Things didnt turn out quite as great for PE during their trip to WWE, yet they forever remained ECW legends. Cameron Miller is a writer with over five years of creative writing experience - both personally and for clients around the world. Related: 10 Former Male Employees WWE Likes To Ignore. [114], In January 2001, AOL Time Warner announced they were to sell WCW to a group of investors called Fusient Media Ventures, with the provision that they would continue television broadcasts on TNT. Super Cena, as he became known, epitomized the "never give up" attitude commonly found during the Hulkamania days and introduced the WWE to a completely new batch of fans. After Rock reached the ropes to force a break, Austin applied the Million Dollar Dream, a submission hold best known from his former gimmick, The Ringmaster. When Jolly Old Saint Nick made an appearance on Monday Night Raw, he instantly became Austins next target. His father was Sika of the Wild Samoans and he was the older brother of Roman Reigns. During the weeks that followed, he reignited his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin, whom he blamed for costing him the WWF title. As a result, the second hour of War Zone was renamed Raw Zone to coincide with the dropping of the "War" line. Jericho later defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock on the same night at Vengeance 2001, becoming the Undisputed WWF Champion in the process. Here's our view: #5. The Rock got a rematch at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, in a last man standing match for the chance to headline WrestleMania XV as the WWF Champion. Prior to this, in the early 1990s, Vince McMahon presented the Next Generation Era, which was a spin-off of the Golden Era of Hulkamania, but with a new wave of superstars. She died early this year on February 17 at the age of 52. While Bobby was in and out of ECW so fast he couldnt really do anything, WCW started to give the kid a bit of a push as one of the West Texas Rednecks, alongside future WWE Hall of Famers Curt Hennig and Barry Windham. [51] After failed attempts at winning the championship, Triple H and Mankind challenged then WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin to a triple threat match at SummerSlam, which featured Jesse "The Body" Ventura as the special guest referee. Now proclaiming himself as the "Ministry of Darkness", he turned heel and began taking a more macabre and darker persona, claiming that a "plague of evil" would hit WWF. The merger would lead to the creation of the Corporate Ministry, a mega-faction led by Shane McMahon and the Undertaker, as well as suffering defections with the creation of the short-lived Union. Wrestlers who died in 2022; Wrestlers who died in 2021; View All; Dead before age 50; Women; View by Cause of Death. [35][36] Austin, would regularly have to overcome the odds stacked against him by Mr. Believe it or not, for a few short months in the summer of that year, Test was amongst the most popular athletes in all of wrestling due to his relationship with Stephanie McMahon. At SummerSlam, Triple H defeated The Rock in a ladder match with the help of fellow team member Chyna to win the Intercontinental Championship. Related: 5 WWE Bromances We Loved (And 5 We Didn't). were operated as two distinct promotions, with a draft lottery taking place each year to determine which talent was assigned to each brand. [20][33] Tyson was paid $4 million for his role.[34]. Above are the more well known deceased wrestlers. And you thought Luna Vachon had a unique look Based solely on the above picture, it should be no surprise that prior to entering the wrestling business, Nicole Bass was also a championship-winning bodybuilder. He was driving his Hummer and is believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel. Prior to that big moment, The Wall had entered WCW as the bodyguard to Berlyn/Alex Wright, and he also made a handful of minor ECW appearances under the name "Hell Raiser." Austin attacked him with the steel chair, hitting him sixteen times, before pinning him and becoming the new WWF Champion. The athlete, who suffered from gigantism, was dubbed the 'eighth wonder of the world'. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) debuted in the summer of 1999 following their departure from ECW. He died on September 22, 2004 of a heart attack. [16] On March 10, 1997, the WWF debuted its Raw is War moniker to signify it was waging "war" with WCW's Monday Nitro. As a member of Team Xtreme, Lita developed a more "alternative" image,[82] and her popularity greatly increased. He was also pat of 3-Minute Warning along with Rosey. There are conflicting reports about whether he died from a blood clot or from pneumonia he had developed. After WCW went out of business, Tuite again changed his name, reappearing in the newly founded NWA: TNA as "Malice" and challenging for the NWA World Championship. [21] Austin and McMahon were featured in numerous segments leading to a match between the duo on April 13, 1998, episode of Raw, Austin and McMahon were going to battle out their differences in an actual match, but the match was declared a no contest when Mick Foley (as Dude Love) interrupted the entire contest. [2], A little over a month later on June 10, 2002, Stone Cold Steve Austin failed to appear on that night's episode of Raw and was effectively dropped from the company; similar events had allegedly taken place in the prior weeks stemming from Austin's frustration with his character's direction. Prior to teaming up, neither Rocco Rock nor Johnny Grunge was able to find much success in pro wrestling, competing on the independent scene as The Cheetah Kid and Johnny Rotten, respectively. He was one half of the infamous Kennel from Hell match after all. Ed "Strangler" Lewis - August 7, 1966 - Dies at Home George Hackenschmidt - February 19, 1968 - Dies at Home "Iron" Mike DiBiase - July 2, 1969 - Dies in Ring Skull Murphy - March 23, 1970 - Heart Attack Dory Funk Sr. - June 3, 1973 - Dies at Home The Swedish Angel - February 10, 1974 - Unknown Antonio Rocca - March 15, 1977 - Unknown The Wellness Policy, for the most part, prevents problems from spiralling out of control. [9] The creative side of the product during the early stages of the era in 1997 was spearheaded by Vince Russo, who drastically changed the way WWF television was written. When someone has an image as iconic as X-Pac its hard to imagine anyone ever not being able to recognize the man. At Invasion, Stone Cold Steve Austin turned on WWF and helped the Alliance win the Inaugural Brawl. [27] Following the purchase, the WWF began to dominate cable television ratings with Raw episodes which were not only breaking with traditional censorship, but that were also showing ringside fans screaming obscenities and wearing t-shirts with controversial phrases. Her wrestling career was unique for her era. His hair is often quite short now, and the full beard he occasionally sports does make him look surprisingly different from his younger self. [82] During the match, Lita captured the attention of viewers by mimicking Rios' moves, notably the moonsault and hurricanrana. [43], After being fired from the Corporation, The Rock once again declared himself the People's Champion and went on a number of small feuds during the latter part of 1999. Having dealt with similar issues with wrestlers such as Yokozuna, WWE fired Viscera on three different occasions in 1996, 2000 and again in 2008. He was an actor, known for WWE Smackdown! Accidents; Cancer; Drug Overdose; People close to him say that he had been suffering from depression and was suffering from alcoholism leading up to his death. That was, however, the only part of the character that was not offensive. When Test debuted for the WWE in 1998 he came in as a bodyguard for Motley Crew. [76] Her on-screen popularity resulted in her breaking through into mainstream pop culture, becoming the first wrestler to appear on the cover of Playboy. In October 1997, USA Network owners at Seagram agreed to sell the network to media mogul Barry Diller. [55] Triple H would then be involved in a love triangle with Kurt Angle and Stephanie. Painkillers, human growth hormone, and unhealthy lifestyles were killing wrestlers in the 90s and early 200's at an unprecedented rate. Lance Cade was part of the famous first class of Shawn Michaels' Wrestling Academy along with Daniel Bryan and Brian Kendrick. [32] In the closing moments of the match, Tyson counted Austin's pinfall on Michaels. She was close friends with Andre the Giant and her ashes were scattered over Andre's old ranch in North Carolina after her death. [94] For the first time the Hardcore Championship was contested in a ladder match in 2001 at SummerSlam where Rob Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy. Before coming to the WWE in 1999, Ivory spent time wrestling for G.L.O.W., the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. On July 9, 2001, the stars of WCW and Extreme Championship Wrestling (acquired by Stephanie McMahon in a related storyline) joined forces, forming "The Alliance" with WCW owner Shane McMahon and the new owner of ECW Stephanie McMahon leading the charge, with the support and influence of original ECW owner Paul Heyman. In 1995, he started the trend of shoot promos or worked/shoot promos years before Vince Russo overdid both concepts. Unfortunately, we lost Luna Vachon in 2010. Most wrestling fans are aware that icons like Eddie Guerrero and Macho Man Randy Savage are no longer with us, but some of the smaller wrestler deaths may have fallen through the cracks, shocking fans to this day with the news theyre no longer with us. Unfortunately, Rosey couldn't make it the whole way as he began to suffer problems with his knees. Then came the formation of the NWO in 1996 and that pushed the line even harder. When Rock tried to pin Austin after the People's Elbow, McMahon seized Rock's leg and pulled him off Austin, breaking the pin attempt. That hasn't stopped certain wrestlers from thinking it has, though, specifically people like Kamala and Ahmed Johnson. in a mock draft lottery held on the March 25, 2002 edition of Raw. In 1996 WWF had also begun playing up female sexuality, led by Sunny and Sable. He was later betrayed by The Corporation and thrown out of the alliance. Then finally he led the Disciples of Apocalypse before signing with WCW in 1998. [86] McMahon would later describe it was an "incredible privilege". [10] Russo's and Ferrara's booking style has been described as "Crash TV",[11] where they contributed edgy, controversial storylines involving sexual content, and profanity,[12] as well as swerves,[9] unexpected heel turns, and worked shoots in the storylines. The company did release the documentary Loose Cannon based on his life and career, however. The use of Sable as an on-screen character was increasingly sexual, including competing in the first "bikini contest" against Jacqueline. Triple H, Angle vs. Jericho, Rock vs. Big Show, Kane vs. X-Pac", "Mick Foley Reveals Why He Didn't Face Vince McMahon at WWE WrestleMania 17", "Examining Triple H's Influence 19 Years After 1st WWE Championship Win", "WrestleMania 2000 Was WWE's WEIRDEST Big Show Ever (So Far)", "Kevin's Random Reviews: WWF Judgment Day 2000 Triple H vs. CM Punk The straight-edged superstar shocked the wrestling world when he walked away from the WWE in March 2014. You can also view the above list filtered by wrestlers who passed away before age 50. [102] The PTC accused the WWF of being responsible for several young children's deaths, including that of six year old Tiffany Eunick by Lionel Tate,[103] for which Dwayne Johnson received a subpoena to testify in 1998. Both members of the Pitbulls earned reigns as ECW Television Champion, and together, they also reigned as ECW Tag Team Champions, earning that latter honor by defeating Raven and Stevie Richards in one of the companys greatest wars. It started during the Monday Night Wars, a period in which WWF's Monday Night Raw went head-to-head with World Championship Wrestling's (WCW) Monday Nitro in a battle for Nielsen ratings each week from September 1995 to March 2001. This led to then-WWF Commissioner Mick Foley to make the first-ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match (TLC) at SummerSlam in August 2000, also won by Edge and Christian. A fresh take on sports: the biggest news and most entertaining lists. Regardless of how people felt about him, Viscera was indeed a huge presence in WWE from the New Generation throughout the Attitude Era, winning the WWE Tag Team and Hardcore Championships at various points in time. The Undertaker won the match at WrestleMania and the first ever Inferno Match at Unforgiven.[68]. If youre looking for our full list, please click here. Despite only being in the wrestling industry a short amount of time, Nicole Bass left a lasting image. Citing his 3 I's; Intelligence, Integrity and Intensity, Angle would hypocritically chastise crowds each week to the crowd's disapproval. [21] In an interview with Austin, head writer Vince Russo described this moment as the start of the Attitude Era. During the match, the two brawled inside and outside of the ring, with both men bleeding after hitting each other with the ring bell. It's unlikely Pillman will ever be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame unless the 1997 Hart Foundation stable goes in. The huge French-born wrestler, who was more than 6ft by the age of 12, died aged 46 in 1993. Foley debuted both Dude Love and Cactus Jack in the WWF in mid-1997, while Mankind was debuted at Foley's first-ever WWF event on April 1, 1996, during the Raw after WrestleMania XII. He was only 29 years old. However, there was one particularly iconic moment where Duffy played the central role, albeit under a different name: "Santa Claus." [79], The Sable character would eventually be changed into a heel,[80] and soon after the relationship between the WWF and Mero would break down, with Mero filing a $110 million lawsuit, saying that the WWF had become increasingly "obscene, titillating, vulgar and unsafe", and alleged that she was asked to perform in lesbian storylines, as well as being requested to strip on live television. Of Cena's 16 World Title reigns, 11 came during the PG Era. It is believed she suffered a stroke and died a day after being taken off of light life support. It was during this time The Rock's popularity began to flourish once again, and he joined his former rival Mankind to create the tag team, The Rock 'n' Sock Connection. Some of these things are positive, like the fact that the Attitude Era was both the most popular and financially successful time period of the company. [130], The company ceased its "Attitude" promotion on May 6, 2002, when the usage of the initials "WWF" became prohibited as the result of a legal battle between the company and the World Wildlife Fund. Following the April 2, 2001 edition of Raw is War, The Rock departed on hiatus from the WWF due to the filming of The Mummy Returns as The Scorpion King. While this policy has most likely cost WWE huge sums of money, it has probably saved them much more in the long-run. The Attitude Era ended circa 2001, meaning more than 16 years have passed since WWE was at its peak. Shortly after, Rock used Austin's own finishing maneuver on Austin by executing a Stunner. Though not everyone liked it on a personal level, the unbeatable financial and attendance records truly say it all. On the November 6, 2000 episode of Raw Is War, Chyna, Dogg, Gunn, and Triple H as part of D-Generation X took on The Radicalz (Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn) in an eight-person tag team match, which D-X won. Fans couldnt be blamed for not recognizing a man who they remember fondly with bright green hair. Rosey also left behinds family. That bad judgment, Ross continued, is what led to his release. No BS. Fans who only know Gregory Shane Helms as The Hurricane are likely to be incredibly confused when they see the wrestler making an appearance out of costume. Pillman was in a coma for a week. [24] Diller's purchase of the USA Network was finalized in February 1998,[25] and longtime USA Network managing head Kay Koplovitz would be ousted from the network she founded two months later. Stratus and Lita put on truly fantastic matches throughout the Attitude Era and defied any icky politics that came along with their gender. In the more recent PG rated programming, even the slightest drop of blood calls for a halt of the match until all is clean and well. [58] Offstage, however, the male wrestlers were hesitant at first to let a woman be seen overpowering them. "[20], Austin's popularity gradually started to rise as an anti-hero despite being portrayed as a heel character,[21] eventually leading to a long feud with Hart from late-1996 to mid-1997 climaxing in a Submission Match at WrestleMania 13. [26] Shaun Assael and Mike Mooneyham's book Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment stated that "the terrain shifted completely under everyone's feet" following Diller's purchase of the USA Network, which began in October 1997, and that Koplovitz was in fact planning to remove WWF programming from the USA Network prior to the purchase. Ric Flair returned to the WWF as "co-owner" of the company, feuding with Vince McMahon. While members of "The New Brood", The Hardy Boyz faced off against Edge and Christian (the original Brood) in the first-ever tag team ladder match, the final match of the "Terri Invitational Tournament" at No Mercy in October 1999. Angle would carry an undefeated streak until losing in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to The Rock on January 31, 2000 edition episode of Raw is War. Crash would be placed in the fictional Holly family along with Hardcore Holly and Molly Holly. broadcast and McMahon's disregard of Russo's family. ', "Steven Richards discusses the politics of Right To Censor", "TV Watchdog Apologizes for False Claims On Wrestling", "Vince Russo Biography of Vince Russo the Former Head Writer of WWF Monday Night Raw & WCW Nitro", "Vince Russo Reveals What Vince McMahon Said to Him That Made Him Leave WWE", "WWE News: Former WWE TV writer Chris Kreski dies of cancer, age 42", "Kevin's Random Reviews: WWF No Mercy 2000", "Turner Drops Wrestling in First Decision by Its New Chief", "Smackdown!
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