry to a Casket match at WrestleMania 22, and Henry, like Orton a year before him, vowed to end Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak. Undertaker defeated Henry to become 14-0 at WrestleMania, keeping his storyline undefeated streak alive. During a rematch on the next edition of SmackDown!, The Great Khali made his debut and assaulted the Undertaker, signaling the end of one storyline and the beginning of a new one.
The Undertaker retaining his undefeated streak at WrestleMania 22.
The Undertaker was not heard from until the May 5 edition of SmackDown!, as Theodore Long delivered a challenge from Undertaker to Khali for a match at Judgment Day. Undertaker was booked to cleanly lose to Khali, and he did not appear again until the July 4 edition of SmackDown! to accept Khali's challenge to a Punjabi Prison match at The Great American Bash.Khali, however, was removed from the match due to elevated liver enzymes and was replaced by ECW Champion The Big Show, over whom The Undertaker gained the victory. In the storyline, Teddy Long replaced Khali with Big Show as punishment for an attack on Undertaker shortly before the match.Khali was then challenged to a Last Man Standing match at SummerSlam after interfering in Undertaker's match with World Heavyweight Champion King Booker. Khali refused the challenge for SummerSlam, though Long made the match official for the August 18 episode of SmackDown! instead. Undertaker won the match by striking Khali with the steel stairs, delivering several chair shots, and finishing him with a chokeslam.
Brothers of Destruction reunion (2006–2007)
See also: Brothers of Destruction
The Undertaker's next match was with WWE United States Champion Mr. Kennedy at No Mercy but was disqualified in the match after he hit Kennedy with the championship belt. On the November 3 edition of SmackDown!, Undertaker reunited with Kane to form the Brothers of Destruction for the first time in five years, defeating the reluctant opposition team of Mr. Kennedy and Montel Vontavious Porter, with whom Kane was feuding with at the time.As part of the angle, Kennedy defeated Undertaker in a First Blood match at Survivor Series after interference from MVP,but finally defeated Kennedy in a Last Ride match at Armageddon by delivering a chokeslam and Tombstone on the roof of the hearse, sticking him in the back, and driving the hearse out of the arena.The two continued to feud into 2007 as Kennedy cost Undertaker two World Heavyweight Championship opportunities for a championship match at the Royal Rumble.
World Heavyweight Champion / Pursuit of the World Heavyweight Championship (2007–2008)
Undertaker won his first Royal Rumble match after Shawn Michaels attempted Sweet Chin Music, and Undertaker ducked and lifted Michaels over the top rope for the victory.He became the first man to enter the Rumble at number 30 and win the match. He then began an angle with Batista, whom he defeated at WrestleMania 23 to win his first World Heavyweight Championship. On the next SmackDown!, Batista entered the ring and declared that he wanted a rematch in the form of a Last Man Standing match at Backlash. The rematch ended in a draw when neither man was able to answer the ten-count after Batista speared Undertaker off the entrance stage, causing the steel pillars to fall on top of the two men, resulting in the Undertaker retaining the Championship. On the May 11 SmackDown! taping, Undertaker had a Steel Cage match with Batista that was booked to result in a draw when both men's feet touched the floor at the same time. After the match, Mark Henry returned and assaulted the defenseless Undertaker. Immediately after the assault, Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank title shot, and Undertaker dropped the World Heavyweight Championship to Edge. As Undertaker laid in the ring, druids appeared and carried him to the backstage area. In reality, Calaway had suffered an arm injury that required surgery, but WWE did not want to break the Undertaker's character by having him forfeit the title. During Calaway's rehabilitation, Henry squashed local jobbers and bragged about his assault on Undertaker, until vignettes began playing promoting Undertaker's return.
The Undertaker returned at Unforgiven, successfully defeating Henry with a Last Ride from the corner and again on SmackDown! two weeks later with a chokeslam.Batista and Undertaker re-ignited their storyline feud at Cyber Sunday where the fans chose guest referee Stone Cold Steve Austin, but Batista retained the world title after two Batista Bombs.They battled again inside Hell in a Cell at Survivor Series where Edge returned and interfered by giving Undertaker a con-chair-to and pulling an unconscious Batista on top of Undertaker for the pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.In response to this, Undertaker delivered a Tombstone piledriver to General Manager Vickie Guerrero, on the next SmackDown!, in storyline, sending her to the hospital. Returning Assistant-GM Theodore Long declared a Triple Threat match for the title at Armageddon. Edge won the match by pinning Batista, who had been given a Tombstone piledriver which was followed by Undertaker being hit with a chair while he attempted the pinfall.
The Undertaker locks Edge in the Gogoplata.
At No Way Out 2008, Undertaker defeated Batista, Finlay, The Great Khali, Montel Vontavious Porter, and Big Daddy V in a SmackDown/ECW Elimination Chamber, to become the number one contender for Edge's World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXIV. He defeated Edge at WrestleMania with his gogoplata submission hold, to win his second World Heavyweight title and elevate his undefeated streak at WrestleMania to 16-0.In a WrestleMania rematch, The Undertaker defeated Edge once again at Backlash to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. The Undertaker battled Edge for the title at Judgment Day, which he won but could not keep the title because of the count out victory. The two faced each other again for the championship at One Night Stand in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, which Undertaker lost. As a result of the storyline stipulation, Undertaker was banished from WWE.
Return (2008)
On the July 25, 2008 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Vickie Guerrero announced that Edge would face the Undertaker at SummerSlam in a Hell in a Cell match,which The Undertaker won. After the match The Undertaker chokeslammed Edge from the top of a ladder and through the ring canvas. The Undertaker "summoned" the flames from hell to take Edge.Following this match, Guerrero tried to make a peace-offering with the Undertaker on SmackDown by apologizing, but the Undertaker told her that he is not the forgiving kind. This continued his rivalry with La Familia, especially Guerrero. At Unforgiven, as the Undertaker approached the ring to "take Guerrero's soul" and take her in a casket, the Big Show, who appeared at first to aid the Undertaker, turned on him and assaulted him.As a result of this altercation, the Undertaker and Big Show faced each other in a match at No Mercy, where the Big Show knocked the Undertaker out with a punch to the back of Undertaker's head. At Cyber Sunday the Undertaker defeated the Big Show in a fan picked Last Man Standing match after applying the Devil's Triangle.
Calaway appeared as a guest star in the 1991 film Suburban Commando. He also appeared on episodes of Poltergeist: The Legacy and Celebrity Deathmatch in 1999. His character had also influenced the Bollywood film Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi in which Brian Lee (who played the false Undertaker in 1994) starred as the Undertaker.
A number of spin-offs have covered The Undertaker's character. Chaos! Comics released an Undertaker comic. In 2005, Pocket Books released a novel, Journey into Darkness, which dealt largely with Kane but also featured Undertaker as his brother, although they are not related in real life.
Calaway is the son of Frank and Catherine Calaway, and is one of five brothers with David, Michael, Paul and Timothy. He graduated from Waltrip High School in 1983, where he was a member of the basketball team. Calaway first married Jodi Lynn in 1989, and they had a son Gunner, born in 1993, before the marriage ended in 1999. Calaway met his second wife, Sara, at a WWF autograph signing in San Diego, California.He eventually married her in a ceremony in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 21, 2000. Mark and Sara have two daughters together: Chasey, born in 2002, and Gracie, born in 2005.
As a wedding gift to Sara, Calaway had his wife's name tattooed onto his throat and has said this is the most painful tattoo he has ever had. In 2007, the tattoo was removed from all WWE photos showing Undertaker's throat, most notably on the cover of the November issue of WWE Magazine and in pictures throughout. Undertaker has several other tattoos: a gravedigger, which he refers to as "Original Deadman", skulls, a castle, and a wizard. When talking about his body art, he has said that there is kind of a medieval thing going-on on his arms. He also has a dancing skeleton on the back of his neck. He also has a tattoo on his stomach that says BSK Pride,which means Bone Street Krewe.
Aside from wrestling, Calaway has many hobbies and interests. He collects Harley-Davidson and West Coast Choppers motorcycles and purchased his first brand new motorcycle after defeating Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship at the 1991 Survivor Series. Calaway has also had a custom motorcycle built for him by Jesse James, the founder of West Coast Choppers. He is a massive fan of Nick Cave and all his musical endeavors (The Birthday Party and The Bad Seeds). He also enjoys listening to bands like ZZ Top, AC/DC, Kiss, Black Sabbath, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Iron Maiden and Black Label Society. Calaway also enjoys country music and blues music.
As an avid boxing fan, Calaway was also the person who carried the Flag of the United States while leading Team Pacquiao to the ring during the Pacquiao vs. Velázquez fight in 2005. This was also confirmed by fellow wrestler Batista in a televised interview for the Philippine news program TV Patrol World. Calaway is also an avid Mixed Martial Arts fan and has attended several Ultimate Fighting Championship shows.
As The Undertaker had been absent from the WWE due to his 2007 arm injury, Calaway began getting into real estate with his partner Scott Everhart. Calaway and Everhart finished construction on a $2.7m building in Loveland, Colorado. The building, filled with upscale office space, is named the "The Calahart", a portmanteau of their last names. Calaway has said that being a TV star certainly helps him in the real estate business, and he was quoted saying "by no means does it seal the deal, but people do want to sit down and talk with you. It helps us get to meet a lot of people and know what we’re trying to get accomplished."
Calaway has also established The Zeus Compton Calaway Save the Animals fund at the Texas A&M's Veterinary Teaching Hospital to help pay for lifesaving treatments for large-breed dogs. The fund was established as a memorial to his beloved Mastiff Zeus, who died in 2004.
• Finishing moves
• As The Undertaker
o Chokeslam
o Devil's Triangle (Modified gogoplata) – 2008
o Last Ride (Elevated powerbomb)– 2000–present
o Tombstone Piledriver (Kneeling belly to belly piledriver)
o Triangle choke – 2003–present
• As "Mean" Mark Callous
o Callous Clutch (Jaw clutch)
o Heart punch
• Signature moves
o Corner clothesline
o Fujiwara armbar
o Guillotine leg drop onto an apron-bound opponent
o Leaping flying clothesline
o Old School (Arm twist ropewalk chop)
o Over the top rope suicide dive
o Running corner body splash
o Running DDT
o Running jumping leg drop
o Sidewalk slam
o Snake eyes followed by a running big boot
o Takin' Care of Business (Standing dragon sleeper)– 2002–2004
o Wrist–lock hold followed by multiple shoulder blocks
• Managers
o General Skandor Akbar
o Paul Bearer
o Paul E. Dangerously
o Theodore Long
o Brother Love
o Dutch Mantel
o Downtown Bruno
• Nicknames
o The Phenom
o The Deadman
o American Bad Ass
o Booger Red
o Red Devil
o Big Evil
o The Grim Reaper
o The Lord of Darkness
o The Demon from Death Valley
o The Conscience of the WWE
• Theme music
o "Miracle Man" by Ozzy Osbourne (NJPW)
o "China White" by Scorpions (NWA/WCW)
o "The Grim Reaper" by Jim Johnston
o "Graveyard Symphony" by Jim Johnston
o "Dark Side" by Jim Johnston
o "Ministry" by Jim Johnston
o "American Bad Ass" by Kid Rock
o "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" by Limp Bizkit
o "Dead Man" by Jim Johnston
o "You're Gonna Pay" by Jim Johnston
o "Rest in Peace" by Jim Johnston
Calaway began his wrestling career with World Class Championship Wrestling in 1984. He joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1989. When WCW did not renew Calaway's contract in 1990, in November of that year he joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, which later became the WWE in 2002). Having remained with that company ever since, Calaway is currently one of the senior performers in WWE. He is one of only two wrestlers, the other being Shawn Michaels, to have appeared on the very first episode of Raw who are still with the company today.
The Undertaker is also the originator of several speciality matches, those being; the casket match, the Boiler Room Brawl match, the Buried Alive match, the Hell in a Cell match and the Inferno match.
He is undefeated at WrestleMania with a 16-0 record (sometimes referred to as simply The Streak) and is a six-time world champion (four-time WWE Champion and two-time World Heavyweight Champion). He was also the winner of the 2007 Royal Rumble.
Calaway made his debut in 1984 in the Dallas, Texas based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) under the ring name "Texas Red".He wrestled and lost his first match against Bruiser Brody. In 1988, after four years in the promotion, he left. After leaving WCCW, Mark joined the CWA (which became the USWA after Jerry Jarrett merged CWA with WCCW) and wrestled under several gimmicks. On April 1, 1989, he was booked to win his first professional wrestling title, the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Jerry "The King" Lawler, under the stage name "The Master of Pain". While performing as the "The Punisher", Calaway won the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship on October 5, 1989 when Eric Embry forfeited the title.
His first mainstream exposure was in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). While there, he was known as "Mean" Mark Callous and wrestled as part of the Skyscrapers tag team along with "Dangerous" Dan Spivey managed by Teddy Long. During his time in the Skyscrapers, he and Spivey were involved in a feud with the Road Warriors, but Spivey left before the feud came to an end. Calaway then took on the guidance of Paul E. Dangerously and muscled his way through Brian Pillman and Johnny Ace. His most famous match in WCW was against Lex Luger for the NWA United States Championship at The Great American Bash, which he lost when Luger pinned him after a clothesline. WCW declined to renew Calaway's contract, after losing his last match to Sting on September 1, 1990 at a house show. Calaway then briefly wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling as Punisher Dice Morgan and in October 1990, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
After leaving WCW, he briefly returned to the USWA to participate in a tournament to determine the new USWA Unified World Heavyweight champion; he defeated Bill Dundee in the first round, but lost to Jerry Lawler in the quarterfinals.
Calaway made his WWF debut as "Cain the Undertaker" at a taping of WWF Superstars on November 19, 1990. He made his official on-camera debut on November 22 at Survivor Series as the mystery partner of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar team, where he was simply called The Undertaker. Approximately one minute into the match, Undertaker eliminated Koko B. Ware with his signature maneuver, the Tombstone Piledriver. He also eliminated Dusty Rhodes before being counted out. Shortly after Survivor Series, "Cain" was dropped from his name, and he was called simply The Undertaker. The appearance of Undertaker was modeled after a mortician from old Western movies, with the gimmick that he was impervious to pain and possessed supernatural powers, such as teleportation and manipulation of flames and lightning. It was at this time that the Undertaker switched managers from Brother Love to Paul Bearer.
He made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania VII, squashing "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. The win was the first in his undefeated streak at the event. After a year of battles with the Ultimate Warrior in body bag matches, Randy Savage, and Hulk Hogan, he defeated Hogan to win his first WWF Championship at Survivor Series.WWF President Jack Tunney ordered a rematch for This Tuesday in Texas six days later, where Undertaker dropped the title back to Hogan.
After Undertaker's ally Jake "The Snake" Roberts lost a match to Randy Savage on the February 8, 1992 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, Roberts tried to attack Savage's manager/wife Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair when the Undertaker stopped him, turning him face. The Undertaker defeated Roberts at WrestleMania VIII.He then feuded extensively with wrestlers managed by Harvey Wippleman throughout 1992 and 1993, most notably Kamala,whom he faced and defeated in the first televised coffin match in WWF history at Survivor Series, and Giant Gonzales, whom he defeated by disqualification at WrestleMania IX and by pinfall at SummerSlam. In November 1993, he challenged then-WWF Champion Yokozuna to a casket match at the Royal Rumble. At the Royal Rumble, Yokozuna sealed Undertaker in the casket with the assistance of several other heel wrestlers, winning the match. The Undertaker's "spirit" appeared from inside the casket on the video screen, warning that he would return. This began Undertaker's first hiatus. In reality, he had a back injury that was getting worse and needed time off.
After WrestleMania X, Ted DiBiase introduced the Undertaker back to the WWF. This Undertaker, however, played by Brian Lee, was dubbed "Underfaker" later on by the fans and led to the return of the original Undertaker (this time appearing as a zombie version of his original persona, and now wearing purple gloves and boot covers), and a battle at SummerSlam between the two, where the real Undertaker won the match after three Tombstone Piledrivers. At Survivor Series, Undertaker had a rematch against Yokozuna, once again in a casket match, with Chuck Norris as a special guest enforcer to keep anyone from interfering in the match. While King Kong Bundy and Bam Bam Bigelow distracted Norris, Irwin R. Schyster interfered in the match; despite this, the Undertaker won the match by delivering a running big boot to Yokozuna, which pushed Yokozuna into the casket, and then closed the lid.
Throughout most of 1995, the Undertaker feuded with members of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation. At WrestleMania XI, while Undertaker was facing King Kong Bundy, Kama Mustafa stole the Undertaker's source of storyline power, the urn, and disrespected the Undertaker by melting it into a large gold necklace. As part of the angle, the two faced each other in a casket match at SummerSlam, which the Undertaker won.Several weeks later, Undertaker injured his orbital bone near his eye, forcing a period of absence for surgery, until his return at Survivor Series
The Undertaker returned at the 1995 Survivor Series, wearing a Phantom-like ghostly Grey upper facemask. At the Royal Rumble, the Undertaker was unmasked in a WWF Championship match against Bret Hart. Diesel interfered in the match to cost the Undertaker the championship,and one month later, while Diesel was facing Hart in a steel cage match, Undertaker came up from under the ring to drag Diesel underneath, allowing Hart the victory. This feud culminated in a match between the duo at WrestleMania XII, in which the Undertaker was victorious.
His next feud commenced the very next night, when Mankind made his debut, interfering in the Undertaker's match with Justin Hawk Bradshaw. For the next few months, Mankind ambushed and cost the Undertaker several matches. The Undertaker faced Mankind for the first time in a match at the King of the Ring, which Mankind won. The feud intensified, and they began taking their battles into crowds, backstage areas, and in the boiler rooms of different arenas. As a result, the first ever Boiler Room Brawl match was booked between the two at SummerSlam. During the match, when Undertaker reached for his urn, Paul Bearer hit him with it, turning on the Undertaker and allowing Mankind to "incapacitate" The Undertaker with the Mandible claw, giving him the win. After Bearer's betrayal, the Undertaker took his rivalry with Mankind to a new level, resulting in a Buried Alive match at In Your House: Buried Alive. Undertaker won the match after a Chokeslam into the open grave, but after interference from The Executioner, as well as the help of several other superstars, The Undertaker was ultimately "Buried Alive".As a result, a match was booked for the upcoming Survivor Series, again pitting The Undertaker against Mankind, with a unique stipulation. Hanging 20 ft above the ring was Paul Bearer, enclosed in a steel cage. If Undertaker won the match, he would be able to get his hands on Bearer. Even though Undertaker won the match, interference from The Executioner enabled Bearer to escape the Undertaker's clutches.The Undertaker then shifted feuds and briefly turned his attention to The Executioner, who had become a thorn in his side since his arrival. At In Your House: It's Time, the Undertaker defeated The Executioner in an Armageddon rules match. By the end of 1996, the Undertaker began a feud with Vader, culminating in a loss to Vader at the Royal Rumble after Bearer interfered on behalf of his new protégé. After this loss, the Undertaker's character began to focus his attention on the WWF Championship.
At WrestleMania 13, The Undertaker defeated Sycho Sid to win the WWF Championship for the second time in a No Disqualification match.After the event, Paul Bearer attempted to rejoin with the Undertaker, using the threat of revealing 'Taker's "biggest secret". In the storyline, Bearer announced that Undertaker was a murderer, who as a child had burned down the family funeral home business (where Bearer worked), killing his parents and his younger brother. Undertaker claimed there was no way for Bearer to have that information, but Paul announced that he was told this by Undertaker's brother Kane, who was still alive but horribly burned and scarred. Bearer raised Kane after the fire, having him institutionalized. Now, Kane was waiting for revenge after all these years. In defense, Undertaker responded that Kane, a pyromaniac, had been the one to set the fire and could not have possibly survived.
His next major storyline began at SummerSlam in 1997 when referee Shawn Michaels accidentally hit Undertaker with a steel chair shot meant for Bret Hart, costing the Undertaker his WWF Championship. Although the chair shot was accidental, Michaels taunted the Undertaker in the following weeks. The feud culminated at In Your House: Badd Blood, where the Undertaker challenged Michaels to the first ever Hell in a Cell match. During this match, Undertaker's storyline brother Kane made his debut, ripping off the door to the cell and giving Undertaker a Tombstone Piledriver, Undertaker's trademark finisher, allowing Michaels to pin him. As the angle progressed, Kane, with Paul Bearer, challenged the Undertaker to fights, but the Undertaker consistently refused to fight his brother. The Undertaker's final encounter with Michaels was in the return of the casket match at the Royal Rumble, where Kane cost the Undertaker the win by trapping him in the coffin, padlocking the casket lid, and setting it ablaze. The Undertaker, however, had disappeared when the casket lid was reopened. After a two-month hiatus, Undertaker returned to continue the angle and defeat Kane at WrestleMania XIV.The two had a rematch, the first ever Inferno match, one month later at In Your House: Unforgiven, where The Undertaker was booked to win by setting Kane's right arm on fire.
Undertaker's longtime feud with Mankind was renewed afterwards, when Mankind cost the Undertaker a number one contenders match against Kane.As a result, Undertaker and Mankind faced each other in a Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring. During the match, Undertaker threw Mankind off the roof of the sixteen foot cell onto the Spanish announcers' table below, in what was a preplanned move. He later chokeslammed Mankind through the roof of the cell into the ring -- which legitimately knocked Mick Foley (Mankind) unconscious -- and finished the match by chokeslamming Mankind onto a pile of thumbtacks.
The Undertaker has both feuded and teamed up with his half-brother Kane numerous times.
In July at Fully Loaded, Undertaker and Steve Austin were booked to defeat Kane and Mankind to win the WWF Tag Team Championship. Undertaker and Austin's reign as tag champions lasted for only two weeks, as Kane and Mankind regained the titles on an episode of Raw.Undertaker then became the number one contender for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam, now held by Austin. Shortly before SummerSlam, however, Undertaker revealed that he and Kane were working together as brothers. Despite this revelation, Undertaker told Kane that he did not want him to interfere in the match with Austin, and even though Undertaker lost the match, he handed Austin his belt back after the match in a show of respect. In September, the storyline continued, and Undertaker began to show heel characteristics, becoming a tweener, when he and Kane revealed the fact that they were in cahoots to rid Austin of his title for Vince McMahon. At Breakdown: In Your House, Undertaker and Kane were booked in a triple threat match with Austin for his WWF title; McMahon stated that the brothers were not allowed to pin each other. Undertaker and Kane pinned Austin simultaneously after a double chokeslam, so the title was vacated by McMahon, whose leg was then kayfabe broken in response by the brothers. This led to a match at In Your House: Judgment Day between the two brothers for the title, with Stone Cold as the Special Guest Referee. Near the end of the match, Paul Bearer seemed about to assist Kane by handing him a steel chair to hit Undertaker with, but as Kane had his back turned, both Bearer and Undertaker hit Kane with the chair. Undertaker went for the pin, but Austin refused to count the fall, attacked the Undertaker, and counted out both brothers. Finally, Undertaker turned heel the next night on Raw is War for the first time in over six years, reconciling with Paul Bearer and claiming that he and Bearer would unleash their Ministry of Darkness on the World Wrestling Federation. As part of this new angle, he admitted that he had indeed set the fire that killed his parents, for which he had previously blamed Kane.
After Survivor Series, Undertaker returned his attention back to his previous feud with Austin for having costing him the title at Judgment Day, viciously hitting Austin in the head with a shovel during a title match with The Rock, returning the favor for what happened a month earlier. With this twist in the angle, McMahon scheduled a Buried Alive match between Undertaker and Austin in December 1998 at Rock Bottom: In Your House. In the weeks leading up to Rock Bottom, the Undertaker character became increasingly demonic and satanic, attempting to embalm Austin alive, trying to have Kane committed to a mental asylum, and having his druids chain Austin to his symbol and raising it high into the arena. Undertaker, however, lost the match after Kane interfered.
In January 1999, Undertaker returned, remaining a monster heel and forming the Ministry of Darkness, explaining that he was taking orders from a "Higher Power." Eventually, the Ministry merged with Shane McMahon's Corporation heel stable to form the Corporate Ministry.During this time, The Undertaker was booked to defeat Austin for his third WWF Championship at Over the Edge with help from Shane McMahon, the special referee. Two weeks later, it was revealed on Raw that Vince McMahon had been the Undertaker character's "Higher Power" all along. After Undertaker dropped the WWF title back to Austin one night after King of the Ring,and lost a First Blood match at Fully Loaded, his relationship with the McMahons dissolved and the Corporate Ministry disbanded.
Undertaker then began a storyline where he teamed with The Big Show in a tag team known as The UnHoly Alliance, which held the WWF Tag Team Championship twice. He was then scheduled to perform at Unforgiven, contending for the WWF Championship, but a groin injury knocked him out of action for the remainder of the year and part of the next. Onscreen, his absence was explained by The Undertaker quitting.
Undertaker was due to return to action for WrestleMania 2000, but a legitimate biceps injury in February 2000 delayed his return until May 2000. When he returned at Judgment Day, Undertaker's gimmick was dramatically modified in line with the WWF's change to a more realistic approach. His gimmick became that of an intimidating biker, known as the "American Bad Ass", and he began using the Last Ride (Elevated Powerbomb) as his finishing move, as opposed to the Tombstone Piledriver, which had become synonymous with the Undertaker over the years. Upon his return, his storyline called for him to take out all the members of the McMahon-Helmsley Faction, which quickly turned him face again. He also targeted their leader, WWF Champion Triple H. At King of the Ring, Undertaker teamed with The Rock and Kane to defeat the team of Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Vince McMahon. Afterwards, he was booked to team with Kane to contend for the WWF Tag Team Championship. They defeated Edge and Christian, earning the right to face them the following week for the tag titles, which Edge and Christian retained. Kane turned on The Undertaker by chokeslamming him twice on the August 14 episode of Raw.This led to another match between the two at SummerSlam, which ended in a no-contest as Kane ran from the ring area after The Undertaker removed Kane's mask.
Undertaker was then booked to challenge Kurt Angle for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series.Angle, however, defeated Undertaker following interference from Kurt's real life brother Eric Angle. Undertaker demanded and was awarded a spot in the Six-Man Hell in a Cell match for the WWF Championship at Armageddon. Undertaker did not win the match, but did perform a move where he threw Rikishi off the roof of the cell.
In 2001, Undertaker reunited with Kane as the Brothers of Destruction, challenging for the WWF Tag Team Championship once again. As part of the angle, they received a shot at the title at No Way Out, facing Edge and Christian and then-champions the Dudley Boyz in a Tables Match. The Brothers of Destruction dominated almost the entire match but were not the winners. Undertaker was then booked to defeat Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven, where he improved his WrestleMania winning streak to 9-0. He and Kane continued a storyline that focused on Triple H, who formed a "surprise alliance" with WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin. After Austin and Triple H kayfabe injured Kane's arm, the Brothers of Destruction were granted an opportunity to face Triple H and Austin. After Undertaker and Kane acquired the WWF Tag Title from Edge and Christian, Triple H pinned Kane after attacking him with a sledgehammer at Backlash, where the Brothers of Destruction dropped the titles. With Kane injured, Undertaker feuded briefly Steve Austin for his WWF Championship, but at Judgment Day, Austin retained his title against the Undertaker.
As part of the 2001 Invasion angle, The Undertaker's next nemesis was Diamond Dallas Page, who was obsessively following The Undertaker's wife Sara. At SummerSlam, WCW Tag Team Champions Undertaker and Kane defeated Page and his partner Chris Kanyon in a steel cage match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship. At Survivor Series, Undertaker began a storyline where he took on The Alliance's Steve Austin, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Shane McMahon, and Kurt Angle while teaming up with Kane, the Rock, Chris Jericho, and the Big Show. Angle pinned the Undertaker due to interference by Austin. After the Alliance was defeated, The Undertaker turned heel once again by forcing commentator Jim Ross to kiss Vince McMahon's ass. This was the beginning of a new persona for the Undertaker, as he cut his long hair short and called himself "Big Evil". At Vengeance, the Undertaker was booked to defeat Van Dam to capture the WWF Hardcore Championship.
The Undertaker during his "Big Evil" persona
Undertaker's next angle began at the Royal Rumble in 2002 when Maven eliminated him by dropkicking him from behind. Subsequently, The Undertaker eliminated Maven in return and brutally assaulted him backstage. On an episode of SmackDown!, The Rock mentioned The Undertaker's elimination at the Royal Rumble, angering The Undertaker. The Undertaker responded by costing The Rock the number one contendership for the WWF Undisputed Championship.The storyline continued when The Rock cost The Undertaker his match with Maven for the Hardcore Championship.The two faced off at No Way Out, where The Undertaker lost due to interference from Ric Flair.This began a storyline with Flair, who declined a challenge to wrestle Undertaker at WrestleMania X8,and, as a result, Undertaker assaulted his son David Flair.Flair eventually accepted the match after The Undertaker threatened to inflict the same punishment on Flair's daughter. A no disqualification stipulation was added to the match, and The Undertaker defeated Flair.
After the angle with Flair, Undertaker defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin at Backlash to win the number one contendership for the WWF Undisputed Championship. Later that night, his storyline called for him to help Hulk Hogan win his title match against the Undisputed Champion Triple H. The Undertaker was then booked to defeat Hogan for his fourth world championship at Judgment Day. Undertaker soon turned face after a ladder match with Jeff Hardy, whose hand he raised after the match as a sign of respect. Undertaker, however, dropped the title at Vengeance to The Rock in a Triple Threat match that also involved Kurt Angle. The Undertaker was then switched from Raw to SmackDown!, alongside former Raw talent Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero. Undertaker was booked to challenge Lesnar in a title match at Unforgiven that inevitably ended in a double-DQ. Their feud carried over to No Mercy in a Hell in a Cell match. Undertaker performed in the match with a legitimate broken hand and eventually lost to the champion.
Undertaker then suffered a kayfabe injury after the Big Show threw him off the stage in Memphis, sparking a feud (in reality, he and his wife, Sara, were expecting their first child together).The Undertaker returned at the Royal Rumble in 2003.He immediately continued his feud with Big Show and defeated him via submission at No Way Out with a triangle choke. A-Train entered the angle by attempting to attack Undertaker after the match, but Nathan Jones came to his aid.The storyline resumed as Undertaker began to train Jones to wrestle, and the two were scheduled to fight Big Show and A-Train in a tag team match at WrestleMania XIX.Jones, however, was removed prior to the match, making it a handicap match, which Undertaker won with the help of Jones.
Over the remainder of the year, he was booked to have two WWE Championship opportunities. The first, on the September 4 SmackDown!, against Kurt Angle, ended in a no contest, due to interference from Brock Lesnar. The second, at No Mercy, was a Biker Chain match between Undertaker and Lesnar, which Lesnar won with the help of Vince McMahon.This resulted in a storyline feud with McMahon, culminating at Survivor Series where Undertaker lost a Buried Alive match against McMahon when Kane interfered.The Undertaker disappeared for some time following the match, with Kane claiming that he was "dead and buried forever."
In the storyline leading up to WrestleMania XX, Kane was haunted by vignettes proclaiming an Undertaker return. The first was during the Royal Rumble when Undertaker's bells tolled, distracting Kane and allowing Booker T to eliminate him. At WrestleMania XX, the Undertaker, accompanied by Paul Bearer and in his "Deadman" persona, returned and defeated Kane. Three months later, Bearer was kidnapped by the Dudley Boyz at the direction of Paul Heyman, who then took "control" of Undertaker. The angle added a new twist at The Great American Bash where Undertaker was forced to fight a handicap match against the Dudleys, and if he lost, Heyman would bury Bearer in cement. The Undertaker won but buried Bearer anyway, explaining that Bearer was merely a liability now and that he had no use for him anymore.Fans were later told that Bearer was "seriously injured," but in reality, he was simply removed from WWE programming due to health reasons. The Undertaker also remained a face.
After defeating the Dudley Boyz, Undertaker began a new storyline feud by challenging then WWE Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) to a title match at SummerSlam, which Undertaker lost when he disqualified himself.At No Mercy, Undertaker and JBL were booked to compete in the first ever "Last Ride" match, although Undertaker lost after Heidenreich interfered.After a brief program with Heidenreich, Undertaker turned his focus to the WWE Championship once again. Along with Eddie Guerrero and Booker T, he challenged JBL to a championship rematch at Armageddon in a Fatal Four-Way, in which Undertaker was unsuccessful, again due to Heidenreich's interference.This led to a Casket match between Undertaker and Heidenreich at the Royal Rumble, where Undertaker sealed Heidenreich in a casket for the victory to end the storyline.
The Undertaker making his entrance during an episode of SmackDown!.
Soon afterward, Randy Orton challenged The Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania 21, in an angle where Orton claimed that he would end The Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak. Even with help from his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Randy failed, and the Undertaker improved his WrestleMania record to 13-0. Following WrestleMania, Undertaker took a two month hiatus from wrestling after the birth of his second daughter in late May 2005. He returned for the June 16 episode of SmackDown! but lost to JBL, thanks to interference from Randy Orton. After The Great American Bash, Undertaker became number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship, a position that JBL felt he should have. As part of the feud, on the following SmackDown!, Undertaker lost a number one contender match against JBL, once again due to interference from Orton.With this, Undertaker resumed his feud with Orton. At SummerSlam, Orton defeated Undertaker in a WrestleMania rematch.The storyline intensified as the two taunted each other with caskets, leading to a casket match at No Mercy, in which Undertaker lost to Randy and his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton. After the match, the Ortons poured gasoline on the casket and set it afire. When the charred casket was opened, however, Undertaker had once again vanished. He returned at the Survivor Series, emerging from a burning casket. Undertaker returned to SmackDown! in early December to haunt Orton and set up a Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon.After winning the match, Calaway took a short hiatus from wrestling, presumably due to controversy associated with the match, as Bob Orton was diagnosed with hepatitis but was allowed to bleed during the match without Calaway knowing of his condition.
In early 2006 at the Royal Rumble, Undertaker returned during Kurt Angle's celebration of his world title defense against Mark Henry on a horse drawn cart and kayfabe destroyed the ring with lightning bolts. As part of their storyline feud, Undertaker lost his match with Angle at No Way Out after a thirty minute bout. Undertaker cornered Angle after the match, and after a stare down, told Angle that he had his number and that he was not finished with him yet.The Undertaker had his No Way Out rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship against Angle on SmackDown! when Henry attacked Undertaker from behind, costing him the title.This began an angle between the duo, as Undertaker then challenged Henry to a Casket match at WrestleMania 22, and Henry, like Orton a year before him, vowed to end Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak. Undertaker defeated Henry to become 14-0 at WrestleMania, keeping his storyline undefeated streak alive. During a rematch on the next edition of SmackDown!, The Great Khali made his debut and assaulted the Undertaker, signaling the end of one storyline and the beginning of a new one.
The Undertaker retaining his undefeated streak at WrestleMania 22.
The Undertaker was not heard from until the May 5 edition of SmackDown!, as Theodore Long delivered a challenge from Undertaker to Khali for a match at Judgment Day. Undertaker was booked to cleanly lose to Khali, and he did not appear again until the July 4 edition of SmackDown! to accept Khali's challenge to a Punjabi Prison match at The Great American Bash.Khali, however, was removed from the match due to elevated liver enzymes and was replaced by ECW Champion The Big Show, over whom The Undertaker gained the victory. In the storyline, Teddy Long replaced Khali with Big Show as punishment for an attack on Undertaker shortly before the match.Khali was then challenged to a Last Man Standing match at SummerSlam after interfering in Undertaker's match with World Heavyweight Champion King Booker. Khali refused the challenge for SummerSlam, though Long made the match official for the August 18 episode of SmackDown! instead. Undertaker won the match by striking Khali with the steel stairs, delivering several chair shots, and finishing him with a chokeslam.
Brothers of Destruction reunion (2006–2007)
See also: Brothers of Destruction
The Undertaker's next match was with WWE United States Champion Mr. Kennedy at No Mercy but was disqualified in the match after he hit Kennedy with the championship belt. On the November 3 edition of SmackDown!, Undertaker reunited with Kane to form the Brothers of Destruction for the first time in five years, defeating the reluctant opposition team of Mr. Kennedy and Montel Vontavious Porter, with whom Kane was feuding with at the time.As part of the angle, Kennedy defeated Undertaker in a First Blood match at Survivor Series after interference from MVP,but finally defeated Kennedy in a Last Ride match at Armageddon by delivering a chokeslam and Tombstone on the roof of the hearse, sticking him in the back, and driving the hearse out of the arena.The two continued to feud into 2007 as Kennedy cost Undertaker two World Heavyweight Championship opportunities for a championship match at the Royal Rumble.
World Heavyweight Champion / Pursuit of the World Heavyweight Championship (2007–2008)
Undertaker won his first Royal Rumble match after Shawn Michaels attempted Sweet Chin Music, and Undertaker ducked and lifted Michaels over the top rope for the victory.He became the first man to enter the Rumble at number 30 and win the match. He then began an angle with Batista, whom he defeated at WrestleMania 23 to win his first World Heavyweight Championship. On the next SmackDown!, Batista entered the ring and declared that he wanted a rematch in the form of a Last Man Standing match at Backlash. The rematch ended in a draw when neither man was able to answer the ten-count after Batista speared Undertaker off the entrance stage, causing the steel pillars to fall on top of the two men, resulting in the Undertaker retaining the Championship. On the May 11 SmackDown! taping, Undertaker had a Steel Cage match with Batista that was booked to result in a draw when both men's feet touched the floor at the same time. After the match, Mark Henry returned and assaulted the defenseless Undertaker. Immediately after the assault, Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank title shot, and Undertaker dropped the World Heavyweight Championship to Edge. As Undertaker laid in the ring, druids appeared and carried him to the backstage area. In reality, Calaway had suffered an arm injury that required surgery, but WWE did not want to break the Undertaker's character by having him forfeit the title. During Calaway's rehabilitation, Henry squashed local jobbers and bragged about his assault on Undertaker, until vignettes began playing promoting Undertaker's return.
The Undertaker returned at Unforgiven, successfully defeating Henry with a Last Ride from the corner and again on SmackDown! two weeks later with a chokeslam.Batista and Undertaker re-ignited their storyline feud at Cyber Sunday where the fans chose guest referee Stone Cold Steve Austin, but Batista retained the world title after two Batista Bombs.They battled again inside Hell in a Cell at Survivor Series where Edge returned and interfered by giving Undertaker a con-chair-to and pulling an unconscious Batista on top of Undertaker for the pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.In response to this, Undertaker delivered a Tombstone piledriver to General Manager Vickie Guerrero, on the next SmackDown!, in storyline, sending her to the hospital. Returning Assistant-GM Theodore Long declared a Triple Threat match for the title at Armageddon. Edge won the match by pinning Batista, who had been given a Tombstone piledriver which was followed by Undertaker being hit with a chair while he attempted the pinfall.
The Undertaker locks Edge in the Gogoplata.
At No Way Out 2008, Undertaker defeated Batista, Finlay, The Great Khali, Montel Vontavious Porter, and Big Daddy V in a SmackDown/ECW Elimination Chamber, to become the number one contender for Edge's World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXIV. He defeated Edge at WrestleMania with his gogoplata submission hold, to win his second World Heavyweight title and elevate his undefeated streak at WrestleMania to 16-0.In a WrestleMania rematch, The Undertaker defeated Edge once again at Backlash to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. The Undertaker battled Edge for the title at Judgment Day, which he won but could not keep the title because of the count out victory. The two faced each other again for the championship at One Night Stand in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, which Undertaker lost. As a result of the storyline stipulation, Undertaker was banished from WWE.
Return (2008)
On the July 25, 2008 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Vickie Guerrero announced that Edge would face the Undertaker at SummerSlam in a Hell in a Cell match,which The Undertaker won. After the match The Undertaker chokeslammed Edge from the top of a ladder and through the ring canvas. The Undertaker "summoned" the flames from hell to take Edge.Following this match, Guerrero tried to make a peace-offering with the Undertaker on SmackDown by apologizing, but the Undertaker told her that he is not the forgiving kind. This continued his rivalry with La Familia, especially Guerrero. At Unforgiven, as the Undertaker approached the ring to "take Guerrero's soul" and take her in a casket, the Big Show, who appeared at first to aid the Undertaker, turned on him and assaulted him.As a result of this altercation, the Undertaker and Big Show faced each other in a match at No Mercy, where the Big Show knocked the Undertaker out with a punch to the back of Undertaker's head. At Cyber Sunday the Undertaker defeated the Big Show in a fan picked Last Man Standing match after applying the Devil's Triangle.
Calaway appeared as a guest star in the 1991 film Suburban Commando. He also appeared on episodes of Poltergeist: The Legacy and Celebrity Deathmatch in 1999. His character had also influenced the Bollywood film Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi in which Brian Lee (who played the false Undertaker in 1994) starred as the Undertaker.
A number of spin-offs have covered The Undertaker's character. Chaos! Comics released an Undertaker comic. In 2005, Pocket Books released a novel, Journey into Darkness, which dealt largely with Kane but also featured Undertaker as his brother, although they are not related in real life.
Calaway is the son of Frank and Catherine Calaway, and is one of five brothers with David, Michael, Paul and Timothy. He graduated from Waltrip High School in 1983, where he was a member of the basketball team. Calaway first married Jodi Lynn in 1989, and they had a son Gunner, born in 1993, before the marriage ended in 1999. Calaway met his second wife, Sara, at a WWF autograph signing in San Diego, California.He eventually married her in a ceremony in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 21, 2000. Mark and Sara have two daughters together: Chasey, born in 2002, and Gracie, born in 2005.
As a wedding gift to Sara, Calaway had his wife's name tattooed onto his throat and has said this is the most painful tattoo he has ever had. In 2007, the tattoo was removed from all WWE photos showing Undertaker's throat, most notably on the cover of the November issue of WWE Magazine and in pictures throughout. Undertaker has several other tattoos: a gravedigger, which he refers to as "Original Deadman", skulls, a castle, and a wizard. When talking about his body art, he has said that there is kind of a medieval thing going-on on his arms. He also has a dancing skeleton on the back of his neck. He also has a tattoo on his stomach that says BSK Pride,which means Bone Street Krewe.
Aside from wrestling, Calaway has many hobbies and interests. He collects Harley-Davidson and West Coast Choppers motorcycles and purchased his first brand new motorcycle after defeating Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship at the 1991 Survivor Series. Calaway has also had a custom motorcycle built for him by Jesse James, the founder of West Coast Choppers. He is a massive fan of Nick Cave and all his musical endeavors (The Birthday Party and The Bad Seeds). He also enjoys listening to bands like ZZ Top, AC/DC, Kiss, Black Sabbath, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Iron Maiden and Black Label Society. Calaway also enjoys country music and blues music.
As an avid boxing fan, Calaway was also the person who carried the Flag of the United States while leading Team Pacquiao to the ring during the Pacquiao vs. Velázquez fight in 2005. This was also confirmed by fellow wrestler Batista in a televised interview for the Philippine news program TV Patrol World. Calaway is also an avid Mixed Martial Arts fan and has attended several Ultimate Fighting Championship shows.
As The Undertaker had been absent from the WWE due to his 2007 arm injury, Calaway began getting into real estate with his partner Scott Everhart. Calaway and Everhart finished construction on a $2.7m building in Loveland, Colorado. The building, filled with upscale office space, is named the "The Calahart", a portmanteau of their last names. Calaway has said that being a TV star certainly helps him in the real estate business, and he was quoted saying "by no means does it seal the deal, but people do want to sit down and talk with you. It helps us get to meet a lot of people and know what we’re trying to get accomplished."
Calaway has also established The Zeus Compton Calaway Save the Animals fund at the Texas A&M's Veterinary Teaching Hospital to help pay for lifesaving treatments for large-breed dogs. The fund was established as a memorial to his beloved Mastiff Zeus, who died in 2004.
• Finishing moves
• As The Undertaker
o Chokeslam
o Devil's Triangle (Modified gogoplata) – 2008
o Last Ride (Elevated powerbomb)– 2000–present
o Tombstone Piledriver (Kneeling belly to belly piledriver)
o Triangle choke – 2003–present
• As "Mean" Mark Callous
o Callous Clutch (Jaw clutch)
o Heart punch
• Signature moves
o Corner clothesline
o Fujiwara armbar
o Guillotine leg drop onto an apron-bound opponent
o Leaping flying clothesline
o Old School (Arm twist ropewalk chop)
o Over the top rope suicide dive
o Running corner body splash
o Running DDT
o Running jumping leg drop
o Sidewalk slam
o Snake eyes followed by a running big boot
o Takin' Care of Business (Standing dragon sleeper)– 2002–2004
o Wrist–lock hold followed by multiple shoulder blocks
• Managers
o General Skandor Akbar
o Paul Bearer
o Paul E. Dangerously
o Theodore Long
o Brother Love
o Dutch Mantel
o Downtown Bruno
• Nicknames
o The Phenom
o The Deadman
o American Bad Ass
o Booger Red
o Red Devil
o Big Evil
o The Grim Reaper
o The Lord of Darkness
o The Demon from Death Valley
o The Conscience of the WWE
• Theme music
o "Miracle Man" by Ozzy Osbourne (NJPW)
o "China White" by Scorpions (NWA/WCW)
o "The Grim Reaper" by Jim Johnston
o "Graveyard Symphony" by Jim Johnston
o "Dark Side" by Jim Johnston
o "Ministry" by Jim Johnston
o "American Bad Ass" by Kid Rock
o "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" by Limp Bizkit
o "Dead Man" by Jim Johnston
o "You're Gonna Pay" by Jim Johnston
o "Rest in Peace" by Jim Johnston
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
JOHN CENA
nemanja6807 | 01 Decembar, 2008 01:36
JOHN CENA
John Felix Anthony Cena (born April 23, 1977) is an American actor, hip hop musician, and wrestler. He is employed by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and performs on their Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to a herniated disc in his neck.In his WWE career, Cena has been a three time WWE Champion, a three time United States Champion, and a two time World Tag Team Champion. He also won the 2008 Royal Rumble. Before being promoted to the main WWE roster, Cena trained in and wrestled for Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling, holding the top titles of both promotions.Outside of wrestling, Cena has released the rap album You Can't See Me, which debuted at #15 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and starred in the movie The Marine. He has also made appearances on television shows including Manhunt, Deal or No Deal, MADtv, and Punk'd. Most recently, Cena was a contestant on Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race, where he made it to the final round before being eliminated, placing third in the overall competition.Cena was born April 23, 1977 in West Newbury, Massachusetts, the second eldest of five brothers – Dan, Matt, Steve and Sean. After graduating from Cushing Academy, Cena attended Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. In college he was a Division III All-American center on the football team, wearing the number 54, which is still used on some of his WWE merchandise. He graduated from Springfield in 1998 with a degree in exercise physiology, after which he pursued a career as a bodybuilder, and also worked as a chauffeur for a limousine company.Cena first started training to become a wrestler in 2000 at the California-based "Ultimate University" operated by Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW). Once he was placed into an in-ring role, Cena began using a semi-robotic character known as The Prototype. Some of this period of his career was documented in the Discovery Channel program Inside Pro Wrestling School. While in UPW, Cena held the Heavyweight Championship for just shy of a month in April 2000. In 2001, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) signed him away from UPW, placing him under a developmental contract and assigning him to their "farm territory" Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he continued his training. During his time there, Cena wrestled as both The Prototype and Mr. P, and he held the Heavyweight Championship for three months and the Tag Team Championship (with Rico Constantino) for two.Cena's first televised WWE match was in answer to a (kayfabe) open challenge by Kurt Angle on June 27, 2002. Inspired by a speech given by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to the rising stars of the company, exhorting them to show "ruthless aggression" to earn a place among the legends, Cena took advantage of the opportunity and almost beat Angle by kicking out of his Angle Slam and enduring the ankle lock submission hold. He ultimately lost, however, to a hard, amateur-style pin. Following the near-win, Cena became a face and was put into a program with Chris Jericho. In October, Cena and Billy Kidman joined forces to take part in a tag team tournament to crown the first WWE Tag Team Champions of the SmackDown! brand, but lost in the first round. The next week, Cena turned on and attacked Kidman, blaming him for their loss.Shortly after the Kidman attack, on a Halloween themed episode of SmackDown!, Cena dressed as Vanilla Ice and performed a freestyle rap. The next week, Cena received a new gimmick: a rapper who cut promos in rhyme. As the gimmick grew, he adopted a variant of the 80s WWF logo — dropping the "F" — as his "signature symbol", along with the slogan "Word Life". Moreover, he was joined by an enforcer, Bull Buchanan, who was rechristened B-2 (also written B² and pronounced "B-Squared"). Buchanan was later replaced by Rodney Mack under the moniker "Red Dogg", until he was sent to the Raw brand in February.For the first half of 2003, Cena sought the WWE Championship and chased the reigning champion, Brock Lesnar, performing weekly "freestyles" challenging him to matches. During the program, Cena unveiled a new finishing maneuver: the FU, a Fireman's carry powerslam, so named to mock Lesnar's F-5. He got a match against Lesnar at April's Backlash by winning a #1 contenders tournament, but did not get the title. At the end of the year he became a face again when he joined Kurt Angle as a member of his Survivor Series team at the 2003 pay-per-view.In early 2004, Cena participated in the Royal Rumble match at the annual January pay-per-view event, making it to the final six participants before being eliminated by Big Show. The Royal Rumble elimination led to a feud between Big Show and Cena, during which Cena won the United States Championship from the Big Show at WrestleMania XX in March. During his reign, he came into contention with SmackDown! General Manager Kurt Angle over issues arising with René Duprée and Torrie Wilson. The reign ended just shy of four months when, on July 8, he was "stripped" of the belt by Angle after he (kayfabe, accidentally) knocked him over, thus "attacking an official". He won the title back by defeating Booker T in a "best of five" series that culminated at October's No Mercy, only to lose it to the debuting Carlito Caribbean Cool the next week. After the loss to Carlito, the duo began a feud, during which Cena was (kayfabe) 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, during which Cena was actually filming his feature film debut The Marine. Immediately on his return in November, he won the US title back from Carlito and debuted a "custom made" spinner-style title belt.Cena took part in the Royal Rumble in January 2005, this time making it to the final two. He and Raw brand wrestler Batista went over the top rope at the same time, ostensibly ending the match. Vince McMahon, however, appeared on stage and re-started the match in "sudden death", with Batista eventually winning. The next month, Cena defeated Kurt Angle to earn a spot in the SmackDown! brand's WrestleMania 21 main event, beginning a feud with WWE Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) and his Cabinet in the process. In the opening stages of the feud, Cena lost his US belt to Cabinet member Orlando Jordan, who proceeded to "blow up" the spinner version with JBL and return a more traditional style belt. When Cena and JBL met at WrestleMania, the title switched hands, giving Cena his first world title in the company. As part of the storyline, he then had a spinner WWE Championship belt made, while JBL took the original belt and claimed to still be WWE Champion, until Cena reclaimed the original belt in an "I Quit" match at Judgment Day.Cena's SmackDown! tenure came to a close on the June 6, 2005 episode of WWE Raw, when he became the first wrestler selected by Raw brand General Manager Eric Bischoff in the annual draft lottery. Cena immediately entered a program against Bischoff when he refused to participate in his "war" against the upcoming Extreme Championship Wrestling reunion show. With Bischoff vowing to make Cena's stint on Raw difficult, he "hand picked" Jericho to take Cena's title from him. During their feud, even though Cena was portrayed as the face and Jericho as the heel, a vocal section of live crowds nonetheless chose to boo Cena during their matches. More crowds followed suit during Cena's next feud with Kurt Angle, who took over as Bischoff's hand picked #1 contender after Cena beat Jericho in a "You're Fired" match on the August 22 Raw, sending him off the show. As the feud continued and the dissenters grew more vocal, sometimes seeming to outnumber fans by wide margins,the announce team was forced to acknowledge the boos on television and began calling Cena a "controversial champion", claiming some people disliked him on account of his "in-ring style" and his chosen fashion. Despite the mixed and negative reactions, Cena held on to his Championship through his feud with Angle, losing to him by disqualification — for which titles do not change hands in WWE — at Unforgiven in September and pinning him at Survivor Series in November. The feud with Angle also saw Cena add a secondary, submission based, finishing maneuver to his repertoire – 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 Raw.Cena lost the WWE Championship at the first WWE pay-per-view of 2006, New Year's Revolution, but not in the Elimination Chamber match that he had been advertised to participate in beforehand. Instead, immediately after winning the Elimination Chamber, he was thrust into a match against Edge, who cashed in his Money in the Bank contract — a "guaranteed title match at the WWE Champion of the owners choosing" — and after two quick spears pinned Cena for the title. Cena's championship reign ended at 280 days, matching the length of previous champion JBL. Just three weeks later, Cena won the title back at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. After winning the Championship back, Cena was put in to a program with Triple H, during which the crowd again seemed to boo the intended face (Cena) and cheer the intended heel (Triple H). The negative reaction only intensified when he faced Rob Van Dam (also cashing in a Money in the Bank contract, which he won at WrestleMania 22) at One Night Stand in June. Taking place in front of a crowd of mostly "old school" Extreme Championship Wrestling fans at the Hammerstein Ballroom, Cena was met with raucous jeering and chants of "Fuck you, Cena", "You can't wrestle", and "Same old shit". When he began peppering different moves into the match the fans responded with a chant of "You still suck". Cena lost the WWE Championship for the second time in 2006 at One Night Stand, being pinned by Van Dam after interference from Edge.In July, after Edge won the title from Van Dam in a Triple Threat match that also involved Cena, it re-ignited the feud between him and Cena from earlier in the year. After Edge went about retaining the title by dubious means — getting himself disqualified (for which Championships do not change hands) and using brass knuckles — he introduced his own version of Cena's "custom" belt, this one with his logo placed on the spinner. Cena eventually won the Championship back in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at September's Unforgiven pay-per-view, in a match that had an added stipulation that had Cena lost he would leave the Raw brand and go to SmackDown!. He returned his version of the spinner belt on the next night's Raw.On the heels of the Edge program, Cena was placed in an inter-brand angle to determine the so-called "Champion of Champions" — or which was the most dominant champion in WWE's three brands. Cena, King Booker (SmackDown!'s then World Heavyweight Champion), and Big Show (ECW's then World Champion) engaged in a mini-feud leading to a Triple Threat match at Cyber Sunday in November, with the viewers voting on which of the three championships would be placed on the line. At the same time, Cena became involved in a storyline with non-wrestler Kevin Federline when he began appearing on Raw with Johnny Nitro and Melina. After getting into a (worked) physical altercation with Federline on Raw, Federline appeared at Cyber Sunday to hit Cena with the World Heavyweight Title belt during the main event Triple Threat match, helping King Booker retain his title. 2006 ended with Cena beginning a feud with the undefeated Umaga over the WWE Championship, while 2007 began with the end of his storyline with Kevin Federline. On the first Raw of the new year, Cena was pinned by Federline (with an assist from Umaga), although later in the night he was able to get his hands on Federline to FU him.During their feud, Cena ended Umaga's "undefeated" streak at New Year's Revolution before Umaga caused a (worked) injury to Cena's spleen, putting a scheduled Last Man Standing rematch at Royal Rumble in (kayfabe) jeopardy. The match did, however, take place and Cena retained his title.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. On the April 2 episode of Raw, after losing a WWE Championship match to Cena at WrestleMania 23, Michaels "turned" on Cena, costing them the team the Championship in the second of two 10 team battles royals by throwing Cena over the top rope and eliminating the team. The Hardys (Matt and Jeff) eventually won the match and the title. For the rest of the month, Cena feuded with Michaels, Orton, and Edge until The Great Khali declared his intentions to challenge for Cena's title by attacking and "laying out" all three of the top contenders before assaulting Cena himself and stealing the physical belt. For the next two months, Cena feuded with Khali over the Championship, eventually becoming the first person in WWE to defeat him by submission at May's Judgment Day and then by pinfall at June's One Night Stand.Later that summer, prior to SummerSlam, Randy Orton was named the #1 contender to the WWE championship,starting a feud between the two. Leading up to the pay-per-view, Orton delivered a number of sneak-attacks, hitting Cena with three RKOs, but in the actual match, Cena retained the title, winning by pinfall. A rematch between the two occurred at Unforgiven, with Orton winning by disqualification after Cena ignored the referee's instructions and continued to beat on him in the corner.During a match with Mr. Kennedy on the October 1, 2007 episode of Raw, Cena suffered a legitimate torn pectoral muscle while executing a hip toss. Though he finished the match and took part in the scripted attack by Randy Orton after the match, surgery the following day found that his pectoralis major muscle was torn completely from the bone, estimated at the time to require seven months to a year of rehabilitation. As a result, he was stripped of the title in an announcement by Vince McMahon on the next night's episode of ECW, ending what was the longest WWE Championship reign in over 19 years. His surgery was performed by orthopedic surgeon James Andrews at St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. 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. Despite his injury, Cena attended the annual WWE Tribute to the Troops show filmed at Camp Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq on December 7, and aired on December 24.Cena made an unannounced return to action on January 27 as the final participant of the Royal Rumble match. He won the match, and the traditional WrestleMania title shot, by last eliminating Triple H. Instead of waiting until WrestleMania, the title shot was cashed in against WWE Champion Randy Orton at February's No Way Out, in a match Cena won by disqualification, resulting in him not getting the championship. The night after his No Way Out win, Cena was placed back in to WrestleMania XXIV's WWE Championship match, making it a triple threat match also involving Triple H, during which he was pinned by Orton. At Backlash, Cena failed to regain the title in a Fatal Four Way elimination match, in which he was pinned by Orton. Triple H won the title during that match. During that match, Cena eliminated John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), thus renewing their feud from 2005. Cena defeated JBL at Judgment Day and then at One Night Stand in a First Blood match. JBL, however, defeated him in a New York City Parking Lot Brawl at The Great American Bash. On the August 4 edition of Raw, Cena became a World Tag Team Champion for a second time when he teamed up with Batista to defeat Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase for the World Tag Team titles, but they failed to retain the titles the following week against the former champions. Cena was defeated by Batista at SummerSlam.Cena was named one of four contenders for CM Punk's World Heavyweight Championship in the Championship scramble match at Unforgiven but was replaced by Rey Mysterio after it was announced Cena had suffered a herniated disk in his neck which will require surgery and he will be out of action indefinitely. Cena underwent successive surgery to repair the herniated disk in his neck with Doctor Joseph Maroon on August 25.
Finishing and signature moves
FU (Fireman's carry dropped into either a standing takeover or a powerslam) – WWE
o Proto–Bomb[ (UPW) / Killswitch (OVW) (Belly to back suplex lift twisted into an inverted side slam) – UPW / OVW; Used as a regular move in WWE
o STFU (Stepover toehold sleeper) – WWE; 2005–present
o Diving leg drop bulldog
o Dropkick, sometimes from the top rope– UPW / OVW; 2000–2002
o Fisherman suplex
o Five Knuckle Shuffle (Fist drop, with theatrics)
o Lou Thesz press followed by multiple punches
o Running flying shoulder block
o Running one–handed bulldog
o Sitout hip toss
o Spinebuster – UPW / OVW; 2000–2002
o Throwback (Running neck snap to a standing opponent)
o Twisting belly to belly suplex
Signature foreign objects
o Brass knuckles
o Steel chain
Nicknames
o The Doctor of Thuganomics
o The Champ
o The Chain Gang Commander
o The Chain Gang Soldier
Signature taunts
o Waving his hand in front of his face, horizontally, to symbolize that "You can't see me!". (2003–Present)
o Pumping up his Reebok Pump sneakers. (2004–2006)
o Putting his hands up while spreading them and putting his thumb sideways and his pinky up, meaning "Word Life". (2002–Present)
o "Freestyling" on his opponents before his matches. (2002–2005)
o Military salute to the audience. (2006–Present)
Entrance themes
o Cena performs his current theme song, "The Time is Now", as well as the song it replaced, "Basic Thuganomics". Both songs were released on WWE soundtrack CDs (You Can't See Me and WWE Originals respectively).
Managers
o Kenny Bolin
o B-2
o Red Dogg
Finishing and signature moves
FU (Fireman's carry dropped into either a standing takeover or a powerslam) – WWE
o Proto–Bomb[ (UPW) / Killswitch (OVW) (Belly to back suplex lift twisted into an inverted side slam) – UPW / OVW; Used as a regular move in WWE
o STFU (Stepover toehold sleeper) – WWE; 2005–present
o Diving leg drop bulldog
o Dropkick, sometimes from the top rope– UPW / OVW; 2000–2002
o Fisherman suplex
o Five Knuckle Shuffle (Fist drop, with theatrics)
o Lou Thesz press followed by multiple punches
o Running flying shoulder block
o Running one–handed bulldog
o Sitout hip toss
o Spinebuster – UPW / OVW; 2000–2002
o Throwback (Running neck snap to a standing opponent)
o Twisting belly to belly suplex
Signature foreign objects
o Brass knuckles
o Steel chain
Nicknames
o The Doctor of Thuganomics
o The Champ
o The Chain Gang Commander
o The Chain Gang Soldier
Signature taunts
o Waving his hand in front of his face, horizontally, to symbolize that "You can't see me!". (2003–Present)
o Pumping up his Reebok Pump sneakers. (2004–2006)
o Putting his hands up while spreading them and putting his thumb sideways and his pinky up, meaning "Word Life". (2002–Present)
o "Freestyling" on his opponents before his matches. (2002–2005)
o Military salute to the audience. (2006–Present)
Entrance themes
o Cena performs his current theme song, "The Time is Now", as well as the song it replaced, "Basic Thuganomics". Both songs were released on WWE soundtrack CDs (You Can't See Me and WWE Originals respectively).
Managers
o Kenny Bolin
o B-2
o Red Dogg
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Komentari (1) |
Trekbekovi (0)
SUMMERSLAM
nemanja6807 | 01 Decembar, 2008 01:14
SUMMERSLAM
SummerSlam (2008) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which took place on August 17, 2008 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was the 21st annual SummerSlam event and starred wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands.
Seven professional wrestling matches were featured on the event's card. The event featured a supercard, a scheduling of more than one main event. The first, featuring wrestlers from the SmackDown brand, saw The Undertaker defeat Edge in a Hell in a Cell match, a match that saw both men fight in a ring surrounded by a roofed steel cell. The other main event featured wrestlers from the Raw brand, in which Batista defeated John Cena in a standard wrestling match. Three featured bouts were scheduled on the undercard. In a standard match from SmackDown, WWE Champion Triple H defeated challenger The Great Khali to retain his title. Another was a standard match involving wrestlers the Raw brand, where World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defeated challenger John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) to retain his title. The ECW brand's sole contribution to the card saw Matt Hardy defeat ECW Champion Mark Henry by disqualification, as a result of WWE regulations, Hardy did not win the title as they can only be won via pinfall or submission.
The buildup to the matches and the scenarios that took place before, during, and after the event were planned by WWE's creative staff. The event featured wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands: storyline expansions of the promotion where employees are assigned to wrestling brands under the WWE banner.
The main rivalry on the SmackDown brand was between Edge (Adam Copeland) and The Undertaker (Mark Calaway). During 2008, the two had previously fought in four pay-per-view events over the World Heavyweight Championship. The two would finally face each other in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, a match in which any of these items can be used as weapons with the objective to climb a ladder and reach the title belt hanging above the ring, at One Night Stand for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. An additional stipulation was added to the match, in which, if The Undertaker should lose the match, he would be banished from WWE. Edge won the match, thus The Undertaker was forced to, as part of the storyline, leave WWE. On the July 18 episode of SmackDown, Edge and General Manager Vickie Guerrero held their scripted wedding reception. At the end of the show as Guerrero and Edge were in the ring, Triple H (Paul Levesque) appeared to reveal Edge's secret love affair with Edge and Guerrero's wedding planner, Alicia Fox (Victoria Crawford). During Edge and Triple H's match for the WWE Championship at The Great American Bash, both Guerrero and Fox would interfere, in the process distracting Edge and giving Triple H the opportunity to retain his title. Despite an apology from Edge on the July 25 episode of SmackDown, Guerrero announced that she had reinstated The Undertaker and announced that he would face Edge at SummerSlam in a Hell in a Cell match.
Triple H, who feuded with The Great Khali over his WWE Championship.
Another rivalry from the SmackDown brand was between Triple H and The Great Khali (Dalip Singh Rana) over the WWE Championship. On the July 25 edition of SmackDown, a Battle Royal was held, where the winner would receive a WWE Championship match against Triple H at SummerSlam. Khali won the match, which also involved The Big Show (Paul Wight), Jeff Hardy, Mr. Kennedy (Ken Anderson), Umaga (Eddie Fatu), and Montel Vontavious Porter (Alvin Burke, Jr.).
The primary rivalry on the Raw brand heading into SummerSlam was between John Cena and Batista (Dave Bautista). On the July 28 edition of Raw, after the main event, Shane McMahon revealed Mike Adamle as the new General Manager, who announced that Cena would face Batista at SummerSlam. Despite this, however, the reluctant team of Cena and Batista would win the World Tag Team Championship on August 4's episode of Raw, and lose them a week later. In an interview with Slam! Sports, Batista revealed that he was unhappy with the buildup leading into the contest, stating that he would have preferred a storyline that built up over several months. He also said that he preferred for the storyline between the two to be saved until the build-up for the WrestleMania XXV event, but the creative team wanted to push a match between the two for SummerSlam instead.
Another main feud on the Raw brand was between John "Bradshaw" Layfield (John Layfield) and CM Punk (Phil Brooks) for the World Heavyweight Championship. JBL became the number one contender for Punk's title, when he pinned Punk in a two-on-one handicap match, which also featured Chris Jericho (Chris Irvine) as JBL's tag team partner.
The main feud on the ECW brand was between Mark Henry and Matt Hardy over the ECW Championship. On the July 22 edition of ECW, Hardy won the right to face Henry at SummerSlam after winning a Fatal Four-Way match against Finlay (Dave Finlay), The Miz (Mike Mizanin) and John Morrison (John Hennigan).
Before the event aired live on pay-per-view, The Big Show defeated Bam Neely (Justin LaRouche), who was accompanied by Chavo Guerrero (Salvador Guerrero III), in a dark match. Big Show won by pinning Neely after a chokeslam.
The first match aired was between Jeff Hardy and Montel Vontavious Porter. Some of the highlights of the match included MVP delivering a belly to belly suplex to Hardy who landed hard on the turnbuckle and later, MVP kicked Hardy across the ring as the latter tried to deliver his rope-aided corner dropkick. The match involved series of counters and submission holds. Near the end, after delivering the Whisper in the Wind, when Hardy tried to hit the Swanton Bomb on MVP, Shelton Benjamin came down the entrance ramp to the ring, but Hardy took him out. In the ring, Hardy missed his Swanton Bomb, and MVP quickly kicked Hardy in the face and pinned him to win the match.
Matt Hardy, who faced Mark Henry for the ECW Championship.
The second match of the evening was a "Winners Take All" mixed tag team match with the Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston (Kofi Sarkodie-Mensah) and the WWE Women's Champion Mickie James putting their titles on the line against Santino Marella (Anthony Carelli) and Beth Phoenix (Elizabeth Carolan). The match started with James and Phoenix, who countered each other's moves for sometime. Later, they both tagged in their male partners, who continued the match. In the end, Marella tossed Kingston over the top rope and then suffered from a standing tornado DDT from James. This allowed Phoenix to capitalise and she delivered the Glam Slam to James and pinned her to win herself the WWE Women's Championship and Santino the Intercontinental Championship.
The pay-per-view continued with Shawn Michaels (Michael Hickenbottom) coming out to the ring with his wife Rebecca to announce that after consulting his doctors and his family, he had decided to (kayfabe) "retire" from professional wresting due to all the injuries he had suffered throughout his career. Chris Jericho interrupted Michaels' address, came down to the ring and asked him to say that he was quitting WWE because of what Jericho did to him. In retaliation, Michaels insulted Jericho, calling him a "vile and selfish human being", and said that he should go home and tell his family that "he (Jericho) will never ever be Shawn Michaels". As Michaels and Rebecca were about to leave the ring, Jericho stopped Michaels and proceeded to punch him, but he ducked and Jericho accidentally nailed Rebecca in the face. Jericho left the ring, as Michaels and WWE medical trainers attended to Rebecca, who appeared to have a legitimate swollen lip.
The third match was between Mark Henry and Matt Hardy for the ECW Championship. Early on in the match, Hardy delivered a Twist of Fate to Henry and covered him for a pinfall attempt, but Henry's manager Tony Atlas (Anthony White) pulled Hardy out of the ring and assaulted him. This forced the referee to call for a disqualification with Hardy as the winner of the match, but as titles don't change hands on disqualification or countout, Henry retained the ECW title. As Atlas was assaulting Matt outside, Jeff Hardy came down to his brother's aid and delivered a Swanton Bomb to Atlas from the ring apron on the outside. Later, The Hardys performed a double suplex on Henry outside the ring.
Batista, who defeated John Cena in the Raw brand's main event.
The fourth match on the card was the featured preliminary match from the Raw brand which saw CM Punk defend the World Heavyweight Championship against John "Bradshaw" Layfield in a singles match. Both men's heads collided mid-match, resulting in some bleeding from Punk. After dominating the majority of the match, JBL was defeated by a GTS (Go To Sleep) from Punk, resulting in the champion retaining the title.
The next match was the featured preliminary match from the SmackDown brand, featuring Triple H defending his WWE Championship against the Great Khali. The champion was attacked early in the match by a double-handed chokeslam from Great Khali - a move normally used to end matches. Khali controlled the match with his strength, until Triple H attacked his legs. The end came when Khali blocked two Pedigree attempts, only to fall to a third attempt to allow Triple H to make the pinfall and retain the title.
The penultimate match was the Raw brand's main event, that saw the first ever singles confrontation between John Cena and Batista. The fans were split on the two fan favorites, and each man performed numerous signature moves on the other in order to try and score the pinfall. After paying tribute to his former mentor, Ric Flair, by using his chop block and figure four leglock submission hold, Batista attempted to end the match but was trapped in the STFU. Towards the end of the match, Cena successfully counted a powerslam attempt into a fireman's carry, and hit the FU to Batista for a near-fall. In turn, Batista countered a top-rope leg drop into the Batista Bomb for a two-count. Batista then hit a kick to the face of Cena, before ending the match after a second Batista Bomb for the pinfall.
The final match on the card was SmackDown brand's main event: Undertaker versus Edge in a Hell in a Cell match. Edge dominated a large portion of the match with numerous weapons, including the trademark weapons of his speciality match, the Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. Undertaker then took control and knocked Edge through a panel in the cell, causing both men to fall outside the structure near the announcers' tables. Undertaker scored the victory after a leg choke and then a chokeslam from the top-ropes through two tables positioned outside the ring, a con-chair-to, and a Tombstone Piledriver for the final pinfall. After the match Edge was chokeslammed off of a ladder through the centre of the ring, with flames engulfing the collapsed area of the canvas. Closing the show, commentator Jim Ross alluded that Edge had been sent to Hell.
The Undertaker, who after SummerSlam feuded with La Familia.
With Edge written out of action, The Undertaker's rivalry with him was refocused towards one with the remaining members of La Familia. At the August 15 episode of SmackDown, Vickie Guerrero tried to apologize to Undertaker for her actions. Despite this, The Undertaker decided to launch an attack at La Familia. The following week saw Undertaker vow revenge on the stable.
Both main event feuds for the Raw brand were set to continue at Unforgiven with each men involved in a new concept five-man match called the Championship Scramble match for the World Heavyweight Championship that would also involve Kane (Glen Jacobs). However, it was later revealed that the SummerSlam match between Cena and Batista left Cena with a legitimate spinal disc herniation. Cena's injury saw him replaced in the match with Rey Mysterio (Oscar Gutierrez).
The SmackDown brand would also feature its own Championship Scramble match at Unforgiven with Triple H defending his WWE Championship against The Brian Kendrick (Brian Kendrick), Shelton Benjamin, Montel Vontavious Porter and Jeff Hardy. In spite of this, Triple H's rivarly with The Great Khali continued when Triple H aided Jeff Hardy during his Scramble qualification match against Khali with a chair shot.
A title rematch between Matt Hardy and Mark Henry was made at the next episode of ECW, which Henry won from interference by Tony Atlas. Shortly afterwards, ECW General Manager Theodore Long announced that ECW would have its own Championship Scramble at Unforgiven for the ECW Championship, which Hardy managed to qualify for along with The Miz (Mike Mizanin), Chavo Guerrero, and Finlay (Dave Finlay).
Seven professional wrestling matches were featured on the event's card. The event featured a supercard, a scheduling of more than one main event. The first, featuring wrestlers from the SmackDown brand, saw The Undertaker defeat Edge in a Hell in a Cell match, a match that saw both men fight in a ring surrounded by a roofed steel cell. The other main event featured wrestlers from the Raw brand, in which Batista defeated John Cena in a standard wrestling match. Three featured bouts were scheduled on the undercard. In a standard match from SmackDown, WWE Champion Triple H defeated challenger The Great Khali to retain his title. Another was a standard match involving wrestlers the Raw brand, where World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defeated challenger John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) to retain his title. The ECW brand's sole contribution to the card saw Matt Hardy defeat ECW Champion Mark Henry by disqualification, as a result of WWE regulations, Hardy did not win the title as they can only be won via pinfall or submission.
The buildup to the matches and the scenarios that took place before, during, and after the event were planned by WWE's creative staff. The event featured wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands: storyline expansions of the promotion where employees are assigned to wrestling brands under the WWE banner.
The main rivalry on the SmackDown brand was between Edge (Adam Copeland) and The Undertaker (Mark Calaway). During 2008, the two had previously fought in four pay-per-view events over the World Heavyweight Championship. The two would finally face each other in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, a match in which any of these items can be used as weapons with the objective to climb a ladder and reach the title belt hanging above the ring, at One Night Stand for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. An additional stipulation was added to the match, in which, if The Undertaker should lose the match, he would be banished from WWE. Edge won the match, thus The Undertaker was forced to, as part of the storyline, leave WWE. On the July 18 episode of SmackDown, Edge and General Manager Vickie Guerrero held their scripted wedding reception. At the end of the show as Guerrero and Edge were in the ring, Triple H (Paul Levesque) appeared to reveal Edge's secret love affair with Edge and Guerrero's wedding planner, Alicia Fox (Victoria Crawford). During Edge and Triple H's match for the WWE Championship at The Great American Bash, both Guerrero and Fox would interfere, in the process distracting Edge and giving Triple H the opportunity to retain his title. Despite an apology from Edge on the July 25 episode of SmackDown, Guerrero announced that she had reinstated The Undertaker and announced that he would face Edge at SummerSlam in a Hell in a Cell match.
Triple H, who feuded with The Great Khali over his WWE Championship.
Another rivalry from the SmackDown brand was between Triple H and The Great Khali (Dalip Singh Rana) over the WWE Championship. On the July 25 edition of SmackDown, a Battle Royal was held, where the winner would receive a WWE Championship match against Triple H at SummerSlam. Khali won the match, which also involved The Big Show (Paul Wight), Jeff Hardy, Mr. Kennedy (Ken Anderson), Umaga (Eddie Fatu), and Montel Vontavious Porter (Alvin Burke, Jr.).
The primary rivalry on the Raw brand heading into SummerSlam was between John Cena and Batista (Dave Bautista). On the July 28 edition of Raw, after the main event, Shane McMahon revealed Mike Adamle as the new General Manager, who announced that Cena would face Batista at SummerSlam. Despite this, however, the reluctant team of Cena and Batista would win the World Tag Team Championship on August 4's episode of Raw, and lose them a week later. In an interview with Slam! Sports, Batista revealed that he was unhappy with the buildup leading into the contest, stating that he would have preferred a storyline that built up over several months. He also said that he preferred for the storyline between the two to be saved until the build-up for the WrestleMania XXV event, but the creative team wanted to push a match between the two for SummerSlam instead.
Another main feud on the Raw brand was between John "Bradshaw" Layfield (John Layfield) and CM Punk (Phil Brooks) for the World Heavyweight Championship. JBL became the number one contender for Punk's title, when he pinned Punk in a two-on-one handicap match, which also featured Chris Jericho (Chris Irvine) as JBL's tag team partner.
The main feud on the ECW brand was between Mark Henry and Matt Hardy over the ECW Championship. On the July 22 edition of ECW, Hardy won the right to face Henry at SummerSlam after winning a Fatal Four-Way match against Finlay (Dave Finlay), The Miz (Mike Mizanin) and John Morrison (John Hennigan).
Before the event aired live on pay-per-view, The Big Show defeated Bam Neely (Justin LaRouche), who was accompanied by Chavo Guerrero (Salvador Guerrero III), in a dark match. Big Show won by pinning Neely after a chokeslam.
The first match aired was between Jeff Hardy and Montel Vontavious Porter. Some of the highlights of the match included MVP delivering a belly to belly suplex to Hardy who landed hard on the turnbuckle and later, MVP kicked Hardy across the ring as the latter tried to deliver his rope-aided corner dropkick. The match involved series of counters and submission holds. Near the end, after delivering the Whisper in the Wind, when Hardy tried to hit the Swanton Bomb on MVP, Shelton Benjamin came down the entrance ramp to the ring, but Hardy took him out. In the ring, Hardy missed his Swanton Bomb, and MVP quickly kicked Hardy in the face and pinned him to win the match.
Matt Hardy, who faced Mark Henry for the ECW Championship.
The second match of the evening was a "Winners Take All" mixed tag team match with the Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston (Kofi Sarkodie-Mensah) and the WWE Women's Champion Mickie James putting their titles on the line against Santino Marella (Anthony Carelli) and Beth Phoenix (Elizabeth Carolan). The match started with James and Phoenix, who countered each other's moves for sometime. Later, they both tagged in their male partners, who continued the match. In the end, Marella tossed Kingston over the top rope and then suffered from a standing tornado DDT from James. This allowed Phoenix to capitalise and she delivered the Glam Slam to James and pinned her to win herself the WWE Women's Championship and Santino the Intercontinental Championship.
The pay-per-view continued with Shawn Michaels (Michael Hickenbottom) coming out to the ring with his wife Rebecca to announce that after consulting his doctors and his family, he had decided to (kayfabe) "retire" from professional wresting due to all the injuries he had suffered throughout his career. Chris Jericho interrupted Michaels' address, came down to the ring and asked him to say that he was quitting WWE because of what Jericho did to him. In retaliation, Michaels insulted Jericho, calling him a "vile and selfish human being", and said that he should go home and tell his family that "he (Jericho) will never ever be Shawn Michaels". As Michaels and Rebecca were about to leave the ring, Jericho stopped Michaels and proceeded to punch him, but he ducked and Jericho accidentally nailed Rebecca in the face. Jericho left the ring, as Michaels and WWE medical trainers attended to Rebecca, who appeared to have a legitimate swollen lip.
The third match was between Mark Henry and Matt Hardy for the ECW Championship. Early on in the match, Hardy delivered a Twist of Fate to Henry and covered him for a pinfall attempt, but Henry's manager Tony Atlas (Anthony White) pulled Hardy out of the ring and assaulted him. This forced the referee to call for a disqualification with Hardy as the winner of the match, but as titles don't change hands on disqualification or countout, Henry retained the ECW title. As Atlas was assaulting Matt outside, Jeff Hardy came down to his brother's aid and delivered a Swanton Bomb to Atlas from the ring apron on the outside. Later, The Hardys performed a double suplex on Henry outside the ring.
Batista, who defeated John Cena in the Raw brand's main event.
The fourth match on the card was the featured preliminary match from the Raw brand which saw CM Punk defend the World Heavyweight Championship against John "Bradshaw" Layfield in a singles match. Both men's heads collided mid-match, resulting in some bleeding from Punk. After dominating the majority of the match, JBL was defeated by a GTS (Go To Sleep) from Punk, resulting in the champion retaining the title.
The next match was the featured preliminary match from the SmackDown brand, featuring Triple H defending his WWE Championship against the Great Khali. The champion was attacked early in the match by a double-handed chokeslam from Great Khali - a move normally used to end matches. Khali controlled the match with his strength, until Triple H attacked his legs. The end came when Khali blocked two Pedigree attempts, only to fall to a third attempt to allow Triple H to make the pinfall and retain the title.
The penultimate match was the Raw brand's main event, that saw the first ever singles confrontation between John Cena and Batista. The fans were split on the two fan favorites, and each man performed numerous signature moves on the other in order to try and score the pinfall. After paying tribute to his former mentor, Ric Flair, by using his chop block and figure four leglock submission hold, Batista attempted to end the match but was trapped in the STFU. Towards the end of the match, Cena successfully counted a powerslam attempt into a fireman's carry, and hit the FU to Batista for a near-fall. In turn, Batista countered a top-rope leg drop into the Batista Bomb for a two-count. Batista then hit a kick to the face of Cena, before ending the match after a second Batista Bomb for the pinfall.
The final match on the card was SmackDown brand's main event: Undertaker versus Edge in a Hell in a Cell match. Edge dominated a large portion of the match with numerous weapons, including the trademark weapons of his speciality match, the Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. Undertaker then took control and knocked Edge through a panel in the cell, causing both men to fall outside the structure near the announcers' tables. Undertaker scored the victory after a leg choke and then a chokeslam from the top-ropes through two tables positioned outside the ring, a con-chair-to, and a Tombstone Piledriver for the final pinfall. After the match Edge was chokeslammed off of a ladder through the centre of the ring, with flames engulfing the collapsed area of the canvas. Closing the show, commentator Jim Ross alluded that Edge had been sent to Hell.
The Undertaker, who after SummerSlam feuded with La Familia.
With Edge written out of action, The Undertaker's rivalry with him was refocused towards one with the remaining members of La Familia. At the August 15 episode of SmackDown, Vickie Guerrero tried to apologize to Undertaker for her actions. Despite this, The Undertaker decided to launch an attack at La Familia. The following week saw Undertaker vow revenge on the stable.
Both main event feuds for the Raw brand were set to continue at Unforgiven with each men involved in a new concept five-man match called the Championship Scramble match for the World Heavyweight Championship that would also involve Kane (Glen Jacobs). However, it was later revealed that the SummerSlam match between Cena and Batista left Cena with a legitimate spinal disc herniation. Cena's injury saw him replaced in the match with Rey Mysterio (Oscar Gutierrez).
The SmackDown brand would also feature its own Championship Scramble match at Unforgiven with Triple H defending his WWE Championship against The Brian Kendrick (Brian Kendrick), Shelton Benjamin, Montel Vontavious Porter and Jeff Hardy. In spite of this, Triple H's rivarly with The Great Khali continued when Triple H aided Jeff Hardy during his Scramble qualification match against Khali with a chair shot.
A title rematch between Matt Hardy and Mark Henry was made at the next episode of ECW, which Henry won from interference by Tony Atlas. Shortly afterwards, ECW General Manager Theodore Long announced that ECW would have its own Championship Scramble at Unforgiven for the ECW Championship, which Hardy managed to qualify for along with The Miz (Mike Mizanin), Chavo Guerrero, and Finlay (Dave Finlay).
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH
nemanja6807 | 01 Decembar, 2008 00:55
THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH
The Great American Bash (2008) was the fifth annual Great American Bash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It took place on July 20, 2008 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands.
The main match on the SmackDown brand was between Triple H (Paul Levesque) and Edge (Adam Copeland) for the WWE Championship. Triple H won the match and retained the WWE Championship after pinning Edge following a Pedigree.The primary match on the Raw brand was between CM Punk and Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship, which ended in a double disqualification after Kane interfered. The predominant match on the ECW brand was between Mark Henry and Tommy Dreamer for the ECW Championship, which Henry won by pinfall after performing a World's Strongest Slam. The featured matches on the undercard included John Cena versus John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) in a New York City Parking Lot Brawl and Shawn Michaels versus Chris Jericho.
The main feud heading into The Great American Bash on the SmackDown brand was between Triple H and Edge, with the two feuding over the WWE Championship. On the July 4 edition of SmackDown, SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero announced that Triple H would defend the WWE Championship at The Great American Bash against Edge.On the July 18 edition of SmackDown, Edge and Vickie Guerrero held their kayfabe wedding reception. At the end of the reception as Guerrero and Edge were in the ring, Triple H appeared to reveal Edge's secret love affair with Edge and Guerrero's wedding planner, Alicia Fox.
The primary feud going into The Great American Bash on the Raw brand was between CM Punk and Batista, with the two feuding over the World Heavyweight Championship. On the June 30 edition of Raw, Punk defeated Edge to capture the title, after Batista delivered a beating to Edge. On the July 7 edition of Raw, Batista became the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship after defeating John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), John Cena, and Kane in a Fatal Four-Way match. On the July 14 edition of Raw, Punk defeated Kane by countout in a non-title match. After the match, Kane attempted to attack Punk, but Batista ran to the ring to stop Kane. Batista took a steel chair and hit Kane in the forehead, as Kane rolled out of the ring. Punk offered Batista a handshake, but Batista declined and instead delivered a spinebuster to Punk.
The predominant feud on the ECW brand was between Mark Henry and Tommy Dreamer. On the July 1 edition of ECW, Henry faced Colin Delaney in a match where if Delaney had won, Dreamer would receive a title shot against Henry. Henry won the match, and Dreamer was not granted a title match.The following week on ECW Henry faced Dreamer in a non-title match. The match ended in a no-contest after Henry escaped the ring to try and attack Delaney, who was at ringside with Dreamer. Tony Atlas was the special guest ring announcer for this match, and stepped in to save Delaney from Henry's attack. Instead, Atlas turned heel, and allowed Henry to attack Delaney. Henry then returned to the ring to attack Dreamer, as the match was ruled a no-contest.
The first match of the card was a Fatal Four-Way match for the WWE Tag Team Championship featuring Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder versus John Morrison and The Miz versus Jesse and Festus versus Finlay and Hornswoggle. As the bell rang, Festus cleared the ring until The Miz and Morrison tossed Hornswoggle in the ring. The Miz and Morrison then jumped onto the ring apron, but Festus knocked them off. Hornswoggle dove out of the ring through the top and middle ropes to land atop of The Miz and Morrison. Throughout the match, the eight wrestlers would attempt to make physical contact with their respective partners to get themselves tagged into the match.
The next match was a singles match for the WWE United States Championship. Matt Hardy faced Shelton Benjamin and was pinned after being hit with the Paydirt, thus being booked to win his first title in years.
The next match was a singles match for the ECW Championship. Mark Henry with Tony Atlas retained the titled against Tommy Dreamer with Colin Delaney. Tommy Dreamer was on the turnbuckle about to finish Henry off but Delaney turned on him and pulled him into the top rope. Mark Henry then hit the World's Strongest Slam to get the win.
Shawn Michaels versus Chris Jericho
The next match was a singles match. The participants were Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho. The match started and already Michaels suffered kayfabe cracked ribs and internal bleeding. However, during the match Jericho hit a wild elbow to Shawn Michaels right eye which was injured months before by Jericho. Shawn was bleeding for the remainder of the match. Lance Cade also interfered and hit many cheap shots on Shawn while the referee's back was turned. After Jericho hit many shots on Michaels face the referee deemed Shawn Michaels unable to continue therefore the winner was Chris Jericho.
The next match scheduled was a diva's match to determine the first ever WWE Divas Champion. The participants were Michelle McCool and Natalya. McCool forced Natalya to tap with a Brazilian Heel Lock.
The next match was for the World Heayvweight Championship. The champion CM Punk faced Batista in a match. Each man continually built momentum on different occasions. Batista managed to hit a spinebuster while on the outside of the ring. As he pushed Punk back into the ring Kane interfered by attacking both Batista and Punk whiched ended the match. This meant that Punk retained the World Heavyweight Championship via disqualification.
The next match was a New York City Parking Lot Brawl. The contestants were John Cena and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). They both performed extreme moves including Cena using JBL's body to smash a car door off its hinges. In a moment of extreme passion, JBL actually set fire to a car with Cena inside. John Cena destroyed a car with JBL in it with a forklift. But finally Cena was about to hit an FU but JBL countered and pushed Cena into a window and it cut all of Cena's arm. This was enough to win the match.
The ring setup for The Great American Bash
The final match was for the WWE Championship. Triple H fought Edge for the title. Both men were dominating at different times of the match. However, near the end of the match Alicia Fox tried to give Edge the WWE Championship belt so he could use it as a weapon. However, Vickie Guerrero started brawling with Fox. Edge accidentally speared Guerrero while they were doing so in an attempt to hit the referee to delay the match. This distraction allowed Triple H to hit a Pedigree to retain.
On the July 25 episode of SmackDown, Edge apologized to Vickie Guerrero for his actions at The Great American Bash. Guerrero accepted the apology, but informed Edge that she has already re-instated The Undertaker (Mark Calaway), who had been fired as a part of the storyline between himself and Edge. Guerrero announced that at the upcoming pay-per-view event, SummerSlam, Edge would face Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match, where the ring is surrounded by a steel structure. At SummerSlam, Undertaker defeated Edge after delivering a Tombstone Piledriver Following SummerSlam, Edge was scripted to be out of action. Undertaker began to feud with Guerrero and Big Show (Paul Wight) at the next pay-per-view event, Unforgiven, when Big Show attacked Undertaker to save Guerrero from being attacked.
Following The Great American Bash, John Cena and JBL ended their feud, as did Batista and CM Punk (after a rematch the next night on Raw, which Punk won). On the July 28 episode of Raw, John Cena and Batista defeated JBL and Kane in a tag team match. After the match, on-screen authority figure, Mike Adamle announced that at SummerSlam, Batista would face John Cena in a standard match.[20] On the following episode of Raw, Cena and Batista defeated Cody Rhodes (Cody Runnels) and Ted DiBiase to capture the World Tag Team Championship. On the August 11 episode of Raw, Cena and Batista lost the tag team championship to Rhodes and DiBiase in a tag team rematch.
On the August 4 episode of Raw Adamle announced that JBL and Chris Jericho would face CM Punk in a two-on-one match that night, where whoever pinned Punk (if anyone) would face Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam. JBL won the match for his team after he pinned Punk, setting up the match between himself and Punk for SummerSlam.
The main match on the SmackDown brand was between Triple H (Paul Levesque) and Edge (Adam Copeland) for the WWE Championship. Triple H won the match and retained the WWE Championship after pinning Edge following a Pedigree.The primary match on the Raw brand was between CM Punk and Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship, which ended in a double disqualification after Kane interfered. The predominant match on the ECW brand was between Mark Henry and Tommy Dreamer for the ECW Championship, which Henry won by pinfall after performing a World's Strongest Slam. The featured matches on the undercard included John Cena versus John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) in a New York City Parking Lot Brawl and Shawn Michaels versus Chris Jericho.
The main feud heading into The Great American Bash on the SmackDown brand was between Triple H and Edge, with the two feuding over the WWE Championship. On the July 4 edition of SmackDown, SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero announced that Triple H would defend the WWE Championship at The Great American Bash against Edge.On the July 18 edition of SmackDown, Edge and Vickie Guerrero held their kayfabe wedding reception. At the end of the reception as Guerrero and Edge were in the ring, Triple H appeared to reveal Edge's secret love affair with Edge and Guerrero's wedding planner, Alicia Fox.
The primary feud going into The Great American Bash on the Raw brand was between CM Punk and Batista, with the two feuding over the World Heavyweight Championship. On the June 30 edition of Raw, Punk defeated Edge to capture the title, after Batista delivered a beating to Edge. On the July 7 edition of Raw, Batista became the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship after defeating John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), John Cena, and Kane in a Fatal Four-Way match. On the July 14 edition of Raw, Punk defeated Kane by countout in a non-title match. After the match, Kane attempted to attack Punk, but Batista ran to the ring to stop Kane. Batista took a steel chair and hit Kane in the forehead, as Kane rolled out of the ring. Punk offered Batista a handshake, but Batista declined and instead delivered a spinebuster to Punk.
The predominant feud on the ECW brand was between Mark Henry and Tommy Dreamer. On the July 1 edition of ECW, Henry faced Colin Delaney in a match where if Delaney had won, Dreamer would receive a title shot against Henry. Henry won the match, and Dreamer was not granted a title match.The following week on ECW Henry faced Dreamer in a non-title match. The match ended in a no-contest after Henry escaped the ring to try and attack Delaney, who was at ringside with Dreamer. Tony Atlas was the special guest ring announcer for this match, and stepped in to save Delaney from Henry's attack. Instead, Atlas turned heel, and allowed Henry to attack Delaney. Henry then returned to the ring to attack Dreamer, as the match was ruled a no-contest.
The first match of the card was a Fatal Four-Way match for the WWE Tag Team Championship featuring Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder versus John Morrison and The Miz versus Jesse and Festus versus Finlay and Hornswoggle. As the bell rang, Festus cleared the ring until The Miz and Morrison tossed Hornswoggle in the ring. The Miz and Morrison then jumped onto the ring apron, but Festus knocked them off. Hornswoggle dove out of the ring through the top and middle ropes to land atop of The Miz and Morrison. Throughout the match, the eight wrestlers would attempt to make physical contact with their respective partners to get themselves tagged into the match.
The next match was a singles match for the WWE United States Championship. Matt Hardy faced Shelton Benjamin and was pinned after being hit with the Paydirt, thus being booked to win his first title in years.
The next match was a singles match for the ECW Championship. Mark Henry with Tony Atlas retained the titled against Tommy Dreamer with Colin Delaney. Tommy Dreamer was on the turnbuckle about to finish Henry off but Delaney turned on him and pulled him into the top rope. Mark Henry then hit the World's Strongest Slam to get the win.
Shawn Michaels versus Chris Jericho
The next match was a singles match. The participants were Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho. The match started and already Michaels suffered kayfabe cracked ribs and internal bleeding. However, during the match Jericho hit a wild elbow to Shawn Michaels right eye which was injured months before by Jericho. Shawn was bleeding for the remainder of the match. Lance Cade also interfered and hit many cheap shots on Shawn while the referee's back was turned. After Jericho hit many shots on Michaels face the referee deemed Shawn Michaels unable to continue therefore the winner was Chris Jericho.
The next match scheduled was a diva's match to determine the first ever WWE Divas Champion. The participants were Michelle McCool and Natalya. McCool forced Natalya to tap with a Brazilian Heel Lock.
The next match was for the World Heayvweight Championship. The champion CM Punk faced Batista in a match. Each man continually built momentum on different occasions. Batista managed to hit a spinebuster while on the outside of the ring. As he pushed Punk back into the ring Kane interfered by attacking both Batista and Punk whiched ended the match. This meant that Punk retained the World Heavyweight Championship via disqualification.
The next match was a New York City Parking Lot Brawl. The contestants were John Cena and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). They both performed extreme moves including Cena using JBL's body to smash a car door off its hinges. In a moment of extreme passion, JBL actually set fire to a car with Cena inside. John Cena destroyed a car with JBL in it with a forklift. But finally Cena was about to hit an FU but JBL countered and pushed Cena into a window and it cut all of Cena's arm. This was enough to win the match.
The ring setup for The Great American Bash
The final match was for the WWE Championship. Triple H fought Edge for the title. Both men were dominating at different times of the match. However, near the end of the match Alicia Fox tried to give Edge the WWE Championship belt so he could use it as a weapon. However, Vickie Guerrero started brawling with Fox. Edge accidentally speared Guerrero while they were doing so in an attempt to hit the referee to delay the match. This distraction allowed Triple H to hit a Pedigree to retain.
On the July 25 episode of SmackDown, Edge apologized to Vickie Guerrero for his actions at The Great American Bash. Guerrero accepted the apology, but informed Edge that she has already re-instated The Undertaker (Mark Calaway), who had been fired as a part of the storyline between himself and Edge. Guerrero announced that at the upcoming pay-per-view event, SummerSlam, Edge would face Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match, where the ring is surrounded by a steel structure. At SummerSlam, Undertaker defeated Edge after delivering a Tombstone Piledriver Following SummerSlam, Edge was scripted to be out of action. Undertaker began to feud with Guerrero and Big Show (Paul Wight) at the next pay-per-view event, Unforgiven, when Big Show attacked Undertaker to save Guerrero from being attacked.
Following The Great American Bash, John Cena and JBL ended their feud, as did Batista and CM Punk (after a rematch the next night on Raw, which Punk won). On the July 28 episode of Raw, John Cena and Batista defeated JBL and Kane in a tag team match. After the match, on-screen authority figure, Mike Adamle announced that at SummerSlam, Batista would face John Cena in a standard match.[20] On the following episode of Raw, Cena and Batista defeated Cody Rhodes (Cody Runnels) and Ted DiBiase to capture the World Tag Team Championship. On the August 11 episode of Raw, Cena and Batista lost the tag team championship to Rhodes and DiBiase in a tag team rematch.
On the August 4 episode of Raw Adamle announced that JBL and Chris Jericho would face CM Punk in a two-on-one match that night, where whoever pinned Punk (if anyone) would face Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam. JBL won the match for his team after he pinned Punk, setting up the match between himself and Punk for SummerSlam.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
HELL IN A CELL
nemanja6807 | 01 Decembar, 2008 00:27
Hell in a Cell
A Hell in a Cell match (sometimes referred to as Hell in the Cell) is a professional wrestling match seen in World Wrestling Entertainment in which the ring and ringside area is surrounded by a 20-foot-high roofed steel cage (or "cell") structure weighing over 5 tons. This is billed as the "amplified" version of the original, which was 16 feet high and weighed over 2 tons.
Described by SmackDown announcer Jim Ross as "the devil's playground", this type of match is known to end the most intense of rivalries due to its dangerous nature. Only sixteen Hell in a Cell matches have taken place in the WWE since its inception in October 1997.
Background
The Hell in a Cell match was first introduced at In Your House: Badd Blood on October 5, 1997 at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri. It featured The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, who had cost The Undertaker a WWE Championship bout (where he was special guest referee) against Bret "The Hitman" Hart two months prior at SummerSlam. They fought one-on-one at In Your House: Ground Zero, but the match went to a no contest after they kept knocking out officials who were trying to restore order in the match.
Their next match was meant to be a normal steel cage match, but the WWE took it one step further: instead of a normal steel cage enclosing only the ring, a bigger steel structure with a roof was made enclosing not only the ring but also the surrounding ringside area. Therefore, there is a wider space between the ring apron and the cell walls. And unlike a steel cage match (wherein escaping the cage is one way to win), the only way to win this match called the Hell in a Cell is via pinfall or submission; there are no count-outs or disqualifications.
Generally, the combatants battle inside the cell while the cell's door is locked and chained to keep out Superstars who would try to interfere in the match. However, there have been Cell matches wherein the wrestlers have fought outside (and even on top of) the cell, as well as non-participants interjecting themselves in the match:
• In the first Cell match, the door was unlocked to allow the removal of an injured cameraman. This led to Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker fighting outside the cell, eventually climbing the structure and fighting on top of the cell. The fighting taking place outside of the Cell led to the first fall from the cell, when Shawn Michaels, hanging from the edge of the structure, had his hands stepped on by The Undertaker and fell from the structure, crashing into the table below.
• Also in the first Cell match, the goal of no interference was not achieved when Kane made his debut, ripping the door off of the cage and giving a Tombstone piledriver to The Undertaker, allowing Michaels to crawl and pin Undertaker.
• In the Mankind vs The Undertaker match, both the competitors climbed to the top of the cell and started their match there, resulting to Mankind falling 16 feet onto the announcers table as well as him being Chokeslammed by The Undertaker through the top of the Cell.
• In the Triple H vs Cactus Jack match, Cactus Jack threw steel steps at Triple H but missed and damaged the wall, then charged repeatedly towards the cell wall until it broke for the two to get through.
• In the Six-Man match at Armageddon, Vince McMahon used a truck to pull off the door of the cell while attempting to destroy the cell and stop the match. This led to all six Superstars brawling outside and on top of the cell. Rikishi was thrown off the roof of the cell onto the truck by The Undertaker.
• In the Triple H vs Chris Jericho match, the door was opened with bolt cutters to allow the removal of legitimately injured referee Tim White. This was the last Hell in a Cell match where the wrestlers climbed and fought on top of a cell, and the first and only Cell match where someone (Chris Jericho) got pinned on top of the cell.
• In the Edge vs The Undertaker match, Edge launched himself from the steel ring steps and speared The Undertaker crashing through the cell wall and landing outside the cell.
Hell in a Cell matches are rare in the WWE as it is designed to end the most intense feuds and to "shorten careers." The Superstars who fight inside the Cell usually beat each other so badly that their rivalry will be ended forever. There have only been 16 such matches in the WWE, 14 of which are seen only on pay-per-view events due to the logistical difficulty in setting them up, the match's dangerous nature, and its perception as a special attraction. However, there are two Cell matches that have been shown on TV, both in 1998 on Raw.
The cell and the match itself are billed as very dangerous by WWE announcers and Superstars. Jim Ross, who have called many Hell in a Cell matches, have described the cell as "two tons of unforgiving steel" and as a "perverse, vile, diabolical structure." Jerry "The King" Lawler, Michael Cole & Tazz have described the match as the most gruesome in the WWE. Nobody in the WWE today has been in a Hell In A Cell match more than Triple H and The Undertaker.
• The cell itself was used during a First Blood Match between Steve Austin and Kane at King of the Ring 1998, but it was not officially a Hell in a Cell match. (The cell had been used earlier in the evening for the match between the Undertaker and Mankind.) The cell was only lowered twice during their match.
• The cell was also used in a Kennel from Hell match between Al Snow and The Big Boss Man at Unforgiven 1999. The match was a cage match inside a Hell in a Cell cage, and the space between the cage and the Cell cage was occupied by "rabid" dogs. These "rabid" dogs were more interested in sniffing each others butts.
• The Undertaker has been in the Hell In A Cell the most times with 9 appearances.
• Triple H has won the most Hell In A Cell matches with 5 wins
• Notable Hell in a Cell moments
Towards the end of the first-ever Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, Kane made his debut. The match became the only Hell in a Cell match to earn a five star rating from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
During the Hell in a Cell match between Kane and Mankind, Undertaker got involved on Kane's behalf and pulled Mankind off the cell wall causing him to fall through an announce table.
The Undertaker vs. Mankind, the third ever Hell in a Cell match, occurred at King of the Ring 1998. A couple of minutes into the match, The Undertaker threw Mankind off of the top of the cell, which was a full 16 feet, onto the Spanish Announce team table. The footage of that fall has since become one of the most used videos in professional wrestling history, and inspired play-by-play commentator Jim Ross to utter what is considered the most memorable comment in the history of pro-wrestling: "Good God almighty, good God almighty! That killed him! With God as my witness, he is broken in half!" Later, back on the roof of the cell, Undertaker chokeslammed Mankind through the roof onto the unbudging ring below (this was a botch and was never supposed to happen), causing commentator Jim Ross to scream "Good God, good God, will somebody stop the damn match?! Enough is enough!" while his broadcast partner Jerry 'the King' muttered softly "That's it; he's dead". Even though they tried to stretcher Foley out of the arena, he got off the stretcher and went back to the ring to finish the match. The match was named PWI Match of the Year in 1998 and is the only Hell in a Cell match to win the award. The match is on the Mick Foley's Greatest Hits and Misses DVD. It is also on Tombstone: The History of The Undertaker.
The Undertaker vs. Big Bossman Hell in a Cell at Wrestlemania XV was the second shortest Hell in a Cell ever, and is noteworthy only for its bizzare ending where the Brood assisted the Undertaker in hanging Bossman from the Cell, representing the "symbolic" hanging of the Corporation by the Ministry of Darkness.
The Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels match was by far the longest Hell in a Cell match ever, clocking in at over 45 minutes. It was exceptionally brutal and bloody, and included the use of the steel steps, tables, ladders, and chairs.
Described by SmackDown announcer Jim Ross as "the devil's playground", this type of match is known to end the most intense of rivalries due to its dangerous nature. Only sixteen Hell in a Cell matches have taken place in the WWE since its inception in October 1997.
Background
The Hell in a Cell match was first introduced at In Your House: Badd Blood on October 5, 1997 at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri. It featured The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, who had cost The Undertaker a WWE Championship bout (where he was special guest referee) against Bret "The Hitman" Hart two months prior at SummerSlam. They fought one-on-one at In Your House: Ground Zero, but the match went to a no contest after they kept knocking out officials who were trying to restore order in the match.
Their next match was meant to be a normal steel cage match, but the WWE took it one step further: instead of a normal steel cage enclosing only the ring, a bigger steel structure with a roof was made enclosing not only the ring but also the surrounding ringside area. Therefore, there is a wider space between the ring apron and the cell walls. And unlike a steel cage match (wherein escaping the cage is one way to win), the only way to win this match called the Hell in a Cell is via pinfall or submission; there are no count-outs or disqualifications.
Generally, the combatants battle inside the cell while the cell's door is locked and chained to keep out Superstars who would try to interfere in the match. However, there have been Cell matches wherein the wrestlers have fought outside (and even on top of) the cell, as well as non-participants interjecting themselves in the match:
• In the first Cell match, the door was unlocked to allow the removal of an injured cameraman. This led to Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker fighting outside the cell, eventually climbing the structure and fighting on top of the cell. The fighting taking place outside of the Cell led to the first fall from the cell, when Shawn Michaels, hanging from the edge of the structure, had his hands stepped on by The Undertaker and fell from the structure, crashing into the table below.
• Also in the first Cell match, the goal of no interference was not achieved when Kane made his debut, ripping the door off of the cage and giving a Tombstone piledriver to The Undertaker, allowing Michaels to crawl and pin Undertaker.
• In the Mankind vs The Undertaker match, both the competitors climbed to the top of the cell and started their match there, resulting to Mankind falling 16 feet onto the announcers table as well as him being Chokeslammed by The Undertaker through the top of the Cell.
• In the Triple H vs Cactus Jack match, Cactus Jack threw steel steps at Triple H but missed and damaged the wall, then charged repeatedly towards the cell wall until it broke for the two to get through.
• In the Six-Man match at Armageddon, Vince McMahon used a truck to pull off the door of the cell while attempting to destroy the cell and stop the match. This led to all six Superstars brawling outside and on top of the cell. Rikishi was thrown off the roof of the cell onto the truck by The Undertaker.
• In the Triple H vs Chris Jericho match, the door was opened with bolt cutters to allow the removal of legitimately injured referee Tim White. This was the last Hell in a Cell match where the wrestlers climbed and fought on top of a cell, and the first and only Cell match where someone (Chris Jericho) got pinned on top of the cell.
• In the Edge vs The Undertaker match, Edge launched himself from the steel ring steps and speared The Undertaker crashing through the cell wall and landing outside the cell.
Hell in a Cell matches are rare in the WWE as it is designed to end the most intense feuds and to "shorten careers." The Superstars who fight inside the Cell usually beat each other so badly that their rivalry will be ended forever. There have only been 16 such matches in the WWE, 14 of which are seen only on pay-per-view events due to the logistical difficulty in setting them up, the match's dangerous nature, and its perception as a special attraction. However, there are two Cell matches that have been shown on TV, both in 1998 on Raw.
The cell and the match itself are billed as very dangerous by WWE announcers and Superstars. Jim Ross, who have called many Hell in a Cell matches, have described the cell as "two tons of unforgiving steel" and as a "perverse, vile, diabolical structure." Jerry "The King" Lawler, Michael Cole & Tazz have described the match as the most gruesome in the WWE. Nobody in the WWE today has been in a Hell In A Cell match more than Triple H and The Undertaker.
• The cell itself was used during a First Blood Match between Steve Austin and Kane at King of the Ring 1998, but it was not officially a Hell in a Cell match. (The cell had been used earlier in the evening for the match between the Undertaker and Mankind.) The cell was only lowered twice during their match.
• The cell was also used in a Kennel from Hell match between Al Snow and The Big Boss Man at Unforgiven 1999. The match was a cage match inside a Hell in a Cell cage, and the space between the cage and the Cell cage was occupied by "rabid" dogs. These "rabid" dogs were more interested in sniffing each others butts.
• The Undertaker has been in the Hell In A Cell the most times with 9 appearances.
• Triple H has won the most Hell In A Cell matches with 5 wins
• Notable Hell in a Cell moments
Towards the end of the first-ever Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, Kane made his debut. The match became the only Hell in a Cell match to earn a five star rating from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
During the Hell in a Cell match between Kane and Mankind, Undertaker got involved on Kane's behalf and pulled Mankind off the cell wall causing him to fall through an announce table.
The Undertaker vs. Mankind, the third ever Hell in a Cell match, occurred at King of the Ring 1998. A couple of minutes into the match, The Undertaker threw Mankind off of the top of the cell, which was a full 16 feet, onto the Spanish Announce team table. The footage of that fall has since become one of the most used videos in professional wrestling history, and inspired play-by-play commentator Jim Ross to utter what is considered the most memorable comment in the history of pro-wrestling: "Good God almighty, good God almighty! That killed him! With God as my witness, he is broken in half!" Later, back on the roof of the cell, Undertaker chokeslammed Mankind through the roof onto the unbudging ring below (this was a botch and was never supposed to happen), causing commentator Jim Ross to scream "Good God, good God, will somebody stop the damn match?! Enough is enough!" while his broadcast partner Jerry 'the King' muttered softly "That's it; he's dead". Even though they tried to stretcher Foley out of the arena, he got off the stretcher and went back to the ring to finish the match. The match was named PWI Match of the Year in 1998 and is the only Hell in a Cell match to win the award. The match is on the Mick Foley's Greatest Hits and Misses DVD. It is also on Tombstone: The History of The Undertaker.
The Undertaker vs. Big Bossman Hell in a Cell at Wrestlemania XV was the second shortest Hell in a Cell ever, and is noteworthy only for its bizzare ending where the Brood assisted the Undertaker in hanging Bossman from the Cell, representing the "symbolic" hanging of the Corporation by the Ministry of Darkness.
The Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels match was by far the longest Hell in a Cell match ever, clocking in at over 45 minutes. It was exceptionally brutal and bloody, and included the use of the steel steps, tables, ladders, and chairs.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
ROYAL RUMBLE
nemanja6807 | 20 Novembar, 2008 02:34
ROYAL RUMBLE
Royal Rumble (2008) was the twenty-first annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It took place on January 27, 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York and was the first WWE pay-per-view broadcast in high definition.As a tradition, the winner of the Royal Rumble match received a match at WrestleMania for his choice of the WWE Championship, World Heavyweight Championship, or ECW Championship.Similar to the previous year, there was an uneven distribution of participants in the Royal Rumble match between the brands (with eleven from Raw, ten from SmackDown, and seven from ECW).
The main event was the annual 30-man Royal Rumble match, which featured wrestlers from all three brands. John Cena, the thirtieth entrant, won the match by last eliminating Triple H, the twenty-ninth entrant.The predominant match on the Raw brand was Randy Orton versus Jeff Hardy for the WWE Championship, which Orton won by pinfall after performing an RKO. The primary match on the SmackDown! brand was Edge versus Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship, which Edge won by pinfall after spearing Mysterio in mid-air. The featured matches on the undercard were Montel Vontavious Porter versus Ric Flair in a Career Threatening match and John "Bradshaw" Layfield versus Chris Jericho.
The event had 533,000 buys, up on the Royal Rumble 2007 figure of 491,000 buys.
The main feud on the Raw brand was between the Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton, with the two feuding over Orton's WWE Championship. Orton retained the WWE Championship at Armageddon against the returning Chris Jericho after being disqualified, when the then-SmackDown! broadcaster JBL ran-in, and booted Jericho in the head. Orton retained the championship as titles do not change hands on disqualifications. On the same night earlier, Jeff Hardy had defeated Triple H to earn the opportunity to face Orton at the Royal Rumble for the WWE Championship. The following night, on the December 17, 2007 edition of Raw, Hardy teamed up with Shawn Michaels to take on Orton and Mr. Kennedy. Hardy gained advantage over Orton, and pinned the champion after a Swanton Bomb to earn the victory for himself and Michaels.Two weeks later, on the last Raw of 2007, Hardy and Orton met face-to-face in an in-ring segment. Orton looked set to RKO Hardy, but Hardy countered, and delivered the Twist of Fate to Orton.Later in the night, Hardy looked set to defeat Santino Marella, until Orton appeared on the Raw TitanTron and stated that he had kicked Jeff's brother Matt where his appendix used to be, proceeding further to punt him in the head. The following week on a special "Raw Roulette" edition of Raw, Hardy defended his Intercontinental Championship against Umaga in a Steel Cage match. Hardy managed to overcome the odds in the Cage, jumping off the top of the cage onto Umaga and hitting a Whisper in the Wind to defeat The Samoan Bulldozer.On the January 14, 2008 edition of Raw, Hardy agreed to face Orton that night with his Intercontinental Championship on the line. However, as soon as the bell rang for the match, Orton immediately low-blowed Hardy, getting himself disqualified. Orton tried to deliver an RKO to Hardy on the concrete floor outside that he had exposed by removing the black floor padding, but Hardy retaliated and the two began to brawl up the ramp. And when Orton looked set to kick Hardy in the head, the Intercontinental Champion countered and back-dropped Orton onto the arena floor below. Hardy then climbed 30-foot above on the Raw set, and then Swanton Bombed off the side of the set onto Orton below. The following week on Raw, Hardy and Orton were scheduled to "shake hands", but Hardy instead shook the hands of "people he respected more than Orton", like Lilian Garcia, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross and several fans in the crowd before re-entering the ring to confront Orton. Then a frustrated Orton ordered Hardy to shake hands with him, but Hardy hit a Twist of Fate on the WWE Champion instead.
The main feud on the SmackDown! brand was between Rey Mysterio and Edge with the two feuding over the latter's World Heavyweight Championship. Mysterio won a Beat the Clock Challenge on the January 4, 2008 edition of SmackDown! defeating Edge with 90 seconds to go, and securing an opportunity for the World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble.
John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) who faced off against Chris Jericho
The rivalry between Chris Jericho and John "Bradshaw" Layfield started in Jericho's WWE Championship match against the defending champion, Randy Orton, at Armageddon. During the match, Orton whipped Jericho over SmackDown! announce table straight into JBL. On Jericho's process to get up, he ended up "nudging" JBL out of his way. Later in the match, Jericho had Orton trapped in the Walls of Jericho, when, JBL stormed into the ring and gave a kick to Jericho's face, thus giving the win to Jericho, but via disqualification, and hence, Jericho did not win the WWE Championship.This led to an argument the next night on Raw, where Jericho, who was angry about not becoming the new WWE Champion, ended up stating to JBL, who confronted Y2J via satellite from the Raw TitanTron, that "John, you are no longer a wrestling god, you're a wrestling afterthought." Afterwards, JBL gave his farewell address as SmackDown! color commentator on the December 21, 2007 airing of Friday Night SmackDown! and announced his return as an active wrestler on Raw.When JBL made his return to Raw on December 31, entering in his personal limousine with balloons and confetti shooting from the ceiling, and proceeded to address the crowd, Jericho quickly interrupted his promo and the two got engaged in a brawl along the barricade. The following week, Jericho was put into a handicap match against Snitsky and JBL. The match started with Snitsky and Jericho in the ring, but, soon after Jericho hit a Springboard dropkick on Snitsky, JBL came into the ring and attacked Jericho from behind. JBL get the better of this confrontation as he hit Jericho on the head with the ring bell and tied a cable wire around his neck. JBL then dragged Jericho, by the wire, from near the ring to the Raw set, where he assaulted him some more. Jericho suffered from a bruised larynx, burns around his neck and had difficulty speaking for a week.
Ahead of the annual Royal Rumble match, several qualifying matches for the match took place on Raw. The first qualifying match was on the December 31, 2007 edition of Raw as Umaga quickly defeated Jim Duggan to earn a place in the Rumble. Snitsky also defeated Drew McIntyre at a house show in White Plains, New York to also qualify for the Royal Rumble. Triple H failed to beat Ric Flair; therefore he was no longer allowed to compete in the Royal Rumble match, by orders made by Raw General Manager William Regal. However, after Triple H destroyed part of the lower TitanTron on the January 14 Raw, Vince McMahon announced he would allow Triple H a second chance at the Royal Rumble if he could defeat his opponent on January 21 edition of Raw. The Game defeated Snitsky, Mark Henry and William Regal in a gauntlet match to gain entry.
The main feud on the Raw brand was between the Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton, with the two feuding over Orton's WWE Championship. Orton retained the WWE Championship at Armageddon against the returning Chris Jericho after being disqualified, when the then-SmackDown! broadcaster JBL ran-in, and booted Jericho in the head. Orton retained the championship as titles do not change hands on disqualifications. On the same night earlier, Jeff Hardy had defeated Triple H to earn the opportunity to face Orton at the Royal Rumble for the WWE Championship. The following night, on the December 17, 2007 edition of Raw, Hardy teamed up with Shawn Michaels to take on Orton and Mr. Kennedy. Hardy gained advantage over Orton, and pinned the champion after a Swanton Bomb to earn the victory for himself and Michaels. Two weeks later, on the last Raw of 2007, Hardy and Orton met face-to-face in an in-ring segment. Orton looked set to RKO Hardy, but Hardy countered, and delivered the Twist of Fate to Orton. Later in the night, Hardy looked set to defeat Santino Marella, until Orton appeared on the Raw TitanTron and stated that he had kicked Jeff's brother Matt where his appendix used to be, proceeding further to punt him in the head. The following week on a special "Raw Roulette" edition of Raw, Hardy defended his Intercontinental Championship against Umaga in a Steel Cage match. Hardy managed to overcome the odds in the Cage, jumping off the top of the cage onto Umaga and hitting a Whisper in the Wind to defeat The Samoan Bulldozer. On the January 14, 2008 edition of Raw, Hardy agreed to face Orton that night with his Intercontinental Championship on the line.However, as soon as the bell rang for the match, Orton immediately low-blowed Hardy, getting himself disqualified. Orton tried to deliver an RKO to Hardy on the concrete floor outside that he had exposed by removing the black floor padding, but Hardy retaliated and the two began to brawl up the ramp. And when Orton looked set to kick Hardy in the head, the Intercontinental Champion countered and back-dropped Orton onto the arena floor below. Hardy then climbed 30-foot above on the Raw set, and then Swanton Bombed off the side of the set onto Orton below.The following week on Raw, Hardy and Orton were scheduled to "shake hands", but Hardy instead shook the hands of "people he respected more than Orton", like Lilian Garcia, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross and several fans in the crowd before re-entering the ring to confront Orton. Then a frustrated Orton ordered Hardy to shake hands with him, but Hardy hit a Twist of Fate on the WWE Champion instead.
The main feud on the SmackDown! brand was between Rey Mysterio and Edge with the two feuding over the latter's World Heavyweight Championship. Mysterio won a Beat the Clock Challenge on the January 4, 2008 edition of SmackDown! defeating Edge with 90 seconds to go, and securing an opportunity for the World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble.
John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) who faced off against Chris Jericho
The rivalry between Chris Jericho and John "Bradshaw" Layfield started in Jericho's WWE Championship match against the defending champion, Randy Orton, at Armageddon. During the match, Orton whipped Jericho over SmackDown! announce table straight into JBL. On Jericho's process to get up, he ended up "nudging" JBL out of his way. Later in the match, Jericho had Orton trapped in the Walls of Jericho, when, JBL stormed into the ring and gave a kick to Jericho's face, thus giving the win to Jericho, but via disqualification, and hence, Jericho did not win the WWE Championship. This led to an argument the next night on Raw, where Jericho, who was angry about not becoming the new WWE Champion, ended up stating to JBL, who confronted Y2J via satellite from the Raw TitanTron, that "John, you are no longer a wrestling god, you're a wrestling afterthought." Afterwards, JBL gave his farewell address as SmackDown! color commentator on the December 21, 2007 airing of Friday Night SmackDown! and announced his return as an active wrestler on Raw.When JBL made his return to Raw on December 31, entering in his personal limousine with balloons and confetti shooting from the ceiling, and proceeded to address the crowd, Jericho quickly interrupted his promo and the two got engaged in a brawl along the barricade. The following week, Jericho was put into a handicap match against Snitsky and JBL. The match started with Snitsky and Jericho in the ring, but, soon after Jericho hit a Springboard dropkick on Snitsky, JBL came into the ring and attacked Jericho from behind. JBL get the better of this confrontation as he hit Jericho on the head with the ring bell and tied a cable wire around his neck. JBL then dragged Jericho, by the wire, from near the ring to the Raw set, where he assaulted him some more. Jericho suffered from a bruised larynx, burns around his neck and had difficulty speaking for a week.
Ahead of the annual Royal Rumble match, several qualifying matches for the match took place on Raw. The first qualifying match was on the December 31, 2007 edition of Raw as Umaga quickly defeated Jim Duggan to earn a place in the Rumble. Snitsky also defeated Drew McIntyre at a house show in White Plains, New York to also qualify for the Royal Rumble. Triple H failed to beat Ric Flair; therefore he was no longer allowed to compete in the Royal Rumble match, by orders made by Raw General Manager William Regal. However, after Triple H destroyed part of the lower TitanTron on the January 14 Raw, Vince McMahon announced he would allow Triple H a second chance at the Royal Rumble if he could defeat his opponent on January 21 edition of Raw. The Game defeated Snitsky, Mark Henry and William Regal in a gauntlet match to gain entry.
The next night on Raw, John Cena said that he did not want to wait until WrestleMania to face Randy Orton. The two agreed to face each other at No Way Out for the WWE Championship. In the match, Cena won after Orton intentionally got himself disqualified. As a result, Orton retained the title.At No Way Out, Triple H won Raw's Elimination Chamber by pinning Jeff Hardy last after a Pedigree on a steel chair and earned the right to face Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XXIV.At WrestleMania XXIV, Randy Orton would go on to retain the WWE Championship against Triple H and John Cena in a Triple Threat.
Rey Mysterio received a rematch against Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship at No Way Out. Edge defeated Mysterio, who had suffered a biceps injury prior to the match.The Undertaker also won SmackDown's Elimination Chamber by pinning Batista last after a Tombstone Piledriver and earned the right to face Edge at WrestleMania XXIV. The Undertaker would go on to win the World Heavyweight title from Edge at Wrestlemania XXIV via Submission using the gogoplata submissive choke.
The Ric Flair retirement storyline continued as Flair defeated Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) that same week on SmackDown! in a re-match, which he won by disqualification. He then faced Mr. Kennedy at No Way Out. Flair defeated Kennedy to further extend his wrestling career. Shawn Michaels would defeat Ric Flair at Wrestlemania XXIV ending the career of Ric Flair.
The main event was the annual 30-man Royal Rumble match, which featured wrestlers from all three brands. John Cena, the thirtieth entrant, won the match by last eliminating Triple H, the twenty-ninth entrant.The predominant match on the Raw brand was Randy Orton versus Jeff Hardy for the WWE Championship, which Orton won by pinfall after performing an RKO. The primary match on the SmackDown! brand was Edge versus Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship, which Edge won by pinfall after spearing Mysterio in mid-air. The featured matches on the undercard were Montel Vontavious Porter versus Ric Flair in a Career Threatening match and John "Bradshaw" Layfield versus Chris Jericho.
The event had 533,000 buys, up on the Royal Rumble 2007 figure of 491,000 buys.
The main feud on the Raw brand was between the Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton, with the two feuding over Orton's WWE Championship. Orton retained the WWE Championship at Armageddon against the returning Chris Jericho after being disqualified, when the then-SmackDown! broadcaster JBL ran-in, and booted Jericho in the head. Orton retained the championship as titles do not change hands on disqualifications. On the same night earlier, Jeff Hardy had defeated Triple H to earn the opportunity to face Orton at the Royal Rumble for the WWE Championship. The following night, on the December 17, 2007 edition of Raw, Hardy teamed up with Shawn Michaels to take on Orton and Mr. Kennedy. Hardy gained advantage over Orton, and pinned the champion after a Swanton Bomb to earn the victory for himself and Michaels.Two weeks later, on the last Raw of 2007, Hardy and Orton met face-to-face in an in-ring segment. Orton looked set to RKO Hardy, but Hardy countered, and delivered the Twist of Fate to Orton.Later in the night, Hardy looked set to defeat Santino Marella, until Orton appeared on the Raw TitanTron and stated that he had kicked Jeff's brother Matt where his appendix used to be, proceeding further to punt him in the head. The following week on a special "Raw Roulette" edition of Raw, Hardy defended his Intercontinental Championship against Umaga in a Steel Cage match. Hardy managed to overcome the odds in the Cage, jumping off the top of the cage onto Umaga and hitting a Whisper in the Wind to defeat The Samoan Bulldozer.On the January 14, 2008 edition of Raw, Hardy agreed to face Orton that night with his Intercontinental Championship on the line. However, as soon as the bell rang for the match, Orton immediately low-blowed Hardy, getting himself disqualified. Orton tried to deliver an RKO to Hardy on the concrete floor outside that he had exposed by removing the black floor padding, but Hardy retaliated and the two began to brawl up the ramp. And when Orton looked set to kick Hardy in the head, the Intercontinental Champion countered and back-dropped Orton onto the arena floor below. Hardy then climbed 30-foot above on the Raw set, and then Swanton Bombed off the side of the set onto Orton below. The following week on Raw, Hardy and Orton were scheduled to "shake hands", but Hardy instead shook the hands of "people he respected more than Orton", like Lilian Garcia, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross and several fans in the crowd before re-entering the ring to confront Orton. Then a frustrated Orton ordered Hardy to shake hands with him, but Hardy hit a Twist of Fate on the WWE Champion instead.
The main feud on the SmackDown! brand was between Rey Mysterio and Edge with the two feuding over the latter's World Heavyweight Championship. Mysterio won a Beat the Clock Challenge on the January 4, 2008 edition of SmackDown! defeating Edge with 90 seconds to go, and securing an opportunity for the World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble.
John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) who faced off against Chris Jericho
The rivalry between Chris Jericho and John "Bradshaw" Layfield started in Jericho's WWE Championship match against the defending champion, Randy Orton, at Armageddon. During the match, Orton whipped Jericho over SmackDown! announce table straight into JBL. On Jericho's process to get up, he ended up "nudging" JBL out of his way. Later in the match, Jericho had Orton trapped in the Walls of Jericho, when, JBL stormed into the ring and gave a kick to Jericho's face, thus giving the win to Jericho, but via disqualification, and hence, Jericho did not win the WWE Championship.This led to an argument the next night on Raw, where Jericho, who was angry about not becoming the new WWE Champion, ended up stating to JBL, who confronted Y2J via satellite from the Raw TitanTron, that "John, you are no longer a wrestling god, you're a wrestling afterthought." Afterwards, JBL gave his farewell address as SmackDown! color commentator on the December 21, 2007 airing of Friday Night SmackDown! and announced his return as an active wrestler on Raw.When JBL made his return to Raw on December 31, entering in his personal limousine with balloons and confetti shooting from the ceiling, and proceeded to address the crowd, Jericho quickly interrupted his promo and the two got engaged in a brawl along the barricade. The following week, Jericho was put into a handicap match against Snitsky and JBL. The match started with Snitsky and Jericho in the ring, but, soon after Jericho hit a Springboard dropkick on Snitsky, JBL came into the ring and attacked Jericho from behind. JBL get the better of this confrontation as he hit Jericho on the head with the ring bell and tied a cable wire around his neck. JBL then dragged Jericho, by the wire, from near the ring to the Raw set, where he assaulted him some more. Jericho suffered from a bruised larynx, burns around his neck and had difficulty speaking for a week.
Ahead of the annual Royal Rumble match, several qualifying matches for the match took place on Raw. The first qualifying match was on the December 31, 2007 edition of Raw as Umaga quickly defeated Jim Duggan to earn a place in the Rumble. Snitsky also defeated Drew McIntyre at a house show in White Plains, New York to also qualify for the Royal Rumble. Triple H failed to beat Ric Flair; therefore he was no longer allowed to compete in the Royal Rumble match, by orders made by Raw General Manager William Regal. However, after Triple H destroyed part of the lower TitanTron on the January 14 Raw, Vince McMahon announced he would allow Triple H a second chance at the Royal Rumble if he could defeat his opponent on January 21 edition of Raw. The Game defeated Snitsky, Mark Henry and William Regal in a gauntlet match to gain entry.
The main feud on the Raw brand was between the Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton, with the two feuding over Orton's WWE Championship. Orton retained the WWE Championship at Armageddon against the returning Chris Jericho after being disqualified, when the then-SmackDown! broadcaster JBL ran-in, and booted Jericho in the head. Orton retained the championship as titles do not change hands on disqualifications. On the same night earlier, Jeff Hardy had defeated Triple H to earn the opportunity to face Orton at the Royal Rumble for the WWE Championship. The following night, on the December 17, 2007 edition of Raw, Hardy teamed up with Shawn Michaels to take on Orton and Mr. Kennedy. Hardy gained advantage over Orton, and pinned the champion after a Swanton Bomb to earn the victory for himself and Michaels. Two weeks later, on the last Raw of 2007, Hardy and Orton met face-to-face in an in-ring segment. Orton looked set to RKO Hardy, but Hardy countered, and delivered the Twist of Fate to Orton. Later in the night, Hardy looked set to defeat Santino Marella, until Orton appeared on the Raw TitanTron and stated that he had kicked Jeff's brother Matt where his appendix used to be, proceeding further to punt him in the head. The following week on a special "Raw Roulette" edition of Raw, Hardy defended his Intercontinental Championship against Umaga in a Steel Cage match. Hardy managed to overcome the odds in the Cage, jumping off the top of the cage onto Umaga and hitting a Whisper in the Wind to defeat The Samoan Bulldozer. On the January 14, 2008 edition of Raw, Hardy agreed to face Orton that night with his Intercontinental Championship on the line.However, as soon as the bell rang for the match, Orton immediately low-blowed Hardy, getting himself disqualified. Orton tried to deliver an RKO to Hardy on the concrete floor outside that he had exposed by removing the black floor padding, but Hardy retaliated and the two began to brawl up the ramp. And when Orton looked set to kick Hardy in the head, the Intercontinental Champion countered and back-dropped Orton onto the arena floor below. Hardy then climbed 30-foot above on the Raw set, and then Swanton Bombed off the side of the set onto Orton below.The following week on Raw, Hardy and Orton were scheduled to "shake hands", but Hardy instead shook the hands of "people he respected more than Orton", like Lilian Garcia, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross and several fans in the crowd before re-entering the ring to confront Orton. Then a frustrated Orton ordered Hardy to shake hands with him, but Hardy hit a Twist of Fate on the WWE Champion instead.
The main feud on the SmackDown! brand was between Rey Mysterio and Edge with the two feuding over the latter's World Heavyweight Championship. Mysterio won a Beat the Clock Challenge on the January 4, 2008 edition of SmackDown! defeating Edge with 90 seconds to go, and securing an opportunity for the World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble.
John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) who faced off against Chris Jericho
The rivalry between Chris Jericho and John "Bradshaw" Layfield started in Jericho's WWE Championship match against the defending champion, Randy Orton, at Armageddon. During the match, Orton whipped Jericho over SmackDown! announce table straight into JBL. On Jericho's process to get up, he ended up "nudging" JBL out of his way. Later in the match, Jericho had Orton trapped in the Walls of Jericho, when, JBL stormed into the ring and gave a kick to Jericho's face, thus giving the win to Jericho, but via disqualification, and hence, Jericho did not win the WWE Championship. This led to an argument the next night on Raw, where Jericho, who was angry about not becoming the new WWE Champion, ended up stating to JBL, who confronted Y2J via satellite from the Raw TitanTron, that "John, you are no longer a wrestling god, you're a wrestling afterthought." Afterwards, JBL gave his farewell address as SmackDown! color commentator on the December 21, 2007 airing of Friday Night SmackDown! and announced his return as an active wrestler on Raw.When JBL made his return to Raw on December 31, entering in his personal limousine with balloons and confetti shooting from the ceiling, and proceeded to address the crowd, Jericho quickly interrupted his promo and the two got engaged in a brawl along the barricade. The following week, Jericho was put into a handicap match against Snitsky and JBL. The match started with Snitsky and Jericho in the ring, but, soon after Jericho hit a Springboard dropkick on Snitsky, JBL came into the ring and attacked Jericho from behind. JBL get the better of this confrontation as he hit Jericho on the head with the ring bell and tied a cable wire around his neck. JBL then dragged Jericho, by the wire, from near the ring to the Raw set, where he assaulted him some more. Jericho suffered from a bruised larynx, burns around his neck and had difficulty speaking for a week.
Ahead of the annual Royal Rumble match, several qualifying matches for the match took place on Raw. The first qualifying match was on the December 31, 2007 edition of Raw as Umaga quickly defeated Jim Duggan to earn a place in the Rumble. Snitsky also defeated Drew McIntyre at a house show in White Plains, New York to also qualify for the Royal Rumble. Triple H failed to beat Ric Flair; therefore he was no longer allowed to compete in the Royal Rumble match, by orders made by Raw General Manager William Regal. However, after Triple H destroyed part of the lower TitanTron on the January 14 Raw, Vince McMahon announced he would allow Triple H a second chance at the Royal Rumble if he could defeat his opponent on January 21 edition of Raw. The Game defeated Snitsky, Mark Henry and William Regal in a gauntlet match to gain entry.
The next night on Raw, John Cena said that he did not want to wait until WrestleMania to face Randy Orton. The two agreed to face each other at No Way Out for the WWE Championship. In the match, Cena won after Orton intentionally got himself disqualified. As a result, Orton retained the title.At No Way Out, Triple H won Raw's Elimination Chamber by pinning Jeff Hardy last after a Pedigree on a steel chair and earned the right to face Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XXIV.At WrestleMania XXIV, Randy Orton would go on to retain the WWE Championship against Triple H and John Cena in a Triple Threat.
Rey Mysterio received a rematch against Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship at No Way Out. Edge defeated Mysterio, who had suffered a biceps injury prior to the match.The Undertaker also won SmackDown's Elimination Chamber by pinning Batista last after a Tombstone Piledriver and earned the right to face Edge at WrestleMania XXIV. The Undertaker would go on to win the World Heavyweight title from Edge at Wrestlemania XXIV via Submission using the gogoplata submissive choke.
The Ric Flair retirement storyline continued as Flair defeated Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) that same week on SmackDown! in a re-match, which he won by disqualification. He then faced Mr. Kennedy at No Way Out. Flair defeated Kennedy to further extend his wrestling career. Shawn Michaels would defeat Ric Flair at Wrestlemania XXIV ending the career of Ric Flair.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
NO MERCY
nemanja6807 | 20 Novembar, 2008 01:56
NO MERCY
No Mercy (2008) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which took place on October 5, 2008 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. It was the 11th event under the No Mercy name and featured talent from the Raw, ECW, and SmackDown brands.
Eight professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event's card, which featured a supercard, a scheduling of numerous main events. The first was a Ladder match, in which World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho defeated Shawn Michaels to retain his title. The other was a singles match for the WWE Championship, where Triple H defeated Jeff Hardy to retain his title. Three featured matches were scheduled on the undercard. In respective singles matches, ECW Champion Matt Hardy defeated Mark Henry to retain his title, BatistaJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield, and Big Show defeated The Undertaker.Seven professional wrestling matches were featured on the event's card. Matches were planned with predetermined outcomes by WWE's creative staff and featured wrestlers playing charactersRaw, SmackDown, or ECW - the three brand divisions to which WWE assigned its employees.The leading staged rivalry scripted into the pay-per-view on the SmackDown brand was between Triple H (Paul Levesque) and Jeff Hardy over the WWE Championship. It was announced on the September 12, 2008 episode of SmackDown that there would be a Fatal-Four Way match, a standard wrestling match involving four competitors. The winner of the match would challenge Triple H for the WWE Championship at No Mercy. The Brian Kendrick, Shelton Benjamin, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) (Alvin Burke, Jr.), and Jeff Hardy were the four participants in the match, which Hardy won.
The primary match from the Raw brand was a ladder match, where the objective was to retrieve the championship hanging above the ring using a ladder. World Heavyweight ChampionChris Irvine) would defend the title against Shawn Michaels (Michael Hickenbottom) in this match. It was also announced that Batista (David Bautista) would face John "Bradshaw" Layfield in a standard wrestling match, dubbed in professional wrestling as a singles match, to determine the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.
During the September 17, 2008 episode of ECW, it was announced that Matt Hardy would defend the ECW Championship against Mark Henry.
It was announced on the September 22, 2008 edition of Raw that Kane (Glen Jacobs) would receive a singles match against Rey Mysterio (Oscar Gutiérrez). On the following week on an episode of Raw, an extra stipulation was added, in which if Kane won at No Mercy, Mysterio would be forced to unmask after the match.
It was also announced that Big Show (Paul Wight) and The Undertaker (Mark Calaway) would have a match, following the events that occurred at Unforgiven.The first match was a dark match, The Colóns (Carlito and Primo) vs. John Morrison and The Miz which The ColónsMark Henry vs. Matt Hardy. Matt Hardy was the coming ECW Champion to this match. Mark Henry came out accompanied by Tony Atlas. During the start of the match Henry overpowered Matt Hardy with attacks. One point of the match involved Hardy taking down Henry with a running chop block. Hardy then focused on attacking Henry's knee. Another point was Hardy trying to lock in a Figure Four Leglock only to be pushed face first onto the second turnbuckle. Since then Henry gained control over Hardy again. During the match Henry was able to lock in the Bearhug but Hardy countered into a sunset flip only for Henry to attempt a Banzai Drop but Hardy moving out of the way. Hardy was able to hit the Side Effect and went for the Twist of Fate only to be dropped chest first onto the mat. The end of the match involved Henry going for the World's Strongest Slam only to have Hardy counter it with a Twist of Fate. Eve Torres then interviewed Triple H and Jeff Hardy on their thoughts on their upcoming WWE Championship match.The next match was Beth Phoenix vs. Candice Michelle for the Women's ChampionshipGlamarella. However that distraction allowed Phoenix to take Candice. The end of the match involved Candice go for the Candywrapper only to have Phoenix counter it into a Glam Slam and pin Candice Michelle for the win.Kane then cuts a promo on how he's going to destroy Rey Mysterio's pride and courage.The next match of the night was Rey Mysterio vs. Kane with the stipulation that if Mysterio loses he will have to unmask. The start of the match had Mysterio springboard dropkick Kane out of the ring. Also during the start of the match Mysterio went for a running attack only to be big booted by Kane. Kane tried to rip Mysterio's mask off only for Mysterio to roll out of the ring. During the match Kane kneed Mysterio in the gut and attempted to throw him out of the ring but having Rey shoulder thrust him and hit a springboard dropkick to the spine of Kane. Kane landed on the second rope and Mysterio went for his signature 619 but Kane countered with a clothesline. A spot in the match was Mysterio going for a diving hurracanrana only to be caught by Kane who went for a powerbomb only to be headscissored over the top rope. Also Mysterio locking in a sleeper on Kane on the outside only to be thrown over a barricade. Another spot was Mysterio roundhouse kicking a kneeling Kane and following up with a Droppin' Da Dime. The end of the match was Mysterio looking to dive to the outside onto Kane but Kane hitting him with a chair shot in mid-air causing the disqualification. defeated for the entertainment of the audience. All wrestlers were from either Chris Jericho ( won.The first televised match was for the ECW Championship, which Phoenix came with to the match. The match started out with Candice taking Phoenix down with various type of kicks. Phoenix then gained control of the match by slamming Candice back first onto the corner. Phoenix then focused on Candice's shoulder with a running kick and slamming it onto the turnbuckle. Phoenix continued to focus on Candice's shoulder by locking in an armbar on her. After being in the armbar for a long time Candice was able to counter into a pin only to have Phoenix kick out. Candice then again got the upper hand on The Glamazon, Beth Phoenix with a jawbreaker. Candice was able to hit a high impact spinning wheel kick and again go for the pin but Phoenix kicked out again. Phoenix was able to gain advantage by dropping Candice face first onto the mat only to quickly have Candice knock her down from the top rope. A spot in the match was Santino Marella pulling Phoenix out of the ring while Candice went for the pin only to have Candice baseball slide.
Eight professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event's card, which featured a supercard, a scheduling of numerous main events. The first was a Ladder match, in which World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho defeated Shawn Michaels to retain his title. The other was a singles match for the WWE Championship, where Triple H defeated Jeff Hardy to retain his title. Three featured matches were scheduled on the undercard. In respective singles matches, ECW Champion Matt Hardy defeated Mark Henry to retain his title, BatistaJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield, and Big Show defeated The Undertaker.Seven professional wrestling matches were featured on the event's card. Matches were planned with predetermined outcomes by WWE's creative staff and featured wrestlers playing charactersRaw, SmackDown, or ECW - the three brand divisions to which WWE assigned its employees.The leading staged rivalry scripted into the pay-per-view on the SmackDown brand was between Triple H (Paul Levesque) and Jeff Hardy over the WWE Championship. It was announced on the September 12, 2008 episode of SmackDown that there would be a Fatal-Four Way match, a standard wrestling match involving four competitors. The winner of the match would challenge Triple H for the WWE Championship at No Mercy. The Brian Kendrick, Shelton Benjamin, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) (Alvin Burke, Jr.), and Jeff Hardy were the four participants in the match, which Hardy won.
The primary match from the Raw brand was a ladder match, where the objective was to retrieve the championship hanging above the ring using a ladder. World Heavyweight ChampionChris Irvine) would defend the title against Shawn Michaels (Michael Hickenbottom) in this match. It was also announced that Batista (David Bautista) would face John "Bradshaw" Layfield in a standard wrestling match, dubbed in professional wrestling as a singles match, to determine the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.
During the September 17, 2008 episode of ECW, it was announced that Matt Hardy would defend the ECW Championship against Mark Henry.
It was announced on the September 22, 2008 edition of Raw that Kane (Glen Jacobs) would receive a singles match against Rey Mysterio (Oscar Gutiérrez). On the following week on an episode of Raw, an extra stipulation was added, in which if Kane won at No Mercy, Mysterio would be forced to unmask after the match.
It was also announced that Big Show (Paul Wight) and The Undertaker (Mark Calaway) would have a match, following the events that occurred at Unforgiven.The first match was a dark match, The Colóns (Carlito and Primo) vs. John Morrison and The Miz which The ColónsMark Henry vs. Matt Hardy. Matt Hardy was the coming ECW Champion to this match. Mark Henry came out accompanied by Tony Atlas. During the start of the match Henry overpowered Matt Hardy with attacks. One point of the match involved Hardy taking down Henry with a running chop block. Hardy then focused on attacking Henry's knee. Another point was Hardy trying to lock in a Figure Four Leglock only to be pushed face first onto the second turnbuckle. Since then Henry gained control over Hardy again. During the match Henry was able to lock in the Bearhug but Hardy countered into a sunset flip only for Henry to attempt a Banzai Drop but Hardy moving out of the way. Hardy was able to hit the Side Effect and went for the Twist of Fate only to be dropped chest first onto the mat. The end of the match involved Henry going for the World's Strongest Slam only to have Hardy counter it with a Twist of Fate. Eve Torres then interviewed Triple H and Jeff Hardy on their thoughts on their upcoming WWE Championship match.The next match was Beth Phoenix vs. Candice Michelle for the Women's ChampionshipGlamarella. However that distraction allowed Phoenix to take Candice. The end of the match involved Candice go for the Candywrapper only to have Phoenix counter it into a Glam Slam and pin Candice Michelle for the win.Kane then cuts a promo on how he's going to destroy Rey Mysterio's pride and courage.The next match of the night was Rey Mysterio vs. Kane with the stipulation that if Mysterio loses he will have to unmask. The start of the match had Mysterio springboard dropkick Kane out of the ring. Also during the start of the match Mysterio went for a running attack only to be big booted by Kane. Kane tried to rip Mysterio's mask off only for Mysterio to roll out of the ring. During the match Kane kneed Mysterio in the gut and attempted to throw him out of the ring but having Rey shoulder thrust him and hit a springboard dropkick to the spine of Kane. Kane landed on the second rope and Mysterio went for his signature 619 but Kane countered with a clothesline. A spot in the match was Mysterio going for a diving hurracanrana only to be caught by Kane who went for a powerbomb only to be headscissored over the top rope. Also Mysterio locking in a sleeper on Kane on the outside only to be thrown over a barricade. Another spot was Mysterio roundhouse kicking a kneeling Kane and following up with a Droppin' Da Dime. The end of the match was Mysterio looking to dive to the outside onto Kane but Kane hitting him with a chair shot in mid-air causing the disqualification. defeated for the entertainment of the audience. All wrestlers were from either Chris Jericho ( won.The first televised match was for the ECW Championship, which Phoenix came with to the match. The match started out with Candice taking Phoenix down with various type of kicks. Phoenix then gained control of the match by slamming Candice back first onto the corner. Phoenix then focused on Candice's shoulder with a running kick and slamming it onto the turnbuckle. Phoenix continued to focus on Candice's shoulder by locking in an armbar on her. After being in the armbar for a long time Candice was able to counter into a pin only to have Phoenix kick out. Candice then again got the upper hand on The Glamazon, Beth Phoenix with a jawbreaker. Candice was able to hit a high impact spinning wheel kick and again go for the pin but Phoenix kicked out again. Phoenix was able to gain advantage by dropping Candice face first onto the mat only to quickly have Candice knock her down from the top rope. A spot in the match was Santino Marella pulling Phoenix out of the ring while Candice went for the pin only to have Candice baseball slide.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Komentari (1) |
Trekbekovi (0)
BACKLASH
nemanja6807 | 20 Novembar, 2008 01:51
BACKLASH
Backlash (2008) was the tenth annual Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It took place on April 27, 2008 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands. The event had 200,000 buys, up on the Backlash (2007) figure of 194,000 buys.
The main match on the Raw brand was a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match for the WWE Championship between champion Randy Orton, Triple H, John Cena, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). Triple H won the match after last eliminating Orton. The predominant match on the SmackDown brand was The Undertaker versus Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship, which Undertaker won after forcing Edge to submit with the Gogoplata. The primary match on the ECW brand was Kane versus Chavo Guerrero for the ECW Championship, which Kane won by pinfall after a chokeslam. The featured matches on the undercard were Batista versus Shawn Michaels and Big Show versus The Great Khali.
The main feud heading into Backlash on the SmackDown brand was between The Undertaker and Edge, over the World Heavyweight Championship. In February, at No Way Out, Undertaker won an Elimination Chamber match to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXIV. At WrestleMania, Undertaker defeated Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship and extend his WrestleMania undefeated streak to 16-0. On the April 4, 2008 edition of SmackDown!, SmackDown! General Manager Vickie Guerrero booked a WrestleMania rematch between Undertaker and Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash.
The predominant feud on the Raw brand was between Randy Orton, Triple H, John Cena, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield, over the WWE Championship. On the April 7, 2008 edition of Raw, after General Manager William Regal announced that Randy Orton would be defending the WWE Championship against John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) at Backlash, Triple H said that he deserved another title match. Regal then booked a Handicap match between Triple H and Orton & JBL later that night. The stipulation of the match being if Triple H won, he would become a part of the WWE Championship at Backlash. Triple H won, and made the one-on-one title match between Orton and JBL, a Triple Threat match.
After the match, however, John Cena stated that he also deserved another title match, which led to Regal booking Cena in a Handicap match against Triple H and Layfield. Cena won the match, and the match became a Fatal Four-Way match. On the April 21, 2008 edition of Raw, Raw commentator Jim Ross announced that the match was going to be an elimination match, instead of a standard one-fall match.
Edge, who faced The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship.
The primary feud on the ECW brand was between Chavo Guerrero and Kane, with the two battling over the ECW Championship. Before WrestleMania XXIV aired live on pay-per-view, Kane won a 24-Man Battle Royal to earn an ECW Championship match against Chavo Guerrero later that night. Kane would go on to defeat Guerrero and become the new ECW Champion. On the April 4, 2008 edition of SmackDown!, SmackDown! General Manager Vickie Guerrero booked Kane to defend the ECW Championship against Chavo Guerrero at Backlash. The feud intensified on the April 8, 2008 edition of ECW, where during a contract signing for Backlash, Guerrero, with assistance from Bam Neeley, Curt Hawkins, and Zack Ryder, delivered a Frog splash on Kane through a table. Two weeks later on April 22, 2008, the feud again intensified during an edition of the Cutting Edge, in which Edge, Hawkins, Ryder, and Neeley ganged up against Kane. The gang-up allowed Guerrero to attack Kane with a steel chair.
Another feud leading up to Backlash was between Shawn Michaels and Batista. Upset over the retirement of Ric Flair at the hands of Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV, Batista interrupted Michaels' address on the April 4, 2008 edition of SmackDown! and called him a "selfish" person for what he did at WrestleMania. Batista blamed Michaels for not laying down for Flair and thus protecting his career instead of retiring him. Michaels defended his actions by saying Flair had called upon him to bring his best to WrestleMania, which he did. The conflict continued on an edition of Chris Jericho's "Highlight Reel" interview segment that featured both men on the April 7, 2008 edition of Raw. Following another tense verbal standoff, Batista left the ring saying he had something in store for Michaels. Moments later, Raw General Manager William Regal said he had confirmed a match with SmackDown! General Manager Vickie Guerrero between Michaels and Batista at Backlash. In addition, the following week Jericho had a confrontation with Shawn Michaels who ended up kicking Jericho in the face. Frustrated, Jericho went to Regal in an effort to possibly add himself to the match. Regal did indeed add Jericho to the match, but not as a competitor. Instead he announced Jericho as a Special Guest Referee for the match.
The event unofficially began with WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz defeating Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore in a dark match. The first match to air live on pay-per-view was a contest between reigning champion, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) and Matt Hardy for the WWE United States Championship. MVP took control towards to beginning of the match, focusing on Hardy's left leg. MVP controlled most of the match until Hardy delivered a Side Effect to MVP. More back and forth action took placed until MVP attempted a Playmaker onto Hardy, however Hardy escaped the move and hit MVP with a Twist of Fate. Hardy then pinned MVP to win the match, and the United States Championship.
Big Show and The Great Khali starring at one another before their match
The next match was for the ECW Championship, with reigning champion Kane, competing against Chavo Guerrero (with Bam Neely). Throughout the match, Guerrero would target Kane's leg. Neely got involved midway through the match by throwing Kane's leg into the ring post. Kane attempted a Chokeslam, which Chavo escaped from. Chavo attempted a Spike DDT, and successfully delivered it. Chavo later attempted a Frog Splash but Kane caught him by the throat as Chavo jumped from the top turnbuckle. Kane then hit a chokeslam onto Chavo to win the match and retain the ECW Championship. The third match of the event was The Big Show versus The Great Khali. The match held back and forth action until Khali attempted a Khali Bomb onto Big Show. Big Show countered and body slammed Khali. The Big Show delivered a chokeslam to Khali and pinned Khali to win the match.
The next match was between Batista and Shawn Michaels with Chris Jericho as the special guest referee. Jericho would only become involved in the match during a few spots to break up Batista and Michaels. During the match, Michaels performed a Crossface onto Batista. The match left the ring for a little while as Michaels maintained control over Batista. When the match re-entered the ring, Michaels attempted a Sweet Chin Music, however, Batista countered and delivered a spinebuster to Michaels. Michaels recovered and delivered Sweet Chin Music to Batista, to get the pinfall and win the match.
Shawn Michaels with a Crossface applied to Batista
The fifth match of the event was a 12-Diva Tag-team match featuring the team of Beth Phoenix, Melina, Natalya, Victoria, Layla, and Jillian facing off against the team of Mickie James, Ashley, Maria, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, and Cherry. A back and forth match was held, which led to a spot in the match where every diva entered the match and delivered their signature moves to a Diva from the opposite team. After the situation, Ashley delivered a spear to Layla, only to receive a Fisherman suplex from Phoenix, who then pinned Ashley, earning the victory for her team.
The following match was for the World Heavyweight Championship featuring reigning champion The Undertaker facing Edge. This match featured back and forth action including various strikes, and different parts of the match taken to outside of the ring. The beginning of the match was controlled by the Undertaker until Edge exposed the steel turnbuckle, and allowed Undertaker to run into it head first. As Undertaker lie in the ring, Edge escaped and grabbed the title. He placed it down at ringside as Curt Hawkins would come down to the ring, grab the title, and hit Undertaker with it while the referee was distracted. Hawkins immediately fled the ring. The Undertaker then recovered and delivered a chokeslam to Edge. Zack Ryder ran down to the ring, but fell from the apron after being accidentally knocked down by Edge. The Undertaker then applied the Gogoplata onto Edge for the tap-out victory. After the match, Vickie Guerrero would come to the ring being wheeled by Teddy Long followed by the medics to put Edge onto a stretcher and take him backstage.
Randy Orton who lost the WWE Championship to Triple H
The final match of the event was a fatal-four way elimination match for the WWE Championship between reigning champion Randy Orton defending the title against Triple H, John Cena, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). Towards the beginning of the match, Cena was thrown into the Raw announce table from the ring apron, while in the ring, JBL and Orton teamed up against Triple H, but Triple H countered and delivered a clothesline to both men. Cena recovered and got back into the ring, and applied the STFU onto Orton. As the hold was being applied, Triple H placed JBL into a crossface. Triple H and Cena released the hold and continued on to fight one-another. Back and forth action took place until Cena forced JBL to submit to the STFU, eliminating JBL. Orton immediately ran in and delivered a punt to Cena's head. With Cena down, Orton pinned and eliminated Cena from the match. With Triple H and Orton remaining, more back and forth action took place. Orton went to execute the RKO, but Triple H was able to reverse the move and execute the Pedigree on Orton and pinned him to win the match, becoming the new WWE Champion.
The main match on the Raw brand was a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match for the WWE Championship between champion Randy Orton, Triple H, John Cena, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). Triple H won the match after last eliminating Orton. The predominant match on the SmackDown brand was The Undertaker versus Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship, which Undertaker won after forcing Edge to submit with the Gogoplata. The primary match on the ECW brand was Kane versus Chavo Guerrero for the ECW Championship, which Kane won by pinfall after a chokeslam. The featured matches on the undercard were Batista versus Shawn Michaels and Big Show versus The Great Khali.
The main feud heading into Backlash on the SmackDown brand was between The Undertaker and Edge, over the World Heavyweight Championship. In February, at No Way Out, Undertaker won an Elimination Chamber match to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXIV. At WrestleMania, Undertaker defeated Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship and extend his WrestleMania undefeated streak to 16-0. On the April 4, 2008 edition of SmackDown!, SmackDown! General Manager Vickie Guerrero booked a WrestleMania rematch between Undertaker and Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash.
The predominant feud on the Raw brand was between Randy Orton, Triple H, John Cena, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield, over the WWE Championship. On the April 7, 2008 edition of Raw, after General Manager William Regal announced that Randy Orton would be defending the WWE Championship against John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) at Backlash, Triple H said that he deserved another title match. Regal then booked a Handicap match between Triple H and Orton & JBL later that night. The stipulation of the match being if Triple H won, he would become a part of the WWE Championship at Backlash. Triple H won, and made the one-on-one title match between Orton and JBL, a Triple Threat match.
After the match, however, John Cena stated that he also deserved another title match, which led to Regal booking Cena in a Handicap match against Triple H and Layfield. Cena won the match, and the match became a Fatal Four-Way match. On the April 21, 2008 edition of Raw, Raw commentator Jim Ross announced that the match was going to be an elimination match, instead of a standard one-fall match.
Edge, who faced The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship.
The primary feud on the ECW brand was between Chavo Guerrero and Kane, with the two battling over the ECW Championship. Before WrestleMania XXIV aired live on pay-per-view, Kane won a 24-Man Battle Royal to earn an ECW Championship match against Chavo Guerrero later that night. Kane would go on to defeat Guerrero and become the new ECW Champion. On the April 4, 2008 edition of SmackDown!, SmackDown! General Manager Vickie Guerrero booked Kane to defend the ECW Championship against Chavo Guerrero at Backlash. The feud intensified on the April 8, 2008 edition of ECW, where during a contract signing for Backlash, Guerrero, with assistance from Bam Neeley, Curt Hawkins, and Zack Ryder, delivered a Frog splash on Kane through a table. Two weeks later on April 22, 2008, the feud again intensified during an edition of the Cutting Edge, in which Edge, Hawkins, Ryder, and Neeley ganged up against Kane. The gang-up allowed Guerrero to attack Kane with a steel chair.
Another feud leading up to Backlash was between Shawn Michaels and Batista. Upset over the retirement of Ric Flair at the hands of Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV, Batista interrupted Michaels' address on the April 4, 2008 edition of SmackDown! and called him a "selfish" person for what he did at WrestleMania. Batista blamed Michaels for not laying down for Flair and thus protecting his career instead of retiring him. Michaels defended his actions by saying Flair had called upon him to bring his best to WrestleMania, which he did. The conflict continued on an edition of Chris Jericho's "Highlight Reel" interview segment that featured both men on the April 7, 2008 edition of Raw. Following another tense verbal standoff, Batista left the ring saying he had something in store for Michaels. Moments later, Raw General Manager William Regal said he had confirmed a match with SmackDown! General Manager Vickie Guerrero between Michaels and Batista at Backlash. In addition, the following week Jericho had a confrontation with Shawn Michaels who ended up kicking Jericho in the face. Frustrated, Jericho went to Regal in an effort to possibly add himself to the match. Regal did indeed add Jericho to the match, but not as a competitor. Instead he announced Jericho as a Special Guest Referee for the match.
The event unofficially began with WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz defeating Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore in a dark match. The first match to air live on pay-per-view was a contest between reigning champion, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) and Matt Hardy for the WWE United States Championship. MVP took control towards to beginning of the match, focusing on Hardy's left leg. MVP controlled most of the match until Hardy delivered a Side Effect to MVP. More back and forth action took placed until MVP attempted a Playmaker onto Hardy, however Hardy escaped the move and hit MVP with a Twist of Fate. Hardy then pinned MVP to win the match, and the United States Championship.
Big Show and The Great Khali starring at one another before their match
The next match was for the ECW Championship, with reigning champion Kane, competing against Chavo Guerrero (with Bam Neely). Throughout the match, Guerrero would target Kane's leg. Neely got involved midway through the match by throwing Kane's leg into the ring post. Kane attempted a Chokeslam, which Chavo escaped from. Chavo attempted a Spike DDT, and successfully delivered it. Chavo later attempted a Frog Splash but Kane caught him by the throat as Chavo jumped from the top turnbuckle. Kane then hit a chokeslam onto Chavo to win the match and retain the ECW Championship. The third match of the event was The Big Show versus The Great Khali. The match held back and forth action until Khali attempted a Khali Bomb onto Big Show. Big Show countered and body slammed Khali. The Big Show delivered a chokeslam to Khali and pinned Khali to win the match.
The next match was between Batista and Shawn Michaels with Chris Jericho as the special guest referee. Jericho would only become involved in the match during a few spots to break up Batista and Michaels. During the match, Michaels performed a Crossface onto Batista. The match left the ring for a little while as Michaels maintained control over Batista. When the match re-entered the ring, Michaels attempted a Sweet Chin Music, however, Batista countered and delivered a spinebuster to Michaels. Michaels recovered and delivered Sweet Chin Music to Batista, to get the pinfall and win the match.
Shawn Michaels with a Crossface applied to Batista
The fifth match of the event was a 12-Diva Tag-team match featuring the team of Beth Phoenix, Melina, Natalya, Victoria, Layla, and Jillian facing off against the team of Mickie James, Ashley, Maria, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, and Cherry. A back and forth match was held, which led to a spot in the match where every diva entered the match and delivered their signature moves to a Diva from the opposite team. After the situation, Ashley delivered a spear to Layla, only to receive a Fisherman suplex from Phoenix, who then pinned Ashley, earning the victory for her team.
The following match was for the World Heavyweight Championship featuring reigning champion The Undertaker facing Edge. This match featured back and forth action including various strikes, and different parts of the match taken to outside of the ring. The beginning of the match was controlled by the Undertaker until Edge exposed the steel turnbuckle, and allowed Undertaker to run into it head first. As Undertaker lie in the ring, Edge escaped and grabbed the title. He placed it down at ringside as Curt Hawkins would come down to the ring, grab the title, and hit Undertaker with it while the referee was distracted. Hawkins immediately fled the ring. The Undertaker then recovered and delivered a chokeslam to Edge. Zack Ryder ran down to the ring, but fell from the apron after being accidentally knocked down by Edge. The Undertaker then applied the Gogoplata onto Edge for the tap-out victory. After the match, Vickie Guerrero would come to the ring being wheeled by Teddy Long followed by the medics to put Edge onto a stretcher and take him backstage.
Randy Orton who lost the WWE Championship to Triple H
The final match of the event was a fatal-four way elimination match for the WWE Championship between reigning champion Randy Orton defending the title against Triple H, John Cena, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). Towards the beginning of the match, Cena was thrown into the Raw announce table from the ring apron, while in the ring, JBL and Orton teamed up against Triple H, but Triple H countered and delivered a clothesline to both men. Cena recovered and got back into the ring, and applied the STFU onto Orton. As the hold was being applied, Triple H placed JBL into a crossface. Triple H and Cena released the hold and continued on to fight one-another. Back and forth action took place until Cena forced JBL to submit to the STFU, eliminating JBL. Orton immediately ran in and delivered a punt to Cena's head. With Cena down, Orton pinned and eliminated Cena from the match. With Triple H and Orton remaining, more back and forth action took place. Orton went to execute the RKO, but Triple H was able to reverse the move and execute the Pedigree on Orton and pinned him to win the match, becoming the new WWE Champion.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
JUDGEMENT DAY
nemanja6807 | 20 Novembar, 2008 01:37
JUDGEMENT DAY 
Judgment Day (2008) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which took place on May 18, 2008 at the Qwest Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska. It was the tenth annual Judgment Day event and starred wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands. Seven professional wrestling matches were featured on the event's card.
The main event was a Steel cage match, a match fought within a cage formed by placing four sheets of mesh metal around, in, or against the edges of the wrestling ring. WWE Champion Triple H defeated Randy Orton to retain his championship. The predominant match on the SmackDown brand was Edge versus The Undertaker for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. The Undertaker won the match by countout, but did not win the title since championships cannot be decided by countout or disqualification. The primary match on the ECW brand was a tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championships between champions The Miz and John Morrison versus Kane and CM Punk. Miz and Morrison won the match and retained the titles. Featured matches on the undercard included Shawn Michaels versus Chris Jericho, and John Cena versus John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL).
Judgment Day received 252,000 pay-per-view buys, up on the Judgment Day 2007 event figure of 242,000 buys. This event helped WWE increase its pay-per-view revenue by $21.9 compared to the previous year. When the event was released on DVD, it reached the third peak position on Billboard's DVD Sales Chart.
The event featured seven professional wrestling matches, performances with pre-determined outcomes between wrestlers with fictional personalities that are portrayed as real, were featured on the event's card. The buildup to the matches and the scenarios that took place before, during, and after the event were planned by WWE's creative staff. The event starred wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands – storyline expansions of the promotion where employees are assigned to wrestling brands under the WWE banner. Wrestlers portrayed either a villainous or fan favorite gimmick, as they followed a series of events which generally built tension, leading to a wrestling match.
Triple H as WWE Champion
The main event scripted into Judgment Day on the Raw brand featured WWE Champion Triple H (Paul Levesque) defending the title against Randy Orton in a match where the ring is surrounded by walls of steel, dubbed as a Steel cage match. The buildup to the match began after Backlash, WWE's previous pay-per-view event, where Triple H last eliminated Orton in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match, also involving John Cena and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), to win the WWE Championship. The following night on an episode of Raw, one of WWE's primary television programs, authority figure William Regal (Darren Matthews), a portrayed match maker and rules enforcer, stopped a title match between Orton and Triple H, and booked the two in a Steel cage match at Judgment Day for the WWE Championship.
One of the featured preliminary matches on the SmackDown brand was between The Undertaker (Mark Calaway) versus Edge (Adam Copeland), for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. At Backlash, the Undertaker defeated Edge to retain the World title by forcing him to submit to the gogoplata, a chokehold move that causes opponents to spit blood (kayfabe) from their mouths.On the May 2 edition of SmackDown, authority figure Vickie Guerrero stripped the World title from the Undertaker, after claiming the gogoplata was an illegal submission hold and she did it to protect the other wrestlers. The following week, Guerrero booked Undertaker in a match for the vacant title at Judgment Day against Edge, who last eliminated Batista (David Bautista, Jr.) in a battle royal, an elimination style match where the last person in the ring is the winner, to become the number one contender.
Another featured preliminary match was between Shawn Michaels (Michael Hickenbottom) versus Chris Jericho (Christopher Irvine) in a singles match. At Backlash, Michaels defeated Batista (with Jericho as the special guest referee) in an Interpromotional match. During the match, Michaels countered a Batista Bomb attempt, a powerbomb move in which the wrestler drops into a sitting position as they slam their opponent down to the mat, and appeared to have legitimately injured his left knee. On the April 28 edition of Raw, Jericho claimed that Michaels faked his knee injury to allow him to defeat Batista at Backlash, a claim that Michaels denied. The following week, it was announced that Jericho would face Michaels in a singles match at Judgment Day. On the May 12 edition of Raw, Jericho offered his apologies to Michaels for accusing him of feigning an injury, as well as giving Michaels the opportunity to back out of their match. Michaels revealed that he did indeed fake his knee injury. Four days later, on the May 16 edition of SmackDown, Batista commented that he would hurt Michaels, scripted into the storyline, for faking his injury.
One more rivalry from the Raw brand was between John Cena and JBL. In the Fatal Four-Way Elimination match at Backlash, Cena eliminated JBL by making him submit to the STFU, a move in which the wrestler wraps his arm around the neck of the opponent in a sleeper hold instead of pulling back on the head of the opponent. On the April 28 edition of Raw, JBL challenged Cena to a singles match at Judgment Day, which was made official on WWE's website.
The first televised match was between John Cena and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). JBL dominated most of the match and worked on Cena's surgically-repaired right pectoral muscle. A spot in the match saw Cena try to lift JBL from the mat into the air for a powerbomb, a move in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat, but Cena collapsed and couldn't execute the move. JBL controlled most of the match, as Cena tried to avoid JBL's assaults. JBL also applied numerous submission maneuvers on Cena. JBL swung his arm forward while running towards Cena, a move JBL calls Clothesline from Hell. Though, he went for another Clothesline from Hell, Cena ducked and lifted JBL onto his shoulders and slamming him down to the mat, a finishing move Cena calls the F-U, to get the pinfall victory over JBL.
Shawn Michaels, who faced off against Chris Jericho
The next match was for the WWE Tag Team Championship, in which the champions, John Morrison (John Hennigan) and The Miz (Mike Mizanin) defended the titles against ECW Champion Kane (Glen Jacobs) and CM Punk (Phil Brooks). The match began with Kane and Punk in control for the majority of the match. Morrison, however, attacked Kane's injured left knee. Back and fourth action took place between both teams. Punk was tagged in the match, which led to him to perform a high knee on Morrison, as well as grabbing Morrison's head and driving his face into the mat. Outside the ring, Kane chokeslammed the Miz, causing Punk to get distracted. Morrison took the advantage as he was able to perform the Moonlight Drive and pin Punk to retain the tag titles.
The match that followed was between Shawn Michaels and WWE Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho. The start of the match saw Michaels and Jericho exchange several near-falls attempts before Michaels applied the modified figure four leglock, which Jericho broke free. Jericho failed on a top rope superplex attempt, then Michaels tried to follow with an elbow drop, but Jericho managed to block it as he got his knees up. Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho, a submission hold that typically starts with the opponent laying supine on the mat, with the wrestler standing and facing them, though Michaels grabbed the bottom rope, causing Jericho to break the hold. Jericho attempted to perform the submission move once more, but Michaels caught Jericho and countered it into a straddle pin to take the win. After the match, both men shook hands.
The fourth match was a standard match involving three wrestlers for the WWE Women's Championship, in which Mickie James defended the title against Beth Phoenix (Elizabeth Carolan) and Melina (Melina Perez). The match began with James attempting a roll-up on Melina for a near fall, though Phoenix performed a clothesline on James. Melina and Phoenix tried taking the advantage over one another. Mid-way in the match, James performed a splash, from the top rope, on Phoenix for a nearfall, followed by a dropkick by James. A spot in the match saw Phoenix try to perform a backbreaker, in which she placed both James and Melina on top of her shoulders, though Phoenix did not execute the move, as Melina managed to break free from the hold and throw Phoenix out of the ring. The match concluded when James performed the Mickie DT, thus winning the match and retaining her title.
The next match was for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship between The Undertaker and Edge. The match went in and out of the ring early on, with both competitors throwing each other out of the ring. The Undertaker instinctively tried to apply the triangle choke hold on Edge, but the referee made him break the hold. Edge then tried to do one of the Undertaker's move, Old school, but the Undertaker counter the move. Mid-way in the match, Edge's associates, Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, distracted the Undertaker after performing an Old school on Edge. This distraction led Edge to remove the top turnbuckle padding. Back and fourth action was seen between the two individuals. As the top turnbuckle was exposed, the Undertaker threw Edge face first onto the top turnbuckle. As the Undertaker ran off the ropes, Edge caught him with a shoulder block takedown for a close two count. Afterwards, the Undertaker clotheslined Edge to the outside of the ring, then he rolled to the floor to follow. Undertaker took Edge over the guardrail to the front row with a clothesline while the referee began the 10 count. Both men struggled back to the floor before the Undertaker grabbed Edge into the guardrail at the eight count. He then rolled into the ring and beat the 10 count to win the match by countout and the belt. Though, authority figure Vickie Guerrero said that a title could not change hands via countout, therefore the title was still vacant. The Undertaker responded by lifting Edge upside down and dropping his head down to the mat, a move called the Tombstone piledriver.
Randy Orton, who faced Triple H in a Steel cage match for the WWE Championship
The sixth match was between Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) (Alvin Burke, Jr.) and Jeff Hardy. MVP quickly beat down Hardy and dominated early in the match. Hardy tried to come back with a mule kick from the corner, but MVP moved out of the way, leading Hardy to crash the mat face first. MVP controlled most of the match, until Hardy finally had some offense with a double foot kick in the corner. With the upper hand, Hardy performed a Swanton bomb on MVP, but MVP moved out of the way. MVP tried to perform a running big boot, but Hardy countered into a drop toe hold. The match ended with Hardy winning the match, after performing the Whisper in the Wind, a move performed by executing a backflip from the top turnbuckle, then spinning 180°, landing on a fallen opponent back-first.
The main event was the Steel cage match for the WWE Championship, in which Triple H defended the title against Randy Orton. During the beginning of the match, Triple H gained the advantage over Orton, as he lifted his knee and hit Orton in the mouth, thus Orton coming up bleeding from the mouth. Orton came back with a kick to the gut before starting his prolonged attack and bolting for the cage door to be open, but Triple H prevented him from escaping. Triple H took control as he took out Orton's knee with a chop block, a shoulder block that targets the back of an opponent's knee, and applied on a figure four leglock. After Orton broke the hold, he crawled across to the cage door to escape, but Triple H grabbed him back inside. But, on the way back in, Orton managed to grab a steel chair that was on the ring floor. Orton tried to hit Triple H with the chair, but Triple H managed to avoid being hit. Triple H grabbed the chair to hit Orton with it, but Orton hit a low blow on Triple H. Orton followed this with a chair shot to Triple H's back and performed a DDT, a move in which the wrestler falls down or backwards to drive a held opponent's head into the mat. Throughout the match, Orton tried escaping from the cage, but was not in successful in doing so, as Triple H dragged him back in each time. The match came to an end when Orton tried to hit a running punt on Triple H's head, however, Triple H grabbed the chair and hit Orton face first. Triple H followed up by tucking Orton's head between his knees and jumping up to slam his head to the mat, a move that Triple H calls the Pedigree. Triple H covered Orton for the pinfall victory, and thus retaining his title.
The main event was a Steel cage match, a match fought within a cage formed by placing four sheets of mesh metal around, in, or against the edges of the wrestling ring. WWE Champion Triple H defeated Randy Orton to retain his championship. The predominant match on the SmackDown brand was Edge versus The Undertaker for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. The Undertaker won the match by countout, but did not win the title since championships cannot be decided by countout or disqualification. The primary match on the ECW brand was a tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championships between champions The Miz and John Morrison versus Kane and CM Punk. Miz and Morrison won the match and retained the titles. Featured matches on the undercard included Shawn Michaels versus Chris Jericho, and John Cena versus John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL).
Judgment Day received 252,000 pay-per-view buys, up on the Judgment Day 2007 event figure of 242,000 buys. This event helped WWE increase its pay-per-view revenue by $21.9 compared to the previous year. When the event was released on DVD, it reached the third peak position on Billboard's DVD Sales Chart.
The event featured seven professional wrestling matches, performances with pre-determined outcomes between wrestlers with fictional personalities that are portrayed as real, were featured on the event's card. The buildup to the matches and the scenarios that took place before, during, and after the event were planned by WWE's creative staff. The event starred wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands – storyline expansions of the promotion where employees are assigned to wrestling brands under the WWE banner. Wrestlers portrayed either a villainous or fan favorite gimmick, as they followed a series of events which generally built tension, leading to a wrestling match.
Triple H as WWE Champion
The main event scripted into Judgment Day on the Raw brand featured WWE Champion Triple H (Paul Levesque) defending the title against Randy Orton in a match where the ring is surrounded by walls of steel, dubbed as a Steel cage match. The buildup to the match began after Backlash, WWE's previous pay-per-view event, where Triple H last eliminated Orton in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match, also involving John Cena and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), to win the WWE Championship. The following night on an episode of Raw, one of WWE's primary television programs, authority figure William Regal (Darren Matthews), a portrayed match maker and rules enforcer, stopped a title match between Orton and Triple H, and booked the two in a Steel cage match at Judgment Day for the WWE Championship.
One of the featured preliminary matches on the SmackDown brand was between The Undertaker (Mark Calaway) versus Edge (Adam Copeland), for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. At Backlash, the Undertaker defeated Edge to retain the World title by forcing him to submit to the gogoplata, a chokehold move that causes opponents to spit blood (kayfabe) from their mouths.On the May 2 edition of SmackDown, authority figure Vickie Guerrero stripped the World title from the Undertaker, after claiming the gogoplata was an illegal submission hold and she did it to protect the other wrestlers. The following week, Guerrero booked Undertaker in a match for the vacant title at Judgment Day against Edge, who last eliminated Batista (David Bautista, Jr.) in a battle royal, an elimination style match where the last person in the ring is the winner, to become the number one contender.
Another featured preliminary match was between Shawn Michaels (Michael Hickenbottom) versus Chris Jericho (Christopher Irvine) in a singles match. At Backlash, Michaels defeated Batista (with Jericho as the special guest referee) in an Interpromotional match. During the match, Michaels countered a Batista Bomb attempt, a powerbomb move in which the wrestler drops into a sitting position as they slam their opponent down to the mat, and appeared to have legitimately injured his left knee. On the April 28 edition of Raw, Jericho claimed that Michaels faked his knee injury to allow him to defeat Batista at Backlash, a claim that Michaels denied. The following week, it was announced that Jericho would face Michaels in a singles match at Judgment Day. On the May 12 edition of Raw, Jericho offered his apologies to Michaels for accusing him of feigning an injury, as well as giving Michaels the opportunity to back out of their match. Michaels revealed that he did indeed fake his knee injury. Four days later, on the May 16 edition of SmackDown, Batista commented that he would hurt Michaels, scripted into the storyline, for faking his injury.
One more rivalry from the Raw brand was between John Cena and JBL. In the Fatal Four-Way Elimination match at Backlash, Cena eliminated JBL by making him submit to the STFU, a move in which the wrestler wraps his arm around the neck of the opponent in a sleeper hold instead of pulling back on the head of the opponent. On the April 28 edition of Raw, JBL challenged Cena to a singles match at Judgment Day, which was made official on WWE's website.
The first televised match was between John Cena and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). JBL dominated most of the match and worked on Cena's surgically-repaired right pectoral muscle. A spot in the match saw Cena try to lift JBL from the mat into the air for a powerbomb, a move in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat, but Cena collapsed and couldn't execute the move. JBL controlled most of the match, as Cena tried to avoid JBL's assaults. JBL also applied numerous submission maneuvers on Cena. JBL swung his arm forward while running towards Cena, a move JBL calls Clothesline from Hell. Though, he went for another Clothesline from Hell, Cena ducked and lifted JBL onto his shoulders and slamming him down to the mat, a finishing move Cena calls the F-U, to get the pinfall victory over JBL.
Shawn Michaels, who faced off against Chris Jericho
The next match was for the WWE Tag Team Championship, in which the champions, John Morrison (John Hennigan) and The Miz (Mike Mizanin) defended the titles against ECW Champion Kane (Glen Jacobs) and CM Punk (Phil Brooks). The match began with Kane and Punk in control for the majority of the match. Morrison, however, attacked Kane's injured left knee. Back and fourth action took place between both teams. Punk was tagged in the match, which led to him to perform a high knee on Morrison, as well as grabbing Morrison's head and driving his face into the mat. Outside the ring, Kane chokeslammed the Miz, causing Punk to get distracted. Morrison took the advantage as he was able to perform the Moonlight Drive and pin Punk to retain the tag titles.
The match that followed was between Shawn Michaels and WWE Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho. The start of the match saw Michaels and Jericho exchange several near-falls attempts before Michaels applied the modified figure four leglock, which Jericho broke free. Jericho failed on a top rope superplex attempt, then Michaels tried to follow with an elbow drop, but Jericho managed to block it as he got his knees up. Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho, a submission hold that typically starts with the opponent laying supine on the mat, with the wrestler standing and facing them, though Michaels grabbed the bottom rope, causing Jericho to break the hold. Jericho attempted to perform the submission move once more, but Michaels caught Jericho and countered it into a straddle pin to take the win. After the match, both men shook hands.
The fourth match was a standard match involving three wrestlers for the WWE Women's Championship, in which Mickie James defended the title against Beth Phoenix (Elizabeth Carolan) and Melina (Melina Perez). The match began with James attempting a roll-up on Melina for a near fall, though Phoenix performed a clothesline on James. Melina and Phoenix tried taking the advantage over one another. Mid-way in the match, James performed a splash, from the top rope, on Phoenix for a nearfall, followed by a dropkick by James. A spot in the match saw Phoenix try to perform a backbreaker, in which she placed both James and Melina on top of her shoulders, though Phoenix did not execute the move, as Melina managed to break free from the hold and throw Phoenix out of the ring. The match concluded when James performed the Mickie DT, thus winning the match and retaining her title.
The next match was for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship between The Undertaker and Edge. The match went in and out of the ring early on, with both competitors throwing each other out of the ring. The Undertaker instinctively tried to apply the triangle choke hold on Edge, but the referee made him break the hold. Edge then tried to do one of the Undertaker's move, Old school, but the Undertaker counter the move. Mid-way in the match, Edge's associates, Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, distracted the Undertaker after performing an Old school on Edge. This distraction led Edge to remove the top turnbuckle padding. Back and fourth action was seen between the two individuals. As the top turnbuckle was exposed, the Undertaker threw Edge face first onto the top turnbuckle. As the Undertaker ran off the ropes, Edge caught him with a shoulder block takedown for a close two count. Afterwards, the Undertaker clotheslined Edge to the outside of the ring, then he rolled to the floor to follow. Undertaker took Edge over the guardrail to the front row with a clothesline while the referee began the 10 count. Both men struggled back to the floor before the Undertaker grabbed Edge into the guardrail at the eight count. He then rolled into the ring and beat the 10 count to win the match by countout and the belt. Though, authority figure Vickie Guerrero said that a title could not change hands via countout, therefore the title was still vacant. The Undertaker responded by lifting Edge upside down and dropping his head down to the mat, a move called the Tombstone piledriver.
Randy Orton, who faced Triple H in a Steel cage match for the WWE Championship
The sixth match was between Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) (Alvin Burke, Jr.) and Jeff Hardy. MVP quickly beat down Hardy and dominated early in the match. Hardy tried to come back with a mule kick from the corner, but MVP moved out of the way, leading Hardy to crash the mat face first. MVP controlled most of the match, until Hardy finally had some offense with a double foot kick in the corner. With the upper hand, Hardy performed a Swanton bomb on MVP, but MVP moved out of the way. MVP tried to perform a running big boot, but Hardy countered into a drop toe hold. The match ended with Hardy winning the match, after performing the Whisper in the Wind, a move performed by executing a backflip from the top turnbuckle, then spinning 180°, landing on a fallen opponent back-first.
The main event was the Steel cage match for the WWE Championship, in which Triple H defended the title against Randy Orton. During the beginning of the match, Triple H gained the advantage over Orton, as he lifted his knee and hit Orton in the mouth, thus Orton coming up bleeding from the mouth. Orton came back with a kick to the gut before starting his prolonged attack and bolting for the cage door to be open, but Triple H prevented him from escaping. Triple H took control as he took out Orton's knee with a chop block, a shoulder block that targets the back of an opponent's knee, and applied on a figure four leglock. After Orton broke the hold, he crawled across to the cage door to escape, but Triple H grabbed him back inside. But, on the way back in, Orton managed to grab a steel chair that was on the ring floor. Orton tried to hit Triple H with the chair, but Triple H managed to avoid being hit. Triple H grabbed the chair to hit Orton with it, but Orton hit a low blow on Triple H. Orton followed this with a chair shot to Triple H's back and performed a DDT, a move in which the wrestler falls down or backwards to drive a held opponent's head into the mat. Throughout the match, Orton tried escaping from the cage, but was not in successful in doing so, as Triple H dragged him back in each time. The match came to an end when Orton tried to hit a running punt on Triple H's head, however, Triple H grabbed the chair and hit Orton face first. Triple H followed up by tucking Orton's head between his knees and jumping up to slam his head to the mat, a move that Triple H calls the Pedigree. Triple H covered Orton for the pinfall victory, and thus retaining his title.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
ONE NIGHT STAND
nemanja6807 | 20 Novembar, 2008 01:28
ONE NIGHT STAND
One Night Stand (2008) was the fourth annual One Night Stand professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It took place on June 1, 2008 at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands.The main match on the SmackDown! brand was a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship between Edge and The Undertaker, which Edge won after retrieving the belt suspended above the ring. Per the pre-match stipulation, Undertaker was forced to leave the WWE. The predominant match on the Raw brand was a Last Man Standing match for the WWE Championship between Triple H and Randy Orton, which Triple H won after Orton failed to answer the ten-count.The primary match on the ECW brand was a Singapore Cane match involving The Big Show, CM Punk, John Morrison, Chavo Guerrero, and Tommy Dreamer. Big Show won the match after pinning Dreamer to become the number-one contender to the ECW Championship at Night of Champions.Featured matches on the undercard included Shawn Michaels versus Batista in a Stretcher match, and John Cena versus John "Bradshaw" Layfield in a First Blood match.The main feud heading into One Night Stand on the Raw brand was between Triple H and Randy Orton over the WWE Championship. At Backlash, a Fatal-Four Way Elimination match took place for the WWE Championship. The contestants were Orton, Triple H, John Cena and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). Triple H won the match after last eliminating Orton to win the WWE title. At Judgment Day, Triple H defended the WWE Championship against Orton in a Steel cage match. Triple H won the match after a Pedigree to retain the title. On the May 19 episode of Raw, General Manager William Regal booked a tag team match between Orton and JBL against Cena and Triple H. If Orton and JBL won, they would have received re-matches against Triple H and Cena, respectively, at One Night Stand in an extreme match of their choosing. However, if Cena and Triple H had won, then the pair would have faced each other for the WWE Championship, with Regal choosing the match type. After Orton and JBL won the tag team match, Orton announced that he and Triple H would compete in a Last Man Standing match for the WWE Championship at One Night Stand. JBL announced that he and Cena would compete in a First Blood match at One Night Stand.Another feud heading into One Night Stand, was between Shawn Michaels and Batista. The feud began after Batista expressed his remorse over the retirement of Ric Flair at WrestleMania, which was caused by Michaels getting the pinfall over Flair in Flair's career threatening match. During the rivalry, a match between Batista and Michaels took place at Backlash, with Chris Jericho as the special guest referee. At the end of the match, Michaels appeared to suffer a knee injury, lowering Batista's guard until Michaels sprang up to perform Sweet Chin Music on him and defeated him by pinfall. In following weeks, Batista and Jericho remained skeptical about Michaels' injury, then Michaels admitted to Jericho that he'd staged the injury on the May 12 edition of Raw. Batista defeated Jericho on the May 19, 2008 episode of Raw to earn the right to face Michaels at One Night Stand in a Stretcher match.The main feud on the SmackDown brand was between Edge and The Undertaker, over the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. At Backlash, Undertaker defeated Edge to retain the World Heavyweight Championship, by making Edge submit to his submission chokehold, the Gogoplata. On the May 2 edition of SmackDown, General Manager Vickie Guerrero stripped Undertaker of the title and banned his chokehold to "protect the SmackDown superstars". At Judgment Day, Undertaker and Edge faced off against each other in a match again for the vacant World Heavyweight title. Undertaker won the match by countout, however, Guerrero announced that as per WWE rules, championships cannot change hands, or be captured by disqualification or countout. On the May 23 episode of SmackDown, Vickie announced a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match between Edge and Undertaker at One Night Stand for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship, with the stipulation that if Undertaker should lose the match, he would have to leave the WWE.The main feud heading into One Night Stand on the ECW brand was between CM Punk, Chavo Guerrero, Tommy Dreamer, John Morrison and Big Show. On the May 20 edition of ECW, General Manager Armando Estrada announced a Fatal Four-Way, Singapore Cane on a pole match, for One Night Stand featuring Punk, Guerrero, Dreamer, and Morrison, where the winner would receive an ECW Championship match against the ECW Champion at Night of Champions. Later that night, the team of Guerrero and Morrison defeated the team of Dreamer and Punk in a tag team match. However, after the match, Big Show attacked all four superstars. Big Show then announced that he would also compete in the match One Night Stand, making it a five-man Singapore Cane match.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
SURVIVOR SERIES
nemanja6807 | 20 Novembar, 2008 01:09
SURVIVOR SERIES
(2008) will be a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which will take place on November 23, 2008 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The event will be the 22nd under the Survivor Series name and will feature talent from the Raw, ECW, and SmackDown brands. Five professional wrestling matches are currently scheduled on the event's card.
The event will feature professional wrestling matches that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots and storylines. Wrestlers will portray a villain or a fan favorite as they follow a series of events that build tension, and culminate into a wrestling match or series of matches. All wrestlers will be from the Raw, ECW, and SmackDown brands –a storyline division in which WWE assigns its employees to different programs.
John Cena, who had been sidelined with a herniated disk injury, had been advertised to return at the event on WWE programming and as seen on the Survivor Series promotional poster. On the November 3, 2008 episode of Raw, Shane McMahon announced that John Cena would challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series. Cena would face the champion resulting from a Steel cage match between Batista and Chris Jericho, which Jericho won.
The main feud on the SmackDown brand is between Triple H (Paul Levesque) and Vladimir Kozlov (Oleg Prudius) over the WWE Championship. Kozlov was one of the choices for Triple H's challengers at Cyber Sunday for the fans to vote, but Jeff Hardy won the poll and faced Triple H for the title, a match in which Hardy lost. Then, after Kozlov demanded a WWE title match against Triple H on SmackDown, General Manager Vickie Guerrero put Kozlov in a match against The Undertaker (Mark Calaway) on the November 7 edition of SmackDown, adding that if Kozlov won, he would challenge Triple H at Survivor Series for the WWE Championship. Kozlov won the match, albeit via disqualification after Hardy interfered and hit Kozlov with a steel chair.
The Big Show, who challenged the Undertaker to a casket match.
Another feud from SmackDown heading into Survivor Series is between The Undertaker and The Big Show (Paul Wight). At Unforgiven, Big Show turned on Undertaker and attacked him. At No Mercy, in a match between the two, Big Show knocked Undertaker out with a punch to the face and won the match. However, at Cyber Sunday, in a fans' voted Last Man Standing match, Undertaker defeated Big Show by choking him out with the gogoplata. On the November 7 edition of SmackDown, Big Show challenged Undertaker in a casket match at Survivor Series.
The event will feature professional wrestling matches that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots and storylines. Wrestlers will portray a villain or a fan favorite as they follow a series of events that build tension, and culminate into a wrestling match or series of matches. All wrestlers will be from the Raw, ECW, and SmackDown brands –a storyline division in which WWE assigns its employees to different programs.
John Cena, who had been sidelined with a herniated disk injury, had been advertised to return at the event on WWE programming and as seen on the Survivor Series promotional poster. On the November 3, 2008 episode of Raw, Shane McMahon announced that John Cena would challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series. Cena would face the champion resulting from a Steel cage match between Batista and Chris Jericho, which Jericho won.
The main feud on the SmackDown brand is between Triple H (Paul Levesque) and Vladimir Kozlov (Oleg Prudius) over the WWE Championship. Kozlov was one of the choices for Triple H's challengers at Cyber Sunday for the fans to vote, but Jeff Hardy won the poll and faced Triple H for the title, a match in which Hardy lost. Then, after Kozlov demanded a WWE title match against Triple H on SmackDown, General Manager Vickie Guerrero put Kozlov in a match against The Undertaker (Mark Calaway) on the November 7 edition of SmackDown, adding that if Kozlov won, he would challenge Triple H at Survivor Series for the WWE Championship. Kozlov won the match, albeit via disqualification after Hardy interfered and hit Kozlov with a steel chair.
The Big Show, who challenged the Undertaker to a casket match.
Another feud from SmackDown heading into Survivor Series is between The Undertaker and The Big Show (Paul Wight). At Unforgiven, Big Show turned on Undertaker and attacked him. At No Mercy, in a match between the two, Big Show knocked Undertaker out with a punch to the face and won the match. However, at Cyber Sunday, in a fans' voted Last Man Standing match, Undertaker defeated Big Show by choking him out with the gogoplata. On the November 7 edition of SmackDown, Big Show challenged Undertaker in a casket match at Survivor Series.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
NO WAY OUT
nemanja6807 | 17 Novembar, 2008 02:06
NO WAY OUT
No Way Out is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event, produced every February by the American professional wrestling promotion, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The event was created in 1998, with its inaugural event produced as an In Your House event in February of that year. The event in 2000 was rebranded as an annual PPV event for WWE. To coincide with the brand extension, the event was made exclusive to the SmackDown brand in 2004. In 2007, to follow the format of WrestleMania, all PPV events became tri-branded.
Since its inception in 1998, the event has been held in two countries: the United States and Canada. It has been held in eight U.S. states and one Canadian municipality, where every event has been held in an indoor arena. Each event features talent from WWE competing in various professional wrestling match types. Since the inaugural event, seven championship matches have taken place in the main event.
No Way Out is a pay-per-view (PPV) event consisting of a main event and undercard that feature championship matches and other various matches. The first No Way Out was originally produced as an In Your House event for World Wrestling Federation (WWF), the former name of WWE. The In Your House event was titled No Way Out of Texas: In Your House, named after the location of the venue, Houston, Texas. It took place on February 15, 1998 and aired live on PPV. In 1999, production of In Your House events were canceled, though many of the former In Your House events, such as No Way Out, Backlash, and Judgment Day among others, were rebranded as annual PPV events.
In 2002, WWF was court ordered to change their name, which resulted in the promotion changing its name to WWE.Later that year, WWE held a draft that split its roster into two distinctive brands of wrestling, Raw and SmackDown and ECW in 2006. Before the draft, matches featured wrestlers from the roster without any limitations; after the draft, matches only consisted of wrestlers from their distinctive brands. The first No Way Out event to be produced under the WWE banner and with roster limitations was No Way Out (2003), which took place on February 23, 2003. The following year, WWE announced that PPV events, excluding WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and the Royal Rumble, would be made exclusive to each brand; No Way Out was made exclusive to the SmackDown brand. After three years of being produced as a brand exclusive event, No Way Out (2007) was the final No Way Out event (and the final PPV overall) that was brand exclusive, as WWE announced that PPV events from then on would feature all three brands of WWE.
In 2008, WWE held the ninth annual No Way Out event, which featured two Elimination Chamber matches, a specialty professional wrestling match type promoted on rare occasions in WWE. Each No Way Out event has been held in an indoor arena, with nine events taking place in the United States and one event taking place in Canada. Four events took place in the United States west coast, three events took place in the east coast, two events took place in the midwest, and one took place in Southern Canada.
Since its inception in 1998, the event has been held in two countries: the United States and Canada. It has been held in eight U.S. states and one Canadian municipality, where every event has been held in an indoor arena. Each event features talent from WWE competing in various professional wrestling match types. Since the inaugural event, seven championship matches have taken place in the main event.
No Way Out is a pay-per-view (PPV) event consisting of a main event and undercard that feature championship matches and other various matches. The first No Way Out was originally produced as an In Your House event for World Wrestling Federation (WWF), the former name of WWE. The In Your House event was titled No Way Out of Texas: In Your House, named after the location of the venue, Houston, Texas. It took place on February 15, 1998 and aired live on PPV. In 1999, production of In Your House events were canceled, though many of the former In Your House events, such as No Way Out, Backlash, and Judgment Day among others, were rebranded as annual PPV events.
In 2002, WWF was court ordered to change their name, which resulted in the promotion changing its name to WWE.Later that year, WWE held a draft that split its roster into two distinctive brands of wrestling, Raw and SmackDown and ECW in 2006. Before the draft, matches featured wrestlers from the roster without any limitations; after the draft, matches only consisted of wrestlers from their distinctive brands. The first No Way Out event to be produced under the WWE banner and with roster limitations was No Way Out (2003), which took place on February 23, 2003. The following year, WWE announced that PPV events, excluding WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and the Royal Rumble, would be made exclusive to each brand; No Way Out was made exclusive to the SmackDown brand. After three years of being produced as a brand exclusive event, No Way Out (2007) was the final No Way Out event (and the final PPV overall) that was brand exclusive, as WWE announced that PPV events from then on would feature all three brands of WWE.
In 2008, WWE held the ninth annual No Way Out event, which featured two Elimination Chamber matches, a specialty professional wrestling match type promoted on rare occasions in WWE. Each No Way Out event has been held in an indoor arena, with nine events taking place in the United States and one event taking place in Canada. Four events took place in the United States west coast, three events took place in the east coast, two events took place in the midwest, and one took place in Southern Canada.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
CYBER SUNDEY
nemanja6807 | 17 Novembar, 2008 01:43
CYBER SUNDAY
Cyber Sunday (2008) was the fifth Cyber Sunday (the third under this name) professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It took place on October 26, 2008 at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. It featured wrestlers from the Raw, ECW, and SmackDown brands. Eight professional wrestling matches and one miscellaneous segment were featured on the event's card.
Unlike other WWE events where the stipulations were determined by WWE's creative staff, stipulations for matches were determined by votes from WWE fans conducted on WWE.com and by texting. The event was scheduled to feature eight professional wrestling matches and one miscellaneous segment. Although the stipulations resulted from votes by WWE fans, different wrestlers were involved in pre-existing scripted feuds, plots and storylines, which led to scheduled matches in which WWE fans could vote upon stipulations. Wrestlers were portrayed as either villains or fan favorites as they followed a series of tension-building events. All wrestlers were from either the ECW, Raw, or SmackDown brands – a storyline division in which WWE assigned its employees to a different television program.
The main feud from the Raw brand was over the World Heavyweight Championship. On the October 6, 2008 episode of Raw, General Manager Mike Adamle announced that World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho would defend his title against Batista in a standard wrestling match (singles match), in which a guest referee would be voted for by WWE fans; the candidates for the position were Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Earlier that night, it was also announced that Santino Marella would defend his WWE Intercontinental Championship against a former Intercontinental Champion voted for by the WWE fans; the candidates were "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Goldust, or The Honky Tonk Man.The main rivalry from the SmackDown brand was over the WWE Championship. It was announced on the October 10, 2008 episode of Friday Night SmackDown that WWE Champion Triple H (Paul Levesque) would defend his title against either Jeff Hardy or Vladimir Kozlov in a singles match, or in a triple-threat match, a standard match involving both Hardy and Kozlov. Later that night it was also announced that The Big Show would face The Undertaker in a the fans choice of match, which included a Knockout match, "I Quit" match, or a Last Man Standing match.The only rivalry from the ECW brand was over the ECW Championship. It was announced on the October 14, 2008 episode of ECW that ECW Champion Matt Hardy would defend the title against the fans choice of an opponent, which were Mark Henry, Evan Bourne (Matthew Korklan), or Finlay.Before the event aired live on pay-per-view, Shelton Benjamin defended the WWE United States Championship against a superstar of the fans' choice in a match that was streamed exclusively on WWE.com. The candidates to be voted in were R-Truth (Ron Killings), Montel Vontavious Porter (Alvin Burke, Jr.) and Festus (Drew Hankinson). R-Truth won the poll by 59% over MVP and Festus, and hence faced Benjamin for the title. The match went back and forth, but ultimately Benjamin delivered the Paydirt to R-Truth and pinned him to retain his title.
The first match to be aired live was a No Holds Barred match between Kane (Glen Jacobs) and Rey Mysterio (Oscar Gutierrez). The No Holds Barred match stipulation was voted by the fans over a Falls Count Anywhere match and a Two out of three falls match. Early on in the match, Mysterio used his quickness and agility against Kane, along with some weapons like a kendo stick and a STOP sign. Soon, Kane overpowered Mysterio and dominated the later part of the match. Near the end, Mysterio drop-toe held Kane and drove him face-first into the steel ring-steps kept in the corner of the ring. Then he hit Kane with a steel chair multiple times, before delivering a 619 and springboard splash and pinning him to win the match.
The next match featured Matt Hardy defending the ECW Championship against Evan Bourne (Matthew Korklan), who was voted as the challenger by the fans over Mark Henry and Finlay (Dave Finlay). Early in the match, Bourne surprised Hardy with his agility, but Hardy eventually got control of the match. Nevertheless, Bourne hit several high-flying moves on Hardy, like a standing moonsault, a hurricanrana countering Hardy's Splash Mountain Bomb, and a diving knee drop from the top rope. In the end, Bourne missed the Air Bourne, and hence capitalizing, Hardy delivered a Twist of Fate to Bourne and pinned him to retain his title.
The third match aired was a tag team match with the team of John Morrison (John Hennigan) and The Miz (Mike Mizanin) taking on Cryme Tyme (JTG (Jayson Paul) and Shad). This tag team match was chosen over an intergender tag team match having William Regal (Darren Matthews) and Layla (Layla El) taking on Jamie Noble (James Gibson) and Mickie James, and a World Tag Team Championship match between the champions Ted DiBiase (Ted DiBiase, Jr.) and Cody Rhodes and the team of CM Punk (Phil Brooks) and Kofi Kingston (Kofi Sarkodie-Mensah). The match featured numerous tag team moves from both the teams. At one point, Shad threw JTG over the ropes onto Morrison and Miz outside the ring. Back in the ring, Morrison and Miz controlled the latter part of the match. In the end, Miz, who was not the legal man in the ring, kicked Shad's knee behind the referee's back and Morrison delivered the Moonlight Drive to Shad for the pinfall.
The fourth match was between Santino Marella (Anthony Carelli) and The Honky Tonk Man (Roy Farris) for the former's Intercontinental Championship. Honky Tonk Man was voted as Marella's challenger by the fans over "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (Roderick Toombs) and Goldust (Dustin Rhodes). Before the match started, Honky Tonk Man danced to his theme music and asked Marella to do the same, but he delivered a cheap shot to Honky Tonk Man to officially start the match. However, the match ended soon when Beth Phoenix (Elizabeth Carolan), who was by Marella's side, tripped Honky Tonk Man as he preparing to hit Marella with his fist, and hence, the match ended in Honky Tonk Man's favour as he won via disqualification. Nevertheless, as per WWE rules, Marella retained the Intercontinental title as titles don't change via disqualification. After the match, Roddy Piper and Goldust made their way down to the ring to confront Marella. In the ring, Goldust hit the Final Cut on Marella, Piper hit him with a punch combination followed by an eye poke, and Honky Tonk Man delivered the Shake, Rattle and Roll to Marella.
The fifth match of the evening was a Last Man Standing match between The Undertaker (Mark Calaway) and The Big Show (Paul Wight). The Last Man Standing match stipulation was voted by the fans over a Knockout match and an "I Quit" match. In the beginning, Big Show threw Undertaker out of the ring, and after some time, Undertaker hit Big Show with a steel chair. The match continued with Big Show dominating Undertaker and striking him with punches. The match featured many other spots, like Undertaker thrusting Big Show's throat against a ringpost with a steel chair; Undertaker delivering a leg drop to Big Show on the ring apron, and then later countering Big Show's chokeslam into a DDT; and, then Big Show hitting Undertaker with a TV monitor and even chokeslamming him from the barricade through an announcer's table. In the end, Big Show hit Undertaker first with a chokeslam, followed by a knockout punch to the face and then with a steel chair, but Undertaker got to his feet each time before the ten count. Finally, Undertaker locked Big Show in the gogoplata and choked him out to unconsciousness, due to which Big Show could not get up before the referee's ten count and allowed Undertaker to win the match.
Unlike other WWE events where the stipulations were determined by WWE's creative staff, stipulations for matches were determined by votes from WWE fans conducted on WWE.com and by texting. The event was scheduled to feature eight professional wrestling matches and one miscellaneous segment. Although the stipulations resulted from votes by WWE fans, different wrestlers were involved in pre-existing scripted feuds, plots and storylines, which led to scheduled matches in which WWE fans could vote upon stipulations. Wrestlers were portrayed as either villains or fan favorites as they followed a series of tension-building events. All wrestlers were from either the ECW, Raw, or SmackDown brands – a storyline division in which WWE assigned its employees to a different television program.
The main feud from the Raw brand was over the World Heavyweight Championship. On the October 6, 2008 episode of Raw, General Manager Mike Adamle announced that World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho would defend his title against Batista in a standard wrestling match (singles match), in which a guest referee would be voted for by WWE fans; the candidates for the position were Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Earlier that night, it was also announced that Santino Marella would defend his WWE Intercontinental Championship against a former Intercontinental Champion voted for by the WWE fans; the candidates were "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Goldust, or The Honky Tonk Man.The main rivalry from the SmackDown brand was over the WWE Championship. It was announced on the October 10, 2008 episode of Friday Night SmackDown that WWE Champion Triple H (Paul Levesque) would defend his title against either Jeff Hardy or Vladimir Kozlov in a singles match, or in a triple-threat match, a standard match involving both Hardy and Kozlov. Later that night it was also announced that The Big Show would face The Undertaker in a the fans choice of match, which included a Knockout match, "I Quit" match, or a Last Man Standing match.The only rivalry from the ECW brand was over the ECW Championship. It was announced on the October 14, 2008 episode of ECW that ECW Champion Matt Hardy would defend the title against the fans choice of an opponent, which were Mark Henry, Evan Bourne (Matthew Korklan), or Finlay.Before the event aired live on pay-per-view, Shelton Benjamin defended the WWE United States Championship against a superstar of the fans' choice in a match that was streamed exclusively on WWE.com. The candidates to be voted in were R-Truth (Ron Killings), Montel Vontavious Porter (Alvin Burke, Jr.) and Festus (Drew Hankinson). R-Truth won the poll by 59% over MVP and Festus, and hence faced Benjamin for the title. The match went back and forth, but ultimately Benjamin delivered the Paydirt to R-Truth and pinned him to retain his title.
The first match to be aired live was a No Holds Barred match between Kane (Glen Jacobs) and Rey Mysterio (Oscar Gutierrez). The No Holds Barred match stipulation was voted by the fans over a Falls Count Anywhere match and a Two out of three falls match. Early on in the match, Mysterio used his quickness and agility against Kane, along with some weapons like a kendo stick and a STOP sign. Soon, Kane overpowered Mysterio and dominated the later part of the match. Near the end, Mysterio drop-toe held Kane and drove him face-first into the steel ring-steps kept in the corner of the ring. Then he hit Kane with a steel chair multiple times, before delivering a 619 and springboard splash and pinning him to win the match.
The next match featured Matt Hardy defending the ECW Championship against Evan Bourne (Matthew Korklan), who was voted as the challenger by the fans over Mark Henry and Finlay (Dave Finlay). Early in the match, Bourne surprised Hardy with his agility, but Hardy eventually got control of the match. Nevertheless, Bourne hit several high-flying moves on Hardy, like a standing moonsault, a hurricanrana countering Hardy's Splash Mountain Bomb, and a diving knee drop from the top rope. In the end, Bourne missed the Air Bourne, and hence capitalizing, Hardy delivered a Twist of Fate to Bourne and pinned him to retain his title.
The third match aired was a tag team match with the team of John Morrison (John Hennigan) and The Miz (Mike Mizanin) taking on Cryme Tyme (JTG (Jayson Paul) and Shad). This tag team match was chosen over an intergender tag team match having William Regal (Darren Matthews) and Layla (Layla El) taking on Jamie Noble (James Gibson) and Mickie James, and a World Tag Team Championship match between the champions Ted DiBiase (Ted DiBiase, Jr.) and Cody Rhodes and the team of CM Punk (Phil Brooks) and Kofi Kingston (Kofi Sarkodie-Mensah). The match featured numerous tag team moves from both the teams. At one point, Shad threw JTG over the ropes onto Morrison and Miz outside the ring. Back in the ring, Morrison and Miz controlled the latter part of the match. In the end, Miz, who was not the legal man in the ring, kicked Shad's knee behind the referee's back and Morrison delivered the Moonlight Drive to Shad for the pinfall.
The fourth match was between Santino Marella (Anthony Carelli) and The Honky Tonk Man (Roy Farris) for the former's Intercontinental Championship. Honky Tonk Man was voted as Marella's challenger by the fans over "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (Roderick Toombs) and Goldust (Dustin Rhodes). Before the match started, Honky Tonk Man danced to his theme music and asked Marella to do the same, but he delivered a cheap shot to Honky Tonk Man to officially start the match. However, the match ended soon when Beth Phoenix (Elizabeth Carolan), who was by Marella's side, tripped Honky Tonk Man as he preparing to hit Marella with his fist, and hence, the match ended in Honky Tonk Man's favour as he won via disqualification. Nevertheless, as per WWE rules, Marella retained the Intercontinental title as titles don't change via disqualification. After the match, Roddy Piper and Goldust made their way down to the ring to confront Marella. In the ring, Goldust hit the Final Cut on Marella, Piper hit him with a punch combination followed by an eye poke, and Honky Tonk Man delivered the Shake, Rattle and Roll to Marella.
The fifth match of the evening was a Last Man Standing match between The Undertaker (Mark Calaway) and The Big Show (Paul Wight). The Last Man Standing match stipulation was voted by the fans over a Knockout match and an "I Quit" match. In the beginning, Big Show threw Undertaker out of the ring, and after some time, Undertaker hit Big Show with a steel chair. The match continued with Big Show dominating Undertaker and striking him with punches. The match featured many other spots, like Undertaker thrusting Big Show's throat against a ringpost with a steel chair; Undertaker delivering a leg drop to Big Show on the ring apron, and then later countering Big Show's chokeslam into a DDT; and, then Big Show hitting Undertaker with a TV monitor and even chokeslamming him from the barricade through an announcer's table. In the end, Big Show hit Undertaker first with a chokeslam, followed by a knockout punch to the face and then with a steel chair, but Undertaker got to his feet each time before the ten count. Finally, Undertaker locked Big Show in the gogoplata and choked him out to unconsciousness, due to which Big Show could not get up before the referee's ten count and allowed Undertaker to win the match.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
WWE WRESLEMANIA 25
nemanja6807 | 16 Novembar, 2008 02:25
WRESLEMANIA 25
WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced annually in late March or early April by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation). It is considered the flagship pay-per-view event of WWE, as it is the most successful and longest-running professional wrestling event in the world. WrestleMania is nicknamed "The Grandaddy of Them All", "The Grandest Stage of Them All" and "The Showcase of the Immortals."The event was first produced in 1985, and 24 editions have been produced as of 2008, with WrestleMania XXV to be held in 2009.
Conceptualized by WWE owner Vince McMahon, WrestleMania has become one of the most prominent events in sports entertainment. Its widespread success helped transform the professional wrestling industry and make the WWE the most successful promotion in North America. WrestleMania has facilitated the rise to stardom of wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Steve Austin, The Rock, and Triple H, amongst others. Numerous celebrities such as Muhammad Ali, Mr. T, Alice Cooper, Lawrence Taylor, Pamela Anderson, Mike Tyson, Donald Trump, Floyd "Money" Mayweather, Snoop Dogg, Raven-Symone, Kim Kardashian and others have participated or made special appearances in the events. The WWE's television shows are tailored to reach their climax at WrestleMania, which features matches for the company's championship titles, as well as specialty and gimmick matches. Participation in a WrestleMania match, and especially the main event, is considered by many wrestlers and fans alike as one of the greatest achievements and symbols of success in professional wrestling.
WrestleMania propels the worldwide commercial success of the WWE through merchandise, media and shows. All of the events produced have been sold out within a short period of time, with recent editions being sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale. The first WrestleMania was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City; the 10th and 20th editions were also held there. WrestleMania III in Detroit was the highest-attended indoor sports event in the world, with more than 93,000 fans in attendance. All but two editions have been hosted in U.S. cities - two having been held in Toronto, Canada - but the show is televised across the world via pay-per-view.
While most WrestleManias have been held in sports arenas in major cities, a number of them have been held in large stadiums; the most attended events include - WrestleMania III in Pontiac (93,173 people), WrestleMania VI in Toronto (67,678 people), WrestleMania VIII in Indianapolis (62,167 people), WrestleMania X-Seven in Houston (67,925 people), WrestleMania X8 in Toronto (68,237 people), WrestleMania XIX in Seattle (54,097 people), WrestleMania 23 in Detroit (80,103 people) and WrestleMania XXIV in Orlando (74,635 people.)
The format of WrestleMania is built upon the main event matches for the WWE Championship and more recently also for the World Heavyweight Championship. Since 2007, the ECW Franchise has participated at WrestleMania. A select number of other championship titles are also contested, while there are several gimmick matches and personal feud matches on the card.
Since 1993, the winner of the annual Royal Rumble match has received a guaranteed WWE Championship match at that year's WrestleMania. With the creation of the World Heavyweight Championship in 2002, the winner has since been able to choose to receive a World Heavyweight Championship match instead. With the introduction of the ECW brand the possibility for the winner to choose to receive an ECW World Championship match at WrestleMania 23 was also added in 2007.
The first WrestleMania was held by the World Wrestling Federation on March 31, 1985 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The main event was a tag-team match between the WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, accompanied by Jimmy Snuka against the team of Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, who were accompanied by Cowboy Bob Orton. The financial and critical success of the event secured the company's status as the most successful promotion in the United States, rising above competitors such as the National Wrestling Alliance and American Wrestling Association. WrestleMania II was held the following year and took place in three venues across the country. The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois, and the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California each featured multiple matches that led up to the lead main event which saw the WWF Champion Hulk Hogan defeat the challenger King Kong Bundy in a steel cage match.
A world indoor attendance record set of 93,173 fans was set at WrestleMania III, which was also the largest paying attendance in the history of professional wrestling at the time. The event is widely considered to be the pinnacle of the 1980s wrestling boom. To make certain that every seat in the Silverdome would be filled, the World Wrestling Federation decided to exclude the entire state of Michigan from pay-per-view access to the event, which made attending the event the only way for fans in Michigan to see it.[3] The main event featured Hogan defend the WWE Championship against André the Giant. The moment when Hogan body slammed André the Giant remains one of the most famous moments in professional wrestling history. The match between the WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat also gained much acclaim and popularity.
WrestleMania VI marked the first time the event was held outside of the United States. It was held at the SkyDome, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the main event match, The Ultimate Warrior won the WWF Championship from Hulk Hogan. WrestleMania VII was originally scheduled to be held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, however, the event was moved to the adjacent Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena for security reasons due to the Gulf War. The event saw Hulk Hogan face Sgt. Slaughter for the WWF Championship, while The Undertaker made his WrestleMania debut defeating Jimmy Snuka. Since then, The Undertaker has been undefeated in all of his WrestleMania matches.
[WrestleMania IX] was the first WrestleMania held at an outdoor venue. The 10th edition of the event, WrestleMania X saw its return to Madison Square Garden. The event featured Owen Hart defeating his elder brother Bret, and the event was also headlined by a ladder match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, in which Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels. Michaels defeated Bret Hart to win the WWF Championship in a 60-minute Iron Man match at WrestleMania XII. The match is considered to be one of the best matches in the history of the event.
At WrestleMania XIV Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels to become the new WWF Champion in a match that featured Mike Tyson serve as the special enforcer. Although Tyson had been aligned with Michaels and his stable, D-Generation X, Tyson revealed to have been aligned with Austin all along as he personally counted the pinfall and declared Austin the winner. The event marked the start of "The Attitude Era".
WrestleMania 2000 featured the first ever Triangle Ladder match for the WWF Tag Team Championship, involving the Hardy Boyz, the Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian. The main event featured the WWF Champion Triple H (with Stephanie McMahon) successfully defending his title against three challengers: The Rock (with Vince McMahon), The Big Show (with Shane McMahon), and Mick Foley (with Linda McMahon).
An attendance record setting 74,635 fans at the Citrus Bowl for WrestleMania XXIV
At WrestleMania X-Seven, Austin aligned himself with his long-time nemesis Mr. McMahon to defeat The Rock and regain the WWF Championship. The event also featured Mr. McMahon and his son Shane McMahon in a Street Fight, while Edge and Christian won the WWF Tag Team Championship against the Hardy Boyz and Dudley Boyz in the second Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. The event was the pinnacle of the 1990s wrestling boom, concluding "The Attitude Era". It was also the first WrestleMania held after the dissolution of the company's rival, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the Monday Night Wars. WrestleMania X8 was the last WrestleMania to be produced under the WWF name and featured Triple H defeating Chris Jericho to win the Undisputed Championship. In a memorable match billed as "Icon vs. Icon", The Rock defeated Hulk Hogan who had rejoined the company after his 6-year stint with WCW.
World Wrestling Entertainment celebrated the 20th edition of WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden with WrestleMania XX. The event bore the slogan "Where It All Begins...Again", celebrating the legacy of WrestleMania. The WWE Hall of Fame was reintroduced with an annual induction show held the night before WrestleMania.
At WrestleMania 21 the concept of the Money in the Bank ladder match was introduced as a six-man ladder match that featured a briefcase suspended above the ring containing a contract that guaranteed the winning Raw brand superstar a world title match at any time and place of their choosing within one year of winning the Ladder match. The Money in the Bank ladder match was also held at WrestleMania 22 as a six-man interpromotional match where the winner would get a world title match of their choosing, regardless of their brand. The Money in the Bank ladder match was held yet again at WrestleMania 23 as an interpromotional eight-man match where superstars from Raw, ECW, and SmackDown all competed for a shot at any world title they wanted.
At WrestleMania XXIV the professional wrestling career of Ric Flair came to an end as he faced Shawn Michaels. The Money in the Bank ladder match was featured as an interpromotional match with seven participants from Raw, ECW, and SmackDown. The ECW Championship was defended for the first time at a WrestleMania event. The event was the second WrestleMania to be held at an outdoor venue.
Conceptualized by WWE owner Vince McMahon, WrestleMania has become one of the most prominent events in sports entertainment. Its widespread success helped transform the professional wrestling industry and make the WWE the most successful promotion in North America. WrestleMania has facilitated the rise to stardom of wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Steve Austin, The Rock, and Triple H, amongst others. Numerous celebrities such as Muhammad Ali, Mr. T, Alice Cooper, Lawrence Taylor, Pamela Anderson, Mike Tyson, Donald Trump, Floyd "Money" Mayweather, Snoop Dogg, Raven-Symone, Kim Kardashian and others have participated or made special appearances in the events. The WWE's television shows are tailored to reach their climax at WrestleMania, which features matches for the company's championship titles, as well as specialty and gimmick matches. Participation in a WrestleMania match, and especially the main event, is considered by many wrestlers and fans alike as one of the greatest achievements and symbols of success in professional wrestling.
WrestleMania propels the worldwide commercial success of the WWE through merchandise, media and shows. All of the events produced have been sold out within a short period of time, with recent editions being sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale. The first WrestleMania was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City; the 10th and 20th editions were also held there. WrestleMania III in Detroit was the highest-attended indoor sports event in the world, with more than 93,000 fans in attendance. All but two editions have been hosted in U.S. cities - two having been held in Toronto, Canada - but the show is televised across the world via pay-per-view.
While most WrestleManias have been held in sports arenas in major cities, a number of them have been held in large stadiums; the most attended events include - WrestleMania III in Pontiac (93,173 people), WrestleMania VI in Toronto (67,678 people), WrestleMania VIII in Indianapolis (62,167 people), WrestleMania X-Seven in Houston (67,925 people), WrestleMania X8 in Toronto (68,237 people), WrestleMania XIX in Seattle (54,097 people), WrestleMania 23 in Detroit (80,103 people) and WrestleMania XXIV in Orlando (74,635 people.)
The format of WrestleMania is built upon the main event matches for the WWE Championship and more recently also for the World Heavyweight Championship. Since 2007, the ECW Franchise has participated at WrestleMania. A select number of other championship titles are also contested, while there are several gimmick matches and personal feud matches on the card.
Since 1993, the winner of the annual Royal Rumble match has received a guaranteed WWE Championship match at that year's WrestleMania. With the creation of the World Heavyweight Championship in 2002, the winner has since been able to choose to receive a World Heavyweight Championship match instead. With the introduction of the ECW brand the possibility for the winner to choose to receive an ECW World Championship match at WrestleMania 23 was also added in 2007.
The first WrestleMania was held by the World Wrestling Federation on March 31, 1985 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The main event was a tag-team match between the WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, accompanied by Jimmy Snuka against the team of Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, who were accompanied by Cowboy Bob Orton. The financial and critical success of the event secured the company's status as the most successful promotion in the United States, rising above competitors such as the National Wrestling Alliance and American Wrestling Association. WrestleMania II was held the following year and took place in three venues across the country. The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois, and the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California each featured multiple matches that led up to the lead main event which saw the WWF Champion Hulk Hogan defeat the challenger King Kong Bundy in a steel cage match.
A world indoor attendance record set of 93,173 fans was set at WrestleMania III, which was also the largest paying attendance in the history of professional wrestling at the time. The event is widely considered to be the pinnacle of the 1980s wrestling boom. To make certain that every seat in the Silverdome would be filled, the World Wrestling Federation decided to exclude the entire state of Michigan from pay-per-view access to the event, which made attending the event the only way for fans in Michigan to see it.[3] The main event featured Hogan defend the WWE Championship against André the Giant. The moment when Hogan body slammed André the Giant remains one of the most famous moments in professional wrestling history. The match between the WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat also gained much acclaim and popularity.
WrestleMania VI marked the first time the event was held outside of the United States. It was held at the SkyDome, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the main event match, The Ultimate Warrior won the WWF Championship from Hulk Hogan. WrestleMania VII was originally scheduled to be held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, however, the event was moved to the adjacent Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena for security reasons due to the Gulf War. The event saw Hulk Hogan face Sgt. Slaughter for the WWF Championship, while The Undertaker made his WrestleMania debut defeating Jimmy Snuka. Since then, The Undertaker has been undefeated in all of his WrestleMania matches.
[WrestleMania IX] was the first WrestleMania held at an outdoor venue. The 10th edition of the event, WrestleMania X saw its return to Madison Square Garden. The event featured Owen Hart defeating his elder brother Bret, and the event was also headlined by a ladder match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, in which Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels. Michaels defeated Bret Hart to win the WWF Championship in a 60-minute Iron Man match at WrestleMania XII. The match is considered to be one of the best matches in the history of the event.
At WrestleMania XIV Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels to become the new WWF Champion in a match that featured Mike Tyson serve as the special enforcer. Although Tyson had been aligned with Michaels and his stable, D-Generation X, Tyson revealed to have been aligned with Austin all along as he personally counted the pinfall and declared Austin the winner. The event marked the start of "The Attitude Era".
WrestleMania 2000 featured the first ever Triangle Ladder match for the WWF Tag Team Championship, involving the Hardy Boyz, the Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian. The main event featured the WWF Champion Triple H (with Stephanie McMahon) successfully defending his title against three challengers: The Rock (with Vince McMahon), The Big Show (with Shane McMahon), and Mick Foley (with Linda McMahon).
An attendance record setting 74,635 fans at the Citrus Bowl for WrestleMania XXIV
At WrestleMania X-Seven, Austin aligned himself with his long-time nemesis Mr. McMahon to defeat The Rock and regain the WWF Championship. The event also featured Mr. McMahon and his son Shane McMahon in a Street Fight, while Edge and Christian won the WWF Tag Team Championship against the Hardy Boyz and Dudley Boyz in the second Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. The event was the pinnacle of the 1990s wrestling boom, concluding "The Attitude Era". It was also the first WrestleMania held after the dissolution of the company's rival, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the Monday Night Wars. WrestleMania X8 was the last WrestleMania to be produced under the WWF name and featured Triple H defeating Chris Jericho to win the Undisputed Championship. In a memorable match billed as "Icon vs. Icon", The Rock defeated Hulk Hogan who had rejoined the company after his 6-year stint with WCW.
World Wrestling Entertainment celebrated the 20th edition of WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden with WrestleMania XX. The event bore the slogan "Where It All Begins...Again", celebrating the legacy of WrestleMania. The WWE Hall of Fame was reintroduced with an annual induction show held the night before WrestleMania.
At WrestleMania 21 the concept of the Money in the Bank ladder match was introduced as a six-man ladder match that featured a briefcase suspended above the ring containing a contract that guaranteed the winning Raw brand superstar a world title match at any time and place of their choosing within one year of winning the Ladder match. The Money in the Bank ladder match was also held at WrestleMania 22 as a six-man interpromotional match where the winner would get a world title match of their choosing, regardless of their brand. The Money in the Bank ladder match was held yet again at WrestleMania 23 as an interpromotional eight-man match where superstars from Raw, ECW, and SmackDown all competed for a shot at any world title they wanted.
At WrestleMania XXIV the professional wrestling career of Ric Flair came to an end as he faced Shawn Michaels. The Money in the Bank ladder match was featured as an interpromotional match with seven participants from Raw, ECW, and SmackDown. The ECW Championship was defended for the first time at a WrestleMania event. The event was the second WrestleMania to be held at an outdoor venue.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
WWE HALL OF FAME
nemanja6807 | 16 Novembar, 2008 02:14
WWE HALL OF FAME
WWE Hall of Fame logo, 2004-present.
In professional wrestling, the WWE Hall of Fame (formerly WWF Hall of Fame) is an institution that honors selected former and current employees of World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly the World Wrestling Federation) and other figures who have contributed to wrestling and sports entertainment in general.
The Hall of Fame was created in 1993 with the induction of WWF alumnus André the Giant, who had died earlier that year. The Hall inducted additional members annually thereafter until 1996 with the 1994 and 1995 ceremonies held as part of the King of the Ring weekend, then went dormant until it was revived in 2004 to commemorate the company's twentieth WrestleMania event. The ceremony now takes place on the night before WrestleMania, in the same city as that event.
Since living inductees appear at a Hall of Fame acceptance event, induction is contingent upon the candidate being on good terms with WWE. As a result several notable alumni have not been inducted. The process by which inductees are selected is not transparent; the criteria for induction have never been disclosed. Although the Hall in theory honors those with important WWE careers, since the revival in 2004, some inductees such as Harley Race, Verne Gagne, Eddie Graham and Nick Bockwinkel, achieved much or all of their success outside of WWE, though the companies where they did achieve their success have been assimilated by WWE.[citation needed] Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund have each declined the WWE's Hall of Fame invitations; Bret Hart initially refused induction before changing his mind several years later.
Sammartino is an outspoken critic of the Hall of Fame, saying, "what's the point to a Hall of Fame? Is it a building I can actually go to? No." He added "look at a guy like Pete Rose. Why is he in the Hall of Fame? It's a sham."World Wrestling Entertainment has been looking into constructing or creating a facility for the Hall of Fame. WWE's Executive Vice President of Global Media Shane McMahon, has said that the WWE has been storing wrestling memorabilia in a warehouse for years, and all items are categorized and dated in case a facility is created. McMahon has stated, "I think it's probably still a couple of years away, but we're really anxious to do it."
In professional wrestling, the WWE Hall of Fame (formerly WWF Hall of Fame) is an institution that honors selected former and current employees of World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly the World Wrestling Federation) and other figures who have contributed to wrestling and sports entertainment in general.
The Hall of Fame was created in 1993 with the induction of WWF alumnus André the Giant, who had died earlier that year. The Hall inducted additional members annually thereafter until 1996 with the 1994 and 1995 ceremonies held as part of the King of the Ring weekend, then went dormant until it was revived in 2004 to commemorate the company's twentieth WrestleMania event. The ceremony now takes place on the night before WrestleMania, in the same city as that event.
Since living inductees appear at a Hall of Fame acceptance event, induction is contingent upon the candidate being on good terms with WWE. As a result several notable alumni have not been inducted. The process by which inductees are selected is not transparent; the criteria for induction have never been disclosed. Although the Hall in theory honors those with important WWE careers, since the revival in 2004, some inductees such as Harley Race, Verne Gagne, Eddie Graham and Nick Bockwinkel, achieved much or all of their success outside of WWE, though the companies where they did achieve their success have been assimilated by WWE.[citation needed] Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund have each declined the WWE's Hall of Fame invitations; Bret Hart initially refused induction before changing his mind several years later.
Sammartino is an outspoken critic of the Hall of Fame, saying, "what's the point to a Hall of Fame? Is it a building I can actually go to? No." He added "look at a guy like Pete Rose. Why is he in the Hall of Fame? It's a sham."World Wrestling Entertainment has been looking into constructing or creating a facility for the Hall of Fame. WWE's Executive Vice President of Global Media Shane McMahon, has said that the WWE has been storing wrestling memorabilia in a warehouse for years, and all items are categorized and dated in case a facility is created. McMahon has stated, "I think it's probably still a couple of years away, but we're really anxious to do it."
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
THE WWE DRAFT
nemanja6807 | 16 Novembar, 2008 00:57
THE WWE DRAFT
The 2008 WWE Draft logo
The 2008 World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Draft was the sixth draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion, WWE. It was held on June 23, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center. The Draft took place live and aired for three hours on the USA Network on WWE's flagship program, Raw.For the second consecutive year, the Draft took place among WWE's three brands: Raw, SmackDown, and ECW. Every WWE employee, Diva, announcer, commentator, and General manager were eligible to be drafted. Similar to the 2007 WWE Draft, superstars from each brand competed in matches to win a random draft pick for their brand. Draft picks were kayfabe selected at random via a computer that was shown on the Raw TitanTron. Like the previous year, a supplemental draft took place on June 25, where draft selections were randomly conducted. The Draft featured the Raw brand randomly drafting ECW Champion, Kane, from the ECW brand. It also featured the ECW brand drafting WWE United States Champion, Matt Hardy, from the SmackDown brand. The final selection in the draft was conducted by the SmackDown brand, and they drafted WWE Champion, Triple H, from the Raw brand. As per pre-Draft stipulations, all the three champions brought their respective titles to the brand to which they were drafted.
The Draft was announced by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon on the May 26, 2008 episode of Raw.During the announcement, he stated that every WWE Superstar, Diva, and commentator from all three brands, Raw, ECW, and SmackDown, were eligible to be drafted. On the June 16 episode of Raw, McMahon announced that his McMahon's Million Dollar Mania contest would take place on the same night as the WWE Draft. During the contest, McMahon gave away one million dollars to WWE fans. McMahon telephoned fans, who had registered for the contest, at their homes and asked them for a password, which was revealed at the opening of the Raw broadcast. If their answer was correct, he awarded the fan a portion of one million dollars.
On June 24, WWE announced on its website, that a supplemental draft would take place on June 25 at noon ET. The supplemental draft, like the previous year, was conducted randomly, with each brand receiving random draft selections.Superstars affected by the televised draft were exempt from the supplemental draft. Because professional wrestling is scripted, outcomes are usually predetermined. Unlike years past, during this draft, many employees in WWE were not told whether they were scripted to change brands.
Aside from the Million Dollar Mania contest, the Draft was announced to help increase the television ratings of Raw, which had been declining since WrestleMania XXIV.Though the Draft helps increase ratings, it is also used as a way to refreshen the rosters and create new storylines.
There were 28 selections conducted in the draft overall. 11 selections were conducted on television, while 17 selections occurred during the supplemental draft. The Raw brand earned five televised selections through their representatives winning five different matches, while they received six supplemental selections. In total, the Raw brand drafted 11 employees: five on television and six through the supplemental draft. The SmackDown brand earned five television selections through their representatives winning five different matches, while they received seven supplemental selections. In total, the SmackDown brand drafted 12 employees: five on television and seven through the supplemental draft. The ECW brand earned one televised selection through their representative winning one match, while they received four supplemental selections. In total, the ECW brand drafted five employees: one on television and four through the supplemental draft. The 28 included two commentators, two Divas, and 24 male wrestlers (two inactive wrestlers and 22 active wrestlers).
The 2008 World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Draft was the sixth draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion, WWE. It was held on June 23, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center. The Draft took place live and aired for three hours on the USA Network on WWE's flagship program, Raw.For the second consecutive year, the Draft took place among WWE's three brands: Raw, SmackDown, and ECW. Every WWE employee, Diva, announcer, commentator, and General manager were eligible to be drafted. Similar to the 2007 WWE Draft, superstars from each brand competed in matches to win a random draft pick for their brand. Draft picks were kayfabe selected at random via a computer that was shown on the Raw TitanTron. Like the previous year, a supplemental draft took place on June 25, where draft selections were randomly conducted. The Draft featured the Raw brand randomly drafting ECW Champion, Kane, from the ECW brand. It also featured the ECW brand drafting WWE United States Champion, Matt Hardy, from the SmackDown brand. The final selection in the draft was conducted by the SmackDown brand, and they drafted WWE Champion, Triple H, from the Raw brand. As per pre-Draft stipulations, all the three champions brought their respective titles to the brand to which they were drafted.
The Draft was announced by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon on the May 26, 2008 episode of Raw.During the announcement, he stated that every WWE Superstar, Diva, and commentator from all three brands, Raw, ECW, and SmackDown, were eligible to be drafted. On the June 16 episode of Raw, McMahon announced that his McMahon's Million Dollar Mania contest would take place on the same night as the WWE Draft. During the contest, McMahon gave away one million dollars to WWE fans. McMahon telephoned fans, who had registered for the contest, at their homes and asked them for a password, which was revealed at the opening of the Raw broadcast. If their answer was correct, he awarded the fan a portion of one million dollars.
On June 24, WWE announced on its website, that a supplemental draft would take place on June 25 at noon ET. The supplemental draft, like the previous year, was conducted randomly, with each brand receiving random draft selections.Superstars affected by the televised draft were exempt from the supplemental draft. Because professional wrestling is scripted, outcomes are usually predetermined. Unlike years past, during this draft, many employees in WWE were not told whether they were scripted to change brands.
Aside from the Million Dollar Mania contest, the Draft was announced to help increase the television ratings of Raw, which had been declining since WrestleMania XXIV.Though the Draft helps increase ratings, it is also used as a way to refreshen the rosters and create new storylines.
There were 28 selections conducted in the draft overall. 11 selections were conducted on television, while 17 selections occurred during the supplemental draft. The Raw brand earned five televised selections through their representatives winning five different matches, while they received six supplemental selections. In total, the Raw brand drafted 11 employees: five on television and six through the supplemental draft. The SmackDown brand earned five television selections through their representatives winning five different matches, while they received seven supplemental selections. In total, the SmackDown brand drafted 12 employees: five on television and seven through the supplemental draft. The ECW brand earned one televised selection through their representative winning one match, while they received four supplemental selections. In total, the ECW brand drafted five employees: one on television and four through the supplemental draft. The 28 included two commentators, two Divas, and 24 male wrestlers (two inactive wrestlers and 22 active wrestlers).
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
ECW
nemanja6807 | 16 Novembar, 2008 00:42
ECW
Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) is a professional wrestling brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), based on the independent Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion that lasted from 1992 to 2001. It debuted on June 13, 2006 with a weekly television series. The ECW brand is one of WWE's three brands, the other two being Raw and SmackDown.
ECW can be seen on SCI FI in the United States, X-Treme Sports and Global in Canada, Sky Sports 3 in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland,Sky Italia in Italy, Premiere in Germany, in Finland on MTV3 MAX, FX Latin America in Latin America, Ten Sports in India, Astro in Malaysia, Solar Sports in the Philippines,FOX8 in Australia, The BOX in New Zealand, tvN in South Korea, e.tv in South Africa, SIC Radical in Portugal. Sportmanía in Spain and AFN Xtra and in Saudi Arabia and Middle East on Showtime Arabia ShowSports 4.
WWE acquired Extreme Championship Wrestling and its video library in 2003 and later began reintroducing ECW through a series of DVDs and books. The enormous popularity of ECW merchandise prompted WWE to organize ECW One Night Stand, an ECW reunion pay-per-view in 2005. The financial and critical success of the event motivated WWE to organize a second One Night Stand the following year. With rejuvenated interest in the ECW product, WWE began exploring the possibility of reviving the promotion full time. On May 26, 2006, WWE announced the launch of ECW as a stand-alone brand, congruous to Raw and SmackDown!, with its own show on SCI FI. Despite initial concerns that professional wrestling would not be accepted by SCI FI's demographic, network President Bonnie Hammer stated that she believed ECW would fit the channel's theme of "stretching the imagination". SCI FI is owned by NBC Universal, parent company of USA Network and exclusive cable broadcaster of WWE programming.
The ECW brand initially attempted to differentiate itself from WWE's other brands. The hard cameras were placed in a different location. The ring mat featured an ECW logo, and the WWE logo turnbuckle covers were replaced with blanks. The male performers were also referred to as "Wrestlers" as opposed to "Superstars" (later "Extremists" was used as the official label), and female performers were called "Vixens" instead of Divas. It also featured original ECW talent. Later however, changes were made to differentiate it from the original ECW promotion, including changing the original promotion's rules where weapons were legal in all matches and there were rarely any count outs or disqualifications. WWE now classifies such matches as having "Extreme Rules", and are only fought when specified. The only pay-per-view event hosted exclusively by the ECW brand since its launch was December to Dismember in December 2006. On March 14, 2007, before another one could be scheduled, WWE announced that all future pay-per-views would feature all three brands.
ECW logo (2006–2008)
Former ECW owner Paul Heyman served as the on air "ECW Representative" (a reference to how Heyman had been identified on Monday Night RAW back in 1997). According to an interview in the UK newspaper The Sun, Heyman wrote the brand's weekly scripts and submitted them to writers for possible changes, and then Vince McMahon for final approval. Following the December to Dismember 2006 Heyman was relieved from both his on and off air duties with World Wrestling Entertainment. After Heyman left, there was no ECW authority figure until August 14, 2007, when Armando Estrada was announced as the General Manager. On June 3, 2008 Estrada was replaced by Theodore Long as General Manager of ECW.
ECW on SCI FI
ECW's weekly series was originally given a thirteen episode run as a "summer series" on SCI FI. The premiere received a 2.79 rating, making it the highest rated show on cable in its time slot. Because of its good ratings it was granted an extended run through the end of 2007. On October 23, 2007, the network renewed the series through 2008.
The ECW set used from October 31, 2006 - January 15, 2008.
While the show started out a ratings success, it began drawing criticism from fans of the original ECW early on. This was most evident by the negative crowd reaction "old school" fans gave the main event of Batista vs. the Big Show at the August 1, 2006 show from Hammerstein Ballroom. During the match, fans chanted "Boring", "You both suck", "same old shit" and "change the channel".
On October 16, 2007 a "talent exchange" was started between the SmackDown! and ECW brands, allowing their respective talent to appear on either brand. On May 6, 2008, ECW celebrated its 100th episode on SCI FI.
ECW moved to 9:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Central beginning Tuesday, September 30, 2008.
On September 8, 2008 edition of Raw it was announced a "talent exchange" was started between the Raw and ECW brands, allowing their respective talent to appear on either brand.
Online presence
At ECW's launch, WWE.com introduced Hardcore Hangover, a video feature which allowed fans only in the United States to stream or download video footage from the weekly show. On October 16, 2007 it was replaced by a new feature which made full episodes of the show available for streaming on WWE.com the day after they aired. After gathering a list of names from fans and conducting an online poll, the feature was named ECW X-Stream on October 31, 2007.
Production
ECW's version of the universal WWE HD set has been used since January 21, 2008.
ECW brand shows are held in large arenas as a part of the SmackDown! brand's Tuesday taping schedule. This is in sharp contrast to the original Extreme Championship Wrestling which ran most of its events in smaller venues. The show generally airs live on Tuesdays directly before — when touring the west coast — or after SmackDown! has taped, though it has been recorded and placed on a broadcast delay until later in the night depending on what circumstances dictate.
ECW's initial theme song was "Bodies" by Drowning Pool, which had been used by WWE for Extreme Championship Wrestling since before the brand was established. Since then the theme song has changed between a number of different songs before settling on "Don't Question My Heart", sung by Kyle Morrison of the band Shattersphere. It has also used "This Is the New Shit" by Marilyn Manson. A remix of "Don't Question My Heart" by Saliva featuring Brent Smith is now used.
ECW can be seen on SCI FI in the United States, X-Treme Sports and Global in Canada, Sky Sports 3 in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland,Sky Italia in Italy, Premiere in Germany, in Finland on MTV3 MAX, FX Latin America in Latin America, Ten Sports in India, Astro in Malaysia, Solar Sports in the Philippines,FOX8 in Australia, The BOX in New Zealand, tvN in South Korea, e.tv in South Africa, SIC Radical in Portugal. Sportmanía in Spain and AFN Xtra and in Saudi Arabia and Middle East on Showtime Arabia ShowSports 4.
WWE acquired Extreme Championship Wrestling and its video library in 2003 and later began reintroducing ECW through a series of DVDs and books. The enormous popularity of ECW merchandise prompted WWE to organize ECW One Night Stand, an ECW reunion pay-per-view in 2005. The financial and critical success of the event motivated WWE to organize a second One Night Stand the following year. With rejuvenated interest in the ECW product, WWE began exploring the possibility of reviving the promotion full time. On May 26, 2006, WWE announced the launch of ECW as a stand-alone brand, congruous to Raw and SmackDown!, with its own show on SCI FI. Despite initial concerns that professional wrestling would not be accepted by SCI FI's demographic, network President Bonnie Hammer stated that she believed ECW would fit the channel's theme of "stretching the imagination". SCI FI is owned by NBC Universal, parent company of USA Network and exclusive cable broadcaster of WWE programming.
The ECW brand initially attempted to differentiate itself from WWE's other brands. The hard cameras were placed in a different location. The ring mat featured an ECW logo, and the WWE logo turnbuckle covers were replaced with blanks. The male performers were also referred to as "Wrestlers" as opposed to "Superstars" (later "Extremists" was used as the official label), and female performers were called "Vixens" instead of Divas. It also featured original ECW talent. Later however, changes were made to differentiate it from the original ECW promotion, including changing the original promotion's rules where weapons were legal in all matches and there were rarely any count outs or disqualifications. WWE now classifies such matches as having "Extreme Rules", and are only fought when specified. The only pay-per-view event hosted exclusively by the ECW brand since its launch was December to Dismember in December 2006. On March 14, 2007, before another one could be scheduled, WWE announced that all future pay-per-views would feature all three brands.
ECW logo (2006–2008)
Former ECW owner Paul Heyman served as the on air "ECW Representative" (a reference to how Heyman had been identified on Monday Night RAW back in 1997). According to an interview in the UK newspaper The Sun, Heyman wrote the brand's weekly scripts and submitted them to writers for possible changes, and then Vince McMahon for final approval. Following the December to Dismember 2006 Heyman was relieved from both his on and off air duties with World Wrestling Entertainment. After Heyman left, there was no ECW authority figure until August 14, 2007, when Armando Estrada was announced as the General Manager. On June 3, 2008 Estrada was replaced by Theodore Long as General Manager of ECW.
ECW on SCI FI
ECW's weekly series was originally given a thirteen episode run as a "summer series" on SCI FI. The premiere received a 2.79 rating, making it the highest rated show on cable in its time slot. Because of its good ratings it was granted an extended run through the end of 2007. On October 23, 2007, the network renewed the series through 2008.
The ECW set used from October 31, 2006 - January 15, 2008.
While the show started out a ratings success, it began drawing criticism from fans of the original ECW early on. This was most evident by the negative crowd reaction "old school" fans gave the main event of Batista vs. the Big Show at the August 1, 2006 show from Hammerstein Ballroom. During the match, fans chanted "Boring", "You both suck", "same old shit" and "change the channel".
On October 16, 2007 a "talent exchange" was started between the SmackDown! and ECW brands, allowing their respective talent to appear on either brand. On May 6, 2008, ECW celebrated its 100th episode on SCI FI.
ECW moved to 9:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Central beginning Tuesday, September 30, 2008.
On September 8, 2008 edition of Raw it was announced a "talent exchange" was started between the Raw and ECW brands, allowing their respective talent to appear on either brand.
Online presence
At ECW's launch, WWE.com introduced Hardcore Hangover, a video feature which allowed fans only in the United States to stream or download video footage from the weekly show. On October 16, 2007 it was replaced by a new feature which made full episodes of the show available for streaming on WWE.com the day after they aired. After gathering a list of names from fans and conducting an online poll, the feature was named ECW X-Stream on October 31, 2007.
Production
ECW's version of the universal WWE HD set has been used since January 21, 2008.
ECW brand shows are held in large arenas as a part of the SmackDown! brand's Tuesday taping schedule. This is in sharp contrast to the original Extreme Championship Wrestling which ran most of its events in smaller venues. The show generally airs live on Tuesdays directly before — when touring the west coast — or after SmackDown! has taped, though it has been recorded and placed on a broadcast delay until later in the night depending on what circumstances dictate.
ECW's initial theme song was "Bodies" by Drowning Pool, which had been used by WWE for Extreme Championship Wrestling since before the brand was established. Since then the theme song has changed between a number of different songs before settling on "Don't Question My Heart", sung by Kyle Morrison of the band Shattersphere. It has also used "This Is the New Shit" by Marilyn Manson. A remix of "Don't Question My Heart" by Saliva featuring Brent Smith is now used.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Komentari (1) |
Trekbekovi (0)
SMACK DOWN
nemanja6807 | 15 Novembar, 2008 17:00
SMACK DOWN
WWE Friday Night SmackDown is a professional wrestling television program for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) that is currently airing on MyNetworkTV in the United States. The show's name is also used to refer to the SmackDown brand, in which WWE employees are assigned to work and perform on that program; the other programs and brands are Raw and ECW. It is the only television broadcast for the SmackDown brand. From its launch in 1999, SmackDown was shown on Thursday nights, but as of September 9, 2005, the show moved to Friday nights. The show originally debuted in the United States on the UPN television network on August 26, 1999, but after the closure of that network, Friday Night SmackDown was moved to The CW in 2006. The showed remained on the CW network for two years until it was announced that it would move to MyNetworkTV in October 2008. The show is shown in Mexico on TV Azteca and in the United Kingdom on Friday nights on Sky Sports 3 and Sky Sports HD3; due to the time difference, Friday Night SmackDown premieres a few hours earlier in the United Kingdom than the United States. For other broadcast listings, see below.
SmackDown! as it was originally titled first appeared on April 29, 1999 as a single television special on UPN. On August 26, 1999, SmackDown! officially debuted on UPN, in Kansas City, Missouri. Like WCW Thunder, SmackDown! was recorded on Tuesdays and then broadcast on Thursdays. The new WWF show was so popular that WCW moved Thunder to Wednesdays in the hope of holding on to fans rather than losing them to WWF. SmackDown!, like Thunder, made heavy use of the color blue.
WWF SmackDown! logo (1999-2001)
The first SmackDown! set was unique as it featured an oval-shaped TitanTron (which was dubbed the "OvalTron"), entrance and stage which made it stand out from the Raw set and its rectangular TitanTrons. An added feature to the original set was the ability for the OvalTron to be moved to either the left or right of the stage. Throughout the show's early existence, top WWF superstar The Rock routinely called SmackDown! "his" show, in reference to the fact that the name was derived from one of his catchphrases, "Laying the smackdown." In August 2001, as part of celebrating SmackDown!'s second anniversary, the show received a new logo and set. The last SmackDown! to use the previous television set saw Alliance member Rhyno Gore WWF member Chris Jericho through the center screen, destroying part of the set. Brand Extension
In early to mid-2002, WWE underwent a process they called the "Brand Extension". WWE divided itself into two "de facto" wrestling promotions with separate rosters, storylines and authority figures. Raw and SmackDown! would host each division, give its name to the division and essentially compete against each other. The split was a result of WWF purchasing their two biggest competitors, WCW and ECW. The brand extension was publicly announced during a telecast of WWF Raw on March 25, 2002, and became official the next day.
WWF SmackDown! logo (2001-2005)
Wrestlers now would become show-exclusive, wrestling for their specific show only. At the time this excluded the WWE Undisputed Championship and WWE Women's Championship, as those WWE titles would be defended on both shows. In August 2002, 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, General Manager Eric Bischoff awarded a newly instated World Heavyweight Championship to Raw's designated #1 contender, Triple H. Due to the fact that since the WWE Undisputed Championship was now SmackDown! exclusive it was no longer seen as "Undisputed". Following this, the WWE Women's Championship soon became Raw-exclusive 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.
On June 6, 2005, WWE Champion John Cena switched brands from SmackDown! to Raw as part of the month-long Draft Lottery. This effectively left SmackDown! without a World Title. During this time, United States Champion Orlando Jordan was billed as the top champion on the show. On June 23, 2005, in Tucson, SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long announced a six-man elimination match between John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Booker T, Chris Benoit, The Undertaker, Christian (replacing The Big Show, who was picked by Raw in the lottery), and Muhammad Hassan to crown the first SmackDown! Champion. On the June 30 episode of SmackDown!, JBL won the match. Long appeared afterward and stated that even though JBL had won the match, SmackDown! did not need a Championship anymore. Batista, the World Heavyweight Champion, entered the ring as SmackDown!'s final draft lottery pick. Long also revealed that JBL was the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Friday Night SmackDown!
The Friday Night SmackDown! logo used from September 9, 2005-January 18, 2008
It was possible that WWE's "lame duck" status with Viacom on Spike TV is what prompted its moving SmackDown! to the Friday night death slot for the Fall 2005 season. However, it worked out for both parties involved, as the show did better in the ratings than it had on Thursdays, while UPN received much better ratings on Fridays than it did before, with its movie night. In addition, UPN had been able to hold on to the ratings from Thursday nights, most notably with comedian Chris Rock's Wonder Years-like sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. In January 2006, prior to the announcement of the CW Network, it was announced that UPN had renewed SmackDown! for two more years.Following the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise, SmackDown! was renamed Friday Night SmackDown! and moved into Enterprise's former timeslot in the United States. WWE promoted this move with the tagline "TV that's changing Friday nights." Friday Night SmackDown! made its season premiere on September 9, 2005. The program still aired on Thursdays in Canada on the Score. In the United Kingdom and Australia, their stations Sky Sports and FOX8 air SmackDown! on Fridays before the United States due to the time difference. This is the first time a major weekly WWE show airs internationally before it hits screens in the U.S.
The events of Hurricane Katrina affected the first edition of Friday Night SmackDown! in the U.S. due to a special fundraising concert (see Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast) that aired on UPN at the same time that the first edition would have been broadcast, resulting in only the second hour of the show being shown on UPN. The first hour was instead streamed from WWE's website. Other countries, including Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and the Philippines received the full two-hour show. WWOR-TV (My 9, New York, New York) also aired both hours of the show on tape delay on Saturday, due to a previous commitment to broadcast the New York Yankees on Friday nights.
At the SmackDown! taping on January 10, 2006, Batista had to forfeit the World Heavyweight Championship because of a triceps injury. SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long made a Battle Royal for the vacant title. The winner was at the time Raw superstar Kurt Angle, who later switched to the SmackDown brand. In a break from their traditional role of acting as if SmackDown! is not pre-recorded, WWE.com had a photograph of Angle holding his new title on the main page. WWE also did this when Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to win the World Heavyweight Championship from The Undertaker and when The Great Khali won a battle royal after Edge's injury.
On the April 7, 2006 edition of SmackDown!, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long announced that the King of the Ring tournament would return after a four year hiatus as a SmackDown!-exclusive tournament. The tournament ended at Judgment Day 2006 with Booker T as the winner, defeating Bobby Lashley in the final.
On June 9, 2006, Tazz left the SmackDown! brand to join the new ECW brand, leaving the color commentator position on SmackDown! vacant. However, on June 11 at One Night Stand 2006, JBL revealed that he would be the new color commentator for SmackDown! He stayed in that position until December 2007 when he left SmackDown! to become an in-ring competitor on Raw. Jonathan Coachman replaced him afterwards.
The CW Network
2006
Variations of the SmackDown! fist and mirrors set were used from August 16, 2001 - January 18, 2008.
On September 22, 2006, Friday Night SmackDown! debuted on the The CW Television Network, a joint venture between CBS Corporation, owner of UPN, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of Time Warner, majority owner of The WB.
For four weeks before the official premiere (and in preparation for the impending removal of UPN in several markets by the debut of MyNetworkTV on September 5, 2006) of Friday Night SmackDown! on the CW on September 22, 2006, Tribune Broadcasting television stations in six major markets (including WPIX in New York City and KTLA in Los Angeles) aired WWE's Friday Night SmackDown! early in September 2006.Two other future affiliates of The CW, WCWJ in Jacksonville, Florida and WIWB in Green Bay, Wisconsin, also aired SmackDown! in early September as well.
The transition to the CW caused an interruption in the broadcast of SmackDown! in the state of Utah beginning in June when KPNZ in Salt Lake City stopped airing all UPN programs early. The show is now seen on KUCW. In Hawaii, SmackDown! returned in late 2006, airing on a CW digital subchannel of Honolulu's FOX affiliate KHON (Channel 2), which has received statewide carriage over Oceanic Time Warner Cable. Since the move to the CW Network, Friday Night SmackDown! has shown a major increase in ratings now averaging a 3.0 national rating. In addition, SmackDown! has become the second highest watched program on The CW.
2007
On April 20, 2007, SmackDown! celebrated its 400th episode. Ratings success soon followed. On June 8, 2007, Friday Night SmackDown! made CW history by making a three-way tie with CBS and ABC in the key ad demographic, adults 18-49 by drawing a 1.5 rating each. On June 22, 2007, Friday Night SmackDown! again made CW history by tying the network for first place in the key ad demographic, adults 18-49, and being the second most watched network program at 9 p.m. for the night. The CW had not performed as well at any time slot since America's Next Top Model in March 2007. The next week on June 29, 2007, Friday Night SmackDown! helped The CW claim the top spot in the key demographic, Adults 18-49 for Friday. CBS got the overall lead but The CW got top spot for the Adults 18-49 by registering a 1.4 rating followed by CBS and NBC at 1.3, ABC at 1.2, and FOX at 0.9.Then on Friday, July 13, 2007, Friday Night SmackDown! made network history by placing first in the 18-49 demographic and becoming the most watched show at the 9 p.m. hour on network television. This is the first time anything has placed this well on The CW. SmackDown! became a hit show on Friday nights winning the demographics for young males, and ranking second on the demographics (18-49) for Friday nights.
On October 16, 2007 it was announced that the SmackDown! and ECW brands would begin a "talent exchange", allowing their respective talent to appear and compete on either brand, due to the fact that ECW is broadcast live on the same night and from the same arena where Smackdown is taped.2008
In January 2008, SmackDown! debuted in HD with Raw and ECW and dropped the exclamation point from the end of its name. The "SmackDown fist" was removed as well as all WWE shows started using the same, standard set. On February 8, 2008 it was reported that World Wrestling Entertainment and The CW had ended negotiations to keep Friday Night SmackDown on the network. WWE stated that negotiations with other networks has begun and that Friday Night SmackDown would continue to air on The CW through the end of the 2007-2008 broadcast season. On February 26 WWE issued a press release announcing Friday Night SmackDown's move to MyNetworkTV. On May 19, 2008, MyNetworkTV president, Greg Meidel, announced that WWE television would premiere on the network in October 2008, with a recap of WrestleMania XXIV being shown on October 2, 2008, and SmackDown premiering on October 3, 2008.In April 2008, Mick Foley replaced Jonathan Coachman as Color commentator. Following the 2008 WWE Draft, Jim Ross became the new play-by-play announcer for SmackDown, while Michael Cole moved to Raw. The WWE Champion Triple H was also drafted to SmackDown, which gave SmackDown two world championships to be featured on the brand. On June 30, 2008 on Monday Night Raw, CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated the World Heavyweight Champion Edge, bringing the World Heavyweight Championship back to Raw. In August 2008, Tazz replaced Foley as the color commentator.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Komentari (3) |
Trekbekovi (0)
RAW
nemanja6807 | 15 Novembar, 2008 15:22
RAW
WWE Raw is a professional wrestling television program for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States. The show's name, which is trademarked by WWE as RAW,[citation needed] is also used to refer to the Raw brand, in which WWE employees are assigned to work and perform on that program; the other programs and brands are Friday Night SmackDown and ECW. It is the only television broadcast for the Raw brand. The show originally debuted in the United States on the USA Network television network on January 11, 1993. It remained there until 2000, when Raw was moved to TNN, later known as Spike TV. In 2005, the show was moved back to the USA Network. Since it's launch in 1993, Raw continues to air on Monday nights.
The show currently airs live on the USA Network (and on tape delay Wednesdays on mun2, and Sundays on Telemundo [in Spanish]) in the United States. In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Raw airs on Sky Sports 3. It also currently broadcasts on tape delay in Canada on The Score and Global Quebec, in Australia on FOX8,in Portugal on SIC Radical, in Germany on Premiere (pay television network), in Italy on Sky Italia, in Belgium on AB3, in Finland on MTV3 MAX, in Malaysia on Astro Super Sport, in New Zealand on The Box, in Greece on Supersport 3, in India and Pakistan on Ten Sports, in the Philippines on Jack TV and RPN (through its alliance with C/S), in Chile on Chilevisión, in Mexico on Galavisión and TVC Deportes, in Bulgaria on GTV, in Panama on RPC Canal 4, in Peru on ATV, in Saudi Arabia and Middle east on ART SPORT, in Poland on Extreme Sports Channel, in Romania on TV Sport, in Serbia on FOX Televizija, in South Korea on XTM, in Spain on Cuatro, in France on NT1 and RTL9, in Argentina on Canal 9 (Argentina) and on AFN Xtra. Raw is also currently being aired on Etv in South Africa. It airs in Suriname on Rasonic telivision and on Canal VTV in El Salvador and in Honduras on Canal 5. Occasionally, Raw is aired on same-day tape delay when WWE is on an overseas tour.
Beginning as WWF Monday Night Raw, the program first aired on January 11, 1993 on the USA Network for one hour. The original Raw broke new ground in televised professional wrestling. Traditionally, wrestling shows were taped on sound stages with small audiences or at large arena shows. The Raw formula was very different than that of its predecessor, Prime Time Wrestling. Instead of taped matches, with studio voice overs and taped chat, Raw was a show shot to a live audience, with angles as they happened. The first episode featured Yokozuna defeating Koko B. Ware, The Steiner Brothers defeating The Executioners, WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels defeating Max Moon and The Undertaker defeating Damien Demento. The show also featured an interview with Razor Ramon.
Raw originated from the Grand Ballroom at Manhattan Center Studios, a small New York City theater and aired live each week. The combination of an intimate venue and live action proved highly successful. However, the weekly live schedule proved to be a financial drain on the WWF, and taped shows began airing every other week. From early 1994 to September 1999, Raw was shown live on one Monday and then the next day (Tuesday) next Monday's Raw was taped. This meant that Raw was live one week and taped the next.[citation needed]
The storylines and characters during the early years of Raw still had a healthy dose of the old Federation "gimmick-heavy" style. For instance, there were moments such as Irwin R. Schyster tearing up Tatanka's headdress, the various "Undertaker sightings" (during the Undertaker vs. Undertaker storyline, leading up to SummerSlam 1994); and characters like Duke "The Dumpster" Droese, Doink the Clown, or Thurman "Sparky" Plugg.
WWF Monday Night Raw logo (January 1993-March 1997)
Raw was also one of a kind, in which they covered the unexpected, exciting moments, a prelude to the "Attitude Era", in which it coined Raw as "Uncut, Uncensored, Uncooked." Some of those moments include Razor Ramon losing a match unexpectedly to Sean "The 1-2-3 Kid" Waltman, who was later known as X-Pac; Marty Jannetty beating Shawn Michaels to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship; and Raw was the first WWF television program of any kind to show footage of Lex Luger bodyslamming Yokozuna at the USS Intrepid.
The original hosts of Raw were Vince McMahon, Rob Bartlett and "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Sean Mooney conducted the interviews and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan also helped contribute. In March 1993, Rob Bartlett was dropped from the broadcasting team and was replaced by Bobby Heenan. Then on December 6, 1993, Gorilla Monsoon kicked Bobby Heenan out of the WWF forever. In reality, this was a storyline between Monsoon and his close friend Heenan, who decided to leave the World Wrestling Federation in order to lighten his travel schedule and because he didn't want to take a 50% paycut. After about a year, Raw moved out of the Manhattan Center and traveled to various regular Federation venues in the United States.
The Monday Night Wars
In 1995, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) began airing its new wrestling show, Monday Nitro, live each week on TNT. Raw and Nitro went head-to-head for the first time on September 11, 1995. Due to Raw's taping schedule on several occasions, WCW Vice President Eric Bischoff, who was also an on-air personality, would frequently give away the results of WWF's taped Raw shows on the live WCW show. Some fans also looked at Raw taping results on the steadily growing Internet; as a result, this caused the ratings of the taped Raw episodes to be lower.
WWF Raw had a live broadcast every other week to save costs, until September 1999, when ratings and pay-per-view buy rate increased, allowing them to justify doing a weekly live show.
At the start of the ratings war in 1995 through to mid-1996, Raw and Nitro exchanged victories over each other in a closely contested rivalry. Beginning in mid-1996, however, thanks primarily to the nWo angle, Monday Nitro started a ratings win-streak that lasted for eighty-four continuous weeks, ending on April 13,1998.
Raw is War
WWF Raw is War logo (March 1997-September 2001)
On February 3, 1997, Monday Night Raw went to a two hour format, as the Attitude Era was starting to come in full stream in the WWF. In an attempt to break the momentum of what had turned into ratings domination by WCW's competing Monday Nitro, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was brought in as Jerry Lawler "challenged" ECW on February 17, 1997.
In an episode where Raw returned to the Manhattan Center, the "challenge" answered on the following week's show with Taz, Mikey Whipwreck, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, D-Von Dudley, and the Sandman. ECW owner Paul Heyman did a call-in interview on Raw the week after that.
Throughout 1997, there were more and more controversial elements in Raw and WWF programming. Memorable moments included Bret Hart swearing at the crowd after losing a steel cage match, with commentators apologizing for his behavaior, and then entering a major brawl with Sid, The Undertaker, Steve Austin, and briefly Shawn Michaels. Some of the most notable moments included the profusely intense feud with The Hart Foundation versus Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin, which saw Raw develop a memorable episode in which Michaels and Austin beat The British Bulldog and Owen Hart for the Tag Team Championship, and whilst they post match attacked Michaels, Austin attacked a disabled Bret Hart to lure them away from Michaels. Other events saw the new black street gang Nation of Domination formed, and Shawn Michaels D-Generation X "racial graffiti" storyline designed to "implicate Bret Hart's 'the Hart Foundation'", and the "XXX Files" series.
On March 10, 1997, Monday Night Raw officially became Raw is War. The March 17, 1997 episode featured a heated Bret Hart/Vince McMahon ringside altercation (that unknowingly foreshadowed events in November) with profanity normally unheard on TV. Brian Pillman did a series of "XXX Files" segments with Terri Runnels, which further "pushed the envelope". These segments ended prematurely with the September 29, 1997 episode of Raw, after the death of Pillman on October 5, 1997 due to hereditary heart problems.
Meanwhile, on Raw, fans were immersed in the feud between WWF owner Vince McMahon and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. New talent such as Triple H being the new leader D-Generation X (DX) faction, Mankind and The Rock were elevated to main event status on the WWF's program. Superstars such as Kane, Val Venis, Goldust, etc. were coming through the ranks and exposing the WWF as the place where new talent comes through unlike the WCW counterpart. Things were so heated between the two programs that, when both shows were in the same area on the same night (Raw in Hampton, Virginia, Nitro in Norfolk), DX was sent to film a "war" segment at the Norfolk Scope where they berated WCW and interviewed fans on camera who stated that they received their Nitro tickets for free (presumably in an attempt by WCW to pack the arena as full as possible due to low ticket sales).
On January 4, 1999. Mick Foley, who had wrestled for WCW during the early 1990s as Cactus Jack, won the WWF Title as Mankind on Raw. On orders from Bischoff, Nitro announcer Tony Schiavone gave away this previously taped result on the live Nitro, and then sarcastically added "that'll sure put some butts in the seats"; over 600,000 viewers changed channels to watch Raw. This was also the night that Nitro aired a WCW World Championship match in which Kevin Nash blatantly laid down for Hulk Hogan after Hogan poked him in the chest. The next week, and for months after, many fans in the Raw audience brought signs which read, "Mick Foley put my ass in this seat!"
The end of the Wars
The show currently airs live on the USA Network (and on tape delay Wednesdays on mun2, and Sundays on Telemundo [in Spanish]) in the United States. In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Raw airs on Sky Sports 3. It also currently broadcasts on tape delay in Canada on The Score and Global Quebec, in Australia on FOX8,in Portugal on SIC Radical, in Germany on Premiere (pay television network), in Italy on Sky Italia, in Belgium on AB3, in Finland on MTV3 MAX, in Malaysia on Astro Super Sport, in New Zealand on The Box, in Greece on Supersport 3, in India and Pakistan on Ten Sports, in the Philippines on Jack TV and RPN (through its alliance with C/S), in Chile on Chilevisión, in Mexico on Galavisión and TVC Deportes, in Bulgaria on GTV, in Panama on RPC Canal 4, in Peru on ATV, in Saudi Arabia and Middle east on ART SPORT, in Poland on Extreme Sports Channel, in Romania on TV Sport, in Serbia on FOX Televizija, in South Korea on XTM, in Spain on Cuatro, in France on NT1 and RTL9, in Argentina on Canal 9 (Argentina) and on AFN Xtra. Raw is also currently being aired on Etv in South Africa. It airs in Suriname on Rasonic telivision and on Canal VTV in El Salvador and in Honduras on Canal 5. Occasionally, Raw is aired on same-day tape delay when WWE is on an overseas tour.
Beginning as WWF Monday Night Raw, the program first aired on January 11, 1993 on the USA Network for one hour. The original Raw broke new ground in televised professional wrestling. Traditionally, wrestling shows were taped on sound stages with small audiences or at large arena shows. The Raw formula was very different than that of its predecessor, Prime Time Wrestling. Instead of taped matches, with studio voice overs and taped chat, Raw was a show shot to a live audience, with angles as they happened. The first episode featured Yokozuna defeating Koko B. Ware, The Steiner Brothers defeating The Executioners, WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels defeating Max Moon and The Undertaker defeating Damien Demento. The show also featured an interview with Razor Ramon.
Raw originated from the Grand Ballroom at Manhattan Center Studios, a small New York City theater and aired live each week. The combination of an intimate venue and live action proved highly successful. However, the weekly live schedule proved to be a financial drain on the WWF, and taped shows began airing every other week. From early 1994 to September 1999, Raw was shown live on one Monday and then the next day (Tuesday) next Monday's Raw was taped. This meant that Raw was live one week and taped the next.[citation needed]
The storylines and characters during the early years of Raw still had a healthy dose of the old Federation "gimmick-heavy" style. For instance, there were moments such as Irwin R. Schyster tearing up Tatanka's headdress, the various "Undertaker sightings" (during the Undertaker vs. Undertaker storyline, leading up to SummerSlam 1994); and characters like Duke "The Dumpster" Droese, Doink the Clown, or Thurman "Sparky" Plugg.
WWF Monday Night Raw logo (January 1993-March 1997)
Raw was also one of a kind, in which they covered the unexpected, exciting moments, a prelude to the "Attitude Era", in which it coined Raw as "Uncut, Uncensored, Uncooked." Some of those moments include Razor Ramon losing a match unexpectedly to Sean "The 1-2-3 Kid" Waltman, who was later known as X-Pac; Marty Jannetty beating Shawn Michaels to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship; and Raw was the first WWF television program of any kind to show footage of Lex Luger bodyslamming Yokozuna at the USS Intrepid.
The original hosts of Raw were Vince McMahon, Rob Bartlett and "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Sean Mooney conducted the interviews and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan also helped contribute. In March 1993, Rob Bartlett was dropped from the broadcasting team and was replaced by Bobby Heenan. Then on December 6, 1993, Gorilla Monsoon kicked Bobby Heenan out of the WWF forever. In reality, this was a storyline between Monsoon and his close friend Heenan, who decided to leave the World Wrestling Federation in order to lighten his travel schedule and because he didn't want to take a 50% paycut. After about a year, Raw moved out of the Manhattan Center and traveled to various regular Federation venues in the United States.
The Monday Night Wars
In 1995, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) began airing its new wrestling show, Monday Nitro, live each week on TNT. Raw and Nitro went head-to-head for the first time on September 11, 1995. Due to Raw's taping schedule on several occasions, WCW Vice President Eric Bischoff, who was also an on-air personality, would frequently give away the results of WWF's taped Raw shows on the live WCW show. Some fans also looked at Raw taping results on the steadily growing Internet; as a result, this caused the ratings of the taped Raw episodes to be lower.
WWF Raw had a live broadcast every other week to save costs, until September 1999, when ratings and pay-per-view buy rate increased, allowing them to justify doing a weekly live show.
At the start of the ratings war in 1995 through to mid-1996, Raw and Nitro exchanged victories over each other in a closely contested rivalry. Beginning in mid-1996, however, thanks primarily to the nWo angle, Monday Nitro started a ratings win-streak that lasted for eighty-four continuous weeks, ending on April 13,1998.
Raw is War
WWF Raw is War logo (March 1997-September 2001)
On February 3, 1997, Monday Night Raw went to a two hour format, as the Attitude Era was starting to come in full stream in the WWF. In an attempt to break the momentum of what had turned into ratings domination by WCW's competing Monday Nitro, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was brought in as Jerry Lawler "challenged" ECW on February 17, 1997.
In an episode where Raw returned to the Manhattan Center, the "challenge" answered on the following week's show with Taz, Mikey Whipwreck, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, D-Von Dudley, and the Sandman. ECW owner Paul Heyman did a call-in interview on Raw the week after that.
Throughout 1997, there were more and more controversial elements in Raw and WWF programming. Memorable moments included Bret Hart swearing at the crowd after losing a steel cage match, with commentators apologizing for his behavaior, and then entering a major brawl with Sid, The Undertaker, Steve Austin, and briefly Shawn Michaels. Some of the most notable moments included the profusely intense feud with The Hart Foundation versus Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin, which saw Raw develop a memorable episode in which Michaels and Austin beat The British Bulldog and Owen Hart for the Tag Team Championship, and whilst they post match attacked Michaels, Austin attacked a disabled Bret Hart to lure them away from Michaels. Other events saw the new black street gang Nation of Domination formed, and Shawn Michaels D-Generation X "racial graffiti" storyline designed to "implicate Bret Hart's 'the Hart Foundation'", and the "XXX Files" series.
On March 10, 1997, Monday Night Raw officially became Raw is War. The March 17, 1997 episode featured a heated Bret Hart/Vince McMahon ringside altercation (that unknowingly foreshadowed events in November) with profanity normally unheard on TV. Brian Pillman did a series of "XXX Files" segments with Terri Runnels, which further "pushed the envelope". These segments ended prematurely with the September 29, 1997 episode of Raw, after the death of Pillman on October 5, 1997 due to hereditary heart problems.
After WrestleMania XIV in March 1998, which featured Mike Tyson as a ring enforcer, and Shawn Michaels final match up until 2001, the WWF regained the lead in the Monday Night Wars with its new "WWF Attitude" brand, led in particular by rising stars Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H and Mankind. The classic feud between the villainous WWF Chairman Vince McMahon (who was re-imagined and re-branded from the color commentator into the evil company chairman character Mr. McMahon after the real-life Montreal Screwjob incident) and fan favorite Steve Austin (who had been released by Bischoff in the summer of 1995 for not being marketable) caught the imaginations of fans. The April 13, 1998 episode of Raw, headlined by a match between Austin and McMahon, marked the first time that WCW had lost the head-to-head Monday night ratings battle in the 84 weeks since 1996.
While Raw was taking a new approach to programming, Nitro would start producing lackluster shows with the same storylines. Older stars such as Hogan and Nash frequented the main events, while younger talent such as Rey Mysterio Jr., Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero were not given opportunities to advance, and the only newcomers elevated to main-event status at this time were Bill Goldberg and Diamond Dallas Page.Meanwhile, on Raw, fans were immersed in the feud between WWF owner Vince McMahon and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. New talent such as Triple H being the new leader D-Generation X (DX) faction, Mankind and The Rock were elevated to main event status on the WWF's program. Superstars such as Kane, Val Venis, Goldust, etc. were coming through the ranks and exposing the WWF as the place where new talent comes through unlike the WCW counterpart. Things were so heated between the two programs that, when both shows were in the same area on the same night (Raw in Hampton, Virginia, Nitro in Norfolk), DX was sent to film a "war" segment at the Norfolk Scope where they berated WCW and interviewed fans on camera who stated that they received their Nitro tickets for free (presumably in an attempt by WCW to pack the arena as full as possible due to low ticket sales).
On January 4, 1999. Mick Foley, who had wrestled for WCW during the early 1990s as Cactus Jack, won the WWF Title as Mankind on Raw. On orders from Bischoff, Nitro announcer Tony Schiavone gave away this previously taped result on the live Nitro, and then sarcastically added "that'll sure put some butts in the seats"; over 600,000 viewers changed channels to watch Raw. This was also the night that Nitro aired a WCW World Championship match in which Kevin Nash blatantly laid down for Hulk Hogan after Hogan poked him in the chest. The next week, and for months after, many fans in the Raw audience brought signs which read, "Mick Foley put my ass in this seat!"
The end of the Wars
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
PRELAZAK WWF U WWE
nemanja6807 | 15 Novembar, 2008 15:02
WORLD WRESTELING FEDERATION
World Wrestling Entertainment
In 2000, the World Wildlife Fund (also WWF), an environmental organization now called the World Wide Fund for Nature, sued the World Wrestling Federation. A British court agreed that Titan Sports had violated a 1994 agreement which had limited the permissible use of the WWF initials overseas, particularly in merchandising.On May 5, 2002, the company quietly changed all references on its website from "WWF" to "WWE", while switching the URL from WWF.com to WWE.com. The next day, a press release announced the official name change from World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. to World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., or WWE, and the change was publicized later that day during a telecast of Monday Night Raw, which emanated from the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. For a short time, WWE used the slogan "Get The 'F' Out."The company had also been ordered by the court to stop using the old WWF Attitude logo on any of its properties and to censor all past references to WWF, as they no longer owned the trademark to the initials WWF in 'specified circumstances'. Despite litigation, WWE is still permitted use of the original WWF logo, which was used from 1984 through 1997, as well as the "New WWF Generation" logo, which was used from 1994 through 1998. Furthermore, the company may still make use of the full "World Wrestling Federation" and "World Wrestling Federation Entertainment" names without consequence.
WWE superstars performing for the Coalition troops at Camp Victory
In April 2002, about a month before the name change, WWE decided to create two separate rosters, one on Raw, the other on SmackDown! due to the overabundance of talent left over from the Invasion storyline (which involved talent from the absorbed ECW and WCW rosters interacting in WWF storylines). This is known as the WWE Brand Extension. Following the Brand Extension, a yearly Draft Lottery was instituted in 2004 to exchange members of each roster and generally refresh the lineups.
In late 2005, WWE Raw returned after a five-year stint on TNN (now Spike TV) to its original home USA Network. In the TNN days, WWE got all advertising revenue during commercial breaks into their own pockets; now on USA Network, USA Network gets all advertising revenue.So, WWE had to invest into other lines of products introducing WWE 24/7, an on-demand subscription-only channel which shows classic wrestling matches from WWE's vast video library (more than 80,000 hours) and WWE produced content other than wrestling. In 2006, due to contracts with NBC Universal, parent company of USA Network, WWE had the chance to revive its classic Saturday night show WWE Saturday Night's Main Event (SNME) on NBC after a thirteen-year hiatus. WWE had the chance to promote the company on a major national network rather than the lower profile CW or cable channels like USA Network. SNME airs occasionally on NBC as a WWE special series.
On May 26, 2006, WWE revived Extreme Championship Wrestling as its third brand. The new ECW program airs Tuesday nights, on the Sci Fi Channel. On September 26, 2007, it was announced that WWE would be expanding its international operations. Alongside the current international offices in London and Toronto, a new international office would be established in Sydney. On January 21, 2008, WWE made the transition to high-definition (HD). All TV shows and pay-per-views after this were broadcast in HD. In addition, WWE also introduced a new state of the art set that was used for all three brands.
Wellness Program
The Talent Wellness Program is a comprehensive drug, alcohol, and cardiac screening program exclusive to World Wrestling Entertainment, initiated in February 2006, shortly after the sudden death of one of their highest profile talents, thirty-eight year old Eddie Guerrero. The policy tests for recreational drug use and abuse of prescription medication, including anabolic steroids. Under the guidelines of the policy, talent is also tested annually for pre-existing or developing cardiac issues. The drug testing is handled by Aegis Sciences Corporation. The cardiac evaluations are handled by New York Cardiology Associates P.C.
The program has recently been defended heavily by WWE and its employees in the wake of several illegal pharmacy busts that link WWE performers to steroid purchases even after the policy was put into place. WWE openly suspended/released 11 performers immediately following release of their names in conjunction with anabolic steroid purchases.
WWE is currently under investigation by the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding their talent wellness policy, after the death of one of their performers, Chris Benoit, possibly being linked to steroid abuse.
In August 2007, WWE made the decision to suspend ten professional wrestlers for violating their Wellness Policy after it emerged they were all customers of Signature Pharmacy in Orlando, Florida. According to a statement attributed to WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt, an eleventh wrestler was later added to the suspension list.
On the other hand, it has not been mentioned in public outside WWE.com that because of the Wellness Policy, physicians were able to diagnose one of their performers with a heart ailment that otherwise would have likely gone unnoticed until it was too late. In August 2007, then-reigning U.S. Champion MVP was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which if gone undiagnosed can be potentially fatal. The ailment was discovered while MVP was going through a routine Wellness Policy checkup.
Expansion beyond wrestling
In addition to licensing wrestling and performers' likenesses to companies such as Acclaim, THQ, and Jakks Pacific to produce video games and action figures, WWE has moved into other areas of interest in order to market their product.
* WWE Studios: A subsidiary of WWE created in 2002 to create and develop feature film properties. Formerly known as WWE Films.
* WWE Niagara Falls: A retail and entertainment establishment that is located in Niagara Falls, Ontario and owned by WWE.
* WWE Records: A subsidiary that specializes in compilation albums of WWE wrestlers' entrance themes. Also releases titles that have been actually performed by the wrestlers themselves.
* WWE Home Video: A subsidiary that specializes in distributing compilation VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray Disc copies of WWE pay-per-view events, compilations of WWE wrestlers' performances, and biographies of WWE performers.
* WWE Books: A subsidiary of WWE that serves to publish autobiographies of and fiction based on WWE personalities, behind-the-scenes guides to WWE, illustrated books, calendars, young adult books, and other general nonfiction books.
In 2000, the World Wildlife Fund (also WWF), an environmental organization now called the World Wide Fund for Nature, sued the World Wrestling Federation. A British court agreed that Titan Sports had violated a 1994 agreement which had limited the permissible use of the WWF initials overseas, particularly in merchandising.On May 5, 2002, the company quietly changed all references on its website from "WWF" to "WWE", while switching the URL from WWF.com to WWE.com. The next day, a press release announced the official name change from World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. to World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., or WWE, and the change was publicized later that day during a telecast of Monday Night Raw, which emanated from the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. For a short time, WWE used the slogan "Get The 'F' Out."The company had also been ordered by the court to stop using the old WWF Attitude logo on any of its properties and to censor all past references to WWF, as they no longer owned the trademark to the initials WWF in 'specified circumstances'. Despite litigation, WWE is still permitted use of the original WWF logo, which was used from 1984 through 1997, as well as the "New WWF Generation" logo, which was used from 1994 through 1998. Furthermore, the company may still make use of the full "World Wrestling Federation" and "World Wrestling Federation Entertainment" names without consequence.
WWE superstars performing for the Coalition troops at Camp Victory
In April 2002, about a month before the name change, WWE decided to create two separate rosters, one on Raw, the other on SmackDown! due to the overabundance of talent left over from the Invasion storyline (which involved talent from the absorbed ECW and WCW rosters interacting in WWF storylines). This is known as the WWE Brand Extension. Following the Brand Extension, a yearly Draft Lottery was instituted in 2004 to exchange members of each roster and generally refresh the lineups.
In late 2005, WWE Raw returned after a five-year stint on TNN (now Spike TV) to its original home USA Network. In the TNN days, WWE got all advertising revenue during commercial breaks into their own pockets; now on USA Network, USA Network gets all advertising revenue.So, WWE had to invest into other lines of products introducing WWE 24/7, an on-demand subscription-only channel which shows classic wrestling matches from WWE's vast video library (more than 80,000 hours) and WWE produced content other than wrestling. In 2006, due to contracts with NBC Universal, parent company of USA Network, WWE had the chance to revive its classic Saturday night show WWE Saturday Night's Main Event (SNME) on NBC after a thirteen-year hiatus. WWE had the chance to promote the company on a major national network rather than the lower profile CW or cable channels like USA Network. SNME airs occasionally on NBC as a WWE special series.
On May 26, 2006, WWE revived Extreme Championship Wrestling as its third brand. The new ECW program airs Tuesday nights, on the Sci Fi Channel. On September 26, 2007, it was announced that WWE would be expanding its international operations. Alongside the current international offices in London and Toronto, a new international office would be established in Sydney. On January 21, 2008, WWE made the transition to high-definition (HD). All TV shows and pay-per-views after this were broadcast in HD. In addition, WWE also introduced a new state of the art set that was used for all three brands.
Wellness Program
The Talent Wellness Program is a comprehensive drug, alcohol, and cardiac screening program exclusive to World Wrestling Entertainment, initiated in February 2006, shortly after the sudden death of one of their highest profile talents, thirty-eight year old Eddie Guerrero. The policy tests for recreational drug use and abuse of prescription medication, including anabolic steroids. Under the guidelines of the policy, talent is also tested annually for pre-existing or developing cardiac issues. The drug testing is handled by Aegis Sciences Corporation. The cardiac evaluations are handled by New York Cardiology Associates P.C.
The program has recently been defended heavily by WWE and its employees in the wake of several illegal pharmacy busts that link WWE performers to steroid purchases even after the policy was put into place. WWE openly suspended/released 11 performers immediately following release of their names in conjunction with anabolic steroid purchases.
WWE is currently under investigation by the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding their talent wellness policy, after the death of one of their performers, Chris Benoit, possibly being linked to steroid abuse.
In August 2007, WWE made the decision to suspend ten professional wrestlers for violating their Wellness Policy after it emerged they were all customers of Signature Pharmacy in Orlando, Florida. According to a statement attributed to WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt, an eleventh wrestler was later added to the suspension list.
On the other hand, it has not been mentioned in public outside WWE.com that because of the Wellness Policy, physicians were able to diagnose one of their performers with a heart ailment that otherwise would have likely gone unnoticed until it was too late. In August 2007, then-reigning U.S. Champion MVP was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which if gone undiagnosed can be potentially fatal. The ailment was discovered while MVP was going through a routine Wellness Policy checkup.
Expansion beyond wrestling
In addition to licensing wrestling and performers' likenesses to companies such as Acclaim, THQ, and Jakks Pacific to produce video games and action figures, WWE has moved into other areas of interest in order to market their product.
* WWE Studios: A subsidiary of WWE created in 2002 to create and develop feature film properties. Formerly known as WWE Films.
* WWE Niagara Falls: A retail and entertainment establishment that is located in Niagara Falls, Ontario and owned by WWE.
* WWE Records: A subsidiary that specializes in compilation albums of WWE wrestlers' entrance themes. Also releases titles that have been actually performed by the wrestlers themselves.
* WWE Home Video: A subsidiary that specializes in distributing compilation VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray Disc copies of WWE pay-per-view events, compilations of WWE wrestlers' performances, and biographies of WWE performers.
* WWE Books: A subsidiary of WWE that serves to publish autobiographies of and fiction based on WWE personalities, behind-the-scenes guides to WWE, illustrated books, calendars, young adult books, and other general nonfiction books.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
AMERICKO RVANJE(WWE)
nemanja6807 | 15 Novembar, 2008 14:48
WWE-WORLD WRESTWLING ENTERTAINMENT
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) is a publicly traded, privately controlled integrated media (focusing in television, Internet, and live events) and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in the professional wrestling industry, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales. Vince McMahon is the majority owner and Chairman of the company and his wife Linda McMahon holds the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Together with their children, Executive Vice President of Global Media Shane McMahon and Executive Vice President of Talent and Creative Writing Stephanie McMahon-Levesque, the McMahons hold approximately 70% of WWE's economic interest and 96% of the voting power in the company.
The company's global headquarters are located in Stamford, Connecticut with offices in Los Angeles, New York City, London, and Toronto. The company was previously known as Titan Sports before changing to World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc., and most recently becoming World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
WWE's business focus is on professional wrestling, a simulated sport which combines wrestling with acting and theatre. It is currently the largest professional wrestling promotion in the world and holds an extensive library of videos representing a significant portion of the visual history of professional wrestling. The promotion previously existed as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, which promoted under the banner of the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), and later the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). WWE promotes under three brands: Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW. WWE is also home to two of the three current world heavyweight championships recognized by Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the ECW Championship, which is not recognized by PWI.
WWE's revenue in 2007 was approximately $486 million, with a net profit of approximately $52 million. As of August 2006,the company's market capitalization is over $1 billion.Its.stock is traded on the NYSE as WWE.
The company's global headquarters are located in Stamford, Connecticut with offices in Los Angeles, New York City, London, and Toronto. The company was previously known as Titan Sports before changing to World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc., and most recently becoming World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
WWE's business focus is on professional wrestling, a simulated sport which combines wrestling with acting and theatre. It is currently the largest professional wrestling promotion in the world and holds an extensive library of videos representing a significant portion of the visual history of professional wrestling. The promotion previously existed as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, which promoted under the banner of the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), and later the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). WWE promotes under three brands: Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW. WWE is also home to two of the three current world heavyweight championships recognized by Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the ECW Championship, which is not recognized by PWI.
WWE's revenue in 2007 was approximately $486 million, with a net profit of approximately $52 million. As of August 2006,the company's market capitalization is over $1 billion.Its.stock is traded on the NYSE as WWE.
Nemanja1 |
Permalink |
Dodaj komentar |
Trekbekovi (0)
Meni
Pretraži
Kalendar
| « | Maj 2012 | » | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Po | Ut | Sr | Če | Pe | Su | Ne |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |||
Najnovije...
- MICKIE JAMES
- LILIAN GARCIA
- BETH PHOENIX
- CANDICE MICHELLE
- HULK HOGAN
- MARK WILLIAM CALAWAY(THE UNDERTAKER)
- JOHN CENA
- SUMMERSLAM
- THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH
- HELL IN A CELL
- ROYAL RUMBLE
- NO MERCY
- BACKLASH
- JUDGEMENT DAY
- ONE NIGHT STAND
- SURVIVOR SERIES
- NO WAY OUT
- CYBER SUNDEY
- WWE WRESLEMANIA 25
- WWE HALL OF FAME