Rey Mysterio’s WWE Status and a Possible Indication The He is Being Granted His Release
Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero both posted Tweets this week, which have once again lead to speculation regarding Mysterio’s current WWE status.
Prior to the Tweets being released, the latest update on Mysterio is that he was still under contract with WWE, and was waiting to be brought back to TV.
The Wrestling Observer reported back in December that Vince McMahon had instructed the WWE creative team to come up with something for Rey which would last from Survivor Series to WrestleMania 31, however that was evidently nixed, as it’s January and Mysterio has yet to return to WWE TV.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (5-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) may be strongly considering a return to the world’s largest MMA promotion, according to a recent report.
In the latest addition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required), Dave Meltzer reports that Lesnar’s current bosses at professional wrestling organization WWE are working under the assumption that the 37-year-old is intent on returning to the UFC when his contract expires in March 2015.
“The Lesnar people always keep things quiet, but within the company, the belief is that he’s going back to UFC, and his showing up lighter to TV last week confirmed that to people who thought it,” Meltzer stated.
While UFC President Dana White has previously suggested he’d be willing to consider a Lesnar return to the promotion, when reached for comment, the exec said there hasn’t been any progress in recent months.
“I haven’t talked to Brock,” White told MMAjunkie via text.
In November, at the UFC’s massive “The Time is Now” press conference, White admitted that Lesnar has expressed a desire to compete again for the first time since suffering a TKO loss to Alistair Overeem at December 2011’s UFC 141 event.
“We have a great relationship with him,” White said of Lesnar. “He’s healthy, and he’s said that he’s interested in fighting again. We’ll see what happens.”
Lesnar, who came to the UFC in 2008 following a seven-year run in professional wrestling, instantly established himself as one of the most marketable fighters on the planet and earned the UFC heavyweight belt with a November 2008 TKO of Randy Couture.
Lesnar would go on to successfully defend the belt twice with stoppage wins over Frank Mir and Shane Carwin before suffering back-to-back losses to Cain Velasquez and Overeem.
The tail end of Lesnar’s MMA career was famously plagued by diverticulitis, a medical condition that required multiple surgeries and a complete restructuring of Lesnar’s diet. However, Lesnar is reportedly back to full health, which may be providing an incentive to fight again.
Although in his late 30s, Lesnar still hovers around the average age of current UFC heavyweights. It’s unknown what, if any, level of training Lesnar has maintained since his last fight. Regardless, he could find himself in big fights immediately upon his return, as he would instantly (and again) become one of the UFC’s most marketable commodities.
Bellator MMA President Scott Coker recently expressed a desire in Lesnar’s services, as well, though the organization has yet to make an official offer.
WWE as a whole must be sound from top to bottom. There will always be one top spot—that much is certain. But there must be room near that spot for other talents to rise and be featured as major players.
As impressive as Cena has been, the fact is that one man cannot do it all. All of WWE's resources, all of its creative storylines, basically begin and end with Cena as the top star. The result of that work over the past 10 years has been a collection of fan-favorite Superstars who may be respected for their talents but cannot break through the proverbial glass ceiling.
Dolph Ziggler, Damien Sandow and Cesaro are all Superstars who many fans admire, and despite whether they're heel or face, the fact is that each man has the ability to succeed on a high level. But it's nearly impossible for some to even envision that happening with Cena in that prime position.
There seems to be less sharing of the wealth and more of one guy winning it all.
Assuming that Roman Reigns is the man who will eventually supplant Cena as WWE's top star, the truth is that he will also not be able to do it all. His supporting cast must be so much more than just a supporting cast. If WWE continues to do business in the future as it has done with Cena, then it will encounter the same problems it faces now with a main star who could be just as hated.
The John Cena show transitioning to The Roman Reigns show may be fine in the short term, but it will not be the answer to WWE's long-term evolution.
There cannot be one almighty presence at the forefront. The next face of WWE must have a human character, one who is capable of coming up short and missing the mark from time to time. Fans must believe that he is strong and very good at what he does, but he cannot be completely untouchable.
And WWE must support him with other top stars inside of a product that does not live and breathe directly through the character of just one man.
WWE's model for doing business can no longer revolve around just one or even two Superstars. Simply replacing Cena is not the answer, and the company must realize that before moving on with the next man.
Christopher Keith Chris Irvine born November 9, 1970 better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is a Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, media personality, actor, author, and businessman. Currently signed to WWE, he is also well known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling ECW and World Championship Wrestling WCW, and internationally in Canadian, German, Japanese, and Mexican promotions. He is known for his over-the-top, rock star persona – dubbed "The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla" – and for a contrasting run as an aloof villain in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Jericho has won 30 championships between WWE, WCW, and ECW – the three most prominent American promotions in the 1990s and early 2000s. He is credited as being the first Undisputed WWF Champion, having unified the World Championship formerly the WCW Championship and the WWF Championship by defeating The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin on the same night in 2001. He is also the fourth WWE Grand Slam Champion and is currently the only Grand Slam Champion to have held every title in WWE.
Jericho has been a challenger to major world championships since the mid-1990s. In WWE, he is a six-time world champion, having won the WWF Championship once, the WCW/World Championship twice, and the World Heavyweight Championship three times. He is also a record nine-time Intercontinental Champion, beating out four other contenders in a 2013 WWE fan poll to determine the greatest champion in history with a landslide 64. of the vote. In 2014, WWE ranked Jericho's debut with the organization – on the August 9, 1999 edition of Monday Night Raw – number one in its countdown of the "Most Memorable WWE Debuts Jericho has headlined many major pay-per-view events during his time with the company, including a performance as WWF Champion at WrestleMania X8 in 2002.
Outside of wrestling, Jericho became the lead vocalist of the band Fozzy in 1999. Their eponymous debut album 2000 and Happenstance 2002 consist of cover songs and original music; later records All That Remains 2005 Chasing the Grail 2010, Sin and Bones 2012 and Do You Wanna Start a War 2014 are comprised entirely or predominantly of original compositions. Jericho also competed in the 2011 series of Dancing With the Stars, lasting until the sixth week. Prior to this, he hosted the ABC game show Downfall and the Revolver Golden Gods Awards.
Chris Irvine was born in Manhasset, New York, during the period when his father, NHL hockey player Ted Irvine, was playing for the New York Rangers. His interest in professional wrestling began when he began watching the local American Wrestling Association events that took place at the Winnipeg Arena with his family, and his desire to become a wrestler himself began when he saw footage of Owen Hart then appearing with Stampede Wrestling performing various high-flying wrestling moves. In addition to Owen Hart, Irvine also sites Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and Shawn Michaels as inspirations for becoming a wrestler.
His first experience with a wrestling promotion was when he acted as part of the ring crew for the first tour of the newly opened Keystone Wrestling Alliance promotion, where he learned important pointers from independent wrestlers Catfish Charlie and Caveman Broda. In the meantime, he also attended Red River Community College, taking a course in Creative Communications, where he would graduate from with top honors.
Professional wrestling career
Early career 1990–1995
At age 19, Irvine entered the Hart Brothers School of Wrestling where, on his first day, he met Lance Storm. Two months later, he was ready to start wrestling on independent shows, making his debut at the Moose Hall in Ponoka, Alberta as "Cowboy" Chris Jerico, on October 2, 1990, in a 10-minute time limit draw against Storm. The pair then worked as a tag team, initially called "Sudden Impact". He took the name "Jericho" from an album, Walls of Jericho, by German power metal band, Helloween. Jericho and Storm worked for Tony Condello in the tours of Northern Manitoba with Adam Copeland Edge, Jason Reso Christian, and Terry Gerin Rhino. The pair also wrestled in Calgary's Canadian National Wrestling Alliance CNWA and Canadian Rocky Mountain Wrestling CRMW. In 1991, Jericho and Storm started touring in Japan for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, where he befriended Ricky Fuji, who also trained under Stu Hart.
In the winter of 1992, he travelled to Mexico and competed under the name Leon D'Oro, and later Corazón de León, where he wrestled for several small wrestling companies, as well as the largest in the country, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre CMLLIn CMLL, Jericho took on Silver King, Negro Casas, and Último Dragón en route to an 11 month reign as the NWA Middleweight Champion that began in December 1993. After leaving Mexico, Jericho wrestled in Hamburg, Germany for six weeks as part of a tournament run by Rene Lasartesse. His burgeoning wrestling skills also took him to Japan in 1994, where he competed for Genichiro Tenryu's Wrestling and Romance later known as Wrestle Association R WAR promotion, facing the likes of Gedo and Último Dragón, to whom he lost the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship. He also became a member of the heel stable Fuyuki-Gun also known as Team No Respect with Gedo, Jado, and Hiromichi Fuyuki under the name Lion Do, and went on to team with Gedo to become the first WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. 1994 also saw Jericho reunited with his former team-mate from CRMW, Storm, as the Thrillseekers in Jim Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling SMW promotion, where they feuded with the likes of Well Dunn, The Rock 'n' Roll Express, and The Heavenly Bodies. In December 1995, Jericho competed in the second Super J Cup Tournament, hosted by WAR, losing to Wild Pegasus Chris Benoit.
Extreme Championship Wrestling 1995–1996
In 1996, thanks in part to recommendations by Benoit and Perry Saturn, to promoter Paul Heyman, and after Mick Foley saw Jericho's match against Último Dragón for the WAR International Junior Heavyweight Championship in July 1995 and gave a tape of the match to Heyman, Jericho began wrestling for the Philadelphia-based Extreme Championship Wrestling ECW promotion, winning the ECW World Television Championship from Pitbull #2 in June 1996. While in ECW, Jericho wrestled Taz, Sabu, Rob Van Dam, Foley as Cactus Jack, Shane Douglas, and 2 Cold Scorpio. It was during this time that he drew the attention of World Championship Wrestling WCW
World Championship Wrestling
Cruiserweight Champion 1997–1998
On August 26, 1996, Jericho made his first appearance with WCW, and on September 15, he appeared at his first pay-per-view show in a match against Chris Benoit at Fall Brawl. In January 1997, Jericho made his debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling, who had a working agreement with WCW, as Super Liger, the masked nemesis of Jushin Thunder Liger. According to Jericho, Super Liger's first match against Koji Kanemoto at Wrestling World 1997 was so poorly received that the gimmick was dropped instantly. Jericho complained that he had a difficult time seeing through the mask and botched several moves during the match. The following six months, Jericho worked for New Japan unmasked, before being called back by WCW. On June 28, 1997, Jericho defeated Syxx in Los Angeles, California to win the Cruiserweight Championship for the first time. He won the title again on August 12, 1997, by defeating Alex Wright.
Jericho began his heel run when he won the title a third time by defeating Rey Mysterio, Jr. at Souled Out by forcing him to submit to the Liontamer. After the match, Jericho assaulted Mysterio's knee with a toolbox. In the storyline, Mysterio needed six months of recovery before he could return to the ring. Jericho then had a short feud with Juventud Guerrera in which Guerrera repeatedly requested a shot at Jericho's Cruiserweight Championship, but Jericho constantly rebuffed him. The feud culminated in a Title vs. Mask match at SuperBrawl VIII. Guerrera lost the match and was forced to remove his mask. Following this match, Jericho began his ongoing gimmick of collecting and wearing to the ring trophy items from his defeated opponents, such as Guerrera's mask, Prince Iaukea's Hawaiian dress, and a headband from Disco Inferno.
Jericho then began a long feud with Dean Malenko, in which Jericho repeatedly claimed he was a better wrestler than Malenko, but refused to wrestle him. Because of his mastery of technical wrestling, Malenko was known as "The Man of 1,000 Holds," so Jericho claimed to be "The Man of 1,004 Holds." Jericho mentions in his autobiography that this line originated from an IWA interview he saw as a child, where manager Floyd Creatchman claimed that Leo Burke, the first professional wrestler to be known as The Man of 1,000 Holds", was now known as "The Man of 1,002 Holds", to which Creatchman stated that "he learned two more.
During the March 30, 1998 episode of WCW Monday Nitro, after defeating Marty Jannetty, Jericho pulled out a long pile of paper that listed each of the 1,004 holds he knew and recited them to the audience. Many of the "holds" were fictional, and nearly every other hold was an armbar. On the March 12, 1998 episode of WCW Thunder, Malenko defeated a wrestler wearing Juventud Guerrera's mask who appeared to be Jericho. However, the masked wrestler was actually Lenny Lane, who Jericho bribed to appear in the match. This started a minor feud between Lane and Jericho after Jericho refused to pay Lane. At Uncensored Jericho finally wrestled Malenko and defeated him, after which Malenko took a leave of absence from wrestling.Jericho then proceeded to bring with him to the ring a portrait of Malenko that he insulted and demeaned. Just prior to Slamboree, J.J. Dillon referred to by Jericho as Jo Joscheduled a cruiserweight Battle Royal, of which the winner would immediately have a shot at Jericho's Cruiserweight Championship. Jericho accepted on the grounds that whoever he faced would be too tired to win a second match. At Slamboree, Jericho came out to announce the competitors in an insulting fashion before the match started and then went backstage for coffee. An individual who appeared to be Ciclope won the battle royal after Juventud Guerrera shook his hand then eliminated himself. However, the winner was not Ciclope, but instead a returning Malenko in disguise. Following one of the loudest crowd reactions in WCW history, Malenko proceeded to defeat Jericho for the championship.Jericho claiming he was the victim of a carefully planned conspiracy to get the belt off of him. He at first blamed the WCW locker room, then added Dillon, Ted Turner, and finally in a vignette, he walked around Washington, D.C. with the sign "conspiracy victim" and accused President Bill Clinton of being one of the conspirators after being rejected from a meeting. Eventually, Malenko vacated the title. Jericho ended up defeating Malenko at The Great American Bash to win the vacant title after Malenko was disqualified after hitting Jericho with a chair. The next night, Malenko was suspended for his actions.
At Bash at the Beach, the recently returned Rey Mysterio, Jr. who had recovered from his knee injury defeated Jericho in a No Disqualification match after the still-suspended Malenko interfered. Jericho regained the Cruiserweight Championship from Mysterio the next night after he interrupted J.J. Dillon while Dillon was giving the championship to Mysterio. Jericho was again awarded the championship. Eventually, Jericho decisively lost the title to Juventud Guerrera in a match at Road Wild with Malenko as special referee.
World Television Champion (1998–1999)
On August 10, Jericho defeated Stevie Ray to win the World Television Championship Stevie Ray substituting for the champion Booker T.Soon afterward, Jericho repeatedly called out World Heavyweight Champion Goldberg, in an attempt to begin a feud with him, but never actually wrestled him. Jericho cites Eric Bischoff, Goldberg, and Hulk Hogan's refusal to book Jericho in a pay-per-view squash match loss against Goldberg, which Jericho felt would be a big draw, as a major reason for leaving the company.
On November 30, Jericho lost the Television Championship to Konnan. In early 1999, Jericho began a feud with Perry Saturn. The feud saw Jericho and Saturn instigating bizarre stipulation matches, such as at Souled Out, where Jericho defeated Saturn in a "loser must wear a dress" match.At SuperBrawl IX Jericho and Saturn wrestled in a "dress" match in which Jericho once again defeated Saturn. Saturn finally defeated Jericho at Uncensored in a Dog Collar match. Jericho's final WCW match came during a Peoria, Illinois house show July 21, where he and Eddie Guerrero lost a tag team match to Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio, Jr.
Fifteen years after Jericho's departure from WCW, his best-known entrance music within the company, "One Crazed Anarchist", would lend its name to the title of the second single from his band Fozzy's 2014 album, Do You Wanna Start a War.Jericho alternated between WCW and a number of Japanese tours before he signed a contract with the World Wrestling Federation WWF on June 30.
In the weeks before Jericho's debut, a clock labelled "countdown to the new millennium" appeared on WWF programming. On the home video, Break Down the Walls, Jericho states he was inspired to do this as his entrance when he saw a similar clock in a post office, and Vince McMahon gave him the green light to use it as his introduction to the WWF. The clock finally ran down on the August 9, 1999 episode of Raw, in Chicago, Illinois, while The Rock was in the ring cutting a promo on the Big Show. Jericho entered the arena and proclaimed "Raw is Jericho" and that he had "come to save the World Wrestling Federation", referring to himself as Y2J a play on the Y2K bug. The Rock proceeded to verbally mock him for his interruption. Later that month, Jericho made his in-ring debut on August 26, losing a match against Road Dogg by disqualification on the inaugural episode of SmackDown! after powerbombing Road Dogg through a table.
Jericho's first long-term feud was with Chyna, for the Intercontinental Championship. After losing to Chyna at the Survivor Series, Jericho won his first Intercontinental title at Armageddon.This feud included a controversial decision during a rematch in which two separate referees declared each one of them the winner of a match for the title As a result, they became co-champions, until Jericho attained sole champion status at the Royal Rumble. Jericho's subsequent alliance with Chyna, coupled with growing enthusiasm for his ring work and mic skills, effectively turned him into a face.
Feuding and teaming with Chris Benoit (2000–2001)
Jericho lost his title to the European Champion Kurt Angle at No Way Out. On April 2, Jericho competed in a Triple Threat match against Chris Benoit and Angle at WrestleMania 2000 in a two-falls contest with both of Angle's titles at stake. Jericho won the European Championship by pinning Benoit, who in turn pinned Jericho to take the Intercontinental Championship.This was the first of six pay-per-view matches between the pair within twelve months. Jericho lost the title the next day to Eddie Guerrero on Raw after Chyna turned heel to side with Guerrero. On the April 17 episode of Raw, Jericho upset Triple H in a WWF Championship match. Referee Earl Hebner made a fast count when Jericho pinned Triple H, causing Jericho to win the title. Hebner later reversed the decision due to pressure from Triple H, and WWE does not recognize Jericho's reign as champion. On the May 4 episode of SmackDown!, Jericho defeated Benoit to become Intercontinental Champion for the third time,but lost the title to Benoit four days later on Raw. Meanwhile, Jericho's feud with Triple H climaxed at Fully Loaded, when they competed in a Last Man Standing match. Jericho lost the match to Triple H only by one second, despite the repeated assistance Triple H's wife, Stephanie, provided him in the match.
At the 2001 Royal Rumble, Jericho defeated Chris Benoit in a Ladder match to win the Intercontinental Championship for the fourth time.At WrestleMania X-Seven, he successfully defended his title in a match against William Regal, only to lose it four days later to Triple H.
At Judgment Day, Jericho and Benoit won a Tag Team Turmoil match and earned a shot at Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H for their WWF Tag Team Championship on Raw the next night. Benoit and Jericho won the match, in which Triple H legitimately tore his quadriceps, spending the rest of the year injured. Benoit and Jericho each became a WWF Tag Team Champion for the first time. The team defended their title in the first Fatal Four-Way Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match where Benoit sustained a year-long injury doing a diving headbutt through a table. Though Benoit was carried out on a stretcher, he returned to the match to climb the ladder and retain the championship. The duo lost the title one month later to the Dudley Boyz on June 19, 2001. That month at King of the Ring, both Benoit and Jericho were named challengers for Austin's WWF Championship in which Booker T interfered as the catalyst for The Invasion angle.
Undisputed WWF Champion (2001–2002)
In the following months, Jericho became a major force in The Invasion storyline in which WCW and ECW joined forces to overtake the WWF. Jericho remained on the side of the WWF despite previously competing in WCW and ECW. However, Jericho began to show jealousy toward fellow WWF member The Rock. They faced each other in a match at No Mercy for the WCW Championship after Jericho defeated Rob Van Dam in a number one contenders match. Jericho won the WCW Championship when he pinned The Rock after debuting a new finisher, the Breakdown,winning his first world title in the process. One night later, the two put their differences aside and won the WWF Tag Team title from the Dudley Boyz. After they lost the title to Test and Booker T they continued their feud. On the November 5 episode of Raw, The Rock defeated Jericho to regain the WCW Championship. Following the match, Jericho attacked The Rock with a steel chair, starting a heel turn. At the Survivor Series, Jericho almost cost The Rock, and the WWF, victory in their elimination matchup by attacking The Rock again, thus completing the heel turn. On December 9, at Vengeance, Jericho defeated both The Rock for the WCW Championship unbranded and only referred to as the World Championship following Survivor Series and Stone Cold Steve Austin for his WWF Championship on the same night to become the first wrestler to hold both championships at the same time, which made him the first-ever Undisputed WWF Champion. He fought both of the men he defeated at Vengeance on separate occasions and retained his title at the next two pay-per-views, Royal Rumble vs. The Rock and No Way Out vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin Jericho later lost the title to Triple H in the main event of WrestleMania X8. After his title loss, Jericho became a member of the SmackDown! roster and continued his feud with Triple H. The rivalry culminated at Judgment Day when Triple H defeated Jericho in a Hell in a Cell match.Jericho later jumped ship to Raw, unwilling to work for then-GM Stephanie McMahon. Shortly after returning, he won the Intercontinental Championship from Rob Van Dam RVD for the fifth time. He then later formed a tag team with Christian, with whom he won the World Tag Team Championship, on October 14, 2002. Christian and Jericho lost the title in a fatal four-way elimination match, involving the teams of The Dudley Boyz, Booker T and Goldust, and William Regal and Lance Storm, on December 15, 2002 at Armageddon.On January 13, 2003, Jericho won an over-the-top-rope challenge against Kane, RVD, and Batista to select his entry number for the Royal Rumble match. He chose number two in order to start the match with Shawn Michaels, who had challenged Jericho to prove his claims that he was better than Michaels. After Michaels' entrance, Jericho entered as the second participant. Christian, in Jericho's attire, appeared while the real Jericho attacked Shawn from behind. He eliminated Michaels shortly afterward, but Michaels got his revenge later in the match by causing Test to eliminate Jericho. Jericho spent the most time of any other wrestler in that same Royal Rumble. Jericho simultaneously feuded with Test, Michaels, and Jeff Hardy. Jericho and Michaels fought again at WrestleMania XIX. In the end, Michaels scored the victory. Jericho, however, hit Michaels with a low blow after the match following an embrace.
After this match, Jericho entered a rivalry with Goldberg, which was fueled by Goldberg's refusal to fight Jericho in WCW. During Jericho's first episode of the Highlight Reel, an interview show, where Goldberg was the guest, he complained that no-one wanted Goldberg in WWE and continued to insult him in the following weeks. On May 12 on Raw, a mystery assailant attempted to run over Goldberg with a limousine. A week later, Co-Raw General Manager, Stone Cold Steve Austin, interrogated several Raw superstars to find out who was driving the car. One of the interrogates was Lance Storm, who admitted that he was the assailant. Austin forced Storm into a match with Goldberg, who defeated Storm. After the match, Goldberg forced Storm to admit that Jericho was the superstar who conspired Storm into running him over. On May 26, Goldberg was once again a guest on the Highlight Reel. Jericho expressed jealousy towards Goldberg's success in WCW and felt that since joining WWE, he had achieved everything he had ever wanted in his career and all that was left was to defeat Goldberg and challenged him to a match. At Bad Blood, Goldberg settled the score with Jericho and defeated him.
Later in 2003, Jericho began a romance with Trish Stratus while his tag team partner Christian began one with Lita. This, however, turned out to be a bet over who could sleep with their respective paramour first, with a Canadian dollar at stake. Stratus overheard this and ended her relationship with Jericho, who seemingly felt bad for using Stratus. After he saved her from an attack by Kane, Stratus agreed that the two of them could just be "friends", thus making Jericho a face. After Christian put Stratus in the Walls of Jericho while competing against her in a match, Jericho sought revenge on Christian, which led to a match at WrestleMania XX. Christian defeated Jericho after Stratus ran down and "inadvertently" struck Jericho thinking it was Christian and Christian got the roll-up. After the match, Stratus turned on Jericho and revealed that she and Christian were a couple. This revelation led to a handicap match at Backlash that Jericho won. Jericho won his seventh Intercontinental Championship at that year's Unforgiven in a ladder match against Christian.Jericho's seventh reign was short lived, as he lost it at Taboo Tuesday to Shelton Benjamin.
Championship pursuits and departure (2004–2005)
Jericho teamed up with Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, and Maven to take on Triple H, Batista, Edge, and Snitsky at Survivor Series. The match stipulated that each member of the winning team would be the General Manager of Raw over the next four weeks. Jericho's team won, and took turns as General Manager. During Jericho's turn as General Manager, he stripped Triple H of his World Heavyweight Championship because a Triple Threat match for the title a week earlier ended in a draw. At New Year's Revolution, Jericho competed in the Elimination Chamber against Triple H, Chris Benoit, Batista, Randy Orton, and Edge for the vacated World Heavyweight Championship. Jericho began the match with Benoit but Batista ultimately eliminated Jericho At WrestleMania 21, Jericho participated in the first ever Money in the Bank ladder match Jericho suggested the match concept, and he competed in the match against Benjamin, Benoit Kane, Christian, and Edge. Jericho lost the match when Edge claimed the briefcase. At Backlash, Jericho challenging Shelton Benjamin for the Intercontinental Championship, but lost the match. On June 12, 2005, Jericho wrestled in his first match of the ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view event against his former rival, Lance Storm. Jericho used his old 'Lionheart' gimmick, instead of his more well known 'Y2J' gimmick. However, Jericho lost the match, after Jason and Justin Credible hit Jericho's head with a Singapore Cane, which allowed Storm to win the match.
Later that June, Jericho turned on WWE Champion John Cena, turned heel once again. Jericho lost a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship at Vengeance which also involved Christian and Cena. The feud continued throughout the summer and Jericho lost to Cena in a WWE Championship match at SummerSlam. His last appearance in WWE on the next night on the August 22 episode of Raw, Jericho faced Cena again in a rematch, this time in a "You're fired" match. Cena won again, and Jericho was fired by Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff. Jericho was carried out of the arena by security as Kurt Angle attacked Cena. WWE announced that Jericho's WWE contract had expired on August 25, 2005.After a two-year hiatus, WWE promoted Jericho's return starting September 24, 2007 with a viral marketing campaign using a series of 15-second cryptic binary code videos, similar to the matrix digital rain featured in The Matrix series. The videos contained hidden messages and biblical links related to Jericho. Jericho made his return to WWE television as a face on the November 19, 2007 episode of Raw when he interrupted Randy Orton during Orton's orchestrated "passing of the torch" ceremony. Jericho revealed his intentions to reclaim the WWE Championship in order to "save" WWE fans from Orton.On the November 26 episode of Raw, Jericho defeated Santino Marella and debuted a new finishing maneuver called the Codebreaker. At Armageddon, he competed in a WWE title match against Orton, defeating him by disqualification when SmackDown's color commentator John "Bradshaw" Layfield interfered in the match, but Orton retained the title.He began a feud with JBL and met him at the Royal Rumble. Jericho was disqualified after hitting JBL with a steel chair.On the March 10 episode of Raw, Jericho captured the Intercontinental Championship for a record eighth time when he defeated Jeff Hardy.
In April 2008, Jericho became involved in the ongoing feud between Shawn Michaels and Batista when he suggested that Michaels enjoyed retiring Ric Flair, causing Michaels to superkick him. Jericho thus asked to be inserted into Batista's and Michaels' match at Backlash, but instead, he was appointed as the special guest referee.During the match at Backlash, Michaels feigned a knee injury so that Jericho would give him time to recover and suckered Batista in for a superkick for the win.After Backlash, Jericho accused Michaels of cheating, but Michaels continued to play up an injury.When Jericho was finally convinced and he apologized to Michaels for not believing him, Michaels then admitted to Jericho that he had faked his injury and he superkicked Jericho. Michaels then defeated Jericho at Judgment Day, with Jericho initiating a handshake after the match.
On the June 9 episode of Raw, Jericho hosted his talk show segment, The Highlight Reel, interviewing Michaels. Jericho pointed out that Michaels was still cheered by the fans despite Michaels' deceit and attack on Jericho during the previous months, whereas Jericho was booed when he tried to do the right thing. Jericho then assaulted Michaels with a low blow and sent Michaels through the "Jeritron 6000" television, damaging Michaels' eye, thus Jericho turned heel for the first time since 2005. This began what was named by both Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter the "Feud of the Year".At Night of Champions, Jericho lost the Intercontinental Title to Kofi Kingston after a distraction by Michaels. In June, Jericho also took on Lance Cade as a protegé.
Afterward, Jericho developed a suit-wearing "self righteous honest man" gimmick inspired by Anton Chigurh Javier Bardem from the film No Country for Old Men.In doing so, Jericho purposely shed many of the trademarks associated with the "Y2J" character, taking "every characteristic that made him popular, and strip those traits away from himself.The new gimmick, which drew comparisons to AWA legend Nick Bockwinkel, received critical acclaim from fans. Jericho and Michaels met at The Great American Bash, which Jericho won after attacking the cut on Michaels's eye.At SummerSlam, Michaels announced that his eye damage would force him to retire, but insulted Jericho by saying he would never achieve Michaels' success. Jericho tried to attack Michaels, but Michaels ducked, so Jericho punched Michaels' wife, Rebecca, instead. As a result, they met in an Unsanctioned match at Unforgiven which Jericho lost. In the main event of Unforgiven, Jericho entered the Championship Scramble as a replacement for the defending champion CM Punk and subsequently won the World Heavyweight Championship. Jericho then successfully defended his title against Michaels at No Mercy in a ladder match after Lance Cade interfered. At Cyber Sunday, Jericho lost the title to Batista in a match with Stone Cold Steve Austin as special guest referee. Eight days later, Jericho defeated Batista to win back the title in a steel cage match.[83] Jericho ended his feud with Michaels by beating Michaels in a Last Man Standing match on the November 10 episode of Raw after interference from John "Bradshaw" Layfield. Jericho's reign as World Champion lasted until the 2008 Survivor Series, where Jericho lost to the returning John Cena.
On the January 12, 2009 episode of Raw, WWE Executive Vice President Stephanie McMahon fired Jericho, but he was rehired the following week after making a forced apology On February 15 at No Way Out, he was eliminated by his former rival Rey Mysterio, while Mysterio was defeated by Edge to become new World Heavyweight Champion.
Jericho had an on-screen feud with The Wrestler film star Mickey Rourke and with four WWE Hall of Famers. He challenged and attacked Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka, and Ricky Steamboat on various episodes of Raw leading to WrestleMania XXV. At the event he won an elimination match against Snuka, Steamboat and Piper. After this, Jericho challenged Rourke who was at ringside for the event. As part of the storyline, Rourke knocked Jericho out after a left hook to the jaw.
On the April 13 episode of Raw, Jericho was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2009 WWE Draft. Ricky Steamboat interrupted Jericho's Raw farewell address, which led to the two facing off at Backlash where Jericho came out victorious. In his SmackDown return, Jericho participated in a fatal-four-way elimination match against Kane, Jeff Hardy, and Rey Mysterio. Mysterio executed a 619 on Jericho and then attempted to pin him with a seated senton. Jericho retaliated by throwing a chair at Mysterio and was disqualified. This sparked a feud between the two.Mysterio pinned Jericho after a 619 at Judgment Day to retain the Intercontinental Championship. Jericho defeated Mysterio in a No Holds Barred Match at Extreme Rules to win his ninth Intercontinental Championship, breaking his own record again.At The Bash Jericho lost the Intercontinental title to Mysterio.Later in the same pay-per-view, Jericho and his partner Edge won the Unified Tag Team Championship as surprise entrants in a tag team match. As a result of this win, Jericho became the only wrestler to win every Grand Slam eligible championship. Shortly thereafter Edge suffered an injury and Jericho announced that he had a clause in his contract to allow Edge to be replaced and Jericho's reign to continue uninterrupted. At Night of Champions, Jericho revealed Big Show as his new tag team partner and Jeri-Show defeated Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase to retain the championship. Jeri-Show successfully defended their titles against Cryme Tyme at SummerSlam, MVP and Mark Henry at Breaking Point and also Rey Mysterio and Batista at Hell in a Cell. At Survivor Series, both Jericho and Big Show took part in a triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, but The Undertaker successfully retained his title.
The 140 day reign of Jeri-Show as Unified Tag Team Champions came to an end at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view at the hands of D-Generation XDX.As a member of the SmackDown roster, Jericho could only appear on Raw as a champion and so DX intentionally disqualified themselves in a rematch to force Jericho off the show. Eventually the teams had a match with a definitive finish, though DX still won, signalling the end of Jeri-Show.
At the 2010 Royal Rumble Jericho was eliminated by the returning Edge, his former tag team partner, who went on to win the match. At Elimination Chamber, Jericho won the World Heavyweight Championship in an Elimination Chamber match, defeating The Undertaker following interference from Shawn Michaels. The next night on Raw, Edge announced that he would be using his Royal Rumble win to challenge Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXVI. Jericho defeated Edge, but on the April 2 episode of SmackDown!, Jack Swagger cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and pinned Jericho for the championship, after he had been speared by Edge. Swagger retained the championship in a match against Jericho and Edge soon after. Edge defeated Jericho in a steel cage match at Extreme Rules to end the feud.
Jericho was drafted back to Raw in May's 2010 WWE Draft. He formed a brief tag team with The Miz and unsuccessfully challenged The Hart Dynasty for the Unified Tag Team Championship at Over the LimitA month later, Jericho lost to Evan Bourne at WWE Fatal 4-Way, and the following night won a rematch where he put his career on the line. On the July 19 episode of Raw, after being assaulted by The Nexus, Jericho began showing signs of a face turn when he teamed with rivals Edge, John Morrison, R-Truth, The Great Khali and Bret Hart in a team led by John Cena to face The Nexus at SummerSlam.Jericho and Cena bickered over leadership of the team,which led to him and Edge attacking Cena during the SummerSlam match that they won. According to Jericho and Edge, the original plan was to put Barrett over. At the end, Jericho and Edge would have lost to The Nexus. However, Cena insisted on coming back from a DDT on the floor to defeat Barrett and Gabriel. Jericho said that it was a bad idea, because Barrett was not pushed.
Jericho was punished for not showing solidarity against Nexus, when he was removed from a Six-Pack Challenge for Sheamus' WWE Championship at WWE Night of Champions Although he re-earned his place in the match he was the first man eliminated. Following an unscripted backstage interview, Jericho burst into tears and fled from the arena. On the September 27 episode of Raw, Jericho faced Randy Orton who punted him in the head. This was used to explain Jericho's departure from the company.
Beginning in November 2011, WWE aired cryptic vignettes that promoted a wrestler's return on the January 2, 2012 episode of Raw. Jericho returned on the January 2 episode of Raw in a similar manner to his two previous WWE introductions. Despite being a heel, Jericho was still cheered due to his long absence from WWE. On his return, after physically hyping the crowd and relishing their cheers for a prolonged period, a smiling Jericho left without verbally addressing his return. The following week he came out to speak but broke into tears and left the arena while a speechless crowd looked on. On the January 16 episode of Raw, Jericho made his in-ring return in a six-man tag team match, although Jericho had no physical involvement in the match; he hyped the crowd upon tagging in, then tagged out and abandoned the match. Jericho finally spoke the following week to say, "This Sunday at the Royal Rumble, it is going to be the end of the world as you know it",but in the Royal Rumble match, he was eliminated last, by Sheamus.
On the January 30 episode of Raw, Jericho interfered in a match between WWE Champion CM Punk and World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan, causing a disqualification victory for Bryan and then attacking Punk following the ruling. This was done to fully cement Chris Jericho as a heel. The following week, Jericho explained his actions by claiming many other wrestlers in WWE were imitating him and naming CM Punk as the worst offender by calling himself the "Best in the World". Jericho was placed in an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship and won a Six-Pack Challenge against the other competitors to be the final entrant into the Elimination Chamber match. At the Elimination Chamber event, Jericho eliminated Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston but was kicked out of the Chamber by Punk, which injured him and removed him from the match without being eliminated. The following night on Raw, Jericho won a ten-man Battle Royal making him the number one contender for CM Punk's WWE Championship at Wrestlemania XXVIII. In a bid to psychologically unsettle Punk before their WrestleMania match, Jericho revealed that Punk's father was an alcoholic and Punk's sister was a drug addict which led Punk to his straight edge philosophy; Jericho also vowed to make Punk turn to alcohol by winning Punk's title from him.At WrestleMania, a stipulation was added that Punk would lose his WWE Championship if he was disqualified. During the match, Jericho unsuccessfully tried to taunt Punk into disqualifying himself, and Punk won the match. On the April 2 and 9 episodes of Raw, Jericho continued his feud with Punk by attacking and dousing him with alcohol after his matches with Mark Henry. At Extreme Rules, Jericho failed again to capture the WWE Championship from Punk in a Chicago Street Fight.
On the May 7 episode of Raw, Jericho pinned World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus during his tag team match with Alberto Del Rio against Sheamus and Randy Orton. After the match, Jericho, Orton, and Del Rio demanded a match for Sheamus' title at the Over the Limit, which they were granted.Sheamus pinned Jericho at the event to retain the title
On May 24, at a WWE live event in Brazil, Jericho wrestled a match against CM Punk, during which Jericho crumpled up and kicked a Brazilian flag, causing local police to intervene and threaten Jericho with arrest. Jericho issued an apology to the audience, enabling the event to resume. The following day, WWE suspended Jericho for 30 days while apologising to the people and government of Brazil. Jericho returned on the June 25 episode of Raw, and his absence was explained by a European tour with his band Fozzy which happened to coincide with his suspension At Money in the Bank, Jericho participated in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank match but failed to win.
The following night on Raw, Jericho confronted newly crowned Mr. Money in the Bank, Dolph Ziggler, who claimed that Jericho had lost his touch. Jericho then hit Ziggler with a Codebreaker, turning him face for the first time since 2008. Four days later on SmackDown, Jericho further cemented his face turn by attacking again Ziggler whilst wearing Ziggler's T-shirt.Three days later on Raw, Jericho teamed up with Christian in a winning effort against Ziggler and The Miz. After the match, Ziggler hit Jericho with his Money in the Bank briefcase. Four days later on Smackdown, Jericho hosted the Highlight Reel with Vickie Guerrero as guest, where he returned to his Y2J gimmick before being attacked by Ziggler.At SummerSlam, Jericho defeated Ziggler in a singles match.The following night on Raw, Ziggler defeated Jericho in a rematch; as a result, Ziggler retained his Money in the Bank contract and Jericho's WWE contract was terminated as per a pre match stipulation put in place by Raw General Manager, AJ Lee. This was used to write him off so he could tour with Fozzy for the remainder of the year.
On January 27, 2013, Jericho returned after a six-month hiatus entering the Royal Rumble match as the second entrant. Jericho lasted over 47 minutes before being eliminated by Dolph Ziggler.The following night on Raw, Jericho later revealed to Ziggler that due to a managerial change on Raw, he had been rehired by Vickie Guerrero, resuming his feud with Ziggler. Guerrero then placed the two in a "Strange Bedfellows" match against WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No Daniel Bryan and Kane. The match ended with Ziggler being chokeslammed and pinned by Kane after Jericho framed him for pushing Kane. On the February 11 episode of Raw, Jericho defeated Daniel Bryan to qualify for a spot in the number one contender Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship.Six days later at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Jericho was the fourth man eliminated from the match by Randy Orton. The following night on Raw, Jericho teamed with Ryback and Sheamus to face their rivals The Shield Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins but were defeated after Ambrose pinned Jericho. On the March 11 episode of Raw, Jericho faced The Miz in a number one contenders match for Wade Barrett's Intercontinental Championship, but the match was ruled a no contest after Barrett interfered and attacked both men. As a result, both men were entered into the title match the following week on Raw, where Barrett retained his title. Earlier in the episode, Jericho had a run-in with Fandango which led to Fandango costing him his match with Jack Swagger and attacking him four days later on SmackDown. On the next episode of Raw, Jericho attacked Fandango and then immediately defeated old rival Dolph Ziggler via submission. Afterwards, Jericho was attacked by both Ziggler's ally Big E. Langston and Fandango. On April 7 at Wrestlemania 29, Jericho was defeated by Fandango in a singles match. On the April 12 episode of Smackdown, Jericho was defeated by old rival and now World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler in a non-title match, after which, Ziggler, Langston and eventually Fandango hit their finishers on Jericho Three days later on Raw, Jericho was again defeated by Ziggler after Fandango's theme song played and allowed Ziggler to capitalize on the distraction. Later that night, Jericho attacked Fandango following a match and proceeded to dance with Fandango's dancer On May 19 at Extreme Rules, Jericho defeated Fandango in a rematch to end the feud.
On the May 27 episode of Raw, Jericho hosted the Highlight Reel with Paul Heyman as his guest. Jericho questioned Heyman about the return of his client CM Punk and ultimately challenged Punk to a match at WWE Payback, which Heyman accepted on Punk's behalf. At the pay-per-view on June 16, Jericho was unsuccessful in his attempt to defeat the returning Punk. Jericho then began feuding with Ryback, which led to a singles match on July 14 at Money in the Bank, where Ryback emerged victorious. The following night on Raw, Jericho was defeated by the returning Rob Van Dam in the main event. On the July 19 episode of SmackDown, Jericho unsuccessfully challenged Curtis Axel for the Intercontinental Championship and was afterwards attacked by Ryback. This was done to write Jericho off television as he was taking a temporary hiatus to tour with Fozzy for the remainder of the year and possibly January and February. In an interview for WWE.com, Jericho revealed that he will not be a full-time wrestler due to his musical and acting ventures.
On the June 30, 2014 episode of Raw, Jericho returned and attacked The Miz who had also returned minutes earlier. However, he was immediately attacked by The Wyatt Family. This set up a match between Jericho and Wyatt at Battleground, which Jericho won. Wyatt would challenge Jericho to a rematch at SummerSlam, which Wyatt won. On the September 8 episode of Raw, Jericho would face Wyatt in a steel cage match, once again in a losing effort. Later that night, Jericho would be attacked by Randy Orton in the training room after Jericho insulted Orton on the Highlight Reel the week before. Jericho would face Orton at Night of Champions in a losing effort.
Jericho returned on the November 14 episode of SmackDown, hosting the Highlight Reel with The Authority as guests.Jericho is also the lead singer for the heavy metal band Fozzy. Since their debut album in 2000, Fozzy have released six studio albums; Fozzy, Happenstance, All That Remains, Chasing the Grail, Sin and Bones, "Do You Wanna Start A War? and one live album, Remains Alive.
In 2005, Jericho performed vocals on a cover of "The Evil That Men Do" on the Iron Maiden tribute album, Numbers from the Beast. He made a guest appearance on Dream Theater's album, Systematic Chaos on the song "Repentance", as one of several musical guests recorded apologizing to important people in their lives for wrongdoings in the past.
In the mid-1990s, Jericho wrote a monthly column for Metal Edge magazine focused on the heavy metal scene. The column only ran for about a year He started his own weekly XM Satellite Radio show in March 2005 called The Rock of Jericho, which aired Sunday nights on XM 41 The Boneyard.In 2000, a VHS tape documenting Jericho's career titled Break Down the Walls was released.
On June 24, 2006 Jericho premiered in his first Sci-Fi Channel movie Android Apocalypse alongside Scott Bairstow and Joey Lawrence.
Jericho debuted as a stage actor in a comedy play Opening Night, which premiered at the Toronto Centre for the Arts during July 20–22, 2006 in Toronto. During his stay in Toronto, Jericho hosted the sketch comedy show Sunday Night Live with sketch troupe The Sketchersons at The Brunswick House.
Jericho was also the first wrestler attached and interviewed for the wrestling documentary, Bloodstained Memoirs. The interview was recorded in the UK during a Fozzy tour in 2006.
Jericho wrote his autobiography, A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex, which was released in 2007 and became a New York Times bestseller. It covers Jericho's life and wrestling career up to his debut in the WWE. Jericho's second autobiography "Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps", was released in February 2011, and covers his wrestling career since his WWE debut. Jericho has stated that a third book will be released through Penguin Publishing and should be available in September 2014.
Jericho appeared in the 2009 film Albino Farm.
In the film MacGruber, released May 21, 2010, he briefly appeared as Frank Korver a former military teammate of the eponymous Green Beret, Navy Seal, and Army Ranger.
Jericho released a comedy web series on October 29, 2013 that is loosely based on his life entitled "But I'm Chris Jericho!" Chris plays a former wrestler, strugglingto make it big as an actor.
Jericho is a contributor to the VH1 pop culture shows Best Week Ever, I Love the '80s, and VH1's top 100 artists.
Jericho also hosted the five-part, five-hour VH1 special "100 Most Shocking Music Moments", an update of the original special "100 Most Shocking Moments In Rock N' Roll" first hosted by Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray.
On July 12, 2006, he made an appearance on G4's Attack of the Show!; he made a second appearance on August 21, 2009. In May 2006, Jericho appeared on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs and Heavy: The Story of Metal as a commentator.
He was one of eight celebrities in the 2006 Fox Television singing reality show Celebrity Duets, executive-produced by Simon Cowell, and was the first contestant eliminated.TMZ.com featured Jericho working at a McDonald's to show off his skills while prepping for the show.
Jericho also appeared on Larry King Live on July 9, 2007, to discuss Chris Benoit and the murder of his wife and his child. Jericho later reappeared on Larry King Live to further a storyline feud with actor Mickey Rourke.
Jericho hosted his own reality show in 2008 titled Redemption Song, in which 11 women tried their hand at getting into the music scene. It was shown on Fuse TV.
He guest starred as Billy "The Body Bag" Cobb in Xero Control, an episode of the Disney XD 2009 original series Aaron Stone.
He hosted VH1's 100 Most Shocking Music Moments, which began airing in December 2009.
In June 2010, Jericho was named the host of the ABC prime-time game show Downfall.
On March 1, 2011, Chris Jericho was named one of the contestants on the 2011 lineup of Dancing with the Stars. His partner was two-time champion Cheryl Burke. This led to a wave of publicity, including an interview with Jay Leno. On April 26, Jericho was the fifth contestant eliminated on the show.
On May 5, Jericho made his third appearance as a featured guest on Attack of the Show! where he depicted Thor. He promoted Undisputed and announced he would host the Golden Gods awards on May 28 on VH1 Classic. On January 17, 2012, Jericho made his fourth appearance in a segment called "Twitter Twister" where he portrayed a character called "The Twistercutioner" and read tweets off their Twitter wall as instructions for a game of Twister between Kevin and Candace.
On February 26, 2013, Jericho began hosting a new robot combat competition program on SyFy titled Robot Combat League.
CM Punk, The Rock, Rob Van Dam & Latest WWE News..
Ring Rust Radio is the best wrestling show on the airwaves, and this week was no different. With strong opinions on CM Punk, The Rock and more, this is where you need to get all of your weekly WWE nuggets.
Bleacher Report featured columnists Michael Cahill, Brandon Galvin, Mike Chiari and Donald Wood give the lowdown on all things going on in the wrestling world. This week also marked the Golden Era Draft as the RRR panelists drafted from a pool of wrestlers that competed from 1987 through 1992 and will create fantasy cards over the next week.
On top of that, RRR prepared a special Thursday edition of the show this week in order to interview current TNA X-Division Champion and former ECW and WWE star Rob Van Dam. RVD gave his opinions on TNA and the wrestling business as a whole.
With the Royal Rumble and the road to WrestleMania approaching, the action in WWE is beginning to reach a fever pitch. Not only is The Rock set to return on the Jan. 7 episode of Raw, but a WWE Championship TLC match is also scheduled as CM Punk will defend his title against Ryback.
There was some question as to whether the Punk vs. Ryback match would actually happen, but WWE.com is reporting that Punk is recovered from his knee injury and has been cleared to compete, so it appears as though all systems are go...........
John Cena Nominated for Austin Interviews Hall of Famer, WZ Seeking Weekend WWE Live Event Reports
WWE has sent a mobile text alert noting John Cena has been nominated
Brock Lesnar's Possible Exit Is Good for WWE
Brock Lesnar has had a stranglehold on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for nearly five months. In all that time, he has defended the title only once. On January 25, he will defend it again against his last challenger, John Cena, and Seth Rollins.
But while many fans are likely looking forward to this match, the fact is that many are looking past the Royal Rumble event. The reason for that lies with the question of whether or not Lesnar will decide to leave the company this year.
If he does, it will be a good thing for WWE.
To imagine that such a big-money player like Lesnar not being in the locker room would be a positive may seem a bit curious. After all, Lesnar is such a presence and talented worker that he would surely be a valuable asset whenever he's on the card.
Just his name alone is enough to warrant attention, and it has surely brought more eyes to the product whenever he's booked. That's a good thing for the company; the bottom line is making money, and using Lesnar has surely facilitated that.
And there can be no doubt that Lesnar is perhaps the most physically impressive champion that WWE has seen in years. The Beast Incarnate is a throwback to the old-school days of the business, when the top champion was often the most dominant talent on the roster. Guys like Vader in WCW and The Undertaker in WWE were great examples of this as both men were big, strong and looked unstoppable.
Lesnar's booking as an elite prize fighter sounds good on paper. But the problem is that the execution has been sloppy at best.
Lesnar's title defense against Cena came back at Night of Champions on September 21. The next time he appeared on WWE programming was December 15 on Monday Night Raw. Nearly three months had passed—three months of big matches and important storylines, none of which revolved around Lesnar or the championship.
This was likely not what many fans expected when Lesnar won the belt back at SummerSlam.
The Beast destroyed Cena on that night, laying waste to the company's top guy and leaving him for dead in the middle of the ring. It was a night that Cena's critics were almost certainly overjoyed to see, and it seemed to be the dawn of a new era in WWE.
WWE Raw results, January 5, 2015: The Authority serves payback to Team Cena and Ambrose
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are back, and they wasted no time in kicking off 2015 much in the way they kicked off 2014: with proclamations and machinations designed to put their enemies in their places. Assembling the entire WWE roster in the middle of the ring, The Authority — after some perfunctory face-rubbing for John Cena, who was forced to reinstate them — set about rewarding facilitator Seth Rollins with a third spot in the WWE World Heavyweight Title Match between Cena and Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. They also declared the night “John Cena Appreciation Night” as payment for the Cenation leader’s contributions … and placed Dolph Ziggler into an Intercontinental Title Match against Bad News Barrett
WWE Network coming to the U.K. and Ireland on Jan. 19
Monday, Jan. 19, WWE will make WWE Network available in the United Kingdom and Ireland. WWE Network will be directly available on Web, iOS and Android devices, gaming consoles, Smart TVs and digital media players – just in time to watch Royal Rumble 2015 on your big screen TV.
Total Divas' Season 3, Episode 11 recap: Paige-turner
Nikki Bella and John Cena’s cliffhanger encounter from the midseason finale of E!’s “Total Divas” ends with something of a tentative breakup between the two in the opening minutes of the midseason premiere. Interesting to note that Cena doesn’t acknowledge it was a sit-down with Brie Bella that prompted him to cut Nikki loose. The Champ’s willingness to fall on his sword leaves Brie wracked with guilt, and while she initially refuses to cop to provoking the breakup, Mama Bella demands that Brie lay her cards on the table and give her sister the whole truth. Predictably, this plan fails horribly: Nikki chews out her entire family, which leads to a spectacular shouting match and bad blood between the sisters … which actually turns out to be exactly when Nikki turns on Brie at SummerSlam and feeds her to Stephanie McMahon in the ring
t’s the news all WWE fans were praying for, the neck and elbow injuries that have kept Daniel Bryan out of action since May did not end his career. The leader of the ‘Yes Movement’ will return to in-ring action at the 2015 Royal Rumble on January 25.
Complications surrounding his injuries had made a large number doubt whether he’d ever lace up a pair of boots again. However, on Monday’s Raw, the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, who looked like he was going to brake down into tears at one point, announced his career wasn’t over and would be entering the Royal Rumble in Philadelphia.
Year on year, the Royal Rumble proves to be the ideal opportunity for some of the biggest names in the history of the wrestling business to make a return. Some are afforded the arguable luxury that Bryan received by being advertised for the event while others return unannounced. This is the tradition that makes The Rumble so special.
The Royal Rumble marks the start of WrestleMania season so the movers and shakers at that event will more than likely go on to headline WWE’s marquee event. Before Bryan’s big announcement, Roman Reigns looked set to win the 30-man spectacular and defeat Brock Lesnar for the Championship at Mania, just before The Beast Incarnate’s contract with the company runs out.
Bryan’s return to action casts those perceived plans into major doubt. His return has certainly spruced things up at the main event level, here are 10 more great Royal Rumble returns.
December 29, 2014: Barrett brings good news, Daniel Bryan chooses his destiny and John Cena is forced to reinstate The Authority
WWE star CM Punk hosted a UFC Q&A, and it was all kinds of awkward
LAS VEGAS – Say what you want about former WWE wrestler Phil “CM Punk” Brooks’ move to the UFC, but the man clearly knows how to entertain a crowd – even the very drunk and incoherent ones.
During a Friday Q&A session prior to UFC 182 weigh-ins in Las Vegas, Punk answered questions about his upcoming UFC debut, his decision to train at Roufusport, and what he hopes to accomplish in MMA.
Of course, he also gave a shoutout to a fan’s brother who wasn’t actually there, discussed whether he’s doing MMA just to piss off the WWE, braced himself for some “real talk,” and also declined a game of roshambo with the self-proclaimed
King of Rock-Paper-Scissors.
At one point, emcee and UFC broadcaster Jon Anik openly wondered, “Is anyone not hammered in here right now? Is anybody not drinking?”
Yeah, it was that bizarre. Check out the lowlights above, or watch the full Q&A session below.
While all eyes may be on Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena, this month's Royal Rumble pay-per-view will also showcase some solid and promising midcard feuds. In fact, the people on WWE’s creative team have been churning out intriguing and well-written feuds and programs outside of the main event scene over the past few weeks.
MINNEAPOLIS — Merry Christmas … BROTHER. The Yuletide season got a taste of where the power lies when Hulk Hogan arrived in the garb of Kris Kringle to bring merry mayhem to the WWE Universe. John Cena, for one, was more excited than Buddy the Elf in Macy’s, and he wasted no time in delivering his Christmas wish to Santa With Muscles: a piece of payback against Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, and everyone who colluded against him the previous week. Of course, Seth Rollins showed up to play the proverbial lump of coal, but Hulkamania ran wilder than a pack of reindeer on him when the night’s host decreed Cena and Rollins would square off then and there in the first match of the night.
WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from December 29
The Dec. 29 edition of WWE Raw looked to be on its way to churning up a surplus of momentum heading into the new year.
The Usos won the tag titles in an outstanding match. Daniel Bryan made an announcement worth celebrating. Then the show spiraled downward.
The Ascension's debut underwhelmed. The night's final segment outdid that match in terms of leaving fans unsatisfied. Seth Rollins forced John Cena's hand, getting him to bring The Authority back.
The following recaps, pick apart and grade that decision, as well as the promos and in-ring battles that went down on Monday's Raw.
WWE Superstar Confirms He’s Injured Again, Segment Announced for Tonight’s WWE Main Event
MARK HENRY ...Thank you WWE fans for all the respect. Yes I'm still hurt, I see the things people are saying. I will respond when the time is right.
Daniel Bryan's WWE Royal Rumble Return, Have Reigns Plans Changed?
After months of uncertainty, top WWE officials were informed about three weeks ago that Daniel Bryan would be able to return. The decision was made then to have him return at the 2015 Royal Rumble.
With Bryan being in the Rumble match, there's been a lot of speculation already about whether or not this changes plans for Roman Reigns. Apparently this hasn't been considered within WWE yet.
As of this week, Reigns was still scheduled to win the Rumble and then win the WWE World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 31.
NEW ORLEANS
Batista has to deal with it. The voices in Randy Orton’s head are speechless. And Triple H’s corporate throne will have to do without its crown jewel, because Daniel Bryan – the Goat Face, the Weak Link, the B-plus player, he of the high school gyms and double-digit paydays on the independent scene – is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Perhaps, however, to say he simply won a title (or two) is an understatement. Bolstered, as ever, by the legions of the “Yes!” Movement that have carried him to glory, Bryan didn’t just capture the championship he’s chased for almost a year now: He rectified every malicious misfortune that befell him throughout his rise. He beat The King of Kings via pinfall in the opening match of the evening to earn his way into the title bout. He reclaimed the WWE Title that was stolen from him at SummerSlam (and again after Hell in a Cell) via submission. Given the two-title nature of the WWE World Heavyweight Title, he even got his hands back on the World Heavyweight Championship he lost in 18 seconds two years ago, in an ignominious WrestleMania XXVIII loss where this Movement really started.
Despite the fairy-tale ending, the bout was far from a fantasy fulfilled until the last possible second: Opposed by not one but two of Triple H’s protégés, Bryan fought tooth and nail to claim the ultimate prize. He certainly had to fight to earn the honor. Orton is the embodiment of WWE’s status quo; a Superstar for whom the brass ring practically came with the brass baby rattle. Batista – despite being recast by the fans from a conquering hero to an extension of The Authority’s rampaging ego made flesh – is and always has been less a man than a force of nature inside a wrestling ring.
Bryan, meanwhile, was always the perennial underdog: a “B-plus player” who supposedly would never make the grade and a bearded ragamuffin who simply would not do as the clean-cut face of a WWE that would never give him the opportunity to succeed anyway. In the months leading up to WrestleMania, it became apparent from screwjob after screwjob that Bryan would never be given the ultimate prize in the same gift-wrapped way that Orton did. He would have to take it.
In so many words, he did.
Roman Reigns
remained a formidable force on the December 22 edition of Raw, firmly holding onto his spot as the favorite to emerge from WWE Royal Rumble 2015 with a WrestleMania opportunity ahead of him.
The Christmas-themed Raw also saw Dolph Ziggler triumph and Dean Ambrose add to his loss column. Those results shift the list of expected Rumble winners. They offer glimpses into WWE's mindset and how the company views each man's future.
In the month-plus until the Royal Rumble, fans will be paying close attention to who WWE appears to be prepping for a coronation.
The following is a look at which wrestlers are in the best position to kick off 2015 with a Rumble win. Rankings are based on current momentum, spot on the card and how good of a fit one is for a world-title match at WrestleMania.
WWE has Roman Reigns penciled in to win the 2015 Royal Rumble before he moves on to defeat current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 31, but the decision is still met with some concern.
Critics worry Reigns still needs a lot of work before he can be consider ready for that type of push, including working on his promo skills, as well as working better in lengthy singles matches. Even with this skepticism, WWE needs a new top babyface and it’s considered to be Reigns’ spot. Other names, such as Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan were involved in early plans, but Orton isn’t a new star, and Bryan is nowhere near ready to come back, not to mention he isn’t WWE’s “type”, no matter how fans react.
Dean Ambrose is the next in line after Reigns, and while he is a better in-ring worker and can cut a better promo, he doesn’t fit the “WWE mold” for their top guy. Both Reigns and Ambrose are doing well with merchandise sales, including Ambrose’s new hooded sweatshirt being #1 over Thanksgiving, but Reigns will still be considered as the new top babyface.
John Cena
is the face of WWE, the man at the top of the company. For over 10 years now, Cena has been the featured Superstar, the one who Vince McMahon has trusted to carry the ball for the premier pro wrestling promotion in the world.
But as WWE fans know, Cena definitely has his critics. Citing the company's refusal to change his character and its insistence on presenting him as being practically bulletproof, many fans have turned on Cena. However, the evolution of WWE does not lie with simply replacing its top star.
It's a chorus that the WWE faithful has heard for a while. It all comes down to the fact that Cena does not change; he does not evolve with the times despite what adversity he faces. Through good times and bad, Cena remains basically the same Superstar he was before he became the face of the company.
His look is the same, his personality is the same, and his will to win is the same. He never backs down, he always fights no matter how much he's outnumbered, and he never gives up. And though he has been riding high at the top of WWE for over 10 years, he is still presented as the underdog.
Fans know he will always overcome, but that does not stop WWE from putting his back against the wall at every turn. It's as if the company wants fans to buy into the notion that Cena has no chance, but that move has all but lost its effectiveness.
SuperSmackDown LIVE, Roman Reigns made an impact in his highly-anticipated return to the ring, The Super Athlete crushed The Big Guy and Dolph Ziggler stole the show.
SmackDown’s 800th episode kicked off with a bang as Roman Reigns was in action for the first time in three months against a new and improved Fandango. Rust was not an issue for a pumped-up Reigns who picked up right where he left off before undergoing emergency surgery for an incarcerated hernia.
rock
Dwayne Douglas Johnson born May 2 1972 also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American/Canadian actor, producer and professional wrestler.
Johnson was a college football player for the University of Miami, winning a national championship on the 1991 Miami Hurricanes football team. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, and was cut two months into the 1995 season. This led him to become a professional wrestler like his grandfather, Peter Maivia, and his father, Rocky Johnson from whom he also inherited his Canadian citizenship. Originally billed as "Rocky Maivia", he gained mainstream fame as "The Rock" in the World Wrestling Federation WWF, now WWE from 1996 to 2004, and was the first third-generation wrestler in the company's history. He returned to wrestling part-time for WWE from 2011 to 2013.
Johnson is widely considered one of the all-time greatest professional wrestlers. Headlining numerous pay-per-views over his career and considered one of the top box office draws of all time, he headlined five WrestleManiasXV 2000 X Seven XXVIII XXIX. He has had seventeen championship reigns in WWE, including ten as a world champion, winning the WWF/E Championship eight times and the WCW/World Championship twice. He won the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice and the WWF Tag Team Championship five times. He is the sixth WWF E Triple Crown Champion, and won the 2000 Royal Rumble.
Johnson's autobiography The Rock Says... co-written with Joe Layden was published in 2000. It debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and remained on the list for several weeks. Johnson's first leading film role was in The Scorpion King in 2002. For this role, he was paid US$5.5 million, a world record for an actor in his first starring role. He has since appeared in several films, including The Rundown, Be Cool, Walking Tall, Gridiron Gang, The Game Plan, Get Smart, Race to Witch Mountain, Planet 51, Tooth Fairy, Doom, The Other Guys, Faster, Fast Five, and Fast & Furious 6. He has hosted and produced The Hero, a reality competition series.
Johnson was born in Hayward, California, the son of Ata Johnson nee Maivia and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson. His maternal grandfather, "High Chief" Peter Maivia, was also a wrestler. His maternal grandmother, Lia Maivia, was one of wrestling's few female professional promoters, taking over Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling after her husband's death in 1982, until 1988. His father is of Black Nova Scotian origin, and his mother is of Samoan heritage. Johnson briefly lived in Auckland, New Zealand, with his mother's family. He attended Richmond Road Primary School, before returning to the United States with his parents.
Johnson spent 10th grade at President William McKinley High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. As he entered 11th grade, his father's job required his relocation to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He began playing football at Freedom High School in the East Penn Conference. He was also a member of the school's track and field and wrestling teams. On April 17, 2009, changes to Canadian nationality law came into effect, making all people born in the first generation abroad after 1947 to Canadian-born parents automatically and retroactively to date of birth Canadian citizens. Johnson, through his father, thus gained Canadian citizenship.
Johnson was a promising football prospect, and received offers from many Division I collegiate programs. He decided upon a full scholarship from the University of Miami to play defensive tackle. In 1991, he was on the Miami Hurricanes' national championship team. After an injury kept him sidelined, he was replaced by future National Football League NFL star Warren Sapp. While attending Miami, Johnson met his future wife, Dany Garcia, who graduated from the university in 1992 and later became a member of its Board of Trustees. She also founded a Miami-based wealth management firm. In 2006, the couple donated $2 million to build a living room at the University's Newman Alumni Center.
Johnson graduated from Miami in 1995 with a Bachelor of General Studies degree in criminology and physiology. He joined the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League in 1995, after the NFL passed him over. He was cut two months into the season. On November 10, 2007, Johnson returned to the Miami Orange Bowl to participate in the festivities surrounding the University of Miami's last home football game at the stadium.
Like his father and grandfather, several of Johnson's other relatives are or were professional wrestlers, including his uncles, Afa and Sika Anoai The Wild Samoans and his cousins, Afa Jr. Manu Rodney Yokozuna Solofa Rikishi Matt Rosey and Eddie Umaga. When Johnson declared his intent to become a wrestler, his father initially resisted, but then agreed to train him himself, warning that he would not go easy on him. Veteran wrestler Pat Patterson got Johnson several tryout matches with the World Wrestling Federation WWF in 1996. Under his real name, he defeated The Brooklyn Brawler at a house show and lost the other matches to Chris Candido and Owen Hart. After wrestling at Jerry Lawler's United States Wrestling Association, as "Flex Kavana and winning the USWA World Tag Team Championship twice with Bart Sawyer in the summer of 1996, Johnson signed a WWF contract. He received additional training from Tom Prichard, alongside Achim Albrecht and Mark Henry.
Johnson made his WWF debut as Rocky Maivia, a combination of his father and grandfather's ring names. He was initially reluctant to take the name, but was persuaded by Vince McMahon and Jim Ross. He was given the nickname "The Blue Chipper", and his lineage was played to on TV, where he was hyped as the WWF's first third-generation wrestler. Maivia, a clean-cut face character, was pushed heavily from the start despite his wrestling inexperience. He debuted at Survivor Series in November 1996, in an eight-man elimination tag match; he was the sole survivor. However, WWF fans rejected him due his out-time, cheesy character. On February 13, 1997, he won the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Hunter Hearst Helmsley on Monday Night Raw. Maivia successfully defended the title at In Your House 12 It's Time against Salvatore Sincere, at In Your House 13 Final Four against Hunter Hearst Helmsley and at WrestleMania 13 against The Sultan. He defeated Bret Hart by disqualification in a title defense on the March 31 episode of Raw. On April 20, at In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, he lost to Savio Vega by countout, retaining the title for the final time. Though pushed as a face, audiences generally disliked Maivia. Chants of Die Rocky die and "Rocky sucks!" were common during his matches.
After losing the Intercontinental Championship to Owen Hart on the April 28, 1997 Raw is War and suffering a knee injury in a match against Mankind Maivia returned as a heel. Along with Faarooq, D'Lo Brown, and Kama, he formed a stable called The Nation of Domination. During this time, he refused to acknowledge the "Rocky Maivia" name, instead referring to himself in the third person as "The Rock". He insulted the audience in his promos, as well as WWF television interviewers, once calling Kevin Kelly an "ugly hermaphrodite.
At In Your House: D-Generation X, Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock in under six minutes to retain the Intercontinental Championship. The next night, on Raw is War, Austin was ordered by Mr. McMahon to defend the title in a rematch, but forfeited it to The Rock instead, handing him the belt before hitting him with the Stone Cold Stunner. The Rock feuded with Austin and Ken Shamrock through the end of 1997 and beginning of 1998. In March 1998, The Rock overthrew Faarooq as leader of The Nation of Domination, sparking a feud. He successfully defended the Intercontinental title against Faarooq at In Your House: Over the Edge on May 31, 1998.
He and The Nation then feuded with Triple H and D-Generation X. The two stable leaders first had a two out of three falls match at Fully Loaded for the Intercontinental title, which The Rock retained in controversial fashion. This led to a ladder match at SummerSlam, in which Triple H won the title. At Breakdown: In Your House, The Rock defeated Ken Shamrock and Mankind in a triple threat steel cage match to become the number one contender for the WWF Championship. He then feuded with fellow Nation member Mark Henry, effectively breaking up the stable.
The Rock's entertaining promos and ensuing popularity led to a face turn, in which he called himself "The People's Champion". This led to a feud with Mr. McMahon, who said he had "a problem with the people" and would thus target "The People's Champion". A double turn occurred at Survivor Series, when The Rock defeated McMahon's associate Mankind in the finals of the Deadly Game" tournament for the vacant WWF Championship in a fashion reminiscent of the Montreal Screwjob. The Rock allied with Vince and Shane McMahon as the crown jewel of their stable, The Corporation.
On December 13, 1998, at the pay-per-view named for him, Rock Bottom In Your House, The Rock had a rematch with Mankind for the WWF Championship. Mankind appeared to win the match when The Rock passed out in the Mandible Claw submission move, but Mr. McMahon ruled that since The Rock did not tap out, he retained his title. The Rock continued to feud with Mankind over the WWF Championship, which was traded back and forth between them. First, in the main event of the January 4, 1999 Raw is War, Mankind defeated The Rock after interference from Steve Austin. Then, in an "I Quit" match at Royal Rumble on January 24, The Rock regained the title, when a recording of Mankind saying "I quit" from an earlier interview was played over the PA system. On Halftime Heat an episode of Sunday Night Heat aired in the same timeslot as the Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show on January 31, Mankind pinned The Rock using a forklift truck in an empty arena match. The two faced off again, at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House, in a last man standing match. The bout ended in a draw, meaning Mankind retained the title. Their feud ended on the February 15 Raw is War, when The Rock won his third WWF Championship in a ladder match after Big Show chokeslammed Mankind off the ladder.
The Rock lost the WWF Championship to Steve Austin at WrestleMania XV. He also lost the title rematch at Backlash: In Your House. Though he was a heel, his amusing verbal skills led many fans to cheer The Rock. He turned face again after Shane McMahon betrayed him, and began a feud with Triple H, The Undertaker, and The Corporate Ministry. He defeated Triple H at Over the Edge, then lost to the WWF Champion, The Undertaker, at King of the Ring. He lost a number one contender's match to Triple H at Fully Loaded, after interference from Mr. Ass. This sparked a feud with Mr. Ass, culminating in a "Kiss My Ass" match at SummerSlam, which The Rock won.
reign, after Steve Austin intervened on The Rock's behalf. On May 21, at Judgment Day, the two had an Iron Man match, with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee. With the score tied at five falls each, and with seconds left on the time limit, The Rock was disqualified when The Undertaker attacked Triple H, giving Triple H the 6-5 win and the title. The next night on Raw is War, The Rock got his revenge, taking out the entire McMahon-Helmsley Faction with The Undertaker's help. He won the WWF Championship for a fifth time at King of the Ring on June 25, by scoring the winning pin in a tag team match, teamed with Kane and The Undertaker against Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Triple H. He successfully defended the championship against Chris Benoit at Fully Loaded, Kurt Angle and Triple H at SummerSlam, and Benoit, Kane, and The Undertaker at Unforgiven.
The Rock lost the WWF Championship to Angle at No Mercy in October. Around this time, he feuded with Rikishi, and defeated him at Survivor Series. He wrestled a six-man Hell in a Cell match for the WWF Championship at Armageddon, which Kurt Angle won to retain the title. On December 18 on Raw, The Rock won the WWF Tag Team Championship with The Undertaker, defeating Edge and Christian, then losing it back to them the next night at a SmackDown! taping. In 2001, The Rock continued to feud with Angle over the WWF Championship, culminating at No Way Out in February, where he pinned Angle to win the WWF Championship for a sixth time.
He then feuded with the Royal Rumble winner, Steve Austin. The Rock lost the title to Austin at WrestleMania X-Seven after Austin allied with Mr. McMahon, who interfered on his behalf. On the next night's Raw is War, during a steel cage title rematch, Triple H came to the ring with a sledgehammer. It seemed he would help The Rock, due to the rivalry between Austin and Triple H and an argument with McMahon earlier in the night but he attacked him instead, allying with McMahon and Austin. Austin and Triple H formed a tag team called The Power Trip while The Rock was indefinitely suspended. Johnson used this time off to act in the movie The Mummy Returns.
At Royal Rumble on January 23, 2000, The Rock entered the Royal Rumble match and was one of the final two remaining, along with Big Show. Big Show seemingly intended to throw The Rock over the top rope in a running powerslam-like position, but The Rock countered the move on the ring apron, sending Big Show to the floor before re-entering the ring as the winner. However, The Rock's feet hit the floor first, although those watching the event on TV did not see that. Big Show proved this with additional video footage, and claimed to be the rightful winner. Despite this proof, the original decision could not be reversed, so a number one contender's match for the WWF Championship was held at No Way Out, which The Big Show won after Shane McMahon interfered and hit The Rock in the head with a steel chair as he attempted to execute a People's Elbow. The Rock defeated The Big Show on the March 13 Raw is War to regain the right to face the WWF Champion, Triple H, at WrestleMania 2000 in a fatal four way elimination match, also including The Big Show and Mick Foley. Each wrestler had a McMahon in his corner; Triple H had his wife, Stephanie, Foley had Linda, The Rock had Vince, and Big Show had Shane. Triple H retained the title after Vince betrayed The Rock by hitting him with a chair.
The Rock's entertaining promos and ensuing popularity led to a face turn, in which he called himself "The People's Champion". This led to a feud with Mr. McMahon, who said he had "a problem with the people" and would thus target "The People's Champion". A double turn occurred at Survivor Series, when The Rock defeated McMahon's associate, Mankind, in the finals of the "Deadly Game" tournament for the vacant WWF Championship in a fashion reminiscent of the Montreal Screwjob. The Rock allied with Vince and Shane McMahon as the crown jewel of their stable, The Corporation.
On December 13, 1998, at the pay-per-view named for him, Rock Bottom: In Your House, The Rock had a rematch with Mankind for the WWF Championship. Mankind appeared to win the match when The Rock passed out in the Mandible Claw submission move, but Mr. McMahon ruled that since The Rock did not tap out, he retained his title. The Rock continued to feud with Mankind over the WWF Championship, which was traded back and forth between them. First, in the main event of the January 4, 1999 Raw is War, Mankind defeated The Rock after interference from Steve Austin. Then, in an "I Quit" match at Royal Rumble on January 24, The Rock regained the title, when a recording of Mankind saying "I quit" from an earlier interview was played over the PA system. On Halftime Heat an episode of Sunday Night Heat aired in the same timeslot as the Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show on January 31, Mankind pinned The Rock using a forklift truck in an empty arena match. The two faced off again, at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House, in a last man standing match. The bout ended in a draw, meaning Mankind retained the title. Their feud ended on the February 15 Raw is War, when The Rock won his third WWF Championship in a ladder match after Big Show chokeslammed Mankind off the ladder.
The Rock lost the WWF Championship to Steve Austin at WrestleMania XV. He also lost the title rematch at Backlash: In Your House. Though he was a heel, his amusing verbal skills led many fans to cheer The Rock. He turned face again after Shane McMahon betrayed him, and began a feud with Triple H, The Undertaker, and The Corporate Ministry. He defeated Triple H at Over the Edge, then lost to the WWF Champion, The Undertaker, at King of the Ring. He lost a number one contender's match to Triple H at Fully Loaded, after interference from Mr. Ass. This sparked a feud with Mr. Ass, culminating in a "Kiss My Ass" match at SummerSlam, which The Rock won.
The Rock returned to the WWF in late July 2001, and had to decide whether to join the WWF or The Alliance a group of former WCW and ECW wrestlers during The Invasion, eventually siding with the WWF. At SummerSlamThe Rock defeated Booker T to win the WCW Championship. He lost the title to Chris Jericho at No Mercy. The next night on Raw, he teamed with Jericho to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship from The Dudley Boyz.
The Rock defeated Jericho on the November 5 Raw for his second WCW Championship. As part of the WWF's battle against The Alliance, The Rock wrestled in a "winner takes all" ten-man elimination match at Survivor Series. In the end, it came down to a one-on-one with Steve Austin who had recently joined The Alliance. The Rock seemed to have the upper hand, until Jericho a member of Team WWF, who was eliminated a few minutes earlier entered the ring and attacked The Rock. Austin tried to capitalize on this by pinning The Rock, but Kurt Angle, a Team Alliance member, revealed his true allegiance by hitting Austin in the head with a title belt. The Rock then pinned Austin, forcing The Alliance to disband.
The Rock closed out 2001 by losing the WCW Championship to WWF Champion Chris Jericho at Vengeance, in a title unification match. The Rock unsuccessfully challenged Jericho for both titles, now the Undisputed WWF Championship, at Royal Rumble, ending their feud. The Rock defeated The Undertaker at No Way Out. He then feuded with the New World Order, after challenging Hollywood Hulk Hogan to a match at WrestleMania X8. The match was billed as icon versus icon, with both men representing the top tier of two generations of wrestling; ultimately Rock pinned Hogan at WrestleMania X8. After the nWo turned on Hogan for losing the match, The Rock allied with him and then took a short sabbatical from wrestling.
The Rock returned on the January 30, 2003 episode of SmackDown to publicly criticize Hulk Hogan and make it clear that due to the success of his Hollywood career, WWE was no longer a priority. This reestablished him as a heel. The Rock defeated Hogan again at No Way Out and drafted himself to the Raw brand where he had various feuds, including one with The Hurricane. He also performed "Rock concerts", segments in which he played the guitar and mocked the show's host city. After failing to win number one contendership for the World Heavyweight Championship, The Rock turned his attention to Steve Austin who, to The Rock's chagrin, had been chosen as "Superstar of the Decade". This led to a match at WrestleMania XIX, which called back to their previous two WrestleMania encounters, both of which Austin had won. The Rock won after delivering three consecutive Rock Bottoms, ending their long-running feud in what turned out to be Austin's final match. The next night, Raw was billed as "The Rock Appreciation Night", in honour of his victory over Austin. That night, he was attacked by a debuting Bill Goldberg. At Backlash, Goldberg defeated The Rock, who then left WWE to focus in his film career.
When he returned, The Rock won his record-breaking seventh WWF Championship now the WWE Undisputed Championship at Vengeance, defeating Kurt Angle and The Undertaker in a Triple Threat match. He successfully defended the title at Global Warning against Triple H and Brock Lesnar by pinning Triple H. After the match, Lesnar attacked The Rock, until Triple H saved him. At SummerSlam, after interference from Lesnar's manager, Paul Heyman and the use of a steel chair, Rock lost the WWE Championship to Lesnar along with the record for the youngest WWE Champion, which Rock had set in 1998. Following the loss, The Rock publicly declared that whether or not the crowd booed him he would always be the People's Champion, criticizing the fans in the arena and again taking a sabbatical from wrestling in order to focus on his film career.
The Rock appeared in WWE sporadically following Wrestlemania 20. He stood up for Eugene, made a cameo in his hometown of Miami and helped Mick Foley turn back La Résistance. In 2004, he hosted a pie-eating contest, as part of the WWE Diva Search and ended the segment by giving Jonathan Coachman a spinebuster and a People's Elbow. After this, he stated in several interviews that he was no longer under contract to WWE. He stated that he would continue using the trademarked name "The Rock", per a dual ownership deal between him and WWE. On March 12, 2007, The Rock appeared on WWE TV after nearly three years, via a pre-taped promo shown during Raw. He correctly predicted that Bobby Lashley would defeat Umaga at WrestleMania 23 in Donald Trump and Vince McMahon's "Battle of the Billionaires" match.
On March 29, 2008, The Rock inducted his father, Rocky Johnson, and his grandfather, Peter Maivia, into the WWE Hall of Fame. During his induction speech, he roasted wrestlers John Cena, Santino Marella, Chris Jericho, Mick Foley, Shawn Michaels, and Steve Austin. In September 2009, he appeared at a World Xtreme Wrestling show to support the pro wrestling debut of Sarona Snuka, the daughter of his long-time friend and mentor Jimmy Snuka. On October 2, 2009, the ten-year anniversary of SmackDown, The Rock cut a promo via pre-recorded video.
On the February 14, 2011, episode of Raw, The Rock was revealed as the host of WrestleMania XXVII, appearing live on Raw for the first time in almost seven years. During a lengthy promo, he addressed the fans, Michael Cole, The Miz and John Cena, calling Cena a "big fat bowl of Fruity Pebbles", inspiring a popular crowd chant and sign. The Rock claimed to love wrestling, having has been born into the business, a claim Cena argued. After numerous appearances via satellite, The Rock appeared live on the Raw before WrestleMania XXVII to confront Cena, with whom he had been feuding with through Twitter, making fun of Cena's clothing and calling him a "homeless Power Ranger" and "Vanilla Ice". After he and Cena exchanged insults, The Miz and Alex Riley appeared and attacked The Rock; he fended off Miz and Riley, only for Cena to blindside him with an Attitude Adjustment.
On April 3 at WrestleMania XXVII, The Rock opened the show by cutting a promo. After appearing in numerous backstage segments, The Rock came to ringside to restart the main event between Cena and The Miz as a No Disqualification match, after it had ended in a draw. As revenge for the Attitude Adjustment Cena had given him on Raw, Rock hit Cena with the Rock Bottom, allowing The Miz to pin him and retain the WWE Championship. After the match, Rock attacked Miz and hit him with the People's Elbow. The following night on Raw, Cena challenged The Rock to a match at WrestleMania XXVIII the next year, which Rock accepted. They then worked together to fend off an attack by The Corre, which at the time consisted of Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, and Ezekiel Jackson. The Rock appeared live on Raw in his hometown of Miami on May 2, to celebrate his 39th birthday.
On September 16, WWE announced The Rock would wrestle in a traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series tag team match, teaming with Cena at Survivor Series in November. However, on the October 24 episode of Raw, Cena instead chose The Rock to be his partner in a standard tag team match against Awesome Truth The Miz and R Truth which Rock which agreed to the following week via satellite. On November 14, during the special Raw Gets Rocked, The Rock appeared live, delivering Rock Bottoms to Mick Foley, who had been hosting a "This Is Your Life"-style segment for Cena, and later both members of Awesome Truth. Despite their rilvary, The Rock and Cena defeated Awesome Truth on November 20 at Survivor Series, when The Rock pinned The Miz with the People's Elbow. After the match, The Rock gave Cena a Rock Bottom.
Leading up to Wrestlemania, The Rock and Cena had several verbal confrontations on Raw. On the March 12, 2012, episode, The Rock hosted his first "Rock Concert" segment since 2004, mocking Cena in his songs. He opined that, having beaten Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin at previous Wrestlemanias, beating Cena would make him the greatest wrestler of all time. On April 1 at WrestleMania XXVIII, The Rock faced Cena in the main event hyped for a year and billed with the tagline "Once in a Lifetime". When an overconfident Cena attempted the People's Elbow on The Rock, he countered with a Rock Bottom for the pin and the win. The following night on Raw, The Rock praised Cena for putting up a good fight, calling their match "an honor". He then vowed to once again become WWE Champion.
On September 16, WWE announced The Rock would wrestle in a traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series tag team match, teaming with Cena at Survivor Series in November. However, on the October 24 episode of Raw, Cena instead chose The Rock to be his partner in a standard tag team match against Awesome Truth The Miz and R-Truthwhich Rock which agreed to the following week via satellite. On November 14, during the special Raw Gets Rocked, The Rock appeared live, delivering Rock Bottoms to Mick Foley, who had been hosting a "This Is Your Life"-style segment for Cena, and later both members of Awesome Truth. Despite their rilvary, The Rock and Cena defeated Awesome Truth on November 20 at Survivor Series, when The Rock pinned The Miz with the People's Elbow. After the match, The Rock gave Cena a Rock Bottom.
Rhodes Scholars with a Rock Bottom to Damien Sandow and a People's Elbow to Cody Rhodes. The Rock closed out the 20th anniversary episode of Raw on January 14 with one of his famous "Rock concerts", leading to a brawl with CM Punk. The following week on Raw, The Rock was attacked by The Shield. Vince McMahon then asserted that if The Shield attacked The Rock in his title match with CM Punk, Punk would be stripped of the WWE Championship. On January 27 at the Royal Rumble, Punk defeated The Rock after The Shield interfered. McMahon was about to strip Punk of the championship, however, at The Rock's request, he instead restarted the match. This culminated in The Rock defeating Punk to win his eighth WWE Championship, a win which marked The Rock's first WWE Championship reign in over ten years, and ending Punk's long reign as champion at 434 days. Punk received a title rematch with The Rock at Elimination Chamber, with the added stipulation that if The Rock was disqualified or counted out, he would lose the title, but Rock pinned Punk to retain the championship. The following night on Raw, The Rock unveiled the new WWE Championship during his championship celebration, with an entirely new center plate and his signature Brahma Bull logo on the side plates. The Rock then resumed his rivalry with John Cena, with Cena blaming his personal and professional troubles on his loss to The Rock the previous year. On April 7 at WrestleMania 29, Rock lost the WWE Championship to Cena, ending his reign at 70 days. Despite being advertised for the Raw after WrestleMania, where it was stated by SmackDown General Manager Booker T that The Rock was still entitled a re-match for the WWE Championship The Rock did not appear due to a legitimate injury sustained during WrestleMania, in which his abdominal and adductor tendons tore from his pelvis. Johnson underwent surgery on April 23 to reattach the torn tendons. In August 2013, The Rock hinted at possible retirement, but ultimately did not rule out a return.
In April 2014, the Rock appeared in the opening segment of the WrestleMania XXX pay-per-view along with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan. On the October 6 episode of Raw, the Rock made a surprise appearance to confront Rusev and Lana; this resulted in the Rock clearing Rusev from the ring.
The success of Johnson's wrestling character allowed him to cross over into mainstream pop culture. He appeared on Wyclef Jean's 2000 single "It Doesn't Matter" and in its music video. He also recorded "Pie" with Slick Rick for WWF The Music, Vol. 5. In 2000, he hosted Saturday Night Live. Fellow wrestlers Triple H, The Big Show, and Mick Foley also appeared on the show. Johnson has stated the success of that episode is the reason he began receiving offers from Hollywood studios. Johnson had guest roles on Star Trek: Voyager, as an alien wrestler that uses The Rock's famous moves and on That '70s Show, as his father, Rocky Johnson.
Johnson's motion picture debut was a brief appearance as The Scorpion King in the opening sequence of The Mummy Returns. The character appears in the movie's climax in CGI form. The movie's financial success led to his first leading role, in the spin-off The Scorpion King. He was listed in the 2007 Guinness World Records as the highest-paid actor in his first starring role, receiving US$5.5 million for this movie. He was considered for the title role in a feature-length Johnny Bravo film, but it was canceled during production.
Johnson also continued to act on television, including in an episode of the Disney Channel show, Cory in the House, entitled "Never the Dwayne Shall Meet. While Johnson was away from WWE, the company continued to sell "The Rock" merchandise, and he continued to be featured prominently in the opening montages of their television shows. Johnson played the cocky famous football player, Joe Kingman, in The Game Plan, and Agent 23 in Get Smart. Johnson presented the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 80th Academy Awards on February 24, 2008. He was nominated for the Favorite Movie Actor award at the 2008 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for his role in The Game Plan, but lost out to Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
Johnson hosted the 2009 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 28. He appeared on the Wizards of Waverly Place episode, "Art Teacher", as part of his stint with The Walt Disney Company. He has made several guest appearances on Saturday Night Live, reviving his character of "The Rock Obama", a spoof of both President Barack Obama and The Hulk.[160] Also in 2009, Johnson played ex-con cab driver Jack Bruno in Las Vegas in Race To Witch Mountain. He provided the voice of Capt. Charles "Chuck" Baker in Planet 51. In 2010, Johnson starred in the family comedy, Tooth Fairy. He made an uncredited cameo in the 2010 film, Why Did I Get Married Too? as a psychiatrist who asks out the recently widowed Patricia Agnew (Janet Jackson). He briefly appears in The Other Guys, as an action-seeking detective. He returned to action films with the 2010 film Faster.
In 2011, Johnson appeared in the fifth film of The Fast and the Furious film series, Fast Five, as Luke Hobbs, a Diplomatic Security Service agent assigned to hunt down the series' protagonists. Johnson landed the role after series star Vin Diesel read comments and feedback from fans, one of whom wanted to see Diesel and Johnson in a movie together. Johnson, a fan of the franchise, had wanted to work with Universal again after they had given him his first film roles. Fast Five grossed over $86 million in its opening weekend, the biggest opening for a Fast & Furious film, the biggest opening for an April release and the biggest opening for a Johnson movie.
In 2012, Johnson starred in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. He starred in the 2013 film Snitch, which opened to mixed reviews; however, Johnson's performance was praised. He played Roadblock in G.I. Joe: Retaliation in 2013, and reprised his role as Luke Hobbs, in Fast & Furious 6, the same year. He starred in Pain & Gain and Empire State in 2013. In addition to these films, Johnson hosted and produced the reality competition/game show series The Hero, on TNT. He won the Favorite Male Buttkicker Award at the 2013 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards on March 23, 2013. In May 2013, it was announced that he will executive produce and star in Ballers, an upcoming HBO comedy-drama series about athletes living in Miami.
Johnson starred in Hercules 2014 as the title character and will once again reprise his role of Luke Hobbs in Furious 7. He will star in the upcoming film adaptation of the 1980s television series The Fall Guy. He is set to host another reality series for TNT in 2014, entitled Wake Up Call, which will see him "lending a helping hand to everyday people who are facing enormous challenges in their lives. He will also executive produce and star in the horror film Seal Team 666 and is set to play Nick Schuyler in the drama film Not Without Hope.
On December 16, 2013, Forbes named Johnson the top-grossing actor of 2013, with his films bringing in $1.3 billion worldwide for the year. Forbes credited the success of Fast & Furious 6, which grossed $789 million globally, and Johnson's frequent acting work as primary reasons for him topping the list. In March 2014, Johnson confirmed that he will be working with DC Entertainment for an untitled film project. In September 2014, it was revealed that he will play Black Adam in a film about Shazam, which he will also produce.
Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3, 1997. Their daughter, Simone Alexandra, was born August 14, 2001. On June 1, 2007, they announced they were splitting up amicably and intended to spend the rest of their lives together as best friends. Johnson co-wrote an autobiography with Joe Layden, titled The Rock Says.... It was published in 2000, debuting at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and remaining on the list for several weeks.
Johnson is a good friend of actor and former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has two nephews who play football: Kaluka Maiava played at USC and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2009, and his brother, Kai Maiava, currently plays at UCLA.
Johnson attended the 2000 Republican National Convention and the 2000 Democratic National Convention and gave a speech at the former. Both appearances were part of WWE's non-partisan "Smackdown Your Vote campaign, which aimed to influence young people to vote.
Because his mother, Ata Fitisemanu Maivia, is a descendant of Samoan chiefs, and in recognition of his service to the Samoan people, Malietoa Tanumafili II bestowed upon Johnson the noble title of Seiuli during his visit there in July 2004. He received a partial Samoan pe'a tattoo in 2003.
In 2006, Johnson founded the Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation, a charity working with at-risk and terminally ill children. On October 2, 2007, he and his ex-wife donated $1 million to the University of Miami to support the renovation of its football facilities; it was noted as the largest donation ever given to the university's athletics department by former students. The University of Miami renamed the Hurricanes' locker room in Johnson's honor.
Kurt Steven Angle born December 9, 1968 is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler and actor. He is best known for his tenures in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment WWF, now WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling TNA. He is Currently a free agent. Angle was involved in amateur wrestling during both high school and college. In college at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, he won numerous accolades, including being a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I champion. After graduating, he won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1995 World Wrestling Championships. Angle then competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he won a gold medal in heavyweight freestyle wrestling. He is one of only four people to complete a Grand Slam in amateur wrestling junior nationals, NCAAs, World Championships and the Olympics. In 2006, he was named the single greatest shoot wrestler and one of the top 15 college wrestlers of all time by USA Wrestling.
Angle made his first appearance at a professional wrestling event in 1996, with his in-ring debut following in 1998. He had previously turned down an offer to join the WWF, but signed a multi-year contract with the company that year, and participated in his first televised storyline in March 1999. After months of unaired matches, Angle made his official debut that November and received his first major push in the company in February 2000, when he held the European Championship and the Intercontinental Championship simultaneously. Four months later he won the King of the Ring tournament, and not long after, began pursuing the WWF Championship, which he wo in October; this capped off a rookie year which is considered by many as the greatest in sports entertainment history. Throughout his tenure in the company, Angle was a six-time world champion a four-time WWFE Champion, a one-time World Heavyweight Champion, and a one-time WCW Champion, and he also held the WCW United States Championship, Intercontinental Championship, European Championship, Hardcore Championship and WWE Tag Team Championship once each. He is the tenth Triple Crown Champion, and the fifth Grand Slam Champion.
After leaving WWE, Angle joined TNA, where he became a five-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, a two-time TNA World Tag Team Champion and a one-time TNA X Division Champion, the second Triple Crown winner in TNA history and the only one to hold all the required titles at once. While in TNA, his then real-life wife Karen began accompanying him to the ring and playing a part in his on-screen storylines. As part of TNA, Angle has also made appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling NJPW as well as Inoki Genome Federation IGF where he held their version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Angle is the only wrestler in history to be a Triple Crown winner in both WWE and TNA. He is the first man to have held the WWE, WCW, TNA, IWGP, and World Heavyweight Championships in his career. Angle is also a two-time King of the Mountain winner, winning at the 2007 and 2009 Slammiversary pay-per-view event, making him the only wrestler to have been both King of the Ring WWE and King of the Mountain TNA. Between WWE, TNA, and Japan, Angle has won 12 world championships and 20 total championships. In 2010, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter named Angle the Wrestler of the Decade of the 2000s, and in 2013 he became the second inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame.Angle started amateur wrestling at the age of seven. He attended Mt. Lebanon High School, where he won varsity letters in football and wrestling and was an All-State linebacker. He went undefeated on the freshman wrestling team at Mt. Lebanon High and qualified for the state wrestling tournament his sophomore year. Angle also placed third in the state wrestling tournament as a junior and was the 1987 Pennsylvania State Wrestling Champion as a senior.
Upon graduating from high school, Angle attended the Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where he continued to wrestle at an amateur level. He was a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I champion national runner-up in 1991, and a three-time NCAA Division I All-American. In addition, Angle was the 1987 USA Junior Freestyle champion, a two-time USA Senior Freestyle champion, and the 1988 USA International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles Junior World Freestyle champion.
After graduating from college, Angle continued to wrestle. In 1995, he won a gold medal at the FILA Wrestling World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.[12] Following this victory, Angle began preparing for the 1996 Summer Olympics under Dave Schultz at the Pennsylvanian Foxcatcher Club, training between eight and ten hours a day. In January 1996, not long after Angle began training at the club, Schultz was murdered by John Eleuthère du Pont, the sponsor of Schultz's team of Olympic prospectives. As a result, Angle quit Eleuthère du Pont's team, searched for new sponsors, and joined the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club in Schultz's memory.
Angle faced further hardships while taking part in the 1996 Olympic Trials, when he suffered a severe neck injury, fracturing two of his cervical vertebrae herniating two discs, and pulling four muscles. Nonetheless, Angle won the trials and then spent the subsequent five months resting and rehabilitating. By the Olympics, Angle was able to compete, albeit with several pain-reducing injections in his neck. In the fall of 2006, Angle stated that he temporarily became addicted to the analgesic Vicodin after injuring his neck. He won his gold medal in the heavyweight 90–100 kg; 198–220 lb weight class despite his injury, defeating the Iranian Abbas Jadidi by officials' decision after the competitors wrestled to an eight minute, one-one draw. The bout saw Jadidi earn a point after two minutes and 46 seconds by turning Angle, and Angle earning a point of his own with a takedown after three minutes and eleven seconds. The officials' decision was protested by Jadidi. Angle dedicated the victory to Schultz's honor
Shortly after his victory, Angle turned down a contract with the World Wrestling Federation WWF. In the same year, he became a marketing representative for Protos Foods, the manufacturers of OSTRIM, an ostrich meat based foodstuff.
In April 2011, Angle revealed that he was planning a comeback to amateur wrestling for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.It was announced in April 2012 that he would be unable to make the trials for the US team due to a knee injury.On October 26, 1996, Angle was convinced by fellow Pittsburgh native Shane Douglas to attend the taping of an Extreme Championship Wrestling ECW event named High Incident He gave an in-ring interview and provided guest commentary during a match between Taz and Little Guido, but left the building after Raven "crucified" a bleeding The Sandman by attaching him to a cross using barbed wire. Angle, shocked by the controversial imagery and afraid that his career prospects would be damaged if he was associated with the incident, thatened to sue ECW owner Paul Heyman if he was shown on television in the same broadcast as the stunt.
In 1997, following the incident, Angle worked for a year as a sportscaster on Pittsburgh's local Fox affiliate WPGH-TV. He also did a commercial for Pittsburgh-based pizza chain Pizza Outlet.Angle competed in a battle royal at the NWA's 50th Anniversary Show, held on October 24, 1998 at the Hilton Hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.In October 1998, Angle signed an eight-year contract with the World Wrestling Federation WW He was assigned to the Power Pro Wrestling developmental territory in Memphis, Tennessee, where he began training. Angle's first appearance on WWF television was on the March 7, 1999 episode of Sunday Night Heat, where he took part in an angle with Tiger Ali Singh. This angle involved Singh paying him money to blow his nose on the American flag. Angle instead blew his nose on Singh's flag and fought him off. His first WWF match was a dark match victory over Brian Christopher on April 11, 1999. In the following months, he wrestled in house shows and other dark matches in preparation for his televised debut.
After several weeks of vignettes, Angle made his televised in-ring debut on November 14, 1999 at the Survivor Series at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, defeating Shawn Stasiak. In his initial push, he remained undefeated for several weeks, eventually losing to the debuting Tazz at the Royal Rumble. Angle's television character was an "American hero" gimmick based on his gold medal win at the 1996 Summer Olympics. In his promos, Angle presented himself as a role model and stressed the need to work hard to realize one's dreams, stressing the 3 Is, "Intensity, Integrity, and Intelligence". In his promos and ring entrances, Angle would always wear replicas of his gold medals around his neck. While he stood for many principles that are associated with "good guy" wrestlers, Angle's character put an arrogant spin on them to act as a villain, talking down to the audience and behaving as if he thought he was better than the fans. Angle won both the European Championship and the Intercontinental Championship in February 2000 billing himself as the "Eurocontinental Champion". He dropped both of his titles without ever conceding a fall in a two falls Triple Threat match with Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 2000. The match had been agreed to on Angle's behalf by his mentor, Bob Backlund.Throughout mid-2000, Angle and Team ECK feuded with Too Cool and Rikishi, with Angle defeating Rikishi in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament. He went on to feud with Triple H after a love triangle between Angle, Triple H, and Triple H's wife Stephanie McMahon developed.As a change to the intended storyline of Stephanie turning on her husband and going with Angle, he lost to Triple H at Unforgiven. Following his feud with Triple H, Angle received another push and began pursuing the WWF Championship, defeating The Rock at No Mercy, after botched interference on The Rock's behalf from Rikishi. With his victory over the Rock, Angle became the first wrestler to have won both an Olympic Gold medal and the World title. Angle retained the WWF Championship for the rest of the year in matches with The Undertaker at Survivor Series and in a six way Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon.
After beating Triple H at the Royal Rumble, Angle eventually lost the title to The Rock at No Way Out, after holding the WWF Championship for four months. He then feuded with Chris Benoit, whom he defeated at WrestleMania X-Seven but lost to him at Backlash in an Ultimate Submission match; Benoit defeated Angle four falls to three in sudden-death overtime. Continuing the feud, Angle again defeated Benoit in a two out of three falls match at Judgment Day. Benoit pinned Angle after an Angle Slam in a "Pinfalls Only" fall, and then Angle made Benoit submit with the ankle lock in the "Submissions Only" fall. Angle won the third fall, a Ladder match, with the help of Edge and Christian.
The Invasion (2001–200200)
When World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and ECW formed The Alliance and invaded the WWF in mid-2001 dubbed as "The Invasion"), Angle became a fan favorite and began a storyline where he joined forces with WWF Champion Steve Austin to repel them. At Invasion, Angle and Austin captained a team of five WWF superstars against five handpicked members of the Alliance. As part of the angle, Team WWF lost to Team Alliance when Austin turned on his team to join The Alliance. At the close of the match, Austin nailed Angle with a Stone Cold Stunner, causing him to get pinned by the other team. After winning and losing the WCW Championship, WCW United States Championship,and the WWF Hardcore Championship in matches with Alliance members Angle was booked to defeat Austin in a SummerSlam rematch for his second WWF Championship at Unforgiven. He dropped the title back to Austin on the October 8, 2001 episode of Raw when WWF Commissioner William Regal joined The Alliance and cost Angle the match. As part of the storyline, Angle subsequently turned into a villain again and joined the Alliance himself; during a WrestleMania X-Seven rematch between Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon, he interfered seemingly to aid Vince but instead struck the members of team WWF with a steel chair. Angle, however, ultimately returned to the WWF side by enabling The Rock to defeat Austin in a "Winner Takes All" match between the WWF and The Alliance at Survivor Series. He remained a villain by claiming sole responsibility for the destruction of The Alliance.
After dropping the WCW United States Championship to Edge, the duo were booked into a lengthy feud. During this feud, Edge helped the fans with the already started "you suck" chants every time Angle entered a WWE ring, usually in tune with Angle's entrance music. The chants followed Angle throughout the rest of his WWE career. In the course of the feud, the naturally balding Angle lost a "hair versus hair" match to Edge at Judgment Day, and his head was shaved bald.Angle has retained the shaved head since. Following the loss of his hair, Angle's storyline called for him to wear a wig and insult bald people, leading to a feud with Hollywood Hogan, who stripped Angle of his wig.[49] Angle later scored a submission victory over Hogan at King of the Ring. In 2002 Kurt wrestled John Cena in Cena's first ever WWE match. Kurt went on to win the match by a roll up pin.
In October 2002, Angle became the fifth WWE Grand Slam Championship winner when he won the WWE Tag Team Championship with Chris Benoit at No Mercy 2002. Their team was successful but problematic, as the two bickered constantly, with Benoit often fed up with Angle's over-the-top antics. After dropping the title to Edge and Rey Mysterio on an episode of SmackDown!,Angle won his third WWE Championship at Armageddon, defeating The Big Show, with the help of Brock Lesnar. While still in his third reign, Angle began a new storyline when he gained the services of manager Paul Heyman and "Team Angle.
He then began feuding with Brock Lesnar, who had won the 2003 Royal Rumble match after Lesnar claimed to be the new top superstar on SmackDown!. Angle dropped the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XIX to Lesnar.
On April 11, 2003, Angle underwent neck surgery performed by Dr. Hae-Dong Jho to repair nerve and spinal damage, calcium buildup, bone spurs, and intervertebral disc problems. Rather than have Dr. Jho remove the afflicted discs and fuse his vertebrae together, Angle opted for a less conventional surgery where Jho removed only the spurs and selected portions of the discs. The alternative surgery reduced Angle's rehabilitation time from one year to three months. He returned as a face character in June. Shortly after returning, Angle defeated Lesnar and Big Show in a Triple Threat match at Vengeance to regain the WWE Championship. During this time, Lesnar seemed to become an ally to Angle. Lesnar, however, secretly worked with Vince McMahon on a plot against Angle, turning on him during a steel cage match between himself and McMahon in which Angle was the special guest referee, and stated that he never tolerated losing the belt to him at Vengeance. After retaining the title in a singles bout at SummerSlam by making Brock Lesnar tap out to the ankle lock, he dropped the title to Lesnar in an Iron Man match on an episode of SmackDown Angle then formed a five-man team to rival Lesnar's team at the Survivor Series, with Angle's team coming out victorious
Angle then got involved in a feud with Eddie Guerrero. Initially being a firm friend and ally to Eddie during the latter's feud with his nephew Chavo, Angle turned on him when it was announced that Guerrero, not Angle, was the number one contender for the WWE Championship, thus becoming a villain once again. At No Way Out, Guerrero defeated Lesnar to win the WWE Championship, and Angle won a match to become new number one contender. After losing to Guerrero at WrestleMania XX, Angle began to once again suffer from legitimate neck problems. As a response, he was made the on-screen General Manager of SmackDown! with his absence from the ring attributed to injuries suffered after Big Show chokeslammed him off a ledge.Angle continued his feud with Guerrero throughout 2004. He cost Guerrero the WWE championship against John "Bradshaw" Layfield in a Texas Bull Rope match at The Great American Bash by participating in the worked finish; Angle came down to the ring and showed a replay where JBL's shoulder hit the corner pad before Guerrero's hand. Angle was later fired by Vince McMahon as General Manager in July 2004, after discovering that he was faking his handicapped status
In November 2004, Angle initiated the Kurt Angle Invitational, a worked weekly segment where "hometown heroes plants, challenged him to a match, with Angle promising to give his Olympic gold medal to the first person to last more than three minutes in the ring with him. The Invitational was won by Eugene in July 2005 starting a new angle for both men. As a result, Angle faced Eugene at SummerSlam, defeating him by making him tap out to the ankle lock.
On November 4, 2004, episode of SmackDown!, taped in St. Louis, Missouri, during an unscripted segment of Tough Enough, Angle challenged the finalists through a squat thrust competition. Chris Nawrocki won the competition, and the prize Nawrocki won was a match against Angle. Angle quickly took Nawrocki down, breaking his ribs, then made him tap out with a neck crank. After Angle defeated Nawrocki, Angle challenged the other finalists. Daniel Puder, an American professional mixed martial artist, accepted Angle's challenge. Angle and Puder wrestled for position, with Angle taking Puder down, however, in the process, Puder locked Angle in a kimura lock. With Puder on his back and Angle's arm locked in the kimura, Angle attempted a pin, one of two referees in the ring, Jim Korderas, quickly counted three to end the bout, despite the fact that Puder's shoulders weren't fully down on the mat, bridging up at two. Puder later claimed he would have snapped Angle's arm, thus making Angle tap out on national television, if Korderas had not ended the match. Dave Meltzer and Dave Scherer gave these following comments:"It was real. If you don't follow fighting, Puder had Angle locked in the Kimura, or keylock as Tazz called it, although Tazz didn't let on the move was fully executed. Not only was Angle not getting out of the move, but most MMA fighters would have tapped already. Angle couldn't tap for obvious reasons. The ref counted a three even though Puder's shoulders weren't fully down, trying to end the thing, because the reality was Angle would have been in surgery had it gone a few seconds longer or had Puder not given up the hold." ? Dave Meltzer
"As you would expect, Kurt Angle was less than happy backstage at Smackdown after almost being forced to tap out to Tough Enough contestant Daniel Puder. Downright ticked off would probably be the best way to describe his mood. The unscripted nature of the contest was the main reason that Angle was made to look so bad since Puder just reacted to the situation and could have forced Angle to submit had the referees not thought quickly and counted a pin that wasn’t there on Puder." ? Dave Scherer
The Wrestling Machine and departure (2005–2006)
In January 2005, Angle took part in the Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by Shawn Michaels, who had returned to the ring to eliminate in retaliation. After mocking Michaels by defeating his former tag team partner, Marty Jannetty, and attacking former manager, Sherri Martel Angle defeated Michaels in an interpromotional match at WrestleMania 21, which won Pro Wrestling Illustrated PWI Match of the Year Award He continued to feud with Michaels upon being drafted from SmackDown! to Raw in the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery losing to Michaels at Vengeance. Angle later challenged John Cena for the WWE Championship at Unforgiven, where Angle won the match by disqualification, thus not winning the title.Angle also challenged Cena again in a Triple Threat match along with Michaels at Taboo Tuesday, in a losing effort.
Angle returned to the SmackDown! brand in January 2006, where he was pushed to gain the vacant World Heavyweight Championship in a twenty man battle royal, turning face in the process for the first time since 2004. He retained the title against Mark Henry at the Royal Rumble. Shortly after the match, The Undertaker made his return and challenged Angle for the title. Angle retained the title in a match with Undertaker at No Way Out before indirectly dropping it to Rey Mysterio in a Triple Threat match, which also included Randy Orton, at WrestleMania 22.
On May 29, 2006, Angle was drafted to the newly created ECW brand. It was during this time that he acquired the nickname "The Wrestling Machine, wearing a mouth guard and quickly squashing opponents. Upon coming to ECW, he issued an open challenge for One Night Stand, which was accepted by Orton. Angle defeated Orton at One Night Stand, later losing to him in a rematch at Vengeance. Angle appeared sporadically on WWE television throughout mid-2006. On August 25, 2006, Angle was granted an early release from his WWE contract because of health reasons. Angle stated in the Kurt Angle: Champion documentary DVD that he asked for his release from WWE because he couldn't take time off and was working hurt, severely on some occasions. He also states that when he quit, WWE lost their very top talent, as he was at the very top of the payroll.Angle then went on to sign a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling TNA. The new signing was viewed by some as a promotion not having concern for the health of a wrestler. On September 24, 2006, during the closing segment of No Surrender, TNA President Dixie Carter announced that TNA Wrestling had signed Angle to a contract, with Jim Cornette introducing video footage of Angle training in a six-sided TNA ring. On the December 28, 2006 episode of TNA Impact!, this was announced as the "Moment of the Year" for TNA.
Angle made his TNA debut on October 19, confronting Samoa Joe after Joe refused to relinquish the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt that, according to the storyline, he had stolen from Jeff Jarrett. The two men ended up fighting while Jarrett took the title back. Angle was then the special enforcer for the Title vs. Career match between Jarrett and Sting at Bound for Glory, but, as part of the worked finish, he took out referee Rudy Charles and assumed the referee's role for the rest of the match-up. Angle's first match in TNA took place on the November 16 airing of Impact!, where he was booked to defeat Abyss with the ankle lock and be attacked after the match by Samoa Joe. At Genesis, Angle defeated Samoa Joe, ending Joe's undefeated push.
At Final Resolution, Angle was booked to defeat Samoa Joe in a thirty-minute Iron Man match 3–2 to earn a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Against All Odds, which he lost to Christian Cage after interference from Tomko and Scott Steiner. This led to a feud between Angle and Steiner, with Angle pinning Steiner at Destination X. After Angle defeated Steiner, he was picked to lead a team of four other wrestlers against a team of Christian Cage's choice in a Lethal Lockdown match at April's Lockdown. Angle chose Samoa Joe, Rhino, Sting, and Jeff Jarrett for Team Angle, while Cage chose A.J. Styles, Scott Steiner, Tomko, and Abyss. The man who gained the winning pinfall would become the number one contender to Christian Cage's NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Team Angle was victorious after Jeff Jarrett hit Abyss with a gimmicked guitar full of thumbtacks and allowed Sting to score the pin. Cage was set to defend the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Sting and Angle in a triple threat match at Sacrifice. The day of the PPV, the National Wrestling Alliance NWA, the owners of the NWA World Heavyweight and the NWA World Tag Team Championships, stripped Cage of the title and Team 3D of the tag team title. NWA Executive Director Robert K. Trobich stated the reason was that Cage refused to defend the NWA Title at NWA live events. At the PPV event, Cage, still holding the physical NWA Championship belt, defended what was billed as the "World Heavyweight Championship" against Angle and Sting. Angle was the victor of said contest by making Sting submit, who had technically just pinned Cage, and was announced as the new "World Heavyweight Champion" The Impact! following the event, Angle came to the ring with a new championship belt, and announced he was the new "TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Afterward, Cage and Sting came to the ring and the three began to argue over who was the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Due to the controversial finish to their match at Sacrifice, the title was declared vacant by Cornette. A tournament was held for the title which culminated in a King of the Mountain match at Slammiversary on June 17, 2007. At the event, Angle became the TNA World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Cage, Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles, and Chris Harris. He then attacked Joe after denying a request for a handshake, reigniting their feud. This also turned Angle heel in the process.
At Victory Road, newly crowned X Division Champion Samoa Joe teamed with Kurt Angle to face TNA Tag Team Champions Team 3D, with the stipulation that if a wrestler pinned the other opponent, he won his championship. As part of the planned outcome of the match, Joe pinned Brother Ray of Team 3D to win both tag team belts, which he held by himself. On the following episode of Impact!, Joe – now holding the X Division and Tag Team Championships, challenged Angle – the reigning TNA andIGF recognized IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, to a winner take all match at Hard Justice. While illustrating how he would take away everything important in Angle's life, Joe brought Angle's wife Karen into the fray, as she demanded a divorce. During the match, however, Karen turned on Joe and aided her husband. As part of his next push, Angle won, gaining all the championships and becoming the second Triple Crown champion in TNA and the first to hold all three titles at the same time. Including the IWGP Title, this made Angle a quadruple champion and since Joe held the tag team titles by himself, that meant Angle's victory gave him both tag team championship belts, meaning Angle was now in possession of five championship belts. Angle, however, dropped both the X Division and Tag Team Titles to Jay Lethal and Team Pacman, respectively, at No Surrender. At Bound for Glory, Angle lost the TNA World Championship to Sting, but won it back on the October 25 episode of Impact!Angle then joined forces with A.J. Styles and Tomko as The Angle Alliance at Turning Point against Samoa Joe, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. Styles had planned for Christian's Coalition and The Angle Alliance to team up together, but Christian Cage demanded to be the leader of The Angle Alliance after Cage denied Angle's request of being his "lackey". At Final Resolution, Angle successfully defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Cage due to interference from Styles and again at Against All Odds with help from Tomko. At Lockdown, Angle lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Samoa Joe after being pinned.After suffering a neck injury, Angle was out of action. In the storyline, he returned to Impact! to ask his estranged wife Karen to reunite with him, but she declined his offer. Later that night, after Styles suffered a beating at the hands of Team 3D, Booker T, and Tomko, Angle added to the mugging by hitting Styles with a steel chair. At Slammiversery, Angle lost to Styles, being pinned after interference from Karen. At Victory Road, Angle and Team 3D won a six-man tag team Full Metal Mayhem match defeating the team of Christian Cage, Rhino, and Styles. At Hard Justice, Angle once again lost to Styles – this time in a Last Man Standing match. The feud continued on the next episode of Impact!, with Styles winning Angle's gold medal in a mock amateur wrestling match. The next week Angle challenged Styles to a ladder match for the Olympic Gold Medal. As they both stood on the top of the ladder, the arena went dark and Jeff Jarrett's music played. When the lights turned on, Styles had a guitar and performed an Acoustic Equalizer on Angle to win the match.
Angle began a feud with Jarrett after No Surrender when Jarrett hit Angle with his guitar, a match that involved him, Christian Cage and Samoa Joe for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On the October 2 episode of Impact, Mick Foley announced that he would be the special enforcer for Angle's match with Jarrett at Bound for Glory IV. Angle lost to Jarrett in this match, being pinned after taking the mandible claw from Foley and a guitar shot and Stroke from Jarrett. He started attacking other superstars backstage in order to get a rematch against Jarrett. On the first HD Impact!, Angle, Booker T, Kevin Nash, and Sting started a new stable of legends called The Main Event Mafia. Scott Steiner joined the group the following week. Angle then defeated Abyss at Turning Point in a Falls Count Anywhere match. After weeks of torturing Jeff Jarrett to give him a rematch, Jarrett said that if Angle could defeat Rhino at the second Final Resolution of 2008, with Mick Foley as the Special Enforcer, he would grant it. Angle defeated Rhino to earn a rematch with Jarrett at Genesis after Al Snow made a surprise appearance and distracted Foley for Angle to cheat. At Sacrifice, Angle lost his leadership of the Mafia to Sting because of their match's stipulation. On June 21 at Slammiversary, Angle won so he wouldn't leave TNA the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the third time in a King of the Mountain match with help from Samoa Joe. On the following episode of Impact!, Angle regained leadership of the Main Event Mafia after he and the rest of the Mafia, attacked Sting while introducing Joe as their newest member. At No Surrender Angle lost his championship to A.J. Styles in a five-way match which also included Matt Morgan, Sting, and Hernandez.After defeating Morgan at Bound for Glory Angle came out on the following episode of Impact! and put over the younger talent of the company, thus leaving the Main Event Mafia and turning face once again. Afterward, he was assaulted by the debuting Desmond Wolfe who defeated him via knockout in a street fight the following week. At Turning Point Angle defeated Wolfe in a rematch.The following month at Final Resolution Angle faced Wolfe in a "Three Degrees of Pain" two out of three falls match. Wolfe managed to gain the first fall by pinning Angle following the Tower of London, but Angle forced him to tap out with the ankle lock to win the second fall. In the final fall, which could only be won by escaping the Six Sides of Steel, Angle managed to escape first and won the match. On the January 4, 2010, live, three hour, Monday night edition of Impact! Angle received a shot at A.J. Styles' World Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated in the main event of the show. Two weeks later at Genesis Angle received one last shot at the World Heavyweight Title, but was once again defeated by Styles, who turned heel with the help of Ric Flair and nailed him with the title belt. As a result, Angle was barred from challenging for the belt as long as Styles is the title holder. Due to the circumstances surrounding the loss, Hulk Hogan gave Angle another shot at Styles and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on the January 21 episode of Impact!, but this time he lost the match after referee Earl Hebner, who was later revealed to have been paid off by Flair, called for the bell in an incident similar to the Montreal Screwjob. Angle responded to the incident by spitting in Hogan's face, threatening to quit TNA and go back to WWE. Angle apologized to Hogan, after being saved by him from Scott Hall and Syxx-Pac. At Against All Odds Angle took part in the 8 Card Stud Tournament to crown a new number one contender, but was defeated in the first round by Mr. Anderson, after Anderson used Angle's dog tags to bust him open. On the following episode of Impact! Angle promised to make Anderson suffer for disrespecting the U.S. soldiers, but was in the end once again laid out by him, effectively starting a feud between the two. At Destination X Angle defeated Anderson in a rematch. Angle and Anderson were booked in a rubber match inside a steel cage at Lockdown On the April 5 episode of Impact! Anderson defeated Angle in a ladder match to win possession of the key to the cage door. At Lockdown, Angle defeated Anderson in a steel cage match and afterwards announced that he would now be taking some time off from wrestling.
Angle returned on the May 20 episode of Impact! as a face and was ranked number two by the Championship Committee in the inaugural top 10 rankings for a World Heavyweight title shot. Angle, however, decided to take his name out of the running for a title shot and vowed to fight his way through the top 10 and earn his spot at the top of the company. At Slammiversary VIII Angle started his climb back to the top by defeating Kazarian, who was ranked number ten. Angle continued his climb, defeating Desmond Wolfe, who was ranked number nine prior to the match, on the June 24 episode of Impact!, and D'Angelo Dinero, ranked number eight, at Victory Road. Prior to his match with Dinero, Angle announced that should he lose on his way to the top of the rankings, he would retire from professional wrestling On the July 22 episode of Impact! Angle defeated number seven ranked Hernandez and followed that up three weeks later by defeating number six ranked A.J. Styles. On the August 19 episode of Impact! the TNA World Heavyweight Championship was vacated and instead of continuing his climb, Angle was entered into an eight man tournament for the title, defeating X Division Champion Douglas Williams in his first round match. At No Surrender Angle first wrestled Jeff Hardy to a twenty-minute time limit draw, after which Eric Bischoff ordered a five-minute extra time. After that and a second five-minute extra time also ended in draws, it was ruled that, due to a cut, Angle wouldn't be allowed to continue the match, ending the match in a no contest. After wrestling a draw on the September 16 episode of Impact!, it was announced that both Angle and Hardy would advanceto the finals at Bound for Glory, where they would compete with Mr. Anderson in a three–way match.
At Bound for Glory Angle was defeated by Hardy, when he turned heel and pinned Anderson, after an interference from Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff, who then went on to form an alliance named Immortal, with Hardy, Abyss and Jeff Jarrett. On the following episode of Impact! Angle came out to make his retirement speech, after his failed attempt to win the World Heavyweight Championship, but was interrupted by Jarrett, who announced that he had made a deal with Hogan and Bischoff in order to end Angle's career at Bound for Glory, before attacking him, when he was restrained by TNA's security officers Gunner and Murphy. The following week Angle returned, trying to get his hands on Bischoff and Ric Flair, before being stopped by TNA's security officers. Angle returned three weeks later on the November 11 episode of Impact!, saving Samoa Joe from Jeff Jarrett, Gunner and Murphy. After not appearing again for two weeks, Angle made another return on the December 2 episode of Impact!, saving Samoa Joe from Jeff Jarrett and Abyss.On the January 6, 2011, episode of Impact! Angle interrupted Jarrett's $100,000 Mixed Martial Arts Challenge and signed a contract to face him at Genesis in an MMA exhibition match, since he had promised not to wrestle again. The match was thrown out in the third round after Jarrett blinded Angle. After the match Jarrett bloodied Angle, before announcing that he was ending his mixed martial arts career and promised that his wife, Karen Jarrett formerly Karen Angle, would be joining the retirement party.On the January 13 episode of Impact! Karen made her return and stopped Angle just as he was about to attack Jeff, telling him that she would not allow him to ruin their personal lives and promised to tell all about their divorce the following week. The following week Karen slapped Kurt, providing a distraction which allowed Jeff to beat him down. At the end of the show Crimson saved Angle from a beating at the hands of Immortal and Fortune. The following week Ric Flair reinstated Angle in order to place him and Crimson in a seven–on–two handicap match against Jarrett, James Storm, Robert Roode, Kazarian, Rob Terry, Gunner and Murphy. The match ended with Jarrett pinning Angle for the win. Afterwards, Angle was saved from another beatdown by the returning Scott Steiner. The following week Fortune turned on Immortal and aligned themselves with Angle, Crimson and Steiner. On February 13 at Against All Odds Jarrett defeated Angle in a singles match and as a result Angle was forced to walk Karen down the aisle, when she and Jarrett renewed their wedding vows on the March 3 episode of Impact!. After the match Angle hinted at a possible retirement by leaving his wrestling boots in the ring. On March 3 Angle proceeded to destroy the wedding set with an axe and forced wedding guest, New York Jet Bart Scott to tap out with the ankle lock. On April 17 at Lockdown, Jarrett defeated Angle in an "Ultra Male Rules" Two out of Three Falls steel cage match, with help from Karen. On the May 12 episode of Impact!, Angle revealed Chyna as his backup in taking care of the Jarretts.At Sacrifice, Angle and Chyna defeated the Jarretts in a mixed tag team match.Later that same month, Angle signed a new three-year contract with TNA. With Karen out of the picture, Angle defeated Jarrett on June 12 at Slammiversary IX in what was billed as the "final battle" between the two to retain his Olympic gold medal and become the number one contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. However, on the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Jarrett challenged Angle to a Parking Lot Brawl and agreed to sign a contract that would force him to move to Mexico without Angle's children, should he lose the match. Angle ended up winning the fight after choking Jarrett with a shirt, forcing him to say adiós.
Regaining championships 2011–2012
With his feud with Jarrett behind him, Angle aligned himself with Sting to feud with the rest of Immortal, including the group's newest member, TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mr. Anderson. On the July 14 episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle helped Sting regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Anderson. On August 7 at Hardcore Justice, Angle defeated Sting, after hitting him with a chair he snatched away from Hulk Hogan, to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the record-breaking fifth time, thus turning heel.On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle explained that he did not agree with Sting, who, using the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, wanted to hand the promotion back to Dixie Carter, as he had found out that she had lied to him about not knowing of the relationship between Karen and Jeff Jarrett. When Sting confronted Angle, he was attacked by Hogan, which led to Angle revealing that Hogan had been the one who had exposed Carter's lie to him. Angle also revealed that his goal was now to ruin Carter's youth movement in TNA by eliminating the younger wrestlers one-by-one and started by attacking Bound for Glory Series leader Crimson after the main event, turning heel in the process. Angle made his first televised title defense on the September 1 episode of Impact Wrestling, defeating Sting in a rematch, following interference from special enforcer Hulk Hogan and the rest of Immortal. The following week, Angle's title match with Mr. Anderson ended in a disqualification, following interference from Immortal, which led to a three-way match between Angle, Anderson and Sting on September 11 at No Surrender, where Angle managed to retain the title, following interference from Hogan. On October 16 at Bound for Glory, Angle successfully defended the title against Bobby Roode.
On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Roode's tag team partner, James Storm. Angle returned on the November 17 episode of Impact Wrestling, attacking James Storm and revealing himself as the man who had attacked and bloodied him also the previous week, costing him his match with Bobby Roode for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On December 11 at Final Resolution, Angle was defeated by Storm in a singles match. On January 8, 2012, at Genesis, Angle defeated Storm in a rematch. On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Storm defeated Angle in a number one contender's match.Angle returned on the February 16 episode of Impact Wrestling, costing Jeff Hardy his shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On March 18 at Victory Road, Angle defeated Hardy in a singles match, pinning him while grabbing a hold of the ring ropes. On April 15 at Lockdown, Hardy defeated Angle in a rematch, contested inside a steel cage. On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle defeated A.J. Styles, following interference from Styles' rivals Christopher Daniels and Kazarian. The following week, Angle warned the two Immortal associates never to interfere in one of his matches again. On May 13 at Sacrifice, Angle defeated Styles in a rematch, following another interference from Daniels and Kazarian. After the match, Angle made the save for Styles, chasing Daniels and Kazarian out of the ring, and becoming a face once again. On June 10 at Slammiversary, Angle and Styles defeated Daniels and Kazarian to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship. On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle entered the 2012 Bound for Glory Series, taking part in the opening gauntlet match, from which he was eliminated by Daniels. Two weeks later, Angle and Styles lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship back to Daniels and Kazarian. Angle wrestled his final match in the 2012 Bound for Glory Series on the August 30 episode of Impact Wrestling, losing to Jeff Hardy, which caused him to get eliminated from the tournament. On September 9 at No Surrender, Angle and Styles unsuccessfully challenged Daniels and Kazarian for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Angle and Styles received another title shot against Daniels and Kazarian on October 14 at Bound for Glory, in a three-way match, which was won by Chavo Guerrero, Jr. and Hernandez.On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle defeated Daniels and Styles in a three-way match to become one of four wrestlers in consideration for a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
New Main Event Mafia 2012–2013
The following week, Angle was chosen as the number one contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated by Jeff Hardy in his title match. Afterwards, Angle was attacked by Aces & Eights.At Turning Point, Angle defeated Aces & Eights member Devon via submission, despite the rest of Aces & Eights trying to interfere. Angle would continue his feud with Aces & Eights on the December 6 episode of Impact Wrestling, defeating DOC via disqualification after the rest of Aces & Eights interfered. Three days later at Final Resolution, Angle teamed with Garett Bischoff, Samoa Joe, and Wes Brisco to defeat Devon, DOC, and two masked members of Aces & Eights in an eight-man tag team match. Angle unsuccessfully challenged Devon for the TNA Television Championship on the edition of December 20 of Impact Wrestling, after interference from Aces & Eights, Garett Bischoff, Samoa Joe, and Wes Brisco. On the January 3, 2013, episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle and Samoa Joe defeated Devon and a masked member of Aces & Eights in a steel cage tag team match. Afterwards, the returning Sting saved Angle and Joe from a beatdown from Aces & Eights before revealing the mystery member as the debuting Mike Knox. The following week, Angle was sidelined with a storyline injury after Knox hit him in the neck with a ball-peen hammer.Angle returned to in-ring action on the January 31 Impact Wrestling, defeating Aces & Eights member Mr. Anderson in a steel cage match. Afterwards, Angle's two allies Garret Bischoff and Wes Brisco revealed themselves as members of Aces & Eights and attacked him. Angle infiltrated the Aces & Eights hideout on the February 28 Impactand managed to unmask their Vice President, but was beat down by the other members before he could reveal his identity to the cameras. Angle revealed the Vice President as D'Lo Brown on the following episode of Impact. At Lockdown, Angle was defeated by Wes Brisco in a steel cage match, following interference from Brown. Angle was defeated by Jeff Hardy in a four-way number one contenders match for the World Heavyweight Championship, which also included Magnus and Samoa Joe on the March 21 Impact Wrestling. In the following weeks, Angle would continue to face Bischoff and Brisco in multiple tag team and handicap matches, that all ended with the two getting the advantage over Angle. Angle then began feuding with A.J. Styles, after Styles refused to answer Angle's question on whether he is with TNA or the Aces & Eights which led to a brawl between the two on the May 9 episode of Impact Wrestling. On June 2 at Slammiversary XI, Angle was announced as the second inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame. Later that night, Angle defeated Styles in a singles match. On the following Impact Wrestling, Angle got into a verbal confrontation with the debuting Rampage Jackson who claimed he had to beat the best to be the best. The following week, Angle was defeated by Styles in a rematch to earn the final spot in the 2013 Bound for Glory Series. Afterwards, Angle would be assaulted by Aces & Eights until Jackson came out and made the save. On June 20 Angle attacked TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray at the end of the Impact episode, and revealed himself as the first member of Sting's New Main Event Mafia. In the following weeks, Angle and Sting would recruit Samoa Joe, Magnus, and Rampage Jackson as members of the New Main Event Mafia. Beginning on August 2, Angle took a hiatus from TNA after being admitted to rehab for drug and alcohol use.
Final storylines 2013–2014
Angle returned on the edition of October 10 of Impact attacking EGO and challenged Bobby Roode to a match at Bound For Glory. The following week, Angle stated his discontentment with Roode mocking his Hall of Fame induction and told Roode he would make him tap out. Roode responded by attacking Angle with help from his faction, EGO, forcing Angle to submit to the crossface hold in a precursory act prior to their match. At the PPV Angle was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame but he refused to accept the offer as he felt he had let himself, TNA and the fans down and didn't deserve a Hall of Fame induction ceremony. He also said he would accept the offer when he feels he has earned it and he still has great things to do in TNA. Later in that night, Angle was defeated by Roode, after he landed awkwardly from a running belly-to-belly suplex. On October 31 episode of Impact, Angle lied about gaining medical clearance Angle suffered kayfabe convulsions during the match against Bobby Roode after a bad landing from the same move again, which resulted in referee Brian Hebner rewarding a knock out/count-out victory to Roode. After the match, he also showed signs of post-concussive amnesia. On November 5, Angle was reported to had tested negative for concussion, but his recurring knee injuries still required monitoring. The following week, Angle saw the New Main Event Mafia being disbanded, then he was attacked by Roode after he accused him to use his injuries to get out of the match. On November 14, Angle won a submission match against Austin Aries in the World Title Tournament, but by using Roode's finisher: Arm trap crossface, with Roode watching on at the ramp. However, Angle lost his next match against Magnus due to an interference from Roode. At Final Resolution, Angle was defeated by Roode in a 2-out-of 3 falls match but Angle beat Roode in a Steel Cage match at Genesis to end the feud.
On February 27 episode of Impact, Angle attacked Ethan Carter III, on the next week, Angle was attacked by Ethan Carter III and severely damaged his knees, thus losing his chance to fight at Lockdown. Angle made his return on April 17, and vowing revenge.
In May, Angle underwent ACL repair surgery and would be out of action up to four months. On June 20, 2014 aired June 26 Angle was named Executive Director of Wrestling Operations of TNA by TNA's Board of Directors. He would announce a TNA World Heavyweight Championship rematch for the edition of July 3 of Impact Wrestling between Lashley and Eric Young, and reinstate Bobby Roode, who had been indefinitely suspended by MVP. Angle would also retire the TNA Television Championship, which had not been seen or defended since Abyss won it at Slammiversary 2013.
On September 18, 2014 aired on October 29 due to tape delay, Angle refereed the TNA World Heavyweight Championship between Bobby Roode and Bobby Lashley. On September 21, 2014, Angle's contract with TNA expired, ending his eight-year tenure with the company.
Japanese promotions 2007–2009ediOn February 18, 2007, Angle made his debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling, teaming with formerNagata to defeat fellow TNA wrestler Travis Tomko and fellow WWE alumnus Giant Bernard.
Angle was booked to face Brock Lesnar in a champion versus champion match for the Inoki Genome Federation on June 29, 2007, and defeated him by submission for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, and he challenged him to an MMA fight. On December 19, 2007, Angle defended the IWGP World Title successfully against Kendo Kashin.
On January 4, 2008, Angle made his third successful IWGP World Championship defense when he defeated Yuji Nagata at the New Japan Pro Wrestling supershow Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome by forcing Nagata to tap out to the ankle lock. On February 17, 2008, Angle lost the IWGP title to Shinsuke Nakamura in a unification match.He returned in August during the G1 Climax in two special tag matches A.J. Styles as his opponent with Shinsuke Nakamura and Masahiro Chono as Angle's partners and Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinjiro Otani as Styles' partners. Angle's team won both matches.
He returned on January 4, 2009, at Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome in a special eight man tag match, where he, Kevin Nash, Chono, and Riki Choshu faced G.B.H. Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson, Takashi Iizuka and Tomohiro Ishii with Angle getting the win for his team. Angle then went on to defeat Bernard in a singles match at New Japan's ISM tour on February 15.[222] After Hiroshi Tanahashi retained the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Nakamura in the main event, Angle challenged him for the title, which Tanahashi accepted.[222] Tanahashi defeated Angle on April 5 at New Japan's Resolution '09 to retain the title.[223]
Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (2012)[edit]
Angle made his debut for Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) on August 5, 2012, at Triplemanía XX, where he teamed up with Jeff Jarrett as Team Dorian Roldán in a Hair vs. Hair match, where they faced Team Joaquín Roldán Electroshock and L.A. Park with the Roldáns' hairs on the line. Electroshock won the match for his team by pinnngle, forcing Dorian to have his head shaved bald. However, after the match, Angle, Jarrett and Dorian overpowered the winners and shaved Joaquín bald.
Angle is a longtime fan of MMA, and has occasionally talked about his desire to compete. UFC president Dana White stated that Angle was in talks to appear as a heavyweight contestant on the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter, but failed the medical requirements.
Angle has expressed interest on several occasions in pursuing an acting career after retiring from professional wrestling.In 2008, he made his film debut as a racist prison deputy in the short film Chains. In 2009, he played serial killer Brad Mayfield in the film End Game. On a third season episode of Pros vs. Joes, he was teamed up with Jimmy Smith and Kendall Gill against the Joes. Angle appeared in the "Car Wreck Vanish" episode of Criss Angel Mindfreak. He played Russian MMA champion Koba in a non-speaking role in the 2011 film Warrior, and starred as town sheriff Will Logan in the film River of Darkness. On the Right After Wrestling program on Sirius Satellite Radio, Angle revealed he would become a part-time wrestler after his contract would expire in 2011 to focus on Angle Foods and his acting career.In the 2013 film Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies, he plays himself as both a human and a zombie.Angle also had a small role in the 2014 cult-film Sharknado 2: The Second One and in the 2014 romantic-comedy film Not Cool.Angle was born in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, the son of Jackie and David Angle.He attended Clarion University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a degree in education in 1993. Kurt Angle is a Christian.
Angle has four older brothers one of whom, Eric, is also a wrestler and a sister, Le'Anne, who died in 2003.His father, a crane operator was killed in a construction accident when Angle was sixteen, and Angle dedicated both his career and his autobiography It's True, It's True to him as a result. Angle stated in an interview that, following the death of his father, he regarded his wrestling coach, David Schultz, as a paternal figure. While training Angle, Schultz was murdered in January 1996 by John Eleuthère du Pont, the sponsor of Schultz's team of Olympic prospectives.
He married Karen Smedley on December 19, 1998,In September 2008, it was reported that Karen had filed for divorce from Kurt. They have two children together, a daughter named Kyra Angle born December 2, 2002 and son named Kody Angle born October 26, 2006
In 2010, It was reported that Angle was engaged to actress Giovanna Yannotti. On September 30, 2010, Yannotti announced that the couple was expecting their first child. On January 22, 2011, Yannotti gave birth to a daughter named Giuliana Marie Angle.Angle and Yannotti were married on July 20, 2012.They had their second child together and fourth for Angle, a daughter named Sophia Laine Angle on New Year's Eve, 2012.
ngle is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 2008, Angle was selected to be featured on the cover for metal band Emmure's second album The Respect Issue where he is depicted on the front and back covers for the record as well as in the inlay. Angle also further promoted the album by wearing an Emmure shirt during fights broadcast on TNA Impact!
Substance abuse allegations
On March 6, 2007, Sports Illustrated reported that Angle's name was found in the client database of a Florida wellness center suspected of being a front for distributing performance-enhancing drugs.The magazine alleged Angle had received prescriptions for trenbolone which is not approved for human use by the FDA and nandrolone, both anabolic steroids. Angle responded on his official website: "I did not improperly receive prescriptions. It is well documented that in my career I have broken vertebrae in my neck on five occasions and each time the course of treatment was under the care and supervision of my doctors. Any attempt to link me to the athletes in the current news accounts who may have improperly sought performance-enhancing drugs is without foundation.
Approximately two weeks later on March 19, 2007, Sports Illustrated posted on its website another article in its continuing series investigating a steroid and HGH ring used by a number of professional athletes in several sports. That article mentioned that 10 other professional wrestlers were implicated to have received performance-enhancing drugs from the same drug ring including four WWE wrestlers and Eddie Guerrero.Kurt never failed a drug test for pain pills. He did, however, fail a steroid test under WWE's Wellness Policy because his prescription for Deca-Durabolin had expired.
Angle was arrested at his home by Moon Township, Pennsylvania police on September 28, 2007, on a charge of driving under the influence after being reported by a woman who claimed that he almost hit her while leaving a local restaurant. Officials said Angle failed a field sobriety test but refused a blood test. Angle was charged with driving under the influence and careless driving, but he denied the charges. On September 9, 2008, Angle was cleared of all charges pertaining to his DUI arrest.
On August 15, 2009, Pittsburgh-based NBC affiliate WPXI reported that Angle had been arrested. His girlfriend stated that she had filed a protection from abuse PFAorder and that he was stalking her in the Robinson Township area. Angle was charged with "driving while operating privilege is suspended, prohibited acts-possession, harassment and prohibited acts". Hygetropin, a human growth hormone, was found in his car; Angle maintained that he had a prescription for the drug. On September 15, a District Court Judge dropped the harassment, suspended license, and drug charges against Angle. On November 9, 2009, the PFA charges were dropped after he and former girlfriend Trenesha Biggers reached an agreement to avoid contact with each other.
On March 25, 2011, Angle was arrested in Thompson, North Dakota and charged with "being in control of a motor vehicle while intoxicated" after failing a field sobriety test. Angle later pled guilty to the charges and was sentenced on April 20 to one year of unsupervised probation, a chemical dependency evaluation, a $250 fine, $225 in court fees, and a ten-day suspended sentenc
Angle was arrested on September 4, 2011, by Virginia State Troopers for allegedly driving under the influence. Angle was placed in Warren County Jail, before posting $2,000 bail and being released in the early morning. State police revealed that Angle's initial breath test at the scene, where he was stopped by police showed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.091 percent, which was above the legal limit of 0.08 percent. The test was later ruled not admissible and when a second test, taken at the police station, showed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.06, the DUI charge was dropped. Angle was still charged with reckless driving. On November 8, 2011, Angle entered a plea of no contest and was fined $1,500.
On August 2, 2013, Angle was again charged with driving while intoxicated in Decatur, Texas. Later that same day, Angle announced he was immediately entering a rehabilitation center.