Backlash (2008) was the tenth annual Backlash PPV. It took place on April 27, 2008 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The event starred wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands. The main event was a Fatal Four-Way Elimination for the WWE Championship match featuring WWE Champion Randy Orton, Triple H, John Cena, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield. The other main event featured wrestlers from the SmackDown brand, in which World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker defended against challenger Edge in a singles match. The main event from the ECW brand was a singles match where ECW Champion Kane defended against challenger Chavo Guerrero. In addition, a featured bout was scheduled on the undercard, in which Shawn Michaels fought Batista. Backlash (2008) had an attendance of approximately 11,277 and received 200,000 buys.
04-27-2008
3h 0m
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Main Cast
Movie Details
Production Info
Director:
Kevin Dunn
Production:
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Locations and Languages
Country:
US
Filming:
US
Languages:
en
Main Cast
Randy Orton
Randal Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time he is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand and is one half of the current Raw Tag Team Champions with Riddle in their second reign. Orton is a third generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Bob Orton, father Bob Orton Jr., and uncle Barry Orton were all wrestlers. Before being signed by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), he trained in and wrestled for the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association and Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling. He was then signed by the WWF and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he held the OVW Hardcore Championship twice. He became a member of the stable Evolution shortly after his WWE debut, which quickly led to an Intercontinental Championship reign, his first championship with the company. He also acquired the moniker "The Legend Killer" during a storyline where he began disrespecting and then physically attacking WWE Hall of Famers and wrestling veterans. At the age of 24, Orton became the youngest world champion in WWE history after he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. With this win, he departed from Evolution and a feud with his former stablemates began. In 2006, Orton joined forces with Edge in a tag team known as Rated-RKO. Together, they held the World Tag Team Championship. After Rated-RKO disbanded in mid-2007, Orton gained two WWE Championship reigns in one night, becoming the second youngest two-time WWE Champion at the age of 27. He formed the group The Legacy with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. in 2008. They disbanded in 2010, and Orton returned to singles competition. From 2013 to 2015, he was aligned with The Authority, who named him the "face of the WWE". In 2016, he joined The Wyatt Family, winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championship with Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper before turning on them in 2017. He won his first United States Championship in 2018, becoming the 18th overall Grand Slam Champion after already having been the 17th Triple Crown Champion. Orton has held the WWE Championship 10 times and WWE's World Heavyweight Championship four times. He was the final holder of the World Heavyweight Championship, which he unified with the WWE Championship to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in 2013. Orton is recognized by WWE as having the third-most world championship victories in history at 14, behind John Cena and Ric Flair (both 16) and tied with Triple H (also at 14). All totaled, Orton has won 20 championships in WWE. He is also the winner of the 2013 Money in the Bank ladder match, as well as a two time Royal Rumble match winner (2009 and 2017) and has headlined multiple WWE pay-per-view events, including WrestleMania 25 and WrestleMania XXX. Following his match at the 2021 Survivor Series, he broke Kane's record for wrestling the most PPV matches in WWE history.
Paul Michael Lévesque is an American professional wrestler, actor and WWE executive, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of his former ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley. As well as wrestling on the Raw brand, Levesque is a Senior Advisor to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, and Head of WWE's talent development department.
Before joining WWE, Levesque began his wrestling career with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994, wrestling under the ring name Terra Ryzing and later as Jean-Paul Lévesque. Levesque joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1995 with the on-screen persona of wealthy sophisticate Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He later abbreviated his name to Triple H and adopted an alternative image in the stable D-Generation X (DX). After the dissolution of DX, Triple H was pushed as a main event wrestler, winning several singles championships. As part of a storyline, Triple H married Stephanie McMahon, who later became his real-life spouse. In 2003, Triple H formed another stable known as Evolution, and in 2006 and 2009, reformed DX with Shawn Michaels. Overall, Levesque has won 23 championships in WWF/E, including thirteen World Championships, having won the WWF/E Championship a record eight times (tied with John Cena), and the World Heavyweight Championship five times (Triple H is also recognized as the first World Heavyweight Champion under WWE's lineage). He has the highest number of world title reigns of all active WWE wrestlers. In addition, Levesque won the 1997 King of the Ring, the 2002 Royal Rumble, and was the second Grand Slam Championship winner. Outside wrestling, Levesque has made numerous guest appearances in film and on television
John Charles Layfield is an American retired professional wrestler and current wrestling commentator/host for WWE, where he performs under the ring name John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). Outside of his WWE work, Layfield is a financial analyst for Fox News. Within WWE, he was previously known by the ring name Bradshaw, and prior to that, the variations Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw and Blackjack Bradshaw (as half of The New Blackjacks with Blackjack Windham). As JBL, Layfield was WWE Champion for 280 days. Layfield's main gimmick as JBL—a wealthy, gladhanding, big-mouthed, fiery-tempered businessman—was based on Layfield's real-life accomplishments as a stock market investor. Layfield is a guest panelist on Fox News Channel's The Cost of Freedom, has appeared on CNBC, and has written a best-selling book on financial planning called Have More Money Now. Layfield also hosts a weekend talk radio program, syndicated nationally by Talk Radio Network, in which he discusses his conservative political views. Layfield is also employed by Northeast Securities as its Senior Vice President. In WWE, Layfield won 24 total championships including one reign as WWE Champion, one reign as United States Champion, one reign as European Champion, seventeen reigns as Hardcore Champion, one reign as Intercontinental Champion, and three reigns as World Tag Team Champion with Faarooq as part of the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA). He is also recognized as the twentieth Triple Crown Champion, and the Sports Illustrated has said that Layfield "has been accused for years of being a locker room bully", while Deadspin wrote that "backstage tales of Layfield's hazing and bullying have long been legend among hardcore wrestling fans."[136] Dayton Daily News described that "YouTube has dozens of interviews where former [WWE] performers discuss harassment, bullying and taking real blows from Layfield while wrestling him in supposedly choreographed matches." Le Journal de Montréal listed Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, René Duprée, Daivari, and Ivory, among others, as wrestlers who in interviews described Layfield as a bully.In 2010, The Miz referenced Layfield in an onscreen promo about hazing he faced in the locker room early in his career. Layfield admitted to hazing Miz and said that he did not regret doing so.
In April 2017, WWE commentator Mauro Ranallo took an absence from WWE, which Dave Meltzer reported had been triggered by hostilities with Layfield. The allegations coincided with the release of former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts' autobiography, in which he alleged that Layfield encouraged Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury to steal his passport. Angered WWE fans subsequently called on WWE to fire Layfield. On April 22, Newsweek reported that Ranallo and WWE "mutually agreed to part ways", and Ranallo released a statement in which he said his departure had "nothing to do with JBL" after liking tweets that implied JBL was the main reason. Layfield released a statement of his own, stating: "Admittedly, I took part in locker room pranks that existed within the industry years ago. WWE addressed my behavior and I responded accordingly, yet my past is being brought up because of recent unfounded rumors. I apologize if anything I said playing ‘the bad guy’ on a TV show was misconstrued.
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied with Ric Flair for the most world championship reigns in professional wrestling history.
Born and raised in West Newbury, Massachusetts, Cena moved to California in 1998 to pursue a career as a bodybuilder. He transitioned to professional wrestling in 1999 when he debuted for Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW). He signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 2001, where he was initially assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). He gained fame in the WWE after adopting the persona of a trash-talking rapper. He won his first singles title, the United States Championship, in 2004. The next year, he won the WWE Championship for the first time, and his character subsequently transitioned into a clean-cut "Superman-like" hero. He then led the company as its franchise player, and public face for the next decade.
A joint-record 16-time world champion, Cena has won the WWE Championship thirteen times, a record for the title. He is also a five-time United States Champion, a four-time world tag team champion, a two-time Royal Rumble match winner, a one-time Money in the Bank match winner, and has headlined several major WWE pay-per-view events, including their flagship event, WrestleMania, five times. His professional wrestling career has been met with mixed critical and audience reception, with praise for his character work and promotional skills, but criticism for his supposed over-representation and on-screen placement relative to other wrestlers.
Cena first starred in The Marine (2006), and gained praise for his performances in Trainwreck (2015), Ferdinand (2017), Blockers, and Bumblebee (both 2018). He starred in F9 and portrayed Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad (both 2021) and in the eponymous television series. His debut studio album, You Can't See Me (2005), was certified platinum. Outside his work in entertainment, Cena is known for his involvement in numerous charitable causes, namely with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he has granted the most wishes, at over 650.
Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965; ht. 6'10"), better known by his ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed under a 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 to World Wrestling Entertainment. The Undertaker is one of the most recognizable figures in the history of professional wrestling. His tenure with WWE (formerly WWF) spans 30 years and is the longest of any wrestler in the company's history. His retirement in 2020 left him as the only remaining active wrestler to appear on the first episode of 𝘞𝘞𝘍 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘙𝘢𝘸 (now 𝘞𝘞𝘌 𝘙𝘢𝘸) in 1993.
He began his wrestling career with World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) in 1984. He end up in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as "Mean" Mark Callous by 1989. When WCW did not renew his contract in 1990, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF later renamed WWE). After debuting as Kane the Undertaker, he shortened it to simply The Undertaker making his television debut at WWF's Thanksgiving themed pay-per-view event the Survivor Series 1990. At the 1990 Survivor Series, The Undertaker would debut alongside The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase as part of DiBiase's team in one of the Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Matches that the annual event is known for. He would eventually go on to be managed by Paul Bearer who would help propel him to the WWF World Title just a year after his debut.
During his time with the WWE, he would go on to hold many championships and accolades most notably a 21-match-long winning streak at WWE's biggest annual event, WrestleMania. Respected amongst fans and peers a like, the Undertaker has one of the most celebrated and long-running careers in all of professional wrestling. We can be sure that for time in memoriam he will be considered one of the greatest of all time.
Adam Joseph Copeland, is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Edge. After making his professional wrestling debut in 1992, Copeland wrestled in various independent promotions, competing in singles and tag team competition, the latter with long-time friend Christian Cage. In 1997, Copeland signed a developmental deal with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and made his televised debut in 1998 as Edge. After winning his first WWF championship, the WWF Intercontinental Championship, in July 1999, Edge would form a tag team with Christian, and the two went on to win the World Tag Team Championship on seven occasions. During this time, they gained notoriety in the tag team division, partly due to their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches. Edge split up with Christian in August 2001 and embarked on a successful solo career. Edge has won the second most championships in WWE history (after R-Truth), with a total of 31, as he has held the World Heavyweight Championship a record seven times, the WWE Championship four times, the Intercontinental Championship five times, the United States Championship once, the World Tag Team Championship a record twelve times, and the WWE Tag Team Championship twice. He is WWE's 14th Triple Crown Champion and 7th Grand Slam Champion. Edge won the King of the Ring tournament in 2001, was the first Money in the Bank ladder match winner in 2005, and won the 2010 Royal Rumble match, making him the first wrestler in history to achieve all three. Edge retired in 2011 due to several neck injuries, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the following year. However, he returned to competition in the 2020 Royal Rumble match, and subsequently won the 2021 Royal Rumble the following year, becoming the eighth man in history to win the Royal Rumble match twice, the third to win it as the first entrant, as well as the first to win it after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he has headlined multiple pay-per-view events for WWE, including WrestleMania XXIV and WrestleMania 37, and is one of the company's most prolific pay-per-view performers. Aside from professional wrestling, Copeland appeared in the fantasy film Highlander: Endgame and WWE Studios' Bending the Rules. He has made guest appearances on television shows such as Weakest Link, Mind of Mencia, Deal or No Deal, MADtv and The Flash. He appeared on the Syfy series Haven in 2015 as recurring character Dwight Hendrickson, and as recurring character Ketill Flatnose in the fifth and sixth seasons of Vikings (2017–2020).
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom, better known by his ring name, Shawn Michaels, is an American professional wrestling personality, television presenter and retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he has served as an ambassador for the company since December 2010. Michaels wrestled for WWE, from 1988 until his first retirement in 1998, owing to a severe back injury. He appeared in non-wrestling roles from 1998 to 2000 and resumed his wrestling career in 2002 until retiring ceremoniously in 2010. In the WWE, Michaels headlined major pay per view events in four decades from the 1980s to the 2010s, closing the company's premier annual event WrestleMania on five occasions
Michaels was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2011. Following Michaels' induction, WWE said of Michaels, "Ask any Superstar on the WWE roster who the most gifted sports-entertainer of all time is and nearly everyone will have the same answer Shawn Michaels." Michaels is a four time world champion: a three-time WWF Champion and a former World Heavyweight Champion. He was also the winner of the 1995 and 1996 Royal Rumbles and was the company's first Grand Slam Champion. He has also won the PWI Match of the Year Award a record eleven times. Michaels currently resides in San Antonio, Texas with his wife, Rebecca, and their two children.
David Michael Bautista Jr. (born January 18, 1969) is an American actor of Filipino-Greek descent and retired professional wrestler. He had several stints in WWE between 2002 and 2019. In his acting career, he is most widely known for his portrayal of Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), up until leaving the franchise after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), and for his portrayal of Glossu Rabban Harkonnen in Denis Villeneuve's Dune (2021) and its sequel, Dune: Part Two (2024).
Elizabeth "Beth" Kocianski Copeland is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Beth Phoenix. She is best known for her time with WWE, where she is a former WWE Divas Champion and a three-time WWE Women's Champion. Beth had a successful amateur wrestling career in high school, before being trained by the All Knighters. After her debut in May 2001, she wrestled for numerous independent promotions and was the inaugural GLORY Champion. She also appeared at the inaugural Shimmer shows. In 2004, she began working for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in October 2005. She first debuted on WWE's Raw brand in May 2006 but suffered a legitimate broken jaw the following month. As a result, she had numerous surgeries and returned to OVW for further training. While there, she twice won the OVW Women's Championship, although her second reign is not officially recognized. She returned to the Raw brand in July 2007, and was heavily pushed, dominating the other WWE Divas and gaining the nickname, "The Glamazon". She won her first WWE Women's Championship at the No Mercy pay-per-view in October and held it for six months. She then developed an on-screen relationship with Santino Marella, dubbed "Glamarella", and won the Women's Championship for a second time in August 2008, although she lost it in January 2009. In January 2010, at the Royal Rumble, she became the second woman in history to enter the Royal Rumble match and went on to win the Women's Championship for the third time in April, holding it for a month. In October 2011, Phoenix won the WWE Divas Championship for the first time and lost it in April 2012.
Melina Nava Perez: Born on March 9, 1979, Melina Nava Perez is an American professional wrestler and model. She gained prominence during her tenure with WWE under the ring name Melina. Beyond WWE, Perez also wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
Her journey in professional wrestling began in 2000 when she commenced training at Jesse Hernandez’s School of Hard Knocks. By 2001, she had made her debut. Although her audition for WWE’s reality show Tough Enough III in late 2002 didn’t lead to victory, Al Snow’s encouragement fueled her determination. In March 2004, Perez inked a contract with WWE and joined Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), WWE’s developmental territory. There, she managed the tag team MNM (Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury), guiding them to three WWE Tag Team Championship reigns. Nitro also secured two WWE Intercontinental Championship reigns under her guidance.
Perez boasts an impressive record: three-time WWE Women’s Champion and two-time WWE Divas Champion. Her second Divas Championship win made her the first woman in WWE history to hold both the Women’s and Divas titles multiple times.
Renowned for her flexibility, showcased during her entrance and in-ring maneuvers, Perez earned accolades. Bret Hart hailed her as “one of the best wrestlers in the world,” and WWE recognized her arsenal of offensive moves as unparalleled in Diva history
Layla El is an English dancer, model, professional wrestler, valet, and actress. She works for World Wrestling Entertainment on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Layla. After attending a performing arts college, El was a dancer for Carnival Cruise Lines, the Miami Heat franchise of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where Layla received a championship ring, and also danced for P. Diddy and Kanye West at the MTV Video Music Awards. She has also appeared on several television shows, including Family Feud, Project Runway, and Celebrity Fit Club Boot Camp. In 2006, Layla won the 2006 WWE Diva Search, earning a contract with the World Wrestling Entertainment. After briefly appearing on SmackDown brand, she was moved to the ECW brand in January 2007 where she formed the Extreme Exposé dance troupe with Kelly Kelly and Brooke Adams. In 2008, she was drafted to the Raw brand, where she began managing William Regal. The following year, she returned to the SmackDown brand, where she formed an alliance with Michelle McCool known as LayCool. In May 2010, Layla won the WWE Women's Championship for the first time, making her the first British woman and Diva Search winner to have won the championship in history; she was also the final recognized WWE Women's Champion as the title was retired in September 2010. At the Extreme Rules pay-per-view in May 2011, the team would split after Layla defeated McCool in a no countout, no disqualification, loser leaves WWE match. Layla won her first-ever WWE Divas Championship at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, lasting up to the Night of Champions pay-per-view in September 2012.
Jillian Hall is an American retired professional wrestler and singer best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). She also worked as a trainer in WWE's developmental territory program of Florida Championship Wrestling.
After debuting in 1998, Jillian Hall worked on the independent circuit under the name Macaela Mercedes. She won numerous championships, before beginning to work for Ohio Valley Wrestling in 2003 under her real name. She debuted on WWE's SmackDown brand as the "fixer" for the MNM faction. After leaving MNM, she became John "Bradshaw" Layfield's "image consultant", and managed him to the WWE United States Championship at WrestleMania 22. In February 2007, Hall developed an in-ring persona as a tone-deaf singer. In June 2007, she was drafted to Raw, where she participated in numerous tag team matches after allying with Melina. In October 2009, she won the WWE Divas Championship, but lost it to Melina the same night. Hall was released from her WWE contract in November 2010. As a teenager, Hall was a cheerleader and also took gymnastics classes. After graduating from high school, Hall attended college, but dropped out in order to train as a professional wrestler. At nineteen, she legally changed her last name from Fletcher to Hall.She was a championships on the independent circuit, including Southern States Wrestling's Women's Championship. She wrestled for women-only promotions, including G.L.O.R.Y., the Professional Girl Wrestling Association (PGWA), and the Women's Wrestling Alliance (WWA), and held both the WWA Women's Championship and the PGWA Championship. She also competed for other promotions including Hoosier Pro Wrestling (HPW), where she won both the HPW Cruiserweight Championship and HPW Ladies' Championship, Canadian International Wrestling (CIW), where she won the CIW Indy Women's Championship, Mid–States Championship Wrestling, where she won the MCW Mid-American title, and Blue Water Championship Wrestling, where she won the BWCW Women's title.Her greatest independent circuit success was in the Superstar Wrestling Federation (SWF), where she held the SWF Women's Championship and also competed in numerous intergender matches. She held the SWF Tag Team Championship twice, once with Tiny Tim and once with Randy Allen.In 2002 and early 2003, Mercedes wrestled regularly for the Apocalypse Wrestling Federation and Wrestle And Respect, where she competed in intergender matches and was involved in a scripted rivalry with the "Fabulous Firebird" Phoenix over the G.L.O.R.Y. Ladies' Wrestling Championship.On January 23, 2003, Mercedes won the G.L.O.R.Y. Ladies' Wrestling Championship, when she defeated the "Fabulous Firebird" Phoenix via referee's decision at an Apocalypse Wrestling Federation show
Lisa Marie Varon is an American professional wrestler, former bodybuilder and fitness competitor. Varon is best known for her time in WWE under the ringname Victoria where she is a former two-time WWE Women's Champion and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ringname Tara. Varon started competing in fitness competitions and won ESPN2's Fitness America Series in 1997. In 1999, she placed second at a fitness event in New York to earn her International Federation of BodyBuilders Professional Fitness Card. Through a chance meeting, Varon met WWE performer Chyna who encouraged her to become a wrestler. She trained in WWE's developmental territories for three years before being moved to the main roster to compete full-time under the ring name Victoria. Her first TV appearance was at WrestleMania 2000 as one of The Godfather's Hos. She debuted in June 2002, four months later she was pushed to win the WWE Women's Championship, a title she held twice in her wrestling career. After leaving WWE in 2009 Varon debuted in TNA later that year as Tara. In TNA she became a five-time TNA Women's Knockout Champion making her a seven-time Women's Champion overall. She was also a one-time TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion with Brooke Tessmacher, as TnT.
Natalie "Nattie" Katherine Neidhart is a Canadian professional wrestler and model. She works for WWE under the ring name Natalya. Neidhart is a third-generation wrestler of the Hart wrestling family. Neidhart began her professional wrestling career in 2000 training in the Hart Family Dungeon under the guidance of her uncles Ross and Bruce Hart, and becoming the only woman in history to have graduated from the dungeon, thus being vowed as "The Dungeon Diva". Neidhart also trained in amateur wrestling and mixed martial arts. Neidhart is the first third-generation female wrestler in the world.
Ashley Marie Massaro was an American professional wrestler, reality television contestant, television host, model, and radio personality. She was best known for her time with WWE and for her appearance on Survivor: China.
Massaro made her debut in WWE after winning the WWE Diva Search in 2005. She was firstly incorporated into the Raw brand where she had her first wrestling feud against Vince's Devils (a villainous female stable) while she also aligned herself with Trish Stratus in the process to defeat the team. With Stratus, she was involved in another feud with the then debuting Mickie James who was obsessed with Stratus and was jealous of Ashley's friendship with her, attacking and causing her to lose matches. She was later drafted to SmackDown! and became the valet for the WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London and Brian Kendrick. Her most high-profile matches were a WWE Women's Championship match against Melina at WrestleMania 23 and a Playboy Bunnymania Lumberjill match at WrestleMania XXIV.
She left WWE in July 2008. During her tenure in the company, she had appeared on the covers of several magazines, including the April 2007 issue of Playboy, and has also made an appearance on television and in music videos. In addition, Massaro spent the last two years of her life working as a radio DJ for 94.3 The Shark.
Barbara "Barbie" Jean Blank is an American model, professional wrestler, and professional wrestling valet best known for her time with WWE, better known by her ring name Kelly Kelly. Blank has a background in gymnastics and cheerleading. She studied broadcast journalism, hoping to become a television anchor, and worked as a model for Venus Swimwear and Hawaiian Tropic. In 2006, Blank was signed to a contract by WWE and sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling, a WWE developmental territory. She debuted on the ECW brand in June 2006 as 'Kelly Kelly', with the character of an exhibitionist and performing a striptease. She continued her stripteases, in a segment known as Kelly's Exposé, weekly on ECW, and also became the valet of her on-screen boyfriend Mike Knox. The following year, she formed Extreme Exposé with Layla and Brooke Adams, and the trio performed a regular dance segment on ECW. They later became involved in a storyline with The Miz, which led to the dissolution of the group. Kelly then began participating in more wrestling matches and was moved to the Raw brand in July 2008. Throughout the next year, she unsuccessfully challenged for the WWE Divas Championship on several occasions, before moving to SmackDown in early 2010. There she challenged LayCool for the WWE Women's Championship but was unsuccessful. In April 2011, Kelly returned to the Raw brand, where she won the WWE Divas Championship for the first time in June. Kelly lost the title to Beth Phoenix in October, ending her four-month reign. Kelly Kelly made her return to WWE on the August 6 episode of Raw, where she defeated Eve Torres in a singles match.
Her last appearance was at SummerSlam dancing along with the other WWE Divas "Don't Give Up" performed live by Kevin Rudolf. On September 28, 2012, Kelly Kelly was released from her WWE contract due to her requesting time off and not returning when the officials desired. Blank made her first appearance in a wrestling promotion since being released by WWE on December 4, making her first independent wrestling show appearance for North East Wrestling.
Paul Donald Wight II is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, AEW Dark: Elevation, under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1995 to 1999 as The Giant and with WWE from 1999 to 2021 under the ring name Big Show.
Wight began his career in 1994. In 1995 he signed with WCW, where, due to his very large frame, he was known by the ring name The Giant (and was initially introduced as "the son of André the Giant"). In early 1999, he left WCW to join WWE. Between WWE and WCW, he is a seven-time world champion, having held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice, the WWE Championship twice, WWE's World Heavyweight Championship twice and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once, making him the only wrestler who has won all four titles. He is also an 11-time world tag team champion, holding the World, WWE and WCW World Tag Team Championships multiple times with various partners. Having also won the Intercontinental, United States and Hardcore championships, he is the 24th Triple Crown and 12th Grand Slam winner in WWE history. He also won the 60-man battle royal at World War 3 and the 30-man André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31. He has headlined multiple pay-per-view events for WCW and WWF/WWE since 1995, including the 2000 edition of WWE's premier annual event, WrestleMania.
Outside of professional wrestling, Wight has appeared in feature films and television series such as Jingle All the Way, The Waterboy, Star Trek: Enterprise, and two USA Network's comedy-dramas Royal Pains, Psych and the action-drama Burn Notice. He had lead roles in the WWE Studios comedy film Knucklehead and the Netflix sitcom The Big Show Show.
Dalip Singh Rana is an Indian professional wrestler, wrestling promoter, and actor. He is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name The Great Khali. He made his professional wrestling debut in 2000. Before embarking on his professional wrestling career, he was an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Punjab Police. He has appeared in four Hollywood films, two Bollywood films and several television shows. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the 2021 class.
Glenn Thomas Jacobs (born April 26, 1967) is an American politician, actor, and professional wrestler. As a Republican, he is the Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee since 2018. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works under the ring name Kane.
He began his professional wrestling career on the independent circuit in 1992, wrestling in promotions such as Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) and the United States Wrestling Association (USWA), before joining the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1995. Jacobs played various characters until 1997, when he was repackaged as Kane, the younger half-brother of The Undertaker, with whom Jacobs would alternatively feud or team as The Brothers of Destruction.
Following his WWF debut, Kane remained a pivotal component of the company's "Attitude Era" of the late 1990s and early 2000s, defeating the era's "poster boy" Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship in his first pay-per-view (PPV) main event at King of the Ring in June 1998. He continued to headline PPV cards through 2018's Crown Jewel, and has appeared in more of such events than any other performer in WWF/WWE history.
Within WWE, Kane is a three-time world champion (having held the WWF Championship, ECW Championship and World Heavyweight Championship once each) and a 12-time world tag team champion (having held the World Tag Team Championship, WCW Tag Team Championship and WWE Tag Team Championships with various partners). He is also a two-time Intercontinental Champion and a Money in the Bank winner, as well as the third man to complete WWE's Grand Slam. The last title Kane won was the 24/7 Championship on September 16, 2019, the only title won under his real name. Veteran wrestler Ric Flair described Kane as "the best in the world", while Big Show dubbed him "the best big man ever". Kane holds the record for the most appearances in a Royal Rumble match at 20 as well as the highest cumulative total eliminations at 46. He headlined the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
Outside of professional wrestling, Jacobs has made numerous guest appearances in film and on television, including the lead role in the 2006 WWE Studios production See No Evil and its 2014 sequel. He is also a longtime supporter of libertarian political causes. In March 2017, Jacobs announced that he was running for the mayoral seat of Knox County, Tennessee as a Republican. He went on to win the Republican primary election on May 1, 2018 and the general election on August 2, 2018.
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Salvador Guerrero IV better known by his ring names Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero Jr., is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He has previously worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), WWE, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Lucha Underground (LU), and Nación Lucha Libre (NLL). As a singles wrestler, he is a former ECW World Champion in WWE, and a six-time Cruiserweight Champion between WWE and WCW. He also achieved success in tag team wrestling, being a five-time world tag team champion – winning the WWE Tag Team Championship twice with Eddie Guerrero as Los Guerreros, the WCW World Tag Team Championship once with Corporal Cajun as the Misfits in Action, and the TNA World Tag Team Championship twice with Hernandez. Between WCW, WWE, and TNA, Guerrero has held a dozen total championships and one world championship.
Matt Hardy is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand, and he is one half of the SmackDown Tag Team Champions with his brother Jeff Hardy
Along with his real-life brother Jeff, Matt gained notoriety in WWF's tag team division due to the Hardys' participation in tables, ladders, and chairs matches. As a tag team wrestler, he is a 14-time world tag team champion, having held six WWF/World Tag Team Championships, three WWE/Raw Tag Team Championships, one SmackDown Tag Team Championship, one ROH World Tag Team Championship, one WCW Tag Team Championship and two TNA World Tag Team Championships.
Wrestling in three separate decades, Hardy has managed to keep himself relevant through a variety of different gimmicks, character changes as well as his use of social media. In 2002, Hardy began a solo career in WWE and his subsequent "Version 1" persona was named Best Gimmick by Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Hardy's eccentric "Broken" gimmick, which he debuted in 2016, earned him multiple awards and praise from wrestling critics, including a second Best Gimmick award (in 2017, the character was renamed "Woken" within WWE). As a singles wrestler, Hardy is a three-time world champion, winning two TNA World Heavyweight Championships and one ECW Championship. In 1999, Matt, along with his brother Jeff, appeared as an uncredited wrestler on That '70s Show episode "That Wrestling Show". Matt and Jeff also appeared on Tough Enough in early 2001, talking to and wrestling the contestants. He appeared in the February 25, 2002 episode of Fear Factor competing against five other World Wrestling Federation wrestlers, including his brother. He won $50,000 for the American Cancer Society. Hardy also appeared on the October 13, 2009 episode of Scare Tactics, as a mental patient who threatens to attack the prank's victim.
Hardy's first WWE video game was WWF Wrestlemania 2000 in 1999 on the Nintendo 64 shortly followed by WWF SmackDown! in early 2000 on the PlayStation. He made several appearances later in WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role, WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It, WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth, WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain, and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw. He later returned to the series in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010, and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011, which was his last WWE video game before his departure to TNA. Following his return to WWE in 2017, he was revealed as a DLC character in WWE 2K18 on September 25 that year alongside tag team partner and brother, Jeff Hardy. Hardy was revealed as a playable character in WWE 2K19 on August 30, 2018.
Hassan Hamin Assad (born Alvin Antonio Burke Jr.) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is better known by the ring name Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP). He is currently signed to WWE and is the manager of Omos. He has also worked with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Ring of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).
Kara Elizabeth Drew is an American retired professional wrestler and valet, best known under the ring name Cherry. She worked for WWE as the manager of former Tag Team Champions, Deuce 'n Domino, and as a performer for its SmackDown brand.
After becoming interested in wrestling, Drew worked on the independent circuit under the ring names Miss Kara and Kara Slice. She was assigned to WWE's developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky in 2005, to continue her wrestling training. While situated at OVW, she used the name Cherry Pie, and she was the manager of the group known as "The Throw-Backs" and later as "The Untouchables", consisting of Deuce Shade and Dice Domino. Cherry managed them to three reigns as OVW Southern Tag Team Champions.
After signing with WWE, the group were called up to the SmackDown! roster in January 2007, where the team underwent a name change to Deuce 'n Domino. Cherry managed the team to one reign as WWE Tag Team Champions. In April 2008 she made her WWE singles debut and parted ways with Deuce and Domino the following month. She continued working in singles and tag team competition, before being released from her WWE contract in August 2008.
Mary Louis "Maria" Kanellis-Bennett is an American professional wrestler, manager, promoter, actress and model. She is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH), and is also the co-owner and founder of the independent promotion Women's Wrestling Army (WWA). She has previously wrestled for Impact Wrestling and WWE.
Mickie Laree James is an American professional wrestler and singer, signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she is the reigning TNA Women's Knockout Champion in her third reign. James began her professional wrestling career in 1999 as a valet on the independent circuit, where she was known under the name Alexis Laree. She trained in several camps to improve her wrestling abilities before working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in June 2002, where she gained national attention. After only a few appearances, she joined a stable called The Gathering and was written into storylines with the group. She is also the only woman to be involved inClockwork Orange House of Fun matches. James appeared in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in October 2005 and was placed in a storyline with Trish Stratus, in which James' gimmick was that of Stratus' biggest fan turned obsessed stalker, an angle which lasted almost a year. She received a push, and she won her first WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 22, a title she has held a total of five times. James also won her first Divas Championship at Night of Champions in 2009 to become the second Diva to hold both the Women's and Divas titles. She was released from the company on April 22, 2010, after which she returned to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Between WWE and TNA, Mickie James is a 9 time wrestling champion, and is also the only person to hold the WWE Women's, WWE Divas and TNA Knockout Championships in wrestling history.
Michelle Leigh Calaway, is an American professional wrestler who is best known for her time in WWE. She is a former two-time WWE Divas Champion & a two-time WWE Women's Champion. McCool originally worked as a middle school teacher in Palatka, Florida. She joined WWE in 2004 after participating in the 2004 WWE Diva Search. In her initial on-screen role, she acted primarily as a personal trainer and occasional wrestler. She also acted as the manager to the team of K. C. James and Idol Stevens, collectively known as the Teacher's Pets, in 2006 after changing her on-screen character to that of a teacher. At The Great American Bash in 2008, McCool became the inaugural WWE Divas Champion, holding the title for approximately five months. She then won the WWE Women's Championship at The Bash in 2009, becoming the first female wrestler to have held both titles. At Night of Champions in 2010, she unified both titles becoming the first WWE Unified Divas Champion. McCool has held both titles on two occasions, which makes her a four-time champion overall.
Christopher Keith Irvine, better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the stable known as Jericho Appreciation Society. Noted for his over-the-top rock star persona, he has been named by journalists and industry colleagues as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
During the 1990s, Jericho performed for American organizations Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), as well as for promotions in countries such as Canada, Japan, and Mexico. At the end of 1999, he made his debut in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In 2001, he became the first Undisputed WWF Champion, and thus the final holder of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship (then referred to as the World Championship), having won and unified the WWF and World titles by defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock on the same night. Jericho headlined multiple pay-per-view (PPV) events during his time with the WWF/WWE, including WrestleMania X8 and the inaugural TLC and the Elimination Chamber matches and the shows itself. He was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2010.
Within the WWF/WWE, Jericho is a six-time world champion, having won the Undisputed WWF Championship once, the WCW/World Championship twice and the World Heavyweight Championship three times. He has also held the WWE Intercontinental Championship a record nine times and was the ninth Triple Crown Champion, as well as the fourth Grand Slam Champion in history. In addition, he was the 2008 Superstar of the Year Slammy Award winner and (along with Big Show as Jeri-Show) won the 2009 Tag Team of the Year Slammy Award—making him the only winner of both Superstar and Tag Team of the Year.
After his departure from WWE in 2018, Jericho signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he became a one-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion, and becoming the first man to have held both the WWE and IWGP Intercontinental Championships. Jericho joined AEW in January 2019 and became the inaugural holder of the AEW World Championship in August of that year. All totalled, between ECW, WCW, WWE, NJPW and AEW, Jericho has held 36 championships (including seven World Championships, and 10 Intercontinental Championships).
In 1999, Jericho became lead vocalist of heavy metal band Fozzy, who released their eponymous debut album the following year. The group's early work is composed largely of cover versions, although they have focused primarily on original material from their third album, All That Remains (2005), onward. Jericho has also appeared on numerous television shows over the years, including the 2011 season of Dancing With the Stars. He hosted the ABC game show Downfall, the 2011 edition of the Revolver Golden Gods Awards, and the UK's Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in 2012 and 2017.
An American singer and ring announcer. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as a ring announcer. During her first stint in WWE, she became the first WWE Diva to remain with the promotion for ten years.
García was born in Madrid, Spain. She spent many of her early years in Spain due to her father's employment with the American Embassy, and was schooled on an American military base, leading her to describe herself as a "military brat". Upon returning to the United States, Garcia graduated from Irmo High School in Columbia, South Carolina. She went on to attend the University of South Carolina, graduating. Lilian's family comes from Spain and Puerto Rico.
García was a top ten finalist in the Miss South Carolina beauty pageant. Garcia was also one half of a popular morning show on radio station WYYS,"YES 97" in Columbia with Chuck Finley in the early '90s. She was a VJ in Atlanta, Georgia, where she also had a drive-time afternoon radio show. Garcia appeared in the 1990 movie Modern Love as a singer.
Singing career
García singing the United States National Anthem at a WWE event.García began singing at an early age, and began taking part in singing contests alongside her sister at the age of five. Garcia served as karaoke host at the Nitelites nightclub in the Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbia, South Carolina, and later at the West Columbia Ramada. She often sings the national anthem at various MLB, NFL, NHL, & NBA games including for the NBA's Phoenix Suns, the NHL's New York Islanders, and the NFL's New York Jets, and has performed at the 1996 Summer Olympics, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, and as an opening act for James Brown.
Justin Jason Roberts is an American ring announcer who currently works for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and author who is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). While in WWE, Roberts regularly announced for its pay-per-views and television shows like Raw, SmackDown, ECW, and Superstars.
Eve Marie Torres is an American dancer, model, professional wrestler, valet, and actress. She is best known for her time in WWE as Eve Torres (or simply Eve), where she became a three-time WWE Divas Champion. Torres began her career as a dancer and model, dancing for The Southern California Summer Pro League and went on to become a member of the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Clippers Spirit Dance Team for the 2006–2007 season. She has also appeared on several television shows, including Show Me the Money, The Best Damn Sports Show Period, Sunset Tan, Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed, Deal or No Deal, Good Day LA, Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, Stars Earn Stripes, G4's Attack of the Show, and The Soup. In 2007, Torres won the 2007 Diva Search, earning a contract with WWE. She first appeared on WWE programming as a backstage interviewer in 2008, and also appeared in non-wrestling contests such as bikini contest's and dance competitions. She later became a full-time wrestler in 2009, and was involved in various feuds with Michelle McCool, Layla and Natalya. She also managed the tag team of Cryme Tyme. After being traded to the Raw brand in late 2009, she managed Chris Masters before winning her first ever WWE Divas Championship in April 2010, becoming the first diva search winner in history to win the title, before losing it in June 2010. After acting as the valet for R-Truth in late 2010, she won the Divas Championship for the second time at the Royal Rumble in January 2011, lasting until April 2011. In April 2012, she was appointed as Executive Administrator of Raw and SmackDown by then General Manager John Laurinaitis. In August 2012, Eve became Assistant General Manager of SmackDown. At the 2012 Night of Champions pay-per-view, Eve became the first Diva in history to win the WWE Divas Championship on three occasions, and would drop the title to Kaitlyn at the "20th Anniversary" episode of Raw in January 2013. In December 2012, Eve would ask for her release from Vince McMahon, and it would be granted in January 2013 so she can focus on her role as an instructor for the Gracie Women Empowered Self-defense program.
