1.
Glendale, California
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Glendale /ˈɡlɛndeɪl/ is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its estimated 2014 population was 200,167, making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and it is located about 8 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. Glendale lies on the end of the San Fernando Valley, bisected by the Verdugo Mountains. The Golden State, Ventura, Glendale, and Foothill freeways run through the city, Glendale has one of the largest communities of Armenian descent in the United States. In 2013, Glendale was named LAs Neighborhood of the Year by the readers and editors of Curbed. com, Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery contains the remains of many noted celebrities and local residents. Grand Central Airport was the point for the first commercial west-to-east transcontinental flight flown by Charles Lindbergh. The area was inhabited by the Tongva people, who were later renamed the Gabrieleños by the Spanish missionaries. Rancho San Rafael was a Spanish concession, of which 25 were made in California, unlike the later Mexican land grants, the concessions were similar to grazing permits, with the title remaining with the Spanish crown. In 1860, his grandson Teodoro Verdugo built the Verdugo Adobe, the property is the location of the Oak of Peace, where early Californio leaders including Pio Pico met in 1847 and decided to surrender to Lieutenant Colonel John C. Verdugos descendants sold the ranch in various parcels, some of which are included in present-day Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, in 1884, residents gathered to form a townsite and chose the name Glendale. Residents to the southwest formed Tropico in 1887, the Pacific Electric Railway brought streetcar service in 1904. Glendale incorporated in 1906, and annexed Tropico 12 years later, Brand loved to fly, and built a private airstrip in 1919 and hosted fly-in parties, providing a direct link to the soon-to-be-built nearby Grand Central Airport. The grounds of El Miradero are now city-owned Brand Park and the mansion is the Brand Library, Brand partnered with Henry E. Huntington to bring the Pacific Electric Railway, or the Red Cars, to the area. Today, he is memorialized by one of the main thoroughfares. The citys population rose from 13,756 in 1920 to 62,736 in 1930, the Forest Lawn Cemetery opened in 1906 and was renamed Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in 1917. Pioneering endocrinologist and entrepreneur Henry R. Harrower opened his clinic in Glendale in 1920, the American Green Cross, an early conservation and tree preservation society, was formed in 1926. In 1964, Glendale was selected by George Lincoln Rockwell to be the West Coast headquarters of the American Nazi Party and its offices, on Colorado Street in the downtown section of the city, remained open until the early 1980s. In 1977 and 1978,10 murdered women were found in, the murders were the work of Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, the latter of whom resided at 703 East Colorado Street, where most of the murders took place
2.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
3.
Dubuque, Iowa
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Dubuque /dəˈbjuːk/ is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2013, its population was 58,253, making it the tenth-largest city in the state This city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin and it serves as the main commercial, industrial, educational, and cultural center for the area. Geographically, it is part of the Driftless Area, a portion of North America that escaped all three phases of the Wisconsinian Glaciation and it is one of the few large cities in Iowa with hills, and a tourist destination featuring the citys unique architecture and river location. It is home to five institutions of education, making it a center for culture. Dubuque has long been a center of manufacturing, but the economy grew rapidly, by 2005, the city led the state and the Midwest in job growth, ranking as the 22nd fastest-growing economy in the US. Alongside industry, the city has large health care, education, tourism, publishing, the first permanent settler in what is now Dubuque was Quebecois pioneer Julien Dubuque, who arrived in 1785. In 1788, he received permission from the Spanish government and the local Meskwaki of American Indians to mine the rich lead deposits. Control of Louisiana and Dubuques mines shifted briefly back to France in 1800, then to the United States in 1803, following the Louisiana Purchase. The Meskwaki continued to mine with full support of the U. S. Government until 1830, the current City of Dubuque was named after Julien Dubuque, settled at the southern end of a large flat plain adjacent to the Mississippi River. The city was chartered in 1833, located in unorganized territory of the United States. The region was designated as the Iowa Territory in 1838, and was included in the newly created State of Iowa in 1846, after the lead resources were exhausted, the city became home to numerous industries. Dubuque became a center for the industry because of its proximity to forests in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Also important were boat building, brewing, and later, the railroad industry, between 1860 and 1880, Dubuque was one of the 100 largest urban areas in the United States. Iowas first church was built by Methodists in 1834, since then, Iowans have followed a variety of religious traditions. Beginning in the century and into the early 20th century, thousands of poor German. The citys large Roman Catholic congregations led to its designation as the seat of the newly established Archdiocese of Dubuque, numerous convents, abbeys, and other religious institutions were built. The ethnic German and Irish descendants maintain a strong Catholic presence in the city, nicholas E. Gonner, a Catholic immigrant from Pfaffenthal in Luxembourg, founded the Catholic Publishing Company of Dubuque, Iowa. Early in the 20th century, Dubuque was one of sites of a brass era automobile company, in this case Adams-Farwell, like most others
4.
Professional wrestling
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Professional wrestling is a dramatized athletic performance that portrays a combat sport. Various forms of weaponry are sometimes used, the content – including match outcomes – is scripted and choreographed, and the combative actions and reactions are performed to appear violent without injuring the wrestlers. Before the 1980s, these facts were considered trade secrets, in the mid-90s, the presentation of scripted events as legitimate is known as kayfabe. Although the combative content is staged and communicated between the wrestlers, there are physical hazards involved - including permanent injury and death. While it has declined in Europe, in North America it has experienced several different periods of prominent cultural popularity during its century. The advent of television gave professional wrestling a new outlet, unlike in Europe, show wrestling has become especially prominent in Japan and in North America. In Brazil, there was a popular wrestling television program from the 1960s to the early 1980s called Telecatch. High-profile figures in the sport have become celebrities or cultural icons in their native or adopted home countries, although professional wrestling started out as petty acts in sideshows, traveling circuses and carnivals, today it is a billion-dollar industry. Revenue is drawn from live event ticket sales, network television broadcasts, pay-per-view broadcasts, personal appearances by performers, branded merchandise, pro wrestling was also instrumental in making pay-per-view a viable method of content delivery. Annual shows such as WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, and formerly Bash at the Beach, Halloween Havoc, home video sales dominate the Billboard charts Recreational Sports DVD sales, with wrestling holding anywhere from 3 to 9 of the top 10 spots every week. Due to its persistent cultural presence and to its novelty within the performing arts, there have also been many fictional depictions of wrestling, the 2008 film The Wrestler received several Oscar nominations and began a career revival for star Mickey Rourke. Because actual events are often co-opted by writers for incorporation into storylines for the performers, special care must be taken when talking about people who perform under their own name. The actions of the character should be considered fictional events, wholly separate from the life of the performer and this is similar to other entertainers who perform with a persona that shares their own name. Some wrestlers will incorporate elements of their real-life personalities into their characters, even if they and those who participated felt that it was necessary that spectators should be kept in a constant and complete illusion of a real competition to keep audience interest. For decades, up until the mid-1980s, wrestlers lived their lives as though they were their characters. Wrestlers, bookers and promoters all rigorously enforced the illusion and very few were allowed into the society of professional wrestling to maintain suspension of disbelief. The practice of keeping the illusion, and the methods used to do so, came to be known as kayfabe within wrestling circles. An entire lexicon of slang jargon and euphemism developed to allow performers to communicate without outsiders knowledge of what was being said, occasionally a performer will deviate from the intended sequence of events
5.
Mobile, Alabama
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Mobile is the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. Alabamas only saltwater port, Mobile is located at the head of the Mobile Bay, Mobile is the principal municipality of the Mobile metropolitan area. This region of 412,992 residents is composed solely of Mobile County, Mobile is the largest city in the Mobile-Daphne−Fairhope CSA, with a total population of 604,726, the second largest in the state. As of 2011, the population within a 60-mile radius of Mobile is 1,262,907, Mobile began as the first capital of colonial French Louisiana in 1702. During its first 100 years, Mobile was a colony of France, then Britain, Mobile first became a part of the United States of America in 1813, with the annexation of West Florida under President James Madison. In 1861 Alabama joined the Confederate States of America, which surrendered in 1865, Mobile is known for having the oldest organized Carnival celebrations in the United States. The festival began to be celebrated in the first decade of the 18th century by its first French Catholic colonial settlers. Mobile was host to the first formally organized Carnival mystic society, known elsewhere as a krewe, to celebrate with a parade in the United States, in 2005 the first integrated mystic society had a parade for Mardi Gras. The city gained its name from the Mobile tribe that the French colonists encountered living in the area of Mobile Bay. The Mobile tribe, along with the Tohomé, obtained permission from the colonists, about seven years after the founding of the Mobile settlement, to settle near the fort. It was founded by French Canadian brothers Pierre Le Moyne dIberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, Bienville was appointed as royal governor of French Louisiana in 1701. Mobiles Roman Catholic parish was established on July 20,1703, by Jean-Baptiste de la Croix de Chevrières de Saint-Vallier, the parish was the first French Catholic parish established on the Gulf Coast of the United States. In 1704 the ship Pélican delivered 23 French women to the colony, though most of the Pélican girls recovered, numerous colonists and neighboring Native Americans contracted the disease in turn and died. This early period was also the occasion of the importation of the first African slaves, the population of the colony fluctuated over the next few years, growing to 279 persons by 1708, yet descending to 178 persons two years later due to disease. A new earth-and-palisade Fort Louis was constructed at the new site during this time, by 1712, when Antoine Crozat was appointed to take over administration of the colony, its population had reached 400 persons. The capital of La Louisiane was moved in 1720 to Biloxi, leaving Mobile to serve as a regional military and trading center. In 1723 the construction of a new fort with a stone foundation began and it was renamed Fort Condé in honor of Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the Seven Years War, by this treaty, France ceded its territories east of the Mississippi River to Britain
6.
WWE
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Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. was an American professional wrestling promotion and the sanctioning body for the World Wide Wrestling Federation and later World Wrestling Federation. Founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt in 1953, Capitol Wrestling Corporation is the precursor to todays WWE, run by Jess grandson, Jess McMahon was a successful boxing promoter who began working with Tex Rickard in 1926. With the help of Rickard, he began promoting boxing at the third Madison Square Garden, a few years prior, professional wrestler Toots Mondt had created a new challenge of professional wrestling that he called “Slam Bang Western Style Wrestling”. He convinced wrestler Ed Lewis and his manager Billy Sandow to implement this new solution, after much success, a disagreement over power caused the trio to dissolve and, with it, their promotion. Mondt later formed partnerships with other promoters, including Jack Curley in New York City. Mondt eventually took over the New York wrestling scene, due to the fact Curley was dying, with the aid of several bookers, together, McMahon and Mondt created the Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. which later joined the National Wrestling Alliance in 1953. In November 1954, Jess McMahon died and Ray Fabiani, one of Mondts associates, both men left the company in protest following the incident and formed the WWWF in the process, awarding Rogers the new WWWF World Heavyweight Championship in April of that year. He lost the championship to Bruno Sammartino a month later on May 17,1963, after gaining a television program deal and turning preliminary wrestler Lou Albano as a manager for Sammartinos heel opponents, the WWWF was doing sell out business by 1970. Mondt left the company in the late 1960s and although the WWWF had withdrawn from the NWA, Vince McMahon, at the annual meeting of the NWA in 1983, the McMahons and WWF employee Jim Barnett all withdrew from the organization. By March 1979, for marketing purposes, the World Wide Wrestling Federation was renamed the World Wrestling Federation and that same year, Vincent J. McMahons son, Vincent K. McMahon, founded Titan Sports, Inc. incorporated on February 21,1980, originally in Massachusetts. In 1982, Titan Sports Inc. acquired Capitols operations, effectively relocating its headquarters to Greenwich, in an attempt to make the WWF the premier wrestling promotion in the world, McMahon began an expansion that fundamentally changed the industry. In the end, the elder McMahon would never live to see his company grow from a promotion to what is now a worldwide organization. He died from cancer at 69 years old on May 24,1984. By 1985, Titan moved to Stamford, Connecticut then establishing a new entity in 1987 in Delaware which later merged with the old company in 1988. Titan later changed its name to World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. before finally becoming World Wrestling Entertainment, list of independent wrestling promotions in the United States
7.
Smoky Mountain Wrestling
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Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with offices in Morristown, Cornette formed the promotion in October 1991 upon leaving World Championship Wrestling with Stan Lane, Tim Horner and Sandy Scott. The promotion was backed financially by music producer Rick Rubin, the first events and TV tapings were held in October and November 1991. Matches from these shows were first shown in February 1992, the first Smoky Mountain Heavyweight Champion, Primetime Brian Lee, won the championship in a tournament held at Volunteer Slam on May 22,1992, in Knoxville, Tennessee. The first Smoky Mountain Tag Team Champions were crowned in a tournament final on April 23,1992, in Harrogate, Tennessee, Cornette had initially envisioned a territory reaching from Kentucky into as far as South Carolina and Georgia. SMW event tours also included high school gyms and fairs in cities throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, in 1993, Smoky Mountain Wrestling signed deals with the World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation to showcase their wrestlers on the larger companies shows. This led to The Rock n Roll Express wrestling The Heavenly Bodies at SuperBrawl III in February, Cornette eventually signed a working agreement with the World Wrestling Federation to trade talent, manage and serve as an on-air talent for that company. Brian Hildebrand was a Smoky Mountain mainstay, occupying such myriad roles as Head of Merchandise, referee and sound director. Cornette, a traditionalist, catered to fans that Mick Foley described as old-time fans. who still believed in good guys and bad guys and this was in sharp contrast to ECW, in which edgy angles, tweeners and anti-heroes increasingly took precedence over clearcut heroes and villains. The winner was Chris Candido, who defended his title mostly at SMW events, however, in April 1995, The Rock n Roll Express won the NWA World Tag Team Championship for the fifth time, giving SMW a handful of World Tag Team championship matches. Though the promotion was thought of, it struggled to get a profitable television deal. After years of operating in red ink, Cornette shut the promotion down in December 1995 to work full-time with the WWF. The last SMW show was held on November 26,1995 in Cookeville, Tennessee, and featured the entire SMW roster attacking Jim Cornette, several SMW wrestlers would soon obtain work in the WWF, including Tracy Smothers, The Dirty White Boy, and Boo Bradley. WWE now owns the SMW video library, both Curtis Comes Home and the 2005 sequel show, held in memory of SMW head referee Mark Curtis are both considered unofficial reunion shows. † After SMW closed, Brad Armstrong declared himself SMW champion and he eventually lost the belt to Jerry Lawler on December 30,1995. List of independent wrestling promotions in the United States Kayfabe Memories The History of Smokey Mountain Wrestling
8.
NASCAR
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The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is an American family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto-racing sports events. Bill France Sr. founded the company in 1948 and his grandson Brian France became its CEO in 2003, NASCAR is motorsports preeminent stock-car racing organization. The three largest racing-series sanctioned by this company are the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, the company also oversees NASCAR Local Racing, the Whelen Modified Tour, the Whelen All-American Series, and the NASCAR iRacing. com Series. NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 39 of the 50 US states as well as in Canada. NASCAR has presented exhibition races at the Suzuka and Motegi circuits in Japan, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico, NASCAR has its official headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida, and also maintains offices in the North Carolina cities of Charlotte, Concord, and Conover. Regional offices are located in New York City and Los Angeles, with offices in Mexico City. Owing to NASCARs Southern roots, all but a handful of NASCAR teams are based in North Carolina. NASCAR is second to the National Football League among professional sports franchises in terms of television viewers, internationally, its races are broadcast on television in over 150 countries. In 2004, NASCARs Director of Security stated that the company holds 17 of the Top 20 regularly attended single-day sporting events in the world, fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other motor sport, although this sponsorship has declined since the early-2000s. By the time the Bonneville Salt Flats became the location for pursuit of land speed records. Drivers raced on a 4. 1-mile course, consisting of a 1. 5–2. 0-mile stretch of beach as one straightaway, the two straights were connected by two tight, deeply rutted and sand covered turns at each end. Stock car racing in the United States has its origins in bootlegging during Prohibition, bootleggers needed to distribute their illicit products, and they typically used small, fast vehicles to better evade the police. Many of the drivers would modify their cars for speed and handling, as well as increased cargo capacity, the cars continued to improve, and by the late 1940s, races featuring these cars were being run for pride and profit. These races were popular entertainment in the rural Southern United States, most races in those days were of modified cars. Street vehicles were lightened and reinforced, mechanic William France Sr. moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, from Washington, D. C. in 1935 to escape the Great Depression. He was familiar with the history of the area from the speed record attempts. France entered the 1936 Daytona event, finishing fifth and he took over running the course in 1938. He promoted a few races before World War II, France had the notion that people would enjoy watching stock cars race
9.
Mike Polchlopek
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Michael Mike Polchlopek is an American electrician, retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Polchlopek was trained to wrestle by Caesar Barraza, Blackjack Mulligan, Tim Parker and he made his debut in 1991. Polchlopek was famous in the World Wrestling Federation as one-half of the tag team The Smoking Gunns with his kayfabe brother Billy Gunn, the team won the Tag Team Championship three times before breaking up and engaging in a brief feud. Bart Gunn briefly went into competition, his most high-profile match occurring on Monday Night Raw, in February 1996. Under his new manager Jim Cornette, Polchlopek recreated the Midnight Express tag team as Bodacious Bart with partner Bombastic Bob, the team had limited success, though they did hold the NWA World Tag Team Championship for a brief period in 1998. In 1998, Bart Gunn participated in the WWFs shootfight tournament, Gunn faced tag partner Bob Holly in the first round, and was declared the winner on points. Gunn next defeated Dr. Death Steve Williams, with a surprising knockout and he defeated The Godfather in the semi-finals, and Bradshaw in the finals to win the tournament. Afterward, Gunn feuded with both Holly and Williams, both angry at having been beaten in the tournament, the latter masking himself and pushing Gunn off a stage. Capitalizing on Gunns impressive Brawl for All showing, the WWF held a Brawl for All match between Gunn and heavyweight boxer Eric Butterbean Esch at WrestleMania XV, Esch knocked out Gunn in 35 seconds. Polchlopek was soon released by WWF. On the RAW 15th Anniversary Spectacular on December 10,2007, after leaving the WWF, Polchlopek found success wrestling in Japan. He debuted for All Japan Pro Wrestling in late 1998, competing in the 1998 World Strongest Tag Determination League, teaming with Johnny Ace and he became a member of Johnny Aces gaijin stable, The Movement, and the two continued to team. On June 9, they defeated Kenta Kobashi and Jun Akiyama to win the World Tag Team Championship and they held the title for a month and a half, before losing to No Fear on July 23. Following the title loss, Polchlopek stopped using the Bart Gunn name and became known as Mike Barton, in late 1999, Barton and Ace took part in the 1999 Worlds Strongest Tag Determination League, finishing in 5th place with 9 points. In the spring of 2000, Barton entered the Champion Carnival, defeating Masao Inoue in the first round but losing to Takao Omori in the second. On June 9, Barton and Ace took part in a tournament for the vacant World Tag Team Championship, in the summer of 2000, Mitsuharu Misawa left All Japan to form Pro Wrestling Noah, taking most of the native talent with him. Barton, like many of the gaijin, remained in All Japan, Johnny Ace, however, left All Japan during the split and retired from wrestling, taking an office job in WCW and later the WWF. Following the NOAH exodus, Barton formed a new tag team with Jim Steele, in October 2000, Barton entered a tournament for the vacant Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, losing in the first round to Genichiro Tenryu
10.
Crash Holly
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Michael John Mike Lockwood was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment from 1999 to 2003 under the ring names Crash Holly or simply Crash. Lockwood debuted in 1989 and spent a decade wrestling on the independent circuit before joining the World Wrestling Federation in 1999 as Crash Holly and he formed a tag team with his kayfabe cousin Hardcore Holly, with whom he won the WWF World Tag Team Championship. The Holly Cousins was expanded into a stable with the addition of Molly Holly in 2000, during his WWF/WWE career, Lockwood held the WWF/WWE Hardcore Championship on 22 occasions, with many of his reigns coming during a period when the title was defended 24/7. After being released from WWE in June 2003, Lockwood joined NWA Total Nonstop Action as Mad Mikey, where he remained until his death later that year. In addition to his 22 reigns as WWF/WWE Hardcore Champion and single reign as WWF World Tag Team Champion, Lockwood was a one-time WWF European Champion, Lockwood debuted in 1989, as Johnny Pearson in Bay Area Wrestling, where he wrestled until 1994. He dislocated his shoulder about five times, and took 18 months off to recover and he then wrestled on the independent circuit as Irish Erin OGrady. In 1996, he joined All Pro Wrestling, where he became known as The Leprechaun Erin OGrady and had matches with Vic Grimes. After viewing a tape of a match between OGrady and Michael Modest, Extreme Championship Wrestling wrestler Taz referred Lockwood to ECW owner, Erin OGrady lost four untelevised matches in November 1997, including a dark match at November to Remember. OGrady wrestled Grimes in a match for the World Wrestling Federation on January 20,1998. They were sent to Power Pro Wrestling, the WWFs developmental promotion, here, they won the PPW Tag Team Championship together and OGrady won the Power Pro Wrestling Young Guns Championship. WWF Talent Coordinator Bruce Prichard sent Lockwood to Mexico, to him for the style of the WWFs lucha libre show. He wrestled in Monterrey for three months, under a mask, as The Green Ghost, Lockwood debuted as Crash Holly, the storyline cousin of Bob Hardcore Holly, on the August 16,1999 episode of Raw is War They became known as The Holly Cousins. Their relationship was a one, and Hardcore frequently threatened Crash. When they took the gimmick of claiming to be super heavyweights, over 400 lb each, Crash made his pay-per-view debut at SummerSlam in August, where The Holly Cousins wrestled in a Tag Team Turmoil match, won by the Acolytes Protection Agency. On October 17, at No Mercy, The Holly Cousins defeated The New Age Outlaws by disqualification, the next night on Raw is War, they defeated The Rock n Sock Connection for the Tag Team Championship. They held the title until the November 4 SmackDown, when they lost it to Mankind and his new partner, Al Snow. In early 2000, Crash Holly joined the hardcore division, on the February 24 episode of SmackDown
11.
Molly Holly
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Nora Kristina Benshoof is an American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her appearances with the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment from 2000 to 2005 under the ring name Molly Holly and she is also known for her appearances with World Championship Wrestling as Miss Madness and Mona in 1999 to 2000. Holly began her wrestling career in WCW, where she also worked as a trainer. In 2000, Greenwald debuted in the then-WWF as part of The Holly Cousins stable and she was later aligned with The Hurricane. During her time with the WWF/WWE, Holly held the WWF Hardcore Championship once and she now serves as a female coach at The Academy School of Professional Wrestling in Minneapolis, Minnesota owned by Ken Anderson and Shawn Daivari. Greenwald was born in 1977 to Rick and Bonnie Greenwald, growing up, Greenwald had no plans to be a wrestler, but she was interested in appearing on American Gladiators while growing up. She trained to be a powerlifter from age 14 to age 18 and she also trained as a gymnast. Later, she began wrestling for fun, not because she wanted to be on TV, after she graduated from Forest Lake Area High School in 1996, Nora left home with $200 and a 65 Oldsmobile, which she drove from Minnesota to Florida. Before training as a wrestler, Greenwald was employed at a Subway restaurant, while working at Subway, it was suggested to Nora that she try out for wrestling, and out of curiosity, she did. Greenwald began training as a wrestler under Dean Malenko in Tampa and she debuted on August 2,1997 in the World Professional Wrestling Federation under the ring name Starla Saxton. Greenwald wrestled on the independent circuit throughout 1997 and 1998, winning two championships, on August 21,1998 she defeated Malia Hosaka to win the New Dimension Wrestling Womens Title, but lost it one day later back to Hosaka. K. In late 1999, she feuded with Brandi Alexander while wrestling in the Florida independent circuit. She debuted in WCW as Miss Madness, one of Randy Savages valets along with Gorgeous George, Savage asked Greenwald and Madusa to train his then-girlfriend Gorgeous George in real life, highlights of which were shown on WCW television. As part of the storyline, this alliance, called Team Madness. Behind the scenes, Greenwald and Madusa trained the other women of WCW at the WCW Power Plant, eventually, Savage betrayed Miss Madness by firing her from Team Madness along with Madusa after a championship loss. She then became Mona, a fan favorite, who wrestled in a cocktail dress. She embarked on mini-feuds with Madusa, Little Jeannie, and Asya, independent female wrestlers, such as Dee Dee Venturi and Brandi Alexander, were also brought in to wrestle Mona. WCW released Greenwald, however, in August 2000 in a cost-cutting move, upon signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation, she was sent to their training ground in Memphis Championship Wrestling to work off ring-rust
12.
Brock Lesnar
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Brock Edward Lesnar /ˈlɛznər/ is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and professional American football player. He is signed with WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand and is the WWE Universal Champion in his first reign, after his successful amateur wrestling career at Bismarck State College and the University of Minnesota, Lesnar signed with WWE in 2000. He was assigned to its developmental promotion Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he was a three-time OVW Southern Tag Team Champion with Shelton Benjamin, after debuting on WWEs main roster in 2002, he won the WWE Championship on three separate occasions with victories over The Rock and Kurt Angle. Lesnar won the then WWE Undisputed Championship five months after his main roster debut at the age of 25 and he was also the 2002 King of the Ring and the 2003 Royal Rumble winner, making him the youngest King of the Ring and Royal Rumble winner as well. Following his match with Goldberg at WrestleMania XX, Lesnar left the WWE and he was named a defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings, but was cut prior to the start of the 2004–2005 season. In 2005, Lesnar returned to wrestling and signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. After a contractual dispute with NJPW, he wrestled as IWGP Heavyweight Champion in the Inoki Genome Federation. In 2006, Lesnar pursued a career in mixed martial arts, as he signed with Heros and won his first fight, against Min-Soo Kim and he then signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship the following October. Lesnar lost in his UFC debut against Frank Mir and then won his fight against Heath Herring. In November 2008, Lesnar defeated Randy Couture to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion, shortly after a successful title defense in a rematch with Mir, Lesnar was sidelined due to diverticulitis. He would return at UFC116 to defeat Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin and unify the heavyweight championships, Lesnar then lost the championship to Cain Velasquez at UFC121. In 2011, he was again sidelined due to diverticulitis. Lesnar returned at UFC141 in December, losing to Alistair Overeem, Lesnar was a box office sensation in UFC, as he took part in a few of the best selling pay-per-view events in UFC history, including UFC100 and UFC116. In April 2012, Lesnar once again returned to wrestling, rejoining WWE after an eight-year hiatus. Two years later, at WrestleMania XXX, Lesnar defeated The Undertaker to end his streak at WrestleMania. He achieved world champion status twice since his return, having won the then WWE World Heavyweight Championship in 2014, Lesnar has been managed by Paul Heyman throughout the majority of his professional wrestling career. In June 2016 at UFC199, the UFC announced that Lesnar would return to MMA to fight at UFC200 and his opponent was later revealed to be Mark Hunt. Lesnar would defeat Hunt via unanimous decision, Lesnar then retired from MMA for a second time in 2017
13.
Ken Anderson (wrestler)
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Kenneth Ken Anderson is an American professional wrestler and actor. Before working for WWE, Anderson wrestled for promotions, winning various singles. Upon signing with WWE, Anderson was assigned to the developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling in Louisville. After signing with WWE, Anderson made his debut on the SmackDown, in September 2006, he captured his first and only title with the company, the United States Championship, and would hold on to it for a month. The following year at WrestleMania 23, Anderson won the annual Money in the Bank ladder match, a contract and he was fired from WWE on May 29,2009. He returned to the independent circuit before signing a contract with TNA in 2010 and he opened a wrestling school in Minneapolis, Minnesota in late 2016 along with Shawn Daivari, Molly Holly, Ariya Daivari, and Arik Cannon called The Academy School of Professional Wrestling. Anderson, the son of James Alan Holmes and Sheryl Anderson, has one sister, Jennifer Holmes and his father died on April 13,2006 from cancer. Anderson graduated from Washington High School in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, during his time there, Anderson excelled at swimming and track & field. He also announced school basketball games and did a radio assignment in his Mass Media class, when doing this, a friend suggested to Anderson to repeat the surnames to make it funnier. That element was used again in his wrestling character when encouraged by Paul Heyman. Before starting a career, Anderson worked as a security officer at Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant. He also served in the United States Army, in 2003, Anderson, alongside CM Punk, also appeared in a segment that aired on WWEs SmackDown. Program shortly after WrestleMania XIX, as a fan attempting to waylay WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, Anderson also made some appearances on NWA Total Nonstop Actions secondary television program, Xplosion. The owner of the Total Nonstop Action promotion, Jeff Jarrett, approached him for a contract, Anderson competed in the 2002 and 2003 Ted Petty Invitational tournaments but did not advance past the first round in either of them. After he had wrestled for over six years, World Wrestling Entertainment signed Anderson to a contract in February 2005. Upon signing with WWE in February 2005, Anderson was sent to the Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental territory, when Cornette departed, his replacement, Paul Heyman, showed immediate interest in Anderson, comparing his qualities to The Rock and Steve Austin. Five weeks later, Anderson was called up to WWEs main roster to work on Velocity, match, a victory over Funaki, he showed himself to be a cocky and arrogant wrestler with not only his mannerisms by taking a microphone and performing his own ring announcement. He referred to himself as Mr. Anderson for this match, a few weeks later, to avoid comparisons with the more famous Anderson family, he changed his name to Ken Kennedy, or Mr. Kennedy
14.
Rob Van Dam
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Robert Alex Rob Szatkowski, better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam, is an American professional wrestler and occasional actor. Van Dam has won 21 total championships and is the wrestler in history to have held the WWE Championship, the ECW World Championship. Van Dam is also the 2006 Money in the Bank winner, a WWE Triple Crown Champion, following the end of The Undertakers Wrestlemania winning streak in 2014, Van Dams record of 4-0 is now the longest active undefeated streak at WrestleMania. Van Dam is also undefeated at November to Remember, and Bound for Glory pay-per-view events, Van Dam gained his mainstream popularity by 1998 when he won the ECW World Television Championship, which he held for a record 700 days. Between ECW, WWF/WWE, and TNA, Van Dam headlined pay-per-view events in three decades between the 1990s and 2010s, closing the ECWs premier annual event November to Remember in 1998, Van Dam is also a five time world tag team champion. He is also a former TNA X Division Champion, in 2002, Van Dam was ranked the number one wrestler in the world by Pro Wrestling Illustrated. He was voted Most Popular Wrestler by readers of the magazine in 2001, WWE has named him the greatest star in ECW history. Szatkowski grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan and graduated from Pennfield Senior High School, Szatkowski made his first appearance on WWF television in 1987 in a skit with The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase. This early appearance was included as a bonus feature on WWEs Before They Were Superstars DVD and on WWEs Rob Van Dam. He was also in attendance at WrestleMania III as stated on The Hulk Hogan, the name Rob Van Dam was given to him in 1991 by Ron Slinker, a promoter in Florida, possibly because of his martial arts experience and his resemblance to actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. He wrestled in independent promotions across Michigan, including the United States Wrestling Association. In SAPW, he won his first wrestling championship, the SAPW Tag Team Championship and he also wrestled in several independent promotions across America, and in All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he challenged for the World Junior Heavyweight Championship on several occasions. He signed with World Championship Wrestling in late 1992 and was dubbed Robbie V by Ron Slinker upon his arrival since Bill Watts did not like the name Rob Van Dam. Robbie made his WCW debut on the January 23,1993 episode of Saturday Night as a fan favorite and his last televised match was on the May 22 episode of Saturday Night, a tag team loss with Erik Watts against Shanghai Pierce and Tex Slazenger. He departed the company after an uneventful and forgettable run, in January 1996, Van Dam signed with promoter Paul Heymans Philadelphia-based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling, defeating Axl Rotten in his debut match at House Party. Van Dams mannerisms were those of a stoner, and he became a face due to his laid-back attitude, on March 30, he faced 2 Cold Scorpio in a match for the World Television Championship. The match ended in a draw with 2 Cold Scorpio retaining the title, Van Dam gained attention following a series of matches with long-time rival Sabu, which began with a match at Hostile City Showdown, won by Sabu. After the match, Van Dam declined to show respect for his opponent, leading to a rematch at A Matter of Respect
15.
Cody Rhodes
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Cody Garrett Runnels is an American professional wrestler and actor currently wrestling for Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling where he performs under the ring name Cody. He previously worked in WWE under the ring names Cody Rhodes and he is the son of late WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes and the half-brother of WWE wrestler Goldust. After an amateur wrestling career that resulted in becoming a two-time Georgia state champion, he followed his father and older brothers footsteps into the professional ranks and joined WWE. After becoming a Triple Crown Champion in Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWEs developmental territory at the time, he was elevated to the main roster, a prolific tag team wrestler, Rhodes has won six tag team championships with four separate tag team partners. Along with Goldust, he won the 2013 Tag Team of the Year Slammy Award. Runnels left WWE after requesting his release in May 2016, in the space of a year he competed at WWEs WrestleMania, PWGs Battle of Los Angeles, TNAs Bound for Glory, ROHs Final Battle and NJPWs Wrestle Kingdom. Runnels was born in Marietta, Georgia and he had a successful high school wrestling career, attending Lassiter High School. He placed sixth in the 171 lb division as a sophomore, as a junior, he won the Georgia state tournament at 189 lb in 2003, and repeated as champion his senior year. He had planned to wrestle collegiately at Pennsylvania State University, during his time in high school, Runnels also acted as a referee in his fathers Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling promotion. After graduating high school, Runnels attended an acting school, using his real name, Runnels began wrestling in Ohio Valley Wrestling in June 2006. Runnels formed a tag team with Shawn Spears in mid-August 2006 and they first captured the championship from The Untouchables on October 18. In November 2006, Runnels and Spears defeated The Untouchables in a tag team match, Cherry accompanied Spears and Runnels to ringside, and soon Spears began to fall in love with her, which began interfering with their matches. On November 29, the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship was vacated after a match between The Untouchables and Runnels and Spears ended in a draw, the following week, a rematch between the two teams was held for the vacant championship. During this match Cherry turned on Spears and Runnels, rejoining The Untouchables, two weeks later, on December 20, Runnels and Spears defeated Deuce n Domino in a Street Fight to win the championship for the second time. Shortly afterwards, Runnels and Spears became involved in a rivalry with each other, after Spears became jealous of Runnels success as a singles wrestler. This rift started when Runnels won the OVW Heavyweight Championship from Paul Burchill at a show on February 17,2007. Spears went on to win the OVW Television Championship in response, on April 11, the duo lost the Southern Tag Team Championship to the team of Justin LaRouche and Charles Evans. Runnels went on to defeat his now heated rival on July 6, exactly one week later, however, Runnels lost the championship to Spears
16.
World Tag Team Championship (WWE)
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The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Both titles were unified in November 2001, retiring WCWs championship, both titles were unified in 2009 into the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship, but remained independently active until the World Tag Team Championship was decommissioned in 2010. The championship was contested in wrestling matches. Bouts for the title headlined WWF events including In Your House 3, Fully Loaded, In Your House, the inaugural champions were the team of Luke Graham and Tarzan Tyler, and the final champions were The Hart Dynasty. The World Tag Team Championship was originally known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation World Tag Team Championship, following the titles introduction in 1971, Luke Graham and Tarzan Tyler became the inaugural champions on June 3. In 1979, the became known as the World Wrestling Federation World Tag Team Championship when the promotion was renamed the World Wrestling Federation. It began to be referred to as the WWF Tag Team Championship for short in the mid 1990s, in March 2001, the WWF purchased World Championship Wrestling. Soon after, The Invasion took place in which the WCW/ECW Alliance was ultimately dismantled, at the 2001 Survivor Series pay-per-view, the title was unified with the WCW Tag Team Championship in a steel cage match. The WCW Tag Team Champions, the Dudley Boyz, defeated the WWF Tag Team Champions, the Hardy Boyz, after the WWF/WWE name change in 2002, the championship was subsequently referred to as the World Wrestling Entertainment Tag Team Championship. Then, during a period of free agency after the brand extension. Brand without a tag team title, general Manager, Stephanie McMahon, commissioned a new WWE Tag Team Championship to be the exclusive tag team titles for the SmackDown. With the introduction of the World Heavyweight Championship on the Raw brand after the WWE Championship was moved to the SmackDown, brand, the WWE Tag Team Championship on Raw was now being referred to as the World Tag Team Championship. This was done so that the names of both tag team titles would mirror the names of the top championships on their respective brands. When the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship switched brands during the 2005 WWE draft lottery, on the March 17 episode of ECW on Syfy, it was announced that at WrestleMania XXV both teams would defend their titles against each other and the winning team would hold both titles. The Colons defeated Morrison and Miz, and thus unified the titles into the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship, as the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship, the champions could appear and defend the titles on any WWE brand. On August 16,2010, the World Tag Team Championship was decommissioned in favor of continuing the lineage of the WWE Tag Team Championship, following the presentation of new championship belts to then-champions The Hart Dynasty by Bret Hart. Despite this, holders of the WWE Tag Team Championship in recent years have honored holders of the title when citing former champions. Following the events of the WWE brand extension, an annual WWE draft was established, after the World Tag Team Championship was unified with the WWE Tag Team Championship as the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship, the champions could appear on and defend the titles on any WWE brand
17.
NWA World Tag Team Championship
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The NWA World Tag Team Championship is the main professional wrestling world tag team championship of the National Wrestling Alliance. The first of these NWA World Tag Team Championships was created in 1950 in the San Francisco territory, in 1982 Big Time Wrestling, based in Los Angeles, California, closed and abandoned their version of the championship. This meant that only the Jim Crockett Promotions NWA World Tag Team Championship was active, in 1991 that championship was renamed the World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship. Initially the NWA worked with WCW, but in 1993 the two severed their collaboration and the NWA took the tag team championship from WCW, the NWA would briefly allow the World Wrestling Federation to control the championship in in 1998 but by 1999 that collaboration ended. In 2002 the NWA gave full control of the NWA World Tag Team Championship to the newly formed NWA Total Non-Stop Action promotion, tNAs control of the championship ended in 2007, with TNA creating the TNA World Tag Team Championship as a result. In subsequent years the championship has been defended on various continents including a period of time where it was held by teams working for New Japan Pro Wrestling. The current champions are the team of Kazushi Miyamoto and Rob Terry, Miyamoto and Terry are the 83th officially recognized champions due to the NWA not recognizing the five reigns in WCW. The Skullcrushers held the championship for 777 days, making them the longest reigning champions in the history of the NWA board recognized championship, three different team has held the championship for just one day, David Flair and Dan Factor, Glacier and Jason Sugarman and The Heatseekers. Those two championships were controlled by the board, who would meet to vote on who should be given the championship next and this meant that each territory was free to create their own World Tag Team Championship as they saw fit and use it within their territory without board approval. History records do not indicate that Blears and Laytham had actually won the championship elsewhere, from mid-1953 the championship became the main tag team championship of the Illinois/Wisconsin territory. In 1954 the Montreal, Québéc, Canada based Canadian Athletic Promotion used the NWA World Tag Team Championship name as well, but by the end of the year they had abandoned the championship. The promoters billed Joe Tangaroa and Guy Brunetti as the champions, recognizing the championship of the Chicago version up until September 1955. 1955 was also the year that the first of two Texas based NWA World Tag Team Championships as the Amarillo, Texas based Big Time Wrestling, owned by Doc Sarpolis and Dory Funk. They followed in the footsteps of other NWA territories by having the Chicago champions travel to their territory to lose a version of the championship to start the local version, in this case Neilsen worked regularly in the territory, while Lisowski left after only a brief stay. The promoters chose to have Rip Rogers replace Lisowski for the Amarillo version of the champions, another version was introduced around 1955/1956 in the Idaho / Utah territory based out of Salt Lake City. Three additional versions of the championship were introduced in 1957, the first of which was in Minneapolis, the second new championship was also the second Texas based championship as the eastern Texas based Houston/Dallas territory introduced Verne Gagne and Wilbur Snyder as their local champions. The third championship introduced in 1957 was used by Nick Gulas NWA Mid-America promotion when Gulas introduced The Corsicans as champions when they made their debut for NWA Mid-America. In 1959/1960 the unity of the NWA was strained as several promotions broke away from the NWA, while the NWA lost some territories with the exodus to the AWA others were added and additional NWA World Tag Team Championships were still being introduced
18.
WWF Hardcore Championship
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The WWE Hardcore Championship was a hardcore wrestling championship in WWE, which was contested under hardcore rules. In the latter part of the history, a rule was implemented allowing anyone to challenge the champion at any place or time. It was established on November 2,1998 with Mankind as the inaugural champion, in 2002, it was unified with the WWE Intercontinental Championship by Rob Van Dam, the final Hardcore Champion. Mr. McMahon awarded Mankind the World Wrestling Federation Hardcore Championship on November 2,1998, after Mankind lost the title to Big Boss Man, he never attempted to recapture its mainly because of the main event push he received shortly afterward. At the time of conception, the idea was for the belt to be used in segments to play on Mankinds reputation as a hardcore wrestler. However, as Mankind and hardcore wrestling became more popular with audiences and its popularity led competitor World Championship Wrestling to create its own Hardcore Championship, a move followed by numerous independent promotions. When Crash Holly won the belt, he introduced the 24/7 rule which said the belt was to be defended at all times, as long as a referee was present. This allowed for many comic moments, such as the belt changing hands while the champion was asleep. At WrestleMania X8, Maven defended the title against Goldust, after they knocked each other out with trash can lids, Spike Dudley entered and pinned Maven to win the title. Then, in the area, The Hurricane pinned Spike for the title. Mighty Molly told The Hurricane to go to the Hurri-cycle before knocking him out with a frying pan when his back was turned, while looking for a safe place, Christian won the title by pinning Molly after hitting her in the head with a door. As he was about to leave the building in a taxi, he was attacked and pinned by Maven, Trish Stratus faced Jazz for the Womens Championship, and lost due to Richards interference. After the match, Bubba Ray Dudley attacked Richards from behind, Raven appeared and pinned Dudley, but quickly lost the title to Justin Credible, who was then pinned by Crash Holly. Dudley hit Holly with a trash can, but Stratus stole the pin on him, Dudley tried to attack Stratus from behind, but Jazz sprayed him with a fire extinguisher. Richards then stole the pin of the night after Dudley accidentally powerbombed Stratus through a wooden table. This rule has allowed the shortest title reigns and quickest title changes in WWE history, four women have held the Hardcore Championship, Molly Holly, Trish Stratus, Terri Runnels, and The Godfathers ho. The championship often changed hands at house shows, to give the audience a big moment, in the end, the title always returned to its original holder. At WrestleMania 2000, a royal match, in the style of Championship Scramble was booked where the title changed hands 10 times during the 15 minutes
19.
Ventura, California
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Ventura, officially the City of San Buenaventura, is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States. European explorers encountered a Chumash village, referred to as Shisholop, the eponymous Mission San Buenaventura was founded nearby in 1782 where it benefitted from the water of the Ventura River. The town grew around the compound and incorporated in 1866. The development of oil fields in the 1920s and the age of automobile travel created a major real estate boom during which many designated landmark buildings were constructed. The mission and these buildings are at the center of a downtown that has become a cultural, retail, Ventura lies along U. S. Route 101 between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, which was one of the original U. S. Routes. The highway is now known as the Ventura Freeway, but the route through the town along Main Street has been designated El Camino Real. During the post–World War II economic expansion, the community grew easterly, the population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, archaeological discoveries in the area suggest that humans have populated the region for at least 10, 000-12,000 years. Archaeological research demonstrates that the Chumash people have roots in central and southern coastal regions of California. Shisholop Village, designated Historic Point of Interest #18 by the city at the foot of nearby Figueroa Street, was the site of a Chumash village, the mission was named for St. Bonaventure, a Thirteenth Century Franciscan saint and a Doctor of the Church. San Miguel Chapel was the first outpost and center of operations while the first Mission San Buenaventura was being constructed, the first mission burned in 1801 and a replacement building of brick and stone was completed in 1809. The bell tower and facade of the new mission was destroyed by an 1812 earthquake, the Mission was rebuilt and functions as a parish church. Historic tours of downtown include the mission compound, on July 6,1841, Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado granted Rancho San Miguel to Felipe Lorenzana and Raymundo Olivas. Fernando Tico also received a Mexican land grant for part of Ventura and he received a land grant for Ojai and the downtown area of Ventura. Whose Olivas Adobe on the banks of the Santa Clara River was the most magnificent hacienda south of Monterey, California became a territory of the United States in 1848 and the 31st state in the Union in 1850. After the American Civil War, settlers came to the area, buying land from the Mexicans, vast holdings were later acquired by Easterners, including the railroad magnate, Thomas A. Scott. He was impressed by one of the employees, Thomas R. Bard, who had been in charge of train supplies to Union troops. Not easily accessible, Ventura was not a target of immigrants, for most of the century which followed the incorporation of Ventura in 1866, it remained isolated from the rest of the state
20.
Grants Pass, Oregon
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Grants Pass is a city in, and the county seat of, Josephine County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on Interstate 5, northwest of Medford, attractions include the Rogue River, famous for its rafting, and the nearby Oregon Caves National Monument located 30 miles south of the city. Grants Pass is 256 miles south of Portland, the largest city in Oregon, the population was 34,533 at the 2010 census. Early Hudsons Bay Company hunters and trappers, following the Siskiyou Trail, in the late 1840s, settlers following the Applegate Trail began traveling through the area on their way to the Willamette Valley. The city states that the name was selected to honor General Ulysses S. Grants success at Vicksburg, Grants Pass post office was established on March 22,1865. The city of Grants Pass was incorporated in 1887, the Oregon-Utah Sugar Company was created, leading to a sugar beet factory being built in Grants Pass in 1916. Before the factory opened, Oregon-Utah Sugar was merged into the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, due to labor shortages and low acreage planted in sugar beets, the processing machinery was moved to Toppenish, Washington in 1918 or 1919. Grants Pass is located in the Rogue Valley, the Rogue River runs through the city, U. S. Route 199 passes through the city, and joins Interstate 5. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 11.03 square miles. True to its motto, “It’s the climate. ”, Grants Pass has a Zone 7 climate, according to the Köppen climate classification system, Grants Pass has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. Summer days are sunny, dry and hot but it cools down dramatically at night, the average August high temperature is 88.8 °F or 31.6 °C but the low is only 53.7 °F or 12.1 °C. Winters are cool and fairly rainy with occasional snow, the average January high temperature is 46.6 °F or 8.1 °C. Grants Pass receives roughly 31 inches or 790 millimetres precipitation per year, the record high temperature of 114 °F or 45.6 °C was on July 23,1928. The record low temperature of −1 °F was on December 9,1972 until 1990 when it reached −3 °F, measurable precipitation falls on an average of 110 days annually. The wettest “rain year” was from July 1955 to June 1956 with 50.69 inches of precipitation, there is an average of only 4.6 inches or 0.12 metres of snow annually. The most snowfall in one month was 34.1 inches in February 1917, as of the census of 2010, there were 34,533 people,14,313 households, and 8,700 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,176.9 inhabitants per square mile, there were 15,561 housing units at an average density of 1,431.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 90. 9% White,0. 5% African American,1. 2% Native American,1. 1% Asian,0. 3% Pacific Islander,2. 3% from other races, and 3. 7% from two or more races
21.
Meineke Car Care Centers
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Meineke Car Care Centers, Inc. is a franchise-based international automotive repair chain with more than 900 locations. Meineke was founded in 1971 in Houston, Texas by Sam Meineke and he started to franchise the name in 1972, with Harold Nedell. In 1983, GKN, a multinational British company, bought out Meineke Discount Mufflers, in 1986, the company headquarters moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2003, the same year Meineke Discount Muffler Shops, Inc. became Meineke Car Care Centers, Meineke became a privately held company, no longer publicly traded. In 2006, Meineke Car Care Centers’ parent company, Meineke Holding Company, became Driven Brands, Inc. and acquired the oil change company. In 2008, it acquired Maaco, Auto Qual, and Drive N Style, in April 2013, Meineke Car Care Centers, Inc. announced the acquisition of the Seattle-Tacoma auto repair chain, Walt’s Auto Care Centers, or “Walt’s”. In June 2014, Meineke acquired eight America’s Service Station locations in the Atlanta area, former boxing champion George Foreman was a spokesperson for the Meineke brand in the United States from 1993 to 2010. Former NHL player Wendel Clark is the Meineke spokesperson in Canada, Official site Driven Brands, Official Site
22.
Boxing
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Boxing is a combat sport in which two people wearing protective gloves throw punches at each other for a predetermined set of time in a boxing ring. Amateur boxing is both an Olympic and Commonwealth Games sport and is a fixture in most international games—it also has its own World Championships. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of one- to three-minute intervals called rounds, in the event that both fighters gain equal scores from the judges, the fight is considered a draw. In Olympic boxing, due to the fact that a winner must be declared, in the case of a draw - the judges use technical criteria to choose the most deserving winner of the bout. While people have fought in combat since before the dawn of history. The earliest evidence for fist fighting with any kind of gloves can be found on Minoan Crete, in Ancient Greece boxing was a well developed sport and enjoyed consistent popularity. In Olympic terms, it was first introduced in the 23rd Olympiad,688 B. C, the boxers would wind leather thongs around their hands in order to protect them. There were no rounds and boxers fought until one of them acknowledged defeat or could not continue, weight categories were not used, which meant heavyweights had a tendency to dominate. It was the head of the opponent which was primarily targeted, Boxing was a popular spectator sport in Ancient Rome. In order for the fighters to protect themselves against their opponents they wrapped leather thongs around their fists, eventually harder leather was used and the thong soon became a weapon. The Romans even introduced metal studs to the thongs to make the cestus which then led to a more sinister weapon called the myrmex, Fighting events were held at Roman Amphitheatres. The Roman form of boxing was often a fight until death to please the spectators who gathered at such events, however, especially in later times, purchased slaves and trained combat performers were valuable commodities, and their lives were not given up without due consideration. Often slaves were used against one another in a circle marked on the floor and this is where the term ring came from. In AD393, during the Roman gladiator period, boxing was abolished due to excessive brutality and it was not until the late 17th century that boxing re-surfaced in London. Records of Classical boxing activity disappeared after the fall of the Western Roman Empire when the wearing of weapons became common once again, however, there are detailed records of various fist-fighting sports that were maintained in different cities and provinces of Italy between the 12th and 17th centuries. There was also a sport in ancient Rus called Kulachniy Boy or Fist Fighting, as the wearing of swords became less common, there was renewed interest in fencing with the fists. The sport would later resurface in England during the early 16th century in the form of bare-knuckle boxing sometimes referred to as prizefighting. The first documented account of a fight in England appeared in 1681 in the London Protestant Mercury
23.
Welder
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A welder or lit operator is a tradesperson who specializes in fusing materials together. The term welder refers to the operator, the machine is referred to as the power supply. The materials to be joined can be metals or varieties of plastic or polymer, welders typically have to have good dexterity and attention to detail, as well as some technical knowledge about the materials being joined and best practices in the field. Welding, without the proper precautions appropriate for the process, can be a dangerous, however, with the use of new technology and proper protection, the risks of injury and death associated with welding can be greatly reduced. Because many common welding procedures involve an open electric arc or flame, to prevent them, welders wear personal protective equipment in the form of heavy leather gloves and protective long sleeve jackets to avoid exposure to extreme heat and flames. Additionally, the brightness of the area leads to a condition called arc eye in which ultraviolet light causes the inflammation of the cornea. To protect bystanders, opaque welding curtains often surround the welding area, welders are also often exposed to dangerous gases and particulate matter. The size of the particles in question tends to influence the toxicity of the fumes, additionally, many processes produce fumes and various gases, most commonly carbon dioxide and ozone, that can prove dangerous if ventilation is inadequate. Welders with expertise in welding pressurized vessels, including submarine hulls, industrial boilers, kalpakjian, Serope and Steven R. Schmid
24.
Robert Gibson (wrestler)
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Robert Gibson is an American professional wrestler. He is best known as one-half of the tag team known as The Rock n Roll Express and he has competed in singles competition also, since he has won various singles championships throughout his career. In February,2017, it was announced that the Rock n Roll Express would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the class of 2017, on March 31,2017, in Orlando, Florida, the duo accepted this honor. The ceremony was held the Friday night prior to Wrestlemania 33, Gibson started wrestling as Robert Gibson in 1977. His first match was against Eddie Sullivan and he was trained by his brother Ricky Gibson and teamed with Ricky in the southern independents. In 1983, he formed the Rock N Roll Express with Ricky Morton and they feuded with The Midnight Express in the USWA/CWA, and the feud carried over into the National Wrestling Alliance s Jim Crockett Promotions in 1985. They won the NWA Tag Title four times while there and feuded with the Four Horsemen, Ivan and Nikita Koloff, even though he and Morton were of similar build and wrestled a similar style, Gibson was always booked as the stronger and more powerful of the two. Gibson was injured in 1990 and when he returned to World Championship Wrestling in 1991 and they feuded and Gibson teamed with Tom Zenk, but had no success and soon left WCW. He rejoined Morton in Smoky Mountain Wrestling and they feuded with the Heavenly Bodies led by Jim Cornette, shortly before SMWs demise, Gibson turned heel and joined Cornettes Army. The team came back briefly First in the USWA then WCW in 1996, in 1998, they were part of the NWA angle in the World Wrestling Federation for a brief period. The Rock n Roll express were awarded the NWA tag team championships before losing them to the Headbangers a month later and their last run in a big federation was with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling when they were part of Vince Russos Sports Entertainment Xtreme faction. He also appeared at one Wrestle Birmingham show in 2002 as Robert Fuller Jr. pretending to be the son of veteran wrestler Robert Fuller, a gimmick also used by other wrestlers. In late 2003/2004, Robert along with Ricky Morton, Joined the newly formed Original Big Time Wrestling, under the banner of the All World Wrestling League. From 2007 to 2009, he worked for Ultimate Wrestling, a promotion in his town of Pensacola, Florida. In September 2010 he returned to Ultimate Wrestling as a face, as of 2014, Gibson is still wrestling on the independent circuit. In February 2017, WWE played a package of the Rock n roll express. Gibson has acknowledged during a fund raising event at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf that he is a child of deaf parents. He knows sign language and often speaks with his hands in the ring before his matches, on September 15,2006, his brother, Ricky Gibson, died
25.
Memphis, Tennessee
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Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U. S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the fourth Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf, Memphis had a population of 653,450 in 2013, making it the largest city in the state of Tennessee. It is the largest city on the Mississippi River, the third largest in the greater Southeastern United States, the greater Memphis metropolitan area, including adjacent counties in Mississippi and Arkansas, had a 2014 population of 1,317,314. This makes Memphis the second-largest metropolitan area in Tennessee, surpassed by metropolitan Nashville, Memphis is the youngest of Tennessees major cities, founded in 1819 as a planned city by a group of wealthy Americans including judge John Overton and future president Andrew Jackson. A resident of Memphis is referred to as a Memphian, and the Memphis region is known, particularly to media outlets, as Memphis and the Mid-South. Occupying a substantial bluff rising from the Mississippi River, the site of Memphis has been a location for human settlement by varying cultures over thousands of years. The historic Chickasaw Indian tribe, believed to be their descendants, French explorers led by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto would encounter the Chickasaw in that area, in the 16th century. J. D. L. Chickasaw Bluffs, located on the Mississippi River at the present day location of Memphis, spain and the United States vied for control of this site, which was a favorite of the Chickasaws. The United States gained the right to navigate the Mississippi River, the Spanish dismantled the fort, shipping its lumber and iron to their locations in Arkansas. Captain Isaac Guion led an American force down the Ohio River to claim the land, by this time, the Spanish had departed. The forts ruins went unnoticed twenty years later when Memphis was laid out as a city, the city of Memphis was founded on May 22,1819 by John Overton, James Winchester and Andrew Jackson. They named it after the ancient capital of Egypt on the Nile River, Memphis developed as a trade and transportation center in the 19th century because of its flood-free location high above the Mississippi River. Located in the delta region along the river, its outlying areas were developed as cotton plantations. The cotton economy of the antebellum South depended on the labor of large numbers of African-American slaves. Through the early 19th century, one million slaves were transported from the Upper South, Many were transported by steamboats along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. This gave planters and cotton brokers access to the Atlantic Coast for shipping cotton to England, the citys demographics changed dramatically in the 1850s and 1860s under waves of immigration and domestic migration. Due to increased immigration since the 1840s and the Great Famine, ethnic Irish made up 9.9 percent of the population in 1850, but 23.2 percent in 1860, when the total population was 22,623. They had encountered considerable discrimination in the city but by 1860 and they also gained many elected and patronage positions in the Democratic Party city government, and an Irish man was elected as mayor before the Civil War
26.
WWE United States Championship
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The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE on the Raw brand. Along with the Intercontinental Championship on the SmackDown brand, it is one of the two titles of the promotion. It is currently held by Kevin Owens, who is in his first reign, Harley Race was the inaugural champion. This makes the United States Championship the only championship in WWE that was not originated in the promotion, as well as WWEs second oldest active championship. After the 2002 brand extension and the promotion renamed to WWE, as a result of the 2016 draft, it became exclusive to the Raw brand. The United States Championship began as a championship called the United States Heavyweight Championship. It was created by and defended in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling run by Jim Crockett Jr, introduced on January 1,1975, Harley Race became the inaugural champion. The title quickly replaced the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship as the top title in the promotion. The title remained the primary championship within the Mid-Atlantic territory until 1986 when Crockett gained control of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the United States title then became the secondary championship of the promotion. After Ted Turner bought the company and renamed it World Championship Wrestling in November 1988, WCW began to pull itself away from the NWA, demonstrated by the company changing the name of the title to the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship in January 1991. In March 2001, the World Wrestling Federation purchased WCW, the United States Championship was then deactivated. In July 2003, a year after the first brand extension went into effect in the now renamed WWE. General Manager Stephanie McMahon, and was commissioned to be a championship for the SmackDown. Eddie Guerrero became the first champion after its reactivation by winning a tournament at Vengeance and this was done shortly after the Intercontinental Championship was recommissioned by the Raw brand, making the title its equal counterpart. The first brand extension ended on August 29,2011, in 2015, WWE introduced an updated version of its Grand Slam Championship, and the United States Championship became officially recognized as a component of the re-established honor. Rollins held both titles until Cena defeated Rollins in his rematch for the title at Night of Champions the following month, in July 2016, WWE reintroduced the brand extension, during the draft, then-United States Champion Rusev was drafted to the Raw brand. Days later, he defended the title against SmackDown draftee Zack Ryder at Battleground. Following the revival of the United States Championship in 2003, the title was designated to SmackDown, the brand extension was discontinued on August 29,2011, but it was revived on July 19,2016
27.
Lex Luger
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He is best known for his work with the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation. Luger is a two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and one-time WWA World Heavyweight Champion and he is also a five-time NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Champion who holds the records for consecutive days and total days as champion. Although he never won a championship in the WWF, he challenged for every title in the organization and was the 1994 Royal Rumble co-winner with Bret Hart. Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers voted Luger the Most Popular Wrestler of the Year in 1993, Luger attended high school and played football in Orchard Park, New York. He sat out the 1978 season as a transfer student in Coral Gables. In 1979, Luger played for the Miami Hurricanes, which featured future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, Jim Burt, Mitch Guittar, Fred Marion and Mark Richt. Upon leaving Miami, he played football for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League where he played in the 67th Grey Cup against the Edmonton Eskimos. He returned to the Packers training camp in 1983, but he was released before the season began. Luger wore number 66 for the Packers, the last player to do so before it was retired for Ray Nitschke, in 1984, Luger finished his football career playing in the United States Football League for the Tampa Bay Bandits, Memphis Showboats and Jacksonville Bulls. He was a teammate with future WCW rival Ron Simmons while playing for the Tampa Bay Bandits, roop arranged for Luger to be trained by Hiro Matsuda, who had previously trained Hulk Hogan and Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff. Luger adopted the ring name Lex Luger, being a fan of the comic book villain Lex Luthor and he was featured alongside Percy Pringle and Rick Rude. Luger began wrestling in the Championship Wrestling from Florida territory of the National Wrestling Alliance and he got his first victory on October 31,1985, against Cocoa Samoa and won the Southern Heavyweight Championship from Wahoo McDaniel the next month. For a short time, he feuded with Barry Windham before they began teaming up against Sir Oliver Humperdink and his team of Ed The Bull Gantner, Kareem Muhammed, and The White Ninja. On September 1,1986, he fought NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair for the title at a show Battle of the Belts III, as a result, Flair retained the title. Towards the end of his run in Florida, Luger was involved in angles with Kevin Sullivan and he was also in a steel cage match with Bruiser Brody, where Brody stopped cooperating, leading to Luger climbing over the cage leaving the match. He was first booked as an associate to Ric Flairs Four Horsemen stable until Ole Anderson was kicked out and his first big feud was with Nikita Koloff, whom he defeated for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship on July 11,1987. Manager James J. Dillon threw a chair over the top of the cage while the referee, Luger knocked Koloff unconscious with it and then lifted up Koloff in the Torture Rack. A revived Hebner then dropped Koloffs arm three times with no response and awarded Luger a submission victory and he held the title until JCPs first pay-per-view event Starrcade in November, when he dropped it to Dusty Rhodes in a steel cage
28.
Ric Flair
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Richard Morgan Fliehr, better known as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestling manager and retired professional wrestler signed to WWE under its Legends program. Widely regarded as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has cultivated a legacy over a career that spans 40 years, Flair is noted for his tenures with the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Since the mid-1970s, he has used the moniker the Nature Boy, PWI awarded Flair their Wrestler of the Year award a record six times, while Wrestling Observer Newsletter named Flair as the Wrestler of the Year on a record of nine occasions. According to Mick Foley, he had two stints as a booker in WCW, from 1989–1990 and again in 1994, Flair was the first titleholder of both the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship. In being the inaugural WCW World Heavyweight Champion, he became the first WCWs Triple Crown Champion, having already held the United States Heavyweight. He then completed WWEs version of the Triple Crown when he won the Intercontinental Championship, after holding the WWF Championship. Richard Fliehr was born on February 25,1949 in Memphis, in the opening chapter of his autobiography To Be the Man, he notes that his birth name is given on different documents as Fred Phillips, son of Olive and Luther Phillips. He was adopted, at the time of his adoption, as reported in the chapter of his autobiography entitled Black Market Baby. Shortly afterward, the family settled in Edina, Minnesota, where the young Fliehr lived throughout his childhood, as a teen, Fliehr took a summer job as a lifeguard at a local pool in Minnesota. He received his first exposure to the business when he met the Vachon brothers. He dropped out of college without receiving his degree and he then worked as a bouncer at a nearby club, where he met Olympic weightlifter Ken Patera, who was preparing for a ring career at Verne Gagnes wrestling school. Patera introduced Flair to Verne Gagne, who agreed to him on as a member of his training class. Under the tutelage of Josh Klemme and Billy Robinson, Flair was friends with Ken Patera before entering wrestling, Patera had an association with Verne Gagne through his weightlifting career and with that relationship an opportunity arose for Flair to train with Verne Gagne as a professional wrestler. Flair attended Gagnes first wrestling camp with Greg Gagne, Jim Brunzell, Iron Sheik, the intensity of Gagnes training camp, which spawned several champions including Flair, caused Flair to nearly quit the camp until Gagne persuaded him to continue. On December 10,1972, He made his debut in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Flair originally considered Rambling Ricky Rhodes, in tribute to Dusty Rhodes. Weighing nearly 300 pounds with brown hair, Flair scarcely resembled his future Nature Boy image. During his time in the American Wrestling Association, Flair had matches with Dusty Rhodes, André the Giant, Larry Hennig, Flair first competed in Japan in 1973 for International Wrestling Enterprise, due to a working agreement between AWA promoter Verne Gagne and the IWE. After Flair left the AWA for Jim Crockett Jr. s Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in 1974, on April 27,1978, Flair challenged for the NWA United National Championship in a losing effort
29.
Arn Anderson
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Martin Anthony Lunde, better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is an American road agent and retired professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and he currently serves as the senior producer for WWE Raw. On March 31,2012, Anderson was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the Four Horsemen, Lunde began his career in early 1982, trained by Ted Lipscomb spending much of the year wrestling in various independent wrestling companies across the United States. By the middle of 1983, he made his way to Southeastern Championship Wrestling, taking the name of Super Olympia, Lunde soon became a member of Ron Fullers Stud Stable before the year was out. Lunde saw success in the tag team ranks by winning the NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship three times with Mr. Olympia and once with Pat Rose throughout 1984 and it was also here in this promotion that Lunde met and began what would become a lifelong friendship with Flair. By the end of the year, however, Lunde left the company, Lundes time in Mid South was coming to an end and during a TV taping the Junk Yard Dog mentioned to Bill Watts, the owner of Mid South Wrestling, that Lunde looked like an Anderson. Watts called Jim Crockett and convinced him to book Lunde, Lunde made his way to Jim Crockett, Jr. s Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling based in the Virginias and the Carolinas. By this time, the extended its range into Georgia after rival promoter Vince McMahon purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling. There was a physical resemblance between Lunde and Ole Anderson, who had achieved legendary status in the Georgia and Mid-Atlantic territories as a tag team wrestler. Ole noticed that Lundes style was a no nonsense approach in the ring, the team quickly became a force in the territory by capturing the NWA National Tag Team Championship in March 1985. Arn and Ole defended the titles throughout the year, with their highest profile match being part of the card for Starrcade 1985 on Thanksgiving night, the Crew successfully defended the titles against Wahoo McDaniel and Billy Jack Haynes. In the latter half of 1985, the Andersons formed a loose alliance with fellow heels Tully Blanchard and Ric Flair. The alliance quickly became a force within the territory, working in feuds against some of the biggest stars in the company like Dusty Rhodes, the Road Warriors and the Rock n Roll Express. Anderson also saw success as a wrestler on January 4,1986 by winning the vacant NWA Television Championship. It was also during this time that the Andersons, Blanchard, Anderson also had a tremendous ability to do interviews to further the storylines he participated in. Anderson continued his reign as NWA Television Champion for most of the year, the first real setback with the Horsemen occurred at Starrcade 1986 after Anderson and Ole lost a Steel Cage match to The Rock n Roll Express, with Ole getting pinned. The subsequent storyline positioned Ole as the link within the team. Oles position with the group was further weakened after he decided to take two months off after Starrcade
30.
WCW Saturday Night
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WCW Saturday Night was a weekly Saturday night TV show on TBS produced by World Championship Wrestling. The program existed through various incarnations under different names before becoming WCW Saturday Night in 1992, the rights to WCW Saturday Night now belong to WWE as a result of that companys 2001 purchase of selected assets of WCW. WCW Saturday Night premiered on April 4,1992 as the showcase for the top talent. In addition, there was also a Sunday edition of World Championship Wrestling, however, in later years, in spring 1988, TBS replaced the Sunday edition with a new Sunday wrestling show called NWA Main Event. In all of its incarnations, WCW Saturday Night would normally air for two hours, during baseball season, however, it would typically air for one hour, to be immediately followed by an Atlanta Braves game. On December 25,1971, Georgia Championship Wrestling aired its first show, beginning in 1972, the promotion switched its Atlanta television outlet from its longtime home, WQXI-TV to upstart UHF independent station WTCG, owned by Ted Turner. Later in the decade WTCG became a superstation, and in 1979 it was renamed WTBS. Many of the NWAs regional promoters were unhappy, but promoter Jim Barnett claimed since he was only using Georgia-based wrestlers, throughout the 1970s, Georgia Championship Wrestling was one of the main shows that kept the Superstation alive. The Georgia Championship Wrestling TV series, hosted by Gordon Solie, was taped before a small, live in-studio audience, in 1982, Georgia Championship Wrestling changed its main programming name to World Championship Wrestling. Ted Turner had requested the change in hopes of giving the wrestling programming on the Superstation a less regional scope. Also, by point, GCW had been running shows in neutral territories like Ohio. Freddie Miller, an announcer, was the member of the original Georgia Championship Wrestling on-air cast who did not quit in protest or was immediately replaced by the new owner. McMahon had underestimated two major factors, however, the first was the differences in tastes between fanbases of different geographical regions. The WWFs soap operaish, sports entertainment style of wrestling sharply differed from that of GCWs more athletic, whereas the Georgia promotion featured an emphasis on in-ring action with talented workers, the WWF show featured a bunch of one-sided squash matches. This was despite the fact that McMahon had originally promised WTBS owner Ted Turner to produce programming for the TBS timeslot in Atlanta. Eventually, the WWF would have in-studio squash matches on the show on an infrequent basis, during this time, the show was co-hosted by Freddie Miller and Gorilla Monsoon, with Monsoon serving as the play-by-play announcer and Miller serving as the ring announcer. The following year, Turner gave Bill Watts Mid-South Wrestling, based around the New Orleans and Oklahoma areas and this upset Vince McMahon, who thought that his purchase of Georgia Championship Wrestling would give him an exclusive on WTBS. Ted Turner disagreed because he felt that McMahon reneged on the stipulation in the contract that required him to produce a separate weekly program from an Atlanta studio
31.
The Bushwhackers
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The Bushwhackers were a professional wrestling tag team that competed first as the New Zealand Kiwis and then as The Sheepherders during their 36-year career as a tag team. They wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation, Jim Crockett Promotions, the Bushwhackers consisted of Butch Miller and Luke Williams, while the Sheepherders also included Jonathan Boyd and Rip Morgan as members at times. Williams and Miller were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2015, Luke Williams and Butch Miller started wrestling as The Kiwis for NWA New Zealand in 1966, where they achieved a great deal of regional success. In 1973, they were on the Jarry Park Show in Montreal, Williams and Miller worked in Canada for various promotions, most notably Stu Harts Stampede Wrestling, billed as The Kiwis. The Kiwis began their first recorded title reign by defeating Bob Pringle, the Kiwis lost the title to Tokyo Joe and the Great Saki, only to regain it a short time later. The Kiwis lost the title for good to Stan Kowalski and Duke Savage and were unsuccessful in subsequent rematches and they returned to their home country of New Zealand in late 1975 for the first wrestling television tapings On the Mat. Returning to North American in late 1979, they worked for NWA Hawaii and this is when their name changed to The New Zealand Sheepherders. Their next stop was NWA Crockett Promotions in Charlotte, North Carolina and they won the Mid-Atlantic Tag Team titles on their third weekend in the territory from Buzz Sawyer and Matt Borne. They later lost the belts to Rocky Johnson and Dewey Robertson, the Sheepherders then worked for the World Wrestling Council as Los Pastores. A short time into their run with WWC, they defeated Carlos Colon and Invader I for the WWC North American Tag Team Championship, Los Pastores regained the belts on 22 May and held them until coming up short against Jack and Jerry Brisco on 8 August 1981. After the team left WWC, Miller decided he wanted to move closer to home to be family and returned to Australia. Williams remained in the United States, reforming the team with Lord Jonathan Boyd, the duo of Williams and Boyd quickly gained a reputation as one of the most violent, hard hitting teams in the business. In late 1981 in South Eastern Championship Wrestling, the team of Robert Fuller, LeDuc brought in the Sheepherders to be a part of his Commonwealth Connection stable to fight against Fuller and his family. In December 1981, the Sheepherders won the NWA Southeast Tag Team Championship, which had been vacated when Fuller and LeDuc split, on 11 September 1982, the Sheepherders lost to Fuller and Jimmy Golden and were run out of the territory. Boyd and Williams next appeared in the Memphis, TN-based promotion Continental Wrestling Association run by Jerry Jarrett, taylor and Rougeau redeemed themselves in the end by defeating the Sheepherders in a Coal Miners Glove match. The Sheepherders returned to the later that same night and defeated the territorys main stars Jerry Lawler. The next feud of Boyd and Williams was with The Fabulous Ones, the series of matches started out fairly evenly, with the Fabulous Ones and the Sheepherders splitting the wins. Later, bouts often ended without a definite winner, in late 1982, the Sheepherders won the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship from The Fabulous Ones
32.
WWF Superstars
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WWF Superstars is an arcade game manufactured by Technōs Japan and released in 1989. It is the first WWF arcade game to be released, a series of unrelated games with the same title were released by LJN for the original Game Boy. Technōs followed the game with the release of WWF WrestleFest in 1991, the game features some of the signature moves and trademark mannerisms of the wrestlers in the game. There are also cut scenes featuring Ted DiBiase, André the Giant, mean Gene Okerlund and Miss Elizabeth make appearances as well. Before the first match, the chosen team enters the arena via the ring cart seen at WrestleManias III. Players select two wrestlers to form a tag team, the playable wrestlers are Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, Big Boss Man, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and The Honky Tonk Man. Up to two players can play at once, the players take their team through a series of matches with other tag teams in New York City and then Tokyo. The game features a basic grappling and attack system, from a grapple, a player can either toss the opponent, throw them into the ropes, or go into a headlock from which two character-specific grapple moves can be performed. Each wrestler also possesses standing strikes, running attacks, running counterattacks, ground attacks, a referee is present in the ring, but cannot be attacked or otherwise affected by the wrestlers. It is also possible to brawl outside of the ring, provided the player reenters before a count of 20, there, a table can be picked up and swung at opponents. If both wrestlers go outside the ring at once, their tag team partners automatically jump out to join the fight, occasionally one of these partners will wander off screen and return wielding a folding chair. Neither the chair nor table can be taken inside the ring, after three matches are won, players get to challenge the Mega Bucks for the final round. Most grapple moves do not work against André because of his immense size, the Mega Bucks are not selectable characters. However, there are cheats for MAME that allow them to be used, the drawback being that if DiBiase or André get a submission victory, also, there can sometimes be graphical errors which will make the in-ring opponent disappear. If the player wins the match, a newspaper headline heralding the players tag team as champions is shown. The player is taken through another series of three matches in the other city and a final match against DiBiase and André before the game ends. WWF Superstars gameplay footage Game Director Yoshihisa Kishimoto
33.
Jim Cornette
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James Mark Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, booker and podcaster. He has also worked as a character in an authoritative role, as Commissioner of Ring of Honor. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Cornette always loved wrestling, reportedly installing an antenna on top of his house as a youth so he could watch as much regional wrestling as possible. He began working at wrestling events at the age of 14, serving as a photographer, ring announcer, timekeeper, magazine correspondent and his dedication was such that he timed television shows with a stopwatch and would present her with typed formats for every show. By 1982, Cornette was now also writing programs for arena shows, having published in wrestling magazines. In August, he travelled to Memphis to see the TV match between Jerry Lawler and Ric Flair, after the show ended, Cornette was tapped on the shoulder by promoter Jerry Jarrett, and asked if he wanted to become a manager on television. As Cornette has recalled, despite his presence being tolerated at shows and TV tapings for nearly a decade, Cornette made his ringside debut on September 25,1982, managing future manager Sherri Martell. Cornette was given the gimmick of a rich kid turned inept manager whose clients kept firing him after one match, the most notable wrestlers in this angle were Dutch Mantell and Crusher Broomfield. Over the next 14 months Cornette also managed Jesse Barr, other wrestlers included a trio in Nashville consisting of Carl Fergie, Norman Fredrich Charles III, and the Angel, a trio that he called the Cornette Dynasty. After a short-lived run in Georgia through a deal Jarrett had with Ole Anderson, Cornette returned to Memphis in July 1983, in November 1983, Mid-South promoter Bill Watts recognised his business was down, and was looking to reinvigorate his territory. Watts asked Jerry Jarrett and Jerry Lawler to visit a TV taping, Jarrett suggested a talent trade, and invited Watts to Memphis to see who he liked. Watts also noticed the young manager in Cornette, and in his own words, recalled He was so obnoxious I wanted to slap him. As the more senior Jimmy Hart was still required by Jarrett, Watts took Cornette to manage his new team, notable wrestlers in the trade who left Mid-South for Memphis included Rick Rude and Jim Neidhart. The influx of the new talent had an impact, and business first rebounded. It was during this time that Cornette acquired his tennis racquet which became his trademark and he has stated he had seen a college movie at the time with an obnoxious rich kid carrying a badminton racquet with him, so he decided on a tennis racquet. At times Cornette loaded the racquet with a shoe to guard against aggressive fans. Cornette and the Midnight Express debuted on Mid-South television on November 23,1983, after the first few weeks in the territory the team faced the Mid-South tag team champions Magnum TA and Mr. Wrestling II. At a TV taping for a signing for an upcoming championship match
34.
Glossary of professional wrestling terms
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Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable nomenclature throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence of fans so as not to reveal the nature of the business. In recent years, widespread discussion on the Internet has popularized these terms, many of the terms refer to the financial aspects of professional wrestling in addition to performance-related terms. A-show A wrestling event where a companys biggest draws wrestle, a-team A group of a wrestling promotions top stars who compete at an A-show. Abort To discontinue a feud, angle, or gimmick suddenly, usually without explanation or due to a lack of fan interest, ace A term typically only used in Japanese puroresu for a wrestler designated as the face of the promotion. Not necessarily the same as the top champion, examples of modern aces include Hiroshi Tanahashi in New Japan Pro Wrestling and Suwama in All Japan Pro Wrestling. Agent A management employee, often a former wrestler, who helps set up matches, plans storylines. Often acts as a liaison between wrestlers and higher-level management, referred to as producers by WWE and sometimes by other companies. Sometimes they help train and teach younger active wrestlers and give criticism, Alliance A cooperative relationship developed between two or more wrestlers, whether wrestling as a tag team or in individual matches. Alliances are often formed for the purpose of retaining titles between the members of the alliance, or to counter a specific foe or group of foes. The formation of an alliance can be a storyline of its own, an angle usually begins when one wrestler attacks another, which results in revenge. An angle may be as small as a match or a vendetta that lasts for years. It is not uncommon to see an angle become retconned due to it not getting over with the fans, Apter mag An old-style professional wrestling magazine that sticks to kayfabe articles. The term refers to the magazines at one time connected to journalist Bill Apter, B-show A wrestling event featuring the middle and lower-level talent of a wrestling promotion. Sometimes includes well-known wrestlers making a return or finishing up their career, b-team The group of wrestlers on a B-show. Babyface A wrestler positioned as a hero, who the crowd are typically cheering for in a match, often simply known as a face. Beat down A situation in which a wrestler or other performer is the recipient of a one-sided beating, blading A wrestler intentionally cutting themself to provoke bleeding
35.
Royal Rumble (1994)
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Royal Rumble was the seventh annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on January 22,1994, at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, the main event was the Royal Rumble match, a battle royal in which wrestlers enter the ring at regular intervals. Lex Luger and Bret Hart were named co-winners after they eliminated each other. The undercard included a Casket match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, in addition, The Quebecers beat Bret and Owen Hart to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship and Razor Ramon successfully defended his Intercontinental Championship. The first televised match of the pay-per-view was supposed to be Ludvig Borga vs. Tatanka, the two were engaged in a feud that began prior to Survivor Series 1993. Tatanka had been undefeated in the WWF since his debut in 1991, Borga ended this streak on the October 30,1993 edition of WWF Superstars, when he hit Tatanka with a steel chair while the referee was distracted. As a results of storyline injuries from this attack and the beating he suffered afterward at the hands of Borga and Yokozuna, although Tatanka defeated Borga by disqualification on the December 20,1993 edition of Monday Night Raw, the bitterness between the two remained. Borga suffered an ankle injury, however, and was replaced by Bam Bam Bigelow. Although the substitution took place shortly before the event, Bigelow, in 1993, Bigelow had cut Tatankas dyed red hair as an insult to his Lumbee heritage. The two faced each other as part of a match at SummerSlam 1993, but the feud continued even after Tatankas team emerged victorious. After the match, Owen interrupted his brothers’ victory celebration to verbally attack Bret and he demanded a match with Bret to settle the dispute. Bret refused, and the brothers reunited over the Christmas holidays and they decided to focus their energy on taking the tag team title from the Quebecers. Their plan was put on hold when Marty Jannetty and the 1-2-3 Kid won the belts. Razor Ramon and Irwin R. Schyster began feuding prior to SummerSlam 1993 because of an angle in which Money Inc. teased Ramon about losing to the 1-2-3 Kid, the rivalry heated up when I. R. S. Stole Ramons gold chains while Shawn Michaels had Ramon distracted, Ramon and I. R. S. agreed to settle the feud at Royal Rumble 1994 with Ramons Intercontinental Championship on the line. The rivalry between Yokozuna and The Undertaker began at Survivor Series 1993, Yokozuna, who was pushed as an unstoppable monster, was unable to inflict any serious damage on The Undertaker when the two faced each other in an elimination match. Yokozuna slammed The Undertakers head into the steps leading up to the ring. Later, Yokozuna used his move, the Banzai Drop
36.
Royal Rumble (1995)
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Royal Rumble was the eighth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on January 22,1995, in the USF Sun Dome located in Tampa, the event featured five matches based on scripted storylines, and the results were predetermined by the WWF. The main event was the 1995 Royal Rumble match, which Shawn Michaels won after entering first, the event also featured a match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, when Diesel defended the title against Bret Hart. The match was stopped when several other wrestlers interfered and the referee lost control of the match, several storylines from Royal Rumble 1995 were carried over to WrestleMania XI, the WWFs next pay-per-view. Bam Bam Bigelow attacked National Football League Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, who was sitting in the crowd, Pamela Anderson was at ringside and was supposed to accompany the winner of the Royal Rumble match to his WWF World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania. Although Shawn Michaels won the match, Anderson came to the ring at WrestleMania with Diesel, the Undertakers feud with Ted DiBiases Million Dollar Corporation also escalated, as DiBiases men stole the urn that was said to give The Undertaker his power. Jarrett and Ramon continued to feud for several months, and Bret Hart targeted Bob Backlund because of Backlunds interference in the WWF World Heavyweight Championship match, the storyline behind the WWF World Heavyweight Championship match began in 1994, when Bret Hart was feuding with his brother Owen. After Owen was unable to win the title, he helped Bob Backlund win the belt from Bret at Survivor Series 1994, three days after Survivor Series, Diesel faced Backlund and won the title belt. He agreed to grant a title shot to Bret Hart, who, also at Survivor Series 1994, Shawn Michaels and Diesel had an argument after Michaels accidentally kicked Diesel in the face. Although the pair held the WWF Tag Team Championship together, Diesel said that he did not want to team with Michaels any longer, the title was vacated, and the WWF held a tournament to determine the new champions. During the tournament, The Smoking Gunns were forced to withdraw when Bart Gunn was injured in a rodeo accident, as a result, the 1–2–3 Kid and Bob Holly took their place. The Gunns requested that they get a shot after the tournament when Bart had recovered. The 1–2–3 Kid and Holly advanced to the finals, as did Ted DiBiases team of Bam Bam Bigelow, the match to determine the new champions was scheduled to take place at the Royal Rumble. The Undertaker had been feuding with DiBiases Million Dollar Corporation since his return to the WWF from an injury in August 1994. During the match between The Undertaker and Yokozuna at Survivor Series 1994, Irwin R. Schyster, one of DiBiases wrestlers, during the feud, Schyster was escorted to the ring for his matches by a group of hooded druids. The feud between Jeff Jarrett and Razor Ramon began in late 1994 when Jarrett challenged Ramon for Ramons WWF Intercontinental Championship and they faced each other several times, but Jarrett was unable to win the belt. Jarrett, who portrayed a country music star, was accompanied to the ring by The Roadie. Although no major feuds were featured in the Royal Rumble match, Baywatch star Pamela Anderson was in attendance at ringside and it was announced that she would accompany the winner of the match during his WWF World Heavyweight Championship title shot at WrestleMania XI
37.
Sean Waltman
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Sean Michael Waltman is an American professional wrestler. He is signed with WWE working in their Legends program, Waltman has won a dozen championships between WWE, WCW, and TNA, the majority were cruiserweight and tag team titles. He was also the final WWF Light Heavyweight Champion before the title was retired in favor of the Cruiserweight Championship he simultaneously held and he was part of The Kliq, a group of wrestlers known for their influence on WWF storylines in the mid-1990s. Waltman joined the wrestling team in ninth grade, but quickly quit rather than cut his hair. After training under Boris Malenko, Joe Malenko, Masami Soronaka and Karl Gotch, during this time, Waltman worked extensively with Jerry Lynn in North America and Japan. They often wrestled each other, but also teamed up to win the PWA Tag Team titles twice in 1993 and he was hospitalized for three days, could not work for four months, and was advised to give up wrestling completely. As The Lightning Kid, Waltman had his WWF tryout match in Phoenix, Arizona and he reminisced that he was lucky to have an opponent with a vested interest in an impressive match, rather than a disinterested WWF veteran jobber like Virgil or Jim Powers. After earning a contract, he made his TV debut as The Kamikaze Kid on Monday Night Raw on May 3 and he quickly became The Cannonball Kid, then simply The Kid. After several weeks as a jobber, he scored a pinfall on Razor Ramon on the May 17 episode of Monday Night Raw. Razor challenged him to a rematch, wagering $10,000 of his own money, Kid accepted the challenge, but grabbed the money and ran from the arena during the match. Ted DiBiase, who was feuding with Razor, taunted him over losing to a nobody and this angered Kid, and led to a match in which he upset DiBiase as well. Razor turned face shortly after and took Kid under his wing, the 1–2–3 Kid made his pay-per-view debut at SummerSlam, losing to DiBiases tag partner Irwin R. Schyster after Razor had defeated DiBiase. At Survivor Series, Kid was on Razors team in a elimination match. He and Marty Jannetty were the survivors, which led to them forming a tag team. For the next two years, The 1–2–3 Kid was an underdog and fan favorite. After Kid and Razor failed to win back the Tag Team Championship from Billy Gunn and Bart Gunn in October 1995, on the Raw before the 1995 Survivor Series in November, he was the guest referee in a match between Razor Ramon and Sycho Sid. As Razor attempted his finisher, The Razors Edge, Kid pulled Sid down from Razor, allowing Sid to then hit Razor with his Powerbomb, at Summerslam 1995, he lost to Hakushi but won a rematch in November after Ted DiBiase interfered. He was the survivor of his Survivor Series match, besting rival Marty Jannetty
38.
Bam Bam Bigelow
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Scott Charles Bigelow was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Bam Bam Bigelow. Bigelow is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling between 1987 and 2001. After training in Larry Sharpes Monster Factory in New Jersey, Bigelow debuted as an athletic and agile monster heel in the Memphis territory of Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett in the summer of 1986. Billed as the Beast of the East and referred to as the Bammer by announcer Lance Russell, around the same time, Bigelow worked a brief stint in World Class Championship Wrestling with a Russian gimmick under the name Crusher Yurkof. In May 1987, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation, the storyline upon his debut was that the various heel managers were all vying for Bigelows services. The angle was thus called The Battle for Bam Bam, Bigelow in the end wound up a babyface when he denounced all the heel managers and announced that his manager was going to be Oliver Humperdink. Fans were entertained by Bigelows unique style and his agility for a man his size. His first WWF encounters were with Nikolai Volkoff and his jilted manager Slick, Bigelow wrestled as a part of Hulk Hogans team at the first Survivor Series, in which he survived longer than even Hogan. He eliminated both King Kong Bundy and One Man Gang, but eventually lost to sole survivor André the Giant and he wrestled in the WWF for one year before leaving to have surgery on a badly injured knee. Bigelow lost by count-out to One Man Gang in the first round of WrestleMania IVs WWF World Heavyweight Championship tournament, Bigelow briefly re-emerged with the NWA member Jim Crockett Promotions in late 1988, and was immediately set up to challenge Barry Windham for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship. While NWA wanted control of Bigelow, his loyalty was with New Japan, after this brief stay, Bigelow went to Japan to work for the legendary Antonio Inokis New Japan Pro Wrestling. Here, he formed a tag team with Big Van Vader and he would return to WCW briefly in 1990 as a heel, reunited with Humperdink, to aid Sullivans Slaughterhouse in their feud with Captain Mike Rotundo, Norman the Lunatic, and Abdullah the Butcher. In 1992 he left New Japan, performing for several other Japanese professional wrestling promotions and his time in these promotions featured a win over Japanese wrestling legend Kenta Kobashi during a brief stint in All Japan Pro Wrestling. Bigelow returned to the WWF as a heel on the November 28,1992 episode of Superstars, in 1993, Bigelow made his pay-per-view return with a victory over The Big Boss Man at Royal Rumble. On the May 10 episode of Monday Night Raw, Bigelow defeated Typhoon to qualify for the first-ever televised King of the Ring tournament, at the King of the Ring pay-per-view, Bigelow defeated Jim Duggan in the quarter-final round before losing to Bret Hart in the final. Soon after, Luna Vachon became Bigelows love interest and valet, Bigelow went on to feud with Tatanka and Doink the Clown. He teamed with The Headshrinkers against Tatanka and The Smoking Gunns in an effort at SummerSlam. Bigelows team of The Headshrinkers and Bastion Booger was defeated by The Four Doinks at Survivor Series, Bigelow began 1994 by replacing Ludvig Borga in a match against Tatanka at Royal Rumble
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Tatanka (wrestler)
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Christopher Chris Chavis is a Native American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under a Legends Contract. He is part of the Lumbee tribe and he is best known for his work with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Tatanka from 1991 to 1996,2005 to 2007 and 2016. His ring name is a Lakota word that means buffalo and he competed in his first bodybuilding contest, Mr. Virginia Beach, placing second. He won many competitions during his time in bodybuilding, but decided against competing on the national level, from 1985 to 1990 he worked for Ballys Health and Tennis Corporation, becoming a divisional manager. He decided to pursue a career with the Dolphins, Chavis was one of 20 hopefuls offered a deal out of approximately 2,000 tryouts. The Dolphins offered him an agent contract with the availability to increase after the first year. He declined, since his income at Ballys exceeded the value of the contract, in 1989, Chavis left Ballys to pursue an accounting career. He met Nature Boy Buddy Rogers in Florida at a store while looking for wrestling tapes. Rogers had Chavis call Larry Sharpe, who ran a school in southern New Jersey called The Monster Factory. He had his first match, as Tatanka, against Joe Thunderstorm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Rogers introduced Chavis to George Scott, the booker for the World Wrestling Federation during the 1980s. Scott was starting his own called the North American Wrestling Association. Chavis wrestled under the name The War Eagle Chris Chavis and was voted 3rd runner up for Rookie of the Year in Pro Wrestling Illustrated for 1990, also in 1990, he became the South Atlantic Heavyweight Champion by beating Ken Shamrock. Not long after, he was signed to a WWF contract, Chavis received his first tryout match with the WWF on February 18,1991 against Brooklyn Brawler at a WWF Superstars taping in Orlando, FL. Wrestling as The War Eagle, Chavis was victorious and he followed it up with a win against Dale Wolfe the next day at a Wrestling Challenge taping. On October 21 he received what was likely another tryout match at a Superstars taping, in November Chavis began wrestling on house shows under his given name. Soon after, he took on the ring name Tatanka, after wrestling in tryout matches at house shows, Tatanka made his television debut as a fan favorite on the February 1,1992, episode of Superstars, defeating Pat Tanaka in his debut match. As Tatanka, Chavis performed a war dance to the Lumbee tribal war cry that preceded his entrance to the ring, Tatankas earliest rivalry on television was against Martel, it culminated in Tatankas pay-per-view debut at WrestleMania VIII, with Tatanka winning the match. On May 18,1992, Tatanka reached the peak of his success by winning the 40-man Bashed in the USA battle royal
40.
WWE Raw
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WWE Raw, also known as Monday Night Raw or simply Raw, is a professional wrestling television program that currently airs live on Monday evenings at 8 pm EST on the USA Network in the United States. The shows name is used to refer to the Raw brand, in which WWE employees are assigned to work and perform on that program. The show debuted on January 11,1993 and has since been considered as the program of WWE. Raw moved from the USA Network to TNN in September 2000, on October 3,2005, Raw returned to the USA Network, where it remains today. As of December 9,2016, all episodes of the show are now available on demand on the WWE Network, since its first episode, Raw has broadcast live from 208 different arenas in 171 cities and towns in eleven different nations. Following the 1000th episode on July 23,2012, Raw became a three-hour broadcast from two hours, a format that had previously reserved for special episodes. Beginning as WWFs Monday Night Raw, the program first aired on January 11,1993 on the USA Network as a replacement for Prime Time Wrestling, the original Raw was sixty minutes in length and broke new ground in televised professional wrestling. Traditionally, wrestling shows were taped on sound stages with small audiences or at large arena shows, the Raw formula was considerably different from the taped weekend shows that aired at the time such as Superstars and Wrestling Challenge. Instead of matches taped weeks in advance with studio voice overs and taped discussion, Raw was a shot and aired to a live audience. Raw originated from the Grand Ballroom at Manhattan Center Studios, a small New York City theater, the combination of an intimate venue and live action proved to be a successful improvement. However, the live schedule proved to be a financial drain on the WWF. From Spring 1993 up until Spring 1997, Raw would tape several weeks worth of episodes after an episode had aired. The WWF taped several weeks worth of Raw from the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York in April 1993, up until that point, unless it was part of an ongoing feud or a title match, most matches on nationally televised WWF programs were primarily squash matches. Only Saturday Nights Main Event and The Main Event generally featured the type of matches Raw had, though unlike Raw, huge storyline-developing matches were regularly featured, such as Ric Flair vs. Mr. Perfect in January 1993, this would be Flairs last appearance in the company for almost 9 years, also, The 1–2–3 Kids upset victory over Razor Ramon in May 1993 would result in The Kid becoming an upper roster mainstay for years to come. Vince McMahon, Randy Savage and Rob Bartlett were the hosts of the show. Bartlett, a comedian who previously had nothing to do with the wrestling industry, Lawler has since been named as a permanent co-host for SmackDown and later pre-shows. Corey Graves would later replace JBL, on September 4,1995, the WWFs chief competitor World Championship Wrestling began airing its new wrestling show, Monday Nitro, live each week on TNT
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