1.
Stevie Ray Vaughan
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Stephen Stevie Ray Vaughan was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. AllMusic describes him as a powerhouse of a guitarist who gave blues a burst of momentum in the 80s. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Vaughan began playing guitar at the age of seven, in 1971 he dropped out of high school, and moved to Austin the following year. He played gigs with bands, earning a spot in Marc Bennos band, the Nightcrawlers. He then formed his own group, Triple Threat Revue, before renaming the band Double Trouble after hiring drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon. He gained fame after his performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1982, the ten-song album was a commercially successful release that sold over half a million copies. After achieving sobriety in late 1986, he headlined concert tours with Jeff Beck in 1989 and Joe Cocker in 1990 before his death in a crash on August 27,1990. Vaughan was inspired musically by American and British blues rock and he favored clean amplifiers with high volume and contributed to the popularity of vintage musical equipment. He often combined several different amplifiers together and used minimal effects pedals, however, Vaughan occasionally used pedals to augment his sound, mainly to boost the signal, although he occasionally employed a rotating speaker cabinet and wah pedals for added textural flair. Vaughan received several awards during his lifetime and posthumously. In 1983, readers of Guitar Player voted him Best New Talent, in 1984, the Blues Foundation named him Entertainer of the Year and Blues Instrumentalist of the Year, and in 1987, Performance Magazine honored him with Rhythm and Blues Act of the Year. Earning six Grammy Awards and ten Austin Music Awards, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2000, Rolling Stone ranked Vaughan as the twelfth greatest guitarist of all time. In 2015, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Vaughans ancestry has been traced back to his great-grandfather, Robert Hodgen LaRue. Robert LaRue had a daughter named Laura Belle, Vaughans paternal grandmother and she married Thomas Lee Vaughan and moved to Rockwall County, Texas, where they lived by sharecropping. On September 6,1921, they had a son named Jimmie Lee Vaughan, steves father Jim Vaughan, also known as Big Jim, dropped out of school at age sixteen, and enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II. After his discharge, he married Martha Cook on January 13,1950, Stephen Ray Vaughan was born on October 3,1954, in Dallas, Texas, he was three-and-a-half years younger than his brother Jimmie. Big Jim secured a job as a worker, an occupation that involved rigorous manual effort. The family moved frequently, living in states such as Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi
2.
Houston
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Houston is the most populous city in the state of Texas and the fourth-most populous city in the United States. With a census-estimated 2014 population of 2.239 million within an area of 667 square miles, it also is the largest city in the southern United States and the seat of Harris County. Located in Southeast Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, it is the city of Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land. Houston was founded on August 28,1836, near the banks of Buffalo Bayou and incorporated as a city on June 5,1837. The city was named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and had commanded, the burgeoning port and railroad industry, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the citys population. Houstons economy has an industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics. Leading in health care sectors and building equipment, Houston has more Fortune 500 headquarters within its city limits than any city except for New York City. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled, the city has a population from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community. Houston is the most diverse city in Texas and has described as the most diverse in the United States. It is home to cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year to the Museum District. Houston has a visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District. In August 1836, two real estate entrepreneurs from New York, Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen, purchased 6,642 acres of land along Buffalo Bayou with the intent of founding a city. The Allen brothers decided to name the city after Sam Houston, the general at the Battle of San Jacinto. The great majority of slaves in Texas came with their owners from the slave states. Sizable numbers, however, came through the slave trade. New Orleans was the center of trade in the Deep South. Thousands of enslaved African Americans lived near the city before the Civil War, many of them near the city worked on sugar and cotton plantations, while most of those in the city limits had domestic and artisan jobs. Houston was granted incorporation on June 5,1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor, in the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County and the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas
3.
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
4.
Booker T (wrestler)
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Booker T. Huffman Jr. better known by his ring name Booker T, is an American retired professional wrestler and promoter, signed with WWE. He is also the owner and founder of the independent promotion Reality of Wrestling in Texas City, Booker is a six-time world champion, having won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship five times and WWEs World Heavyweight Championship once. He is the first non-mixed race African American to become a champion in WWE. Booker has also gained success as a tag team wrestler. Additionally, he was the winner of the King of the Ring tournament in 2006, the sixteenth Triple Crown Champion, as the ninth Triple Crown Champion in WCW history, Booker is one of four men in history to achieve both the WWE and WCW Triple Crowns. Longtime wrestler Kurt Angle said of Booker, Hes done it all and he legitimately is one of the top five best of all time. Booker was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 6,2013, by his brother, Booker T Huffman was born the youngest of eight children, in Houston Texas. By the time Booker was fourteen, both of his parents had died, and his older brother Lash Stevie Ray Huffman stepped in to raise him, in high school, Booker was a drum major. He also played football and basketball. Booker spent nineteen months in prison after pleading guilty to armed robberies at Wendys restaurants in Houston, Booker and his partners wore Wendys uniforms during the holdups since they had been working there for 2½ years. Booker pleaded guilty in December 1987 to two aggravated robbery counts and was sentenced to five years in prison and he was released after serving about one-third of that term, and was placed on parole until April 1992. As a single father working at a company in Houston, Texas, Huffman was looking to make a better life for himself. His brother Lash suggested that he and Booker check out a new wrestling school being opened, run by Ivan Putski and his boss from the storage company sponsored the money to pay for the wrestling lessons. Booker trained under Scott Casey, who helped to turn Bookers background as a gangster and dancer into sports entertainment, teaching the newcomer in-ring psychology, eight weeks later, Booker debuted as G. I. Bro on Putskis Western Wrestling Alliance Live, the character was a tie-in to the raging Gulf War and the WWFs Sgt. Even though the WWA met its demise some time later, Booker continued to wrestle on the Texas independent circuit, often with his brother Lash and they were spotted by Skandor Akbar who hired them to work for the Global Wrestling Federation, where he and Eddie Gilbert were involved. Gilbert teamed Stevie Ray and Booker T together as the Ebony Experience, during their time with GWF, they held the tag title a total of three times. Subsequently, Booker T and Stevie Ray left the GWF to work for World Championship Wrestling, Booker and his brother Stevie Ray signed with World Championship Wrestling after Sid Vicious recommended they sign with the company
5.
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
6.
Harlem
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Harlem is a large neighborhood in the northern section of the New York City borough of Manhattan. Since the 1920s, Harlem has been known as a major African-American residential, cultural, originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands. Harlems history has been defined by a series of economic boom-and-bust cycles, African-American residents began to arrive by a lot in 1905, with numbers fed by the Great Migration. In the 1920s and 1930s, Central and West Harlem were the focus of the Harlem Renaissance, however, with job losses in the time of the Great Depression and the deindustrialization of New York City after World War II, rates of crime and poverty increased significantly. Harlems African-American population peaked in the 1950s, in the second half of the 20th century, Harlem became a major hub of African-American businesses. In 2008, the United States Census found that for the first time since the 1930s, less than half of residents were black, since New York Citys revival in the late 20th century, long-time residents of Harlem have been experiencing the effects of gentrification and new wealth. Harlem is located in Upper Manhattan, often referred to as Uptown by locals. Central Harlem is bounded by Fifth Avenue on the east, Central Park on the south, Morningside Park, St. Nicholas Avenue and Edgecombe Avenue on the west, and the Harlem River on the north. A chain of three large linear parks—Morningside Park, St. Nicholas Park and Jackie Robinson Park—are situated on steeply rising banks, on the east, Fifth Avenue and Marcus Garvey Park, also known as Mount Morris Park, separate this area from East Harlem. The bulk of the falls under Manhattan Community Board No.10. In the late 2000s, South Harlem, emerged from area redevelopment, the West Harlem neighborhoods of Manhattanville and Hamilton Heights comprise part of Manhattan Community Board No.9. The two neighborhoods area is bounded by Cathedral Parkway on the South, 155th Street on the North, nicholas/Bradhurst/Edgecome Avenues on the East, and Riverside Park/the Hudson River on the west. Morningside Heights is located in the southern most section of West Harlem, Manhattanville begins at roughly 123rd Street and extends northward to 135th Street. The northern most section of West Harlem is Hamilton Heights, the New York City Police Department patrols six precincts located within Harlem. The New York City Fire Department operates 9 firehouses in Harlem, as many as several hundred farmed the Harlem flatlands. Between 1637 and 1639, a few settlements were established, during the American Revolution, the British burned Harlem to the ground. It took a time to rebuild, as Harlem grew more slowly than the rest of Manhattan during the late 18th century. After the American Civil War, Harlem experienced an economic boom starting in 1868, the neighborhood continued to serve as a refuge for New Yorkers, but increasingly those coming north were poor and Jewish or Italian
7.
New York City
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The City of New York, often called New York City or simply New York, is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2015 population of 8,550,405 distributed over an area of about 302.6 square miles. Located at the tip of the state of New York. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has described as the cultural and financial capital of the world. Situated on one of the worlds largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, the five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898. In 2013, the MSA produced a gross metropolitan product of nearly US$1.39 trillion, in 2012, the CSA generated a GMP of over US$1.55 trillion. NYCs MSA and CSA GDP are higher than all but 11 and 12 countries, New York City traces its origin to its 1624 founding in Lower Manhattan as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch Republic and was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790. It has been the countrys largest city since 1790, the Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the Americas by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a symbol of the United States and its democracy. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. Several sources have ranked New York the most photographed city in the world, the names of many of the citys bridges, tapered skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world. Manhattans real estate market is among the most expensive in the world, Manhattans Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere, with multiple signature Chinatowns developing across the city. Providing continuous 24/7 service, the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive metro systems worldwide, with 472 stations in operation. Over 120 colleges and universities are located in New York City, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, during the Wisconsinan glaciation, the New York City region was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet over 1,000 feet in depth. The ice sheet scraped away large amounts of soil, leaving the bedrock that serves as the foundation for much of New York City today. Later on, movement of the ice sheet would contribute to the separation of what are now Long Island and Staten Island. The first documented visit by a European was in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine explorer in the service of the French crown and he claimed the area for France and named it Nouvelle Angoulême. Heavy ice kept him from further exploration, and he returned to Spain in August and he proceeded to sail up what the Dutch would name the North River, named first by Hudson as the Mauritius after Maurice, Prince of Orange
8.
World Championship Wrestling
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WCW Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion, historically based in Atlanta, Georgia. Immediately after the buyout, the business was renamed the Universal Wrestling Corporation, WCW also developed a popular cruiserweight division. WCW eclipsed the WWF in popularity throughout the United States for much of the latter-1990s, however, numerous financial, Turner owned WCW until 2001, when selected assets were purchased by the WWF. Since 2001, WCW images and video footage have been distributed in WWE-owned media. Two separate subsidiary companies exist as successors to WCW, WCW, Inc. is the WWE subsidiary established in Delaware in late 2000, initially as W. Acquisition Company, which holds the rights to the WCW video library and other intellectual property. The former WCW entity, which retained liabilities not acquired by WWE, was renamed back to the Universal Wrestling Corporation, the name World Championship Wrestling was first used as a brand and television show title in 1982. Jim Barnett came to Atlanta in the 1970s during a struggle over Georgia Championship Wrestling. Barnett ultimately became majority owner of the promotion, and began using his previous name for his new promotions television program in 1982. The promotion was purchased by Jim Crockett Promotions. However, it was not until November 2,1988 that an actual, National Wrestling Alliance -affiliated promotion called World Championship Wrestling appeared on the national scene and this entity was under the ownership of media mogul and cable-TV pioneer Ted Turner, based in Atlanta, Georgia. WCW went through changes in business and creative leadership during its existence. Once Bischoff was relieved of his duties in 1999, Vince Russo, the two, however, did not get along well and Bischoff soon resigned from the sinking company. It was only a few months later that Russo would also depart after suffering from a concussion at the hands of Bill Goldberg, following Russos departure, the creative needs of the WCW were handled by a booking committee which included Johnny Ace and Terry Taylor. From 2000 to 2001, Monster Jam had a series of trucks based on wrestlers names. These include nWo, Sting, Nitro Machine, Madusa and Goldberg, the first to go was nWo, which only ran for a season. Next, all but Goldberg, Nitro, and Madusa were retired after the WCW sponsorship was lost, Nitro then became Flashfire, and then was converted into Inferno. Madusa has stayed the same since its creation, because it is driven by former WCW wrestler Debrah Miceli, as for Goldberg, it was changed to Team Meents in 2002, then into Maximum Destruction, which debuted in 2003 and continues to compete in the series. WCW also had a presence in NASCAR from the mid-1990s to 2000, sponsoring the #29 team in the Busch Grand National Series full-time and the #9 Melling Racing team in the Winston Cup Series part-time
9.
Tag team
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Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, in most team matches, only one competitor per team is allowed in the ring at a time. This status as the active or legal wrestler may be transferred by physical contact, the team-based match has been a mainstay of professional wrestling since the mid twentieth century, and most promotions have sanctioned a championship division for tag teams. g. A couple tag-teaming in an argument with another person, in 1901 the first tag team match was held in the United States, in San Francisco. San Francisco promoters introduced tag team wrestling as a way of improving the sport’s entertainment value, while tag team wrestling is now almost traditional in American professional wrestling, the innovation didnt become especially popular outside San Francisco until the 1930s. The first World tag team championship was also crowned in San Francisco in the early 1950s, typically, a tag team championship is awarded to and defended by team of two. In kayfabe, this made it difficult for challengers to prepare for their title fights. This was a gimmick, and is still utilized by other wrestling companies. The stipulation has become known as the freebird rule. A common storyline is former tag team partners turning on each other and this can be used when one member is being called on to develop a new gimmick. The basic tag team match has two teams of two facing off against each other. All standard rules for singles wrestling apply to a team match, however, only one wrestler from each team, called the legal man is allowed in the ring at a time. All other members of the team wait outside the ropes in the teams specified corner, only an active/legal wrestler is allowed to score a fall or have a fall scored against him/her. But any wrestler, legal or outside, may face disqualification for himself or his team for violating rules, once a tag is made, the wrestler tagging out has a grace period to leave the ring before risking disqualification. The wrestler outside the ring must be touching the tag rope tied in the corner, tags are legal as long as the two team members touch. The referee has to see and/or hear the contact between the two wrestlers in order for the tag to be legal. As the ultimate authority over the match, a referee may overlook any of these at his discretion, in some multi-man tag matches in lucha libre, a wrestler can make himself the teams legal man simply by setting foot in the ring, and his partner then leaves. This allows for action to become nearly continuous, two referees, one stationed inside the ring and one on the floor, are employed to maintain order for this type of match
10.
WCW World Tag Team Championship
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The WCW World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling and later the World Wrestling Federation. It was the world tag team title of WCW and remained active until it was unified with the WWF Tag Team Championship. The WCW Tag Team Championship was originally known as the NWA World Tag Team Championship of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling run by Jim Crockett Promotions, following the titles introduction in 1975, the Minnesota Wrecking Crew became the inaugural champions on January 29. The title was renamed the WCW World Tag Team Championship in 1991 when Ted Turner bought JCP, terry Gordy and Steve Williams won the tournament. As a result of Gordy and Williams being the WCW World Tag Team Champions when they became NWA World Tag Team Champions, both titles were defended together until WCW left the NWA in September 1993. On January 17,2008, the NWA withdrew its recognition of every WCW World Tag Team Champion linked to the NWA World Tag Team Championship, in March 2001, the World Wrestling Federation purchased WCW. Soon after, The Invasion took place in which the WCW/ECW Alliance was ultimately dismantled, during this time, the title was referred to as the WCW Tag Team Championship, with WWF wrestlers winning WCW titles, and WCW wrestlers winning WWF titles. At Survivor Series in November 2001, then WCW Tag Team Champions, The Dudley Boyz, defeated then WWF Tag Team Champions, The Hardy Boyz, to unify the WCW and WWF Tag Team Championships. The former was then retired and WWE officially recognizes The Dudley Boyz as the final WCW Tag Team Champions
11.
WCW World Television Championship
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The WCW World Television Championship professional wrestling world television championship owned by the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling promotion. The title was created in 1974 by Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling as a secondary title and it was known as the Mid-Atlantic Television Championship and then simply the NWA Television Championship a few years later. As Mid-Atlantic grew, the became known as the NWA World Television Championship. The title was defended in matches with a time limit of ten or fifteen minutes. More often than with other championships, title matches resulted in time limit draws and this was often used as a heat-building device to allow a villain champion to retain his title. Tully Blanchard had the longest World Television Championship reign, holding the title for 353 days, booker T had the most reigns as World Television Champion, with six. Arn Anderson holds the record for most days as champion, with 870 over four title reigns. The last champion was Jim Duggan, who claimed the title while working as the WCW janitor after Scott Hall and Kevin Nash threw it in the garbage, the title was retired on April 10,2000 after the Vince Russo-Eric Bischoff WCW reboot. List of WCW World Television Champions The 10 greatest NWA/WCW Television Champions, at WWE. com
12.
Fall Brawl
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Fall Brawl was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Championship Wrestling and was held in the month of September from 1993 through 2000. The name was derived from the edition of Clash of the Champions. It was considered by many as WCWs answer to the World Wrestling Federations annual Survivor Series pay-per-view event due to the main event WarGames match held during most of the Fall Brawl shows, in 2014, All WCW pay-per-views were made available on the WWE Network. Fall Brawl 1993, War Games took place on September 19,1993 from the Astro Arena in Houston, the match between Ric Flair and Rick Rude was originally advertised as an NWA World Heavyweight title match, but on September 1, WCW withdrew from the NWA. WCW kept the Big Gold Belt that represented the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the time, in the WarGames match The Shockmaster forced Kole to submit to win the match for his team. Fall Brawl 1994, War Games took place on September 18,1994 from the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, ricky Steamboat was originally scheduled to defend the WCW United States Championship against Steve Austin, but he was suffering from a back injury and could not compete. As a result, Austin won the United States title by forfeit and this was Steamboats last appearance in WCW as he was fired shortly thereafter and decided to retire from the ring. Following the announcement that Austin was the new champion WCW Commissioner Nick Bockwinkel declared that Austin would defend his title against a mystery opponent, as Austin was protesting the decision, saying he would not wrestle again that night, Hacksaw Jim Duggan was revealed as the mystery opponent. In the triangle match Vader pinned The Guardian Angel in the first part of the match, the second part, between Vader and Sting ended in a 15-minute time limit draw. Referee Nick Patrick declared the match would continue with a period of five minutes. The overtime period expired with no decision, so Patrick declared the match to be in death to determine a winner. As per a pre-match stipulation Vader became number one contender for Hulk Hogans WCW World Heavyweight Championship, according to Dusty Rhodes on The War Games DVD, Col. Rob Parker had suffered diarrhea during the moments of the War Games match. Fall Brawl 1995, War Games took place on September 17,1995 from the Asheville Civic Center in Asheville, the pre pay-per-view portion of the show was broadcast live on WCW Main Event. During Main Event Eddy Guerrero made his WCW television debut in a match against Alex Wright, the match ended when Wright requested that referee Nick Patrick stop the match after Guerrero suffered an injury. The #1 contender for the WCW United States Championship match between Johnny B, badd and Brian Pillman originally ended in a 20-minute time limit draw, but the referee allowed the contest to continue until there was a winner. Craig Pittman, an army came to ringside to deliver a message from Pittman. Pittman then made his entrance by rappelling from the top of the arena, as a result of his team winning the WarGames Match Hulk Hogan got five minutes alone in the cage with The Taskmaster
13.
Texas
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Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Other major cities include Austin, the second most populous state capital in the U. S. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the states struggle for independence from Mexico. The Lone Star can be found on the Texan state flag, the origin of Texass name is from the word Tejas, which means friends in the Caddo language. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, although Texas is popularly associated with the U. S. southwestern deserts, less than 10 percent of Texas land area is desert. Most of the centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, the term six flags over Texas refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state, the states annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state before the American Civil War, Texas declared its secession from the U. S. in early 1861, after the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation. One Texan industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle, due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The states economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated a boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy, as of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. The name Texas, based on the Caddo word tejas meaning friends or allies, was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves, during Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas, La Provincia de Texas. Texas is the second largest U. S. state, behind Alaska, though 10 percent larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan, it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size. If it were an independent country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile, Texas is in the south central part of the United States of America. Three of its borders are defined by rivers, the Rio Grande forms a natural border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south
14.
ESPN
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ESPN is a U. S. -based global cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc. a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the Hearst Corporation. ESPN broadcasts primarily from studio facilities located in Bristol, Connecticut, the network also operates offices in Miami, New York City, Seattle, Charlotte, and Los Angeles. John Skipper currently serves as president of ESPN, a position he has held since January 1,2012, as of February 2015, ESPN is available to approximately 94,396,000 paid television households in the United States. In 2011, ESPNs history and rise was chronicled by These Guys Have All the Fun, Bill Rasmussen conceived the concept of ESPN in late May 1978, after he was fired from his job with the World Hockey Associations New England Whalers. One of the first steps in Bill and his son Scotts process was finding land to build the channels broadcasting facilities, the Rasmussens first rented office space in Plainville, Connecticut. However, the plan to base ESPN there was put on hold because a local ordinance prohibiting buildings from bearing rooftop satellite dishes and this helped the credibility of the fledgling company, however there were still many doubters to the viability of their sports channel concept. ESPN launched on September 7,1979, beginning with the first telecast of what would become the flagship program. Taped in front of a live audience inside the Bristol studios. ESPNs next big break came when the acquired the rights to broadcast coverage of the early rounds of the NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament. It first aired the NCAA tournament in March 1980, creating the modern day television event known as March Madness. The channels tournament coverage also launched the career of Dick Vitale. In April of that year, ESPN created another made-for-TV spectacle, the next major stepping stone for ESPN came over the course of a couple of months in 1984. During this time period, the American Broadcasting Company purchased 100% of ESPN from the Rasmussens, for years, the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball refused to consider cable as a means of broadcasting some of their games. However, with the backing of ABC, ESPNs ability to compete for major sports contracts greatly increased, later in 1984, the U. S. ESPNs Sunday Night Football games would become the highest-rated NFL telecasts for the next 17 years. In 1992, ESPN launched ESPN Radio, a sports talk radio network providing analysis. It became the fastest growing cable channel in the U. S. during the 1990s, ownership of ABC, and in effect control of ESPN, was acquired first by Capital Cities Communications in 1985, and then by The Walt Disney Company in 1996. In 2012, ESPN generated more revenue for Disney than any of its other properties combined, alongside its live sports broadcasts, ESPN also airs a variety of sports highlight, talk, and documentary-styled shows. 30 for 30 started airing in 2009 and continues airing to this day, each episode is through the eyes of a well known filmmaker and has featured some of the biggest directors in Hollywood
15.
Face (professional wrestling)
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In professional wrestling, a face is a heroic or a good guy wrestler, booked by the promotion with the aim of being cheered by fans. Faces, traditionally, wrestle within the rules and avoid cheating while behaving positively towards the referee, such characters are also referred to as blue-eyes in British wrestling, and técnicos in lucha libre. The face character is portrayed as a relative to the heel wrestlers. Not everything a face wrestler does must be heroic, faces need only to be cheered by the audience to be effective characters, the vast majority of wrestling storylines involving faces place a face against a heel, although more elaborate set-ups often happen as well. While many modern faces still fit this model, other versions of the character are now also common. A good example would be Stone Cold Steve Austin who despite playing an early on in his career would start to be seen more of an anti-hero because of his popularity with the fans. While clearly not championing rule following, nor submission to authority, during this time, wrestlers like Stone Cold Steve Austin and Sting used tactics traditionally associated with heels, but remained popular with the fans. Conversely, Kurt Angle was introduced to the then-WWF with an American hero gimmick based on his medal win at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He presented himself as a model, and stressed the need to work hard to realize ones dreams. Angles character served as a meta-reference to how wrestling had changed, unusually, Angle did not use any of these heroic mannerisms when playing a face character, instead acting as somewhat of an antihero with a few elements of the lovable loser character archetype. Fans sometimes dislike face wrestlers, despite the way they are promoted, some reasons for this include repetitive in-ring antics, a limited moveset, a lengthy title reign, lack of selling his or her opponents moves, or an uninteresting character. This often results in wrestlers who are supposed to be cheered receiving a negative or no reaction from the fans. Some face wrestlers would often give high fives or give out merchandise to fans entering the ring before their match, such as T-shirts, sunglasses, hats. Bret Hart was one of the first superstars to make this popular, rey Mysterio, who has been a face in WWE since his debut, would go to any fan wearing a replica of his mask, and touch their head with his head for good luck before wrestling. Alberto Del Rio, after turning face, would give his scarf to a fan before entering the ring. Big Show would give his hat to a fan when he was a face, the majority of the time, faces who are low-carders, or lesser known, are used as jobbers. These wrestlers usually lose matches against established wrestlers, some faces, such as Ricky Steamboat and Hulk Hogan, promoted an image as a family man and supported their persona by appearing with their family members before and after matches. These actions often relate to wrestlers promoting charity work or other actions outside of the ring, blurring the lines between scripted wrestling and their personal lives, glossary of professional wrestling terms Heel Foley, Mick
16.
King Parsons
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King Bailey Parsons Jr. is a former professional wrestler better known by his ring name Iceman King Parsons. Parsons started wrestling in 1979 after being trained by Nick Kozak, King started for the National Wrestling Alliance s Paul Boesch Promotion in Houston, Texas. Boesch contacted Don Owen and was successful in landing a job for King in the NWAs Pacific Northwest territory, both Don and Elton Owen promoted in Washington and Oregon. While in the promotion, he teamed with Rocky Johnson and won the tag team title, King moved to Barling, Arkansas and lived there while working for the Tulsa promotion and Leroy McGuirk circa 1978–79. King moved to Worland, Wyoming and wrestled for the Rocky Mountain Wrestling promotion for about a year, wrestling in Wyoming, Idaho, Bill Ash booked all the talent and the matches. In 1982, he moved on to Jim Crockett Promotions where he teamed with Porkchop Cash and feuded with Don Kernodle, in 1984, because of talents and booking agent changes in Charlotte, King then moved on to World Class Championship Wrestling. He feuded with the One Man Gang and Chris Adams, Parsons feuded with Freebird Buddy Roberts who cut his hair. They ended the feud with Parsons using the Freebird hair cream to render Roberts bald and he also formed Rock n Soul with Buck Zumhofe and they had a big feud with Bill and Scott Irwin. He wrestled briefly in the Texas All-Star Wrestling promotion in 1986 and formed the Dream Team with Tiger Conway and they feuded with Mike and Dizzy Golden. Iceman then went on to the Universal Wrestling Federation, where he was snubbed out of a tag title tournament in 1987. Parsons turned heel and feuded mostly with Adams and with Savannah Jack for many months, in late-1987, he joined Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts, after Michael Hayes left the Fabulous Freebirds, to help them get revenge on him. Hayes teamed with Kerry and Kevin Von Erich and they had a feud that eventually saw Gordy side with Hayes. Parsons was known as the Blackbird during this feud and formed a trio called The Blackbirds with Perry Action Jackson, in 1985, Parsons would win the WCWA American Heavyweight Championship defeating Chris Adams, later losing that title to Ravishing Rick Rude. In March 1988 Parsons defeated Kerry Von Erich for the World Class heavyweight championship in a controversial bout that actually saw the lights go out in the Dallas Sportatorium. Parsons and Jackson feuded with The Ebony Experience and he also worked for the United States Wrestling Association where he was managed by Skandor Akbar and Percy Pringle. After the death of friend Chris Adams in 2001 and suffering a back injury from a car accident. He is semi-retired, appearing from time to time with a few independent promotions in Texas, finishing moves Butt Butt Signature moves Jumping clothesline Piledriver Managers The Original Playa Lance Romance Percy Pringle III Harold T
17.
Harley Race
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Harley Leland Race is an American former professional wrestler, and current promoter and trainer. He held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship seven times, and was the first NWA United States Heavyweight Champion and he is highly respected for his toughness and lifelong dedication to the business. Race was an fan of professional wrestling, watching programming from the nearby Chicago territory on the DuMont Network. After overcoming polio as a child, he began training as a wrestler as a teen under former world champions Stanislaus and Wladek Zbyszko. While in high school, an altercation with another led to the principal kneeing Race in the back of the head as he tried to break up the fight. Enraged, Race attacked him, resulting in his expulsion, already 6 ft 1 in and 225 lb, Race decided to get his start in professional wrestling. Race then became the driver of Happy Humphrey, as he was too large to drive at the time, Race was recruited by St. Joseph wrestling promoter Gust Karras, who hired Race to do odd jobs for his promotion, including chauffeuring the 800 lb wrestler Happy Humphrey. Eventually, Race started wrestling on some of his shows, at the age of 18, he moved to Nashville and began wrestling under the ring name of Jack Long, forming a tag team with storyline brother John Long. The duo quickly captured the Southern Tag Team Championship, Race was seen as a rising star in the business with a bright future, until a car accident put him out of action, with his leg coming close to being amputated. His pregnant first wife, Vivian Louise Jones, died instantly, Karras heard about his employees condition, went rushing into the hospital, and blocked the planned amputation, declaring it over my dead body. In doing so, he saved Races leg, although he recovered, doctors told Race that he might never walk again, and his wrestling career was over. Undaunted, Race endured grueling physical therapy for months and made a full recovery. Race fought in the Jack Pfefer and Tony Santos in the Boston territory as the Great Mortimer in 1963 and he returned to the ring in 1964, wrestling for the Funks Amarillo, Texas, territory. This time, he wrestled as Harley Race, after his father told him that he should not work to make anyone elses name famous, Race never again used a different ring name. In Amarillo, Race met fellow up-and-coming wrestler Larry Hennig, the two formed a tag team and moved to the American Wrestling Association. In the AWA, Race and Hennig branded themselves as Handsome Harley Race and Pretty Boy Larry Hennig and they quickly became top contenders, and in January 1965, they defeated Dick the Bruiser and The Crusher to capture the AWA World Tag Team Championship. Race and Hennig continued to feud with the Bruiser and Crusher and other top teams for the several years. Verne Gagne, in particular, was a rival of the team
18.
Big Van Vader
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Leon Allen White, better known by his ring name Big Van Vader, or simply Vader, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and former professional football player. White wrestled as a heavyweight wrestler capable of aerial maneuvers such as the Vadersault. Although he never held a championship in the WWF, White challenged for all of the heavyweight titles, including multiple WWF Championship matches on pay-per-view. White was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996, White was born in Lynwood, California, and grew up in Compton, California. His father was a US Marine, while attending Los Angeles Bell High School, he competed in shotput on the track and field team, wrestled, and played football. White was a nationally ranked center who was recruited by forty colleges and he played offensive line at the University of Colorado, where he became a two-time All-American and earned a business administration degree. In the 1978 NFL Draft, White was drafted as a center by the Los Angeles Rams with the 24th pick of the 3rd Round. During Whites first season, he was put on the reserve list. He was forced to retire after only a couple of seasons due to a ruptured patella, while working out at a gym, White was spotted by a man who remembered him from his college football days who suggested he look into professional wrestling. Trained by Brad Rheingans, White got his first national exposure in the American Wrestling Association and he went by the moniker Baby Bull, which was later changed to Bull Power. Although originally signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling, AJPW owner Giant Baba traded Whites contract over to New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1987 after consideration, upon joining NJPW, White was given the ring name Big Van Vader and began to wear a black wrestling mask. His new identity was based on a warrior of the same name from Japanese folklore. He was introduced as the jewel of the Takeshi Puroresu Gundan stable that was managed by Takeshi Kitano. After a match where Riki Choshu had challenged Antonio Inoki in an effort, Vader demanded a match with the already worn down Inoki. After winning the match of an eight-man tournament against Shinya Hashimoto. He was the first gaijin wrestler to hold the title, on May 25, one month after being crowned champion, Vader lost the title to Russian suplex master Salman Hashimikov. Hashimikov dropped the title to Vaders old rival, Riki Choshu, on August 10, Vader defeated Choshu to become a two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Shortly after winning the title again, White traveled to Europe, again using the name Bull Power and he continued to travel between Japan and Europe, defending his titles
19.
Sid Eudy
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Sidney Raymond Eudy is an American professional wrestler. He is best known under the ring names Sid Vicious, Sid Justice, Sycho Sid, or simply Sid, between those promotions, Eudy has enjoyed major championship success and performed to an international television audience in three decades from the 1980s to the early 2000s. Eudy is a world champion, having won the WWF Championship twice, the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice. In addition to world title success, Eudy held the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship once, Eudy entered the wrestling industry after an encounter with Randy Savage and his brother Lanny Poffo. After being trained by Mötley Cruz, Eudy made his debut as he teamed with Austin Idol and wrestled the team of Nick Bockwinkel and he then adopted the masked wrestler persona known as Lord Humongous. Eudy began his career in Continental Championship Wrestling in 1987, under a mask and he also competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling NJPW), where he challenged Tatsumi Fujinami for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship under the name Vicious Warrior, but was unable to win the title. In 1989, Eudy signed with World Championship Wrestling and retained his Sid Vicious ring name and he made his debut on June 16,1989 at a WCW Pro taping in Cleveland, Ohio where he defeated DeWayne Bruce. Originally slated as a wrestler, Eudy was eventually paired with Danny Spivey to form The Skyscrapers. Managed by Teddy Long, The Skyscrapers feuded with The Steiner Brothers, during this time, he incorporated the Powerbomb as his finishing move. Sid was the muscle of the group and initially brought in to counter-act the strength of RoboCop at Capital Combat and his first televised match back was a 26-second loss to Lex Luger on Clash of the Champions XI, Coastal Crush in which the referee performed a fast three count. As one of the Horsemen, Eudy feuded with Paul Orndorff and he attacked NWA World Heavyweight Champion Sting following the champions title match of Clash of the Champions XII, Mountain Madness/Fall Brawl 90, setting up his first feud as a singles wrestler. At Halloween Havoc, a fake Sting, in collusion with Sid, however, they were thwarted when the real Sting came out and beat Sid to retain the title. Following this match Eudy made a return to heel status, ending Trucker Norms WCW run in January 1991 and squashing Joey Maggs at Clash of the Champions XIV. He returned to full-fledged Horsemen activity and participated in the WarGames match at WrestleWar, the Horsemen amicably split in April 1991, during which time he entered negotiations with the WWF. Despite a huge contract offer and a promise of a championship run. Before departing he had a feud with 77 tall El Gigante. At a Superstars taping on May 28,1991, Eudy would make his WWF debut in a segment that saw him clear the ring of The Mountie following Mounties open challenge for a brawl. He faced Ted DiBiase in his first WWF match at a non-televised event o n July 8, where Sid won
20.
Sting (wrestler)
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Steve Borden, better known by the ring name Sting, is an American retired professional wrestler, actor, author and former bodybuilder signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Borden is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Stings 14-year tenure with WCW and its predecessor, Jim Crockett Promotions, began in 1987. Sting has been described as the WCW counterpart to the WWFs Hulk Hogan, against Hogan, upon the acquisition of WCW by the WWF in March 2001, Sting and his long-term rival Ric Flair were chosen to perform in the main event of the final episode of Nitro. He is the man to hold the NWA, WCW. His last ever bout, at Night of Champions in 2015, marked his sole pay-per-view main event, Sting headlined the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2016 on April 2, where he announced his retirement. His induction renders him the first performer to be inducted into both the WWE and TNA Hall of Fame, as well as the man to be inducted while an active WWE wrestler, after Ric Flair. Sting held 25 total championships throughout his career, including 21 between WCW and TNA, readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated named him Most Popular Wrestler of the Year on four occasions, a record he shares with John Cena. In 2016, Sting was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, sports wrote that he holds a lofty level of prestige that few will ever touch. Steve Borden was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and raised in Southern California and he played competitive football and basketball in high school, and later embarked on a career in bodybuilding, once co-owning a Golds Gym health club. Borden is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, Borden, originally wrestling under the ring name Flash, teamed with Jim Justice Hellwig as two members of Power Team USA in independent All-California Championship Wrestling. Power Team USA was a unit also featuring Garland Glory Donahoe and Mark Commando Miller. Hellwig and Borden later moved to the Continental Wrestling Association, a company based in Memphis, Tennessee. Fans were slow to respond to the hulks, so the team turned heel. The Freedom Fighters left the CWA after a run, the highlight of which was an angle in which they broke the leg of veteran wrestler Phil Hickerson. The duo surfaced in the Universal Wrestling Federation, a run by Bill Watts and based in Shreveport. Borden changed his name from Flash to Sting, while Hellwig became known as Rock. They soon joined Hotstuff & Hyatt International, a stable headed by Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert. Together with Russian wrestler Kortsia Korchenko, the Blade Runners became henchmen in Gilberts on-screen feud with Watts, Hellwig, who would later become The Ultimate Warrior in the World Wrestling Federation, left the promotion in mid-1986, leaving Sting without a partner
21.
Davey Boy Smith
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David Davey Boy Smith was a British professional wrestler. Born in Golborne, Lancashire, Smith is best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wrestling Federation under his own name and under the ring name The British Bulldog. He was trained by Ted Betley in Winwick, England before relocating to Calgary, Alberta, while training with Hart, Smith met Stu and Helen Harts youngest daughter Diana, whom he married in 1984. One of their two children, Harry, is also a professional wrestler, Smith won titles within the WWF in three decades, from the 1980s to the 2000s. Never a world champion, Smith nevertheless headlined multiple pay-per-view events in the WWF and WCW, in which he challenged for the WWF-, prior to finding singles success, Smith achieved stardom as one half of The British Bulldogs tag team, alongside the Dynamite Kid. Smith was born in Golborne, where he grew up with his father Sid, mother Joyce, his brother, Terrence and sisters, Joanne and Tracy. Joyce was the sister of Bill Billington, the father of Tom Billington, also known as the Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith started competing on ITVs World of Sport when he was only 15, wrestling under the name Young David with his slightly older cousin Tom Billington. He was then spotted by Bruce Hart scouting talent in the UK, Stu Hart and Roy Wood trained Smith further in his Dungeon and Smith became a key wrestler in Harts promotion, Stampede Wrestling. In 1983, Smith debuted in New Japan Pro Wrestling where he involved in a three-way feud with Dynamite Kid. On 7 February 1984, a three-way, one-night tournament was held, and Dynamite Kid won the tournament by defeating Smith via count-out, after the tournament, Smith and Dynamite Kid formed a tag team in both New Japan and in Stampede Wrestling known as the British Bulldogs. In 1984, the Bulldogs made a move by jumping to New Japans rival. The Bulldogs made a showing in the tournament, which drew the interest of the World Wrestling Federation. The Bulldogs, along with Smiths brothers-in-law Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart were brought in to World Wrestling Federation after Vince McMahon bought out Stampede Wrestling, at first, the Bulldogs were able to tour both WWF and All Japan, but eventually McMahon gained exclusive rights to the Bulldogs. While in the WWF, the Bulldogs began a running feud with Hart and Neidhart. The Bulldogs also feuded with the Dream Team, at WrestleMania 2, with Captain Lou Albano and Ozzy Osbourne in their corner, the Bulldogs defeated the Dream Team for the Tag Team Championship. The Bulldogs held the titles for nine months, feuding with the Dream Team and Nikolai Volkoff. On the January 26,1987 episode of Superstars, the Bulldogs lost the titles to the Hart Foundation due to a back injury to the Dynamite Kid. After losing the titles, the Bulldogs gained a mascot, a bulldog who went by the name Matilda, and feuded with the likes of The Islanders, Demolition
22.
Goldust
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Dustin Patrick Runnels is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to WWE on the Raw brand under the ring name Goldust, where he teams with R-Truth as The Golden Truth. He is the son of the late WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, Runnels enigmatic, flamboyant, sexually ambiguous gimmick of Goldust has remained popular in WWF/E. He is also known for performing in various such as World Championship Wrestling. Among the other names Runnels has performed under are Black Reign, between WWF/E and WCW, Runnels has won 20 total championships. In WCW, he was a two-time United States Heavyweight Champion, a one-time Six-Man Tag Team Champion, in WWF/E, he is a three-time Intercontinental Champion, a nine-time Hardcore Champion, a one-time World Tag Team Champion, and a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion. Runnels professional wrestling debut came on September 13,1988, defeating Bob Cook in a match for the Tampa-based Championship Wrestling from Florida group, the company would be renamed Professional Wrestling Federation in February 1989 after his father, Dusty Rhodes, began wrestling there. Runnels would capture the Florida Heavyweight Championship on May 23,1989 from Al Perez, in December 1988, Runnels began performing as Dustin Rhodes and would begin working for the newly Ted Turner-owned World Championship Wrestling. Rhodes teamed with Kendall Windham in an tag team called The Texas Broncos that saw success against The Cruel Connection. Their first defeat came against The Original Midnight Express at a show on December 10,1988 in Philadelphia. Dustins first singles match came two days later at a TV taping in Atlanta, GA when he defeated Trent Knight, Rhodes initial WCW run lasted only a few months, as he exited the company two months after his father. In March 1989, he toured Japan for All Japan Pro Wrestling in its annual Champion Carnival, under the name Dusty Rhodes and he returned to AJPW for a ten and a twenty-day tour in the spring and summer of 1990. Runnels began wrestling in United States Wrestling Association in July 1989, There he feuded mainly with Tony Anthony for Anthonys CWA Heavyweight Championship but never won the belt. He left the USWA in the spring of 1990, Runnels debuted as a fan favorite in the World Wrestling Federation in late 1990, wrestling as Dustin Rhodes. In December 1990, Rhodes defeated Ted DiBiase in a televised ten-minute challenge match, on January 19,1991, at the Royal Rumble, Rhodes and his father Dusty lost to Ted DiBiase and Virgil in a tag team bout, and both left immediately after. In February 1991, Runnels joined World Championship Wrestling, wrestling as The Natural Dustin Rhodes and he feuded with Larry Zbyszko until April 1991, when he refused to join Alexandra Yorks York Foundation, thus beginning a feud with Foundation member Terrence Taylor. In late 1991, Rhodes formed a tag-team with Barry Windham, the pair received a title shot at Clash of the Champions XVII, but Windham was injured prior to the event. A returning Ricky Steamboat was chosen to partner Rhodes, and the duo won the WCW World Tag Team Championship. They lost the belts on January 16,1992, to Arn Anderson and they held the belts for about two months before losing them to Steamboat and Shane Douglas in a memorable match on the November 18 edition of Clash of the Champions
23.
Fred Ottman
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Fred Alex Ottman is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known by the ring names Tugboat and Typhoon, Ottman is also well known for The Shockmaster in World Championship Wrestling. In the WWF, he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion, Ottman was trained by Boris Malenko and got his start as Sigfried the Giant in February 1985, for Championship Wrestling from Georgia. He later wrestled for Texas All-Star Wrestling and the Continental Wrestling Association as Big Bubba, in September 1988, Ottman wrestled on the Gordon Solie-hosted TV shows of Florida Championship Wrestling as a babyface called U. S. Steel. He feuded with Scott Hall, among others, Ottman made his very first appearance in the WWF in June 1989 in a dark match under the ring name Big Steel Man with Slick as his manager. He wrestled three more matches that summer, defeating Paul Roma and Boris Zukhov, and losing to Mr Perfect. He debuted on WWF television on the January 27,1990 episode of Superstars under the Tugboat Thomas moniker and his ring name was soon after shortened to Tugboat. His costume consisted of a red striped shirt, white pants, part of his gimmick included miming pulling the cord of an airhorn and making a Toot-toot noise, like a foghorn on a ship. Tugboat aided Hulk Hogan in his feud with Earthquake and Canadas Strongest Man Dino Bravo and this coincided with a substantial push that saw Tugboat emerging victorious on television against numerous opponents. Tugboat was eliminated when he and Earthquake fought to a double count-out, Tugboat was the first true test of The Undertaker, who defeated him in numerous matches between December 1990 and March 1991. Tugboat received a shot at Mr. Perfects Intercontinental Championship on the May 5,1991 episode of Wrestling Challenge, in May 1991, Ottman teased a heel turn by attacking Hulk Hogan in a battle royal on NBCs Saturday Nights Main Event. Ottman completed the turn on the June 15 episode of WWF Superstars, on the June 17 episode of Prime Time Wrestling, Earthquakes manager, Jimmy Hart, reintroduced Ottman as Typhoon, and he and Earthquake became known as The Natural Disasters. As part of the change, Ottman began wearing a red, white and black singlet with a tidal wave on the front. The Natural Disasters dumped Hart and turned into fan favorites in early 1992, feuding with and winning, in July and they re-lost the title to Money Inc. three months later. After Earthquake took a leave of absence from the WWF early in 1993 and his final match saw him defeat The Predator in a house show match in Tampa, FL on July 18th. After departing from the WWF, Ottman found himself at the center of one of the most infamous moments in wrestling history, Sting exclaimed, All I have to say is, our partner is going to shock the world, because he is none other than the Shockmaster. The camera then zoomed in on a section of the set where two torches set off a small explosion in front of a sheetrock wall. While making his entrance, Ottman tripped over a piece of lumber that was framing the set, causing him to forward through the wall with his helmet falling off
24.
Sherri Martel
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Sherri Schrull was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by her ring names, Sherri Martel and Sensational Sherri. Martel began her wrestling career in the Mid South after training in Columbia. She joined the American Wrestling Association in the mid-1980s and held its AWA World Womens Championship three times, in the late 1980s, she joined the World Wrestling Federation, where she held the WWF Womens Championship. Also in the WWF, Martel continued to act as a manager to such as Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase. She appeared in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling in the 1990s, in the latter, Martel acted as the manager for the tag team Harlem Heat. After leaving WCW, she made few wrestling related appearances until her death in 2007 and she also appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in September 2006 as a manager for Bobby Roode which ended up being her last televised wrestling appearance. Martel was first introduced to wrestling as a child, when her mother took her and her sister to shows in Mississippi. In 1974, Martel approached Grizzly Smith for advice on becoming a wrestler and she eventually married her second husband and gave birth to a son named Jared, but she soon divorced her husband. During this time, she became interested in becoming a professional wrestler and sought training from Mr. Personality Butch Moore in Memphis. She started wrestling as Sherri Martine, but decided she needed more training and she continued to train at The Fabulous Moolahs school, where Moolah changed her name to Sherri Martel and sent her to wrestle in Japan in 1981. Moolah claims that Martel frequented night clubs and liked to party, after leaving the school, she traveled back to Tennessee. In Memphis, she was managed by Jim Cornette, during a mixed battle royal, Martel suffered an injury that removed her from wrestling temporarily. She then worked as both a wrestler and manager to the Heavenly Bodies Pat Rose and Tom Prichard), after recovering, Larry Zbyszko helped her join the American Wrestling Association. She eventually debuted in the AWA and, on September 28,1985, at SuperClash in Chicago, she defeated Candi Devine for the AWA World Womens Championship. She traded the belt with Devine, and on June 28,1986, at Battle by the Bay, Martel defeated Devine to win the AWA World Womens Championship for a third, Martel, however, only held the title briefly before vacating it. During this time, in addition to wrestling, Martel acted as the manager for the team of Playboy Buddy Rose and Pretty Boy Doug Somers, whom she managed to win the AWA World Tag Team Championship. Rose and Somers then engaged in a feud with The Midnight Rockers. After former AWA wrestler Jesse Ventura referred her to the World Wrestling Federation, she debuted on July 24,1987, renaming herself Sensational Sherri, she reigned as WWF Womens Champion for fifteen months before losing it to Rockin Robin on October 8,1988 in Paris, France
25.
Buff Bagwell
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Marcus Alexander Bagwell is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling from 1991 to 2001, growing up, Bagwell was a standout baseball player during his tenure in Sprayberry High School, and worked for his familys lumber company. Upon graduating from school, he started an amateur boxing career. When the lumber company went bankrupt, however, Bagwell became a massage therapist before deciding to become a wrestler. He trained under Steve Lawler and debuted in 1990, working for North Georgia Wrestling as Fabulous Fabian, in 1991, he began wrestling with the Global Wrestling Federation as The Handsome Stranger, a gimmick suggested by Bill Eadie that saw Bagwell don a Lone Ranger-style mask. In 1991, Bagwell was hired by World Championship Wrestling, where he wrestled under his full name. Over the next five years, he would form tag teams with Tom Zenk,2 Cold Scorpio, The Patriot, and Scotty Riggs, on November 25,1996, Bagwell joined the New World Order after turning on his partner Riggs. He soon renamed himself to Buff Bagwell and formed a tag team with Scott Norton called Vicious and Delicious, to go along with his name change he developed the habits of flexing his muscles and would talk to the camera insulting his opponents while complementing himself. While with the nWo, he competed for New Japan Pro Wrestling as a part of nWo Japan. When he returned to America, he began a feud with Lex Luger, on the April 22,1998 edition of Thunder, Bagwell wrestled a match against Rick Steiner which he won by disqualification when Scott Steiner interfered on his behalf. Bagwell was diagnosed with several damaged vertebrae and developed spinal shock, leading him to use a wheelchair and he returned months later for an interview only to be viciously ridiculed by Hollywood Hogan and shoved to the entryway floor. On July 6, after recently having neck surgery, the wheelchair-ridden Bagwell returned to WCW in his state of Georgia. Bagwell seemed to have a new attitude and even called out Rick Steiner to offer him his forgiveness, however, Bagwell restrained Rick while fellow nWo member Scott Steiner assaulted him with a steel chair, reaffirming his loyalty to Hogan and the nWo. Bagwell then rose from his wheelchair and helped Scott beat down Rick, in January 1999, the nWo factions emerged, leading Bagwell and Steiner to side with the nWo Wolfpac. Their alliance ended at Uncensored when Bagwell accidentally hit Steiner with a chair, in June 1999, Bagwell engaged in a rivalry with WCW President Ric Flair and Vice President Roddy Piper after claiming he was being held back. This led to a boxing match with Piper at the Bash at the Beach. In September 1999, he feuded with Berlyn when Berlyn issued a challenge to Bagwell, the next night on Nitro, Bagwell lost to Berlyn after the interference of his bodyguard, The Wall. In November, he defeated veteran Curt Hennig in a retirement match, Bagwell then feuded with Diamond Dallas Page after he made allegations about Pages wife Kimberly
26.
The Nasty Boys
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The Nasty Boys are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags, active from the mid to late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Their gimmick was that of anti-social punks who specialized in hardcore wrestling and brawling and this included graffiti-sprayed T-shirts, chain-adorned leather trenchoats, and their distinctive mullet-hawk haircuts. Unlike most professional wrestling tag teams, Jerry Biff Sags and Brian Buff Knobbs were childhood friends who put themselves together and they began their careers in the American Wrestling Association in 1985 and began teaming together as The Nasty Boyz in 1986. They first started moving up the cards while in Memphis, as a team against the face team of the Midnight Rockers. In 1988, they moved to Florida Championship Wrestling, where they won five Tag Team Championship between 1989 and 1990, while they were in Memphis, Jerry Lawler gave them the idea to change their look, so Sags and Knobbs decided to cover their bodies. They also painted their faces, but they dropped the face paint when wrestling outside of Memphis, in 1990, the Nasty Boys joined World Championship Wrestling. They initially feuded with The Steiner Brothers, but were unable to defeat them for the United States Tag Team Championship, the Nasty Boys left WCW in December 1990 and joined the World Wrestling Federation. Along with their manager Jimmy Hart, they announced their intention to Nastisize the WWF and they held the titles until SummerSlam 1991, when they were defeated by the Legion of Doom in a no disqualification, no countout match. They then feuded with The Rockers and The Bushwhackers, leading to a match at Survivor Series 91 where they teamed with The Beverly Brothers to defeat both teams, in the early part of 1992, The Nasty Boys had a feud with Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Sgt. Slaughter, culminating in an tag team match at WrestleMania VIII. Knobbs and Sags teamed with The Natural Disasters to defeat Money Inc. and The Beverly Brothers at Survivor Series 92, in April 1993, after a European tour, they were suspended, and later fired from the company. The Nasty Boys returned to WCW in July 1993 as heels managed by Missy Hyatt and they defeated Arn Anderson and Paul Roma at Fall Brawl 1993 to become WCW World Tag Team Champions. They would then lose the championship on October 4, to Marcus Alexander Bagwell and 2 Cold Scorpio before regaining it on October 24, in 1994, they fought Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne in a series of wild brawls. They were supposed to feud with Kevin Sullivan and his dyslexic brother Dave, Evad, however, injured his knee, and Sullivan convinced Cactus Jack to team with him. The Nasties lost the title to the team of Jack. Knobbs and Sags went on to feud with tag teams such as Harlem Heat, at Slamboree 1995, they defeated Harlem Heat to become three-time WCW Tag Team Champions, but dropped the title back to them soon after. In 1996, the New World Order offered them membership into the nWo, in the subsequent match against Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, Sags became enraged during the contest after being struck on the head. He had thought Hall had struck him with a chair and retaliated by attacking him, after the match, Sags filed a lawsuit
27.
Jerry Sags
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Jerome Saganowich is an American professional wrestler best known as Jerry Sags. He is one half of the tag team The Nasty Boys along with Brian Knobbs, Sags graduated from Whitehall High School in Pennsylvania. He started his career in the American Wrestling Association as a referee in 1985, in 1990, they went to the NWAs Jim Crockett Promotions, which had been purchased by Ted Turner and would be renamed World Championship Wrestling before The Nasty Boys left a few months later. They feuded with Rick and Scott Steiner over the U. S, Tag Team Titles, but could not defeat them. In late 1990, they went to the World Wrestling Federation where they were managed by Jimmy Hart and they won the World Tag Team Titles from The Hart Foundation before feuding with and losing the titles to the Legion of Doom. Knobbs and Sags then feuded with all of the WWFs top face tag teams, including The Rockers, The Bushwhackers and they turned face in the fall of 1992 to feud with Jimmy Harts Money Inc. over the tag team titles, but were unable to recapture the gold. They left the WWF for WCW in 1993 and were placed with manager Missy Hyatt. She left them, and they went on to feud with Harlem Heat, The Blue Bloods, in 1996, they were tricked by the nWo into thinking they were going to become members, but were attacked as soon as they received their shirts. Sags had been injured previously and had to due to this injury. Sags said in an RF shoot interview that he nearly got into a fist fight with Ken Shamrock in the fall of 1997 at an airport, the two had dissension based on an earlier incident in which Sags hit Shamrock from behind. Sags returned to wrestling in 2001 as a trainer and with Knobbs as The Nasty Boys to wrestle in the short-lived X Wrestling Federation and he retired again after the promotion folded in 2002. Sags returned to action with Knobbs to reform The Nasty Boys on June 16,2007, on November 20,2007, Knobbs and Sags reformed as The Nasty Boys at the SmackDown. Tapings from Tampa, Florida to wrestle their first WWE match in years, according to reports, the match was disastrous, and the team were accused of unprofessionally working stiff with their opponents, Dave Taylor and Drew McIntyre. On January 4,2010, The Nasty Boys made an appearance on Total Nonstop Action Wrestlings television show, on the January 21 edition of Impact. The Nasty Boys competed in their first match for TNA, defeating the team of Eric Young and Kevin Nash. At Against All Odds The Nasty Boys defeated Team 3D in a tag team match, on the February 25 edition of Impact. Team 3D defeated the Nasty Boys in a match, when Jesse Neal interfered on Team 3Ds behalf. After the match Neal attacked the Nastys and helped Team 3D put Sags through a table, on March 29,2010, news broke that the Nasty Boys had been released by TNA following an incident at a TNA function with Spike executives present
28.
Brian Knobbs
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Brian Yandrisovitz, better known as Brian Knobbs, is an American professional wrestler, best known as one half of the tag team The Nasty Boys along with Jerry Sags. Knobbs was born and grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they feuded with Rick and Scott Steiner over the WCW United States Tag Team Championship, but could not defeat them. Later that year, they went to the World Wrestling Federation where they were managed by Jimmy Hart and they won the World Tag Team Title from The Hart Foundation before feuding with and losing the title to the Legion of Doom. They left the WWF for WCW in 1993 and were placed with manager Missy Hyatt. After she left them, they feuded with Harlem Heat, The Blue Bloods, and they won the tag team title a second time later in 1993, but they were defeated by Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan the following year. In May 1995, they defeated Harlem Heat for their third and final WCW tag title at Slamboree, in 1996, they were tricked by the nWo into thinking they were going to become members, but were attacked as soon as they received their shirts. Sags had been injured previously in an altercation with Scott Hall and had to retire due to this injury. Following Sags retirement, Knobbs left WCW and became a singles wrestler and he feuded with Norman Smiley and defeated Bam Bam Bigelow at SuperBrawl in 2000. In addition, he won the WCW Hardcore Championship three times and he lost the belt simultaneously to all three members of the boy band stable Three Count, but he regained it from them later. Fit Finlay was briefly his manager as the Hardcore Soldiers with partner The Dog and he also was briefly in Jimmy Harts The First Family. After leaving WCW, Knobbs has since returned to wrestling, including wrestling at the New Alhambra Arena for Pro Wrestling Unplugged on June 16,2007, on November 20,2007, Knobbs and Sags reformed as The Nasty Boys at the SmackDown. Tapings from Tampa, Florida to wrestle their first WWE match in years, according to reports, the match was disastrous, and the team were accused of unprofessionally working stiff with their opponents, Dave Taylor and Drew McIntyre. On January 4,2010, The Nasty Boys made an appearance on Total Nonstop Action Wrestlings television show, on the January 21 edition of Impact. The Nasty Boys competed in their first match for TNA, defeating the team of Eric Young and Kevin Nash. At Against All Odds The Nasty Boys defeated Team 3D in a tag team match, on the February 25 edition of Impact. Team 3D defeated the Nasty Boys in a match, when Jesse Neal interfered on Team 3Ds behalf. After the match Neal attacked the Nastys and helped Team 3D put Sags through a table, on March 29,2010, news broke that the Nasty Boys had been released by TNA following an incident at a TNA function with Spike executives present. In February 2012, Knobbs was reportedly involved in an altercation with fellow wrestler New Jack, Knobbs has been married to Toni since January 1994
29.
The American Males
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The American Males were a professional wrestling tag team in World Championship Wrestling composed of Marcus Bagwell and Scotty Riggs. Their gimmick was of two pretty boys who were fond of their own bodies and popular with women, Riggs was Bagwells third partner with whom he won the WCW World Tag Team Championship, the previous two being 2 Cold Scorpio and The Patriot. The American Males won the tag team soon after they began teaming together but soon dropped the belts back to Harlem Heat. Bagwell and Riggs did not return to main-event status, and they split up. Marcus Bagwell had competed in the tag team division in WCW since 1993, teaming with 2 Cold Scorpio, he held the title belts for three weeks. He later won the title twice more while teaming with The Patriot, after being left behind by both partners, he expressed a desire to form a new tag team to challenge for the title again. The team was formed in August 1995 when Scott Antol signed a WCW contract and was placed with tag team specialist Marcus Alexander Bagwell. In the process, both men changed their names, Antol changing his last name to Riggs and Bagwell shortening his name to simply Marcus Bagwell. They wrestled on the first episode of Nitro, defeating World Tag Team Champions Dick Slater and their first major appearance together came at the Fall Brawl pay-per-view, where they defeated The Nasty Boys in a match that aired on Main Event. Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine stated that the work well as a unit. On the episode of Nitro after Fall Brawl, Riggs and Bagwell won the World Tag Team Championship after defeating then-champions Harlem Heat in a win in an impromptu match. The American Males had been scheduled to face The Blue Bloods, as champions, the pair defeated Harlem Heat and the team of Dick Slater and Bunkhouse Buck. However, Bagwell and Riggs lost the back to Harlem Heat one week later on Saturday Night. The American Males remained top challengers for the belts for the rest of 1995 but were unable to regain the championship from Harlem Heat. By the end of 1995, The American Males were no longer being pushed by WCW, they competed at Starrcade 1995 in a dark match and defeated The Blue Bloods. Through most of 1996, they competed in the tag team division with no major storylines and they were able to defeat other mid-card teams like the Faces of Fear, and they competed in a dark match prior to Slamboree 1996, defeating The Shark and Maxx. In October 1996, the team began showing signs of splitting, at World War 3 on November 24,1996, the frustration came to a head as Bagwell attacked Riggs following both mens elimination from the three-ring battle royal that served as the main event. The next night on Nitro Eric Bischoff, representing the New World Order stable, Bagwell and Riggs walked to the ring shortly after Bischoffs statement, with Bagwell looking to join and Riggs trying to talk him out of it
30.
Scotty Riggs
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Scott Antol is an American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling from 1993 to 1999 under the ring names Scotty Riggs and Riggs, Antol is also known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling as Scotty Anton. Antol debuted on June 2,1992 using the ring name Scott Studd after being trained by Ted The Nightmare Allen, Allen trained Studd by teaching while wrestling in front of live crowds. Antol signed a contract with World Championship Wrestling in 1995 and was renamed Scotty Riggs, with his last name taken from Mel Gibsons character, Martin Riggs and he was immediately placed in to a tag team with Marcus Alexander Bagwell and they became known as The American Males. Together, they captured their first and only World Tag Team Championship, but only held it for eight days before losing it back to Harlem Heat, the team competed on a tour of Germany for WCW at this time. The American Males broke up in November 1996 after Bagwell turned heel on Riggs, following the split, Riggs began competing as a singles competitor. Riggs then began wearing an eye patch and, to this day, at first, Riggs resisted joining Ravens Flock, but eventually joined after they kidnapped him following his loss to Raven at the World War 3 pay-per-view. Raven explained that Riggss ocular disability had alienated him from society, Riggs remained within The Flock until Saturn defeated Raven at Fall Brawl, War Games in a match that forced The Flock to disband. Following The Flocks disbanding, Riggs turned heel and adopted a narcissistic gimmick, however, the gimmick was unsuccessful, and Riggs remained on the undercard before being released from WCW in 1999. In 2000, Antol debuted in Extreme Championship Wrestling as Scotty Anton, at Hardcore Heaven, Anton betrayed Van Dam, knocking him off the top rope to the floor, allowing Jerry Lynn to pin him and thus end Van Dams two-year undefeated streak. From there, he joined The Network as a hired gun, Van Dam gained revenge at Heat Wave, where he defeated Anton by using his new Van Terminator finisher. After leaving ECW, Antol returned to the independent circuit, where he found his greatest success in Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling, while competing for TCW, he became a three time Heavyweight Champion and a one time TCW Tag Team Champion with Erik Watts. Following TCWs closure in 2003, Antol took time away from wrestling to deal with personal issues of divorce. His father died from the illness in 2004, following this, Antol moved to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina to work as a bouncer and manager at a lounge
31.
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
32.
The Road Warriors
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The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael Hawk Hegstrand and Joseph Animal Laurinaitis. Under either name, their gimmick was the same – two imposing muscular wrestlers in face paint, for brief periods, other wrestlers were added as stand-in partners for both men. In Japan in the 1990s, Kensuke Power Warrior Sasaki often teamed with Hawk and Animal, separately, Hawk and Animal were known for their impressive physiques, and revolutionized the business by popularizing the use of face paint, and introducing a tandem maneuver known as the Doomsday Device. Both men used the move as a team finisher throughout their careers, the Road Warriors are regarded by many as the greatest tag team in professional wrestling history. Animal had briefly competed as the Road Warrior before Ole Anderson paired him up with fellow Chicagoan Hawk to form the Road Warriors in 1983. They were initially brought into Precious Paul Ellerings stable as a replacement for his team of Matt Borne and Arn Anderson, after a few months of rapid success, the Road Warriors dumped Ellering as manager, claiming they needed no manager. This was shortlived, as in early 84, along with Precious Paul Ellering formed a stable called The Legion of Doom in the National Wrestling Alliance s Georgia Championship Wrestling territory, the group consisted of the Road Warriors, Jake The Snake Roberts, The Spoiler. The stable was short lived and the name Legion of Doom soon referred only to the Road Warriors and Ellering with either name used interchangeably throughout their career. Animal reveals in the Road Warriors, The Life and Death of the Most Dominant Tag-Team in Wrestling History DVD set that the name Legion of Doom was taken from the Super Friends cartoon. In Georgia, the team rose to the top despite being very young. They gained a reputation for being stiff and not selling simply because they could. They won the NWA National Tag Team Championship upon their debut, in 1984, the Road Warriors moved on to Verne Gagnes American Wrestling Association along with their manager Paul Ellering. On August 25,1984, they defeated The Crusher and Baron von Raschke for the AWA World Tag Team Championship, the Road Warriors were brought in by Gagne to work as heels, but their squash matches soon won over fans. They became the AWAs top draw throughout 1984 and 1985, feuding primarily with The Fabulous Ones, Hawk and Animal eventually lost the AWA title to Jimmy Garvin and Mr. Electricity Steve Regal on September 29,1985, due to the interference of the Freebirds. The Road Warriors last appearance in the AWA was on April 20,1986 at WrestleRock where they defeated the team of Garvin, during their AWA stint the team became well known for using the Black Sabbath song Iron Man as their entrance theme. This and subsequent dominant victories garnered the Road Warriors a lot of Japanese wrestling media headlines and their tours with AJPW in 1985 and 1986 made the Road Warriors such legends in Japan that they toured the country whenever they were “between contracts” of the big three. Their last match in Japan during this period was on July 22,1990, for New Japan Pro Wrestling, losing to Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh by disqualification. On April 19,1986, The Road Warriors won the inaugural Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament by beating Ron Garvin and Magnum T. A. in the finals
33.
Scott Steiner
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Scott Carl Rechsteiner, better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler. Steiner wrestled in World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as The Steiner Brothers and he also wrestled for Jim Crockett Promotions, the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment, Extreme Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Steiner headlined multiple pay-per-view events throughout his career, Steiner is a three-time world champion, having been a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, a one-time WWA World Heavyweight Champion, and a one-time WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion. He has also held tag team championships internationally. Steiner is the seventh WCW Triple Crown Champion, before becoming a professional wrestler, Rechsteiner was an amateur wrestler. Wrestling at 190 lbs for the University of Michigan, he became a three time Big 10 runner-up, after finishing fifth as a freshman, in 1986, Rechsteiner became an NCAA Division I All American and placed sixth in the nation his senior year. Rechsteiner trained under Dr. Jerry Graham Jr. at Torios Health Club in Toledo, Ohio, on August 14,1986, in Dearborn, Michigan, Rechsteiner defeated The Great Wojo for the WWA World Heavyweight Championship. He held the title until May 3,1987, when he lost it to Wojo in Toledo and he then formed a tag team with his trainer, Graham. On October 6,1987, they defeated Chris Carter and Mohammad Saad for the WWA World Tag Team Championship, on December 6, they lost the title to Carter and Don Kent. In 1988, Rechsteiner joined the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association under his real name and he formed a tag team with Billy Joe Travis, and defeated the Cuban Choir Boys for the CWA World Tag Team Championship on May 29. On June 6, they lost the title to Gary Young, Rechsteiner and Travis regained the title on June 27, and lost it to The Rock n Roll RPMs on August 15. Rechsteiner formed a new tag team with Jed Grundy, and on February 18,1989, they dethroned CWA World Tag Team Champions Robert Fuller, rechsteiners third and final CWA reign ended on February 25, when Fuller and Golden regained the title. He left the CWA soon after, Scott would begin wrestling in singles bouts on WCW programming before the Steiners began teaming together. The Steiners lost their first high-profile bout to Kevin Sullivan & Rotunda at Clash of the Champions VII, the Steiners also compete in the King of the Hill two-ring battle royal earlier in the show but were unsuccessful. During this time, the Steiners were managed by Missy Hyatt, Rick nervously began a relationship with a shy fan named Robin Green who eventually received a make-over and transformed into Woman. Doom, with Woman in their corner, would defeat the Steiners at Halloween Havoc 89 after Woman interfered, on November 1,1989, in Atlanta, Georgia, The Steiner Brothers defeated The Fabulous Freebirds for the NWA World Tag Team Championship. They held the title for five months before losing it to Doom in Washington. The Steiner Brothers defeated The Midnight Express for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship on August 24, in East Rutherford, during their title reign, WCW withdrew from the National Wrestling Alliance and the title was renamed the WCW United States Tag Team Championship
