Werstling

Brooklyn born, Vito LoGrasso grew up as a typical street kid who was into various sporting activities. He excelled in basketball, baseball and football playing in several different sport leagues throughout his childhood as well as his adult years.

As a child, Vito was also an avid wrestling fan watching WWF and WCW every Saturday morning. He dreamed of being one of his heroes like Bruno San Martino. Every little boy dreamed of such things but very few get the chance to live their dreams when they grow up. After high school, Vito enlisted in the U.S. Army while his dream continued to grow in the back of his mind as well as in his heart. In 1991, Vito along with the support of his family, finally decided to pursue a wrestling career. He joined the Johnny Rodz School of Wrestling in Brooklyn. Then a Staten Island native and full-time father, Vito crossed the bridge ever week for rigorous training classes which earned him his professional wrestling license that same year.

He quickly became a crowd pleaser. Vito isn’t just good with his fists, but he is a true entertainer inside the ring and out. He even hosted his own wrestling talk show on Staten Island’s cable station and he was a co-host for a radio show in Long Island. He had an impressive, natural persona whether in front of a crowd, on TV or even through the radio airwaves.

Vito spent eight years perfecting his skills as a wrestler by having matches all across the U.S. as well as in Puerto Rico, Japan, England, Dominican Republic and Australia. In 1998, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) asked Vito to join their federation. He was immediately recognized for his hardcore wrestling ability. Not only could he take a punch, but he could deliver one as well.

In 1999, he was offered a position in the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) federation. Remembering the days of watching Ric Flair on television, Vito jumped at the opportunity of a lifetime. By this time, he gave up his persona of Skull Von Krush, to become Big Vito, which is how he is best known by all of his fans. Instantly Vito won over millions of viewers across the world. His on-camera antics, complete with Italian-American stereotypes were just as entertaining as his wrestling skills. It wasn’t long before he and his partner became champions winning the Tag Team Championship belts in 2000. Soon Johnny the Bull and Big Vito went their separate ways. Big Vito returned to his hardcore matches. In the industry, he is known as one of the best hardcore wrestlers around. Vito proved himself when he defeated legendary wrestler Terry Funk for the Hardcore Championship title.

Besides wrestling, Vito has also had experience in television, radio and film. In Puerto Rico, Vito had a role in the action adventure movie, “The Survivor” as well as being the star of a Pizza Hut commercial where he of course wrestled a pizza. In the U.S., Vito appeared on Nickelodeon’s Double Dare 2000. Vito was also on the “Shipmates” dating show on UPN for which he and his date won “Best Couple” of the season. Vito continues to travel across the world as an international professional wrestler. He loves the spotlight and is always throwing himself into it whenever he can. Vito is recognized wherever he goes and if he’s not, his bald head and large build are a definite crowd stopper. Recently, Vito appeared in the April 2007 issue of Play Girl Magazine with a spot on the cover which generated many discussions on wrestling websites and message boards. Currently Vito is interested in pursuing other areas of entertainment besides wrestling. With his unique good looks, charisma and talent behind him, Vito illuminates a screen and captivates his audience – they either hate him or love him, but Vito always gets a reaction. Already a known celebrity from his most recent work with WWE, Vito will make an easy transition from wrestler to actor/model. Vito is at ease in front of the camera and proves he’s a true professional.

Not only can Vito pose, but he can fit into any character a role demands, even if it requires him to wear a dress! In 2006, WWE debuted Vito as “the toughest guy in a dress,” which caused quite a stir inside and outside the ring. Vito became the most recognizable wrestler being spotted in airports wearing heels and a stylish sun dress. Vito is always up for a challenge.

Here's an article we didn't expect to find this morning. WWE superstar JBL writes about the stock market for The Street. No, seriously. In last Saturday's article, he had some nice things to say about Apple (and AAPL). Having just read iCon, the unauthorized bio of Steve Jobs, JBL stated his admiration for Apple's leader, and said this about Apple stock:

"Apple is a dream company. No debt, and over $10 per share in cash. Add to that the fact it is still a growth story and you have a stock that is cheap."

If JBL tells you to buy a stock, buy it. You don't want a steel chair to the back of the head, do you?

Tags: aapl, apple stock, AppleStock, icon, jbl, steve jobs, SteveJobs, wwe

CM Punk is one of the few independent wrestling legends who has actually been given a decent chance in the WWE.


The Beginning

CM Punk was born on October 26, 1978 in Chicago, Illinois. His birth name is Phil Brooks.

He grew up as a wrestling fan, participating in backyard matches for Lunatic Wrestling Federation with his friends. While they wrestled for fun, CM Punk was determined to become a professional some day.

CM Punk would begin his training at the Steel Domain wrestling school, where he would eventually surpass his trainer by being called up to the WWE first.

America's Most Wanted

After making his name on the independent scene, CM Punk was able to generate interests from both ROH (Ring of Honor) and TNA (Total Nonstop Action).

Rising Through ROH

While he was struggling in TNA, CM Punk was thriving in ROH.

CM Punk came in 2nd in a tournament to crown the first ROH Pure Champion (AJ Styles ended up winning the tournament). CM Punk and Colt Cabana had a pretty good feud against the Briscoe Brothers, winning the ROH Tag Team Championship twice from them. He also become the company's first ever head training for their wrestling school.

TNA Departure

A real life fight with Teddy Hart and a rift between TNA and ROH (due to ROH founder Rob Feinstein being charged with soliciting sex from an underage boy) caused CM Punk to leave TNA and become a full time ROH performer.

Classic Feud With Samoa Joe

CM Punk and Samoa Joe had a classic three match series over the ROH World Heavyweight Championship, which helped him catch the attention of the WWE.

Their first two matches went to a 60 minute time limit draw, with the second match earning the highly coveted five star rating (very few North American matches ever receive such an award). Their third match ended with Samoa Joe winning a match without a time limit.

Farewell Tour of ROH

After accepting the developmental deal with the WWE, CM Punk continued working for ROH. He won the ROH World Heavyweight Championship soon after.

It was here where CM Punk had some classic moments after a heel turn. His character threatened to take the ROH World Heavyweight Championship to the WWE with him. There was a brilliant segment where CM Punk signed his WWE contract on top of the ROH title belt.

Hardcore legend Mick Foley made an appearance in ROH to convince CM Punk to do the right thing and defend the ROH World Heavyweight Championship on his way out.

Ohio Valley Wrestling

As with most wrestlers who sign developmental deals with the WWE, CM Punk was assigned to OVW (Ohio Valley Wreslting). He suffered an injury in his debut match, but would recover to win the OVW Television Championship (from Kenny Dykstra).

When OVW Heavyweight Champion Matt Cappotelli was forced to vacate the title due to a brain tumor, a tournament was set up to determine a new champion. CM Punk and Brent Albright both made it to the finals, but it wasn't meant to be for CM Punk yet.

It wasn't until May of 2006 that CM Punk would win the OVW Heavyweight Championship. He would then go on to successfully defend the title against the Miz, Mr Kennedy, and Cryme Tyme's Shad.

Prior to leaving OVW for ECW, CM Punk became the second ever OVW Triple Crown Champion (OVW Southern Television Championship, OVW Southern Tag Team Championship, and OVW Heavyweight Championship).

ECW

CM Punk made his debut for ECW in June of 2006. He was booked pretty strongly at the beginning and his popularity soared. CM Punk was chosen to participate in a Survivor Series tag team match with four of the WWE's most popular stars (HHH, HBK, and the Hardys). He was also selected to wrestle in an Elimination Chamber match for the ECW Heavyweight Championship.

New Breed

ECW was generating a lot of interest thanks to their storyline featuring a war between the New Breed (Marcus Cor Von, Elijah Burke, Kevin Thorn, and Matt Stryker) and the ECW Originals (Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, and Rob Van Dam).

A great side story at the time was where the fans were left wondering which side CM Punk would choose to join.

He initially joined the New Breed, but it ended up being a swerve. During a tag team match, CM Punk officially left the New Breed after kicking his partner Elijah Burke in the back of the head and leaving him.

ECW Heavyweight Championship

CM Punk chased John Morrison for the ECW Heavyweight Championship for a few month. He was unsuccessful until the writers decided to take the belt off of the champion for being implicated in a federal drug probe.

Fans finally got to see the belt on a champion they approve of.

Closing Thoughts

If his popularity continues to soar like it has, CM Punk should be able to force management to make him a big star on either Smackdown on Raw.

It'll be interesting to see if anything can prevent him from winning either of the world titles.

Smackdown
finlay
TNA
tna raven

Finlay

Prior to making his debut in the WWE, CM Punk spent some time being trained by Finlay, William Regal, and Dave Taylor.


Raven

While working in TNA, CM Punk and Mickie James were members of a stable that was led by Raven. The stable was called "The Gathering".

Date of Birth: 1 March 1965
Place of Birth: Houston, Texas, USA
Real Name: Robert Booker Tio Huffman
Height: 6'3"
Former WCW Tag Team & TV Champion.
Has been a member of Harlem Heat, THe Misfits in Action and the New Bloods.
Brother of wrestler Lane Huffman, who wrestles under the name Stevie Ray.
His older brother Stevie Ray looked after him when they were kids, and helped him break into the wrestling business when he was in high school.
Established himself as a singles wrestler after a "Best of 7" series of matches with the Canadian Crippler Chris Benoit in WCW.
Is the most decorated champion in WCW history having won 22 titles during his tenure with the company.
Booker T and his brother Stevie Ray became a tag team in the Texas-based WWA promotion. The duo stayed in the territory for three years.
While in Texas, Booker T feuded with Tiger Conway Jr.
"Don't hate the player, hate the game."

Chris Benoit
Name: Chris Benoit
From: Atlanta, Ga. (originally from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
Height: 5 foot 11
Weight: 220 pounds
Signature Move: Crippler Crossface
Career Highlights: World Heavyweight Champion; 3-time World Tag Team Champion; 3-time Intercontinental Champion; 4-time United States Champion; WWE Tag Team Champion; 2004 Royal Rumble Winner; 2-time WCW Tag Team Champion, 3-time WCW Television Champion; ECW Tag Team Champi
Debut: Jan. 31, 2000
Trained By: Stu Hart

After a brutal attack by Mark Henry on the May 26 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Chris Benoit has taken an indefinite sabbatical from SmackDown. That night, Henry destroyed Benoit, repeatedly ramming the Rabid Wolverine into the ringpost. The World's Strongest Man lost the match by disqualification, but the damage was done and Benoit had to be taken from ringside on a stretcher. There is no timetable for Benoit's return, but the fans can only hope that the Rabid Wolverine comes back toSmackDown sooner rather than later.

On the May 5 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Chris Benoit lost to Finlay in a King of the Ring tournament opening-round match. It was the third straight week that Benoit and Finlay had a confrontation; on the April 21 edition of Friday NightSmackDown , Benoit teamed with Bobby Lashley to defeat Finlay and Orlando Jordan, and the following week, the Rabid Wolverine ran off Finlay and Booker T, saving Gunner Scott from their 2-on-1 attack. Finally, Benoit defeated Finlay in a good old-fashioned fight at Judgment Day, making the Irishman tap out to the Crippler Crossface.

WWE Chris Benoit

Wwe honors every superstar, which is currently working in wwe and the ones who have dedicated their lives for this business. However there are some who can never be forgotten and one of those names isChris Benoit. Chris Benoit has been one of the most famous people ever to step in the ring. Most of his competitors fear him and why not whenever Chris Benoit enters the rings he gives his level best, fights with such fury and courage that his opponents hardly overcome the vengeance. And thus he wins comprehensive battles against the toughest pro wrestlers.

Chris Benoit wrestler will be known by great names. Wwe Chris Benoit has always fought till the end and has never backed away from any match. He is without doubt one of the greatest superstars alive. A career with many titles and winning streaks and along with that vicious battles. YetChris Benoit always conquers the odds. That is the reason why Chris Benoit has so many fans. The Chris Benoit fan fiction is simply incredible. This can be very well be seen by the number of people who have downloaded Chris Benoits theme- which are available for computers and mobiles.

Chris Benoit’s entrance music and Chris Benoit theme music and Chris Benoit theme song (Chris Benoit music), Chris Benoit mp3 and wwf undertake mp3; videos- are simply irresistible and are available in various web shops and normal ones. His wallpapers have always been in demand and many people buy them daily. It is impossible not to findChris Benoit wallpaper while Chris Benoit wrestling in a wrestling fan. Many website are currently offering Chris Benoit wwf midi downloads and according to a survey majority game addicts played with Chris Benoit and finished the game.

This not only tells us about the love of fans but also the moves of Chris Benoit and Chris Benoit photos are usually selected for customized characters starting from the dramatic entrance to Wwe Chris Benoit logos, signs and then his finishing moves and dangerous stunts, the same is depicted in the game and for this reason he can be your worst challenger in the game for you and in the ring for his competitors. Every thing related toChris Benoit becomes popular even his galleries. And Chris Benoit fanfic is amazing.

Wwe Chris Benoit entrance has changed along with styles of wrestling but the winning streaks continued and the crowd always cheered for Chris Benoit. Chris Benoit pictures in the Chris Benoit galleries are also very popular and many of his match’s videos are available online and are being sold daily.

However at the moment no website is offering Chris Benoit nude pictures or Chris Benoit naked pictures. Yet many are offering his matches in the wrestle mania. He is one of the people who have an amazing reputation and with that they have an awesome record in wrestle mania matches this is can be found inChris Benoit bio. He will always be remembered and is indeed one of the people entering the hall of fame.

As reported earlier, WWE has officially released Marty "The Boogeyman" Wright from the company. Wright was part of the Smackdown brand and had been out since WrestleMania 22.

Reasons behind his release have now become public. While out of the ring since April, Wright had been rehabbing leg injuries and was reportedly close to being ready to return to action this month. WWE management were said to have been unhappy with his commitment to return to the ring, with the general feeling being he was doing the bare minimum to get back in shape.

In addition, there were said to have been numerous issues with Wright not checking in with doctors when he was scheduled to do so. He had been warned a few times about his conduct, but despite the warnings he made no effort to change his behavior and was then let go by the company. As noted before, Wright was scheduled to return to Smackdown sometime this month as promos began airing on Friday Night Smackdown pushing his return. When they stopped airing, some people were wondering why. Now we know.

I bet that we'll see Marty Wright end up in TNA!

Amy Dumas (Lita) Biography

The following biography is from Wikipedia.org “The Free Encyclopedia.”

Lita #130 - Posing infront of beach ©Photofile

Amy Christine Dumas, better known as Lita (born April 14, 1975), is an American professional wrestler, currently working for World Wrestling Entertainment, and a former valet in Extreme Championship Wrestling.



* * * *


Career

Amy Dumas came to a wide audience first in ECW in 1999 as the valet for Danny Doring and Amish Roadkill, known as Miss Congeniality. She left ECW for WWF (WWE) in late 1999.



Upon her arrival in WWF, she was placed as the valet for a lucha libre wrestler named Essa Rios. As her popularity rose, she was placed with the Hardy Boyz to become Team Xtreme. Her popularity skyrocketed along with Matt and Jeff during the WWF Attitude era.



Buy this Photo at AllPosters.com

While filming a guest appearance on the FOX TV series Dark Angel in 2002, she suffered a severe neck injury that required surgery. She returned as a color comentator on WWE Sunday Night Heat, but returned to in-ring action in September 2003.



At WWE New Year's Revolution, while performing a Lou Thesz Press off the ring apron, Lita suffered a torn ACL in her left knee.



Lita was a face from May 2000 (when Essa Rios left her) until May 16, 2005, when she turned heel by helping Edge defeat her onscreen husband, Kane, and thereby win the WWE RAW Gold Rush Tournament, she later devorced Kane and started a relationship with Edge.



This long time storyline has involved wrestlers such as Matt Hardy, and Gene Snitsky to keep the fued fresh.


Finishing/signature moves
*

Moonsault
*

DDT
*

Twist of Fate
*

Head Scissor Takedown
*

Litacanrana
*

Rear Naked Choke (Sleeper with body scissors)


Wrestlers managed by Lita

*

El Dandy
*

Danny Doring
*

Amish Roadkill
*

Essa Rios
*

Matt Hardy
*

Jeff Hardy
*

Christy Hemme
*

Kane
*

Edge


Personal life

For six years, she had had a real-life relationship with Matt Hardy, until he broke up with her in late February 2005. The split occurred because Lita had sexual relations with fellow WWE wrestler Edge. The fallout of the affair led to Matt Hardy's release. On April 18, 2005, Lita's appearance in Madison Square Garden was met with jeers and calls for Matt Hardy by a significant section of the audience. Similar chants were directed at her the following week during her backstage interview, but since the show was pre-taped in front of a British audience the chants were edited out in the American broadcast.



In May 2005 Lita was aligned with Copeland onscreen. She was rumored to have expressed slight discontent with this storyline as she still claimed to have "feelings" for Matt. In addition, the storyline was seen as tasteless by Hardy himself along with many smarks.

Lita #129 On Knees ©Photofile
Buy this Photo at AllPosters.com
Trivia

*

Lita is of Puerto Rican, Mexican, French and Irish descent.
*

Lita is the only female to win both her titles in the main event of RAW.
*

Lita is the only female diva to appear in Rolling Stone magazine.
*

As a young adult she would volunteer her time to animal shelters and also during her 15 month neck injury she founded her animal charity A.D.O.R.E and donated time and money to animal shelters in North Carolina.
*

Her last name is pronounced (doo-MAH), not (doo-MAHS) like many people believe. The "s" is silent.
*

Amy Dumas played in a band called '3 Card Trick'
*

Lita recorded a song "When I get You Alone" which is found on the WWE Originals CD.
*

Amy has a younger brother, Billy Dumas.
*

Amy has had 3 dogs. Cody (deceased), Mason (also deceased), and Lucas. In addition, she is currently fostering a dog named Louie.



* * * *
Championships and accomplishments

WWE Women's Champion (2)

*

August 21, 2000 - October 30, 2000
*

December 6, 2004 - January 9, 2005



WWE Women's Championship Reigns

Preceded by:
Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley


First


Succeeded by:
Ivory

Preceded by :
Trish Stratus


Second


Succeeded by:
Trish Stratus


Other accomplishments

*

Winner of the 2001 PWI Woman of the Year Award

* * * *



The above biography has been copied in part or in whole from an article on Wikipedia.org "The Free Encyclopedia." It has been modified under the NGU Free Document License Section 5 in the following manner: (1) All links within the article have been removed, including text links such as "[#]"; (2) The "[Edit]" text and link have been removed [if you would like to update the article, you may do so from the original page]; (3) the table of Contents links and text have been removed; and (4) all of the sections of the original article have not been copied. All of the above text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Document License.

URL of Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Dumas

Date Article Copied: July 20, 2005

We will try to replace this article with an original biography in the near future, but we hope this will be of help to our visitors in the mean time.

Amy Dumas Contact Information: Click the following link to Contact Any Celebrity
VIDEOS, PHOTOGRAPHS AND POSTERS
*

Moonsault
*

DDT
*

Twist of Fate
*

Head Scissor Takedown
*

Litacanrana
*

Rear Naked Choke (Sleeper with body scissors)


Wrestlers managed by Lita

*

El Dandy
*

Danny Doring
*

Amish Roadkill
*

Essa Rios
*

Matt Hardy
*

Jeff Hardy
*

Christy Hemme
*

Kane
*

Edge


Personal life

For six years, she had had a real-life relationship with Matt Hardy, until he broke up with her in late February 2005. The split occurred because Lita had sexual relations with fellow WWE wrestler Edge. The fallout of the affair led to Matt Hardy's release. On April 18, 2005, Lita's appearance in Madison Square Garden was met with jeers and calls for Matt Hardy by a significant section of the audience. Similar chants were directed at her the following week during her backstage interview, but since the show was pre-taped in front of a British audience the chants were edited out in the American broadcast.



In May 2005 Lita was aligned with Copeland onscreen. She was rumored to have expressed slight discontent with this storyline as she still claimed to have "feelings" for Matt. In addition, the storyline was seen as tasteless by Hardy himself along with many smarks.

Lita #129 On Knees ©Photofile
Buy this Photo at AllPosters.com
Trivia

*

Lita is of Puerto Rican, Mexican, French and Irish descent.
*

Lita is the only female to win both her titles in the main event of RAW.
*

Lita is the only female diva to appear in Rolling Stone magazine.
*

As a young adult she would volunteer her time to animal shelters and also during her 15 month neck injury she founded her animal charity A.D.O.R.E and donated time and money to animal shelters in North Carolina.
*

Her last name is pronounced (doo-MAH), not (doo-MAHS) like many people believe. The "s" is silent.
*

Amy Dumas played in a band called '3 Card Trick'
*

Lita recorded a song "When I get You Alone" which is found on the WWE Originals CD.
*

Amy has a younger brother, Billy Dumas.
*

Amy has had 3 dogs. Cody (deceased), Mason (also deceased), and Lucas. In addition, she is currently fostering a dog named Louie.



* * * *
Championships and accomplishments

WWE Women's Champion (2)

*

August 21, 2000 - October 30, 2000
*

December 6, 2004 - January 9, 2005



WWE Women's Championship Reigns

Preceded by:
Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley


First


Succeeded by:
Ivory

Preceded by :
Trish Stratus


Second


Succeeded by:
Trish Stratus


Other accomplishments

*

Winner of the 2001 PWI Woman of the Year Award

* * * *



The above biography has been copied in part or in whole from an article on Wikipedia.org "The Free Encyclopedia." It has been modified under the NGU Free Document License Section 5 in the following manner: (1) All links within the article have been removed, including text links such as "[#]"; (2) The "[Edit]" text and link have been removed [if you would like to update the article, you may do so from the original page]; (3) the table of Contents links and text have been removed; and (4) all of the sections of the original article have not been copied. All of the above text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Document License.

URL of Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Dumas

Date Article Copied: July 20, 2005

We will try to replace this article with an original biography in the near future, but we hope this will be of help to our visitors in the mean time.

Amy Dumas Contact Information: Click the following link to Contact Any Celebrity
VIDEOS, PHOTOGRAPHS AND POSTERS
*

Moonsault
*

DDT
*

Twist of Fate
*

Head Scissor Takedown
*

Litacanrana
*

Rear Naked Choke (Sleeper with body scissors)


Wrestlers managed by Lita

*

El Dandy
*

Danny Doring
*

Amish Roadkill
*

Essa Rios
*

Matt Hardy
*

Jeff Hardy
*

Christy Hemme
*

Kane
*

Edge


Personal life

For six years, she had had a real-life relationship with Matt Hardy, until he broke up with her in late February 2005. The split occurred because Lita had sexual relations with fellow WWE wrestler Edge. The fallout of the affair led to Matt Hardy's release. On April 18, 2005, Lita's appearance in Madison Square Garden was met with jeers and calls for Matt Hardy by a significant section of the audience. Similar chants were directed at her the following week during her backstage interview, but since the show was pre-taped in front of a British audience the chants were edited out in the American broadcast.



In May 2005 Lita was aligned with Copeland onscreen. She was rumored to have expressed slight discontent with this storyline as she still claimed to have "feelings" for Matt. In addition, the storyline was seen as tasteless by Hardy himself along with many smarks.

Lita #129 On Knees ©Photofile
Buy this Photo at AllPosters.com
Trivia

*

Lita is of Puerto Rican, Mexican, French and Irish descent.
*

Lita is the only female to win both her titles in the main event of RAW.
*

Lita is the only female diva to appear in Rolling Stone magazine.
*

As a young adult she would volunteer her time to animal shelters and also during her 15 month neck injury she founded her animal charity A.D.O.R.E and donated time and money to animal shelters in North Carolina.
*

Her last name is pronounced (doo-MAH), not (doo-MAHS) like many people believe. The "s" is silent.
*

Amy Dumas played in a band called '3 Card Trick'
*

Lita recorded a song "When I get You Alone" which is found on the WWE Originals CD.
*

Amy has a younger brother, Billy Dumas.
*

Amy has had 3 dogs. Cody (deceased), Mason (also deceased), and Lucas. In addition, she is currently fostering a dog named Louie.



* * * *
Championships and accomplishments
WWE Women's Champion (2)

*

August 21, 2000 - October 30, 2000
*

December 6, 2004 - January 9, 2005

Date of Birth
18 December 1975, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Birth Name
Patricia Anne Stratigias

Nickname
Trish-alicous
Trish Stratus
Trish the Dish
Trash Stratus

Height
5' 4" (1.63 m)

Mini Biography

Patricia Anne Stratigias, better known as Trish Stratus, is marketed as a former wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Before she became a mainstay in professional wrestling, she was a student at York University in Toronto, Canada where she majored in Biology and Kinesiology. While in school, the professors went on strike and then she worked as a receptionist at a local fitness club. There she was soon discovered by an agent who landed her a job to become a fitness model.

Her success as a fitness model eventually caught the attention of a WWE talent official who sent her a letter, offering her a contract. Around that time other wrestling promotions had also offered her a similar contract, but she decided to sign with the WWE. She then made her WWE debut in March 19, 2000 on Sunday Night Heat, where she formed the tag team of T & A with Test and Albert. She also became the manager of then WWE Intercontinental Champion, Val Venis.

Trish Stratus is highly regarded as a self-proclaimed WWE Diva. Among her list of accomplishments; she was voted Internet Babe of the Year for three consecutive years in 2001, 2002 and 2003, along with winning the "Diva of the Decade" award for the WWE Raw 10th Anniversary Special, she has also graced the cover of the annual WWE Divas Magazine four times in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2006. Finally, she holds the record for being the only woman in WWE history to win the WWE Women's Championship seven times. On September 17, 2006, she made her official retirement from professional wrestling. After an amazing seven year career, she will be remembered for the legacy she left behind during her time with the WWE.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Realscence@aol.com

Mini Biography

Patricia Anne Stratigias, also known as Trish Stratus, is a former valet and wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Before her start with the WWE, she studied at York University in Toronto, Canada. There she majored in both Biology and Kinesiology with plans of becoming a doctor. While attending York University, the professors went on strike, and she worked as a receptionist at a local gym where she was soon discovered by an agent who then signed her to become a fitness model.

Her success as a fitness model led to many public appearances including one with Live Audio Wrestling (LAW) where she expressed her interest to get involved with professional wrestling. Soon this caught the attention of several WWE talent officials who approached the young beauty by sending her a letter offering her a contract to sign with the WWE. At that time she had also received offers from numerous rival wrestling promotions, including World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), however, she turned them down and eventually signed with the WWE. On March 19, 2000 on Sunday Night Heat, she made her official WWE debut when she formed the tag team stable of T & A with Test and Albert. She then became the valet of then WWE Intercontinental Champion, Val Venis.

Afterward, she was involved in a brief affair with WWE owner Vince McMahon which sparked an intense confrontation between her and his daughter Stephanie McMahon. The bitter feud lasted until Wrestlemania 17 where she slapped Vince McMahon and screwed him out of a match against his son Shane McMahon in a Street Fight with Linda McMahon in his corner. Soon she became a fixture in the women's division, as she began to dedicate her time in the gym and improve on her wrestling abilities. Ultimately, this led to her capturing her first WWE Women's Championship on November 18, 2001 at Survivor Series. She has also certified herself as a bona fide WWE Diva by being voted Internet Babe of the Year in 2001, 2002, and 2003. She then earned the highest honor by winning the "Diva of the Decade" award for the WWE Raw 10th Anniversary Special.

Trish Stratus continued to be an asset on WWE Raw for several years by getting herself involved in major storylines with several WWE wrestlers. Finally, on September 17, 2006 at Unforgiven in her hometown of Toronto, Canada, she made a storybook ending when she captured her seventh WWE Women's Championship. This also marked her early retirement from professional wrestling after seven years with the business as she went on to pursue other interests. Trish Stratus is currently making her mark on the entertainment industry and to the rest of the world, she is an international icon.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Mr. Charisma

Spouse
Ron Fisico (30 September 2006 - present)

Trade Mark

Finishing move: Stratusfaction (Springboard bulldog)

Finishing move: Chick Kick (Roundhouse Kick)

Trademark move: The MaTrish (bridging evasion, just like in the movie Matrix)

Trademark Move: Whirlybird Headscissors

Finishing move: Bulldog (2000)

Trademark move: Air Canada (Lou Thesz Press with punches)

Trademark move: StratusFear (Handstand Frankensteiner)

Trademark move: Whirlybird Headscissors (Handstand Cross-Legged Swinging Headscissors)

Trademark move: Double Leg Spinebuster

Trademark move: Backhand Chop where she sometimes licks her hand before delivering one

Trademark move: Victory Roll

Trivia

Spokesperson & representative for WNSA (World Natural Sports Association).

An accomplished fitness model.

WWF Diva who has managed Test, Albert (as a tag team T&A) and Val Venis.

Former co-host of WWF Excess, with Jonathan Coachman.

Has 2 sisters; Christie and Melissa.

Collects a shot glass for every city/town she visits.

Her measurements are 36DD-24-34.

Owns a silver Cadillac STS & a 1967 Camaro SS.

Her mother Alice is a teacher of Polish descent, and her father John is a real estate agent of Greek descent

Betrayed Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania (March 2004). She turned heel, ruined his match and ran off with his former best friend, Christian.

Attended York University, Toronto and was pre-med in Biology. Was aspiring to become a doctor before a teachers strike interrupted school. Then came the WWF (now WWE) and she hasn't looked back.

Named Internet Babe of the Year three times (2001, 2002, 2003). Made the Cover of the WWE Divas Magazine (2002 & 2003) and won the title of Best WWE Diva (2003).

Was named "Diva of the Decade" during the RAW 10th Anniversary Special.

Won Fox Sports 'Girl Next Door' Hottest Female Athlete (2004) in which she competed against 32 other mainstream female athletes in sports entertainment.

The first and only WWE Diva (aside from Fabulous Moolah) to win the Women's Championship on several occasions (six times).

In 1999, Trish got her foot in the door as far as wrestling is concerned by joining radio show Live Audio Wrestling as a co-host.

Trained by Ron Hutchinson, the same man responsible for training the likes of Edge, Christian, Johnny Swinger and Tiger Ali Singh.

She's been featured in a number of fitness and modeling publications including Muscle Mag International, the Fit Health Journal, Oxygen magazine and the UK's Optimum Health and Fitness among others.

Is a Toronto Maple Leafs fan

Has held the record (aside from Gillberg) to hold the Women's Championship for an entire year since winning the title on New Year's Revolution 2005. [2006]

Wrestlers she has managed: Albert, Kurt Angle, Christian, Bubba Ray Dudley, Mickie James, Chris Jericho, Ashley Massaro, Test, Tyson Tomko, Val Venis, Viscera, Vince McMahon.

Officially announced her retirement on August 28th 2006 during "WWF Raw Is War" (1997). Her last match will be at Unforgiven on September 17th 2006 in her hometown of Toronto, Canada.

Won the Women's Title in her final match against Lita on September 17th 2006 at Unforgiven in Toronto, Canada by using Bret Hart's finishing move, The Sharpshooter. Due to her retirement, the title was vacated and later won by Lita at Cyber Sunday following a 7 week tournament.

Married her high school sweetheart, Ron on September 30th 2006 in Toronto after 14 years together.

Although she won the now-defunct World Wrestling Entertainment/Federation (WWE/F) Hardcore Championship, she is not recognized as a Hardcore Champion.

From years of wrestling, took yoga to heal an injured disc in her back.

Is a certified Ashtanga yoga instructor and plans one day to teach classes at her yoga studio.

Her husband, Ron, is a builder and constructed her yoga studio.

On April 26th 2008 she opened a 5,200 square foot yoga studio, Stratusphere Yoga, at Vaughan Mills shopping complex in North Toronto, Canada with business partner and high school friend Janette Lynn.

Personal Quotes

"I deliver Stratusfaction 100% guaranteed."

"Stratusfaction Guaranteed!"

Where Are They Now

(March 2003) Won her fourth WWE Women's Title at Wrestlemania 19 by defeating Victoria & Jazz

(November 2003) Is the subject of a love-sick 'Y2J' Chris Jericho.

(March 2004) Turned on Chris Jericho during his match with Christian at Wrestlemania XX.

(June 2004) Is having back spasms and also broke her wrist during a match.

(June 2004) Captured her fifth WWE Women's Champsionship at Bad Blood 2004 when she beat Lita, Victoria and Gail Kim in a Fatal Four Way match.

(December 2004) Lost her Woman's Championship belt to Lita in Sanford, North Carolina

(December 2004) ## Lost the Women's Title to Lita on the 12-06-2004 episode of Raw.

(January 2005) ## Won her 6th WWE Women's Title when she defeated Lita at New Year's Revolution when she hit Lita with the Chick Kick.

(April 2005) Successfully defended her Women's Title against Raw Diva Search Winner & Playboy Covergirl Christy Hemme at WrestleMania 21 when Trish hit Christy with the Chick Kick.

(September 2005) Will be teaming up with Ashley Massaro to go against Torrie Wilson and Victoria at Unforgiven.

(September 2005) Returned to Raw, helping Ashley out against Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle, and Victoria.

(November 2005) Defended the Women's Title by winning the 6-Women Fulfill Your Fantasy Diva Battle Royal at Taboo Tuesday 2005.

(November 2005) Successfully defended the Women's Title against Melina at Survivor Series 2005.

(December 2005) Was set to face Mickie James in New Year's Revolution 2006 for the Womens Title

(January 2006) Will be the special guest referee in the match between Ashley and Mickie James at WWE Royal Rumble 2006.

(March 2006) Betrayed by Mickie James after they won against Victoria and Candice Michelle in a tag match at Saturday Night's Main Event.

(April 2006) Will defend the Womens Title against Mickie James In Chicago at Wrestlemania 22

(April 2006) Lost the Women's Championship to Mickie James at WrestleMania 22 after a 15 month reign as champion.

(April 2006) Will face Mickie James at Backlash for the WWE Women's Championship.

(July 2006) Made her return to WWE. Her contract expires in August, is now negotiating. Will be taking time off in September due to her Wedding to her long-term boyfriend.

(September 2006) Will retire from WWE after Unforgiven 2006. Her last match will be against Lita at her hometown Toronto.

(September 2006) Retired from the WWE as Women's Champion on September 17th and is due to marry her boyfriend of 14 years, Ron, on the 29th.

(December 2006) Has been sworn in as a police officer for the CBS reality show "Armed and Famous".

(2008) Is currently filming a travel show called 'Stratusphere' for Discovery HD and the Travel Channel, set to air in August.

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WWF Superstar Chris Jericho has taken time out of his red hot schedule to do an interview with KissAsylum.com. It turns out that the "Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla" is both a long time KISS fan and KissAsylum.com visitor, and he agreed to help us celebrate KissAsylum.com's recent milestone of 5 million visitors by doing an interview. After all, who better than the "Millennium Man" himself to help usher KISS Asylum into the new millennium and make sure we are Y2J compliant?! In this interview, the "Man of 1004 Holds" touches on a multitude of topics, including: how he became a KISS fan, his metal tribute band Fozzy Osbourne, favorite matches and hardest bump, his new life in the WWF, Sid Vicious and WCW ripping off his "Millennium Man" gimmick, his picks in some fantasy KISS Member vs. Wrestler match-ups, and much more. Read on for all that Y2J has to say!

KA: How long have you been a KISS fan?

CJ: Well, I used to hang out with these guys when I was about 11 or 12, about 1981 or '82, and we used to play Dungeons and Dragons together and they were big KISS fans. I was more of a Beatles fan. I was like 11 years old at the time and I loved the Beatles and they loved KISS. It's kind of funny because now that you think about it, KISS is kind of like a metal Beatles sort of thing. But I didn't really buy into KISS until about '84. My first experiences with KISS was actually the non make-up years. Animalize was the first album I had, and after that I kind of got more into the make-up KISS. I was a big fan of the 80's and 90's non make-up KISS. Of course, make-up KISS is always cool, but I like the non make-up KISS even a little bit more to be honest.

KA: Paul is your favorite member, right?

CJ: Yeah, Paul is my favorite member. You can see why from the question I just answered. On all of the KISS albums in the 80's Paul's songs were the best and Gene's were almost all throw aways. You can actually see that demonstrated in that, let's see, in 1982 they did the "I Love It Loud" video, which was a Gene song, and then they didn't do another Gene video for another 10 years until "Unholy" in 1992! That 10 year period it was all Paul. That's why Paul is always my favorite because his songs were always the best. His character is my favorite too.

KA: Paul's been having a successful run as "The Phantom" up in Toronto, did you get a chance to see him as the Phantom yet?

CJ: No, I didn't get a chance to see him. And actually the biggest regret I have with quitting WCW is that I missed KISS by a month! But a cool thing was that a friend of mine named Bill Torborg was playing blackjack with Gene in Vegas afterwards and while they were talking about wrestling and stuff Gene brought up my name and said that he though I was really charismatic. So, Gene Simmons knows who I am and that's cool.

KA: How about the Detroit Rock City movie, did you catch it?

CJ: Yeah I went and saw it; I was probably one of the few. I actually enjoyed it. I though it was really good. I thought the KISS appearance was kind of cheesy though because they threw in everything like the fire breathing and the bombs going off all in the middle of a 2 second song. But in general the movie was real good and I liked it. It reminded me a lot of that one Beatles movie "I Want To Hold Your Hand." Same idea.

KA: How are you liking the WWF so far compared to WCW?

CJ: It has been great. I am 100% happy that I am in WWF with everything from the organization to the professionalism. I am 100% happy that I decided to go there. No regrets at all.

KA: Officially, who is your first program going to be with? Is it going to be Shamrock?

CJ: I think it is going to be Shamrock, yeah. Then Road Dogg when he comes back from his injury.

KA: Obviously there are quite a few people in the WWF that you have never worked with before. Is there anybody in particular that you are really looking forward to getting a chance to work with?

CJ: Well, right now everything is so new it's basically everybody! Actually the only guy that I had worked with before was X-Pac, and I am looking forward to working with him again. Others? Obviously you've got Austin and Mankind and guys like The Rock. Also guys like Edge and Christian and Triple H... pretty much everybody. Like I said, I am just excited to be there so anybody that they want me to work with I am looking forward to it.

KA: So I guess you must be pretty happy with the build up they gave you and the commitment they've shown so far in things like your entrance music, Titantron video, pyro, the whole nine yards.

CJ: Yeah, I like it 100%. Some of the ideas were mine, and of course they added their magic touch to them. Everything has been great and I think my entrance is one of the best ones going on right now. It is really cool to come out there like it's a real rock n' roll show, very KISS-esque.

KA: The WWF seems to go the extra mile on things like presentation, "packaging," music, that kind of thing. When are we going to start seeing the WWF Jericho stuff like the T-shirts and action figures?

CJ: After only three weeks they already have a Chris Jericho shirt for sale on the Internet. There are already two of them actually. I helped design both of them, which was cool. The other merchandise stuff starts immediately when you get there, so there are probably already dolls being made and stuff like that already. I don't know for sure, I'm just going by the way that they seem to do things.

KA: My husband and I were joking about the WWF Jericho action figure and wondering if it's going to come with his back to the front of the package.

CJ: That's actually a pretty good idea!

KA: As far as the music aspect goes, who does your entrance theme?

CJ: It's the WWF "in house" guy Jim Johnson. He does all of the stuff. We basically sat down together and I originally wanted to get a song with more of a 80's/metal type riff. He was kind of coming from, "Well, that's probably going to seem a little bit outdated." And then I heard his idea and I liked it, so we went that way and I just beefed it up a little bit by adding more guitars and some things along those lines. I think it is pretty cool.

KA: It's very cool. And that first entrance on RAW was awesome! It was one of the most exciting things I can remember seeing in wrestling in a long, long time.

CJ: Thank you. It was awesome and I had a really good time.

KA: You were supposed to have a program at one point with Goldberg before you left WCW. What's the story behind why that never happened?

CJ: I don't know. No one ever told me. I mean it was actually on the board, it was kind of progressing, the people were into it and really responded to it, and then for whatever reason WCW ditched it. I really don't know why. That's when I kind of knew it was time to get out of WCW.

KA: What you do think of the way of WCW and Sid are ripping you off by running the whole "Millennium Man" thing?

CJ: It is obvious that they are ripping me off because they started the same time as me. I think the people know that it is just basically a cheap rip off. Nothing against those guys, but they always do stuff like that, can't think of their own ideas. Actually, they even have their own "millennium clocks" for their video game, so I guess it is a compliment to me 'cause at least I know that I had a good idea if everyone wants to steal it!

KA: Well, whose idea was the Y2J, yours or the WWF's?

CJ: That was mine

KA: Was it planned or off the cuff?

CJ: It was planned. It just kind of fit in with whole millennium thing.

KA: Well it's great. And WWF really needs to get the merchandise out there while they can, before the millennium hype dies or you change to another angle.

CJ: Right, exactly!

KA: What would you say was the best match or two you have ever personally wrestled?

CJ: I had one in that stands out in my mind from 1995 in Japan against Ultimo Dragon that was really good, around July 7, 1995. That was one of my favorites. The other one that I really enjoyed was in Knoxville at a tribute show for one of our referees, Brian Hildebrand, who has cancer. It was me and Eddie Guerero against Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit. That was a real good one.
[KA Note: This interview with Jericho took place on September 4, 1999. Sadly, the wrestling world lost Brian "The Shooter" Hildebrand on September 8, 1999. Please take some time to read both Chris Jericho's tribute to Brian in his latest commentary on ChrisJericho.com and columnist Mark Madden's tribute to a man who will be missed by friends and fans alike.]

KA: What's the hardest bump you have ever taken?

CJ: Probably a top-rope Frankenstiner in '97 when I landed on my head at Halloween Havoc in Vegas.

KA: Ow!

CJ: Yeah, that one hurt!

KA: Not including ones you participated in, what are some of the best matches you've ever seen?

CJ: Probably the Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon ladder match from '94. The Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker cage match from, I think it was '97. Quite a few from Japan. Chris Benoit's performance in the '94 Super J Cup was tremendous. I always like the more exciting, high flying kind of type matches. Those are more my style.

KA: Speaking of what's "your style", have you ever thought of doing any acting? WWF seems to be able to get their wrestlers placement on some tv shows, do you think that might be a possibility for you?

CJ: I would love to do that, that would be great. Obviously that is always something that is in the back of your head, and wrestling has got so much drama and character playing involved anyways. So wrestlers are almost naturals.... and we can do our own stunts as well!

KA: Yeah, two for one there.

CJ: Exactly.

KA: Besides wrestling, you're also very into music. Why don't you tell those who might not be familiar with your musical pursuits about your band Fozzy Osborne?

CJ: Sure! Basically we are an 80's metal tribute band. All the songs we chose are from 1986 or earlier, real metal stuff. It's me and a bunch of the guys from Stuck Mojo, Rich, Bud and Dan. We even did a couple of KISS songs, "Lick it up", "Cool Gin" and "She." Actually we did a medley of those three songs. It's a good time. We played a couple of gigs this summer and the people really enjoyed them, we drew some big crowds. The only reason we haven't had a chance to follow up on that is because my schedule and Stuck Mojo's schedule are both quite busy right now. Hopefully we will keep it going because it was a lot of fun. We did a lot of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio, White Snake, Metallica, stuff like that. It was a good time.

KA: Is that something that was a consideration when you went to WWF, that they would be flexible with you and your schedule if you wanted time off to do stuff like that?

CJ: It wasn't really a consideration, but I did let them know it was something I was planning on doing, and if I ever had any kind of offers to do that I am going to be doing it. So, I don't even have to ask their permission to do it, which is cool.

KA: Do you ever see yourself switching from wrestling to music?

CJ: Well, not on a full time basis. Obviously it was always my dream, and for that style of music I can actually sing pretty good believe it or not! I do a good Bruce Dickinson and a good Ozzie. Yeah, I would love to continue on with playing music because it is a great time and it is a lot of fun. But as far as making it a full time career I would never have the audacity to think that I could do it full time and make a decent amount of money at it. Although, other guys like Don Johnson and Shaquile O'Neal have made albums, so why couldn't I?! Maybe some day I will do an album, I would love to. It would be like a dream if I could do that. But just doing the gigs on their own was a dream, so even if I just played live every once in a while that is still a lot of fun too. It's the same kind of rush you feel when you are wrestling, you know? Its like the roar of the crowd and you are nervous because you don't know if it is going to go good or bad and hopefully you hit all your spots. But it turned out real good and the guys I was playing with are pros and that made it a lot easier too.

KA: Let's kind of jump around here a little bit with some random questions. The top knot that you wear, is that from Gene?

CJ: Kind of. I didn't wear it to say I'm going to be like Gene Simmons. I've been doing that for a couple of years now, actually five or six years. At first it was just kind of way to get cheap heat to have people say, "That guy looks like an idiot!" But now I actually kind of like it. Obviously Gene is the purveyor of the top knot, and I am probably doing for the same reason he did it, which is to do something different and just get a little bit of reaction.

KA: Who would win in a fight, Ralphus or Finkel?

CJ: Well, Ralphus has the weight advantage. Finkel had got the experience advantage. But they are both just complete morons so they would probably just fall on top of each other and break their own necks! Good question though.

KA: KISS vs. wrestler match ups, you pick the winner. Peter "The Cat" Criss vs. Ernest "The Cat" Miller.

CJ: Oh, Peter for sure. He is number three, so he would definitely destroy. Ernest may be the three time Karate champ, but Peter Chris in number 3 period.

KA: Ex-KISS member Vinnie Vincent vs. X-Pac.

CJ: Oh, X-Pac would destroy him. Vinnie Vincent is an awesome song writer, but if you ever saw the "Boys Are Gonna Rock" video he has that huge spare tire around his stomach, the big beer belly. I think X-Pac would just give him a spin kick right in the beer belly and that would be it for Vinnie.

KA: Paul Stanley vs. Paul Bearer.

CJ: Paul [Stanley] would win against anybody. Paul would destroy Goldberg with one finger!

KA: Gene "The Demon" Simmons vs. Brian "The Demon" Adams.

CJ: Oh, you gotta give it to Mean Gene. He can shoot fire, he speaks with that demon voice, there is no way anybody else could win. And for the bonus runner up question, Eric Carr, even though he is deceased, would still beat up Eric Bischoff!

KA: Very good addition! Next ridiculous question: How's WWF's candy bowl compared to WCW's?

CJ: It's a little bit lighter. That is one thing that I have noticed, the desserts in the catering room and the candy bowl, there is not as much. There are actually no desserts in the WWF catering room. The candy bowl, like I said, is very anemic.... it's lame actually! I guess because nobody is really allowed to eat candy or desserts there.

KA: Gotta bring your own if you want it, huh?

CJ: Pretty much, yeah. The thing is if it is around people will eat it, if it is not there you don't even think about it.

KA: Out of sight, out of mind.

CJ: Yeah. I never buy the stuff at my house, but I used to eat it all the time at WCW because it was there.

KA: Ok, back to a couple of serious questions to wind it up. Do you think wrestling is getting over exposed or perhaps on a verge of a backlash of sorts?

CJ: I think it is getting over exposed to a degree. I was just thinking about it today and talking to my girlfriend about the fact that on Thursday there are two shows, Friday there is a show, Saturday there is a show, Sunday there is a show, Monday there are two shows. I think it is a little bit too much. But, there is a lot of cable to be filled, there are a lot of tv stations so..... Backlash, I really don't think so, but overexposure, possibly. But the strong are going to survive, so it's just gonna be the fringe groups that fall and falter. The bigger groups I don't think will really suffer too much.

KA: Let's bring ECW into the mix. Who are the guys there that you think deserve more exposure and attention from the mainstream since they are kind of the "hidden league."

CJ: Rob Van Dam is obviously very talented. Lance Storm is very talented. But actually most of those guys fit a good niche because Paul E. is very good at working with people's strength and eliminating their weaknesses. I think all those guys that are right there are doing real good, but I think the guys that maybe deserve a little more recognition are the two that I mentioned, even Raven too now that he is back there again.

KA: As far as interviews and cutting promos go, when you go out there with the mic do they just tell you, "You got three minutes, run it."

CJ: That's how usually it goes. I mean some guys have a little bit of hesitation with interviews and they will kind of help them along, give them lines. Other guys that they have confidence can do an interview they'll basically just say, "Talk about this guy" or "Talk about this situation." So in that case it is pretty much up to you to just say what you want to say.

KA: Well, here's the open mic for ya: anything to say to all the Jericho fans?

CJ: Watch for domination over the entire WWF by Y2J! And thank you all for following me, 'cause it's not my fault that I am better than each and every one of you!

Johnny Knoxville Offends The Great Khali During Interview
Written by Richard Gray on Oct 6, 2008 - 12:54:55 PM

Johnny Knoxville recently did a an interview with The Great Khali for his JackassWorld.com website. The official WWE website is reporting that Khali stormed off just minutes into the interview after inappropriate comments made by Knoxville.

It appears that Khali got legitimately upset as Johnny Knoxville pretty much confirmed what the official WWE website wrote in his blurb under the video posted on his website.

Click here to view the interview on JackassWorld.com.

Click here to read the story posted on the official WWE website.

Richard Reacts: Whether it's a work or not, Knoxville was pretty hilarious. If I were him I wouldn't continue to push my luck against someone the size of The Great Khali.

why is he famous?

Chris Jericho made a name for himself thanks to a successful wrestling career in the WCW and the WWE, and even established himself as a rock star with his band Fozzy. With trademark finishing moves like the Walls of Jericho, the Swinging Choke Drop, and the Break Down, Jericho is shouting (or laughing) last as the First Ever Undisputed Champion.

quick bio

Chris Jericho was born in Manhasset, New York on November 9, 1970, but was raised in Winnipeg, Canada. The son of former New York Ranger Ted Irvine, Jericho was always an athlete, getting involved in both hockey and water polo in high school. After graduating college with a degree in communications, Jericho made the move to Calgary to train at a wrestling camp with the Hart brothers, in Stu Hart's "Dungeon." After three months of training, he entered the professional world in October of 1990, wrestling on independent shows.

Jericho entered the WCW in 1996, while the WWE followed three years later. He has since won endless titles, including "Undisputed Champion," which represents the combined WWE and WCW titles. In addition to being one of the biggest names in wrestling, Jericho is also known as Mongoose McQueen, lead singer for the rock group Fozzy (who he's rocked out with since 1999). With the release of Fozzy's third album in January, you'll be seeing a lot more of Chris Jericho and his band in 2005.

We had a chance to sit down with Chris to discuss the world of wrestling, rock 'n' roll, and a little something called dreams...

If you'd like the latest news on Chris Jericho and his band, Fozzy, check out his official site, chrisjericho.com.

Chris Jericho, Credit: Legal Notice

Interview

Q: What's up, Chris? Tell us a bit about your band.

When I was a kid I wanted to be either a rock star or a wrestler. I probably started when I was 14 years old and I never stopped playing in bands. It was something that I always dabbled in. We started this band in 1999. It started out as more of a hobby, and five years later, three records later, with videos on MTV and MuchMusic, it has been a very cool side project for me.

Q: So you wanted to be a musician more than a wrestler -- is that a fair assessment?

I wouldn't say that, like I said, it was one or the other. I was a huge fan of music and a huge fan of wrestling. The path I chose was wrestling because that's what I was into at the time. I had decided at 15 that I wanted to be a wrestler. The route into wrestling was a little more viable for me, than trying to make it in a rock band in Winnipeg. There wasn't much of a scene there. It was something that I always wanted to be involved in, so when the opportunity arose I took it and built this rock band the same way I built the Chris Jericho name. After accomplishing everything you could ever want to accomplish in wrestling, which I have, it is very cool for me to be working on something else.

Q: Did you ever want to be a hockey player?

I always played hockey, I was always a hockey fan, but I was never bitten by the hockey bug... I never looked into playing it professionally.

¿ Quick fact ?
With wrestling nicknames that include Y2J, Lionheart, The Man of 1,004 Holds, Sexy Beast, and Vitamin C, Chris Jericho also worked as a bouncer and model in Canada, and even started his musical career with fellow wrestler Lenny "Dr. Luther" Olson in a Calgary speed metal band.
Chris Jericho, Credit: Legal Notice

Q: Which nation produces the best wrestlers: the U.S. or Canada?

I would have to say that Canada definitely produces the best wrestlers, I don't know why. I think Canada is a big wrestling country, and there are a lot of guys who are interested in wrestling in Canada. In the WWE there are probably seven or eight Canadians out of a roster of 50 or 60, that's about 20%.

Q: Any factors as to why?

There's probably something in the beer! Canada is a great wrestling country and a lot of guys watch wrestling when they are kids. It's like how certain areas in the States produce wrestlers, like Florida and Minneapolis. It is just one of those geographic things.

Chris on his training with the Hart brothers, Owen Hart's death, Vince McMahon, and more... Next Page >>

Biography
- Lashley debuted on WWE television on the September 23, 2005 episode of "Smackdown."
- In his PPV debut, Lashley defeated Simon Deam at the 2005 No Mercy.
- At Armageddon '05, Lashley defeated Paul Burchill and William Regal in a "handicap" match.
- At the May 23, 2006 Smackdown tapings in Bakersfield, CA, Lashley defeated JBL to capture the United States title.
- In November 2006, Lashley was moved to the ECW roster per his request.
- At Survivor Series '06, Team Cena (Cena, Kane, Lashley, Rob Van Dam and Sabu) defeated Team Big Show (Big Show, Test, Umaga, MVP and Finlay).
- At ECW's December to Dismember in Augusta, GA, Lashley defeated The Big Show, Test, CM Punk, Hardcore Holly, and Rob Van Dam in an extreme elimination chamber match to capture the ECW title.
- Wrestlemania 23, Lashley defeated Umaga in the battle of the billionaires match. As a result, Lashley and Donald Trump shaved Vince McMahon's head.
- Lashley defeated Shane and Vince McMahon and Umaga in a 3 on 1 handicap match at Judgment Day '07.
- At One Night Stand '07, Lashley defeated Vince McMahon in Jacksonville, FL to regain the ECW World heavyweight title.
- On the June 11, 2007 edition of "Raw," Lashley was drafted to Raw. As a result, Vince McMahon stripped Lashley of the ECW title.
- In the fall of 2007, Lashley was inducted into the Missouri Valley College's athletic hall of fame. Lashley is a former three time NAIA national champion at 177 pounds.
- In February 2008, Lashley and WWE parted ways.
- On December 13, 2008, Lashley won his MMA debut match by beating Joshua Franklin via TKO in 41 seconds in Miami, FL.
- Lashley defeated Jason Guida via a 30-27 decision in Pensecola, FL on March 21, 2009.
- At Lockdown '09, Lashley made his TNA debut following the Team Angle vs. Team Jarrett lethal lockdown cage match.
- On May 15, 2009, Lashley defeated Mike Cook at the Maximum Fighting Championship live event which was billed as "Hard Knocks" at the River Cree Resort and Casino just outside Edmonton, Alberta. Cook only lasted 24 seconds as Lashley ended his fight with a front choke improving his MMA record to 3-0.
- On June 27, 2009, Lashley beat Bob Sapp in the first round in Biloxi, MS.
- At No Surrender '09, Lashley defaeted Rhino.
- At Bound for Glory '09, Lashley defeated Samoa Joe.

Posted by M.Naveed at 9:15 AM
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After arguing with some friends regarding Christian’s TNA departure and WWE return, I had given a lot of thought as to why Vince would put Christian on ECW, and not on a bigger brand with a bigger title push. Vince’s hate for Christian is three-fold. Did Christian screw himself by coming back?

As a solo wrestler, prior to his TNA departure, Christian won the Hardcore Championship, the European Championship, the Light-Heavyweight Champion once each; the Interncontinental Championship three times; and nine World Tag Team Championships (seven alongside Edge as Edge & Christian, one with Lance Storm and one with Chris Jericho).

Now, this theory is based on watching every promo of Christian’s I could find from the last few months of his first run in the WWE and some videos of Cena in the first half of 2005.

Jump back to late 2004-early 2005. Christian has added the “Captain Charisma” gimmick, and is about to burst onto the WWE upper card, right during the prime of his career. At this time, he’s still a full-fledged heel, but the boos aren’t as strong as they used to be. Christian, then feuding with Booker T, pulls a asks if anyone has ordered a pizza with extra “peep-aroni”, and proceeds to do a “peep-a-rooni”, which the crowd eats up. Christian also began his chest-slapping and kiss-callouts to his peeps in the crowd, which also gave him a bigger pop. Needless to say, he’s building momentum in the WWE.

Talent, fans and WWE officials love Christian, as he’s a home-grown talent - WWE since day one. As things begin to look up for Christian, the theory begins to kick in - a feud with John Cena.

At this point in time, Cena’s already groomed to be *the* man, and he’s started his main event run. Back then, he was still freestyle rapping, dissing anyone who would take a shot at him, and ultimately, he was still completely over with the crowd without any issues. That is, until his segments with Christian.

Backstage at the Royal Rumble, Christian challenges Cena to a freestyle battle. The crowd pops for Cena, but Christian receives an equally big ovation. His jokes with Tomko are over with the crowd, and when he calls out his peeps, the crowd pops!

At Backlash, Christian does another freestyle, attacking many WWE superstars, including several heels. The crowd eats it up. His jab at Cena was the following, “you talk like Snoop Dogg, but you look like Corey Haim.”

Before Captain Charisma was involved with Cena, the crowd was behind Cena 100%. By the time Christian was sent away from RAW to SmackDown!, it was too late, and the crowd had begun to turn on Cena.

As Christian began building steam, he was still being held down by Vince, and as a result, was sent to SmackDown!. His SD! debut saw him job clean to JBL. He did, however, receive a shot at World Heavyweight Champion Batista, to which he lost in a one-sided match. If you remember, Vince also dropped the “Captain Charisma” gimmick and tried to get Christian to re-adapt to the Creepy Little Bastard (CLB) nickname. Christian would eventually see the main event again, but only under CLB, and only as Chris Jericho’s sidekick. You must ask, why go out of your way to cut down the push of a homegrown talent that’s over with the crowd, without cashing in on a few PPV’s at the very least?

So, this is what I’m getting at. It seems to me that the years of strong hate for John Cena may be traced back to Christian getting over at Cena’s expense for the first quarter of 2005. Vince McMahon was never able to win those fans back over for Cena, as they only grew to hate him more and more. Cena was still ‘cool’, but Christian was ‘cooler’ because he was a heel too, and the fans slowly began to reject Cena. By the time he unveiled the first “spinner belt,” he was receiving heat from the crowd.

Only now, in 2008/2009 is the crowd starting to pop for Cena more than booing again - almost *four years* later - and that took a new generation of fans to join the WWE Universe. If you ask me, it would only make sense that Vince would hold it against Christian for planting the seed that made Cena look so bad for so many years.

The series of events look like this: Christian gets over with the crowd; Christian trades words with Cena and gets pops; crowd realizes that Cena is not so great after all; crowd hates Cena for the next 3 1/2 years; Vince unhappy.

Seeing how Cena is the focal point of the WWE, Christian literally put a dent in Cena taking off from the company. Is it impossible to believe that Christian’s rise and Cena’s fall are totally independant of each other?

Aside from Vengeance 2005, when Christian, Cena and Chris Jericho collided in a three-way (Cena pinned Christian to retain), Christian and Cena have never faced off one-on-one. Coincidence? I think not. From a storyline perspective, it made no sense to tease it for months, and then randomly pull the plug on it. Logically, Vince was worried that if the two feuded directly, Christian would turn the crowd completely against Cena.

Look at this from Vince’s perspective: he rolls the dice on Christian, after Edge introduced him, and worked on him as a singles and tag-team wrestler for seven years. Christian won numerous championships, most notably, his nine World Tag Team Championships, solidifying E&C as one of the greatest WWE tag teams ever. Suddenly, Christian’s contract is up, and being non-commital, he decides to leave and join the competition, TNA Wrestling.

In TNA Wrestling, Christian, now Christian Cage, is booked as an upper-midcarder for roughly 18 months, winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship twice. After Cage’s contract in TNA was up, just like in WWE, he was non-commital about re-signing, and quietly went back to WWE in order to get back into the big leagues.

If you’re Vince, how can you put your trust back into Christian? It’s a similar situation with Jeff Hardy. A long history of no-showing events, past drug problems, and ultimately, two strikes against him on the WWE Wellness Program, meaning one more slip up costs him his job. And like Jeff Hardy, having Christian leave for the competition no doubt hurt his ego. How can you put trust - let alone a WWE championship - into his hands?

In all likelihood, Vince allowed Christian to return, but under Vince’s terms. Those terms, logically, would include working back up to the top from the bottom in order to regain trust, as well as a bit of a grudge-move for signing with the competition.

Now, to believe that Cena’s fall early in his career was the primary reason why Christian is on Vince’s bad side is foolish. There is far more than just that.

Many people see physiques as a main point in wrestling, and rightfully so; Vince, however, has a thing for big guys, and tends to push them over the smaller wrestlers. Believability is a big thing in pro wrestling, but only to an extent.

Christian, for example, is not a big guy. His physique is lacking, although, he has lost weight and built up some muscle since his return to WWE. Many people see this as a reason why he was held back from the main event scene. This raises a few arguments, though.

While Vince has notably kept some of the smaller wrestlers from pushes, that is not always the case. Take CM Punk, Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio. Both men have held the World Heavyweight Championship. Here’s where it gets tricky; neither has held the belt for very long, and, once the belt was dropped, both wrestlers immediately slipped into the midcard. Essentially, they were paper champions.

Why, you ask, does WWE not push the smaller guys? Aside from believability, it’s the fact that size sells. Take a look at Triple H, John Cena and Batista. They’re ripped, muscular, and powerful. Now, take a look at Evan Bourne, CM Punk, AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Christopher Daniels, etc. No, they can’t compare to Triple H in terms of size and power, but each one is unique and offers something different, such as actual wrestling skill. Many of the guys in indie promotions, such as Ring of Honor, will never see the WWE big time because their lack of size is unimpressive. Punk came in at an opportune time, with all the steroid scandals going on in wrestling and pro sports. His ‘hardcore staight-edge’ gimmick was exactly what WWE needed in someone they could push to the top. Hardy, on the other hand, was so over with the fans, a short WWE Champonship run was essential just for the storyline itself.

This is why Christian remains on ECW, the ‘C’ show. WWE’s view on wrestling has changed; it isn’t about giving what the fans want anymore; it’s what he wants and to see, and what he wants to see is which star is making him money. If you remember back to when Paul Heyman’s WWE tenure ended, Heyman and Vince were at each other because Heyman knew how to run ECW, and Vince wanted it done his way. When Paul objected that the fans wouldn’t like it, Vince replied “I’ll make them like it.” Shortly after was the miserable PPV, December to Dismember, to which Heyman quit WWE afterwards.

Unfortunately, Christian is getting the ‘Vince treatment’. Triple H got it, and Randy Orton got it. It seems to be what Vince does to test you after you’ve burnt him. If he’s willing to job and lose week after week, they can eventually earn another chance.

The question remains; can Christian carry the WWE as a main eventer? While I believe he can, either as a heel or babyface, there’s an argument to be made. Take TNA Wrestling, for example. Among about 12-dozen reasons, one of them is that they’re going nowhere because of them pushing former WWE midcarders. Looking at WWE, all of their main guys have had great crossover appeal into the media; John Cena, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, etc. While wrestling remains a part of pro wrestling, it also remains a business.

While there was talk of Vince being upset about Christian’s spot in the Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania 26 (and the WWE Creative team having to fight Vince on wanting to take him out), Christian’s doghouse spot may be a thing of the past, as he won the ECW Championship at Backlash 2009 - Christian has never won a main WWE Championship, and with this being his first, it’s possible that he could see more in the very near future.

no comments | tags: AJ Styles, Batista, Chris Jericho, Christian, Christian Cage, Christoper Daniels, CM Punk, Edge, Evan Bourne, Gangrel, Jeff Hardy, Lance Storm, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Triple H

Rick Filler was born in Montreal, Canada in 1951. He graduated from Sir George Williams University in 1972 and went on to manage an art gallery in Ottawa for 11 years. He also guided photography tours to remote wilderness areas in Canada.

Filler’s love for photographic imagery is matched by his love of flowers and gardening. He began gardening at the age of five when his father gave him a small space in the garden and let him choose seeds from a seed basket. Many of his flower subjects are grown in his own backyard garden. Filler continues to be fascinated by nature and always tries to look at the unusual in the every day, as Oscar Wilde once said, ‘the true mystery of the world is in the visible, not the invisible.’

Filler gets pleasure in photographing the things that he values – the things that he hopes will be preserved.

View Rick Filler Collection

The original plan for Brock Lesnar was for him to defend his UFC Heayweight title against the winner of an upcoming Cain Velasquez-Shane Carwin match this fall. Now whispers are out in the wind that Cain-Carwin will be scrapped and that Lesnar will simply fight Carwin at UFC 106.

Shane Carwin had been scheduled to take on AKA fighter Cain Velasquez in October at UFC 104. But the UFC has opted to change course. Velasquez is reportedly uninjured and his management, Zinkin Entertainment, has not heard any news regarding the bout being scratched.

Some news and notes have been making the rounds today since the announcement of Hulk Hogan signing with TNA Wrestling today.

Here is what is known at least as of today.

* When asked about Vince Russo (the current head of TNA creative), Hogan said as long as Russo knew his place in the company then everything would be fine.

* The feeling is that Hogan will be a major on-screen character for TNA, but wasn't expected to be wrestling on regular basis for the company.

* One part of this deal is that Spike TV will get the first look at the proposed Hogan/Ric Flair reality series.

* Speaking of Flair, he did sign a three year deal with Eric Bischoff's company to become part of the upcoming "Hulkamania" tour of Australia in November (which is still taking place). While nothing is official, the general feeling is that Flair signing with Bischoff means he will stay involved with Hogan which could mean a possible involvement with TNA.

* Were told this was the first of many big announcements to come from TNA and Spike TV. What would be bigger than Hogan and Bischoff signing with the company is anyone's guess. Early speculation is a possible timeslot change for Impact moving to Monday night's to go head-to-head with Raw or additional programming that was announced when TNA signed a new TV deal with Spike this year.

* To reiterate, Dave Meltzer is reporting that they only wanted to announce the signing of Hogan and Bischoff today and that something bigger is expected soon.

* CNN cameras were filming footage at the press conference today. Hogan is on "Larry King Live" tonight so he will more than likely plug his TNA signing and his new book.

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Chapters

* Wrestlemania VII – Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) v “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka
* Wrestlemania VIII – Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) v Jake “The Snake” Roberts
* Wrestlemania IX – Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) v Giant Gonzales (w/Harvey Wippleman)
* Wrestlemania XI – Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) v King Kong Bundy (w/Ted DiBiase)
* Wrestlemania XII – Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) v Diesel
* Wrestlemania 13 – WWF Championship Match: Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) v Sycho Sid
* Wrestlemania 14 – Undertaker v Kane (w/Paul Bearer)
* Wrestlemania 15 – Hell in a Cell: Undertaker v Big Bossman
* Wrestlemania X-Seven – Undertaker v Triple H
* Wrestlemania X8 – No DQ Match: Undertaker v Ric Flair
* Wrestlemania XIX – Undertaker v Big Show & A-Train
* Wrestlemania XX – Interpromotional Match: Undertaker (Smackdown) v Kane (RAW)
* Wrestlemania 21 – Legend v Legend Killer: Undertaker v Randy Orton
* Wrestlemania 22 – Casket Match: Undertaker v Mark Henry
* Wrestlemania 23 – World Heavyweight Championship Match: Undertaker v Batista

Extras

* None

The Undertaker; a name more synonymous with Wrestlemania than perhaps any other wrestler who has graced the biggest stage pro-wrestling has to offer. Shawn Michaels may call himself “Mr. Wrestlemania” and Hulk Hogan may be credited as the man who made Wrestlemania what it is today, but The Undertaker (ever since 1991) is Wrestlemania.

No matter the line-up for Wrestlemania, there is always one match that you know will have some buzz surrounding it; Undertaker v *insert name here*.

This collection chronicles every match Undertaker has been in at Wrestlemania until 2007; the only one missing is this year's awesome encounter with Edge. The names he has faced have been legitimate superstar names (for the most part) and he has always came out unscathed. It is no exaggeration to say that his “streak” of victories will never be matched... in fact, it's highly unlikey his amount of appearances at the event will ever be matched.

The disc has all fifteen matches and nothing else, so to review this, it makes sense to simply review each match as they come and give a rating accordingly. So let's go back to 1991 and Wrestlemania VII. The main event (a greatly heated match) was Hulk Hogan v Sgt. Slaughter for the WWF Title, but on the midcard, a young rookie was making his 'Mania debut. My main gripe is that some of the matches are joined “in progress”, while others are shown entirely. It's not so much this that annoys me, rather the bouts that have been chosen to be shown in full compared to the ones cut.

Wrestlemania VII: The Undertaker makes his way to the ring to face “The Phenom” of the WWF; Jimmy Snuka. I personally have a soft spot for this match as it was the first Undertaker match I can remember seeing. I did watch pro-wrestling before this event, but Wrestlemania VII was the first show I really watched, and it was this match (alongside Savage v Warrior) that originally got me hooked.

This match is, at its core, a glorified squash designed to put the latest monster over in a big way. Undertaker was still pretty green, but Snuka made him look a million bucks by basically being destroyed. The only blemish is on the finish, as Snuka lands the wrong side for a cross-body and has to be put down before being picked up again.

Not a fantastic match, shown in its entirety, but a good start nonetheless. **

Wrestlemania VIII: This is an underrated match from the collection, and one that is unfairly overlooked when you consider the fantastic job Jake does in putting over Undertaker on his way to WCW. The build to the match was very well done and actually did what many thought impossible; it made Undertaker a babyface. With Jake's plan to smash Miss Elizabeth with a chair foiled, the greatest mind in the history of the business made it his mission to take out “The Dead Man” at any cost. An assault on the Funeral Parlour set led to this contest and one of the most subtle put-over jobs you'll ever see.

The one thing you will notice if you are new to wrestling is how slo-o-o-o-o-o-w Undertaker moves around the ring. The heat from the crowd is pretty good, and the two DDTs Undertaker takes are damn sweet (the second one is a thing of beauty).

What isn't great is the Tombstone on the floor to Roberts; Jake's head is clearly nowhere near the ground when Undertaker drops him... but the live crowd didn't seem to care.

I've been lucky enough to have conversations with Jake Roberts, and he said that it was his idea to have Undertaker recover from two DDTs (apparently, 'Taker didn't want to recover from one). They compromised by having Jake DDT him and then, rather than go for the pin, mock the fans and go for Paul Bearer. It then kept both Undertaker and the DDT strong. How true this is depends on how much you believe Jake Roberts when he tells you a story.

Shown in its entirety. ***

Wrestlemania IX: Oh, dear. The previous two match weren't mat classics, but nothing could ever be as bad as the match that took place at “the world's biggest toga party” in Las Vegas. What Jim Ross, making his WWF debut, must have thought he had signed up to when he saw this debacle of a show. 'Mania IX sucked big time, and this is easily the worst match on the card (and a strong contender for worst Wrestlemania match of all time).

For those who say Khali doesn't belong in a ring or is the worst wrestler imaginable; let this be a lesson to you, Giant Gonzales/El Gigante is the worst wrestler imaginable. It's not hard to see why he would be hired by a wrestling company founded on big men; the man stands a legit 7'8” tall and, when he reaches his arms out wide, really is a sight to behold... but he should have been kept as a 911 type character rather than a full-time in-ring competitor.

This match, shown from bell to bell, is as bad as everyone has ever said and should be watched for novelty value only. The only saving graces are that you know things are only going to be better from here on out and that Bill Alfonso (ECW manager of Taz, Van Dam and Sabu) is the referee. The actual highlight is the after-match shenanigans and current referee Jack Doan sporting a fantastic mullet when he comes out to help Undertaker to the back.

Wrestlemania XI: Undertaker v King Kong Bundy wouldn't normally be a match you would be happy to see, but with it following 'Taker v Gonzales, welcomed with open arms it was.

Not a bad match, but not one of Undi's best either. It was a passable contest on a passable PPV. The only real story was Kama “I'm a reformed pimp these days” Mustafa stealing the new (huge) urn and making a chain around his neck.

Wrestlemania XII: The first really good match on the card... and it's the first one they choose to join part-way through. I can still remember the build to this one, with Undertaker and Diesel trying to outdo the other (the dummy of Diesel in a coffin was scarily lifelike) from the moment Big Daddy Cool cost Undertaker the WWF Title at the 1996 Royal Rumble (if you want to see how a Tombstone should be taken, pay close attention to Bret Hart here).

At this point, the undefeated streak wasn't really something discussed as a selling point, so there was no hype along the lines of “will Undertaker finally lose”. In fact, if this match was held in today's climate, the entire talk surrounding it would be Diesel's departure from WWE and imminent arrival in WCW.

It's joined around the halfway mark and is a brutal (for the time) “big man” match. Diesel shows people how you powerbomb a man the size of Undertaker (twice) and both men trade power moves throughout the contest. This is easily the best match on the card so far.

Wrestlemania 13: Sycho Sid went into Wrestlemania as the WWF Champion (this was after HBK's infamous “lost smile” speech to vacate the title), with Undertaker getting his first title match at the big show.

The main story of this match (joined in progress) was Shawn Michaels on commentary, Bret Hart being a pain in the ass (having came out and moaned like a trooper before the contest began) and whether Undertaker could defeat a man with the size and strength of Sid.

A decent match that has a happy ending for Undertaker fans (obviously; the DVD would be 14-1 otherwise), it is overshadowed by the interference of Bret Hart and suffers because of it. Sid, however, does go comically stiff as a board when taking the match-winning Tombstone.

Wrestlemania 14: The third match in a row that is joined in progress, and again, it's one of the better matches on the disc. It really is baffling that the bout against Gonzales is shown in full, yet his good matches against Diesel, Sid and Kane are not.

The first thing newer fans will notice is that Kane looks completely different from what he is today. This Kane, the masked and mute monster, is what Undertaker's brother should be; the Jason Voorhees of pro-wrestling... a dominating, destructive, overpowering force of nature.

Kane, like Undertaker when he first debuted, instilled fear in the younger fans, especially because he was bigger, stronger and (seemed) tougher than his big brother. This match was a fantastic big-man brawl that had a memorable finish.

It really is a testament to the Kane character that he is still around ten years after what should have been his WWF swansong. Many thought he was brought in to be another challenge for Undertaker and, when the feud was over, he would be gone and Undi' would move on.

The fact it took three Tombstones (the first and third both being stunningly brutal) to keep Kane down for the three-count, and that Kane had the last laugh after the bell (although that isn't shown here) let us know that the character was here to stay.

Undertaker put forth his strongest showing at Wrestlemania so far in this match.

Wrestlemania XV: “Hell in a Cell”, the ultimate WWF gimmick match of the era, has had some fantastic bouts contested inside its mesh structure... this isn't one of them. As I have said earlier, it's frustrating when you look at the matches chosen to be shown in full compared to the ones joined part of the way through. The last three matches were all really good bouts and were shown cut down, whereas this, the worst HiaC match (I don't count the “Kennel from Hell” - also featuring The Bossman) in history, is shown bell to bell (but cut out the only memorable part of the encounter; The Brood hanging the late Ray Traylor from the top of the cell in a poorly executed segment).

This, like Wrestlemania IX, was obviously only included to make the collection complete, but I don't think anyone would have complained if WWE simply mentioned them and showed the finish of both matches. This would have saved me from having to watch them again and also given more time for the better matches to be shown in full.

The second worst match of the streak.

Wrestlemania X-Seven: At this point in time, the undefeated streak was becoming more prominent. The set up for this contest was simple and effective; Triple H had come out on WWE television and said that he had beaten everyone in the company, only for our man to come out and correct the big-nosed McMahon-marrying Helmsley. So the match was signed on the simple premise of who was better. No crazy stipulations or storyline nonsense to lead us in; simply two guys who felt they were better than the other and now was the time to prove it.

Frustratingly, this is another match joined in progress (we come in when the two men are fighting on the lighting scaffold). To say this is a scandal is an understatement, because 'Taker v Triple H was an awesome bout. I can remember watching it live on PPV and the feed went as Undertaker went to hit HHH with his sledgehammer. Hunter kicked 'Taker in the nuts and then the feed was lost. I had to wait until the next day to watch a replay before I found out what happened.

Again, this was one of those matches where, going in, you thought the streak could come to an end. The fact it didn't is a good thing for us (due to some great hype and matches based on the streak in later years), and the finish is well worked and original (at the time).

An awesome bout from (the missing) start to the bloody end (with fantastic commentary from Paul Heyman and Jim Ross and a brutal looking Last Ride), this is the most impressive on the collection so far.

Wrestlemania X8: To go 10-0, Undertaker would have to add another legend to his list of victims (Jake Roberts and Snuka); Ric Flair. Ric had only wrestled one match prior to this since he and Sting closed out the last Nitro, so there was some concern on whether the elder statesman of wrestling could still go. With the match having the added stipulation of there being no disqualifications, there would at least be some shortcuts to help them out.

The pre-match build was fantastic (shown here alongside parts of his heel turn on Jim Ross), with Flair saying no to a match until Undertaker attacked David Flair in the most entertaining segment of Flair, Jr's career.

This is another match that is joined in progress, keeping up the run of the better matches being cut short while the crap matches are shown in full. Featuring a stunning juice-job on the part of Flair, a spinebuster from Arn Anderson as if it was 1989 and only the third heel Wrestlemania appearance, this is an awesome brawl from two veterans.

Flair does mess up on two attempts at a Last Ride, but the Tombstone finish makes up for it... and the last image of Undertaker standing on the apron counting his Wrestlemania victories on his fingers is a thing of heel beauty.

Wrestlemania XIX: Oh, dear (part 2). Say what you will about the match against Giant Gonzales at Wrestlemania IX, but at least it had a reason for happening. This handicap-match has no such luxury, but it sucks just as badly.

A-Train can be good (as his work in Japan can attest), as can Big Show (he and Undertaker have had exciting matches before), but this is just dire from bell to bell. The highlight for me is the spin-kick by Nathan Jones to Big Show near the end of the contest.

The best part of this match (inexplicably shown in full) is the final bell.

Wrestlemania XX: Buried alive at Survivor Series 2003, it appeared that Kane had finally rid the company of his brother; but Undertaker is made of tougher stuff. He's been sent to Heaven, burned and buried once before, so everyone knew he'd be back... it was just a question of when.

The first real hint was at the 2004 Royal Rumble where Kane was eliminated after being distracted by the gongs of 'Taker's entrance. Videos started to appear on the TitanTron that the “Dead Man” would return at the show billed as “Where It All Begins Again”. Kane denied it would be so and made that intention clear as he entered the ring in Madison Square Garden.

“Oh, yessssssss!” heralded the return of Paul Bearer, and as the mortician pointed towards the entranceway, Undertaker made his return as the character that “made him famous” years earlier. The crowd reaction as he stood at the entrance with the druids lining the aisle was unbelievable... unfortunately, the match was less so as it was basically a squash to re-introduce the Dead Man gimmick, and as such was a disappointment. That this was shown in full, yet their superior clash from six years earlier was cut is a disgrace.

The one thing I did notice is that, intended or not, Kane, like his brother, had subtly changed his appearance/character in the years since his debut. The outfit became more revealing, the mask began to hide less of his face, he spoke more and more (including the awesome impressions of both The Rock and Hulk Hogan) until he lost the mask v title match against Triple H that led to the incarnation we see today.

Kane was a great opponent to bring the gimmick back against, but the execution wasn't as good as it could be.

Wrestlemania 21: Ever since the streak became the focal point of Undertaker's matches at Wrestlemania, I've never been more convinced that his streak could come to an end that I was with this match (there were moments against Edge at WM24 where I thought it was over, but this was only match were I was pretty sure he would lose before the match began).

Randy Orton was in the middle of his “Legend Killer” gimmick and was on a fantastic roll. He had claimed every legend he came across, and this was the biggest legend of them all; Undertaker's streak.

The match (another one that is already under way) is fantastic, with Tazz and Michael Cole doing a really good job on commentary. Both men get about equal offence and both men come out stronger than they went in; an Orton RKO counter to a chokeslam made me, and some of the others watching the show live, leap up thinking it was over.

Truth be told, I believe Undertaker should have lost this one and Orton's “Legend Killer” gimmick could have become the stuff of legend itself. As it is, Orton did well for himself anyway, so it didn't derail him as much as it may have done with someone else.

Wrestlemania 22: A lot of people predicted doom the moment this match was announced, but this wasn't the crapfest they assumed it would be.

Mark Henry is not a technical wrestler, but he is a decent power wrestler (and is a decent hand today). This does rank low on the list of great Undertaker matches, but it does have it's highlights. The sight of 'Taker leaping over the top rope and over the casket with a plancha, as well as the Tombstone on a guy so large will always be stunning to watch over and over.

The main problem with the match (and most gimmick matches, to be fair) is that it runs to the same old formula. Not the best match, but by no means the worst either, Mark Henry v Undertaker is just another wrestling contest.

Wrestlemania 23: We come to the best, and final, match of the collection; Undertaker v Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Relegated to the middle of the card, this match (shown in full) was overlooked as a show-closer in favour of John Cena v Shawn Michaels. In hindsight, that was the wrong decision, but hindsight is always perfect.

There were questions about whether Batista (and his reputation for phoning it in) would be able to elevate himself to the fantastic run Undertaker was on leading into the bout. Those fears were unfounded; Batista put in a career-best performance (Undertaker wasn't far off that level either) in the greatest match of Undertaker's Wrestlemania streak.

With both men acting as if they were out to prove Vince wrong for not using them to close the show, they tore the house down with a sterling example of how to execute a brawl between to huge men. With the greatest commentary team in wrestling since Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler in their 1998 primes, Michael Cole and JBL, calling the action, the action ran for just over fifteen minutes and never dragged once.

Highlights include Batista powerslamming Undertaker from one announce table through the one next to them. There was also the spine-buster counter to “Old School”, the brutal brawling and Batista spearing Undertaker as soon as the bell rang.

Another interesting aspect was the crowd reaction; the fans in Detroit were not going to be happy with anything but an Undertaker title win and let everyone listening know it. Mimicking the John Cena/Triple H match from the previous year, when both men were trading blows, 'Taker was cheered and Dave was booed (very loudly). I guess this can be used to show that they (all) aren't booing Cena because they dislike him.

This is a fitting end to a legendary feat that will never, ever be duplicated.

Undertaker; I salute your longevity and ability to adapt and last for almost two decades. Love him or hate him, there is no denying the man's impact on the world of professional wrestling. To take the most cartoonish of gimmicks and make it a legit main-event talent and legend of the business is phenomenal... perhaps that's why he inherited the “Phenom” nickname from Jimmy Snuka.

Extras

No extras on this collection is a joke. There are so many hype videos that could have been included, not to mention some of the fabulous entrances Undertaker has had.

Eve ignoring all of that, to not have a single interview, from anyone at all, is a disgrace. There should have been something from each of his opponents (kayfabe or not) and some words from the guy himself on what it means to him to have this legacy.

A real missed opportunity to give an insight into the greatest gimmick pro-wrestling has ever seen.

Overview

A wasted opportunity that baffles far more than it entertains. Even going by the matches, if you look at the ones that are complete (v Snuka, Jake Roberts, Giant Gonzales, King Kong Bundy, Bossman, A-Train/Big Shown, Kane part 2, Mark Henry and Batista) and compare them to the ones shown underway (v Diesel, Sid, Kane part 1, Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton), it is extremely lopsided.

Only the Batista match from the ones shown in full is above average, whereas all the matches that are incomplete are the best bouts from the streak. It seems like a slap in the face to those who buy this collection, as they are missing out on a lot of what the DVD is boasting to contain.

I can only recommend this for completists, die-hard Undertaker fans and those fans who have got into wrestling within the last few years. For everyone else, it really would be a waste of money.

The final straw is the complete lack of extras. Not one hype video, no TitanTron videos for his various entrances, no interviews with any of his opponents (or anyone else for that matter) and not a word from the guy himself means that this screams out that it is a cheaply put together cash-in.

Points: 4/10

“The Hangman” Draven Cage

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