SmackDown: Vladimir Kozlov

Another wrestler that's fairly new to WWE fans is Vladimir Kozlov.
But like Kizarny, he may be new to the WWE, but not wrestling.
Or in Vladimir's case, fighting in general.
This guy is trained in freestyle wrestling, rugby, American football, sambo (2005 USA Open Heavyweight Sambo Champion), kickboxing ((USKBA) International Heavyweight Grappling Champion), judo, and MMA.
That translates into tough.
Vladimir was born Oleg Aleksandrovich Prudius on July 4, 1972 in the Ukraine.
He last a long string of victories in the WWE that kinda reminds me of Goldberg's run in the WCW.
Besides wrestling on Smackdown, Vladimir has appeared in several TV shows and movies.
He was in the "Werewolf Women of the SS" trailer (along with Andrew Martin aka Test) by Rob Zombie in Grindhouse, he was in the HBO series The Wire, and he was in Spike Lee's film 25th Hour, as Russian mafia enforcer. He also did some TV and even stage plays in the Ukraine.
This guy is amazingly well rounded.

WWE Smackdown: Scotty Goldman

Scott Colton was born on born May 6, 1980 in Deerfield, Illinois.
He is a professional wrestler better known as Scotty Goldman on WWE Smackdown, and everywhere else as Colt Cabana. He also wrestled as Matt Classic on MTV's Wrestling Society X.
He made his WWE Smackdown debut on the August 15, 2008 edition of SmackDown (Before that, Scott had wrestled a few matches for the WWE on the HEAT and Velocity shows).
Colton made his debut as Scotty Goldman, losing to The Brian Kendrick.
Despite his experience and success in the independent promotions, Scotty is being used by the WWE right now as basically a jobber.

WWE Smackdown: Festus

This guy.

Not this guy.

Andrew William Hankinson was born on December 22, 1984 in Cumberland, Maryland.
He is an American professional wrestler currently working for the WWE on SmackDown under the ring name Festus.
This 6 foot 7 inch, 300 pound monster was the fake Kane back on RAW in 2006. (I think everyone pretty much hated that storyline).
Festus' current character is a mentally retarded man (How does the WWE get away with that?) .... until the bell rings to begin the match.
When the bell rings at the beginning of the match, Festus' face contorts, becoming determined and monstrous.
When the bell rings at the end of the match, Festus' face returns to normal.

WWE Smackdown, Primo Colón

Edwin C. "Eddie" Colón was born on December 21, 1982 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
He is a Puerto Rican pro wrestler currently signed by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestling on its SmackDown brand as Primo Colón.
Primo is one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with his real life older brother Carlito.
He is the son of Puerto Rican wrestling legend Carlos Colón, Sr.

After wrestling almost nine years in the World Wrestling Council, he made his WWE debut on the Raw brand under the ring name Primo Colón on the August 18, 2008 episode of WWE Raw. His first match on Raw was on August 25, 2008, when he defeated Charlie Haas.

Primo was immedaitely moved to WWE SmackDown and on September 12, he debuted and teamed up with his brother Carlito. Two weeks after his Smackdown debut, Carlito and Primo won the WWE Tag Team Wrestling Championships from Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder.

Paul Wight, The Big Show

Paul Randall Wight was born February 8, 1972 in Tampa Bay, Florida.
He is better known by his wrestling name, The Big Show.
Heis an American pro wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE, wrestling on its SmackDown brand.
He is also known for his career in WCW, where he wrestled under the name The Giant from June 1995 to December 1998.
He is the only man in the history of wrestling to win the WWE Championship, WCW World Heavyweight Championship and the ECW World Championship, even though his ECW Title win was after the company was bought out by the WWE.

Like Andre the Giant, Big Show has acromegaly, a disease of the Endocrine System. Thankfully he underwent successful surgery in the early 1990s on his pituitary gland which halted the progress of this condition.
Big Show is billed as 7 feet tall and 441 pounds.
TWNP News has him listed at 7'1" and 400 pounds.
CelebHeights.com has him listed at 7 even.
Growtall.com has him listed as 7'2".
Either way...hes big!

Big Show has appeared in several movies, but my favorite appearance was in The Waterboy as Captain Insano.

Chuck Palumbo

Charles Ronald "Chuck" Palumbo was born June 15, 1971 in West Warwick, Rhode Island. He is an American pro wrestler, who is currently signed to WWE, wrestling on its Raw brand.

After wrestling in WCW, Chuck Palumbo and Sean O'Haire came into the WWF on the June 28, 2001 episode of SmackDown! as part of The Alliance. Chuck and Sean dropped the WCW Tag Team Title they had won from Team Canada's Mike Awesome and Lance Storm, to The Undertaker and Kane quietly in mid-August.

Sean was sent to developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling in early September 2001, and Chuck was thrown out of The Alliance in late October by storyline co-owner of The Alliance, Stephanie McMahon after he complained he wasn't given enough air-time, so he joined the WWF in November.

After receiving the boot from The Alliance, Chuck found himself a tag team partner in Billy Gunn. The pair started as a generic babyface tandem working dark matches, but were later given a heel gimmick that saw the pair grow increasingly affectionate towards each other, showing evidence of a relationship and Palumbo became known simply as Chuck. He briefly wore his long hair in pigtails before cutting it short shortly afterwards.

On the February 21, 2002 edition of SmackDown!, Billy and Chuck defeated Tazz & Spike Dudley to win the World Tag Team Championship. They later found a "personal stylist" on March 21, 2002 in the ambiguously flamboyant then heel, Rico.

Billy and Chuck lost the tag team gold to Rikishi and Rico, who was forced to team with Rikishi on May 19, 2002 at Judgement Day. Less than a month later Rico would help Billy and Chuck recapture their titles, but this reign wouldn't last long when Billy and Chuck lost the titles to Edge and Hulk Hogan.

In the late summer of 2002, Billy and Chuck were the source of controversy when Chuck apparently proposed to Billy on September 5, 2002 edition of SmackDown! asking him to be his "partner for life". Billy and Chuck had a marriage ceremony on the 2002 season premiere of SmackDown!. Just before they tied the knot, however, they revealed that the entire ordeal was a publicity stunt. When Billy and Chuck decided not to go through with the marriage, Rico turned on them by helping Eric Bischoff and 3-Minute Warning attack the duo. Billy and Chuck both turned face and Rico subsequently jumped to Raw as the manager of 3-Minute Warning, who beat Billy and Chuck at Unforgiven 2002.

Billy Gunn was injured in early October 2002, and Chuck became a generic face, working SmackDown!'s B-show WWE Velocity for a few months using his original ring name Chuck Palumbo once again.


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James William Reiher, Jr., Jimmy Snuka, Jr, Deuce Shade

James William Reiher, Jr. was born September 1, 1971, in Lā'ie, Hawaii.
He is better known as Jimmy Snuka, Jr.
James is an American professional wrestler and the son of pro wrestler "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka.
He is currently signed to WWE working on the WWE Raw brand under the ring name Deuce Shade, a former WWE Tag Team Wrestling Champion with his former partner Domino.

Cody Rhodes

Cody Garrett Runnels was born June 30, 1985 in Marietta, Georgia. He is better known by his wrestling name, Cody Rhodes.
He is a professional wrestler currently signed by the WWE to its WWE Raw brand where he is one-half of the World Tag Team Wrestling Champions with Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Cody is the son of Dusty Rhodes as well as the half-brother of Dustin Rhodes and brother of Kevin. He is also nephew to Jerry Sags and Fred Ottman (better known as "Typhoon" or "Tugboat"), and godson of Magnum T.A..

Cody has worn wrestling gear that is half polka dots and half gold, which is a tribute to his father Dusty Rhodes and his half brother Dustin "Goldust" Runnels, respectively.
His current WWE attire consists of a pair trunks with his initials (C.R.) written on them. The colors change regularly and also he now wears a black elbow pad on his right arm like his father Dusty used to.
Also, his boots feature a Triforce symbol from the The Legend of Zelda series of video games. Rhodes admitted to re-playing A Link to the Past yearly.

Rey Mysterio

Oscar Gutierrez was born on December 11, 1974, in San Diego, California.
He is better known by his wrestling name Rey Mysterio.

Rey is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE wrestling on its WWE RAW brand. He comes from a lucha libre family and has achieved success in heavyweight, cruiserweight and tag team divisions throughout his career. He is perhaps best known for his tenure with WCW from 1996 to 2001 as well as a short-lived tenure with ECW from 1995 to 1996.

Mysterio is known for having a high flying style, which helped kick-start the cruiserweight revolution in the United States, in the late 1990s during his time in WCW. His total Cruiserweight Championship reigns are record-setting 8 (5 in WCW, 3 in WWE). In WWE, he was a 1 time World Heavyweight Champion, a 3 time Cruiserweight Champion and a 4 time WWE Tag Team Champion as well as the winner of 2006 Royal Rumble. In WCW, he was a 5 time Cruiserweight Champion, a 3 time World Tag Team Champion and a 1 time Cruiserweight Tag Team Champion with Billy Kidman as part of Filthy Animals.

Rey Mysterio's bio page on WWE.com states that he is currently recuperating from a biceps injury.

Armando Alejandro Estrada

Hazem Ali (born December 20, 1978) is an American professional wrestler and wrestling manager of Palestinian descent, better known by his ring names Osama Rodriguez Alejandro and Armando... Alejandro ...Estrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaada. (LOL...sorry...Ha Ha!) He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where he serves as the General Manager on the ECW brand.

Ali began his World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) career wrestling in their "farm territory", Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), making his OVW TV debut as a bodyguard named Osama in Muhammad Hassan's entourage. When Hassan and Daivari were called up to the main roster, Ali remained in OVW wrestling with an Arab anti-American gimmick, similar to that of the Iron Sheik and began wrestling in a tag team with Da Beast.

When Paul Heyman began booking OVW he expanded Osama's name to Osama Rodriguez Alejandro, revealing him to actually be half Cuban and half Palestinian. Along with being an active wrestler he became a backstage interviewer, conducting interviews, along with a sidekick, wrestler Robbie Dawber, for his own (kayfabe) Spanish language version of OVWs TV show. At the same time he began a storyline campaign to be elected "Dictator of Kentucky", which he intended to rename "Los Kentuckos", often coming to the ring with a placard reading "Bote for Lalo", utilizing his nickname at the time: "Big Lalo".

In April 2006, Ali was called up to the main World Wrestling Entertainment roster and placed on the Raw brand. He debuted on the April 3, 2006 edition of Raw as Armando Alejandro Estrada, a Cuban businessman, and the heel manager for the also debuting Umaga. His debut saw him mocking Ric Flair, saying he was too old to still be in the business, and promising to bring about a new hero (Umaga). Estrada led Umaga in a feud against Flair until the Backlash pay-per-view at the end of the month, where Umaga dispatched Flair.

Following the feud with Flair, Umaga began a period of squashing jobbers, before and after which Estrada would cut promos about his charges greatness. During this time, his way of introducing himself - using long rolling r's - as well as a short "ha ha" laugh began to get him cheered, so he stopped introducing himself before promos.

At August's SummerSlam, Estrada offered the undefeated Umaga's services to The McMahons (Vince and Shane) to "take out" their D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels and Triple H) opponents during their tag team match. However, as Umaga attempted to deliver on Estrada's promise, he was attacked by Kane. Kane and Umaga feuded for two months, with Kane attacking Estrada on at least one occasion. The feud seemingly came to an end when, on the October 9, 2006 Raw, Estrada's interference helped Umaga defeat Kane in a Loser Leaves Raw match.

During December, Umaga, and thus Estrada, began a feud with John Cena over the WWE Championship. In the opening stages Estrada inserted himself into matches and confrontations with the two, leading to Vince McMahon's assistant Jonathan Coachman signing a match between Estrada and Cena. Before the match Estrada attempted to buy Cena off (offering him a box of Cohibas, his watch, and finally cash) only to have him refuse. The resulting match was a squash, with Cena winning with his signature F-U.

The next February, he managed Umaga to his first title, the Intercontinental Championship, and stood beside him during his partnership with Vince McMahon and feud with Bobby Lashley. As the Umaga and Lashley feud intensified Estrada became a target of Lashley when it was decreed that he could not put his hands on Umaga, Vince, or Shane McMahon outside of official matches and on the May 8 episode of ECW on Sci Fi Lashley shoved Estrada, who was confined to a wheelchair, down a ramp into a collection of garbage cans in what turned out to be his last appearance, outside of a cameo appearance, for months..

On August 14, 2007, Estrada was announced as the General Manager of the ECW brand giving him (kayfabe) power to book matches and make arrangements for the brand.



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WWE: William Regal

Darren Nathaniel Matthews (born May 10, 1968) is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name William Regal. He is currently wrestling on the SmackDown! brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

Regal's initial appearance in the WWF was on the June 29, 1998 edition of RAW is WAR, in which he defeated Droz via submission with the Regal Stretch. Regal had no particular gimmick in this showing, and he would not be seen on WWF television again until he returned that fall with a "Real Man's Man" builder/lumberjack style looking gimmick that was based on the image of The Brawny Man. Vignettes for the character showed him doing "manly" things like chopping wood, shaving with a plain razor, and squeezing his own orange juice. He debuted in October 1998 and entered a feud with X-Pac. The two faced off in the opening round of the tournament for the vacant WWF Championship at the 1998 Survivor Series. The match ended in a double countout, eliminating both men from the tournament. The feud, and Regal's gimmick, failed to capture the audience's imagination, though today the "Man's Man" persona is well remembered and the source of much good-natured fun from many fans.

Regal checked into rehab in January 1999 and was released from the WWF in April.

Regal was once again hired by the WWF and sent to Memphis Championship Wrestling for a short time. After a memorable bout with Chris Benoit at the Third Annual Brian Pillman Memorial Show, he was promoted to the full roster and re-debuted on the September 18, 2000 episode of Raw is War as Steven William Regal (soon shortened to William Regal), a stereotypical British snob. As a heel, Regal had much more success, winning the WWF European Championship. He later became the (on-screen) commissioner and self-proclaimed "Goodwill Ambassador" of the WWF and was given a comedy sidekick/man-servant in Tajiri.

In an interview, Regal expressed affectionate feelings toward the WWF, citing the organization's support and patience during his time in and out of rehab, which had helped lead to the current reunion and pleasant relationship.

During the WCW/ECW Alliance storyline, Regal turned heel on his fellow WWF wrestlers by costing Kurt Angle (then a babyface) the WWF Title and joining the WCW Alliance. He was fired as commissioner by Linda McMahon, but Shane McMahon, who was the then heel owner of WCW, hired him as the Alliance Commissioner.

2002 was an eventful year for Regal. After an absence due to surgery on his nose, Regal returned and feuded with Edge, winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship in the process. Regal would go on to lose the Intercontinental Title to Rob Van Dam, win the European Title for a third time, and briefly hold the WWE Hardcore Championship.


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WWE Smackdown : Funaki

Shoichi Funaki (born August 24, 1968) is a Japanese American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its SmackDown! brand.

Ring name(s) Shoichi Funaki ,Sho Funaki ,Funaki
Billed height 170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Billed weight 81 kg (180 lb)
Born August 24, 1968
Tokyo
Resides San Antonio, Texas
Trained by Animal Hamaguchi,
Yoshiaki Fujiwara
Debut 1990

Funaki started as a shoot style wrestler in Yoshiaki Fujiwara's Fujiwara Gumi promotion and moved to its successor promotion, BattlARTS. He later found the lucha libre style more to his liking, so he moved to the Great Sasuke's promotion, Michinoku Pro Wrestling. In that promotion, he joined with TAKA Michinoku, Dick Togo, Mens Teioh and Shiryu in the Kai En Tai stable. Funaki also wrestled in the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) where he won the World Middleweight Championship from Pantera on March 19, 1997 in Japan.

In 1998, he, along with Teioh and Togo, joined the World Wrestling Federation. Initially, they feuded with TAKA Michinoku, until TAKA eventually turned heel and joined the group. Over time, the stable turned into a tag team, as in 1999, Teioh and Togo (and manager Yamaguchi-san) were given their releases. Michinoku and Funaki were often used for comedic purposes, often having their pre-match promos dubbed. After Michinoku left the WWE, Funaki found himself as a lower card wrestler and adopted the gimmick of "SmackDown!'s number one announcer", performing backstage interviews between matches, while competing in the WWE's cruiserweight division.

At WWE Armageddon 2004, Funaki defeated Spike Dudley to win his first WWE Cruiserweight Championship. He later lost the championship in a six-man cruiserweight elimination match at No Way Out 2005. Since then, Funaki has mainly been a jobber to new and returning talent.

During an interview with then Cruiserweight Champion Kid Kash on an episode of SmackDown! after Armageddon 2005, Funaki was assaulted by Kash, who gave him a brainbuster onto the interview platform.

At the Royal Rumble 2006 pay per view, Funaki had the chance to face Kid Kash in a match for the title, when he was entered into a Cruiserweight Open along with 4 other former Cruiserweight champions, and the champ, Kid Kash. Funaki was pinned in this one fall match by Gregory Helms, who won the match and title.

Since that time Funaki, would regularly team with Scotty 2 Hotty during episodes of WWE Velocity and WWE SmackDown!. However, during one such Velocity taping, Funaki suffered a 2nd Grade concussion, where he was unconscious for just under two minutes.

Funaki would resume wrestling later that year, forming a tag team of sorts with Scotty 2 Hotty, which was mainly used to put over debuting wrestlers or tag teams.

Shoichi Funaki made a one off appearance at the Puroresu King Indy Summit, on December 31, 2006, reuniting with Kai En Tai DX in what was being billed as a Kai En Tai DX Revival Ten-Man Tag Match; Funaki reteamed with TAKA Michinoku, Kaz Hayashi, Dick Togo & MEN'S Teio to face five other wrestlers.

Funaki returned to WWE TV on February 16, 2007 on an edition of SmackDown in a brawl that involved the other SmackDown cruiserweights and the then-Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms.

wrestling

WWE Smackdown : Dice Domino

Ring name(s) Dice Domino,Domino,Cliff Compton
Billed height 6 ft 3 in
Billed weight 245 lb
Born Nassau County, New York
Billed from The Other Side of the Tracks
Trained by Larry Sharpe, Ohio Valley Wrestling
Pro Wrestling Debut: 1998

Cliff Compton is a professional wrestler better known by his ring name Domino. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its SmackDown brand.

In January 2006 as Domino, Compton started teaming with Deuce Shade under the management of his kayfabe sister Cherry. Working a 1950s pop culture gimmick.

Calling themselves The Throwbacks then later The Untouchables, the team would become OVW Southern Tag Team Champions after Deuce Shade defeted Mike Mizanin on March 19, 2006, to win the titles for the team. The team lost their titles on April 5, 2006 in a 3-way match to Roadkill & Kasey James, the match also involved Kenny & Mikey of the Spirit Squad.

The team would go on to win the OVW tag titles another two times as well as win the DSW Tag Team Championship before making the main brand WWE Pro Wrestling Debut: on the January 19, 2007 edition of SmackDown where the team, now called Deuce N' Domino, began squashing jobber teams, although on the February 2 edition of SmackDown!, they defeated Paul London and Brian Kendrick in a non-title match. They faced London and Kendrick in a WWE Tag Team Championship title match at No Way Out but lost when Kendrick pinned Deuce via a roll-up.

WWE Smackdown : Jimmy Snuka, Jr/Deuce

Ring name(s) Deuce,Deuce Shade,Snuka Jr.,The Future,Solo,Solo Snuka
Billed height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Billed weight 230 lbs (105 km)
Born September 1, 1971,Lā'ie, Hawaii
Resides Louisville, Kentucky
Billed from The Other Side of the Tracks
Trained by Jimmy Snuka,UPW staff,OVW staff
Pro Wrestling Debut 2000

James Reiher, Jr., (born September 1, 1971) better known as Jimmy Snuka, Jr., is a professional wrestler and the son of professional wrestler "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment working on the SmackDown! brand as well as in farm territory Ohio Valley Wrestling under the ring name Deuce.

On May 24, 2005, Reiher, as Deuce Shade defeated Chad Wicks in an OVW Television Championship tournament match he later went on to beat Ken Doane for the OVW Television Championship on June 7th 2005. He lost it back to Ken Doane later that month.

On August 24, 2005, Reiher won a #1 Contender's Battle Royal to earn the right to face OVW Champion Johnny Jeter, however he lost this match.

In January 2006 Reiher started teaming with Domino, calling themselves "The Throw-backs". On March 19, 2006, Reiher defeated Mike Mizanin to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship for his team.

The team lost their titles on April 5, 2006 in a 3-way match to Roadkill & Kasey James, the match also involved Kenny & Mikey of Spirit Squad.

On the January 19, 2007 edition of SmackDown!, Deuce, his partner Domino and their valet Cherry debuted with their 1950s pop culture gimmick, squashing a jobber team, and doing the same to another jobber team the next week. On the February 2, 2007 edition of SmackDown!, they defeated WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London and Brian Kendrick. They earned a chance at the WWE Tag Team Champions for the championship at WWE No Way Out, but failed to win the titles.

WWE: Daivari ,Part 2

Both Daivari and Hassan were later drafted to SmackDown! on June 23, 2005 as part of a package deal. On the July 7, 2005 episode of SmackDown!, GM Theodore Long put Daivari in a match that night against The Undertaker, and Muhammad Hassan in a match against The Undertaker at the Great American Bash. Daivari was squashed easily in that match, after which Hassan began to pray on the ramp, summoning five masked men to the ring. The masked men beat and strangled the Undertaker into submission, and Hassan put him in the Camel Clutch. Afterward, the masked men carried Daivari off like a martyr. The controversial imagery aired unedited in America and Canada despite the terrorist attacks in London earlier that day, but was removed from the Australian and UK broadcasts. (It should be noted that SmackDown! is taped on a Tuesday and, at the time, aired on Thursday, so the skit was taped 2 days before the attack occurred.)

In late-July, UPN requested WWE to keep Muhammad Hassan off of their network. WWE complied, effectively removing him from SmackDown! At the The Great American Bash 2005, after Hassan lost in a match with The Undertaker, Hassan was given the Last Ride through an open stage ramp onto a concrete floor where it was reported that he sustained serious injuries and had to be rushed to a nearby medical facility; this was an angle aimed to "kill off" the character.

Although Hassan (Mark Copani) would eventually retire from professional wrestling, Daivari reported to WWE's Deep South territory for training and repackaging. He returned from Deep South and, after working in Minneapolis, made his Wrestling Debut: in September 2005 on OVW TV returning as his "Sheik" Daivari persona.

On November 7, 2005, Daivari returned to RAW, acting as Kurt Angle's anointed special guest referee in the tag team match between Shawn Michaels and John Cena vs. Angle and Chris Masters. During the match, Daivari favored Angle and Masters, who won the match via disqualification when Michaels was caught with a chair Angle brought in.

On November 21, 2005, Kurt Angle announced that Daivari will be the referee for all his future matches, including his match vs. WWE Champion John Cena for the title at the 2005 Survivor Series. Mr. McMahon rescinded that at the kangaroo court trial of Eric Bischoff on RAW on December 5, 2005. Daivari remained aligned with Kurt Angle as his manager.

On January 10, 2006, at a taping of WWE Friday Night SmackDown!, Angle and Daivari jumped to SmackDown!, where Angle won the World Heavyweight Championship the very same night. Angle later revealed that his contract on RAW had expired, which allowed them to switch brands. However, Angle would already be signed to face Shawn Michaels on RAW. This non-title match went ahead, but Daivari would accidentally cost Kurt Angle the match against Michaels. Afterwards, Daivari and Angle argued, but when Daivari slapped Angle, he Angle Slammed Daivari over the ropes and down to the floor on the outside of the ring. During the break on WWE.com Unlimited, an enraged Angle made it known that Daivari's services were no longer needed, and that "he sucks".

Ric Flair

Ric Flair (born February 25, 1949 and named Richard Morgan Fliehr upon his adoption several weeks later), is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its RAW brand.

He has been one of the leading personalities in professional wrestling since the mid 1970's. For much of the run of World Championship Wrestling (WCW), he was considered their flagship wrestler. Flair inspired many of today's top professional wrestlers such as Triple H, Shawn Michaels and hosts more. He is recognized by WWE as a 16-time World Heavyweight Champion, but his actual tally of World Championship reigns varies by source. He is often credited with creating and defining the role of the cocky heel in professional wrestling.

Despite his age and his less-than-chiseled physique, and even though he is long past his prime as a "main-eventer", Flair is still able to step in the ring with younger wrestlers and make them stars. Flair became over with the crowd, often due to his in-ring antics, including cheating ways (earning him the distinction of being "the dirtiest player in the game"), his trademark strut and his shouting of "Woooooo!". While his charisma has never been in question, Flair's moveset has always been limited, and has become even more so in recent years, mainly punches, chops, and various devious manoeuvers. Some exceptions where he has stepped outside this small package of moves include a Monday night contest against Kurt Angle in July 2005, an intercontinental championship match at Unforgiven 2005, and a Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 22.

In a tradition started by the vocal fans of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and Shane Douglas during a time when the WCW management and Flair was thought to be unjustly holding a large amount of wrestlers down, anytime a wrestler delivers a hard back hand chop to the chest of his opponent, fans yell "Woooooo!" in mockery to Flair, whose stiff chops often made his opponent's chest raw or even bloody. This tradition long outlived any controversy, as it was meant to protest and has carried over to WWE and almost all other North American promotions. The chant has since become a tribute to Flair(In Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 any time a wrestler does a chop the fans yell the signature Wooooo!) instead of the original connotation of being a mockery of Flair.

Since the late 1970s, he has worn ornate, fur lined robes of many colors with sequins, and since the early 80s, his approach to the ring was usually heralded by the playing of the "Dawn" section of Richard Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra (famous for being used in the motion picture 2001: A Space Odyssey). The look and sound complements his cocky in-ring persona.

Late in 2003, WWE released a three-DVD retrospective of Flair's career (focusing mainly on his career prior to 1993), The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection. It became WWE's fastest-selling video package up to that time.

A Ric Flair DVD will be released within the next year entitled "Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen".

On May 19, 2003, Flair lost his World Heavyweight Championship match to Triple H. After RAW went off the air, most of the people who were backstage came out to honor Flair, including Vince, Shane, and Stephanie McMahon. Triple H then appeared, and after a stare down, he placed the World Heavyweight Championship belt on Flair's shoulder and embraced him. Flair then gave a speech thanking everyone for the tribute.

K-1 competitor Bob Sapp pays tribute to Flair during his ring entrances by coming to the ring in a feather sequined robe to the tune of Also sprach Zarathustra.

Flair released his autobiography, To Be the Man, in July 2004. The title is taken from one of his catchphrases, "To be the man, you gotta beat the man!" Flair is an icon in the Carolinas on a par with Michael Jordan and Richard Petty, and he has made the Charlotte area his home since the days of the Crockett promotion.

WWE promotes Flair as a 16-time World Heavyweight Champion, but many records show that he has held more. Although some controversy still surrounds this, Ric Flair still holds the record of the most World Heavyweight Championships held by an individual in professional wrestling.

Ric Flair sites at Celebrity Link