Showing posts with label wwe pro wrestling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wwe pro wrestling. Show all posts

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Kung Fu Naki / Shoichi Funaki

Shoichi Funaki , Kung Fu Naki, wwe, wrestling

Shoichi Funaki has had a long career in the WWE.
He was born on August 24, 1968 in Tokyo Japan and made his debut with the (then) WWF back in 1998.
Although he entered the WWF in 1998, he had already wrestled for Yoshiaki Fujiwara's Fujiwara Gumi promotion, BattlARTS, Michinoku Pro Wrestling and Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) in Japan.
He is now known as Kung Fu Naki in the WWE.
During his career he has held the Texas Wrestling Alliance (TWA) Heavyweight Wrestling Championship, the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) World Middleweight Wrestling Championship, the WWF Hardcore Championship and the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

ECW: Peter Senerchia / Tazz / Taz/ Tazmaniac


Peter Senerchia (born October 11, 1967), is an American retired professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, (originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz). He is currently under contract to WWE, where he does commentary for the ECW brand.

From his wrestling career he is probably best remembered from his tenure in Extreme Championship Wrestling, where he held the World Heavyweight, Television, and Tag Team championships, as well as created the FTW Championship, (also referred to as the Brooklyn World Championship). His World Wrestling Entertainment career came to an early halt in 2002 when mounting injuries forced him to retire from in-ring action and take up his current position as commentator, first for the SmackDown! brand, then ECW



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Saturday, February 16, 2008

James Maritato / Little Guido Maritato / Nunzio


James Maritato (born March 12, 1972) better known by the ring names Little Guido Maritato and Nunzio, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its ECW brand.

While attending Nanuet Senior High School (located in Rockland County, New York), Maritato competed in football (as part of the school's 1989 team that went undefeated, untied, and unscored upon) and wrestling. He was later trained as a professional by Billy Robinson, debuting in the professional ranks in the early 1990s. Maritato then went to Japan to compete in the shoot style UWF International promotion.

He stayed in UWF until 1995 where he joined Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under the name Damian Stone. He was later given the gimmick of Little Guido and put in the comedy stable the Full Blooded Italians (F.B.I.), alongside J.T. Smith, Tracy Smothers, and Tommy Rich.

During 1999, he became a "serious wrestler", although still accompanied by "Big" Sal E. Graziano. and proclaiming himself to be an F.B.I. member (though only the two of them were left). After his turn he was involved in some intense singles matches until late 2000, when he formed a tag team with Tony Mamaluke. The duo won the ECW Tag Team Championship in August of 2000 and held them until December when they lost them to Danny Doring and Roadkill. They continued to wrestle together until ECW folded in April 2001.

When ECW closed, Maritato wrestled for several independent promotions, mostly in the New York Tri-State area; he often teamed with former partner Tony Mamaluke. They had a notable run in Ring of Honor before Maritato was signed by World Wrestling Entertainment in 2002.

Maritato was introduced on WWE TV as Nunzio, a possible reference to the mob/bodyguard characters Guido and Nunzio in the MythAdventures series of books by Robert Asprin. As the (kayfabe) heel cousin of Jamie Noble, he attacked then babyface Crash Holly after he defeated Noble in a match on the December 12, 2002 edition of SmackDown!. Nunzio began a feud with Crash after this, defeating him on several occasions before going on to face the likes of Tajiri, Shannon Moore, and Chuck Palumbo.

The team and cousin storyline of Nunzio and Noble soon faded. Nunzio reformed the Full Blooded Italians, this time with Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli and Chuck Palumbo, but the team found little success. After WrestleMania XX, Palumbo was drafted to RAW, and the F.B.I. was reduced to a tag team. After Stamboli was released, Nunzio began competing in the cruiserweight division.

In 2005, Maritato returned to his Little Guido persona for one night; he reunited with the original Full Blooded Italians to take on Super Crazy and Tajiri in a Three-Way Dance at the ECW reunion show One Night Stand.




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Monday, November 26, 2007

John Hennigan, John Morrison, Johnny Nitro, part 1


John Randall Hennigan (born October 3, 1979) better known by his ring name John Morrison, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to the WWE, performing on their ECW brand. He is also currently co-holder of the Smackdown! brand's WWE Tag Team Championship with The Miz. He came to WWE in 2002 after co-winning their reality television program Tough Enough, and has since held championships in the company on seven occasions; having held the Tag Team Championship four times, Intercontinental Championship two times, and the ECW Championship once.

Before getting into professional wrestling, Hennigan attended University of California at Davis studying both film and to become a geologist. Deciding that wasn't right for him, he began his professional wrestling career training at the Supreme Pro Wrestling professional wrestling school. In 2002, he was accepted as a cast member for the third season of the WWE/MTV reality show WWE Tough Enough, eventually becoming co-winner with Matt Cappotelli. For winning he was awarded a WWE developmental contract and assigned to WWE's "farm territory" Ohio Valley Wrestling to continue his training. The duo made their first appearance on WWE television on an episode of Heat in January 2004, losing to Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak in a tag team match.




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Saturday, November 24, 2007

Balls Mahoney


Jonathan Rechner (born April 11, 1972) better known by his ring name Balls Mahoney, is an American professional wrestler. Mahoney is perhaps best known for his appearances with ECW in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He is currently signed to the WWE wrestling on its ECW brand.

In 2005, Mahoney made a non-wrestling appearance at the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promoted ECW One Night Stand reunion show, taking part -- alongside Axl Rotten -- in a brawl with Kid Kash, Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman, the Dudley Boyz, and the Blue World Order before the main event. After the main event, Mahoney and Rotten returned to the ring to brawl with the "invading" Raw and SmackDown! wrestlers.

In 2006, when WWE relaunched ECW as their own brand, one of the first announcements was the signing of Balls Mahoney. His signing was announced with that of Axl Rotten, but when Rotten missed some WWE dates and was released, Balls was left to start a singles career.

During the "cross promotion" hype Balls appeared on the June 5, episode of RAW with other ECW wrestlers who proceeded to attack WWE Champion John Cena. He appeared again as a part of the ECW team in the "WWE vs. ECW team battle royal" at the WWE vs. ECW Head to Head event on June 7. The next night a match between Balls Mahoney and Masato Tanaka was officially added to the 2006 One Night Stand pay-per-view, which Balls won following a chair shot (denting the chair) to Tanaka's head.

When ECW on Sci Fi debuted, Balls started off with a small role in the company, having sporadic matches and little else. However, once the show got going he started to appear in vignettes talking about how tough he is, elevating his role on the show. On the September 12 episode of ECW on Sci Fi Mahoney entered a feud with Kevin Thorn after Thorn and his valet Ariel cost him a match against René Duprée. The following week, he brought Francine to ringside with him, marking her first televised appearance at the revived ECW ring, where she proceeded to get into a catfight with Ariel. That pairing, however, was short lived as Francine was released shortly after. On the January 2, 2007 edition of ECW on Sci Fi, Mahoney had one of his front teeth (legitimately) knocked out during a match with Kevin Thorn.

Shortly after, Balls began a short feud with Snitsky. On the June 4 edition of ECW, Balls, Tommy Dreamer, and Sandman faced Bobby Lashley in a 3 on 1 Hardcore Handicap Match for the ECW Championship, in which they were defeated. On the August 7, 2007 episode of ECW, Balls went against The Miz in a losing effort. During and after the match, it appeared that Kelly Kelly was concerned about him. Over the weeks that followed, he attempted to ask her out to dinner and flirted with her backstage, but was interrupted by The Miz, Brooke, and Layla before Kelly could get a word in. Regardless, Kelly still showed interest in him each week, wishing him good luck before his match, winking at him, and cheering him on during his match. On the September 18, 2007 edition of ECW, after defeating Mike Knox in a match, he asked Kelly Kelly if she would go out with him to which she couldn't respond due to The Miz taking her backstage. However, weeks later, Kelly Kelly asked him if he would go out with her, in which he agreed.


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Friday, November 16, 2007

Tommy Dreamer


Thomas Laughlin (born February 14, 1971), is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Tommy Dreamer. He is currently under contract to World Wrestling Entertainment and wrestling on the ECW brand.

In addition to his current role, Dreamer is — arguably — best known for the time he spent in the Philadelphia based Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion, of which he has been called the "heart and soul". Though he only held the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once in his time with the company—for a grand total of about 30 minutes — he was regularly embroiled in the company's most visible angles on screen and involved in the booking, some of the business decisions, and, like a number of other ECW wrestlers, was part of the day to day operations of the company off screen.


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Saturday, October 6, 2007

CM Punk, part 5


On the April 10 edition of ECW on Sci-Fi, Punk officially joined the New Breed stable,after several weeks in which both the New Breed and the ECW Originals had attempted to recruit him. However two weeks later Punk betrayed the New Breed during a four on four elimination match between the New Breed and ECW Originals by kicking New Breed leader Elijah Burke in the back of the head costing them the match. After the match Punk proceeded to deliver his finisher, the Go To Sleep, on Burke before leaving the ring alone. WWE.com later confirmed that Punk was no longer a member of the New Breed. At Judgment Day 2007, Punk wrestled and defeated Elijah Burke in his first singles match on a pay-per-view. Punk would then go on to One Night Stand 2007 and team up with Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman in a Tables match to defeat the New Breed.

Due to the drafting of ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley to RAW the ECW World Championship was declared vacant and a mini-tournament was announced to declare a new champion between Punk, Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von and the recently drafted Chris Benoit. Punk defeated Marcus Cor Von on the June 19 edition of ECW on Sci-Fi. By doing so CM Punk was meant to face Chris Benoit at Vengeance 2007 for the vacant ECW World Championship, however Benoit was hastily replaced by Johnny Nitro when Benoit no-showed the event due to what was described on-air as "personal reasons". Nitro subsequently defeated Punk at Vengeance for the vacant championship. Punk won another shot at the title at The Great American Bash against Johnny Nitro, who had changed his moniker to John Morrison at this point, however Punk was defeated again by Morrison. Punk the next week would challenge Elijah Burke and Tommy Dreamer in a triple threat match to determine the next competitor in John Morrison's 15 Minutes of Fame Challenge, in which Punk came out victorious. A week later Punk would defeat Morrison with the G.T.S. to earn an ECW Championship title match at SummerSlam. At Saturday Night's Main Event CM Punk would team up with Boogeyman to take on and defeat Morrison and Big Daddy V. CM Punk lost to Morrison for the ECW Championship when Morrison used the ropes for leverage at SummerSlam.

At the September 1, 2007 ECW taping in Cincinnati, Ohio, in a "last chance" title match, Punk defeated John Morrison for the ECW Championship. The match aired on the Sci-Fi Network on September 4.

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Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Benoit's Brain Showed Severe Damage From Multiple Concussions


Benoit's Brain Showed Severe Damage From Multiple Concussions, Doctor and Dad Say

The family of Chris Benoit has been searching for answers since late June, when the professional wrestler killed his wife, 7-year-old son and then himself.

At the crime scene, police found anabolic steroids prompting many to suspect that "roid rage" had accounted for Benoit's behavior, which his family found out of character for the 40-year-old.

His family now believes that new test results on Benoit's brain explain his vicious actions.

The tests, conducted by Julian Bailes of the Sports Legacy Institute, show that Benoit's brain was so severely damaged it resembled the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient.

Bailes and his research team say that this damage was the result of a lifetime of chronic concussions and head trauma suffered while Benoit was in the wrestling ring.

Benoit's father, Michael Benoit, is speaking out in order to warn other athletes, both professional and student.

Full story:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3560015&page=1


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Monday, September 3, 2007

Is there anyone left in the WWE?

NEWS FLASH!
John Cena faces himself at Unforgiven!

Well it seems to be headed that way at least.

John Morrison, Chavo Guerrero, Mr. Kennedy, Umaga and Charlie Haas appear to be the wrestlers most likely to be suspended over violations of the WWE " Wellness Policy".

Six more wrestlers including Randy Orton, King Booker, William Regal, Santino Marella, Chris Masters and Funaki fates remain unclear.

( I'm willing to go double or nothing that " Bulletproof" Orton gets off scott free again)

Two more wrestlers Adam "Edge" Copeland and Gregory Helms are possible, but they are on the injured list.

Batista appears to have been cleared by everyone except the media.
( And he's pissed!)

Add to this Sylvain Grenier's release from WWE after what was apparently a backstage argument with a road agent, Eugene being fired for a third strike on the Wellness Policy, Cryme Tyme being released, Simon Dean.....

The list seems to be growing and growing.

Last one out turn off the lights......

Thursday, August 16, 2007

CM Punk, part 4


On June 24, 2006 Punk made his ECW debut during a house show at the former ECW Arena, defeating Stevie Richards. He made his TV debut on the July 4 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, cutting a brief pre-taped face promo about his straight edge lifestyle emphasizing the disciplinary aspects of being drug and alcohol free. Although he had retained the straight edge gimmick, he now had a Muay Thai training background. Punk made his TV wrestling debut on August 1, 2006 at the Hammerstein Ballroom, defeating Justin Credible. CM Punk established himself in ECW by going undefeated, defeating opponents such as Christopher W. Anderson, Stevie Richards, and Shannon Moore.

Soon after, Punk began feuding with Mike Knox after Knox's girlfriend, Kelly Kelly, was seen to have feelings for Punk. Punk defeated Mike Knox in their first singles match (qualifying for the Extreme Elimination Chamber at December to Dismember in the process) as well as the rematch, after which Kelly Kelly celebrated CM Punk's victory over her boyfriend. Punk then went on to team with D-Generation X and The Hardy Boyz in their Survivor Series match against Rated-RKO, Knox, Johnny Nitro and Gregory Helms, a match where all the participants on DX's side survived elimination. At ECW December to Dismember, Punk participated in the Extreme Elimination Chamber for the ECW World Championship, however was the first person eliminated.

Following this, Punk entered into a feud with Hardcore Holly, who ended Punk's six month unbeaten streak in singles competition on January 9, 2007. Punk went on to feud with Matt Striker, who gave him his second singles loss since being in ECW on January 30. Following this Punk qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23 by defeating Johnny Nitro, being the only member of the ECW roster to qualify. In the final week leading up to WrestleMania 23 Punk made appearances on both RAW and WWE Friday Night SmackDown! defeating Kenny Dykstra and former World Heavyweight Champion King Booker[39] respectively. At WrestleMania 23 Punk competed in, but did not win, the Money in the Bank ladder match being knocked off the ladder just seconds before the winner, Mr. Kennedy, claimed the briefcase

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Monday, August 13, 2007

Brian " Crush" Adams, Dead at age 43


Brian Adams (April 14, 1964 - August 13, 2007) was an actor and professional wrestler. Adams gained fame in the 1990s while performing for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the name Crush and for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his given name.

Trained in Japan by Antonio Inoki, Adams was a two time WCW World Tag Team Champion as well as a one time holder of both the WWF World Tag Team Championship and the All Japan Pro Wrestling World Tag Team Championship among other titles and accomplishments.

In 2002, Adams briefly tried a career in boxing until he was forced to retire due to a back and shoulder injury.

His death was reported by WWE on 13 August 2007.

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Sunday, August 5, 2007

CM Punk, part 3


Punk was assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling, a WWE developmental territory. On September 26, 2005 in his OVW television debut, Punk suffered a ruptured eardrum and broken nose at the hands of Danny Inferno, after he was hit by an overly stiff right hand. Despite the injury, Punk finished the match and quickly recovered.

On November 9, 2005, Punk became the OVW Television Champion after defeating Ken Doane. This led immediately to a feud between Punk and Brent Albright, who had previously been feuding with Doane for the television championship and had lost his chance to wrestle Doane after Punk had hit him with a chair so he himself could wrestle Doane. This led to a series of matches, including one which ended in overtime with Albright having Punk submit to Albright's finisher, the Crowbar, however Punk was able to keep the championship as he had not agreed to the extra time. On January 4, 2006, Punk lost the OVW Television Championship during a three way dance between himself, Albright and Doane. Doane was injured halfway through the match and could not continue and was replaced by Aaron "The Idol" Stevens. Punk submitted to Albright's Crowbar and was eliminated but after interference by Punk, Stevens was able to get the pin on Albright to become the new OVW Television Champion. The feud continued after a short period in which Albright and Punk were a tag team, but they became opponents again after Albright wanted the respect of Punk who would never give it to him and instead proceeded to "punk out" (get the better of) Albright repeatedly. This continued for weeks with Punk always getting the better of Albright until a double turn occurred on February 1, 2006 when Albright turned heel during a tag match allowing The Spirit Squad to beat Punk and, in doing so, turning Punk face.

During this time CM Punk had a minor appearance at WrestleMania 22 on April 2, 2006 as one of the gangsters who rode a 1930s era car to the ring before John Cena's entrance.

When Matt Cappotelli vacated the OVW Heavyweight Championship due to a brain tumor, a tournament was held to crown a new champion. The finals were Brent Albright vs CM Punk with Albright defeating Punk to become the new champion. Punk and Albright continued their feud with Albright becoming more and more unstable and paranoid about maintaining his championship after several close call matches against Punk, resulting in acts such as threatening Maria. On May 3, 2006, Punk finally defeated Brent Albright in a strap match to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship. As champion, Punk retained the title in matches against opponents such as Shad Gaspard, Ken Kennedy, Johnny Jeter, and Mike "The Miz" Mizanin.

On July 28, 2006 Punk and Seth Skyfire defeated Shad Gaspard and the Neighborhoodie to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship at a house show. With the victory Punk became the second OVW wrestler to have held each of the promotion's three championships, following Brent Albright, and along with Skyfire the first to hold two championships simultaneously. They would lose the Tag Team Championship on August 2, 2006 to Deuce Shade and "Domino" Cliff Compton after an injured Skyfire tagged in an already injured Punk.

This lead to a feud between Punk and Skyfire after a rematch for the Tag Team Championship on August 7, 2006 in which a healthy Punk purposefully tagged in an injured Skyfire to be beaten by Shade and Compton. On August 30, 2006 a match was scheduled to take place between Punk and Skyfire for the OVW Heavyweight Championship however prior to the match Skyfire was attacked by Charles "The Hammer" Evans, who Skyfire had also been feuding with, and was replaced in the match by Chet Jablonski (Chet the Jet) who pinned Punk to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship. As he no longer possessed the championship OVW no longer required him so he was removed from the roster and brought up to the WWE roster full time. He continues to make sporadic appearances for the company such as at the 400th episode of OVW on television.

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Saturday, August 4, 2007

CM Punk, part 2


In ROH Punk faced off against ROH World Champion Samoa Joe for the championship in a famous three match series. The first match, on June 12, 2004 at World Title Classic in Dayton, Ohio, resulted in a 60 minute time-limit draw when neither Punk nor Joe could pin or cause the other to submit in the sixty minutes. The second match between Samoa Joe and CM Punk was planned to have occurred on December 4, 2004 but because Steve Corino was pulled from a match with Samoa Joe by Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE the second match was hastily rescheduled on October 11, 2004 for October 16 in Punk's hometown of Chicago, Illinois. At Joe vs. Punk II on October 16 they wrestled to a second 60 minute draw. In addition to becoming Ring of Honor's best selling DVD at that point, the match received the first 5-star rating by Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter for a match in North America since 1997. Joe ended the series by defeating Punk in the third and final match on December 4, 2004 at All-Star Extravaganza 2 in which there was a no time limit stipulation.

In June 2005, Punk accepted a deal with the WWE, after a try-out match against Val Venis on its Sunday Night HEAT show. Even though he had accepted the deal, Punk went on to defeat Austin Aries to win the ROH World Championship on June 18, 2005 at Death Before Dishonor III with the Pepsi Plunge.

Immediately after the match Punk proceeded to turn heel and started an angle where he threatened to bring the ROH World Championship to WWE with him. For weeks, Punk teased the ROH locker room and the ROH fans as well as mocking the championship he possessed, going so far as to sign his WWE contract on it. A notable part of this angle was Mick Foley making several ROH appearances, attempting to convince Punk to do the right thing and defend the title on his way out.

On August 12, 2005 in Dayton, Ohio Punk lost the ROH World Championship to James Gibson in a four corner elimination match consisting of himself, Gibson, Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels, who re-debuted after a year and half long absence following the Rob Feinstein controversy a few minutes after Punk turned heel, when Gibson countered the Pepsi Plunge with a Super Tiger Bomb. His final scheduled match in Ring of Honor took place at Punk: The Final Chapter on August 13, 2005 against long-time friend Colt Cabana in a 2 out of 3 falls match, which he lost. In his last match, he was visibly crying, and was showered with streamers when he posed in the middle of the ring.

Punk made a special appearance at the ROH show Unscripted II on February 11, 2006, when the original card had to be scrapped due to Low Ki leaving ROH the week prior and most of the roster contracted to TNA being pulled from the show due to a snowstorm that TNA officials thought might prevent performers from reaching a pay per view they were running the next day. In the main event, Punk teamed with Bryan Danielson to wrestle and ultimately defeat Jimmy Rave and Adam Pearce in a tag team match.

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Sunday, May 20, 2007

Montel Vontavious Porter/MVP


Hasaan Asaad (born October 28, 1973 ), but tells people his name is Antonio Banks, is an American professional wrestler currently working for World Wrestling Entertainment on the SmackDown! brand under the ring name Montel Vontavious Porter, or MVP.

Banks entered professional wrestling in 1998 after serving 9½ years of an 18 year sentence in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping. At the start of his career he wrestled in many different companies on the independent circuit using the name Antonio Bank$, as well as Full Impact Pro.

In 2005, after a number of house show and dark matches, Banks signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was assigned to their developmental territory Deep South Wrestling. It was there that he first developed the Montel Vontavious Porter character: an arrogant, self-obsessed athlete.

As Porter, he made his first appearance on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) television on the August 4, 2006 edition of SmackDown!, being described by announcers as a coveted free agent.

The initial storyline involved MVP appearing backstage and in arena crowds, often surrounded by women and a bodyguard, and talking to SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long about the contract his (unseen) agent was aggressively negotiating. MVP was often described by commentators as arrogant, as he would stop conversations in the middle to answer his cell phone and admire his own jewelry while people were speaking to him. His on-screen contract signing was held during a segment on WWE.com uploaded on September 27, 2006 view, leading to his in ring debut for the brand at October's No Mercy pay-per-view.

After a heralded entrance with an NFL-like inflatable tunnel and pyrotechnics, he defeated the unknown wrestler Marty Garner. During the match, commentators Michael Cole and JBL decried the choice of opponent, since it had been implied that it would be someone "more competent", and openly mocked his ring gear and called him "pathetic" when the fans chanted Power Ranger at him. On the following weeks SmackDown! MVP demanded a tougher opponent to prove his mettle, and received just that in the form of Kane, who was making his SmackDown! debut after moving from RAW. MVP did his best to delay the match. Despite being largely on the receiving end of their bouts, MVP started out the feud by narrowly scoring wins over Kane in a street fight and a cage match before losing to him in an Inferno match at Armageddon, from which he (kayfabe) suffered 1st degree burns. Because of his burns he was put out of action for a short time, during which color commentator JBL expressed rage with the fans for cheering a match where the only way of achieving victory is to set an opponent on fire.

When the Kane feud died down, MVP began a new one with United States Champion Chris Benoit over Benoit's title To warm up for his match with Benoit, MVP appeared on SmackDown! introducing various supposed Champions from around the world, giving them exaggerated measurements, then proceeded to defeat them in short order. When their match at WrestleMania 23 came around, MVP seemed to have Benoit's number, but still lost the match. A subsequent rematch at Backlash went much the same way, with MVP suddenly losing to an Inside Cradle after looking like he was about to win for much of the match.
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Sunday, March 25, 2007

WWE: Brian Kendrick


Brian David Kendrick (born May 29, 1979) is an American pro wrestler currently wrestling on the SmackDown! brand of WWE, where he is currently one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Paul London.

Kendrick has previously worked for Ring of Honor, TNA Wrestling, and various independent and Japanese promotions, usually under the ring name Spanky. In Japan his ring name is Leonardo Spanky, due to his resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio.

His first match, for the Texas Wrestling Alliance against fellow Texas Wrestling Academy graduate American Dragon, ended in a 10-min time limit draw and received a standing ovation. He proceeded to make a name for himself in UPW, Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE thanks to his great ringwork and the eccentric persona he crafted for himself. Spanky competed in the 2001 King Of Indies Tournament.

He was hired by then SmackDown! General Manager Stephanie McMahon after seeing his great performance in the ring. Before officially debuting as Brian "Spanky" Kendrick he wrestled on Velocity several weeks in a row, each time under a mask and using a new name that tied in with a specific cities sports team. In one such match he was known as Diamondback and defeated Sho Funaki. Spanky soon played a major role in the WWE's cruiserweight division and was teamed up with Paul London.

Brian's "Spanky" gimmick turned up after he interrupted then heel John Cena proclaiming his own hip-hop style was better and more cocky than Cena's own rap lifestyle. The confrontation between Kendrick and Cena resulted in Cena delivering his finisher, the FU, to Spanky, and started up a rivalry between the two wrestlers. However, Spanky was unfortunate on the rivalry after Cena won all the matches.

On January 13, 2004, Brian Kendrick requested to be released from his WWE contract for not getting enough money from house shows and to pursue a run with Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE in Japan. Kendrick had previously claimed in various interviews that he wasn't happy about Tough Enough winners getting bigger pushes, despite Kendrick working hard for his spot. He went on to wrestle for ZERO-ONE, Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla for a short time.

In August 2004, he signed a contract with TNA Wrestling. He did not remain with the company long, only making two appearances. From January 2005 to August 2005, Kendrick competed for Ring of Honor and Zero One.

On June 28, 2005, it was confirmed that Brian Kendrick had signed a new contract with WWE. Spanky appeared on numerous Velocity tapings and live shows before his first re-appearance on SmackDown! on the November 18, 2005 special edition Eddie Guerrero tribute show. He participated in a Cruiserweight Battle Royal but lost to Juventud.

During this time, Kendrick would re-team with his former partner Paul London. The team would make their first reappearance on SmackDown! during the December 2, 2005 edition.

London and Kendrick continued to wrestle both as a tag team and singularly on Velocity for several weeks before being involved in a short feud with the debuting Gymini.

Kendrick along with London returned to Velocity before participating in a non-title match against the WWE Tag Team Champions, MNM (Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury) on the February 10, 2006 edition of SmackDown!, which London and Kendrick were unable to win. On April 7 edition of SmackDown! London and Kendrick would once again face MNM, this time picking up a win over the reigning Tag Team champions in a non-title match. London and Kendrick would continue their winning streak on the champions, including singles victories for both Kendrick and London on both MNM members Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury respectively. London and Kendrick defeated MNM at Judgment Day 2006 to win the WWE Tag Team Championship a few weeks later, thus defeating MNM in singles and tag team matches six times in a row altogether.

As WWE Tag Team Champions, Kendrick and London would go on to successfully defend their titles against other tag teams on the SmackDown! brand; including The Mexicools, The Pit Bulls, and KC James & Idol Stevens. While feuding with James and Stevens, London and Kendrick would be accompanied by Ashley who acted as a valet to the team to combat the actions of James and Stevens' manager Michelle McCool.

On October 14, 2006 London and Kendrick became the longest reigning WWE Tag Team Champions of all time, surpassing MNM's previous record of 145 days. However, the team soon went on a losing streak to the new team of William Regal and Dave Taylor. Regal defeated both team members in singles matches and, on the December 8, 2006 edition of SmackDown!, Kendrick and London lost a non-title tag team match to the pair. However, during a scheduled title defense at Armageddon 2006, London and Kendrick would not only retain the title against Regal and Taylor, but would also win a fatal four-way ladder match which also involved MNM and The Hardys.

On February 2, 2007, London and Kendrick suffered a non-title loss to the rookie team Deuce 'N Domino, in what was their third match on the main show. However, in a title match at No Way Out 2007 London and Kendrick would retain the titles.


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