KaneBrian Kendrick and Paul London.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
BatistaDrake and Josh about the charecters
Drake ParkerDrake's a cool guy who's into having a good time, playing his guitar and hanging with the girls. He's not big on responsibility and he'd rather be doing anything than his homework—or work of any kind, for that matter. Did we mention that Drake's a big fan of the ladies?
Josh is a super-smart kid who's not exactly a risk taker.
To say Josh lives life by obeying all the rules would definitely be an understatement. But since he's the total anti-troublemaker, adults think Josh is the greatest thing since the triple latte. He's sweet, respectful and very well mannered. In other words, not exactly in-crowd material.e's a big fan of the ladies?
Megan Parker
Megan gives new meaning to the word mischievous. She's a major practical joker and she'll stop at nothing to embarrass her brother (or anyone else). Drake is absolutely terrified of his 9-year-old sis, and is always suspicious of her plans. Deep down, Megan's just trying to figure out where she fits into her new family. Until then, expect piles of pranks from this one...
Walter Nicholas
Josh's dad, Walter Nichols, just so happens to be marrying Drake and Megan's Mom. He's a super nice guy who tells a mean joke—or at least Josh thinks so. Drake and Megan, on the other hand, aren't exactly ROFL.
Audrey Parker Nicholas
Drake and Megan's mother is the ultimate mom. She's super-cool and knows how to have a good time. She can hang with the kids just as easily as she can hang with the grown-ups. You know, she just GETS it. Audrey Parker-Nichols isn't ALL laughs, though. She takes her job seriously and works hard. But her kids and her new family definitely come first.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment or (wwe) as we all know it is one of the biggest buisnesses in the world the wrestling has been on for well longer than your mum or dad has been alive it is one buisness that could easily get shut down.
Stone cold steve austin
Besides being one of the most popular, dangerous and rebellious Superstars in the history of WWE, Stone Cold Steve Austin is also a six-time WWE Champion, the only three-time Royal Rumble Match winner and a King of the Ring winner, among many other distinctions. He has also won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania on three separate occasions.
Stone Cold is arguably the most popular WWE Superstar of all time, but he has been very quiet since WWE Homecoming in October. But Stone Cold has finally broken his silence. The Texas Rattlesnake recently conducted an interview with WWE.com and talked about some of the greatest wrestlers to ever come out of Texas. Stone Cold brought up names like Dusty Rhodes, the Funks and even Shawn Michaels. But one name he didn't mention was JBL. He gave the former WWE Champion credit for being from Texas, but he left it at that.
JBL took notice of the interview and was irate. The media maven was so enraged that he called out Stone Cold. He didn't even call out the Texas Rattlesnake for a match. Instead, JBL called him out for a Beer Drinking Contest at Saturday Night's Main Event. Stone Cold's beer-drinking antics are legendary, but JBL wanted to beat Stone Cold at his own game.
The Wrestling God had 25 beers each set up for himself and Stone Cold. He said he didn't want to get tipsy, so the winner would be determined by who could drink the most beers in one minute. JBL said he wanted to do it like the old days in Texas - back to back. Stone Cold didn't trust JBL, so moments after the contest began, Stone Cold snuck up on JBL and caught him - JBL had been spilling his beer instead of drinking it. Relizing he was caught, JBL threw a beer at Stone Cold and retreated. But the Wrestling God's WrestleMania 22 opponent, Chris Benoit, came out and threw him back in the ring. Stone Cold made JBL pay the price and after drenching him with beer, he hit him with a classic Stone Cold Stunner.
Prior Saturday Night's Main Event, Stone Cold was last seen right around WWE Homecoming. He returned for RAW's first night back on the USA Network, Oct. 3, 2005. Mr. McMahon came to the ring and showed some embarrassing moments on the Titan tron of the Texas Rattlesnake. Stone Cold was none too happy with this and came to the ring and showed some moments of his own, embarrasing Mr. McMahon. Mr. McMahon wanted to start with a clean slate, but Stone Cold thought giving him a Stunner would be a better idea. One by one, the rest of the McMahon family came to the ring, but they all met the same fate as the family's patriarch, even WWE CEO Linda McMahon. With all of the McMahons laying in the ring, Stone Cold broke into a celebration like only he could - with a lot of beer. Stone Cold's claims to fame are many, but he is perhaps best remembered for his battles with WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon that began in 1998. The rivalry led to Stone Cold occupying many unique roles outside the ring, including a stint as WWE CEO. In fact, it was Mr. McMahon who spoke out against Stone Cold's return during a meeting with the WWE Board of Directors to decide The Rattlesnake's reinstatement — yet another battle against Mr. McMahon that Stone Cold won.
While a neck injury may have forced Stone Cold to stop competing in the ring after WrestleMania XIX, he continues to be a star. And since he recently signed a three-picture deal under the WWE Films banner, he will soon be thrust back into the international spotlight.
But whether it's Hollywood or in the WWE ring, Stone Cold will always be a trash-talking, beer-swilling, finger-gesturing, ass-kicking son of a bitch ... and he, and the millions of WWE fans around the world would not have it any other way.
Stone Cold Steve Austin broke into the world of sports-entertainment in 1990 in Texas, where he was trained by “Gentleman” Chris Adams. It was against Adams that Stone Cold had his first heated rivalry. It only fanned the flames when Steve took on Lady Blossom, Adams’ ex-wife, as his manager.
Stone Cold’s USWA tenure lasted about a year before he moved on to WCW. There, he won the WCW Television Championship immediately under the moniker of “Stunning” Steve Austin. It would be the first of two TV championship reigns while in WCW.
Stunning Steve became a member of a faction known as the Dangerous Alliance in late 1991, aligning himself with the now-notorious Paul Heyman. The formidable group consisted of Steve, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton and Larry Zbysko.
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat would wrest the Television Championship from Stone Cold at Clash of the Champions, and the Alliance split up not long after. But this series of events had a silver lining, as Stone Cold found chemistry and substantial success teaming with Brian Pillman as “The Hollywood Blondes.” The two would strut to the ring, taking turns playing the role of film director and movie star under the lights and before the attentive crowd.
Their “breakthrough hit” (and Steve’s revenge) came on March 2, 1993, when the Hollywood Blondes won the WCW Tag Team Championship from Steamboat & Shane Douglas. This marked the start of the Blondes’ “Brush with Greatness” tour, where they fought lesser-known and “never-will-be” wrestlers each week. This, Steve said, was their “brush with greatness.”
In August 1993, Pillman was injured and the disintegration of the Hollywood Blondes began. In Pillman’s place, Steve teamed with William (Lord Steven) Regal for a tag title defense at Clash of the Champions against Arn Anderson & Paul Roma. It was the Horsemen’s night; they captured the WCW Tag Team Championship. Out of building frustration, Steve turned on Pillman, then defeated his former partner at Clash of the Champions in November.
By December, Steve had his sights set on Dustin Rhodes’ WCW United States Championship. Steve took that belt in decisive fashion at Starrcade that month, beating Rhodes with two straight falls in a best-of-three title bout.
Steve held the United States Championship through the first half of 1994, at which time he renewed his unsettled rivalry with Ricky Steamboat. The Dragon struck first and took the U.S. Championship at Clash of the Champions in August. But Steve was awarded the championship via forfeit when Steamboat couldn’t answer the bell for their scheduled pay-per-view rematch at September’s Fall Brawl.
Soon after, Steve departed for a tour through Japan. While there, he suffered a knee injury and was written off by WCW. Head of WCW Eric Bischoff fired Steve over the phone. Injured and unemployed, Steve went home to rehabilitate his knee and drink plenty of beer.
While recuperating, he received an unexpected phone call from ECW owner Paul Heyman, his former WCW manager. Heyman offered Steve a forum to air his grievances about WCW. He gave Steve a microphone and told him run wild with it. What followed were a series of scathing commentary segments, including “Monday Nyquil” mocking WCW’s Monday Nitro television broadcast. When “Superstar” Steve Austin let his passion and personality out, he struck a chord and caught on with the fans like never before.
In January 1996, Steve received an opportunity to join WWE as Ted DiBiase’s “Million Dollar Champion.” Using the moniker of “The Ringmaster,” Steve battled Matt Hardy and Marty Jannetty before experiencing his first WrestleMania (XII) in a win over Savio Vega. But at the In Your House event titled “Beware of Dog,” Steve lost a special Strap Match to Vega. As a result, DiBiase was forced to leave WWE.
Without DiBiase holding the reins, Steve had the opportunity to strike out on his own. He promptly declared that he lost to Vega on purpose to get rid of the overbearing DiBiase. Now, he was his own man in WWE, and would be known as “Stone Cold Steve Austin.”
A defiant Stone Cold won the 1996 King of the Ring tournament in June, defeating Jake “The Snake” Roberts in the finals. It was then that Stone Cold gave his famous “3:16” speech putting every WWE Superstar on notice. And this loner backed up all the talk — pummeling anyone who crossed his path.
He began badmouthing Bret Hart, who was on hiatus from WWE, but before he could get his hands on Hart, a familiar face arrived on the scene: Brian Pillman. This go-around wasn’t so smooth. In fact, the conflict spilled outside the wrestling ring and into their personal lives. On Nov. 4, 1996, Stone Cold Steve Austin broke into Pillman’s Kentucky home. The raid compelled Pillman to defend himself with potentially lethal force.
Stone Cold survived. Two weeks later at Survivor Series, Bret Hart answered the longstanding challenge. Their rivalry continued through Royal Rumble. There, in a classic moment, entrant No. 5 Stone Cold was eliminated by Hart while the referees were diverted. Seizing the opportunity, The Rattlesnake slithered back into the ring undetected. He then proceeded to eliminate Undertaker and Vader — last tossing Hart. So, Stone Cold Steve Austin was declared the Rumble’s controversial winner.
When Hart later claimed the vacated WWE Championship, it infuriated Stone Cold. The next night on RAW, Stone Cold interfered during Bret’s match with Psycho Sid, costing Hart the championship. This led to a Submission Match at WrestleMania 13. Stone Cold refused to tap to the Sharpshooter, but he eventually passed out from excessive blood loss, ending the bout. The image of Stone Cold caught in the Sharpshooter will forever be remembered as one of the greatest moments in WrestleMania history.
From there, things only escalated until The Rattlesnake was warring with the entire Hart family. In May 1997 on RAW, Steve was forced by WWE to team with Shawn Michaels. Together, they did win the World Tag Team Championship from Owen Hart & British Bulldog, but they still despised each other. When they fought at King of the Ring, the whole Hart Foundation jumped both of them.
This led to an epic 10-man tag-team match at Canadian Stampede in 1997, which was the culmination of a host of rivalries. The match pitted The Hart Foundation (Bret, Owen, British Bulldog, Pillman & Jim Neidhart) against Stone Cold, Ken Shamrock, Goldust & Legion of Doom. When the Harts won on their home turf, Stone Cold was booed out of the building. It didn’t faze him, and at SummerSlam, he challenged Owen for the Intercontinental Championship.
During the match, Owen broke Stone Cold’s neck with a piledriver. Stone Cold not only miraculously finished the match, but he won the championship. There was no realistic way for him to defend the Intercontinental Championship in his condition, however, so he had no choice but to forfeit the championship and begin rehabilitation.
Incredibly, The Rattlesnake came back just one month later to cost Owen & British Bulldog their World Tag Team Championship. This renewed the hatred, but Mr. McMahon wasn’t convinced he could safely allow the rivalry to resume. To cover WWE, Mr. McMahon demanded that Stone Cold sign a liability waiver before he could compete. Stone Cold complied, and at Survivor Series in 1997, he defeated Owen to recapture the Intercontinental Championship. But there was a hungry competitor waiting for an opportunity to challenge for that championship — Rocky Maivia, who is better known today as The Rock.
Stone Cold Steve Austin fought back the challenger at the D-Generation X pay-per-view, but Mr. McMahon demanded that he defend the championship again against Maivia the following night on RAW. Stone Cold refused on principle. Instead of simply disobeying Mr. McMahon, Stone Cold sent him a message by tossing the Intercontinental Championship belt into a New Hampshire river. Furious, McMahon stripped Stone Cold of the championship and awarded it to Maivia as a “forfeit victory.” The animosity created between Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon based on these events officially marked the start of one of the best-known rivalries in the history of sports-entertainment. Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon would trade moments of triumph and outrage for the better part of the next two years — constantly trying to make life miserable for the other.
Despite all of McMahon’s efforts, The Rattlesnake won the 1998 Royal Rumble Match — last eliminating The Rock. In a high-profile follow-up for the WWE Championship, Stone Cold then beat HBK at WrestleMania XIV with “Iron” Mike Tyson as special guest referee. After the match, Mr. McMahon explained that he was fed up with Stone Cold’s rank behavior — that either he’d become a well-mannered “Company Champion” … or else. Stone Cold responded with a stunner on the boss.
On April 13, 1998, it appeared the WWE fans would finally get to see Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon battle out their differences in the ring on RAW. But the match was declared a No-Contest when Dude Love made a shocking appearance, coming between the boss and Stone Cold.
McMahon continued to do everything he could to ruin The Rattlesnake, and he finally scored a big victory for his side at the 1998 King of the Ring tournament. There, Stone Cold lost the WWE Championship to the “Big Red Monster” Kane in a First Blood Match.
McMahon couldn’t savor the victory for long. Stone Cold further infuriated his nemesis by winning back the championship the next night on RAW. Stone Cold delivered another blow to McMahon by taking away the World Tag Team Championship a month later alongside the Undertaker. It was a combustible combination, leading to a match between them at SummerSlam. Stone Cold emerged victorious — something Mr. McMahon couldn’t tolerate. So, the boss set up a Triple Threat Match at Breakdown in September. It proved to be more like a Handicap Match in the end, as half-brothers Undertaker and Kane pinned Stone Cold simultaneously.
With no single winner, Mr. McMahon decided to vacate the WWE Championship and award it based on a match between Undertaker and Kane at the next pay-per-view. Since former champion Stone Cold was also involved in the original match, he was made special referee. In typical Stone Cold fashion, he screwed both competitors, hitting Stunners on both and stealing the championship for himself. Feeling he had no other recourse, Mr. McMahon fired The Rattlesnake for his actions.
Mysteriously, Stone Cold re-emerged having inked a brand-new five-year contract. Mr. McMahon was beside himself, and it was all the more aggravating when it was revealed that his son, Shane, was the McMahon to re-sign The Rattlesnake. With Steve back in the fold, there was a Survivor Series tournament to award the vacant WWE Championship. Stone Cold was building momentum toward his second WWE Championship, and in the semifinals against Mankind, he appeared a mere three-count from moving on to the final match. But acting referee Shane refused to count a pin for Stone Cold. Without a way to win, Stone Cold eventually succumbed to Mankind. The Rock would benefit most greatly, winning the tournament to become WWE Champion.
The Rattlesnake’s next definitive chance to exact revenge from Mr. McMahon came during the 1999 Royal Rumble Match. Stone Cold drew entry No. 1, while McMahon drew No. 2. Despite a vicious attack from McMahon’s Corporation, both lasted until the end. The odds proved insurmountable, however. With the assistance of the Corporation, Stone Cold was eliminated — making Mr. McMahon the Royal Rumble Match winner.
On Feb. 14, 1999, at St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Stone Cold finally got a one-on-one match against Mr. McMahon — and it came in a Steel Cage. With a world championship opportunity at WrestleMania at stake, Mr. McMahon devised a large surprise. During the match, Big Show made his shocking debut, ripping off the side of the Steel Cage. But Show’s attack propelled Stone Cold to the area floor first, technically making him the victor. Stone Cold made the most of his chance, defeating the Corporation’s The Rock at WrestleMania XV for his third WWE Championship.
WWE then took as ominous turn when Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness and McMahon’s Corporation merged in an effort to overpower Stone Cold. It temporarily worked; Undertaker won the WWE Championship thanks to McMahon’s meddling. But Stone Cold had an equalizer for the Corporate Ministry: power granted by Linda McMahon, who named Stone Cold Steve Austin CEO of WWE. This was an intolerable development for Mr. McMahon, who placed himself and Shane in a Ladder Match against The Rattlesnake with control of the company at stake. Once again, Stone Cold would have won on the merits, but the McMahons had another game plan. When during the match Stone Cold scaled the ladder for the winning briefcase, it was mysteriously raised beyond his reach. This continued until the McMahons secured victory and full control of WWE.
But Stone Cold wouldn’t stay down for long. In fact, he bounced back in a big way the very next day — winning the WWE Championship by beating Undertaker. By Survivor Series in 1999, the Corporation’s Triple H was champion, and Stone Cold was supposed to get his chance to reclaim gold in a Triple Threat Match. Instead, he was run down by a car in the parking lot. What followed was neck surgery and a nine-month rehabilitation. But Stone Cold Steve Austin would eventually return for payback.
In October 2000, beer-swilling, trash-talking Stone Cold was back to annihilate Rikishi, who admitted to committing the vehicular assault. But in the process of beating him down, Stone Cold learned that it was actually The Cerebral Assassin behind the whole scheme — devised to shield the WWE Championship. So at Survivor Series in 2000, Stone Cold gave Triple H a taste of his own medicine: When The Game tried to flee the arena in his automobile, Stone Cold lifted it with a construction crane, then let it drop 30 feet. Triple H learned the hard way that there’s nothing Stone Cold won’t do.
Stone Cold then won the Royal Rumble Match for an astounding third time in 2001, last eliminating the Big Red Monster Kane. After coming up short against Triple H in a special best-of-three — featuring a traditional match, a Street Fight and a Steel Cage Match — Stone Cold decided to take drastic measures to ensure a stranglehold on WWE.
Appropriately on April Fool’s Day, Stone Cold pulled a fast one on WWE’s fans and The Rock at WrestleMania, aligning with bitter enemy Mr. McMahon. By doing so, he was able to win back the WWE Championship. The next night on RAW, Triple H involved himself in a Steel Cage Match — attacking not Stone Cold but The Rock! This officially marked Stone Cold’s “deal with the devil” and formation of the alliance known as “Power Trip.”
The corporate faction seemed unstoppable. Corporate Steve was WWE Champion; Triple H was Intercontinental Champion; and at Backlash, they together became World Tag Team Champions, as well. They didn’t show vulnerability until May, when Y2J and Chris Benoit won the World Tag Team Championship — in part because Triple H tore his quadriceps muscle completely off the bone during the match. Everything had come full circle for Stone Cold, who just like in 1993 was left without his tag partner because of a serious injury.
Back out on his own defending the WWE Championship, Stone Cold battled both his rivals in a Triple Threat Match against Jericho and Benoit at King of the Ring.
In July, The Rattlesnake had shed the corporate image and was back in full rebellious form, leading Team WWE against the Alliance. But at Invasion, Stone Cold switched allegiances, joining Team WCW/ECW. It marked the beginning of a bitter dispute with Kurt Angle, who stepped up to command Team WWE in Stone Cold’s place. Doing his best to infuriate the Olympic gold medalist, Stone Cold threw Angle’s medals into a river. In a memorable moment of retribution, Angle doused Stone Cold and the Alliance with a blasting milk bath in shades of Stone Cold’s famous beer bath incident. The Alliance was forced to disband as a result of Team WWE’s victory at Survivor Series, but Stone Cold was able to protect his job through his WWE Championship.
On Feb. 17, 2002, Stone Cold was forced into a war with another infamous faction when the nWo interfered during his match for the unified world championship, spray-painting his back. As a result, Stone Cold began his pursuit of the group, culminating with a victory over Scott Hall before more than 67,000 fans at Toronto’s SkyDome.
All throughout, Stone Cold continued to clash with authority. He was constantly at odds with Ric Flair, who held the position of RAW owner at the time. Eventually things got so bad that Stone Cold Steve Austin walked out. He was gone for close to a year.
He returned at No Way Out in 2003, taking exception to another authority figure — Eric Bischoff. RAW’s General Manager had little patience for The Rattlesnake and considered him a liability, so he fired him the day after WrestleMania on RAW. One month later, Linda McMahon again came to Stone Cold’s aid, making him co-GM alongside Bischoff. It was thought that the two might be forced to work together and co-exist. Instead, they butted heads constantly and Stone Cold continued to raise hell every chance he got. Steve did his best to get under Bischoff’s skin, ordering such events as a “Redneck Triathlon” between himself and his counterpart at Bad Blood.
Feeling he was left with no other recourse, Bischoff devised a Survivor Series Match pitting his team against Stone Cold’s, with the loser out as General Manager. Fortunately for Bischoff, his team came out on top. The Rattlesnake vanished, but Santa Claus did make the SmackDown! brand trip for a very special “Christmas in Iraq.” In the ring and before the troops, Santa unmasked and delivered a Stone Cold Stunner on Mr. McMahon. It was the best present The Rattlesnake could have ever given himself.
Stone Cold then returned as the “Sheriff” of RAW, causing trouble, drinking beer and maintaining his own brand of discipline. He refereed Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg at WrestleMania XX, stealing the spotlight by delivering a Stunner to each of them at the end of the match.
In April 2004, Stone Cold and WWE parted ways, which many thought would be permanent. But Stone Cold and WWE found common ground when the opportunity arose to utilize Stone Cold’s popularity and reputation in starring roles for WWE Films. Additionally, The Rattlesnake made his mark at WrestleMania 21 with two well-placed Stunners on turf of another famous WWE trash-talker — Rowdy Roddy Piper in Piper’s Pit.
Stone Cold is arguably the most popular WWE Superstar of all time, but he has been very quiet since WWE Homecoming in October. But Stone Cold has finally broken his silence. The Texas Rattlesnake recently conducted an interview with WWE.com and talked about some of the greatest wrestlers to ever come out of Texas. Stone Cold brought up names like Dusty Rhodes, the Funks and even Shawn Michaels. But one name he didn't mention was JBL. He gave the former WWE Champion credit for being from Texas, but he left it at that.
JBL took notice of the interview and was irate. The media maven was so enraged that he called out Stone Cold. He didn't even call out the Texas Rattlesnake for a match. Instead, JBL called him out for a Beer Drinking Contest at Saturday Night's Main Event. Stone Cold's beer-drinking antics are legendary, but JBL wanted to beat Stone Cold at his own game.
The Wrestling God had 25 beers each set up for himself and Stone Cold. He said he didn't want to get tipsy, so the winner would be determined by who could drink the most beers in one minute. JBL said he wanted to do it like the old days in Texas - back to back. Stone Cold didn't trust JBL, so moments after the contest began, Stone Cold snuck up on JBL and caught him - JBL had been spilling his beer instead of drinking it. Relizing he was caught, JBL threw a beer at Stone Cold and retreated. But the Wrestling God's WrestleMania 22 opponent, Chris Benoit, came out and threw him back in the ring. Stone Cold made JBL pay the price and after drenching him with beer, he hit him with a classic Stone Cold Stunner.
Prior Saturday Night's Main Event, Stone Cold was last seen right around WWE Homecoming. He returned for RAW's first night back on the USA Network, Oct. 3, 2005. Mr. McMahon came to the ring and showed some embarrassing moments on the Titan tron of the Texas Rattlesnake. Stone Cold was none too happy with this and came to the ring and showed some moments of his own, embarrasing Mr. McMahon. Mr. McMahon wanted to start with a clean slate, but Stone Cold thought giving him a Stunner would be a better idea. One by one, the rest of the McMahon family came to the ring, but they all met the same fate as the family's patriarch, even WWE CEO Linda McMahon. With all of the McMahons laying in the ring, Stone Cold broke into a celebration like only he could - with a lot of beer. Stone Cold's claims to fame are many, but he is perhaps best remembered for his battles with WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon that began in 1998. The rivalry led to Stone Cold occupying many unique roles outside the ring, including a stint as WWE CEO. In fact, it was Mr. McMahon who spoke out against Stone Cold's return during a meeting with the WWE Board of Directors to decide The Rattlesnake's reinstatement — yet another battle against Mr. McMahon that Stone Cold won.
While a neck injury may have forced Stone Cold to stop competing in the ring after WrestleMania XIX, he continues to be a star. And since he recently signed a three-picture deal under the WWE Films banner, he will soon be thrust back into the international spotlight.
But whether it's Hollywood or in the WWE ring, Stone Cold will always be a trash-talking, beer-swilling, finger-gesturing, ass-kicking son of a bitch ... and he, and the millions of WWE fans around the world would not have it any other way.
Stone Cold Steve Austin broke into the world of sports-entertainment in 1990 in Texas, where he was trained by “Gentleman” Chris Adams. It was against Adams that Stone Cold had his first heated rivalry. It only fanned the flames when Steve took on Lady Blossom, Adams’ ex-wife, as his manager.
Stone Cold’s USWA tenure lasted about a year before he moved on to WCW. There, he won the WCW Television Championship immediately under the moniker of “Stunning” Steve Austin. It would be the first of two TV championship reigns while in WCW.
Stunning Steve became a member of a faction known as the Dangerous Alliance in late 1991, aligning himself with the now-notorious Paul Heyman. The formidable group consisted of Steve, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton and Larry Zbysko.
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat would wrest the Television Championship from Stone Cold at Clash of the Champions, and the Alliance split up not long after. But this series of events had a silver lining, as Stone Cold found chemistry and substantial success teaming with Brian Pillman as “The Hollywood Blondes.” The two would strut to the ring, taking turns playing the role of film director and movie star under the lights and before the attentive crowd.
Their “breakthrough hit” (and Steve’s revenge) came on March 2, 1993, when the Hollywood Blondes won the WCW Tag Team Championship from Steamboat & Shane Douglas. This marked the start of the Blondes’ “Brush with Greatness” tour, where they fought lesser-known and “never-will-be” wrestlers each week. This, Steve said, was their “brush with greatness.”
In August 1993, Pillman was injured and the disintegration of the Hollywood Blondes began. In Pillman’s place, Steve teamed with William (Lord Steven) Regal for a tag title defense at Clash of the Champions against Arn Anderson & Paul Roma. It was the Horsemen’s night; they captured the WCW Tag Team Championship. Out of building frustration, Steve turned on Pillman, then defeated his former partner at Clash of the Champions in November.
By December, Steve had his sights set on Dustin Rhodes’ WCW United States Championship. Steve took that belt in decisive fashion at Starrcade that month, beating Rhodes with two straight falls in a best-of-three title bout.
Steve held the United States Championship through the first half of 1994, at which time he renewed his unsettled rivalry with Ricky Steamboat. The Dragon struck first and took the U.S. Championship at Clash of the Champions in August. But Steve was awarded the championship via forfeit when Steamboat couldn’t answer the bell for their scheduled pay-per-view rematch at September’s Fall Brawl.
Soon after, Steve departed for a tour through Japan. While there, he suffered a knee injury and was written off by WCW. Head of WCW Eric Bischoff fired Steve over the phone. Injured and unemployed, Steve went home to rehabilitate his knee and drink plenty of beer.
While recuperating, he received an unexpected phone call from ECW owner Paul Heyman, his former WCW manager. Heyman offered Steve a forum to air his grievances about WCW. He gave Steve a microphone and told him run wild with it. What followed were a series of scathing commentary segments, including “Monday Nyquil” mocking WCW’s Monday Nitro television broadcast. When “Superstar” Steve Austin let his passion and personality out, he struck a chord and caught on with the fans like never before.
In January 1996, Steve received an opportunity to join WWE as Ted DiBiase’s “Million Dollar Champion.” Using the moniker of “The Ringmaster,” Steve battled Matt Hardy and Marty Jannetty before experiencing his first WrestleMania (XII) in a win over Savio Vega. But at the In Your House event titled “Beware of Dog,” Steve lost a special Strap Match to Vega. As a result, DiBiase was forced to leave WWE.
Without DiBiase holding the reins, Steve had the opportunity to strike out on his own. He promptly declared that he lost to Vega on purpose to get rid of the overbearing DiBiase. Now, he was his own man in WWE, and would be known as “Stone Cold Steve Austin.”
A defiant Stone Cold won the 1996 King of the Ring tournament in June, defeating Jake “The Snake” Roberts in the finals. It was then that Stone Cold gave his famous “3:16” speech putting every WWE Superstar on notice. And this loner backed up all the talk — pummeling anyone who crossed his path.
He began badmouthing Bret Hart, who was on hiatus from WWE, but before he could get his hands on Hart, a familiar face arrived on the scene: Brian Pillman. This go-around wasn’t so smooth. In fact, the conflict spilled outside the wrestling ring and into their personal lives. On Nov. 4, 1996, Stone Cold Steve Austin broke into Pillman’s Kentucky home. The raid compelled Pillman to defend himself with potentially lethal force.
Stone Cold survived. Two weeks later at Survivor Series, Bret Hart answered the longstanding challenge. Their rivalry continued through Royal Rumble. There, in a classic moment, entrant No. 5 Stone Cold was eliminated by Hart while the referees were diverted. Seizing the opportunity, The Rattlesnake slithered back into the ring undetected. He then proceeded to eliminate Undertaker and Vader — last tossing Hart. So, Stone Cold Steve Austin was declared the Rumble’s controversial winner.
When Hart later claimed the vacated WWE Championship, it infuriated Stone Cold. The next night on RAW, Stone Cold interfered during Bret’s match with Psycho Sid, costing Hart the championship. This led to a Submission Match at WrestleMania 13. Stone Cold refused to tap to the Sharpshooter, but he eventually passed out from excessive blood loss, ending the bout. The image of Stone Cold caught in the Sharpshooter will forever be remembered as one of the greatest moments in WrestleMania history.
From there, things only escalated until The Rattlesnake was warring with the entire Hart family. In May 1997 on RAW, Steve was forced by WWE to team with Shawn Michaels. Together, they did win the World Tag Team Championship from Owen Hart & British Bulldog, but they still despised each other. When they fought at King of the Ring, the whole Hart Foundation jumped both of them.
This led to an epic 10-man tag-team match at Canadian Stampede in 1997, which was the culmination of a host of rivalries. The match pitted The Hart Foundation (Bret, Owen, British Bulldog, Pillman & Jim Neidhart) against Stone Cold, Ken Shamrock, Goldust & Legion of Doom. When the Harts won on their home turf, Stone Cold was booed out of the building. It didn’t faze him, and at SummerSlam, he challenged Owen for the Intercontinental Championship.
During the match, Owen broke Stone Cold’s neck with a piledriver. Stone Cold not only miraculously finished the match, but he won the championship. There was no realistic way for him to defend the Intercontinental Championship in his condition, however, so he had no choice but to forfeit the championship and begin rehabilitation.
Incredibly, The Rattlesnake came back just one month later to cost Owen & British Bulldog their World Tag Team Championship. This renewed the hatred, but Mr. McMahon wasn’t convinced he could safely allow the rivalry to resume. To cover WWE, Mr. McMahon demanded that Stone Cold sign a liability waiver before he could compete. Stone Cold complied, and at Survivor Series in 1997, he defeated Owen to recapture the Intercontinental Championship. But there was a hungry competitor waiting for an opportunity to challenge for that championship — Rocky Maivia, who is better known today as The Rock.
Stone Cold Steve Austin fought back the challenger at the D-Generation X pay-per-view, but Mr. McMahon demanded that he defend the championship again against Maivia the following night on RAW. Stone Cold refused on principle. Instead of simply disobeying Mr. McMahon, Stone Cold sent him a message by tossing the Intercontinental Championship belt into a New Hampshire river. Furious, McMahon stripped Stone Cold of the championship and awarded it to Maivia as a “forfeit victory.” The animosity created between Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon based on these events officially marked the start of one of the best-known rivalries in the history of sports-entertainment. Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon would trade moments of triumph and outrage for the better part of the next two years — constantly trying to make life miserable for the other.
Despite all of McMahon’s efforts, The Rattlesnake won the 1998 Royal Rumble Match — last eliminating The Rock. In a high-profile follow-up for the WWE Championship, Stone Cold then beat HBK at WrestleMania XIV with “Iron” Mike Tyson as special guest referee. After the match, Mr. McMahon explained that he was fed up with Stone Cold’s rank behavior — that either he’d become a well-mannered “Company Champion” … or else. Stone Cold responded with a stunner on the boss.
On April 13, 1998, it appeared the WWE fans would finally get to see Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon battle out their differences in the ring on RAW. But the match was declared a No-Contest when Dude Love made a shocking appearance, coming between the boss and Stone Cold.
McMahon continued to do everything he could to ruin The Rattlesnake, and he finally scored a big victory for his side at the 1998 King of the Ring tournament. There, Stone Cold lost the WWE Championship to the “Big Red Monster” Kane in a First Blood Match.
McMahon couldn’t savor the victory for long. Stone Cold further infuriated his nemesis by winning back the championship the next night on RAW. Stone Cold delivered another blow to McMahon by taking away the World Tag Team Championship a month later alongside the Undertaker. It was a combustible combination, leading to a match between them at SummerSlam. Stone Cold emerged victorious — something Mr. McMahon couldn’t tolerate. So, the boss set up a Triple Threat Match at Breakdown in September. It proved to be more like a Handicap Match in the end, as half-brothers Undertaker and Kane pinned Stone Cold simultaneously.
With no single winner, Mr. McMahon decided to vacate the WWE Championship and award it based on a match between Undertaker and Kane at the next pay-per-view. Since former champion Stone Cold was also involved in the original match, he was made special referee. In typical Stone Cold fashion, he screwed both competitors, hitting Stunners on both and stealing the championship for himself. Feeling he had no other recourse, Mr. McMahon fired The Rattlesnake for his actions.
Mysteriously, Stone Cold re-emerged having inked a brand-new five-year contract. Mr. McMahon was beside himself, and it was all the more aggravating when it was revealed that his son, Shane, was the McMahon to re-sign The Rattlesnake. With Steve back in the fold, there was a Survivor Series tournament to award the vacant WWE Championship. Stone Cold was building momentum toward his second WWE Championship, and in the semifinals against Mankind, he appeared a mere three-count from moving on to the final match. But acting referee Shane refused to count a pin for Stone Cold. Without a way to win, Stone Cold eventually succumbed to Mankind. The Rock would benefit most greatly, winning the tournament to become WWE Champion.
The Rattlesnake’s next definitive chance to exact revenge from Mr. McMahon came during the 1999 Royal Rumble Match. Stone Cold drew entry No. 1, while McMahon drew No. 2. Despite a vicious attack from McMahon’s Corporation, both lasted until the end. The odds proved insurmountable, however. With the assistance of the Corporation, Stone Cold was eliminated — making Mr. McMahon the Royal Rumble Match winner.
On Feb. 14, 1999, at St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Stone Cold finally got a one-on-one match against Mr. McMahon — and it came in a Steel Cage. With a world championship opportunity at WrestleMania at stake, Mr. McMahon devised a large surprise. During the match, Big Show made his shocking debut, ripping off the side of the Steel Cage. But Show’s attack propelled Stone Cold to the area floor first, technically making him the victor. Stone Cold made the most of his chance, defeating the Corporation’s The Rock at WrestleMania XV for his third WWE Championship.
WWE then took as ominous turn when Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness and McMahon’s Corporation merged in an effort to overpower Stone Cold. It temporarily worked; Undertaker won the WWE Championship thanks to McMahon’s meddling. But Stone Cold had an equalizer for the Corporate Ministry: power granted by Linda McMahon, who named Stone Cold Steve Austin CEO of WWE. This was an intolerable development for Mr. McMahon, who placed himself and Shane in a Ladder Match against The Rattlesnake with control of the company at stake. Once again, Stone Cold would have won on the merits, but the McMahons had another game plan. When during the match Stone Cold scaled the ladder for the winning briefcase, it was mysteriously raised beyond his reach. This continued until the McMahons secured victory and full control of WWE.
But Stone Cold wouldn’t stay down for long. In fact, he bounced back in a big way the very next day — winning the WWE Championship by beating Undertaker. By Survivor Series in 1999, the Corporation’s Triple H was champion, and Stone Cold was supposed to get his chance to reclaim gold in a Triple Threat Match. Instead, he was run down by a car in the parking lot. What followed was neck surgery and a nine-month rehabilitation. But Stone Cold Steve Austin would eventually return for payback.
In October 2000, beer-swilling, trash-talking Stone Cold was back to annihilate Rikishi, who admitted to committing the vehicular assault. But in the process of beating him down, Stone Cold learned that it was actually The Cerebral Assassin behind the whole scheme — devised to shield the WWE Championship. So at Survivor Series in 2000, Stone Cold gave Triple H a taste of his own medicine: When The Game tried to flee the arena in his automobile, Stone Cold lifted it with a construction crane, then let it drop 30 feet. Triple H learned the hard way that there’s nothing Stone Cold won’t do.
Stone Cold then won the Royal Rumble Match for an astounding third time in 2001, last eliminating the Big Red Monster Kane. After coming up short against Triple H in a special best-of-three — featuring a traditional match, a Street Fight and a Steel Cage Match — Stone Cold decided to take drastic measures to ensure a stranglehold on WWE.
Appropriately on April Fool’s Day, Stone Cold pulled a fast one on WWE’s fans and The Rock at WrestleMania, aligning with bitter enemy Mr. McMahon. By doing so, he was able to win back the WWE Championship. The next night on RAW, Triple H involved himself in a Steel Cage Match — attacking not Stone Cold but The Rock! This officially marked Stone Cold’s “deal with the devil” and formation of the alliance known as “Power Trip.”
The corporate faction seemed unstoppable. Corporate Steve was WWE Champion; Triple H was Intercontinental Champion; and at Backlash, they together became World Tag Team Champions, as well. They didn’t show vulnerability until May, when Y2J and Chris Benoit won the World Tag Team Championship — in part because Triple H tore his quadriceps muscle completely off the bone during the match. Everything had come full circle for Stone Cold, who just like in 1993 was left without his tag partner because of a serious injury.
Back out on his own defending the WWE Championship, Stone Cold battled both his rivals in a Triple Threat Match against Jericho and Benoit at King of the Ring.
In July, The Rattlesnake had shed the corporate image and was back in full rebellious form, leading Team WWE against the Alliance. But at Invasion, Stone Cold switched allegiances, joining Team WCW/ECW. It marked the beginning of a bitter dispute with Kurt Angle, who stepped up to command Team WWE in Stone Cold’s place. Doing his best to infuriate the Olympic gold medalist, Stone Cold threw Angle’s medals into a river. In a memorable moment of retribution, Angle doused Stone Cold and the Alliance with a blasting milk bath in shades of Stone Cold’s famous beer bath incident. The Alliance was forced to disband as a result of Team WWE’s victory at Survivor Series, but Stone Cold was able to protect his job through his WWE Championship.
On Feb. 17, 2002, Stone Cold was forced into a war with another infamous faction when the nWo interfered during his match for the unified world championship, spray-painting his back. As a result, Stone Cold began his pursuit of the group, culminating with a victory over Scott Hall before more than 67,000 fans at Toronto’s SkyDome.
All throughout, Stone Cold continued to clash with authority. He was constantly at odds with Ric Flair, who held the position of RAW owner at the time. Eventually things got so bad that Stone Cold Steve Austin walked out. He was gone for close to a year.
He returned at No Way Out in 2003, taking exception to another authority figure — Eric Bischoff. RAW’s General Manager had little patience for The Rattlesnake and considered him a liability, so he fired him the day after WrestleMania on RAW. One month later, Linda McMahon again came to Stone Cold’s aid, making him co-GM alongside Bischoff. It was thought that the two might be forced to work together and co-exist. Instead, they butted heads constantly and Stone Cold continued to raise hell every chance he got. Steve did his best to get under Bischoff’s skin, ordering such events as a “Redneck Triathlon” between himself and his counterpart at Bad Blood.
Feeling he was left with no other recourse, Bischoff devised a Survivor Series Match pitting his team against Stone Cold’s, with the loser out as General Manager. Fortunately for Bischoff, his team came out on top. The Rattlesnake vanished, but Santa Claus did make the SmackDown! brand trip for a very special “Christmas in Iraq.” In the ring and before the troops, Santa unmasked and delivered a Stone Cold Stunner on Mr. McMahon. It was the best present The Rattlesnake could have ever given himself.
Stone Cold then returned as the “Sheriff” of RAW, causing trouble, drinking beer and maintaining his own brand of discipline. He refereed Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg at WrestleMania XX, stealing the spotlight by delivering a Stunner to each of them at the end of the match.
In April 2004, Stone Cold and WWE parted ways, which many thought would be permanent. But Stone Cold and WWE found common ground when the opportunity arose to utilize Stone Cold’s popularity and reputation in starring roles for WWE Films. Additionally, The Rattlesnake made his mark at WrestleMania 21 with two well-placed Stunners on turf of another famous WWE trash-talker — Rowdy Roddy Piper in Piper’s Pit.
The Rock
He was the most electrifying man in sports-entertainment. He is also one of the most recognized faces on the planet and one of the hottest celebrities in all walks of life.
Call him whatever you want, but to the millions -- and millions -- of fans around the world, there is no substitute for The Rock.
A third-generation WWE Superstar, The Rock at first did not plan to follow in the family tradition of sports-entertainment stardom. He instead used his athletic skill on the gridiron, where he starred for the University of Miami. After a brief professional football career, The Rock decided to give WWE a shot -- a choice that would begin a new era in the entertainment world. In only a few years, The Rock was a multi-time WWE Champion and one of the most celebrated Superstars to ever set foot in the ring, having classic rivalries with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Triple H.
But it was more than his ability to "layeth the smacketh down" in the ring that made The Rock a Superstar. His quick wit, charisma and ability to talk smack earned such raves that “The People’s Champion” was asked to speak to the people over and over again. His many famous public appearances included hosting “Saturday Night Live” in 2000 and a speech at the 2002 Republican National Convention.
By 2001, The Rock became a multi-media superstar, having starred in the feature film,The Mummy Returns, and its highly successful prequel, The Scorpion King. Recently, he starred in the blockbuster film, Doom. His autobiography, The Rock Says... was a New York Times No. 1 bestseller.
The Rock continued his film career by starring in Walking Tall, an action drama based on a true story, which follows his performance in The Rundown. While The Rock certainly stays busy in Hollywood, he is always ready to return to the ring when duty calls.
He defeated "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan in a classic match at WrestleMania X8. When Mick Foley suffered injury and humiliation at the hands of Evolution in 2004, The Rock returned to Raw to reform the Rock 'n' Sock Connection, and the two competed as a team at WrestleMania XX in a losing effort.
That was the last time "The People's Champion" competed in a WWE ring. No matter how much time he spends away from the ring, The Rock remains one of the most beloved WWE Superstars.
Call him whatever you want, but to the millions -- and millions -- of fans around the world, there is no substitute for The Rock.
A third-generation WWE Superstar, The Rock at first did not plan to follow in the family tradition of sports-entertainment stardom. He instead used his athletic skill on the gridiron, where he starred for the University of Miami. After a brief professional football career, The Rock decided to give WWE a shot -- a choice that would begin a new era in the entertainment world. In only a few years, The Rock was a multi-time WWE Champion and one of the most celebrated Superstars to ever set foot in the ring, having classic rivalries with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Triple H.
But it was more than his ability to "layeth the smacketh down" in the ring that made The Rock a Superstar. His quick wit, charisma and ability to talk smack earned such raves that “The People’s Champion” was asked to speak to the people over and over again. His many famous public appearances included hosting “Saturday Night Live” in 2000 and a speech at the 2002 Republican National Convention.
By 2001, The Rock became a multi-media superstar, having starred in the feature film,The Mummy Returns, and its highly successful prequel, The Scorpion King. Recently, he starred in the blockbuster film, Doom. His autobiography, The Rock Says... was a New York Times No. 1 bestseller.
The Rock continued his film career by starring in Walking Tall, an action drama based on a true story, which follows his performance in The Rundown. While The Rock certainly stays busy in Hollywood, he is always ready to return to the ring when duty calls.
He defeated "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan in a classic match at WrestleMania X8. When Mick Foley suffered injury and humiliation at the hands of Evolution in 2004, The Rock returned to Raw to reform the Rock 'n' Sock Connection, and the two competed as a team at WrestleMania XX in a losing effort.
That was the last time "The People's Champion" competed in a WWE ring. No matter how much time he spends away from the ring, The Rock remains one of the most beloved WWE Superstars.
Mr Kennedy
“Hailing from Green Bay, Wisconsin weighing in at 242 pounds Mr. Ken Kennedy ….. Kennedy!”
Proudly doing the honors of announcing his own ring introductions in quite an unorthodox fashion, Ken Kennedy has quickly turned heads and made his presence known as one of WWE's most promising, confident and big mouthed Superstars.
Insisting the spotlight be focused strictly on him at all times, Mr. Kennedy made quite the memorable debut on SmackDown! chastising Tony Chimmel’s efforts in making Mr. Kennedy’s ring introduction… a moment most other newcomers would savor and dream of. Instead, Mr. Kennedy took matters into his own hands, demonstrating how he thought the job should be done doing the introductions of not only his opponent, Funaki, but in Mr. Kennedy’s eyes… most importantly… himself! And once the formalities are out of the way, Mr. Kennedy makes sure to keep the spotlight on him, inflicting pain on his opponents and guaranteeing a win and post match ring announcement by Mr. Kennedy himself as the winner of the match.
With confidence and some impressive skills to back up his attitude, there’s no telling what is in store next for Mr. Ken Kennedy on Raw.
Proudly doing the honors of announcing his own ring introductions in quite an unorthodox fashion, Ken Kennedy has quickly turned heads and made his presence known as one of WWE's most promising, confident and big mouthed Superstars.
Insisting the spotlight be focused strictly on him at all times, Mr. Kennedy made quite the memorable debut on SmackDown! chastising Tony Chimmel’s efforts in making Mr. Kennedy’s ring introduction… a moment most other newcomers would savor and dream of. Instead, Mr. Kennedy took matters into his own hands, demonstrating how he thought the job should be done doing the introductions of not only his opponent, Funaki, but in Mr. Kennedy’s eyes… most importantly… himself! And once the formalities are out of the way, Mr. Kennedy makes sure to keep the spotlight on him, inflicting pain on his opponents and guaranteeing a win and post match ring announcement by Mr. Kennedy himself as the winner of the match.
With confidence and some impressive skills to back up his attitude, there’s no telling what is in store next for Mr. Ken Kennedy on Raw.
Mr Mcmahon
“I love to fight,” admits Mr. McMahon. “I always have.”
He’s not kidding. He was already a 12-year-old hellraiser “majoring in badass” when he met his father, Vincent James McMahon, a reputable boxing and wrestling promoter in charge of the Northeast region. As a teen, he’d spend summers with his dad in Connecticut, amazed by both the business and his idol, Dr. Jerry Graham, the peroxide-dyed, red-garbed ring performer who lit his cigars with hundred-dollar bills. The rest of the time he channeled his ruthless aggression at Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Va., where he’d graduate as the first cadet in the school’s history to be court-martialed. (“Unsuccessfully,” he’s quick to note, citing that there was no evidence of any wrongdoing on his part other than insubordination.)
It took a degree in Business Administration/Marketing at East Carolina University, followed by several unproductive years selling adding machines and ice-cream accessories, before Mr. McMahon convinced his father to bring him into the family business. Strangely enough, he’d spend less than a year learning the ropes as a promoter when the senior McMahon “promoted” him as a match announcer, only moments before a show in Hamburg, Penn. For more than 20 years, Mr. McMahon would remain behind the mic, even after buying the World Wrestling Federation from his father in 1982 and taking it to unprecedented levels. To this day, many out-of-work regional promoters maintain that he continued doing in-ring play-by-play only to smokescreen what he was accomplishing outside the squared circle.
The truth is, the Chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment couldn’t make a global multimedia juggernaut without breaking a few companies. So he broke all of them, and took great satisfaction in devouring any wrestling promotion that refused to “join” his brand of sports-entertainment. As Sgt. Slaughter puts it, “He screwed everybody. That was the part of him that wanted to be the best there is.”
Mr. McMahon admits to feeling a tad remorseful after acquiring his last, and greatest, threat—World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the seemingly “unbeatable” organization bankrolled by billionaire Ted Turner—simply because he missed the struggle. So in 2002 he decided to split RAW and SmackDown into separate brands, effectively creating his own competition.
Despite his vast wealth and social status, Mr. McMahon still loves nothing more than knuckling up. And he’ll do it anytime, anywhere—inside the ring (where his longtime rivalry with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin still raises hell within the WWE fan base) or from the boardroom. He tells those who don’t like it that they can kiss his ass; in fact, he even founded an elite club for doing precisely that.
RAW announcer Jim Ross is convinced that his boss’ constant need to fight is what fuels his success. “His competitive nature is what he carries with him every waking moment,” he says.
Mr. McMahon agrees, adding that no one better than he understands what it means to be a competitor. “You’ve got to grab your competition by the throat,” he insists, “and squeeze the life out of them.”
Learn more about Vince McMahon outside the squared circle.
He’s not kidding. He was already a 12-year-old hellraiser “majoring in badass” when he met his father, Vincent James McMahon, a reputable boxing and wrestling promoter in charge of the Northeast region. As a teen, he’d spend summers with his dad in Connecticut, amazed by both the business and his idol, Dr. Jerry Graham, the peroxide-dyed, red-garbed ring performer who lit his cigars with hundred-dollar bills. The rest of the time he channeled his ruthless aggression at Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Va., where he’d graduate as the first cadet in the school’s history to be court-martialed. (“Unsuccessfully,” he’s quick to note, citing that there was no evidence of any wrongdoing on his part other than insubordination.)
It took a degree in Business Administration/Marketing at East Carolina University, followed by several unproductive years selling adding machines and ice-cream accessories, before Mr. McMahon convinced his father to bring him into the family business. Strangely enough, he’d spend less than a year learning the ropes as a promoter when the senior McMahon “promoted” him as a match announcer, only moments before a show in Hamburg, Penn. For more than 20 years, Mr. McMahon would remain behind the mic, even after buying the World Wrestling Federation from his father in 1982 and taking it to unprecedented levels. To this day, many out-of-work regional promoters maintain that he continued doing in-ring play-by-play only to smokescreen what he was accomplishing outside the squared circle.
The truth is, the Chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment couldn’t make a global multimedia juggernaut without breaking a few companies. So he broke all of them, and took great satisfaction in devouring any wrestling promotion that refused to “join” his brand of sports-entertainment. As Sgt. Slaughter puts it, “He screwed everybody. That was the part of him that wanted to be the best there is.”
Mr. McMahon admits to feeling a tad remorseful after acquiring his last, and greatest, threat—World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the seemingly “unbeatable” organization bankrolled by billionaire Ted Turner—simply because he missed the struggle. So in 2002 he decided to split RAW and SmackDown into separate brands, effectively creating his own competition.
Despite his vast wealth and social status, Mr. McMahon still loves nothing more than knuckling up. And he’ll do it anytime, anywhere—inside the ring (where his longtime rivalry with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin still raises hell within the WWE fan base) or from the boardroom. He tells those who don’t like it that they can kiss his ass; in fact, he even founded an elite club for doing precisely that.
RAW announcer Jim Ross is convinced that his boss’ constant need to fight is what fuels his success. “His competitive nature is what he carries with him every waking moment,” he says.
Mr. McMahon agrees, adding that no one better than he understands what it means to be a competitor. “You’ve got to grab your competition by the throat,” he insists, “and squeeze the life out of them.”
Learn more about Vince McMahon outside the squared circle.
Dave Batista
Dave Batista has been “The Animal” since childhood, in temper if not in name. Raised in a rough part of southeast Washington, D.C., he describes himself as being “a skinny kid with asthma and a bad size complex”— and a penchant for getting into trouble with authorities. He spent a few years in San Francisco after his parents separated, until his mother sent the troubled teen to live with his father in suburban Virginia. By the time he turned 17, he was estranged from both parents, living on his own, and still getting into trouble.
For the better part of 10 years, Batista spent his days training and competing as a bodybuilder, and his nights “bouncing in clubs, floating from here to there.” (He’s still amazed that one club he worked at is less than two blocks from Washington D.C.’s MCI Center, where he defended his World Heavyweight Championship against JBL at SummerSlam in 2005.) His drifting stopped the night he unleashed his explosive temper on two patrons who had attacked his fellow bouncers. “By the time I was finished with them,” he relates, “they were lying on the ground with their eyes rolling in the back of their heads. I was very scared they were going to die.” They didn’t, but the incident did result in Batista’s arrest, a year’s probation, and his decision to make radical changes in his life.
Enrolling in Wild Samoan Afa’s wrestling school in Allentown, Pa., Batista admits that at first he saw sports-entertainment simply as “a way to make a living”— until he was told at a WCW tryout that he didn’t have the chops to make it as a wrestler. “That lit a fire under my a**. Wrestling became an obsession that I fell in love with. I completely redirected my training and philosophies, redesigned my body and mental outlook. I just really wanted to be an athlete and an entertainer.”
Though his personal perseverance brought him to WWE in May 2002, Batista credits former Evolution colleagues Triple H and Ric Flair with developing “a muscleheaded goofball” into a World Heavyweight Champion, one who backs his composed words and demeanor with an explosive fury befitting his nickname. He considers himself neither a leader nor a follower in the locker room (“I’m just a loner, I keep to myself,” he insists), but inside the ring, on the covers of muscle mags like FLEX, and even once against budding Superman Tom Welling on The CW Network series Smallville, “The Animal” is clearly a dominant species. A dominant species who, by the way, has collected more than 50 vintage tin lunchboxes. Our advice: respect this six-foot-six, 290-pound beast and his 1967 Green Hornet sandwich container (sporting Bruce Lee’s face on the front), which he cherishes among his most prized possessions. You’ll live longer
For the better part of 10 years, Batista spent his days training and competing as a bodybuilder, and his nights “bouncing in clubs, floating from here to there.” (He’s still amazed that one club he worked at is less than two blocks from Washington D.C.’s MCI Center, where he defended his World Heavyweight Championship against JBL at SummerSlam in 2005.) His drifting stopped the night he unleashed his explosive temper on two patrons who had attacked his fellow bouncers. “By the time I was finished with them,” he relates, “they were lying on the ground with their eyes rolling in the back of their heads. I was very scared they were going to die.” They didn’t, but the incident did result in Batista’s arrest, a year’s probation, and his decision to make radical changes in his life.
Enrolling in Wild Samoan Afa’s wrestling school in Allentown, Pa., Batista admits that at first he saw sports-entertainment simply as “a way to make a living”— until he was told at a WCW tryout that he didn’t have the chops to make it as a wrestler. “That lit a fire under my a**. Wrestling became an obsession that I fell in love with. I completely redirected my training and philosophies, redesigned my body and mental outlook. I just really wanted to be an athlete and an entertainer.”
Though his personal perseverance brought him to WWE in May 2002, Batista credits former Evolution colleagues Triple H and Ric Flair with developing “a muscleheaded goofball” into a World Heavyweight Champion, one who backs his composed words and demeanor with an explosive fury befitting his nickname. He considers himself neither a leader nor a follower in the locker room (“I’m just a loner, I keep to myself,” he insists), but inside the ring, on the covers of muscle mags like FLEX, and even once against budding Superman Tom Welling on The CW Network series Smallville, “The Animal” is clearly a dominant species. A dominant species who, by the way, has collected more than 50 vintage tin lunchboxes. Our advice: respect this six-foot-six, 290-pound beast and his 1967 Green Hornet sandwich container (sporting Bruce Lee’s face on the front), which he cherishes among his most prized possessions. You’ll live longer
John Bradshaw Layfield
Never challenge John Bradshaw Layfield to a street fight—especially on Wall Street, or when he’s offering valuable investment pointers to help bulk up your portfolio.
SmackDown fans listening to JBL’s color commentary think he’s more “bull” than “bull market,” but consider the following: he didn’t clothesline his way to a senior vice-president position at a major investment bank. Analysts respect his appearances on Fox News Channel, CNN, CNNfn, MSNBC, CNBC, and C-SPAN as a financial advisor, not a “wrestling god.” He didn’t need a degree in Finance to line people’s pockets with cash, or provide common-sense management tips in his bestselling book Have More Money Now. And “The John Bradshaw Layfield Show,” a weekly radio program in which he champions his views on politics, sports, and entertainment, is now syndicated in more than 150 radio stations across America. Face it: JBL is saying something the people want to hear.Not bad for a banker’s son from Sweetwater, a Texas town that JBL claims is renown for its annual “Rattlesnake Roundup.” (He still laughs at the time the Humane Society picketed the event—“We weren’t cruel to the snakes. We just caught ’em and killed ’em.”) Snakeskin, however, is no match for pigskin in Sweetwater; football is the town’s prime pastime, and the sport that fueled two of JBL’s three teenage aspirations (“playing football at Abilene Christian University, going pro, and becoming rich”). He’d earn impressive All-American honors as an offensive tackle at Abilene, though lingering knee problems would limit his second dream to less than a year with the NFL’s then-Los Angeles Raiders, and two seasons as part of the World League’s San Antonio Riders.JBL was down to a 1980 Chevrolet step-side pickup truck and $27 in his bank account when he invested his energies toward a career in wrestling—and not opponents like the eight-foot, 800-pound brown bear he faced at a local cowboy bar on a college dare. More important, he realized that he needed to wrest control of his financial future; as he states in his book, “I decided that being poor ain’t fun, and staying that way is stupid.”Getting physical in the ring has netted JBL a career wealth of championships, while his “fiscal” approach to the stock market has made him a very bankable resource in shareholders’ eyes. Perhaps the one drawback from his economic success is that it affords him the luxury of saying whatever’s on his mind on SmackDown—mainly because he can put his money where his mouth is
SmackDown fans listening to JBL’s color commentary think he’s more “bull” than “bull market,” but consider the following: he didn’t clothesline his way to a senior vice-president position at a major investment bank. Analysts respect his appearances on Fox News Channel, CNN, CNNfn, MSNBC, CNBC, and C-SPAN as a financial advisor, not a “wrestling god.” He didn’t need a degree in Finance to line people’s pockets with cash, or provide common-sense management tips in his bestselling book Have More Money Now. And “The John Bradshaw Layfield Show,” a weekly radio program in which he champions his views on politics, sports, and entertainment, is now syndicated in more than 150 radio stations across America. Face it: JBL is saying something the people want to hear.Not bad for a banker’s son from Sweetwater, a Texas town that JBL claims is renown for its annual “Rattlesnake Roundup.” (He still laughs at the time the Humane Society picketed the event—“We weren’t cruel to the snakes. We just caught ’em and killed ’em.”) Snakeskin, however, is no match for pigskin in Sweetwater; football is the town’s prime pastime, and the sport that fueled two of JBL’s three teenage aspirations (“playing football at Abilene Christian University, going pro, and becoming rich”). He’d earn impressive All-American honors as an offensive tackle at Abilene, though lingering knee problems would limit his second dream to less than a year with the NFL’s then-Los Angeles Raiders, and two seasons as part of the World League’s San Antonio Riders.JBL was down to a 1980 Chevrolet step-side pickup truck and $27 in his bank account when he invested his energies toward a career in wrestling—and not opponents like the eight-foot, 800-pound brown bear he faced at a local cowboy bar on a college dare. More important, he realized that he needed to wrest control of his financial future; as he states in his book, “I decided that being poor ain’t fun, and staying that way is stupid.”Getting physical in the ring has netted JBL a career wealth of championships, while his “fiscal” approach to the stock market has made him a very bankable resource in shareholders’ eyes. Perhaps the one drawback from his economic success is that it affords him the luxury of saying whatever’s on his mind on SmackDown—mainly because he can put his money where his mouth is
Bobby Lashley
The focused, driven Bobby Lashley has always been clear about his ultimate goal. He’s wrestled his entire life, all with the purpose of one day entering sports-entertainment. He’s a three-time wrestling national champion and a four-time wrestling All-American.
He’s also a two-time Armed Forces Champion and took home the silver medal in the 2002 CISM World Championships — competing against the best of the rest of the world’s military.
Yet, for Lashley, all that was a precursor to training for his WWE, and ultimately, his ECW career. This mixed martial arts expert is already a renowned champion at the amateur level, and now Lashley has begun his climb toward stardom.
Bobby Lashley's dramatic arrival in ECW shook the Land of the Extreme at its foundation, as he speared his way through the dominant Big Show to sign the contract to be the final participant in the Extreme Elimination Chamber. This move not only raised the eyebrows of those involved in the Chamber match at December to Dismember, but also put the entire ECW roster on notice.
Ultimately, Lashley would seize the moment within the first-ever weapons-filled Chamber by outlasting five competitors to become the ECW World Champion on Dec. 3, 2006. Lashley was a dominant champion, taking on all comers, including Hardcore Holly and Rob Van Dam, among others. And he showed no fear in crossing the boss, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon and representing Donald Trump in the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania 23.
Lashley was victorious in that battle against McMahon's representative Umaga and was chiefly responsible for the evil Chairman being shaved bald. But Lashley's fearlessness may have been his undoing. Mr. McMahon took the ECW World Championship away from him at Backlash in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match that also included his son Shane and the Samoan Bulldozer.
For weeks, the Chairman humiliated and demoralized Lashley as he attempted to regain his cherished title. Lashley finally got revenge when he defeated Mr. McMahon in a Street Fight at One Night Stand and regained the ECW World Title, despite interference from Umaga and Shane McMahon.
Whether he holds a title or not, our fans know that Bobby Lashley always has the heart of a champion.
He’s also a two-time Armed Forces Champion and took home the silver medal in the 2002 CISM World Championships — competing against the best of the rest of the world’s military.
Yet, for Lashley, all that was a precursor to training for his WWE, and ultimately, his ECW career. This mixed martial arts expert is already a renowned champion at the amateur level, and now Lashley has begun his climb toward stardom.
Bobby Lashley's dramatic arrival in ECW shook the Land of the Extreme at its foundation, as he speared his way through the dominant Big Show to sign the contract to be the final participant in the Extreme Elimination Chamber. This move not only raised the eyebrows of those involved in the Chamber match at December to Dismember, but also put the entire ECW roster on notice.
Ultimately, Lashley would seize the moment within the first-ever weapons-filled Chamber by outlasting five competitors to become the ECW World Champion on Dec. 3, 2006. Lashley was a dominant champion, taking on all comers, including Hardcore Holly and Rob Van Dam, among others. And he showed no fear in crossing the boss, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon and representing Donald Trump in the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania 23.
Lashley was victorious in that battle against McMahon's representative Umaga and was chiefly responsible for the evil Chairman being shaved bald. But Lashley's fearlessness may have been his undoing. Mr. McMahon took the ECW World Championship away from him at Backlash in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match that also included his son Shane and the Samoan Bulldozer.
For weeks, the Chairman humiliated and demoralized Lashley as he attempted to regain his cherished title. Lashley finally got revenge when he defeated Mr. McMahon in a Street Fight at One Night Stand and regained the ECW World Title, despite interference from Umaga and Shane McMahon.
Whether he holds a title or not, our fans know that Bobby Lashley always has the heart of a champion.
MVP
Montel Vontavious Porter, also known as MVP, became SmackDown's gem acquisition on September 27, 2006, when General Manager Theodore Long and Porter came to a lucrative contract agreement. The press conference was shown exclusively on WWE.com (Watch the conference). MVP's
Signing Porter was not easy. Despite the fact that he has yet to step in a SmackDown ring, MVP was hyped by his agents as "the most talented free agent in the game," and he was in high demand from organizations all over the sports-entertainment world. Despite Long's requests, MVP made it clear that he wasn't getting in the ring until a contract was signed, because as MVP's saying goes, "no contract, no contact."
Porter is flashy and cocky, but he has been able to prove himself in the ring, picking up victories over such Superstars as The Big Red Monster, Kane.
Signing Porter was not easy. Despite the fact that he has yet to step in a SmackDown ring, MVP was hyped by his agents as "the most talented free agent in the game," and he was in high demand from organizations all over the sports-entertainment world. Despite Long's requests, MVP made it clear that he wasn't getting in the ring until a contract was signed, because as MVP's saying goes, "no contract, no contact."
Porter is flashy and cocky, but he has been able to prove himself in the ring, picking up victories over such Superstars as The Big Red Monster, Kane.
Should Rey make it back.
If Rey Mysterio can make it to Unforgiven, he won’t be alone.”
That’s how SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long informed The Great Khali that his World Heavyweight Title defense at Sunday’s pay-per-view was now a Triple Threat Match that also included Batista. But the one word that is perhaps more telling – and alarming – than anything else in Long’s remark is the two-letter conjunction that immediately casts doubt and pessimism in any phrase, regardless of its use:
“If.”
At this moment, Rey Mysterio’s chances of making it to Unforgiven this Sunday are a very strong, very uncertain “if.” And even if he does make it, the likelihood that he’s in any condition to make an impact against The Animal and Khali, much less win the World Heavyweight Title, is an “if” that’s far bigger than even the 7-foot-3, 420-pound champion who almost crushed his skull last week on SmackDown.
WWE.com’s attempts to contact the masked Superstar have gone for naught. Even his fellow SmackDown Superstars haven’t heard a word, either from him or about his condition since The Great Khali Vise Gripped him last week in Cincinnati’s U.S. Bank Arena. Overall, WWE personnel around the locker and training rooms are still speechless regarding the World Heavyweight Champion’s heinous attack on Rey, who only moments before had emerged triumphant over Chavo Guerrero in a grueling “I Quit” Match. The victory was supposed to represent personal redemption for Mysterio; instead, it may now serve as a chilling reminder of the moments that followed next.
There’s a reason why the Khali Vise Grip is so dangerous. Let’s put it this way: Once an object is rendered immobile, the two “jaws” on a basic hand vise can exert up to thousands of pounds of pressure, compressing the object from both sides. Well, last Friday in Cincinnati, Rey Mysterio’s skull became that immobilized object, and The Great Khali’s paws – three times the size of an average human hand – were the clamps that tried squashing it.
Had Batista not intervened, Khali might well have succeeded. Like the basketball he had literally popped with his bare hands several weeks prior, the 7-foot-3 Punjabi Goliath squeezed so tight that his opposing fingers – the tallest being his middle, which measure an astonishing six inches from tip to knuckle – were actually able to lock together onto the cranium of his battle-weary “David.” Mysterio must have felt like the contents of a soda can that had been shaken for days, with the pressure on his skull intensifying to the point that red liquid had nowhere else to flow except from his mouth. Except it wasn’t some carbonated beverage in this instance; it was Rey’s blood.
Our fans in the U.S. Bank Arena watched in horror as the struggling Mysterio, after being lifted and held high in the air by his Vise Gripped head, slumped to the canvas, completely motionless. As his masked features and chest grew crimsoned, it became frighteningly obvious to them that Rey was in serious distress; beyond the fact that he was bleeding from the mouth, the pressure from Khali’s hands had clearly begun depriving his brain of life-giving oxygen.
Yes, Batista had come to the aid of his friend, as had WWE officials and EMT’s moments later…but was it too late for Unforgiven? There’s no denying that a former World Champion like Rey Mysterio has toppled many giants throughout his career. However, even at 100 percent, Rey would be hard-pressed (no pun intended) to measure up against The Great Khali. Now, with Triple Threat Match rules and a championship-hunting Animal added to the equation, the odds appear doubly stacked against the Master of the 619 – if he hasn’t suffered such severe head trauma that he can’t even make it to Memphis’s FedEx Forum this Sunday.
Then again, perhaps our questions shouldn’t revolve around “if Rey Mysterio makes it to Unforgiven.” For his sake, perhaps we should be asking, “Should Rey Mysterio make it to Unforgiven?”
That’s how SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long informed The Great Khali that his World Heavyweight Title defense at Sunday’s pay-per-view was now a Triple Threat Match that also included Batista. But the one word that is perhaps more telling – and alarming – than anything else in Long’s remark is the two-letter conjunction that immediately casts doubt and pessimism in any phrase, regardless of its use:
“If.”
At this moment, Rey Mysterio’s chances of making it to Unforgiven this Sunday are a very strong, very uncertain “if.” And even if he does make it, the likelihood that he’s in any condition to make an impact against The Animal and Khali, much less win the World Heavyweight Title, is an “if” that’s far bigger than even the 7-foot-3, 420-pound champion who almost crushed his skull last week on SmackDown.
WWE.com’s attempts to contact the masked Superstar have gone for naught. Even his fellow SmackDown Superstars haven’t heard a word, either from him or about his condition since The Great Khali Vise Gripped him last week in Cincinnati’s U.S. Bank Arena. Overall, WWE personnel around the locker and training rooms are still speechless regarding the World Heavyweight Champion’s heinous attack on Rey, who only moments before had emerged triumphant over Chavo Guerrero in a grueling “I Quit” Match. The victory was supposed to represent personal redemption for Mysterio; instead, it may now serve as a chilling reminder of the moments that followed next.
There’s a reason why the Khali Vise Grip is so dangerous. Let’s put it this way: Once an object is rendered immobile, the two “jaws” on a basic hand vise can exert up to thousands of pounds of pressure, compressing the object from both sides. Well, last Friday in Cincinnati, Rey Mysterio’s skull became that immobilized object, and The Great Khali’s paws – three times the size of an average human hand – were the clamps that tried squashing it.
Had Batista not intervened, Khali might well have succeeded. Like the basketball he had literally popped with his bare hands several weeks prior, the 7-foot-3 Punjabi Goliath squeezed so tight that his opposing fingers – the tallest being his middle, which measure an astonishing six inches from tip to knuckle – were actually able to lock together onto the cranium of his battle-weary “David.” Mysterio must have felt like the contents of a soda can that had been shaken for days, with the pressure on his skull intensifying to the point that red liquid had nowhere else to flow except from his mouth. Except it wasn’t some carbonated beverage in this instance; it was Rey’s blood.
Our fans in the U.S. Bank Arena watched in horror as the struggling Mysterio, after being lifted and held high in the air by his Vise Gripped head, slumped to the canvas, completely motionless. As his masked features and chest grew crimsoned, it became frighteningly obvious to them that Rey was in serious distress; beyond the fact that he was bleeding from the mouth, the pressure from Khali’s hands had clearly begun depriving his brain of life-giving oxygen.
Yes, Batista had come to the aid of his friend, as had WWE officials and EMT’s moments later…but was it too late for Unforgiven? There’s no denying that a former World Champion like Rey Mysterio has toppled many giants throughout his career. However, even at 100 percent, Rey would be hard-pressed (no pun intended) to measure up against The Great Khali. Now, with Triple Threat Match rules and a championship-hunting Animal added to the equation, the odds appear doubly stacked against the Master of the 619 – if he hasn’t suffered such severe head trauma that he can’t even make it to Memphis’s FedEx Forum this Sunday.
Then again, perhaps our questions shouldn’t revolve around “if Rey Mysterio makes it to Unforgiven.” For his sake, perhaps we should be asking, “Should Rey Mysterio make it to Unforgiven?”
My School
My School is not great it is nasty place to be i wish i was never born beacause this School i go to is a vile place to me why beacause bullys are there there is Darren and Daniel White.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
CM Punk
Luck is for losers, at least according to CM Punk. Even though his arm is literally tattooed with good-luck charms, Punk believes you make your own good fortune through hard work and intense preparation.
Growing up in Chicago, the ECW Superstar’s childhood consisted of watching the likes of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka exchange words, then blows. Such heated rivalries helped Punk realize that sports-entertainment was where he belonged. Adopting the “straightedge” movement—in which one bases their life around personal development, and avoids drugs, alcohol and a dependency lifestyle — Punk has brought his own style to ECW.
Punk's in-ring repertoire is an assimilation of fighting styles he has learned from his travels around the world. In his WWE pay-per-view debut as a part of Team DX at Survivor Series 2006, Punk brought down the house in Philadelphia where fans showed their respect for his talents.
With reactions all over the world like in Philly, CM Punk’s star-power will only grow stronger within the realm of the extreme.
Growing up in Chicago, the ECW Superstar’s childhood consisted of watching the likes of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka exchange words, then blows. Such heated rivalries helped Punk realize that sports-entertainment was where he belonged. Adopting the “straightedge” movement—in which one bases their life around personal development, and avoids drugs, alcohol and a dependency lifestyle — Punk has brought his own style to ECW.
Punk's in-ring repertoire is an assimilation of fighting styles he has learned from his travels around the world. In his WWE pay-per-view debut as a part of Team DX at Survivor Series 2006, Punk brought down the house in Philadelphia where fans showed their respect for his talents.
With reactions all over the world like in Philly, CM Punk’s star-power will only grow stronger within the realm of the extreme.
The Great Khali
Hailing from India, The Great Khali stands at an impressive 7 foot 3 inches and weighs 420 pounds. This enormous monster has walked the jungles of India unafraid of pythons and wrestled White Bengal tigers. Legend states that the Punjabi Warrior has "stared into the abyss and the earth trembled at his gaze."
The Great Khali was responsible for bringing the most barbaric match in WWE history to The Great American Bash: the Punjabi Prison Match. One of the largest athletes the WWE has ever bared witness to, The Great Khali stands to be a powerful force and a threat to every member of the locker room.
The Great Khali was responsible for bringing the most barbaric match in WWE history to The Great American Bash: the Punjabi Prison Match. One of the largest athletes the WWE has ever bared witness to, The Great Khali stands to be a powerful force and a threat to every member of the locker room.
Kane
At 7-feet tall and more than 300 pounds, the Big Red Monster has been tormenting opponents since his debut, and even that was huge.
Following months of speculation, Kane made his first appearance on Oct. 5, 1997, at Bad Blood. There, he ripped the cage door off during the first-ever Hell in a Cell Match between Shawn Michaels and Undertaker. Kane and Undertaker then stood toe to toe during a chilling stare-down. The Big Red Monster wore a mask, and he hid his body in attire designed to conceal hideous burns from a fire supposedly started by his half-brother Undertaker. Then, Kane kicked the Deadman in the stomach and Tombstoned him — allowing a bloody Michaels to pin Undertaker for the victory.
Despite the unprovoked attack, Undertaker vowed he would not wage war against his own flesh and blood in front of a national audience. But Kane’s assaults continued, and when he set Undertaker ablaze inside a casket at the 1998 Royal Rumble, the Phenom was left with no choice. At WrestleMania XIV, the half-brothers met for the first time in singles competition, but it was only the beginning.
After the brutal WrestleMania matchup, Kane continued to climb the ranks by beating down the opposition. At King of the Ring 1998, Stone Cold and Kane clashed in a First Blood Match for the WWE Championship. As an added stipulation, Kane promised that if he lost, he’d set himself on fire.
The match, a brainchild of Mr. McMahon, gave Kane a distinct advantage since his face and body were covered, making it nearly impossible to confirm if he was bleeding. During the match, the referee was knocked out, and Undertaker ran to the ring with a steel chair to interfere. He swung at Kane but nailed Stone Cold, busting his head wide open. When the referee regained consciousness, he saw the blood and awarded the match to the Big Red Monster. Undertaker later revealed that he intended to bust open Stone Cold so that his half-brother wouldn’t set himself on fire. This punctuated a theme in the difficult sibling relationship, as they’d battle often but align at times to achieve great success as well. They’d also innovate during their heated rivalry, inventing such contests as the Inferno Match.
The night following the First Blood victory, Mr. McMahon decorated the ring with a red canvas and crowned Kane the new WWE Champion. The reign lasted only one night, but it was still an amazing accomplishment considering his debut was only eight months prior. Kane did pin the WWE Champion on one other occasion, but he did so simultaneously with the Undertaker. The event was Breakdown 1998, and because the half-brothers both covered Stone Cold, neither was declared champion. Instead, the WWE Championship was vacated.
While Kane hasn’t recaptured the WWE Championship, he’s experienced enormous success. He’s a two-time Intercontinental Champion and nine-time World Tag Team Champion. He’s shown near-unprecedented versatility in the tag team ranks, winning championships with brawlers such as Stone Cold and Mankind, as well as smaller, quicker partners such as The Hurricane and X-Pac. He’s also twice won the World Tag Team Championship with his half-brother, including a reign during the Alliance Invasion when they simultaneously held the World Tag Team Championship and WCW Tag Team Championship.
But it was during his time teaming with Rob Van Dam that Kane experienced one of the most emotional nights of his career. After being egged on for weeks about becoming “soft,” Kane agreed to a “Mask vs. Championship” Match against Triple H. Despite a valiant effort, Kane lost, and as RAW came to a close, the 7-footer unmasked and revealed his face to the world.
Once the mask was removed, Kane went on a hell-bent trail of destruction. He chokeslammed RVD, Eric Bischoff and Stone Cold. Then, he set RAW announcer Jim Ross on fire. But the action that could not be tolerated was hitting WWE CEO Linda McMahon with a Tombstone. That forced Shane McMahon to return to the ring in defense of his family, but even the risk-taking Shane-O-Mac couldn’t stop the Big Red Monster’s rage.
At Survivor Series in 2003, Kane attacked Undertaker once again and buried him alive with a bulldozer. For the following months, the Deadman haunted his younger sibling before announcing that at WrestleMania XX, the two would meet one more time.
After that, Kane began randomly attacking anyone who crossed his path. He viciously assaulted Shawn Michaels, putting him out of action. He then began to make life miserable for Lita, with whom he seemed obsessed.
Thanks to victory in a “’Till Death Do Us Part” Match against Matt Hardy, Kane got what he wanted. He married an unwilling Lita, who was carrying Kane's child. But an in-ring incident on RAW injured Lita, causing her to lose the couple's unborn son and leaving Kane an emotional and angry mess. He swore vengeance on Gene Snitsky, who he held responsible.
At Taboo Tuesday, Kane faced Snitsky in a “Weapon of Choice” match. Wielding a steel chain, Kane delivered a brutal beating. But Snitsky eventually gained the upper hand, crushing Kane's throat with a steel chair. After recuperating, Kane haunted Snitsky until he exacted some measure of revenge. Then he began tormenting Trish Stratus — Lita’s nemesis — and through doing so is seemingly finally gaining his wife’s favor. In a shocking moment the April 11, 2005 edition of RAW, Kane and Lita kissed. It was the first time both parties had done so willingly and passionately. After aligning briefly with Kane, Lita has changed her allegiances now to Edge in an act of ruthless betrayal.
Kane had a hard time dealing with Lita's betrayal. Lita took it even further and continually made out with Edge in front of Kane and even flushed her wedding ring down the toilet. Edge and Lita even had their own wedding ceremony, but Kane would not allow it to go down quietly. Kane came up through the altar and chased off the couple. Kane and Edge then fought in a series of brutal matches including a Steel Cage Match and a Stretcher Match. Lita was the one who ended up needing the stretcher, though, as Kane Tombstoned her on the stage.
After a brief hiatus, Kane returned just prior to Taboo Tuesday. Because he lost out in the voting for the Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship to Shawn Michaels, he was paired up with Big Show to face World Tag Team Champions Trevor Murdoch & Lance Cade. Big Show & Kane proved to be just too much size and strength to overcome for the young tag team, and Kane won his ninth World Tag Team Championship.
Kane and his tag team partner also played a huge role in the RAW vs. SmackDown rivalry that was brewing. They were key players on RAW's team at Survivor Series, but could not lead their brand to a victory. But at Armageddon they challenged SmackDown's WWE Tag Team Champions, Rey Mysterio & Batista, to a match. Even though it was a SmackDown pay-per-view, Kane & Big Show reigned victorious in the rare Champions vs. Champions Match.
The Big Red Monster and Big Show turned back the challenge of Carlito & Chris Masters at WrestleMania 22. But just one night later, on RAW, they faced Kenny and Mikey of the Spirit Squad. If it was just a two-on-two match, the tag champs surely would have retained the gold. But the other three members of the Spirit Squad - Mitch, Nickey and Johnny - all got involved. The numbers proved to be too much to overcome, and Big Show was pinned.
That’s when things started going horribly wrong for the Big Red Monster. Kane thought that the madness and the voices would stop once May 19 came and went. Leading up to that day, the same day that Kane's adopted parents died in a fire, the Big Red Monster was hearing voices that drove him to the brink of insanity. But it didn't stop after May 19. Things only got stranger for Kane. On the May 29 edition of RAW, Kane came face to face with what appeared to be a mirror image of himself. The mysterious being was dressed like the Kane of old, complete with his old ring attire and mask. After a stare-down, the unknown man chokeslammed Kane.
Kane continued to be attacked by his “clone” until they finally met in a match at Vengeance where he found himself on the receiving end of all of his own moves. Bringing new meaning to “being your own worst enemy,” the imposter Kane defeated the real Kane with a thunderous chokeslam, Just one day later, though, Kane chokeslammed the imposter on the stage at RAW and then threw him out of the arena.
Whether it is Tag Team or singles, whether he is facing himself or someone else, one thing is for sure: Kane is an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.
Following months of speculation, Kane made his first appearance on Oct. 5, 1997, at Bad Blood. There, he ripped the cage door off during the first-ever Hell in a Cell Match between Shawn Michaels and Undertaker. Kane and Undertaker then stood toe to toe during a chilling stare-down. The Big Red Monster wore a mask, and he hid his body in attire designed to conceal hideous burns from a fire supposedly started by his half-brother Undertaker. Then, Kane kicked the Deadman in the stomach and Tombstoned him — allowing a bloody Michaels to pin Undertaker for the victory.
Despite the unprovoked attack, Undertaker vowed he would not wage war against his own flesh and blood in front of a national audience. But Kane’s assaults continued, and when he set Undertaker ablaze inside a casket at the 1998 Royal Rumble, the Phenom was left with no choice. At WrestleMania XIV, the half-brothers met for the first time in singles competition, but it was only the beginning.
After the brutal WrestleMania matchup, Kane continued to climb the ranks by beating down the opposition. At King of the Ring 1998, Stone Cold and Kane clashed in a First Blood Match for the WWE Championship. As an added stipulation, Kane promised that if he lost, he’d set himself on fire.
The match, a brainchild of Mr. McMahon, gave Kane a distinct advantage since his face and body were covered, making it nearly impossible to confirm if he was bleeding. During the match, the referee was knocked out, and Undertaker ran to the ring with a steel chair to interfere. He swung at Kane but nailed Stone Cold, busting his head wide open. When the referee regained consciousness, he saw the blood and awarded the match to the Big Red Monster. Undertaker later revealed that he intended to bust open Stone Cold so that his half-brother wouldn’t set himself on fire. This punctuated a theme in the difficult sibling relationship, as they’d battle often but align at times to achieve great success as well. They’d also innovate during their heated rivalry, inventing such contests as the Inferno Match.
The night following the First Blood victory, Mr. McMahon decorated the ring with a red canvas and crowned Kane the new WWE Champion. The reign lasted only one night, but it was still an amazing accomplishment considering his debut was only eight months prior. Kane did pin the WWE Champion on one other occasion, but he did so simultaneously with the Undertaker. The event was Breakdown 1998, and because the half-brothers both covered Stone Cold, neither was declared champion. Instead, the WWE Championship was vacated.
While Kane hasn’t recaptured the WWE Championship, he’s experienced enormous success. He’s a two-time Intercontinental Champion and nine-time World Tag Team Champion. He’s shown near-unprecedented versatility in the tag team ranks, winning championships with brawlers such as Stone Cold and Mankind, as well as smaller, quicker partners such as The Hurricane and X-Pac. He’s also twice won the World Tag Team Championship with his half-brother, including a reign during the Alliance Invasion when they simultaneously held the World Tag Team Championship and WCW Tag Team Championship.
But it was during his time teaming with Rob Van Dam that Kane experienced one of the most emotional nights of his career. After being egged on for weeks about becoming “soft,” Kane agreed to a “Mask vs. Championship” Match against Triple H. Despite a valiant effort, Kane lost, and as RAW came to a close, the 7-footer unmasked and revealed his face to the world.
Once the mask was removed, Kane went on a hell-bent trail of destruction. He chokeslammed RVD, Eric Bischoff and Stone Cold. Then, he set RAW announcer Jim Ross on fire. But the action that could not be tolerated was hitting WWE CEO Linda McMahon with a Tombstone. That forced Shane McMahon to return to the ring in defense of his family, but even the risk-taking Shane-O-Mac couldn’t stop the Big Red Monster’s rage.
At Survivor Series in 2003, Kane attacked Undertaker once again and buried him alive with a bulldozer. For the following months, the Deadman haunted his younger sibling before announcing that at WrestleMania XX, the two would meet one more time.
After that, Kane began randomly attacking anyone who crossed his path. He viciously assaulted Shawn Michaels, putting him out of action. He then began to make life miserable for Lita, with whom he seemed obsessed.
Thanks to victory in a “’Till Death Do Us Part” Match against Matt Hardy, Kane got what he wanted. He married an unwilling Lita, who was carrying Kane's child. But an in-ring incident on RAW injured Lita, causing her to lose the couple's unborn son and leaving Kane an emotional and angry mess. He swore vengeance on Gene Snitsky, who he held responsible.
At Taboo Tuesday, Kane faced Snitsky in a “Weapon of Choice” match. Wielding a steel chain, Kane delivered a brutal beating. But Snitsky eventually gained the upper hand, crushing Kane's throat with a steel chair. After recuperating, Kane haunted Snitsky until he exacted some measure of revenge. Then he began tormenting Trish Stratus — Lita’s nemesis — and through doing so is seemingly finally gaining his wife’s favor. In a shocking moment the April 11, 2005 edition of RAW, Kane and Lita kissed. It was the first time both parties had done so willingly and passionately. After aligning briefly with Kane, Lita has changed her allegiances now to Edge in an act of ruthless betrayal.
Kane had a hard time dealing with Lita's betrayal. Lita took it even further and continually made out with Edge in front of Kane and even flushed her wedding ring down the toilet. Edge and Lita even had their own wedding ceremony, but Kane would not allow it to go down quietly. Kane came up through the altar and chased off the couple. Kane and Edge then fought in a series of brutal matches including a Steel Cage Match and a Stretcher Match. Lita was the one who ended up needing the stretcher, though, as Kane Tombstoned her on the stage.
After a brief hiatus, Kane returned just prior to Taboo Tuesday. Because he lost out in the voting for the Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship to Shawn Michaels, he was paired up with Big Show to face World Tag Team Champions Trevor Murdoch & Lance Cade. Big Show & Kane proved to be just too much size and strength to overcome for the young tag team, and Kane won his ninth World Tag Team Championship.
Kane and his tag team partner also played a huge role in the RAW vs. SmackDown rivalry that was brewing. They were key players on RAW's team at Survivor Series, but could not lead their brand to a victory. But at Armageddon they challenged SmackDown's WWE Tag Team Champions, Rey Mysterio & Batista, to a match. Even though it was a SmackDown pay-per-view, Kane & Big Show reigned victorious in the rare Champions vs. Champions Match.
The Big Red Monster and Big Show turned back the challenge of Carlito & Chris Masters at WrestleMania 22. But just one night later, on RAW, they faced Kenny and Mikey of the Spirit Squad. If it was just a two-on-two match, the tag champs surely would have retained the gold. But the other three members of the Spirit Squad - Mitch, Nickey and Johnny - all got involved. The numbers proved to be too much to overcome, and Big Show was pinned.
That’s when things started going horribly wrong for the Big Red Monster. Kane thought that the madness and the voices would stop once May 19 came and went. Leading up to that day, the same day that Kane's adopted parents died in a fire, the Big Red Monster was hearing voices that drove him to the brink of insanity. But it didn't stop after May 19. Things only got stranger for Kane. On the May 29 edition of RAW, Kane came face to face with what appeared to be a mirror image of himself. The mysterious being was dressed like the Kane of old, complete with his old ring attire and mask. After a stare-down, the unknown man chokeslammed Kane.
Kane continued to be attacked by his “clone” until they finally met in a match at Vengeance where he found himself on the receiving end of all of his own moves. Bringing new meaning to “being your own worst enemy,” the imposter Kane defeated the real Kane with a thunderous chokeslam, Just one day later, though, Kane chokeslammed the imposter on the stage at RAW and then threw him out of the arena.
Whether it is Tag Team or singles, whether he is facing himself or someone else, one thing is for sure: Kane is an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.
Undertaker
The Deadman has overcome every challenge he's faced in his WWE career en route to becoming one of the the greatest Superstars in WWE history.
From the moment his signature gong fills the air, WWE fans are captivated by Undertaker’s mere presence. The Deadman from Death Valley is usually a man of few words, but can often intimidate even the toughest WWE Superstars with one glance. His somber persona has been a terrifying trademark of WWE for over 15 years, and no list of WWE all-time greats can be considered complete without Undertaker.
At the 1990 Survivor Series, Ted DiBiase introduced Undertaker as the final member of his “Million Dollar Team” for a Classic Survivor Series Match. From the minute he walked through the curtain with manager Brother Love, fans were in awe of the Deadman’s presence.
Undertaker soon left Brother Love in favor of Paul Bearer, and made his WrestleMania debut by defeating Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka in 1991. The Deadman quickly made major waves in WWE, winning the WWE Championship from Hulk Hogan within a year of his debut at the 1991 Survivor Series. Hogan received an immediate rematch a week later, defeating the Deadman to regain the championship and end his undefeated streak.
After defeating former ally Jake “The Snake” Roberts at WrestleMania VIII, Undertaker became a fan favorite and found himself embroiled in a rivalry with manager Harvey Wippleman. Over the next year, Undertaker fought off several of Wippleman’s associates, including a victory over Kamala in the first-ever Casket Match at Survivor Series1992. Wippleman next produced Giant Gonzales, whom Undertaker defeated at WrestleMania IX and SummerSlam 1993.
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At the 1994 Royal Rumble, the Deadman met Yokozuna in a Casket Match for the WWE Championship. It took nearly a dozen men to help the 700-pound champion defeat the Deadman, and after the match, Undertaker said he would not rest in peace. Months later, Ted DiBiase claimed that he found Undertaker, but it turned out to be only a look-alike, and the real Deadman defeated his impostor at SummerSlam 1994. Undertaker then got his revenge on Yokozuna, defeating the big man in a Casket Match at the 1994 Survivor Series.
1995 saw Undertaker continue to battle Ted DiBiase’s Corporation, who had stolen Paul Bearer’s sacred urn at the Royal Rumble. Undertaker took on and defeated DiBiase’s entire team, including a victory over King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania XI and a Casket Match victory over Kama at SummerSlam.
After a brief rivalry that saw Mabel destroy Undertaker’s face, the Deadman vanquished Mabel in a Casket Match and turned his sights back to the WWE Championship. He took on Bret Hart at the 1996 Royal Rumble, but Diesel’s interference cost the Deadman his chance. After returning the favor to Diesel the next month, Undertaker defeated him at WrestleMania XII for his fifth consecutive WrestleMania victory.
Later in 1996, Paul Bearer turned on the Deadman, casting his lot with Mankind. Following Mankind’s Boiler Room Brawl victory over Undertaker at SummerSlam, Bearer handed the sacred urn to Mankind, who nailed the Deadman in the head with it. Undertaker finally got revenge by defeating Mankind at the 1996 Survivor Series; while their rivalry was not yet over, the Deadman turned away to focus on becoming champion once again.
After narrowly losing a Final Four Match for the WWE Championship in February 1997, Undertaker finally got another chance at WrestleMania 13. There, the Deadman defeated Sid to win the gold for a second time, also pushing his WrestleMania record to 6-0. Throughout the summer of 1997, the Deadman defeated the likes of Steve Austin, Vader and Mankind before an errant chairshot from guest referee Shawn Michaels allowed Bret hart to defeat the Deadman for the gold at SummerSlam.
Following SummerSlam, Undertaker began stalking Michaels, leading up to the first-ever Hell in a Cell Match at Badd Blood. As it seemed that the Deadman was set to win the match, Kane made his WWE Debut, attacking his brother and costing him the match. Undertaker originally refused to fight his brother, but changed his mind at the 1998 Royal Rumble.
That night, Kane helped Michaels defeat Undertaker in a Casket Match, then wheeled the casket into the entranceway and set it on fire. Undertaker returned a month later to challenge Kane to a match at WrestleMania XIV. It took three Tombstone Piledrivers, but Undertaker turned back his brother that night to keep his WrestleMania record intact.
That summer, Kane & Undertaker continued to battle, and the Big Red Machine found an ally in his brother’s arch-nemesis, Mankind. Mankind battled Undertaker in an infamous Hell in a Cell Match at King of the Ring 1998; the Deadman won the match, which provided one of the most breathtaking visuals in WWE history when he threw Mankind off the Cell through the Spanish announcers’ table nearly 20 feet below.
A month later, Undertaker teamed with Stone Cold to defeat Kane & Mankind for the World Tag Team Championship. They would lose the gold shortly thereafter, and Undertaker would lose to Austin at SummerSlam 1998 in a classic battle for the WWE Championship.
After SummerSlam, Undertaker reconciled with Kane, and the two simultaneously pinned Austin in September during a WWE Championship Match. The controversy surrounding the championship led to the Deadly Game Tournament at Survivor Series; Undertaker beat Kane in the first round but later lost to The Rock, who went on to win the tournament and his first WWE Championship.
Early in 1999, Undertaker recruited the Acolytes, The Brood, Mideon & Viscera to form the Ministry of Darkness. They targeted Mr. McMahon and the Corporation, with Stephanie McMahon being Undertaker’s ultimate target. The war between Undertaker and the McMahons led to the Deadman defeating Big Boss Man in a Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XV; soon after, the two groups patched up their differences and merged into one super group, and Undertaker defeated Steve Austin for his third WWE Championship in May 1999.
Undertaker later lost the gold back to Austin, and after that loss, he shifted his focus. The Deadman formed a team with Big Show, and together they captured the World Tag Team Championship twice in the fall of 1999. Later that fall, Undertaker refused to participate in a Casket Match against Triple H, leading to Mr. McMahon suspending the Deadman indefinitely.
He would not return until May 2000, when he began a rivalry with then-WWE Champion Triple H and D-Generation X. Reconciling once again with Kane, Undertaker ran roughshod over WWE, nearly winning the WWE Championship on several occasions. That December, Undertaker teamed up with The Rock to win the World Tag Team Championship, a reign that would last only three days.
Despite that loss, Undertaker went on to have a big year in 2001 After defeating Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven to improve his WrestleMania record to 9-0, the Deadman teamed with Kane to win the World Tag Team Championship that April. Undertaker also helped Mr. McMahon fight off the ECW/WCW Alliance’s invasion, and Undertaker & Kane won both the WCW and World Tag Team Championships that summer. Undertaker was also on the victorious WWE team at Survivor Series, putting the Alliance out of business.
Following that win, however, his attitude began to change. He won the Hardcore Championship from Rob Van Dam at Vengeance in December, then began a rivalry with Ric Flair after Flair cost him a match at No Way Out. The Deadman defeated Flair in a No-Disqualification Match at WrestleMania X8, marking the Deadman’s 10th consecutive WrestleMania win. Regardless, Flair chose Undertaker as RAW’s No. 1 pick in the brand extension draft that April, and the Deadman paid immediate dividends by defeating Hulk Hogan for his fourth WWE Championship at Judgment Day.
After losing the gold at Vengeance, Undertaker became a fan favorite once again, taking on the Un-Americans. After defeating Test at SummerSlam, the Deadman moved from RAW to SmackDown, where he became a top contender to WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. After a bitter rivalry, Lesnar finally defeated the Deadman at No Mercy in a bloody Hell in a Cell Match, and the two put their differences aside. That same week, Undertaker was injured by Big Show, putting him out of action for three months.
The Deadman returned at the 2003 Royal Rumble, where he entered No. 30 but was the last man eliminated by eventual winner Lesnar. Undertaker set his sights on Big Show, and at WrestleMania XIX, he defeated Show & A-Train in a Handicap Match to get retribution. The rivalry between Big Show & Undertaker continued throughout 2003, with Lesnar and Kurt Angle once again getting involved during the summer. Finally, Mr. McMahon got involved, helping Lesnar defeat the Deadman at No Mercy.
Undertaker then challenged McMahon to a Buried Alive Match at Survivor Series. McMahon was victorious with help from RAW Superstar Kane, who attacked his brother to help the WWE Chairman bury him alive. Undertaker would not be seen again for four months, but made his presence felt wherever Kane went. After two months of mind games, Paul Bearer and the Deadman returned at WrestleMania XX to defeat Kane for a second time at WrestleMania in an inter-promotional match.
Following his return to SmackDown, Undertaker took on all comers, but was forced to leave Paul Bearer behind. Eventually, he found himself as the top contender to WWE Champion JBL, and the two met at SummerSlam. JBL won the match by disqualification, but the rivalry was only beginning.
Undertaker stalked JBL for months, but was unable to win the gold. Heidenreich’s interference helped JBL win a Last Ride Match at No Mercy; because of this, the Deadman shifted his focus to go after Heidenreich instead. He would defeat Heidenreich at Survivor Series, then once again in a Casket Match at the 2005 Royal Rumble.
It was around that time that RAW’s Randy Orton was looking to do something big at WrestleMania. After much deliberation, the Legend Killer decided to try to slay the biggest Legend of them all, challenging the Deadman to a match at WrestleMania. Despite the best efforts of both Orton and father Cowboy Bob, the Deadman defeated the Legend Killer to make it a perfect 13-0 at WrestleMania, injuring Orton’s shoulder in the process.
Orton would strike back in June, costing Undertaker a match with JBL after being drafted to SmackDown earlier in the night. Orton then helped JBL defeat Undertaker again in July on SmackDown, and the Legend Killer and the Deadman were set for another showdown at SummerSlam. This time, Cowboy Bob’s interference helped Randy defeat Undertaker, but the war was far from over.
Undertaker haunted the Ortons throughout the fall, leading to a Handicap Casket Match at No Mercy. Randy & Cowboy Bob were victorious, but after the match, they lit the casket containing Undertaker on fire, seemingly burning him alive. It was not to be, however, and after Orton was the sole survivor to help Team SmackDown defeat Team RAW at Survivor Series, Undertaker made his triumphant return.
Two nights later at the SmackDown special, Orton tried to take out the Deadman again, driving him through the stage as he clung to the back of a lowrider. It didn’t work, and the two were put into a Hell in a Cell Match at Armageddon. Undertaker finally got revenge that night, defeating the Legend Killer with a Tombstone Piledriver.
At the 2006 Royal Rumble, the Deadman set his sights back on the World Heavyweight Championship, challenging Kurt Angle for the gold after Angle defeated Mark Henry. The match was set for No Way Out, and after a classic encounter, the champion was able to pin the Deadman to retain the championship. Undertaker said he wasn’t done with Angle yet, and a rematch was set two weeks later on Friday Night SmackDown.
During the match, it looked like the Deadman had the gold won once again when Mark Henry interfered. The World’s Strongest Man viciously attacked Undertaker, splashing him through the announcers’ table at ringside. The following week, after Henry & Randy Orton faced Angle & Rey Mysterio, the Deadman’s voice filled the air. He challenged the World’s Strongest Man to a Casket Match, which Henry readily accepted immediately. The next week, Henry called Undertaker out to meet face to face at Saturday Night's Main Event; the Deadman responded, attacking Henry and giving Daivari a Tombstone onto the lid of a casket.
Finally, Undertaker defeated Henry in the Casket Match at WrestleMania 22 to improve his perfect WrestleMania record to 14-0. Henry requested a rematch the following week on Friday night SmackDown, but the match served only as a backdrop for an attack on the Deadman by Henry's manager, Daivari and his new protege The Great Khali.
Khali came into the ring and nailed Undertaker with a vicious chop, leaving the Deadman down in the ring. For weeks, the Deadman was not seen or heard from, leading Daivari to claim that his spirit had been broken and he was afraid. Finally, Theodore Long announced that the Deadman had challenged Khali to a match at Judgment Day; Khali accepted, and the confrontation was finally set.
Coming into Judgment Day, Undertaker had successfully turned back every other challenger he had faced in his long and illustrious WWE career. However, the 7 foot 3, 420 pound Great Khali proved to be an exception to the rule. Never before was Undertaker manhandled in such a fashion as he was by the threatening Khali. Daivari's new monster disposed of the Phenom with ease, leaving all to wonder if Undertaker will ever be heard from again. He turned down an invitation to be on Piper's Pit on the June 2 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, furthering speculation that there may be truth to Daivari's earlier claim that the Deadman's spirit has been broken by Khali.
At The Great American Bash, the Phenom survived the most fiendish, barbaric match in WWE history: the Punjabi Prison Match. Undertaker was scheduled to collide in the Prison with his nemesis, Khali, until SmackDown GM Teddy Long replaced Khali with Big Show following a backstage ambush by both Show and Khali. After being dominated for weeks by The Great Khali, the Deadman rose to the occasion and prevailed in a match never before seen in the Western world.
From the moment his signature gong fills the air, WWE fans are captivated by Undertaker’s mere presence. The Deadman from Death Valley is usually a man of few words, but can often intimidate even the toughest WWE Superstars with one glance. His somber persona has been a terrifying trademark of WWE for over 15 years, and no list of WWE all-time greats can be considered complete without Undertaker.
At the 1990 Survivor Series, Ted DiBiase introduced Undertaker as the final member of his “Million Dollar Team” for a Classic Survivor Series Match. From the minute he walked through the curtain with manager Brother Love, fans were in awe of the Deadman’s presence.
Undertaker soon left Brother Love in favor of Paul Bearer, and made his WrestleMania debut by defeating Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka in 1991. The Deadman quickly made major waves in WWE, winning the WWE Championship from Hulk Hogan within a year of his debut at the 1991 Survivor Series. Hogan received an immediate rematch a week later, defeating the Deadman to regain the championship and end his undefeated streak.
After defeating former ally Jake “The Snake” Roberts at WrestleMania VIII, Undertaker became a fan favorite and found himself embroiled in a rivalry with manager Harvey Wippleman. Over the next year, Undertaker fought off several of Wippleman’s associates, including a victory over Kamala in the first-ever Casket Match at Survivor Series1992. Wippleman next produced Giant Gonzales, whom Undertaker defeated at WrestleMania IX and SummerSlam 1993.
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At the 1994 Royal Rumble, the Deadman met Yokozuna in a Casket Match for the WWE Championship. It took nearly a dozen men to help the 700-pound champion defeat the Deadman, and after the match, Undertaker said he would not rest in peace. Months later, Ted DiBiase claimed that he found Undertaker, but it turned out to be only a look-alike, and the real Deadman defeated his impostor at SummerSlam 1994. Undertaker then got his revenge on Yokozuna, defeating the big man in a Casket Match at the 1994 Survivor Series.
1995 saw Undertaker continue to battle Ted DiBiase’s Corporation, who had stolen Paul Bearer’s sacred urn at the Royal Rumble. Undertaker took on and defeated DiBiase’s entire team, including a victory over King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania XI and a Casket Match victory over Kama at SummerSlam.
After a brief rivalry that saw Mabel destroy Undertaker’s face, the Deadman vanquished Mabel in a Casket Match and turned his sights back to the WWE Championship. He took on Bret Hart at the 1996 Royal Rumble, but Diesel’s interference cost the Deadman his chance. After returning the favor to Diesel the next month, Undertaker defeated him at WrestleMania XII for his fifth consecutive WrestleMania victory.
Later in 1996, Paul Bearer turned on the Deadman, casting his lot with Mankind. Following Mankind’s Boiler Room Brawl victory over Undertaker at SummerSlam, Bearer handed the sacred urn to Mankind, who nailed the Deadman in the head with it. Undertaker finally got revenge by defeating Mankind at the 1996 Survivor Series; while their rivalry was not yet over, the Deadman turned away to focus on becoming champion once again.
After narrowly losing a Final Four Match for the WWE Championship in February 1997, Undertaker finally got another chance at WrestleMania 13. There, the Deadman defeated Sid to win the gold for a second time, also pushing his WrestleMania record to 6-0. Throughout the summer of 1997, the Deadman defeated the likes of Steve Austin, Vader and Mankind before an errant chairshot from guest referee Shawn Michaels allowed Bret hart to defeat the Deadman for the gold at SummerSlam.
Following SummerSlam, Undertaker began stalking Michaels, leading up to the first-ever Hell in a Cell Match at Badd Blood. As it seemed that the Deadman was set to win the match, Kane made his WWE Debut, attacking his brother and costing him the match. Undertaker originally refused to fight his brother, but changed his mind at the 1998 Royal Rumble.
That night, Kane helped Michaels defeat Undertaker in a Casket Match, then wheeled the casket into the entranceway and set it on fire. Undertaker returned a month later to challenge Kane to a match at WrestleMania XIV. It took three Tombstone Piledrivers, but Undertaker turned back his brother that night to keep his WrestleMania record intact.
That summer, Kane & Undertaker continued to battle, and the Big Red Machine found an ally in his brother’s arch-nemesis, Mankind. Mankind battled Undertaker in an infamous Hell in a Cell Match at King of the Ring 1998; the Deadman won the match, which provided one of the most breathtaking visuals in WWE history when he threw Mankind off the Cell through the Spanish announcers’ table nearly 20 feet below.
A month later, Undertaker teamed with Stone Cold to defeat Kane & Mankind for the World Tag Team Championship. They would lose the gold shortly thereafter, and Undertaker would lose to Austin at SummerSlam 1998 in a classic battle for the WWE Championship.
After SummerSlam, Undertaker reconciled with Kane, and the two simultaneously pinned Austin in September during a WWE Championship Match. The controversy surrounding the championship led to the Deadly Game Tournament at Survivor Series; Undertaker beat Kane in the first round but later lost to The Rock, who went on to win the tournament and his first WWE Championship.
Early in 1999, Undertaker recruited the Acolytes, The Brood, Mideon & Viscera to form the Ministry of Darkness. They targeted Mr. McMahon and the Corporation, with Stephanie McMahon being Undertaker’s ultimate target. The war between Undertaker and the McMahons led to the Deadman defeating Big Boss Man in a Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XV; soon after, the two groups patched up their differences and merged into one super group, and Undertaker defeated Steve Austin for his third WWE Championship in May 1999.
Undertaker later lost the gold back to Austin, and after that loss, he shifted his focus. The Deadman formed a team with Big Show, and together they captured the World Tag Team Championship twice in the fall of 1999. Later that fall, Undertaker refused to participate in a Casket Match against Triple H, leading to Mr. McMahon suspending the Deadman indefinitely.
He would not return until May 2000, when he began a rivalry with then-WWE Champion Triple H and D-Generation X. Reconciling once again with Kane, Undertaker ran roughshod over WWE, nearly winning the WWE Championship on several occasions. That December, Undertaker teamed up with The Rock to win the World Tag Team Championship, a reign that would last only three days.
Despite that loss, Undertaker went on to have a big year in 2001 After defeating Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven to improve his WrestleMania record to 9-0, the Deadman teamed with Kane to win the World Tag Team Championship that April. Undertaker also helped Mr. McMahon fight off the ECW/WCW Alliance’s invasion, and Undertaker & Kane won both the WCW and World Tag Team Championships that summer. Undertaker was also on the victorious WWE team at Survivor Series, putting the Alliance out of business.
Following that win, however, his attitude began to change. He won the Hardcore Championship from Rob Van Dam at Vengeance in December, then began a rivalry with Ric Flair after Flair cost him a match at No Way Out. The Deadman defeated Flair in a No-Disqualification Match at WrestleMania X8, marking the Deadman’s 10th consecutive WrestleMania win. Regardless, Flair chose Undertaker as RAW’s No. 1 pick in the brand extension draft that April, and the Deadman paid immediate dividends by defeating Hulk Hogan for his fourth WWE Championship at Judgment Day.
After losing the gold at Vengeance, Undertaker became a fan favorite once again, taking on the Un-Americans. After defeating Test at SummerSlam, the Deadman moved from RAW to SmackDown, where he became a top contender to WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. After a bitter rivalry, Lesnar finally defeated the Deadman at No Mercy in a bloody Hell in a Cell Match, and the two put their differences aside. That same week, Undertaker was injured by Big Show, putting him out of action for three months.
The Deadman returned at the 2003 Royal Rumble, where he entered No. 30 but was the last man eliminated by eventual winner Lesnar. Undertaker set his sights on Big Show, and at WrestleMania XIX, he defeated Show & A-Train in a Handicap Match to get retribution. The rivalry between Big Show & Undertaker continued throughout 2003, with Lesnar and Kurt Angle once again getting involved during the summer. Finally, Mr. McMahon got involved, helping Lesnar defeat the Deadman at No Mercy.
Undertaker then challenged McMahon to a Buried Alive Match at Survivor Series. McMahon was victorious with help from RAW Superstar Kane, who attacked his brother to help the WWE Chairman bury him alive. Undertaker would not be seen again for four months, but made his presence felt wherever Kane went. After two months of mind games, Paul Bearer and the Deadman returned at WrestleMania XX to defeat Kane for a second time at WrestleMania in an inter-promotional match.
Following his return to SmackDown, Undertaker took on all comers, but was forced to leave Paul Bearer behind. Eventually, he found himself as the top contender to WWE Champion JBL, and the two met at SummerSlam. JBL won the match by disqualification, but the rivalry was only beginning.
Undertaker stalked JBL for months, but was unable to win the gold. Heidenreich’s interference helped JBL win a Last Ride Match at No Mercy; because of this, the Deadman shifted his focus to go after Heidenreich instead. He would defeat Heidenreich at Survivor Series, then once again in a Casket Match at the 2005 Royal Rumble.
It was around that time that RAW’s Randy Orton was looking to do something big at WrestleMania. After much deliberation, the Legend Killer decided to try to slay the biggest Legend of them all, challenging the Deadman to a match at WrestleMania. Despite the best efforts of both Orton and father Cowboy Bob, the Deadman defeated the Legend Killer to make it a perfect 13-0 at WrestleMania, injuring Orton’s shoulder in the process.
Orton would strike back in June, costing Undertaker a match with JBL after being drafted to SmackDown earlier in the night. Orton then helped JBL defeat Undertaker again in July on SmackDown, and the Legend Killer and the Deadman were set for another showdown at SummerSlam. This time, Cowboy Bob’s interference helped Randy defeat Undertaker, but the war was far from over.
Undertaker haunted the Ortons throughout the fall, leading to a Handicap Casket Match at No Mercy. Randy & Cowboy Bob were victorious, but after the match, they lit the casket containing Undertaker on fire, seemingly burning him alive. It was not to be, however, and after Orton was the sole survivor to help Team SmackDown defeat Team RAW at Survivor Series, Undertaker made his triumphant return.
Two nights later at the SmackDown special, Orton tried to take out the Deadman again, driving him through the stage as he clung to the back of a lowrider. It didn’t work, and the two were put into a Hell in a Cell Match at Armageddon. Undertaker finally got revenge that night, defeating the Legend Killer with a Tombstone Piledriver.
At the 2006 Royal Rumble, the Deadman set his sights back on the World Heavyweight Championship, challenging Kurt Angle for the gold after Angle defeated Mark Henry. The match was set for No Way Out, and after a classic encounter, the champion was able to pin the Deadman to retain the championship. Undertaker said he wasn’t done with Angle yet, and a rematch was set two weeks later on Friday Night SmackDown.
During the match, it looked like the Deadman had the gold won once again when Mark Henry interfered. The World’s Strongest Man viciously attacked Undertaker, splashing him through the announcers’ table at ringside. The following week, after Henry & Randy Orton faced Angle & Rey Mysterio, the Deadman’s voice filled the air. He challenged the World’s Strongest Man to a Casket Match, which Henry readily accepted immediately. The next week, Henry called Undertaker out to meet face to face at Saturday Night's Main Event; the Deadman responded, attacking Henry and giving Daivari a Tombstone onto the lid of a casket.
Finally, Undertaker defeated Henry in the Casket Match at WrestleMania 22 to improve his perfect WrestleMania record to 14-0. Henry requested a rematch the following week on Friday night SmackDown, but the match served only as a backdrop for an attack on the Deadman by Henry's manager, Daivari and his new protege The Great Khali.
Khali came into the ring and nailed Undertaker with a vicious chop, leaving the Deadman down in the ring. For weeks, the Deadman was not seen or heard from, leading Daivari to claim that his spirit had been broken and he was afraid. Finally, Theodore Long announced that the Deadman had challenged Khali to a match at Judgment Day; Khali accepted, and the confrontation was finally set.
Coming into Judgment Day, Undertaker had successfully turned back every other challenger he had faced in his long and illustrious WWE career. However, the 7 foot 3, 420 pound Great Khali proved to be an exception to the rule. Never before was Undertaker manhandled in such a fashion as he was by the threatening Khali. Daivari's new monster disposed of the Phenom with ease, leaving all to wonder if Undertaker will ever be heard from again. He turned down an invitation to be on Piper's Pit on the June 2 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, furthering speculation that there may be truth to Daivari's earlier claim that the Deadman's spirit has been broken by Khali.
At The Great American Bash, the Phenom survived the most fiendish, barbaric match in WWE history: the Punjabi Prison Match. Undertaker was scheduled to collide in the Prison with his nemesis, Khali, until SmackDown GM Teddy Long replaced Khali with Big Show following a backstage ambush by both Show and Khali. After being dominated for weeks by The Great Khali, the Deadman rose to the occasion and prevailed in a match never before seen in the Western world.
Shawn Michaels
D-Generation X has re-united, and it seems as if they are better than ever. Just three weeks after suffering a knee injury at the hands of the Squad, HBK returned on the June 12 Raw. As Triple H was facing the Squad 5 on 1, Michaels made a surprise return by attacking Mitch. After a brief staredown with Mr. McMahon, HBK charged the ring to help The Game fight off the remaining members of the Squad. When the ring was clear, the two men exchanged a high five and did their signature DX crotch chop in the direction of the WWE Chairman.
DX "officially" reunited the next week, and their fingerprints could be found all over Raw. You can take a full look at the carnage they caused here, and you can check out their special Superstar section for a look back at the history of D-Generation X.
When he’s paired with Triple H, Shawn Michaels is known for his rebel antics outside the ring, and his ferociousness inside of it. While Triple H was out on personal business during the July 24 edition of Raw, HBK felt what it was like to get run over by the Samoan Bulldozer. During his match with Jonathan Coachman — which the Chairman set up — Michaels not only manhandled Coachman, but all five members of the Spirit Squad as well. What he didn’t anticipate was that Umaga, the undefeated Samoan monster, was lurking behind him waiting to attack.
After the beating, Michaels was left in the ring struggling to catch his breath, and he needed assistance getting to the locker room. When he meets Umaga on Raw this week, HBK will want to prove that the Samoan Bulldozer needed to blindside him in order to get one over on the Showstopper.
At Vengeance, the Spirit Squad fell to the powerhouse that is DX in a 5-on-2 Handicap Match, so the McMahon men decided to take things into their own hands the next night on Raw. While it was supposed to be DX vs. The McMahons, DX instead came out and impersonated them with Triple H playing the WWE Chairman and HBK as Shane-o-Mac. Later, after telling the McMahons that they were full of crap, DX had actual human waste dumped on them (and the Spirit Squad as well) as they stood on the entrance stage.While the odds continually seem stacked against HBK in his war with the McMahons and the Spirit Squad, he has made a career out of overcoming the odds and rising to the top.
Whether you know him as the Showstopper, the Main Event or the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels is one of the most successful Superstars in WWE history. Throughout a nearly 20-year career in WWE, HBK has done it all, from winning the Royal Rumble to being a multiple-time WWE Champion. Never one to back down from a challenge no matter the odds, HBK has shown that he is one of the most dedicated and courageous WWE Superstars to ever grace the ring; he is unanimously considered one of the greatest wrestlers to ever compete and has become one of the cornerstones of Raw.
Michaels’ track record speaks for itself, as he has accumulated enough hardware to make just about any WWE Superstar jealous. Michaels was the first-ever Grand Slam Champion, capturing the European Championship once, the World Tag Team Championship three times, the Intercontinental Championship three times and the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships a total of four times.
But his success didn’t happen overnight. HBK knew he wanted to be a professional wrestler since he was 12 years old, when he saw his first match. Michaels’ athletic career began at age six when he started playing football, and he eventually became a stand-out linebacker and a captain on his high school team. After graduating, he attended Southwest Texas State University, but soon realized that college wasn’t the path he wanted to follow. Michaels thought it was time to begin chasing his dream of becoming a WWE Superstar.
HBK began his training under the tutelage of Jose Lothario. After a few months of training, Lothario felt that his protégé was ready for some in-ring action, and two weeks after his 19th birthday, HBK had his first match with Mid-South Wrestling against Art Cruz. He lost his debut match, but he improved in his second match, wrestling to a time-limit draw, and then won his third match. After a stop in Kansas City, Michaels was headed back to his home state to Texas All-Star Wrestling.
It was there that he teamed up with Paul Diamond to make up the team of American Force. The combination was a successful one, as they were able to capture the Texas All-Star Tag Team Championships twice. After about three months, Michaels headed to the American Wrestling Alliance (AWA) with a friend he had met in Kansas City. That friend was Marty Jannetty, who went on to become HBK’s tag team partner. The duo was dubbed the Midnight Rockers.
They quickly became one of the hottest teams in the AWA, catching the eye of WWE, who invited the Midnight Rockers to a live event for a tryout. WWE officials felt they were a bit too immature at that time, so the Midnight Rockers headed back to the AWA. But WWE hadn’t heard the last of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty.
While back in the AWA, the Midnight Rockers captured the Southern Tag Team Championship twice and won the AWA Tag Team Championship for a second time. All of the hardware the Midnight Rockers had been sporting again caught the eye of those with WWE, and this time Michaels and Jannetty made the most of it. They both signed contracts, dropped the “Midnight” from their name, and The Rockers were born.
Because of their high-flying abilities and boyish good looks, The Rockers became an instant hit with both male and female fans of all ages. They made their pay-per-view debut at the 1988 Survivor Series, as they successfully teamed with The Powers of Pain, The Young Stallions, The Hart Foundation and the British Bulldogs. After making their Royal Rumble debut in 1989, the two had a classic encounter with the Twin Towers (Big Boss Man and “The African Dream” Akeem) at WrestleMania V. Their mammoth opponents proved to be just too big to handle, but the high-flyers kept the giants off balance almost the entire match — making all other teams take immediate notice of their potential.
In 1990, the Rockers earned themselves a Tag Team Championship match against the Hart Foundation. The Rockers came out on top, but during the match, the top rope buckled. Days after the match, it was ruled that since the rope had broken, the match as invalid, and the titles were returned to the Hart Foundation. This was the only time the Rockers would approach tag team gold in WWE.
The Rockers were back in Survivor Series in 1991, teaming up with the Bushwhackers against The Nasty Boys and The Beverly Brothers. After a mistake by Jannetty caused Michaels to be eliminated, HBK walked out on his partner, later explaining his actions by saying that he had been carrying the team and was fed up. A couple months later, the two met on a segment of Brutus Beefcake’s “Barber Shop” to try and iron out their differences. Just when it appeared that the Rockers were back together, Michaels superkicked Jannetty and threw him head-first through one of the Shop’s glass windows. The Rockers were no more.
The breakup of the Rockers was the end of a successful tag team career for Michaels, but it also meant the birth of a singles career that would propel The Showstopper to new heights. Michaels promptly added Sensational Sherri as his manager, and on Oct. 27, 1992, he dethroned the British Bulldog to become Intercontinental Champion. By the time the Royal Rumble rolled around in January 1993, Jannetty was fully recovered and had revenge on his mind. The two squared off at the pay-per-view, and during the match Jannetty was about to smash a mirror over HBK’s head. Instead, Michaels shoved Sherri in front of him, allowing her to take the full brunt of the mirror’s impact. Even though Michaels retained the title, Sherri left him for Jannetty based on the incident.
After losing Sherri, Michaels had a void to fill by his side. Instead of going for an attractive and cunning sidekick, HBK employed the services of Diesel, a man who epitomized brute force. Michaels was forced to give up his Intercontinental Championship because he had not defended it within 30 days, but at WrestleMania X, Michaels returned and faced Razor Ramon in the first-ever pay-per-view Ladder Match for the championship, a match that is still talked about today as one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time. After brutalizing each other with innovative moves that had never been seen before, Razor Ramon came out on top.
But the Showstopper wouldn’t let himself stay down for long. Michaels and Diesel picked off the Headshrinkers for the World Tag Team Championship, Michaels’ first tag team championship reign. However, HBK abandoned the titles at Survivor Series that November after an argument with Diesel, and went back to focusing on his singles career.
And what better way to get back into the WWE Championship hunt than make a big splash at the Royal Rumble. In 1995, Michaels entered the January classic at No. 1. It seemed like he was merely being thrown to the dogs at such a number, as no one had ever won after being the first participant. HBK was out to make history, but the British Bulldog had the same thoughts on his mind. Bulldog entered at No. 2, and just as he and Michaels stood alone in the ring at the beginning of the match, it was the same pair going toe to toe at the end of the match. After gaining the upper hand, the Bulldog clotheslined Michaels over the top rope, but only one of his feet touched the floor. Thinking that the win was his, Bulldog turned his back on Michaels and began his victory celebration. Michaels snuck back into the ring and knocked out the unsuspecting Bulldog to win his first Royal Rumble.
Michaels went on to WrestleMania to compete for the WWE Championship, but his former bodyguard Diesel was able to retain. After a couple of months at each other’s throats, the pair patched up their differences and moved onward. HBK went on to defeat Jeff Jarrett for his third Intercontinental Championship but was challenged soon after by a familiar foe: Razor Ramon. After their historic battle at WrestleMania X, there was only one way to settle the score: with another Ladder Match. So, the two hooked up for their second Ladder Match at SummerSlam. Learning from his past mistakes, HBK came out on top and retained his title in another classic match that arguably was even more brutal than the first.
Due to injuries, Michaels was forced to vacate the championship once again after not defending within the mandatory 30 days. He would rebound with a vengeance, however, winning the Royal Rumble for a second straight year. The win earned him a WWE Championship shot at WrestleMania XII against the “Excellence of Execution” Bret Hart, and the two met in a 60-minute WWE Iron Man Match that stole the show. The goal was to score the most pinfalls or submissions in the allotted time, but these two WWE Superstars put forth such gutsy performances that neither competitor had notched a win in the entire 60 minutes. Hart had Michaels in the center of the ring trapped in the Sharpshooter with seconds remaining, but HBK was able to suck it up until the bell rang. President Gorilla Monsoon made his way down to ringside and informed the referee to restart the match and continue under sudden death rules. After Hart had worked on HBK’s back, Michaels came from nowhere to hit Sweet Chin Music. Too tired to capitalize, Michaels got up and cued up the band one more time, which was finally enough to win his first-ever WWE Championship.
There was no rest for the weary, however, as Michaels had to start defending his championship right away. HBK proved to be one of the fightingest champions in history, as he defeated the likes of Diesel, British Bulldog, Vader, Mankind and Goldust. Michaels’ reign had to come to an end sometime, and it was another of Shawn’s former bodyguards, Sycho Sid, who dethroned the champ at Survivor Series 1996. With the ref knocked out, Sid commandeered a television camera and hit Michaels over the head with it, then powerbombed him for the win.
Michaels regrouped, though, and again learned from his mistakes. In a rematch at the 1997 Royal Rumble, HBK used a trick from Sid’s playbook, using a television camera to knock down his giant foe. The camera wasn’t enough as Sid kicked out at two, but Michaels laid him out with Sweet Chin Music for the win. The reign only lasted a few weeks, however; just as Michaels had to forfeit his Intercontinental Championship without defeat, he relinquished the WWE Championship after claiming to have “lost his smile.”
After months of searching, HBK returned to WWE and formed an unlikely pairing with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Although the two shared a hatred for each other, they also shared a hatred for the Hart Foundation. They put their differences aside and went out to fight for their common goal, and it led to the Showstopper’s second World Tag Team Championship reign. After their relationship deteriorated, Michaels turned to people he thought he could trust, and what happened next revolutionized WWE.
Michaels paired up with Triple H and Chyna to form D-Generation X, a group that defied authority and marched to the beat of their own drum. They employed the use of vulgarity and obscene gestures and spit in the face of those that tried to stop them. On Sept. 20, 1997, Michaels defeated the British Bulldog for the European Championship, which in turn made him the first-ever winner of the Grand Slam.
After basically handing the European Championship to Triple H in a farce of a match, Michaels was once again focused on the WWE Championship. Little did Michaels know, though, that to become the No. 1 Contender for Bret Hart’s WWE Championship, he would have to travel to hell and back — Hell in a Cell, that is. HBK faced Undertaker at Bad Blood in the first ever Hell in a Cell Match. Michaels was beaten to a bloody mess, but he tried to stay strong. At one point, he was thrown off the side of the cage into an announce table, and things were not looking very good. Just then, Undertaker’s brother Kane made his WWE debut and obliterated the Deadman. Michaels, barely able to pull himself up, was able to take advantage and make the cover.
That gave HBK the right to go on to Survivor Series to face Bret Hart in “The Montreal Incident” — one of the most controversial matches in WWE history. After another grueling battle with his familiar opponent, Michaels locked in Bret’s finishing move, the Sharpshooter. Earl Hebner, who was officiating the match, inexplicably called for the bell, even though it appeared as though Bret had not given up. A confused Michaels took the belt and quickly exited to the back with his third WWE Championship, while Hart fumed in the ring.
Michaels’ highly successful WWE career was in jeopardy following the 1998 Royal Rumble, where HBK squared off against Undertaker in a Casket Match. During the match, Michaels landed awkwardly on the casket and severely injured his back. Barely able to move and again with the help of Kane, Michaels was able to retain his title. Michaels refused to let the injury take him out, though, and he moved on to WrestleMania XIV where he faced Stone Cold, with “Iron” Mike Tyson as the special enforcer. Michaels, who was visibly in pain the entire match, put forth a gutsy performance, but in the end it wasn’t enough to win. The match was thought to have been his last ever, as he required what many thought was career-ending back surgery.
But nothing can keep the Showstopper down forever. Michaels returned to Raw on June 3, 2002, as the newest member of the nWo. Soon after joining, though, Vince McMahon disbanded the group and Michaels was back on his own. He convinced Triple H to join him on Raw, and when the two got back together, Triple H encouraged Michaels to re-form D-X. However, when Michaels was about to put on an old D-X shirt, Triple H pedigreed his former friend. The following week, Michaels was thrown through a car window by an unknown assailant. Security footage, however, revealed that it was the work of Triple H, who was afraid that Michaels was going to steal the spotlight away from him. This kicked off what has been, arguably, the most vicious rivalry WWE fans have ever seen.
Their first encounter came at SummerSlam in a Street Fight. WWE fans everywhere were wondering if Michaels would be able to go back to his high-flying and daredevil ways, but he would answer those questions rather quickly. Michaels was flying around the ring and even used an elbow smash off of a ladder and a plancha through a table. In the end, he was able to reverse a Pedigree attempt for the pin. After the match, Triple H took out Michaels with a sledgehammer, signifying that the battle had indeed just begun.
At Survivor Series, Michaels and Triple H participated in the first ever Elimination Chamber Match, with HBK coming out on top to win the World Heavyweight Championship from his sworn enemy.
The rivalry went to another level at Armageddon. The two Superstars went at it in a best two-out-of-three falls match, but there was a catch. The first match was a Street Fight, the second match was a Steel Cage Match and the third was a Ladder Latch — the same match that HBK made famous. Triple H took the first fall in the Street Fight; HBK won the Cage Match, but Triple H was able to beat Michaels at his own game in the Ladder Match to take back the World Heavyweight Championship.Triple H and Michaels took a break from each other after that, but HBK was brutally attacked by Chris Jericho on an edition of Raw on March 3. The beating led to a classic match at WrestleMania XIX. The two shared similar styles, and while Jericho had youth on his side, Michaels was able pull out the victory. After the match, Jericho gave Michaels a hug, but it was a ploy as he nailed him with a low-blow.
Michaels then turned his trust towards Ric Flair in a Handicap Match against Triple H, but it proved to be a poor judgment. Flair turned on Michaels as Evolution re-formed and beat down Michaels. Flair and Orton followed the beating up with singles victories, but Michaels bounced back with wins over Orton and Batista and then went to a draw with Triple H in a Last Man Standing Match at the Royal Rumble 2004.
Chris Benoit won the Rumble Match that same night, earning him a shot at Triple H’s World Heavyweight Championship. Michaels, however, wanted Triple H all for himself. During Benoit’s contract signing, Michaels knocked Benoit out and signed his own name to the contract. To clear up the controversy, a Triple Threat Match was signed for WrestleMania XX. The match went on to become one of the greatest main events in WrestleMania history, but Benoit came out on top. The three met up again one month later, but the result was the same. The two matches weren’t enough to put their rivalry to rest, though.
Triple H again faced Michaels at Bad Blood in a bloody, 45-minute Hell in a Cell Match. Triple H ultimately managed two Pedigrees in a row for the win. The following night on Raw, Jim Ross tried to get the two to bury the hatchet, but the meeting was unceremoniously interrupted by Kane who brutally attacked Michaels. Kane placed Michaels’ throat in a folding a chair and then stomped on it off the ropes, crushing HBK’s larynx in the process.
Michaels returned Sept. 12 at Unforgiven and won a No-Disqualification Match over Kane, gaining his revenge. One month later, Michaels beat out Edge and Benoit in fan voting at Taboo Tuesday to win a shot at Triple H’s World Heavyweight Championship one more time. Unfortunately, the night before Taboo Tuesday on Raw, Michaels severely injured his knee. Barely able to move, Michaels still made it out for his match at Taboo Tuesday and put forth a valiant effort. Just when Michaels had Triple H lined up for “Sweet Chin Music,” Edge, who was jealous he didn’t receive the opportunity, appeared and speared The Showstopper. Michaels lost, and went in for knee surgery the next day.
Michaels miraculously appeared on the next edition of Raw with a message of appreciation for the WWE fans. Upon his return, he sought out Edge for retribution. After facing Edge at the Royal Rumble, Michaels was attacked by Kurt Angle, kicking off the rivalry that continued throughout 2005.
The two former champions met up for the first time ever in a dream match at WrestleMania 21. They performed a clinic that has become a standout WrestleMania moment, with Angle making the Showstopper tap out to the vicious Ankle Lock. Fans thought this classic was a once in a lifetime match; Angle was on SmackDown and Michaels was on Raw, so the odds of them meeting up again were slim to none. However, once Angle was drafted to Raw in the 2005 Draft Lottery, the rematch was inevitable, and the two went at it again at Vengeance. It was thought to be impossible to live up to their classic at WrestleMania, but they defied the odds. In another epic clash, HBK was able to even the score at 1-1 when he knocked Angle out with Sweet Chin Music for the win. With the rivalry tied, a rubber match was sure to be right around the corner.
But first, Shawn Michaels wanted to give back to the fans with another dream match. He shocked everyone with the kick heard ‘round the world when he turned on tag team partner Hulk Hogan, leveling the Hall of Famer with Sweet Chin Music. The fans wanted “one more match” from the Hulkster, so HBK gave Hogan the incentive to give the fans just that. The two met up in an unforgettable showdown at SummerSlam, but no matter what Michaels did, he couldn’t overcome the Immortal one. In the end, a defeated Michaels buried the hatchet with the Hulkster, shaking his hand in the ring.
Weeks later, when Angle was demanding a second shot at John Cena’s WWE Championship, Shawn Michaels took exception and said that he wanted a shot at the gold as well. Mr. McMahon, who was on hand at RAW for a special announcement, said that they could make their cases for a title shot in a 30-Minute WWE Iron Man Match at WWE Homecoming. And once again, the fans were treated to an instant classic. However, as Michaels had Angle pinned following Sweet Chin Music, the time limit expired with both combatants having won two falls apiece. HBK offered to go into sudden death, but Angle refused and simply walked away, leaving the match as a draw.
HBK & Angle would meet again at Taboo Tuesday, as HBK won the fans’ vote to face Angle & John Cena in a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship. HBK was unable to walk away with the gold that night, but soon found himself in an even bigger role: captain of Team Raw at Survivor Series. As for his rivalry with Angle, Michaels would eventually win the rubber match with in January before Angle departed for SmackDown.
Following Raw’s loss to SmackDown at Survivor Series, Michaels turned his sights back to the WWE Championship, qualifying for the Elimination Chamber Match at New Year’s Revolution. However, he made what may be the biggest mistake of his career on the night after Christmas 2005, when he told Mr. McMahon to get over the Montreal Incident.
After that, McMahon promised to screw HBK worse than Bret Hart had ever been screwed. After threatening to take him out of the Elimination Chamber and even banning Sweet Chin Music during a match, McMahon got his biggest victory at the Royal Rumble, when Shane McMahon made a shocking return and eliminated HBK from the Royal Rumble Match. That turned out to be only the first salvo in a war that has gone on throughout 2006.
For a detailed look at the bad blood between HBK and the McMahons, check out WWE.com's official timeline of their rivalry here.
During a match against the Spirit Squad on the May 22 Raw, Shawn Michaels suffered a knee injury that kept him out of action for a few weeks. That night, Michaels took on all five members of the Spirit Squad in the main event. It seemed like he might overcome the odds once again, but as he tried to nail Nicky with Sweet Chin Music, he instead met a chair right ot the knee. The Squad then viciously went after the knee, with Kenny driving the final spike when he dropped a guillotine legdrop on HBK's leg while it was wedged inside a steel chair. Mr. McMahon even had Triple H on hand that night to finish HBK off with a sledgehammer, but Michaels was spared; when Kenny stole the weapon from The Game to do it himself, Triple H instead attacked the World Tag Team Champions. Unfortunately for HBK, the damage had already been done.
DX "officially" reunited the next week, and their fingerprints could be found all over Raw. You can take a full look at the carnage they caused here, and you can check out their special Superstar section for a look back at the history of D-Generation X.
When he’s paired with Triple H, Shawn Michaels is known for his rebel antics outside the ring, and his ferociousness inside of it. While Triple H was out on personal business during the July 24 edition of Raw, HBK felt what it was like to get run over by the Samoan Bulldozer. During his match with Jonathan Coachman — which the Chairman set up — Michaels not only manhandled Coachman, but all five members of the Spirit Squad as well. What he didn’t anticipate was that Umaga, the undefeated Samoan monster, was lurking behind him waiting to attack.
After the beating, Michaels was left in the ring struggling to catch his breath, and he needed assistance getting to the locker room. When he meets Umaga on Raw this week, HBK will want to prove that the Samoan Bulldozer needed to blindside him in order to get one over on the Showstopper.
At Vengeance, the Spirit Squad fell to the powerhouse that is DX in a 5-on-2 Handicap Match, so the McMahon men decided to take things into their own hands the next night on Raw. While it was supposed to be DX vs. The McMahons, DX instead came out and impersonated them with Triple H playing the WWE Chairman and HBK as Shane-o-Mac. Later, after telling the McMahons that they were full of crap, DX had actual human waste dumped on them (and the Spirit Squad as well) as they stood on the entrance stage.While the odds continually seem stacked against HBK in his war with the McMahons and the Spirit Squad, he has made a career out of overcoming the odds and rising to the top.
Whether you know him as the Showstopper, the Main Event or the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels is one of the most successful Superstars in WWE history. Throughout a nearly 20-year career in WWE, HBK has done it all, from winning the Royal Rumble to being a multiple-time WWE Champion. Never one to back down from a challenge no matter the odds, HBK has shown that he is one of the most dedicated and courageous WWE Superstars to ever grace the ring; he is unanimously considered one of the greatest wrestlers to ever compete and has become one of the cornerstones of Raw.
Michaels’ track record speaks for itself, as he has accumulated enough hardware to make just about any WWE Superstar jealous. Michaels was the first-ever Grand Slam Champion, capturing the European Championship once, the World Tag Team Championship three times, the Intercontinental Championship three times and the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships a total of four times.
But his success didn’t happen overnight. HBK knew he wanted to be a professional wrestler since he was 12 years old, when he saw his first match. Michaels’ athletic career began at age six when he started playing football, and he eventually became a stand-out linebacker and a captain on his high school team. After graduating, he attended Southwest Texas State University, but soon realized that college wasn’t the path he wanted to follow. Michaels thought it was time to begin chasing his dream of becoming a WWE Superstar.
HBK began his training under the tutelage of Jose Lothario. After a few months of training, Lothario felt that his protégé was ready for some in-ring action, and two weeks after his 19th birthday, HBK had his first match with Mid-South Wrestling against Art Cruz. He lost his debut match, but he improved in his second match, wrestling to a time-limit draw, and then won his third match. After a stop in Kansas City, Michaels was headed back to his home state to Texas All-Star Wrestling.
It was there that he teamed up with Paul Diamond to make up the team of American Force. The combination was a successful one, as they were able to capture the Texas All-Star Tag Team Championships twice. After about three months, Michaels headed to the American Wrestling Alliance (AWA) with a friend he had met in Kansas City. That friend was Marty Jannetty, who went on to become HBK’s tag team partner. The duo was dubbed the Midnight Rockers.
They quickly became one of the hottest teams in the AWA, catching the eye of WWE, who invited the Midnight Rockers to a live event for a tryout. WWE officials felt they were a bit too immature at that time, so the Midnight Rockers headed back to the AWA. But WWE hadn’t heard the last of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty.
While back in the AWA, the Midnight Rockers captured the Southern Tag Team Championship twice and won the AWA Tag Team Championship for a second time. All of the hardware the Midnight Rockers had been sporting again caught the eye of those with WWE, and this time Michaels and Jannetty made the most of it. They both signed contracts, dropped the “Midnight” from their name, and The Rockers were born.
Because of their high-flying abilities and boyish good looks, The Rockers became an instant hit with both male and female fans of all ages. They made their pay-per-view debut at the 1988 Survivor Series, as they successfully teamed with The Powers of Pain, The Young Stallions, The Hart Foundation and the British Bulldogs. After making their Royal Rumble debut in 1989, the two had a classic encounter with the Twin Towers (Big Boss Man and “The African Dream” Akeem) at WrestleMania V. Their mammoth opponents proved to be just too big to handle, but the high-flyers kept the giants off balance almost the entire match — making all other teams take immediate notice of their potential.
In 1990, the Rockers earned themselves a Tag Team Championship match against the Hart Foundation. The Rockers came out on top, but during the match, the top rope buckled. Days after the match, it was ruled that since the rope had broken, the match as invalid, and the titles were returned to the Hart Foundation. This was the only time the Rockers would approach tag team gold in WWE.
The Rockers were back in Survivor Series in 1991, teaming up with the Bushwhackers against The Nasty Boys and The Beverly Brothers. After a mistake by Jannetty caused Michaels to be eliminated, HBK walked out on his partner, later explaining his actions by saying that he had been carrying the team and was fed up. A couple months later, the two met on a segment of Brutus Beefcake’s “Barber Shop” to try and iron out their differences. Just when it appeared that the Rockers were back together, Michaels superkicked Jannetty and threw him head-first through one of the Shop’s glass windows. The Rockers were no more.
The breakup of the Rockers was the end of a successful tag team career for Michaels, but it also meant the birth of a singles career that would propel The Showstopper to new heights. Michaels promptly added Sensational Sherri as his manager, and on Oct. 27, 1992, he dethroned the British Bulldog to become Intercontinental Champion. By the time the Royal Rumble rolled around in January 1993, Jannetty was fully recovered and had revenge on his mind. The two squared off at the pay-per-view, and during the match Jannetty was about to smash a mirror over HBK’s head. Instead, Michaels shoved Sherri in front of him, allowing her to take the full brunt of the mirror’s impact. Even though Michaels retained the title, Sherri left him for Jannetty based on the incident.
After losing Sherri, Michaels had a void to fill by his side. Instead of going for an attractive and cunning sidekick, HBK employed the services of Diesel, a man who epitomized brute force. Michaels was forced to give up his Intercontinental Championship because he had not defended it within 30 days, but at WrestleMania X, Michaels returned and faced Razor Ramon in the first-ever pay-per-view Ladder Match for the championship, a match that is still talked about today as one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time. After brutalizing each other with innovative moves that had never been seen before, Razor Ramon came out on top.
But the Showstopper wouldn’t let himself stay down for long. Michaels and Diesel picked off the Headshrinkers for the World Tag Team Championship, Michaels’ first tag team championship reign. However, HBK abandoned the titles at Survivor Series that November after an argument with Diesel, and went back to focusing on his singles career.
And what better way to get back into the WWE Championship hunt than make a big splash at the Royal Rumble. In 1995, Michaels entered the January classic at No. 1. It seemed like he was merely being thrown to the dogs at such a number, as no one had ever won after being the first participant. HBK was out to make history, but the British Bulldog had the same thoughts on his mind. Bulldog entered at No. 2, and just as he and Michaels stood alone in the ring at the beginning of the match, it was the same pair going toe to toe at the end of the match. After gaining the upper hand, the Bulldog clotheslined Michaels over the top rope, but only one of his feet touched the floor. Thinking that the win was his, Bulldog turned his back on Michaels and began his victory celebration. Michaels snuck back into the ring and knocked out the unsuspecting Bulldog to win his first Royal Rumble.
Michaels went on to WrestleMania to compete for the WWE Championship, but his former bodyguard Diesel was able to retain. After a couple of months at each other’s throats, the pair patched up their differences and moved onward. HBK went on to defeat Jeff Jarrett for his third Intercontinental Championship but was challenged soon after by a familiar foe: Razor Ramon. After their historic battle at WrestleMania X, there was only one way to settle the score: with another Ladder Match. So, the two hooked up for their second Ladder Match at SummerSlam. Learning from his past mistakes, HBK came out on top and retained his title in another classic match that arguably was even more brutal than the first.
Due to injuries, Michaels was forced to vacate the championship once again after not defending within the mandatory 30 days. He would rebound with a vengeance, however, winning the Royal Rumble for a second straight year. The win earned him a WWE Championship shot at WrestleMania XII against the “Excellence of Execution” Bret Hart, and the two met in a 60-minute WWE Iron Man Match that stole the show. The goal was to score the most pinfalls or submissions in the allotted time, but these two WWE Superstars put forth such gutsy performances that neither competitor had notched a win in the entire 60 minutes. Hart had Michaels in the center of the ring trapped in the Sharpshooter with seconds remaining, but HBK was able to suck it up until the bell rang. President Gorilla Monsoon made his way down to ringside and informed the referee to restart the match and continue under sudden death rules. After Hart had worked on HBK’s back, Michaels came from nowhere to hit Sweet Chin Music. Too tired to capitalize, Michaels got up and cued up the band one more time, which was finally enough to win his first-ever WWE Championship.
There was no rest for the weary, however, as Michaels had to start defending his championship right away. HBK proved to be one of the fightingest champions in history, as he defeated the likes of Diesel, British Bulldog, Vader, Mankind and Goldust. Michaels’ reign had to come to an end sometime, and it was another of Shawn’s former bodyguards, Sycho Sid, who dethroned the champ at Survivor Series 1996. With the ref knocked out, Sid commandeered a television camera and hit Michaels over the head with it, then powerbombed him for the win.
Michaels regrouped, though, and again learned from his mistakes. In a rematch at the 1997 Royal Rumble, HBK used a trick from Sid’s playbook, using a television camera to knock down his giant foe. The camera wasn’t enough as Sid kicked out at two, but Michaels laid him out with Sweet Chin Music for the win. The reign only lasted a few weeks, however; just as Michaels had to forfeit his Intercontinental Championship without defeat, he relinquished the WWE Championship after claiming to have “lost his smile.”
After months of searching, HBK returned to WWE and formed an unlikely pairing with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Although the two shared a hatred for each other, they also shared a hatred for the Hart Foundation. They put their differences aside and went out to fight for their common goal, and it led to the Showstopper’s second World Tag Team Championship reign. After their relationship deteriorated, Michaels turned to people he thought he could trust, and what happened next revolutionized WWE.
Michaels paired up with Triple H and Chyna to form D-Generation X, a group that defied authority and marched to the beat of their own drum. They employed the use of vulgarity and obscene gestures and spit in the face of those that tried to stop them. On Sept. 20, 1997, Michaels defeated the British Bulldog for the European Championship, which in turn made him the first-ever winner of the Grand Slam.
After basically handing the European Championship to Triple H in a farce of a match, Michaels was once again focused on the WWE Championship. Little did Michaels know, though, that to become the No. 1 Contender for Bret Hart’s WWE Championship, he would have to travel to hell and back — Hell in a Cell, that is. HBK faced Undertaker at Bad Blood in the first ever Hell in a Cell Match. Michaels was beaten to a bloody mess, but he tried to stay strong. At one point, he was thrown off the side of the cage into an announce table, and things were not looking very good. Just then, Undertaker’s brother Kane made his WWE debut and obliterated the Deadman. Michaels, barely able to pull himself up, was able to take advantage and make the cover.
That gave HBK the right to go on to Survivor Series to face Bret Hart in “The Montreal Incident” — one of the most controversial matches in WWE history. After another grueling battle with his familiar opponent, Michaels locked in Bret’s finishing move, the Sharpshooter. Earl Hebner, who was officiating the match, inexplicably called for the bell, even though it appeared as though Bret had not given up. A confused Michaels took the belt and quickly exited to the back with his third WWE Championship, while Hart fumed in the ring.
Michaels’ highly successful WWE career was in jeopardy following the 1998 Royal Rumble, where HBK squared off against Undertaker in a Casket Match. During the match, Michaels landed awkwardly on the casket and severely injured his back. Barely able to move and again with the help of Kane, Michaels was able to retain his title. Michaels refused to let the injury take him out, though, and he moved on to WrestleMania XIV where he faced Stone Cold, with “Iron” Mike Tyson as the special enforcer. Michaels, who was visibly in pain the entire match, put forth a gutsy performance, but in the end it wasn’t enough to win. The match was thought to have been his last ever, as he required what many thought was career-ending back surgery.
But nothing can keep the Showstopper down forever. Michaels returned to Raw on June 3, 2002, as the newest member of the nWo. Soon after joining, though, Vince McMahon disbanded the group and Michaels was back on his own. He convinced Triple H to join him on Raw, and when the two got back together, Triple H encouraged Michaels to re-form D-X. However, when Michaels was about to put on an old D-X shirt, Triple H pedigreed his former friend. The following week, Michaels was thrown through a car window by an unknown assailant. Security footage, however, revealed that it was the work of Triple H, who was afraid that Michaels was going to steal the spotlight away from him. This kicked off what has been, arguably, the most vicious rivalry WWE fans have ever seen.
Their first encounter came at SummerSlam in a Street Fight. WWE fans everywhere were wondering if Michaels would be able to go back to his high-flying and daredevil ways, but he would answer those questions rather quickly. Michaels was flying around the ring and even used an elbow smash off of a ladder and a plancha through a table. In the end, he was able to reverse a Pedigree attempt for the pin. After the match, Triple H took out Michaels with a sledgehammer, signifying that the battle had indeed just begun.
At Survivor Series, Michaels and Triple H participated in the first ever Elimination Chamber Match, with HBK coming out on top to win the World Heavyweight Championship from his sworn enemy.
The rivalry went to another level at Armageddon. The two Superstars went at it in a best two-out-of-three falls match, but there was a catch. The first match was a Street Fight, the second match was a Steel Cage Match and the third was a Ladder Latch — the same match that HBK made famous. Triple H took the first fall in the Street Fight; HBK won the Cage Match, but Triple H was able to beat Michaels at his own game in the Ladder Match to take back the World Heavyweight Championship.Triple H and Michaels took a break from each other after that, but HBK was brutally attacked by Chris Jericho on an edition of Raw on March 3. The beating led to a classic match at WrestleMania XIX. The two shared similar styles, and while Jericho had youth on his side, Michaels was able pull out the victory. After the match, Jericho gave Michaels a hug, but it was a ploy as he nailed him with a low-blow.
Michaels then turned his trust towards Ric Flair in a Handicap Match against Triple H, but it proved to be a poor judgment. Flair turned on Michaels as Evolution re-formed and beat down Michaels. Flair and Orton followed the beating up with singles victories, but Michaels bounced back with wins over Orton and Batista and then went to a draw with Triple H in a Last Man Standing Match at the Royal Rumble 2004.
Chris Benoit won the Rumble Match that same night, earning him a shot at Triple H’s World Heavyweight Championship. Michaels, however, wanted Triple H all for himself. During Benoit’s contract signing, Michaels knocked Benoit out and signed his own name to the contract. To clear up the controversy, a Triple Threat Match was signed for WrestleMania XX. The match went on to become one of the greatest main events in WrestleMania history, but Benoit came out on top. The three met up again one month later, but the result was the same. The two matches weren’t enough to put their rivalry to rest, though.
Triple H again faced Michaels at Bad Blood in a bloody, 45-minute Hell in a Cell Match. Triple H ultimately managed two Pedigrees in a row for the win. The following night on Raw, Jim Ross tried to get the two to bury the hatchet, but the meeting was unceremoniously interrupted by Kane who brutally attacked Michaels. Kane placed Michaels’ throat in a folding a chair and then stomped on it off the ropes, crushing HBK’s larynx in the process.
Michaels returned Sept. 12 at Unforgiven and won a No-Disqualification Match over Kane, gaining his revenge. One month later, Michaels beat out Edge and Benoit in fan voting at Taboo Tuesday to win a shot at Triple H’s World Heavyweight Championship one more time. Unfortunately, the night before Taboo Tuesday on Raw, Michaels severely injured his knee. Barely able to move, Michaels still made it out for his match at Taboo Tuesday and put forth a valiant effort. Just when Michaels had Triple H lined up for “Sweet Chin Music,” Edge, who was jealous he didn’t receive the opportunity, appeared and speared The Showstopper. Michaels lost, and went in for knee surgery the next day.
Michaels miraculously appeared on the next edition of Raw with a message of appreciation for the WWE fans. Upon his return, he sought out Edge for retribution. After facing Edge at the Royal Rumble, Michaels was attacked by Kurt Angle, kicking off the rivalry that continued throughout 2005.
The two former champions met up for the first time ever in a dream match at WrestleMania 21. They performed a clinic that has become a standout WrestleMania moment, with Angle making the Showstopper tap out to the vicious Ankle Lock. Fans thought this classic was a once in a lifetime match; Angle was on SmackDown and Michaels was on Raw, so the odds of them meeting up again were slim to none. However, once Angle was drafted to Raw in the 2005 Draft Lottery, the rematch was inevitable, and the two went at it again at Vengeance. It was thought to be impossible to live up to their classic at WrestleMania, but they defied the odds. In another epic clash, HBK was able to even the score at 1-1 when he knocked Angle out with Sweet Chin Music for the win. With the rivalry tied, a rubber match was sure to be right around the corner.
But first, Shawn Michaels wanted to give back to the fans with another dream match. He shocked everyone with the kick heard ‘round the world when he turned on tag team partner Hulk Hogan, leveling the Hall of Famer with Sweet Chin Music. The fans wanted “one more match” from the Hulkster, so HBK gave Hogan the incentive to give the fans just that. The two met up in an unforgettable showdown at SummerSlam, but no matter what Michaels did, he couldn’t overcome the Immortal one. In the end, a defeated Michaels buried the hatchet with the Hulkster, shaking his hand in the ring.
Weeks later, when Angle was demanding a second shot at John Cena’s WWE Championship, Shawn Michaels took exception and said that he wanted a shot at the gold as well. Mr. McMahon, who was on hand at RAW for a special announcement, said that they could make their cases for a title shot in a 30-Minute WWE Iron Man Match at WWE Homecoming. And once again, the fans were treated to an instant classic. However, as Michaels had Angle pinned following Sweet Chin Music, the time limit expired with both combatants having won two falls apiece. HBK offered to go into sudden death, but Angle refused and simply walked away, leaving the match as a draw.
HBK & Angle would meet again at Taboo Tuesday, as HBK won the fans’ vote to face Angle & John Cena in a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship. HBK was unable to walk away with the gold that night, but soon found himself in an even bigger role: captain of Team Raw at Survivor Series. As for his rivalry with Angle, Michaels would eventually win the rubber match with in January before Angle departed for SmackDown.
Following Raw’s loss to SmackDown at Survivor Series, Michaels turned his sights back to the WWE Championship, qualifying for the Elimination Chamber Match at New Year’s Revolution. However, he made what may be the biggest mistake of his career on the night after Christmas 2005, when he told Mr. McMahon to get over the Montreal Incident.
After that, McMahon promised to screw HBK worse than Bret Hart had ever been screwed. After threatening to take him out of the Elimination Chamber and even banning Sweet Chin Music during a match, McMahon got his biggest victory at the Royal Rumble, when Shane McMahon made a shocking return and eliminated HBK from the Royal Rumble Match. That turned out to be only the first salvo in a war that has gone on throughout 2006.
For a detailed look at the bad blood between HBK and the McMahons, check out WWE.com's official timeline of their rivalry here.
During a match against the Spirit Squad on the May 22 Raw, Shawn Michaels suffered a knee injury that kept him out of action for a few weeks. That night, Michaels took on all five members of the Spirit Squad in the main event. It seemed like he might overcome the odds once again, but as he tried to nail Nicky with Sweet Chin Music, he instead met a chair right ot the knee. The Squad then viciously went after the knee, with Kenny driving the final spike when he dropped a guillotine legdrop on HBK's leg while it was wedged inside a steel chair. Mr. McMahon even had Triple H on hand that night to finish HBK off with a sledgehammer, but Michaels was spared; when Kenny stole the weapon from The Game to do it himself, Triple H instead attacked the World Tag Team Champions. Unfortunately for HBK, the damage had already been done.
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