TRIPLE H

Triple H Biography
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Paul Michael Levesque[2] (born July 27, 1969)[2] is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of his former ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He is currently signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), but is inactive due to an injury. He wrestles on its Raw brand.[6]

Before joining WWE, Levesque began his wrestling career with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1993, wrestling under the ring name Terra Ryzing and later as Jean-Paul Lévesque.[2] Levesque joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1995 with the on-screen persona of wealthy sophisticate Hunter Hearst Helmsley.[1] He later changed his name to Triple H and adopted an alternative image in the stable D-Generation X (DX). After the dissolution of DX, Triple H was pushed as a main event wrestler, winning several singles championships.[3] As part of a storyline, Triple H married Stephanie McMahon, who later became his real-life spouse. In 2003, Triple H formed another stable known as Evolution,[3] and in 2006 and 2009, briefly reformed DX with Shawn Michaels.[7]

Overall, Levesque has won 23 championships in WWE, including thirteen World Championships, having won the WWE Championship eight times, and the World Heavyweight Championship five times (Triple H is also recognized as the first World Heavyweight Champion under WWE's lineage).[8][9] In addition, Levesque won the 1997 King of the Ring, the 2002 Royal Rumble, and was the second Grand Slam Championship winner.[3]

Outside wrestling, Levesque has made numerous guest appearances in film and on television.

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Ring name(s) Hunter Hearst Helmsley (HHH)[1]
Jean-Paul Levesque[1]
Terra Ryzing[2]
Triple H[3]
Billed height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1][3]
Billed weight 255 lb (116 kg)[3]
Born July 27, 1969 (1969-07-27) (age 40)[1][4]
Nashua, New Hampshire[1][2][4]
Resides Greenwich, Connecticut[1]
Billed from Greenwich, Connecticut[1][3]
Trained by Killer Kowalski[2]
Debut March 1992[5]

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Wrestling career

Early career
Levesque was born in Nashua, New Hampshire. In his youth, he was a fan of professional wrestling and his favorite wrestler was Ric Flair.[1][4] Levesque became aware of bodybuilding at the age of fourteen; after graduating from high school in 1987, Levesque entered several bodybuilding competitions.[10] He was crowned Teenage Mr. New Hampshire at the age of nineteen. During this time, he met Ted Arcidi and began to consider a career in professional wrestling.[4][10]

Levesque enrolled at Killer Kowalski's wrestling school in 1992 after it was recommended to him by Arcidi.[4][10] He made his in-ring debut on November 1 of the same year wrestling against Flying Tony Roy.[11] Levesque joined the Independent Wrestling Federation (IWF), which used trainees from Kowalski's school in their promotion. Here, he became the IWF Heavyweight Champion and started using the name Terra Ryzing.[2]

World Championship Wrestling
In early 1994, Levesque signed a one year contract with World Championship Wrestling (WCW).[4][12] In his first televised match, He wrestled as a villain and defeated Brian Armstrong.[1] He continued using the name Terra Ryzing until mid-1994, when he was renamed Jean-Paul Lévesque.[1][13] This gimmick referred to his surname's French origins and he was asked to speak with a French accent, as he could not speak French.[14] During this time, he began using his finishing maneveur, the Pedigree.

Levesque had a brief storyline feud with Alex Wright that ended at Starrcade 1994[1] with Wright pinning him.[15] Between late 1994 and early 1995, Levesque briefly teamed with Lord Steven Regal, whose snobby British persona was a good match with his similar persona.[13] The team was short-lived, however, as Lévesque left for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in January 1995 after WCW turned down his request to be pushed as a singles competitor.[2][13][14]

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (1995-present)

The Connecticut Blueblood (1995–1997)
As a continuation of his gimmick in WCW, Levesque started his WWF career as the "Connecticut Blueblood" Hunter Hearst Helmsley.[14] Levesque appeared in taped vignettes, in which he talked about how to use proper etiquette, up until his wrestling debut on the April 30, 1995 episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge.[16]

Although he was heavily pushed in the first few months after his debut, Levesque's career stalled during 1996, starting off with being mired in a feud with Duke "The Dumpster" Droese following a loss in the Free For All at the 1996 Royal Rumble.[17][18] Up until that event, his angle included appearing on television each week with a different female valet (which included Playboy Playmates Shae Marks and Tylyn John).[1] Sable was his valet at WrestleMania XII, and after his loss to Ultimate Warrior,[19] as part of the storyline, he took his aggressions out on her. The debuting Marc Mero—her real-life husband—came to her rescue, starting a feud between the two wrestlers.[20]

On May 28, 1996, Helmsley appeared on WWF Superstars against Marty Garner.[21] When Levesque attempted to perform the Pedigree, Garner mistook the maneuver for a double underhook suplex and tried to jump up with the move, causing him to land squarely on top of his head and suffer neck damage.[21] Garner sued the WWF, eventually settling out of court and later discussed the incident in an appearance on The Montel Williams Show.

Levesque was known backstage as one of the members of The Kliq, a group of wrestlers including Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman and Scott Hall, who were known for influencing Vince McMahon and the WWF creative team.[17] He was scheduled to win the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, but was demoted from championship contender to "jobber to the stars" after the Madison Square Garden Incident, in which the Kliq broke character after a match to say goodbye to the departing Nash and Hall.[22] Despite the punishment, Helmsley did have several successes following the MSG Incident. Mr. Perfect became his manager and he won the WWF Intercontinental Championship for the first time on October 21, 1996, defeating Marc Mero.[20][22] When Mr. Perfect left the WWF, his departure was explained to be a result of Helmsley turning his back on his manager as soon as he won the Intercontinental Championship. Levesque held the belt for nearly four months before dropping it to Rocky Maivia on the February 13, 1997 special edition of Monday Night Raw, called Thursday Raw Thursday.[23] For a very brief time, Helmsley was accompanied by Mr. Hughes, who was his storyline bodyguard.[24] After losing the Intercontinental title, he feuded with Goldust, defeating him at WrestleMania 13.[25] During their feud, Chyna debuted as his new bodyguard.[26]

D-Generation X (1997–1999)
Main article: D-Generation X

Helmsley's push resumed in 1997, when he won the 1997 King of the Ring tournament by defeating Mankind in the finals.[22][27] Later that year, Shawn Michaels, Helmsley, Chyna and Rick Rude formed D-Generation X (DX). This stable later became known for pushing the envelope, as Michaels and Helmsley made risqué promos—spawning the catchphrase "Suck It", using a "crotch chop" hand motion,[28] and sarcastically deriding Bret Hart and Canada. By that point, Helmsley had fully dropped the "blueblood snob" gimmick, appearing in T-shirts and leather. During this period, his ring name was shortened to simply Triple H.[22] Even after the DX versus Hart Foundation storyline ended, Helmsley continued to feud with the sole remaining member Owen Hart over the WWF European Championship. This ended in a match between the two at WrestleMania XIV, with the stipulation that Chyna had to be handcuffed to then-Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter. Helmsley won after Chyna threw powder into Slaughter's eyes, momentarily "blinding" him and allowing her to interfere in the match.

After WrestleMania, Michaels was forced into temporary retirement due to a legitimate back injury sustained at the Royal Rumble,[29] with Triple H taking over the leadership position in DX,[22] claiming that his now-former associate had "dropped the ball". He introduced the returning X-Pac the night after WrestleMania and joined forces with the New Age Outlaws.[22][30] As 1998 went along, D-Generation X became more popular, turning the group from villains to fan favorites. It was also during this time that Triple H began a feud with the leader of the Nation of Domination and rising WWF villain, The Rock.[10] This storyline rivalry eventually led to a feud over the Intercontinental Championship, which Triple H won in a ladder match at SummerSlam.[10] He did not hold the title long, however, as he was sidelined with a legitimate knee injury.[10] When The Rock won the WWF Championship at Survivor Series,[31] the rivalry between the two continued, as DX fought The Corporation stable, of which The Rock was the main star. Triple H received a shot at the WWF Championship on the January 25, 1999 edition of Raw in an "I Quit" match against The Rock, but the match ended when Triple H was forced to quit or see his aide Chyna chokeslammed by Kane.[10] This began a new angle for Triple H, as Chyna betrayed him by attacking him after the match and joining The Corporation.[10]

As part of the storyline, at WrestleMania XV, Triple H beat Kane with the aid of Chyna, who was thought to have rejoined DX.[10] Later on in the night, he betrayed his long-time friend and fellow DX member X-Pac by helping Shane McMahon retain the European Championship and joined The Corporation.[10] After Triple H's villain turn in early 1999, he moved away from his DX look, taping his fists for matches, sporting new and shorter wrestling trunks, and adopting a shorter hairstyle.[10] Levesque's gimmick changed as he fought to earn a WWF title shot.[10] After numerous failed attempts at winning the championship, Triple H and Mankind challenged WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin to a Triple Threat match at SummerSlam, which featured Jesse "The Body" Ventura as the special guest referee. Mankind won the match by pinning Austin.[32] The following night on Raw, Triple H defeated Mankind to win his first WWF Championship.[10]

Triple H dropped the WWF Championship to Vince McMahon on the September 16, 1999 edition of SmackDown! before regaining it at Unforgiven in a Six-Pack Challenge that included Davey Boy Smith, Big Show, Kane, The Rock, and Mankind. He defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin at No Mercy before dropping the title to Big Show at Survivor Series. Triple H then continued his feud with Vince McMahon by marrying his daughter, Stephanie McMahon. He then defeated McMahon at Armageddon. As a result of the feud, an angle with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon began which carried the WWF throughout the next seventeen months; together they were known as the "McMahon-Helmsley Faction".[33]

McMahon-Helmsley Era (2000–2001)

By January 2000, Triple H dubbed himself "The Game," implying that he was at the top of the wrestling world, and was nicknamed "The Cerebral Assassin" by Jim Ross. On the January 3 edition of Raw is War, Triple H defeated The Big Show to win his third WWF championship.[34]

Triple H feuded with Mick Foley in early 2000 in a storyline that ended with a Hell in a Cell match at No Way Out that sent Foley into retirement.[35] Triple H pinned The Rock at WrestleMania 2000 to retain the title,[36] but lost it at Backlash to The Rock.[37] He regained it three weeks later, in an Iron Man match at Judgment Day,[38] only to lose it back to The Rock at King of the Ring.[39] Hunter then entered a storyline feud with Chris Jericho, which culminated in a Last Man Standing match at Fully Loaded.[39]

A later storyline feud between Triple H and Steve Austin started when it emerged that Triple H had paid off Rikishi to run down Austin at Survivor Series, causing him to take a year off. In reality, Austin's previous neck injuries started bothering him again, forcing him to have surgery. In 2000, Triple H and Austin had a match at Survivor Series that ended when Triple H tried to trick Austin into coming into the parking lot to run him over again, only to have Austin lift his car up with a forklift and flip the car onto its roof 10 feet high. Triple H returned a few weeks later and attacked Austin. The feud continued into 2001 and ended in a Three Stages of Hell match in which Helmsley defeated Austin. In 2001, Triple H also feuded with The Undertaker, who defeated him at WrestleMania X-Seven.[40] The night after WrestleMania, Triple H interfered in a steel cage match between Austin (who had just won the WWF Championship) and The Rock where he joined forces with Austin and double teamed on The Rock,[41] forming a tag team called The Two-Man Power Trip. Triple H then defeated Chris Jericho for his third Intercontinental Championship on the April 5 edition of SmackDown!,[42] and won it for a fourth time two weeks later by defeating Jeff Hardy. Triple H then became a tag team champion for the first time at Backlash when he and Austin defeated Kane and The Undertaker in a winner-take-all tag match.[43]

During the May 21, 2001 episode of Raw, he suffered a legitimate and career-threatening injury.[1][44] In the night's main event, he and Austin were defending the Tag Team Championship against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. At one point, Jericho had Austin trapped in the Walls of Jericho. Triple H ran in to break it up, but just as he did, he suffered a tear in his left quadriceps muscle,[1][44] causing it to come completely off the bone.[4] Despite his inability to place any weight on his leg, Triple H was able to complete the match.[4] He even allowed Jericho to put him in the Walls of Jericho, a move that places considerable stress on the quadriceps. The tear required an operation, which was performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. This injury brought an abrupt end to the McMahon-Helmsley Era, as the rigorous rehabilitation process kept Triple H out of action for over eight months,[1][4] completely missing The Invasion storyline.

Return from injury (2002)

Triple H returned to Raw as a fan favorite on January 7, 2002 at Madison Square Garden.[4] He won the Royal Rumble and received a WWF Undisputed Championship match at WrestleMania X8.[45] At WrestleMania X8, Triple H beat Chris Jericho for the Undisputed Championship.[1][45] After holding the title for a month, Helmsley dropped it to Hulk Hogan at Backlash.[45] Triple H then became exclusive to the SmackDown! roster due to the WWF Draft Lottery and continued to feud with Jericho, culminating in a Hell in a Cell match at Judgment Day. On June 6, Triple H defeated Hogan in a Number One Contenders match for the Undisputed Championship at the King of the Ring against The Undertaker but was unsuccessful at the event.

In the interim, between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, the McMahon-Helmsley Faction was brought to an official on-screen conclusion. By the time he returned, Triple H's on-screen marriage to Stephanie McMahon was on the rocks, so Stephanie faked a pregnancy in order to get him back on her side.[46] When he learned that it was fake, he dumped her publicly on Raw when they were supposed to renew their wedding vows.[46] Stephanie aligned with Jericho afterward,[46] but she was forced to leave after losing a Triple Threat match on Raw the night after WrestleMania when she was pinned by Triple H.[47] The divorce, and thus the storyline, was finalized at Vengeance.[48]

Meanwhile, Shawn Michaels had made his return to WWE and joined the New World Order (nWo). Michaels and Kevin Nash planned to bring Triple H over to Raw in order to put him into the group. Vince McMahon, however, disbanded the nWo following several backstage complications and brought in Eric Bischoff as the Raw brand's new General manager. One of Bischoff's first intentions was to follow up on the nWo's plan and bring Triple H over to the Raw roster. Triple H did indeed go to the Raw brand, reuniting with Shawn Michaels, but on July 22, he turned on Michaels by performing a Pedigree on him during what was supposed to be a DX reunion, becoming a villain again. The following week, Triple H smashed Michaels' face into a car window to prove that Michaels was "weak". These events led to the beginning of a long storyline rivalry between the former partners and an eventual "Unsanctioned Street Fight" at SummerSlam, in which Michaels came out of retirement to win. Afterwards, however, Triple H attacked him with a sledgehammer, and Michaels was carried out of the ring.[49]

Before September 2, 2002, WWE recognized only one champion for both the Raw and SmackDown! brands. After SummerSlam, champion Brock Lesnar became exclusive to SmackDown!, leaving Raw without a champion. Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff then awarded the World Heavyweight Championship to Triple H in the form of the old WCW Championship belt.[50] Triple H retain his title against Rob Van Dam at Unforgiven when Ric Flair hit RVD with a sledgehammer, and against Kane at No Mercy in a title unification match in which Triple won the Intercontinental Championship and unified it with his World Heavyweight Championship, but he eventually dropped the belt to Shawn Michaels in the first ever Elimination Chamber match at Survivor Series.[51] He defeated RVD for the title shot at Armageddon with Michaels as special referee. He regained the title from Michaels in a Three Stages of Hell match at Armageddon.[51]

Evolution (2003–2005)
Main article: Evolution (professional wrestling)

In January 2003, Triple H formed a stable known as Evolution with Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Batista. Triple H and Ric Flair challenged RVD and Kane for the World Tag Team Titles, but they lost the match. The group was pushed on Raw from 2003 to 2004. The height of their dominance occurred after Armageddon when every member of Evolution left the pay-per-view holding a title.[52] Triple H held the World Heavyweight Championship for most of 2003 until Unforgiven, losing the title to Bill Goldberg. After a failed attempt to win back the title from Goldberg in a rematch at the Survivor Series, he finally regained the championship against Goldberg in a triple threat match at Armageddon which also involved Kane. At the 2004 Royal Rumble, Triple H and Shawn Michaels fought in a Last Man Standing match to a double countout, so Triple H retained the title as a result.[52] Triple H dropped the title to Chris Benoit at WrestleMania XX,[53] and he was unable to reclaim the belt from Benoit in subsequent rematches, including a rematch from WrestleMania between Triple H, Benoit, and Shawn Michaels at Backlash.[53]

He then ended his feud with Michaels, defeating him in a Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood.[53] After another failed attempt, losing to Benoit at Vengeance, he focused on Eugene, beating him at SummerSlam.[54] Triple H then regained the title from former associate Randy Orton at Unforgiven.[55] Following a Triple Threat World Heavyweight title defense against Benoit and Edge on the November 29, 2004 episode of Raw, the World Heavyweight Championship became vacant for the first time.[56] At New Year's Revolution, Triple H won the Elimination Chamber to begin his tenth world title reign.[57] At WrestleMania 21, Triple H lost the championship to Batista,[58] and subsequently lost two rematches at Backlash and Vengeance.[59][60] Following this, Triple H took some time off from wrestling, suffering from minor neck problems.[11]

Triple H returned to Raw on October 3, 2005 as part of WWE Homecoming. He teamed with Flair to defeat Chris Masters and Carlito. After the match, Triple H turned on Flair hitting him with a sledgehammer, sparking a feud between the duo.[61] Flair defeated Triple H in a Steel cage match at Taboo Tuesday for Flair's Intercontinental Championship.[62] Subsequently, Triple H defeated Flair in a non-title Last Man Standing match at Survivor Series to end their feud.[62]

D-Generation X revival (2006–2007)
Main article: D-Generation X revival

Although Triple H failed to win the Royal Rumble match at Royal Rumble, another championship opportunity arose for Triple H in the Road to WrestleMania Tournament. He won the tournament, granting him a match for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 22. At WrestleMania, Triple H and John Cena fought in the main event for the title, which Triple H lost via submission.[63] Later that month at Backlash, Triple H was involved in another WWE Championship match, fighting Edge and Cena in a Triple Threat match, where he lost again. In an act of frustration, a bloodied Triple H used his sledgehammer to attack both Edge and Cena and then performed a number of DX crotch chops.[64] Triple H unsuccessfully attempted to win the WWE title from Cena on numerous occasions, blaming his shortcomings on Vince McMahon, which eventually lead to a feud between the McMahons and Triple H.

Shawn Michaels returned on the June 12 edition of Raw and soon reunited with Triple H to reform D-Generation X, turning Triple H into a fan favorite once again.[7] DX defeated the Spirit Squad at Vengeance in a 5-on-2 handicap match.[65] They continued their feud with Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and the Spirit Squad for several weeks. They then defeated the Spirit Squad again on the July 18, 2006 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event in a 5-on-2 Elimination match. They then again defeated the McMahons at SummerSlam, withstanding the attack of several handpicked WWE superstars by Vince McMahon.[64] At Unforgiven, D-Generation X overcame the odds once again, defeating The McMahons and ECW World Champion Big Show in a Hell in a Cell match. During the match, DX embarrassed Vince by shoving his face in between Big Show's buttocks, and DX won when Triple H broke a sledgehammer over the shoulders of Vince McMahon after Michaels performed Sweet Chin Music on him.[66]

At Cyber Sunday during DX's feud with Rated-RKO, special guest referee Eric Bischoff allowed the illegal use of a weapon to give Rated-RKO the win.[66] At Survivor Series, DX got their revenge when their team defeated Edge and Orton's team in an Elimination Match.[67] In January 2007, at New Year's Revolution, DX and Rated-RKO fought to a no-contest after Triple H suffered a legitimate torn right quadriceps (similar to the one he suffered in 2001 but in the other leg) fifteen minutes into the match.[68][69] Surgery was successfully performed on January 9, 2007 by Dr. James Andrews.[68]

King of Kings (2007–2009)

Triple H made his return at SummerSlam, where he defeated King Booker.[70] After his return, he won the WWE Championship at No Mercy after beating the newly named Champion, Randy Orton, making Triple H an eleven-time world champion.[71] In the same event, Triple H also defeated Umaga in his first title defense after Mr. McMahon declared his already-scheduled bout with Umaga, a title match.[72] McMahon then announced, Orton would receive a title rematch in a Last Man Standing match in the final match of the event, which Orton won after an RKO onto the announcer's table, thus ending Triple H's sixth reign.[72] Triple H's title reign at No Mercy is the fifth shortest reign in WWE history, only lasting through the duration of the event.[72] In the Raw Elimination Chamber at No Way Out, Triple H gained a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania XXIV, by outlasting five other men.[73] However, at WrestleMania XXIV, Randy Orton retained after punting Triple H and pinning John Cena following Triple H's Pedigree on Cena.[74] A month later, at Backlash, Triple H won the title in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match against Orton, Cena, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield, tying the record for most WWE Championship reigns with The Rock.[75] Triple H then retained the title against Orton at Judgment Day in a Steel Cage match and again at One Night Stand in a Last Man Standing match.[76][77] Orton suffered a legitimate collarbone injury during the match, thus ending the feud prematurely.[78]

On June 23, 2008 edition of Raw, Triple H was drafted to the SmackDown brand as a part of the 2008 WWE Draft, in the process making the WWE Championship exclusive to SmackDown.[79] After several successful title defenses against Edge, The Great Khali, and Jeff Hardy, Triple H ultimately lost his title to Edge at the 2008 Survivor Series pay-per-view. He then engaged himself in a feud against Vladimir Kozlov.[80] After qualifying for the Elimination Chamber match at the No Way Out pay-per-view, Triple H won the match to win his eighth WWE Championship, surpassing the record originally set by The Rock at seven reigns.

Feud with The Legacy and DX reunion (2009–2010)

On the February 16, 2009 episode of Raw, Triple H made an appearance aiding Stephanie and Shane McMahon, after they were attacked by Randy Orton.[81] On the February 20 episode of SmackDown, Triple H was interviewed by Jim Ross, in the interview, footage was shown highlighting the events that occurred on the February 16 episode of Raw. Ross asked Triple H how he felt seeing that footage, in response, he broke character (after 5 years of marriage) by admitting that Vince McMahon is his father-in-law, that Shane is his brother-in-law, and that Stephanie is his wife, thus creating a rivalry between Triple H and Orton. On the February 23 episode of Raw, Triple H confronted Orton, before attacking him, Ted DiBiase, and Cody Rhodes (a group known as The Legacy) with a sledgehammer and chasing them from the arena.[82] Weeks later, it was announced that Triple H would defend the WWE title against Orton at WrestleMania XXV.[83] At the event, Triple H defeated Orton to retain the title.[84]

During the 2009 WWE Draft, Triple H was drafted from SmackDown to Raw; since he was the reigning WWE Champion during this time, he brought the title to Raw due to draft regulations.[85] At Backlash, Triple H lost the WWE Championship to Randy Orton after The Legacy defeated Triple H, Shane McMahon and Batista in a six-man tag team match. Triple H was taken out on a stretcher,[86] and did not return until the June 8 episode of Raw, when he confronted The Legacy.[87] On the August 17 episode of Raw, Triple H reunited with Shawn Michaels to reform DX,[88] and defeated Legacy at SummerSlam.[89] At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 13, DX defeated Chris Jericho and The Big Show to win the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.[90] On the February 8, 2010 episode of Raw, DX lost the Unified Tag Team Championship to the team of The Miz and Big Show. Afterwards Triple H participated in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber PPV which John Cena won. Shortly afterwards, he began a feud with Sheamus thus leading to a match at WrestleMania which Triple H won. The two had a rematch at Extreme Rules, designated as a Street Fight which he lost due to being attacked before the match by Sheamus. He then took a hiatus due to being injured.[91]

Acting career

Commercials

His commercial appearances include ads in May 2006 for Miller Lite in which he debates "Man Laws" with the likes of Burt Reynolds, Eddie Griffin and Jerome Bettis.[92] That same month, he also appeared in a commercial for USA Network with Anthony Michael Hall, which cross-promoted Raw and Hall's show, The Dead Zone. Hall's character, a psychic, touches Triple H while he lounges beside a pool and has a vision of him falling asleep in the sun, and fellow wrestler John Cena slapping Triple H's sunburned back and leaving a handprint. He has also appeared in commercials for bodybuilding supplements such as Stacker 2 and YJ Stinger. Levesque also appeared in a Wendy's commercial holding up a Triple Classic Burger calling it the "Triple H Burger".[93]

Film

Levesque appeared in the movie, Blade: Trinity, as a vampire enforcer named Jarko Grimwood.[94]

Levesque has also appeared in several WWE Home Video releases, including Triple H: The Game and Triple H: That Damn Good in 2002, D-Generation-X, a reissue of the VHS version, in 2006, and The New and Improved DX in 2007. Triple H: King of Kings, a DVD covering his career so far, was released on March 25, 2008.[95]

Television appearances

Levesque appeared in an episode of the USA Network series Pacific Blue on August 9, 1998.[96] In December 1998, he did a guest appearance in The Drew Carey Show as the Disciplinarian.[97] He was also featured in the August 14, 2005 episode of MTV's Punk'd in which he was led to believe that he had ruined a wedding by hitting the bride in the face with a door and damaging her nose until Ashton Kutcher and Stacy Keibler showed up. Additionally, his television appearances include guest spots as Triple H on MADtv and Saturday Night Live, and as a character on an episode of The Bernie Mac Show. Levesque also won the WWE edition of The Weakest Link, in which he and Stephanie McMahon were the final two contestants. Levesque has also been a guest announcer for the Mr. Olympia competition.[68] On September 19, 2009 he accompanied Floyd "Money" Mayweather to the ring as he faced off against Juan Manuel Márquez.[98]

Personal life

Before marrying Stephanie McMahon, Levesque was in a relationship with Joanie Laurer (who appeared as Chyna).[33] They dated from 1996 until 2000.[1]

Levesque married Stephanie McMahon on October 25, 2003. On January 8, 2006, WWE announced that McMahon and Levesque were expecting their first child, due on July 27, 2006.[99] Stephanie McMahon continued to work and travel with WWE throughout her pregnancy, giving birth to an 8 lb, 7 oz (3.8 kg) baby girl, Aurora Rose Levesque, on July 24, 2006.[100] The couple had their second child on July 28, 2008, a daughter named Murphy Claire Levesque.[101]

He has a sister named Lynn.[4] His in-laws are Vince, Linda and Shane McMahon.

In late 2004, Levesque released a book entitled Making the Game: Triple H's Approach to a Better Body. Mostly devoted to bodybuilding advice, the book also includes some autobiographical information, memoirs, and opinions.[102]

In wrestling

Finishing moves

Inverted Indian deathlock – WCW;[103] used rarely as a regular move thereafter in WWE[5]
Pedigree[3] (Double underhook facebuster)

Signature moves

Abdominal stretch[5]
Backbreaker
Blatant choke[5]
Chop block[104]
Drop toe-hold
Facebreaker knee smash,[5][105] often as a back body drop counter
Falling or running neckbreaker[5]
Figure four leglock[5]
Flowing DDT[5]
High knee strike[5]
Jumping knee drop[5]
Mounted punches[5]
Running clothesline[5]
Sleeper hold[5]
Spinebuster[5]

Managers

Chyna
Ric Flair
Mr. Hughes
Mr. Perfect
Stephanie McMahon–Helmsley
Vince McMahon
Shawn Michaels
Lord Steven Regal
Sable

Nicknames

"The Connecticut Blueblood"[106]
"The Cerebral Assassin"[11]
"The Game"[1]
"The King of Kings"[11]

Entrance themes

"Blue Blood" by Jim Johnston
"Symphony No. 9 (Fourth movement)" by Ludwig van Beethoven
"Break It Down" by The DX Band (Used while a part of D-Generation X)
"My Time" by Jim Johnston
"The Kings" by Run-D.M.C. (Used while a part of D-Generation X)
"The Game" by Motörhead
"The Game" by Drowning Pool
"Line in the Sand" by Motörhead (Used while a part of Evolution)
"King of Kings" by Motörhead (Used for promos)

Championships and accomplishments

Independent Wrestling Federation
IWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[2]
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI Feud of the Year (2000)[107] vs. Kurt Angle
PWI Feud of the Year (2004)[107] vs. Chris Benoit
PWI Match of the Year (2004)[108] vs. Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit at WrestleMania XX
PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2003–2005)[109]
PWI ranked him #1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2000[110] and 2009[111]
PWI Wrestler of the Year (2008)
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
World Heavyweight Championship (5 times)[112]
WWF/E Championship (8 times)[113]
WWF European Championship (2 times)[114]
WWF/E Intercontinental Championship (5 times)[115]
WWF/E World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Steve Austin (1), and Shawn Michaels (1)[116][117]
WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shawn Michaels[118]
King of the Ring (1997)[3]
Royal Rumble (2002)[119]
Second Grand Slam Championship
Slammy Award for Best Hair (1997)
Seventh Triple Crown Champion
Wrestling Observer Newsletter[120]
Feud of the Year (2000) vs. Mick Foley
Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit
Feud of the Year (2005) vs. Batista
Most Overrated (2002–2004, 2009)
Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler (2002, 2003)
Worst Feud of the Year (2002) vs. Kane
Worst Feud of the Year (2006) with Shawn Michaels vs. Vince and Shane McMahon
Worst Worked Match of the Year (2003) vs. Scott Steiner at No Way Out
Worst Worked Match of the Year (2008) vs. Vladimir Kozlov and Edge at Survivor Series
Wrestler of the Year (2000)
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)
1Triple H's fifth reign was as WWF Undisputed Champion.

Lucha de Apuesta record
See also: Luchas de Apuestas
Wager Winner Loser Location Date Notes
Career Triple H Cactus Jack Connecticut 02000-02-27 February 27, 2000 Title vs. Career Hell in a Cell match on No Way Out in 2000 between Cactus Jack's career and Triple H's WWF Championship.
Mask Triple H Kane New York 02003-06-23 June 23, 2003 Mask vs. Title match on Raw between Kane's mask and Triple H's WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Title Goldberg Triple H Hersey 02003-09-21 September 21, 2003 Title vs. Career match on Unforgiven in 2003 between Goldberg's career in the WWE and Triple H's WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

STEVE AUSTIN

Steve Austin Biography
The following biography is from Wikipedia.org “The Free Encyclopedia.”
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Steve Austin (born Steven Anderson on December 18, 1964, later and formerly Steven Williams),[1] better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin[2] is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler. Austin wrestled for several well-known wrestling promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and most famously, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which later became World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002. Cited by WWE.com and owner Vince McMahon as the most popular wrestler in the company's history,[3][4] Austin gained significant mainstream popularity in the WWF during the mid-to-late 1990s as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, a disrespectful, beer-drinking antihero who routinely defied McMahon, his boss.[5] This defiance was often shown by Austin flipping McMahon off and incapacitating him with the Stone Cold Stunner, his finishing move.[6] McMahon inducted Austin into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

Austin held nineteen championships throughout his professional wrestling career, and is recognized by WWE as a six-time world champion, having held the WWF Championship on six occasions, and the fifth Triple Crown Champion. He was also the winner of the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, as well as the 1997, 1998 and 2001 Royal Rumbles. He was forced to retire from in ring competition in early 2003 due to a series of knee and neck injuries sustained throughout his career. Throughout the rest of 2003 and 2004, he was featured as the Co-General Manager and "Sheriff" of Raw. Since 2005, he has continued to make part-time appearances, but was removed from the Raw roster in 2009 following his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. In his most recent appearance, he served as guest host of the March 15, 2010 edition of Raw.

Austin had his first starring film role as Jack Conrad in the 2007 thriller The Condemned.

****

Born Steven James Anderson
December 18, 1964 (1964-12-18) (age 45)
Austin, Texas, U.S.
Other name(s) Steven Williams
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Occupation Actor/Wrestler
Years active 1989–2003 (wrestler)
1998–present (actor)
Spouse(s) Kathryn Burrhus (1990–1992)
Jeannie Clark (1992-1999)
Debra Marshall (2000-2003)


Stone Cold Steve Austin
Ring name(s) "Stone Cold" Steve Austin[2]
The Ringmaster
"Stunning" Steve Austin
"Superstar" Steve Austin
Billed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[7]
Billed weight 252 lb (114 kg)[7]
Born December 18, 1964 (1964-12-18) (age 45)[1]
Austin, Texas[8]
Resides Victoria, Texas
Billed from Victoria, Texas[7]
Trained by Chris Adams [9][10]
Debut December 18, 1989[9]
Retired March 30, 2003


****

Professional wrestling career

World Championship Wrestling (1991–1995)

Main articles: Dangerous Alliance, Hollywood Blonds, and Stud Stable
After attending Schaumburg High School Austin got a football scholarship at Wharton County Junior College followed by a full scholarship and North Texas State University. Austin played four full years of football, but dropped out of NTSU after his football eligibility ended because he was short of graduating and no longer desired to be in school. He then decided after some time to become a professional wrestler and enrolled at the wrestling school run by Chris Adams, whose school was run out of the Dallas Sportatorium where he was wrestling for World Class Championship Wrestling. Austin made his debut in World Class in 1989 under his real name, but was later given the name "Steve Austin" by Memphis-area booker Dutch Mantel. Austin's run in Memphis was part of the merger between World Class and the Continental Wrestling Association out of Memphis, with the combined company known as the United States Wrestling Association. Austin would eventually return to Dallas and feud with Adams, with Percy Pringle and Jeannie Adams (Adams' real-life former wife and Austin's girlfriend at the time) as his valets. It was during this time Austin adopted the "Stunning" nickname that followed him to WCW.

Austin left WCCW after its final folding in 1990 and signed with WCW the next year. He was originally paired with a valet named Vivacious Veronica,[11] but was later joined by Jeannie Adams as "Lady Blossom". [10][11] Austin defeated Bobby Eaton for the WCW World Television Championship on June 3, 1991, just weeks after his debut. In late 1991, Austin joined Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance.[10][12] Austin lost the WCW Television Championship to Barry Windham in a Two out of three falls match on April 27, 1992. He regained the title from Windham on May 23, 1992. Austin enjoyed a second lengthy reign before losing to Ricky Steamboat on September 2, 1992. The Dangerous Alliance disbanded shortly thereafter.[13] At Halloween Havoc, he replaced Terry Gordy, teaming with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams to wrestle Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham for the unified WCW and NWA World Tag Team title.[13] The teams wrestled to a thirty minute time limit draw.[13]

In January 1993, Austin formed a tag team with Brian Pillman known as The Hollywood Blonds.[10] The Blonds won the WCW World Tag Team Championship on March 3, 1993, defeating Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. The Hollywood Blonds held the title for five months.[10] At Clash of the Champions XXIII the Blonds faced Ric Flair and Arn Anderson in a two out of three falls tag Team title match. Flair and Anderson defeated the Blonds, but were not awarded the title as one fall had been determined by a disqualification.[14] At Clash of the Champions XXIV, Austin and Pillman were scheduled to defend the title against Anderson and Paul Roma. An injured Pillman, however, was replaced by Steven Regal. Austin and Regal lost to Anderson and Roma.[15] With Pillman still injured, Austin joined Colonel Robert Parker's Stud Stable.[16] After Pillman returned, Austin betrayed and defeated him in a singles match at Clash of the Champions XXV.[17]

At Starrcade, in a two out of 3 falls match, Austin defeated Dustin Rhodes in two straight falls to win the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.[10] Austin lost the title to Ricky Steamboat on August 24, 1994. Austin was scheduled to face Steamboat in a rematch for the title at Fall Brawl, but Steamboat was unable to wrestle due to a back injury, and Austin was awarded the title by forfeit. His second reign ended just minutes later when he lost to Steamboat's replacement, Jim Duggan in a match that lasted thirty-five seconds.[18] Austin unsuccessfully challenged Duggan for the United States Championship at Halloween Havoc 1994 and Clash of the Champions XXIX.[19][20] After returning from a knee injury in early 1995, Austin took part in a tournament for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight title, where he defeated Duggan via count out in the first round, but lost to Randy Savage in the quarterfinals.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995)
In 1995, Austin was fired by WCW Vice President Eric Bischoff, after suffering a triceps injury, while wrestling on a Japanese tour; Bischoff and WCW did not see Austin as a 'marketable' wrestler.[10][21] Eventually, Austin was contacted by Paul Heyman of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), who had managed him in WCW.[10] Heyman hired Austin to do in-ring interviews, as he still had not recovered from his injury enough to wrestle.[22] While in ECW, Austin used the platform to develop his future "Stone Cold" persona as well as a series of vignettes running down WCW in general and Bischoff in particular.[10][22]

While with ECW, Austin was known as "Superstar" Steve Austin.[23] He had a match with The Sandman and feuded with Mikey Whipwreck.[23] Whipwreck, who was the ECW World Heavyweight Champion at the time, defeated Austin at November to Remember.[24] The Sandman defeated Steve Austin and Whipwreck in a Triple Threat match at December to Dismember in 1995 for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.[25]

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (1995–2010)

The Ringmaster (1995–1996)
Main article: Million Dollar Corporation
In late 1995, Austin joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) after Kevin Nash and Jim Ross helped convince WWF's owner Vince McMahon to hire him.[10][23] Initially, Austin wrestled as "The Ringmaster" and was managed by Ted DiBiase,[10] who awarded him with the Million Dollar Championship.[26] Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega at WrestleMania XII.[27] During this time, Austin shaved his head bald. At In Your House: Beware of Dog, Austin lost a "Caribbean Strap match" to Vega. In accordance to the pre-match stipulations, DiBiase was forced to leave the WWF, giving Austin the opportunity to forge his own path.[28] Austin later told announcer Dok Hendrix (Michael P.S. Hayes) that he had purposely lost the match in order to rid himself of his manager.

Austin 3:16 and rise to superstardom (1996–1997)

Austin's genuine rise to superstardom began at the 1996 King of the Ring. Austin began using his trademark finishing maneuver, the Stone Cold Stunner; with this new technique, he won the King of the Ring tournament,[10] receiving a push originally intended for Triple H, but taken away from him after an incident the month before. After defeating Marc Mero in the semi-finals, Austin defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the finals.[10][28] At the time, Roberts was portraying a born-again Christian, so after the match, Austin cut a now famous promo during his coronation, telling Roberts,[29] "You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere! Talk about your psalms, talk about John 3:16... Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass!". "Austin 3:16" ultimately became one of the most popular catch phrases in wrestling history.[10]

Austin spoke about Bret Hart constantly and taunted him relentlessly. Hart finally accepted Austin's challenge and returned to the WWF in October 1996. At Survivor Series, Hart pinned Austin in a match which helped create the foundations for the eventual intense year-long feud between the two.[28] The match came hot on the heels of an incident broadcast live on Raw, which saw Austin "break into" Brian Pillman's house, with Pillman holding a gun. During the 1997 Royal Rumble match, Austin was originally eliminated by Bret Hart, but the officials did not see it, and he sneaked back into the ring and eliminated Hart by throwing him over the ropes, thus winning the match.[30] This led to the first-ever pay-per-view main event of Austin's WWF career at In Your House 13: Final Four, which due to real-life events largely revolving around Shawn Michaels, the match was for the suddenly vacant WWF Championship. Austin was eliminated from the four-way match early after injuring his knee, but was involved in the finish which saw Hart win his fourth WWF Championship,[28] which he lost the next night on Raw to Sycho Sid due to Austin's interference, leading to the continuation of their feud. At WrestleMania 13, Hart defeated Austin in a 'Submission' match with Ken Shamrock as a special referee. During the match, Austin was cut so that he bled, and Hart refused to release his Sharpshooter since Austin had refused to give up. The match ended in Austin passing out due to blood loss. Despite his wounds he refused any assistance back to the locker room, thus turning Hart heel and Austin babyface in a rare double-turn.[28] Austin eventually got his revenge on Hart when he injured Hart's leg in a no disqualification match on Raw, which featured Austin refusing to let go of his own Sharpshooter and beating Hart while on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance. Austin would face Hart once again in the main event of In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, which Austin won when Hart was disqualified due to assistance from The British Bulldog. After his feud with Hart, he faced The Undertaker for the WWF Championship at In Your House 15: A Cold Day In Hell. Austin had the Undertaker down with the Stunner, but due to a distraction from Brian Pillman, Undertaker nailed Austin with a Tombstone Piledriver and achieved the victory.[28]

During this time, Austin found a way to win the WWF Tag Team Championship on two separate occasions. On May 25, 1997, Austin and Shawn Michaels defeated Owen Hart and The British Bulldog for the title. They held the title until July 14, before Michaels was forced to vacate due to an injury.[31] That same night a tournament was held to determine who would face Austin and a partner of his choosing for the vacant championship. Hart and Bulldog won the tournament, with Austin refusing to pick a partner and choosing to wrestle the former tag team champions by himself.[32] Late in the match, a debuting Dude Love came out to offer assistance and Austin became a two-time tag team champion.[33] Austin continued his feud with the Hart family, becoming embroiled in a heated rivalry with Bret Hart's brother, Owen Hart.

At SummerSlam, Austin and Hart faced each other with Hart's WWF Intercontinental Championship on the line and an added stipulation that Austin would have to kiss Hart's buttocks if he lost.[32] During the match Hart botched a piledriver and dropped Austin on his head, resulting in a legitimate broken neck for Austin and temporary paralysis. As Hart stalled by baiting the audience, Austin managed to crawl and pin Hart using a roll-up to win the Intercontinental Championship. A visibly injured and dazed Austin was helped to his feet by a number of referees and led to the back. Due to the severity of his neck injury, Austin was forced to relinquish the Intercontinental title and the Tag Team titles. Austin was sidelined until Survivor Series. However, in the interim he made several appearances, one being at Bad Blood where he was involved in the finish of a match between Hart and Faarooq, which was the final match in an Intercontinental Championship tournament. Austin hit Faarooq with the Intercontinental Championship belt while the referee's back was turned, causing Hart to win the match.[32] Austin's motives were to keep the Intercontinental Championship around Hart's waist, and were proven when he interfered in Hart's matches on the October 20 and 27 editions of Raw.[32] Austin would regain the Intercontinental Championship from Hart at Survivor Series.

With Hart out of the way, Austin set his sights on Rocky Maivia, who stole Austin's belt on the November 17 edition of Raw after a beating by his Nation of Domination stablemates.[32] In the weeks to come, Maivia began referring to himself as "The Rock" and declaring himself to be "the best damn Intercontinental Champion" ever.[32] The Rock kept possession of the belt until D-Generation X: In Your House, when Austin defeated him to retain the title and get his belt back. As Austin had used his pickup truck to aid in his victory, McMahon ordered him to defend the title against The Rock the next night on Raw.[32] In an act of defiance, Austin tossed the belt into a New Hampshire river, and McMahon subsequently stripped Austin of the title and awarded it to The Rock.[7]

Feuding with Mr. McMahon (1997–1999)

On September 22, 1997, on the first ever Monday Night Raw to be broadcast from Madison Square Garden, Owen Hart was giving a speech to the fans in attendance. During his speech, Austin entered the ring with five NYPD officers following, and assaulted Hart. As if it looked Austin was going to fight the officers, Vince McMahon ran into the ring to lecture Austin about why he couldn't be "physically" able to compete. After telling McMahon that he respects the fact that he and the WWF cared, Austin attacked McMahon with a Stone Cold Stunner, leaving McMahon in shock. Austin was then arrested on charges of trespassing, assault, and assaulting a police officer. This marked the beginning of the Austin-McMahon rivalry.

With Bret Hart's departure, Austin and Shawn Michaels were the top superstars in the company. Austin won the 1998 Royal Rumble, lastly eliminating The Rock.[34] The next night on Raw, Austin interrupted Vince McMahon in his presentation of Mike Tyson, who was making a special appearance, over the objection of McMahon referring to Tyson as "the baddest man on the planet." Austin flipped off Tyson, which led to Tyson shoving Austin much to McMahon's embarrassment, who began to publicly disapprove of the prospect of Austin as his champion. Tyson was later announced as "the special enforcer" for the main event at WrestleMania XIV, although he appeared to be aligning himself with WWF Champion Shawn Michaels' stable D-Generation X.[10][35] This led to Austin's WWF Championship match against Michaels at WrestleMania XIV, which he won with help from Tyson, who turned on DX by making the deciding three-count against Michaels, and later hit HBK with his knock-out punch. In fact Shawn Michaels had suffered two herniated discs and another completely crushed at the hands of the Undertaker in a 'casket match' in the previous PPV, many have cited this nearly fatal injury of Michaels to be an other reason to why he lost the championship to Austin at WrestleMania XIV.[10] This victory ushered in the Austin Era,[10] and with it, The Attitude Era.[34]

On the Raw after Austin won the WWF Title, Vince McMahon presented him with a new title belt and warned Austin that he did not approve of his rebellious nature and that things could be done "the easy way or the hard way." Austin gave his answer in the form of another Stunner. This led to a segment a week later where Austin had pledged a few days prior in a meeting to "play ball" with McMahon, appearing in a suit and tie, with a beaming McMahon taking a picture of himself and his new corporate champion. The entire thing was a ruse by Austin who in the course of the segment proceeded to tear off the suit, tell McMahon it was the last time he would see Austin dressed like this, punch his boss in the "corporate grapefruits," and take another picture of the two of them while McMahon was doubled over in pain. In April 1998, it appeared Austin and McMahon were going to battle out their differences in an actual match, but the match was declared a no contest when Dude Love made an appearance. This led to a match between Love and Austin at Unforgiven: In Your House, where Austin hit McMahon with a steel chair then the following month they had a rematch at Over the Edge: In Your House for the WWF Championship. Austin managed to retain the title despite McMahon acting as the referee and his "Corporate Stooges" (Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson) as timekeeper and ring announcer, respectively.

McMahon continued to do everything he could to ruin Austin, and he finally scored a big victory for his side at the 1998 King of the Ring tournament.[10] There, Austin lost the WWF Championship to Kane in a First Blood match.[10] Austin further infuriated McMahon by winning back the championship the next night on Raw.[10] Austin also emerged victorious against The Undertaker at SummerSlam. In response, McMahon set up a Triple Threat match at Breakdown: In Your House, where The Undertaker and Kane pinned Austin at the same time. McMahon decided to vacate the WWF Championship[10] and award it based on a match between the Undertaker and Kane, in which Austin was the guest referee. Austin refused to count for either man and attacked both towards the end of the match. McMahon later fired him, although Austin got revenge by kidnapping McMahon and dragging him to the middle of the ring at "gunpoint," which ended up being a toy gun with a scroll that read "Bang! 3:16." Also the segment was very "embarrassing" to McMahon as it showed he was so scared that he urinated his pants. Stone Cold was later re-signed by Shane McMahon. In the semifinals of a tournament to award the vacant championship, Austin lost to Mankind, after Shane double-crossed Austin. The next night on Raw, Judge Mills Lane ruled that The Rock had to defend his newly won WWF Championship against Austin that night. The Undertaker interfered and hit Austin with a shovel, earning Austin a disqualification victory. At Rock Bottom: In Your House, Steve Austin defeated The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match after Kane Tombstoned The Undertaker into the grave. With this victory, Austin qualified for the 1999 Royal Rumble.

Austin's next definitive chance to exact revenge on Mr. McMahon came during the 1999 Royal Rumble match. On Raw, McMahon drew Austin's entry number with the obvious intention of screwing him over. Austin drew entry number one, while McMahon drew number two thanks to WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels. During the Rumble match, McMahon slipped out of the ring and into the crowd as Austin chased him down. It turned out to be a trap as McMahon led Austin into the lobby restroom where he was ambushed by members of The Corporation. Austin was injured and taken away in an ambulance. With Austin gone and not in the Rumble match, McMahon joined the announce table in calling the match. Later on, however, Austin returned in an ambulance and re-entered the Royal Rumble, delivering a Stunner to the Big Boss Man and eliminating him. With the assistance of the Corporation and a last minute interference from The Rock, Austin was eliminated by McMahon himself, and McMahon won the 1999 Royal Rumble.[10] With McMahon turning down his number-one contender spot against The Rock, WWF Commissioner Michaels awarded Austin the title shot during Raw the next night. At St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Stone Cold got a one-on-one match against McMahon in a Steel Cage match, with the WWF Championship opportunity at WrestleMania XV at stake.[10] During the match, Paul Wight made his debut, breaking through from under the ring and attacking Austin. Wight's attack propelled Austin into the side of the cage forcing the cage to give way and dropping Austin to the floor first, making him the victor.[10] Austin defeated The Rock at WrestleMania XV for his third WWF Championship.[10]

Austin faced The Rock in a rematch at Backlash, in which Shane McMahon was the referee. During the match, McMahon approached the ring, only to hand Austin back his Smoking Skull belt and take Shane out of the proceedings. Austin won the match when another referee made the count. The Undertaker, however, won the WWF Championship from Austin at Over the Edge. Due to events revolving around Vince McMahon, Stephanie and Linda McMahon made Stone Cold the Chief Executive Officer of the company. Vince and Shane McMahon challenged Austin to a Handicap Ladder match at King of the Ring with the CEO title on the line, which the duo of father and son won. The next night on Raw, however, Austin made it clear that while he was the CEO of the company, he could have a title shot at any time and place to be determined by himself. Austin made the WWF Championship match that night on Raw and defeated The Undertaker to win his fourth WWF Championship. However, after he won it, the Undertaker came and hit him with the Championship belt, leading to a first blood match at Fully Loaded where Mr McMahon made the rule if Austin lost he would never be able to wrestle for the WWF Championship again, and if Austin won, he would never see McMahon again. Austin won after hitting the Undertaker(with the help of x pac distracting undertaker) with a TV camera and gave McMahon a goodbye Stone Cold stunner. Austin held on to the Championship belt until SummerSlam when he lost it to Mankind in a Triple Threat match also featuring Triple H.[10] Austin would get his rematch at No Mercy against Triple H but lost after The Rock accidentally struck him with a sledgehammer that was meant for Triple H. By Survivor Series, Triple H was still champion. Austin was booked into a triple threat match for the WWF Championship that also included Triple H and The Rock. Instead, however, Austin was run down by a car in the parking lot.[10] The Big Show would replace Austin in the match and would win the WWF Championship. What followed was neck surgery by Dr. Lloyd Youngblood and a nine-month rehabilitation with the car angle as his reason for leaving.[10] In reality, Austin had needed neck surgery since the Owen Hart incident in 1997.[10]

Return and Heel Turn (2000–2001)
Main article: The Power Trip
At Backlash, Austin attacked Triple H and Vince McMahon, helping The Rock reclaim the WWF Championship. At Unforgiven, Austin made his official return and tried to find out who ran him down at Survivor Series the previous year.[10] Rikishi finally admitted to being the driver because "he did it for the people."[10] At No Mercy, Austin was back to face Rikishi in a No Holds Barred Match. During the match, Austin motioned he was going to drive his truck into Rikishi, who by that time was a bloody mess. Before he could, he was stopped by officials and the match was deemed a no contest and Austin was (kayfabe) arrested and later bailed by Commissioner Mick Foley. During a handicap match against Rikishi and Kurt Angle, Triple H came down with the apparent intention of teaming with Austin. After clearing the ring, Triple H smashed his sledgehammer over Austin's head, and revealed it was actually him behind the whole scheme, devised to shield the WWF Championship from Austin and end his career. At Survivor Series, Triple H had plotted to run Austin down again during their match (thus repeating the events of the previous year's Survivor Series) but his plot failed when Austin lifted Triple H's automobile with a forklift, then let it drop 20 feet.

Austin won his third Royal Rumble in January 2001,[36] last eliminating Kane. His rivalry against Triple H ended at No Way Out in a Three Stages of Hell match, with Triple H beating Austin two falls to one. Then, at WrestleMania X-Seven, Austin turned heel by hitting The Rock with a steel chair several times to win the WWF Championship.[10] After the match, Austin shook hands and shared a beer with Vince McMahon. With the victory, Austin became a five-time WWF Champion. The next night on Raw, after teasing a quick face turn, the heel turn continued. He also altered his character considerably over the next few months, in a deliberate turn from the rebellious and anti-establishment character beloved by the fans, Austin became a whiny, temperamental prima donna who would complain incessantly when he felt he was not getting the respect from the fans and wrestlers that he deserved. He also developed an infatuation with McMahon, going to great lengths to impress him and even going so far as to hugging him and bringing him presents. McMahon, though visibly uncomfortable and wary by the attention, was still grateful to have Austin with him instead of against him. During a cage match with The Rock in a rematch for the title, Triple H came down to the ring with a sledgehammer and together with Austin viciously attacked The Rock and put him out of action. Austin further cemented his heel turn the following Thursday on Smackdown! when, during an interview with Jim Ross about his actions at WrestleMania, thought Ross was denouncing their friendship and then proceeded to attack and brutally assault Ross. Austin and Triple H became a team and called themselves The Two-Man Power Trip.[10]

Austin and Triple H were the top heels in the company feuding with The Undertaker and Kane. After defeating Kane and The Undertaker for the WWF Tag Team Championship at Backlash, they held the Tag Team Titles, the WWF Championship (Austin), and the WWF Intercontinental Championship (Triple H) all at once. At Judgment Day, Triple H lost his Intercontinental Title against Kane. Then, the following night on Raw, Austin and Triple H wrestled against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit with the Tag Team Titles on the line. Midway through the match, Triple H tore his quadriceps muscle.[10] As planned, the team lost the Tag Team Title at the end of the match when Triple H accidentally hit Austin in the stomach with a sledgehammer, but the injury to Triple H, which kept him out for the remainder of the year, forced the WWF to go in another direction. Austin had a minor injury for a month.

The Invasion (2001)
See also: The Invasion
Austin was paired with Kurt Angle and feuded against Jericho and Benoit. This culminated with a Triple Threat match at King of the Ring, in which Austin faced the former tag team champions. Although WCW's Booker T interfered, Austin scored the victory and retained his championship. The feud ended at that point, as Benoit had neck surgery after the match, sidelining him for the following year.

In July 2001, with Benoit out for surgery, the Austin/Jericho feud was dropped without a mention. With the Rock still away making movies, the WWF desperately rushed out the plans for The Invasion. As The Invasion storyline began and progressed, McMahon, was watching helplessly as his empire was crumbling around him due to The Alliance luring more and more talent away from the WWF, and his biggest allies, Austin and Angle, too busy sucking up to him and bickering amongst themselves to successfully counter the Alliance. Austin made it known that he was against teaming with Angle, whom Austin saw as both a threat to his title, as well as an annoying tag along. A frustrated McMahon appealed to Austin to return to his old Texas Rattlesnake persona, even imploring him to give him a Stone Cold Stunner. Though intending to fire up Austin, it backfired and only seemed to hurt his feelings, as he promptly left the arena, dejected. But the week before InVasion, the old Stone Cold Steve Austin "returned," delivering stunners to the Alliance members. This was all part of the setup for a swerve at the event, where Austin betrayed the WWF team and partner Angle to help the Alliance win, as Austin assumed leadership of the group.[10] The reason why Austin did this was because he felt that McMahon was grooming Angle to take over his spot, and that he was "unappreciated" when McMahon insisted he return to the old Austin.

Austin lost and regained his title in a feud with Angle, who was put over by Austin as a threat. Austin lost the title to Angle at Unforgiven before regaining it on the October 8, 2001 episode of Raw.[10] Angle then joined the Alliance.[10] As the Invasion angle dragged on, it was ultimately decided to bring the plot line to an end with Austin and a group of ECW and WCW wrestlers facing The Rock and a group of WWF wrestlers at Survivor Series. Austin and his team lost after Angle betrayed him, thus ending the Invasion angle. The next night on Raw, as McMahon was about to award Angle with the WWF Championship for actions at Survivor Series, Ric Flair came out and announced that he owned half of the WWF. Austin came out and attacked Angle and McMahon, thus regaining the WWF Championship. Austin then had a beer bash with Flair, turning Austin face once again. Austin would hold the WWF Championship for another month before losing it to Chris Jericho at Vengeance due to interference from Booker T. Jericho defeated both The Rock and Austin consecutively that night, winning the WCW World Title and later the WWF Title and combining them to create the WWF Undisputed Championship. After that, Austin continued another feud with Booker T. In one angle, Austin defeated Booker T in an unofficial grocery store fight.

Backstage issues and departure (2002–2004)

By 2002, Austin's spot as top face in the WWF was not secure as it had been. In the 2002 Royal Rumble, Triple H was set to make his long awaited return from injury, with he and Austin 2 of the last 4 participants in the ring along with Kurt Angle and Mr Perfect. Austin was eliminated by Kurt Angle, however he shortly went back in the ring and hit all the last 3 with a steel chair. A few days later on Raw he defeated Kurt Angle to earn a WWF Undisputed title shot against Chris Jericho at No Way Out 2002, where the re-signed New World Order started a feud with him after Austin refused a beer gift. Austin was originally intended to be the one to challenge Hollywood Hogan, but since Hogan and Austin could not agree on how the match would finish, The Rock took his place and defeated Hogan. At WrestleMania X8, Austin defeated Scott Hall instead. In a surprise altercation the next night on Raw, Austin refused to show up and took a week long break without the companies consent, claiming exhaustion.

Austin returned on the April 1, 2002 episode of Raw, the first of the new "brand extension" era. The show was centered on which show he would sign with, and he ultimately chose Raw. Austin entered a feud with the Undertaker that resulted in a number one contenders match for the WWF Undisputed Championship at Backlash, which Austin lost despite having his foot on the rope. He would later be betrayed by Big Show, who went on to rejoin the nWo, and Ric Flair. Austin then defeated Big Show and Flair in a handicap match at Judgment Day. Bored and run down, Austin began to create problems backstage. In an interview on WWE television by telephone, Austin criticised the direction the company was heading in and slated the creative team for not using him the way he felt they should have. McMahon responded a week later on the same show claiming that Austin was the type of wrestler who was occasionally difficult to work with. The WWF rehired Eddie Guerrero for Austin to feud with, whilst also prepping Austin for a feud with Brock Lesnar. Austin, however, vetoed any matches that would result in him losing and ultimately walked out of the company when the writing staff wanted Austin to lose to Lesnar.[37] Austin later explained that he thought hot-shotting a victory did no favors to either side, as it made Austin look weak losing to a rookie and did not give Lesnar a proper stage for such a big win over a star of the magnitude that Austin held. Further fanning the flames amongst Austin's growing number of detractors was a well-publicized domestic dispute incident between Austin and his wife Debra.[37] Austin's last appearance was on June 3, when he defeated Flair in a match where Flair became Austin's servant. After Austin no-showed an episode of Raw, the angle was dropped.[37] Austin had decided to walk out again because of bad storylines that were presented to him by the creative team.[37] The commentators, including long time Austin supporter Jim Ross, buried Austin on WWE programming, referring to the situation as Austin "taking his ball and going home" because he wasn't getting his way. This period was also documented in an episode of WWE Confidential.

In February 2003, Austin returned to WWE at No Way Out in a short match against Eric Bischoff. Austin would wrestle only one match between then and WrestleMania in another short match against Bischoff on Raw, but was then defeated by The Rock at WrestleMania XIX, who returned about the same time as a smug, "sell out" villain, which, ultimately, became Austin's last official match in WWE. The night after on Raw, Bischoff "fired" Austin on medical grounds. Austin then gave an interview with wwe.com the next morning confessing that the medical problems read out on Raw were real and had been seriously plagueing him since late 2001, and was wrestling against the advice of his doctors up to his departure in 2002 which forced him to quit wrestling. He announced deep regret over the situation that led to his departure and the way in which he'd left, and deeper regret over inaccurate speculation regarding his alleged grudges held against other WWE wrestlers, claiming he had no problems with Kevin Nash or Scott Hall rejoining the company, but did confess he had problems with HHH's role in the company upon his return, but insisted as of 2003 they resolved, and that none of his disputes with the wrestlers continued or played the major part in his departure.

He was brought back by Linda McMahon as the Co-General Manager of Raw. The move to the role of Co-General Manager was a way to keep Austin on-camera while limiting Austin's in-ring performance due to the long running injuries wearing him down throughout his career. On the November 17, 2003 edition of Raw, Austin was "fired" from Raw as the result of a stipulation in a match at Survivor Series where Austin's hand-picked team of wrestlers failed to beat Bischoff's team of wrestlers. Austin quickly returned to WWE television before the end of 2003 when he was part of the WWE Tribute to the Troops taped live in front of U.S. troops in Iraq, posing and stunning Mr. McMahon. He finally came back on Raw on December 29 as its "Sheriff", giving a Stone Cold Stunner to Eric Bischoff and rehiring Shawn Michaels, who had just been "fired" by Bischoff.

Austin appeared on and off as 2004 began, culminating in him being the special guest referee for the infamous match between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg at WrestleMania XX. Then, on April 17, WWE put out a press release on their website claiming that Steve Austin and WWE were unable to settle long-running contract disputes and had again parted ways.

Part-time appearances (2005-present)

Austin made his first appearance on WWE programming in a year at WrestleMania 21 where he was confronted by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in Piper's Pit until Carlito interrupted to insult both. This resulted in Carlito receiving a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin and Piper throwing him out of the ring. The segment ended with Austin and Piper celebrating with beer until Austin gave Piper a Stone Cold Stunner as well. He then appeared on the following nights Raw.

At ECW One Night Stand Austin came to the ring following the show's main event. Wearing a Las Vegas Outlaws (of the failed XFL) jersey, Austin came to the ring to give The Sandman a beer which he had asked for. However, Austin invited the whole locker room to the ring for a Beer Bash. However, before the bash he demanded the WWE Crusaders come to the ring for a fight. Tazz came to the ring, which started the brawl. After Taz applied the Tazmission to Kurt Angle the brawl ended. ECW stood alone in the ring after throwing all of the Crusaders out of the ring. Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack) then dragged Eric Bischoff to the ring. The Dudley Boyz gave him a Dudley Death Drop, followed by Chris Benoit giving him a Diving Headbutt, Rey Mysterio followed that with a 619. When Austin then asked Bischoff about his feelings on the night, he responded with "Fuck ECW", which promoted Austin to give Bischoff a stunner. As the Dudley Boyz took Bischoff outside, and loaded him onto a WWE production truck, the remaining ECW Originals took place in a "beer bash" as the show went off the air. He was on Raw the following night.

Then, at WWE Homecoming, Austin again returned to Raw, delivering Stunners to all four members of the McMahon family.[38] An angle including Jim Ross being fired led to a match in which Austin agreed to face Ross's replacement, Jonathan Coachman, at Taboo Tuesday, with the stipulation of Ross regaining his announcing job if Austin were to win and Austin losing his own job if he lost the match. Austin balked at the decision for Coachman to win, however, and once again walked out on the company after storyline disagreements. To explain away his failure to appear at Taboo Tuesday, Vince McMahon said on Raw that Austin had been involved in an accident, thus preventing him from competing. Batista substituted for Austin defeating the Coach along with Vader and Goldust. The stipulation was dropped due to Austin not competing.[39]

Austin returned to WWE briefly to face John "Bradshaw" Layfield in a beer drinking contest at the March 5, 2006 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event. Austin won by disqualification as he saw JBL cheating by pouring the beer down his clothes. Austin gave a stunner to JBL and then celebrated with the Stone Cold beer salute. Austin then inducted Bret Hart into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 1, 2006.[40]

Austin returned to WWE programming (appearing on Raw, ECW, and SmackDown!) in March 2007, partially to promote his starring role in the release of WWE Films' production, The Condemned. On March 31, 2007, Austin inducted his friend Jim Ross into the WWE Hall of Fame. At WrestleMania 23, Austin, as a special guest referee, officiated the match between Bobby Lashley and Umaga. The stipulation for the match was that if Lashley lost, Donald Trump's head would be shaved, and if Umaga lost, Mr. McMahon's head would suffer the same fate. In the course of the event, Austin delivered stunners to Umaga, Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Donald Trump Lashley eventually won the match, and Trump, Austin and Lashley then shaved Mr.McMahon's head on live TV. Stone Cold ended by stunning McMahon as well as Donald Trump and toasting beers.[41] He then appeared in a video on the June 11 edition of Raw as part of "Mr. McMahon's Appreciation Night", where he shared his thoughts on his past feuds with McMahon.[42]

Austin appeared on the August 18, 2007 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, as a possible illegitimate child of Mr. McMahon and stunned McMahon and Jonathan Coachman. Austin appeared at SummerSlam where he was the replacement for Matt Hardy to battle Montel Vontavious Porter in a Beer Drinking Contest. The match ended in a no contest after Austin handed a beer to MVP and gave him the Stone Cold Stunner.[43] Austin made another appearance at Cyber Sunday (2007), where he guest refereed a World Heavyweight Championship match between the champion Batista, and the challenger The Undertaker. Batista walked out the champion after delivering a Batista Bomb to The Undertaker.On the November 5, 2007 edition of Raw, Austin made an appearance to confront Santino Marella for criticizing The Condemned.[44] The argument ended as Marella received a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin, who then walked backstage only to return with a Budweiser beer truck to hose down Marella and his valet Maria with beer.[44] On December 10, 2007 during the Raw 15th Anniversary Spectacular, Austin returned after Vince McMahon received the mandible claw from Mankind and a chokeslam from The Undertaker for proclaiming himself "the greatest Raw superstar of all time." Shortly after, McMahon received a Stone Cold Stunner as Austin called out all WWE stars in attendance to the ring to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Raw. The show closed as Austin, Triple H and Hornswoggle poured beer on McMahon, who was knocked out outside the ring.

On October 26, 2008 at Cyber Sunday, Austin was the special guest referee during a match between Batista and Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship. In between the match Stone Cold told a fleeing Jericho that if he was counted out or disqualified, Batista would win the title. During the course of the match, Batista accidentally knocked Austin down. When Austin recovered, Randy Orton, who had come out as the third referee, knocked Austin back down, only to receive a Stone Cold Stunner when Austin recovered. Eventually Batista won the match by hitting his signature Batista Bomb on Chris Jericho, leading Austin to give the three count, making Batista the new World Heavyweight Champion.[45]

On January 12, 2009 edition of Raw, Austin was announced to be the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009.[46] He was inducted by his long-term on-screen rival Vince McMahon, who referred to Austin as "The Greatest WWE Superstar of all time." During the induction, there were "one more match" chants, to which Austin said he was officially closing the door on his wrestling career and starting a new chapter in his life. At WrestleMania XXV, Austin was introduced alongside the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009. After the introductions, Austin's theme music hit, and he re-entered the ringside area wearing a vintage "Austin 3:16" shirt driving an ATV. He enjoyed his trademark beer bash with the fans, whilst announcers Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole stressed that this was his "final time" in a WWE ring.

Austin returned to the company on the March 15, 2010 episode of Raw as its guest host. On that episode of Raw he moderated a contract signing between Vince McMahon and Bret Hart for their match at WrestleMania XXVI. In the same episode Austin met up backstage with his long time rival Shawn Michaels, who asked Austin whether he believed that Michaels could end the Undertaker's undefeated Wrestlemania streak in their upcoming match. Austin replied that he believed Michaels could beat the Undertaker, but that he wouldn't be able to do so at Wrestlemania. Michaels lost the match extending the Undertaker's streak to 18-0 and forcing Shawn to retire.

On the July 5, 2010 episode of WWE Raw, it was hinted that Austin could possibly be the new "mystery" General Manager that was running Raw from behind-the-scenes by e-mail messages that were read by Michael Cole to the crowd when they were received on a laptop stationed close to the announcers table. Two different e-mails that were sent had subtle hints in them such as, "That's the bottom line, because the GM says so", and "if you want to see some action, give me a hell yeah!" On the next week episode of RAW, it was denied after the "mystery" GM used a catchphrase from Rowdy Roddy Piper.

Personal life

Steve Williams dated Kathryn Burrhus throughout high school and college, and the two married on November 24, 1990. Nonetheless, Williams pursued a relationship with Jeannie Clark ("Lady Blossom"), with whom he was working. His marriage to Burrhus was quickly annulled on August 7, 1992,[47] and Williams and Jeannie married on December 18, 1992. Together, they have two daughters, Stephanie (born in 1992) and Cassidy (born in 1996).[48] He also adopted Jade, Jeannie's daughter with former husband Chris Adams.[49] They divorced on May 10, 1999 and their daughters live in Southend-on-Sea, England with Jeannie.[48][50]

On September 13, 2000, Williams married Debra Marshall.[51] On June 15, 2002, however, police were called to their residence in San Antonio, Texas.[37] They found a hysterical Debra with bruises.[52] Austin had left the house and was asked by police not to return. On August 14, 2002, Austin was arrested and charged with domestic abuse. He pled no contest on November 25, 2002 and was given a year's probation, a $1,000 fine and ordered to carry out eighty hours of community service.[53] Debra would later claim that Steve Austin was a steroid user and this incident was the result of roid rage.[54] Austin filed for divorce from Debra on July 22, 2002 and the divorce was finalized on February 5, 2003.[55]

In December 2007, the Wrestling Observer newsletter reported that "Stone Cold" Steve Austin legally changed his real name (Steven Williams) to his wrestling name Steve Austin,.[56]

In wrestling

Finishing moves
As "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Stone Cold Stunner (Sitout three-quarter facelock jawbreaker, usually preceded by a kick to the opponent's midsection)[57]
As "Stunning" Steve Austin
Stun Gun (Flapjack dropped into a hangman)[57]
As The Ringmaster
Million Dollar Dream (Cobra clutch)[57]

Signature moves
As "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Back body drop[57]
Catapult[57]
Clothesline[57]
Cobra clutch[57]
Leapfrog body guillotine to an opponent draped over the second rope[57]
Mudhole Stomp (Multiple stomps to the chest of a seated opponent in a corner, followed by the middle finger gesture to the opponent and finished with a final stomp)[57]
Pointed elbow drop,[57] sometimes from the second or top rope[57]
Spinebuster[57]
Stomp to the opponent's groin[57]
Superplex
Texas piledriver[57]
Thesz press[57] followed by multiple punches
As "Stunning" Steve Austin
Hollywood and Vine (Standing figure four leglock)[57]
Knee drop[58]
Pointed elbow drop, sometimes from the second or top rope[57]
Schoolboy pin
Sleeper hold[58]
Vertical suplex[58]

Managers
Paul E. Dangerously[59]
Col. Robert Parker[16]
Ted DiBiase[10]
Paul Bearer

Nicknames
"Stone Cold"[57]
"The Texas Rattlesnake"[60][61]
"The Bionic Redneck"[61][62]
"The Meanest, Toughest Son of a Bitch in the WWF/E"[57]
"Superstar"[57]
"Stunning"[57]
"C.W."

Entrance music
"Roman Love" (WCW)
"Satan's Sister" (WCW) (as part of the Hollywood Blondes)
"Jesus Christ Superstar" (ECW)[23]
"Million $ Rap" by Jim Johnston (WWF; 1996, as The Ringmaster)
"Ringmaster" by Jim Johnston (WWF; 1996, as The Ringmaster)
"Hell Frozen Over" by Jim Johnston (WWF; 1996–1998)
"I Won't Do What You Tell Me" by Jim Johnston (1998–2000, 2001–2010)
"Glass Shatters" by Disturbed (2000–2001)
"Rattlesnake"/"Paranoid"/"Venemous" by Jim Johnston (WWF; 2001, used interchangeably during the InVasion angle)[63][64][65]

Championships and accomplishments

Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI Feud of the Year (1998, 1999)[66] vs. Vince McMahon
PWI Match of the Year (1997)[67] vs. Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 in a Submission match
PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2001)[68]
PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1998)[69]
PWI Rookie of the Year (1990)[70]
PWI Wrestler of the Year (1998, 1999, 2001)[71]
PWI ranked #1 of the Top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1998 and 1999[72][73]
Texas Wrestling Federation
TWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The California Stud[74]
World Championship Wrestling
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[75]
WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Brian Pillman[76]
WCW World Television Championship (2 times)[77]
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
Million Dollar Championship (1 time)[78]
WWF Championship (6 times)[79]
WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)[80]
WWF Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Shawn Michaels (1), Dude Love (1), The Undertaker (1) and Triple H (1)[81]
King of the Ring (1996)[82]
Royal Rumble (1997, 1998, 2001)[83]
Slammy Award for Freedom of Speech (1997)
Fifth Triple Crown Champion
WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)
Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
Best Box Office Draw (1998, 1999)
Best Gimmick (1997, 1998)
Best Heel (1996)
Best Interviews (1996–1998, 2001)
Best Non-Wrestler (2003)
Feud of the Year (1997) vs. The Hart Foundation
Feud of the Year (1998, 1999) vs. Vince McMahon
Match of the Year (1997) vs. Bret Hart in a Submission match at WrestleMania 13
Most Charismatic (1997, 1998)
Rookie of the Year (1990)
Tag Team of the Year (1993) with Brian Pillman as the Hollywood Blonds
Wrestler of the Year (1998)
Worst Worked Match of the Year (1991) with Terrance Taylor vs. Bobby Eaton and P.N. News in a Scaffold match at The Great American Bash

Filmography

Film

Year Film Role Notes
1998 Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows Himself
1999 Beyond The Mat Himself
2005 The Longest Yard Guard Dunham
2007 The Condemned Jack Conrad
2009 Damage John Brickner
2010 The Stranger The Stranger Complete
Hunt to Kill Jim Rhodes Complete
The Expendables Dan Paine Complete

Television

Year Film Role Notes
1998-2002 Celebrity Deathmatch Himself 4 seasons
1999–2000 Nash Bridges Detective Jake Cage Six episodes
2000 Dilbert Himself One episode
2005 The Bernie Mac Show Himself One episode
2010 Chuck Hugo Panzer One episode

References

Bibliography


Sammond, Nicholas (2005). Steel Chair to the Head: The Pleasure and Pain of Professional Wrestling. Duke University Press. ISBN 0822334380.
Foley, Mick (2000). Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweat socks. Harper Collins. ISBN 0061031011 0061031011 .
PSI Staff (2007). Pro Wrestling Illustrated presents: 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. Kappa Publishing.
Austin, Steve; Ross, Jim (2003). The Stone Cold Truth. Pocket Books. ISBN 0743477200.

UNDERTAKER

The Undertaker Biography

Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965)[4] is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name The Undertaker. He is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), currently wrestling on the SmackDown brand. He is currently sidelined due to injury, while his disappearance is explained on WWE programming as due to being found in a vegetative state.

Mark Calaway began his wrestling career with World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) in 1984. He joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as "Mean" Mark Callous in 1989. When WCW did not renew Calaway's contract in 1990, he joined the World Wrestling Federation (which later became World Wrestling Entertainment in 2002) as The Undertaker in November of that year. Having remained with that company ever since, Calaway is currently the only full-time wrestler that made an appearance in the very first episode of Monday Night Raw, who is still with the company today.

The Undertaker has two contrasting gimmicks: the Deadman and the American Bad Ass. The specialty matches connected to The Undertaker (or more specifically, his "Deadman" persona) are the Casket match, the Buried Alive match, the notorious Hell in a Cell, and the Last Ride match. The Undertaker's kayfabe half-brother is Kane, whom he has teamed up with as the Brothers of Destruction. The Undertaker is undefeated at WrestleMania with an 18–0 record, which is the single longest undefeated Wrestlemania streak in WWE history. Calaway is an eight-time world champion: a four-time WWF/E Champion and three-time World Heavyweight Champion as The Undertaker, and a one-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion as Master of Pain. The Undertaker is also a one-time WWF Hardcore champion, and a seven-time world tag team champion: a six-time WWF World Tag Team Champion, and one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion. The Undertaker was the winner of the 2007 Royal Rumble and became the first man to win the Rumble at number 30.

****

Ring name(s) Kane the Undertaker[1]
Master of Pain[1]
"Mean" Mark Callous[1]
The Punisher[2]
Texas Red[1]
(The) Undertaker[3]
Billed height 6 ft 10.5 in (2.10 m)[3]
Billed weight 299 lb (136 kg)[3]
Born March 24, 1965 (1965-03-24) (age 45)[4]
Houston, Texas
Resides Austin, Texas
Billed from Death Valley[3] (1990–1999, 2004–present)
Houston, Texas (1984–1990, 2000–2003)
Trained by Don Jardine[1]
Debut 1984[5]

****

Professional wrestling career
Early career (1984–1990)
Calaway made his debut in 1984 in World Class Championship Wrestling under the ring name "Texas Red".[5] He wrestled and lost his first match against Bruiser Brody.[5] In 1988, after four years in the promotion, he left and joined the Continental Wrestling Association (which became the United States Wrestling Association after Jerry Jarrett merged CWA with WCCW), wrestling under several gimmicks. On April 1, 1989, he was booked to win his first professional wrestling title, the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Jerry "The King" Lawler, under the stage name "The Master of Pain". While performing as "The Punisher", Calaway won the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship on October 5, 1989 when Eric Embry forfeited the title.[6]

His first mainstream exposure was when he joined World Championship Wrestling in late 1989. While there, he was known as "Mean Mark" Callous and along with "Dangerous Dan" Spivey", wrestled as part of the Skyscrapers tag team, managed by Teddy Long.[7] During his time in the Skyscrapers, he and Spivey were involved in a feud with the Road Warriors,[8] but Spivey left before the feud came to an end.

As he went into singles competition, Calaway took on the guidance of Paul E. Dangerously and defeated Johnny Ace at Capital Combat and defeated Brian Pillman at the Clash of the Champions. In July 1990, he wrestled against Lex Luger for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship at The Great American Bash, but lost when Luger pinned him after a clothesline. WCW declined to renew Calaway's contract, after losing his last match to NWA World Heavyweight Champion Sting on September 1, 1990 at a live event.


During his stint in WCW, Calaway then briefly wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling as Punisher Dice Morgan. After leaving WCW, he briefly returned to the USWA to participate in a tournament to determine the new USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion; he defeated Bill Dundee in the first round, but lost to Jerry Lawler in the quarterfinals. In October 1990, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1990–present)
Debut and various feuds (1990–1994)
Calaway made his WWF debut as "Kane the Undertaker" at a taping of WWF Superstars on November 19, 1990.[9] The appearance of The Undertaker's first Deadman persona was modeled after a mortician from old Western movies, wearing a trench coat and black hat with grey gloves and boot covers. Under this Deadman persona, he was impervious to pain, something accomplished by Calaway no-selling his opponents' attacks. Calaway made his official on-camera debut on November 22 at Survivor Series as a heel when he was the mystery partner of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar team, where he was simply called The Undertaker.[10] Approximately one minute into the match, The Undertaker eliminated Koko B. Ware with his finisher, the Tombstone Piledriver. He also eliminated Dusty Rhodes before being counted out. Shortly after Survivor Series, "Kane" was dropped from his name, and he was called simply The Undertaker. It was at this time that The Undertaker switched managers from Brother Love to Paul Bearer — a histrionic, ghostly character, almost always seen bearing an urn from which The Undertaker was said to draw mystical power from, reviving his strength during his matches. During his heel run, Undertaker would place his defeated opponents (almost always jobbers) in a bodybag and carry him to the back.[11]

He made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania VII, quickly defeating "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka.[12] The win was the first in his undefeated streak at the event. He began his first major feud with The Ultimate Warrior, when he attacked the Warrior and locked him in an airtight casket on the set of his manager, Paul Bearer's Funeral Parlour interview segment. After a year of battles with the Warrior, Randy Savage,[10] Sid Justice, Sgt. Slaughter, and Hulk Hogan, he defeated Hogan to win his first WWF Championship at Survivor Series.[13] WWF President Jack Tunney ordered a rematch for This Tuesday in Texas six days later, where The Undertaker lost the title back to Hogan.[13]

In February 1992, The Undertaker's ally Jake "The Snake" Roberts tried to attack Randy Savage's manager/wife Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair when The Undertaker stopped him, becoming a fan favorite for the first time. Then, The Undertaker defeated Roberts at WrestleMania VIII.[12] He then feuded extensively with wrestlers managed by Harvey Wippleman throughout 1992 and 1993, including Kamala,[13][14] whom he faced and defeated in the first televised coffin match in WWF history at Survivor Series, and Giant Gonzales, whom he defeated by disqualification at WrestleMania IX and by pinfall at SummerSlam in a "Rest in Peace" match.[12][14] In January 1994, he challenged WWF Champion Yokozuna to a casket match at the Royal Rumble. At the Royal Rumble, Yokozuna sealed The Undertaker in the casket with the assistance of several other villainous wrestlers, winning the match. The Undertaker's "spirit" appeared from inside the casket on the video screen, warning that he would return.[15]

Return; feud with Mankind (1994–1997)

After WrestleMania X, Ted DiBiase introduced an Undertaker back to the WWF. This Undertaker, however, played by Brian Lee, was an impostor Undertaker (dubbed the "Underfaker" by fans) and led to the return of the real Undertaker at SummerSlam, appearing as a new version of his original Deadman persona, replacing grey with purple. The Undertaker defeated the impostor after three Tombstone Piledrivers.[15] At Survivor Series, The Undertaker defeated Yokozuna in a rematch, another casket match. Throughout most of 1995, The Undertaker feuded with members of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation. At WrestleMania XI, while Undertaker was facing King Kong Bundy, Kama stole The Undertaker's urn, and antagonized him by melting it into a large gold necklace and attacking the Undertaker.[15] Later, The Undertaker defeated Kama in a casket match at SummerSlam.[15] Several weeks later, The Undertaker injured his orbital bone near his eye, forcing a period of absence for surgery, until his return at Survivor Series.

The Undertaker returned at the 1995 Survivor Series, wearing a Phantom-like, grey upper mask.[15] At the Royal Rumble, The Undertaker was unmasked in a WWF Championship match against Bret Hart, when Diesel interfered in the match to cost the Undertaker the championship.[16] One month later, at In Your House: Rage in the Cage, while Diesel was facing Hart in a steel cage match, The Undertaker came bursting from under the ring, dragging Diesel underneath, allowing Hart to get the victory.[16] This feud culminated in a match between Diesel and the Undertaker at WrestleMania XII, in which The Undertaker was victorious.[12]

His next feud commenced the very next night, when Mankind made his debut, interfering in The Undertaker's match with Justin Hawk Bradshaw. For the next few months, Mankind ambushed and cost The Undertaker several matches.[16] The feud intensified, and they began taking their battles into crowds, backstage areas, and in the boiler rooms of different arenas. As a result, the first ever Boiler Room Brawl was booked between the two at SummerSlam. During the match, when Undertaker reached for Paul Bearer's urn, Bearer hit him with it, betraying The Undertaker and allowing Mankind to "incapacitate" The Undertaker with the Mandible claw, giving him the win.[16] After Bearer's betrayal, The Undertaker took his rivalry with Mankind to a new level, resulting in a Buried Alive match at In Your House: Buried Alive. The Undertaker won the match after a chokeslam into the open grave, but after interference from The Executioner, as well as the help of several other superstars, The Undertaker was ultimately "Buried Alive".[16] After being buried alive, The Undertaker returned at the Survivor Series again pitting him against Mankind, but with a unique stipulation; hanging 20 ft (6.1 m) above the ring was Paul Bearer, enclosed in a steel cage. If Undertaker won the match, he would be able to get his hands on Bearer. Even though The Undertaker won the match, interference from The Executioner enabled Bearer to escape The Undertaker's clutches.[17] The Undertaker then briefly turned his attention to The Executioner, who had become a thorn in his side since his arrival. At In Your House: It's Time, The Undertaker defeated The Executioner in an Armageddon rules match.[17] By the end of 1996, The Undertaker began a feud with Vader, culminating in a loss to Vader at the Royal Rumble after Bearer interfered on behalf of his new protégé.[17] After this loss, The Undertaker began to focus his attention on the WWF Championship.

Hell in a Cell; Brothers of Destruction (1997–1998)
See also: Hell in a Cell and Brothers of Destruction

At WrestleMania 13, The Undertaker defeated Sycho Sid for the WWF Championship, marking his second time as WWF Champion.[18] After the event, Paul Bearer attempted to rejoin with The Undertaker, using the threat of revealing The Undertaker's "biggest secret". In the storyline, Bearer announced that The Undertaker was a murderer, who as a child had burned down the family funeral home business (where Bearer worked), killing his parents and his younger half-brother. The Undertaker claimed there was no way for Bearer to have that information, but Bearer announced that he was told this by Undertaker's half-brother Kane, who was still alive but horribly burned and scarred. Bearer raised Kane after the fire, having him institutionalized. Now, Kane was waiting for revenge after all these years. In defense, The Undertaker responded that Kane, a pyromaniac, had been the one to set the fire and could not have possibly survived.

His next major storyline began at SummerSlam in 1997 when referee Shawn Michaels accidentally hit The Undertaker with a steel chair shot meant for Bret Hart, costing the Undertaker his WWF Championship.[18] The feud culminated at In Your House: Badd Blood, where The Undertaker challenged Michaels to the first ever Hell in a Cell match. During this match, The Undertaker's storyline half-brother Kane made his debut, ripping off the door to the cell and giving The Undertaker a Tombstone Piledriver, Undertaker's trademark finisher, allowing Michaels to pin him.[18] The match received a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer. As the storyline progressed, Kane, with Paul Bearer, challenged The Undertaker to fights, but The Undertaker consistently refused to fight his brother. The Undertaker and Kane then formed a brief partnership when Kane saved Undertaker from an attack by D-Generation X. The Undertaker's final encounter with Michaels was in the return of the casket match at the Royal Rumble, where Kane betrayed The Undertaker and cost him the win by trapping him in the coffin, padlocking the casket lid, and setting it ablaze. The Undertaker, however, had disappeared when the casket lid was reopened.[19] After a two month hiatus, The Undertaker returned and defeated Kane at WrestleMania XIV.[19] The two had a rematch, the first ever Inferno match, one month later at Unforgiven: In Your House, which The Undertaker won by setting Kane's right arm on fire.[19]

The Undertaker's feud with Mankind was renewed afterward, and they faced each other in a Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring. During the match, The Undertaker threw Mankind off the roof of the 16 ft (4.9 m) cell onto the Spanish announce table below, in what was a preplanned move. He later chokeslammed Mankind through the roof of the cell into the ring which legitimately knocked Mankind unconscious and finished the match by Tombstone Piledriving Mankind.[19]

At Fully Loaded, The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Kane and Mankind to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.[19] The Undertaker and Austin's reign as tag champions lasted for only two weeks, as Kane and Mankind regained the titles on an episode of Raw is War.[20] The Undertaker then became the number one contender for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam, now held by Austin. Shortly before SummerSlam, however, The Undertaker revealed that he and Kane were working together as brothers. Despite this revelation, The Undertaker told Kane that he did not want him to interfere in the match with Austin, and even though The Undertaker lost the match, he handed Austin his belt back after the match in a show of respect.[19] In September, the storyline continued, and The Undertaker began to show some villainous characteristics when he and Kane revealed the fact that they were in cahoots to rid Austin of his title for Vince McMahon. At Breakdown: In Your House, The Undertaker and Kane were booked in a Triple Threat match with Austin for his WWF Championship; McMahon stated that the brothers were not allowed to pin each other. The Undertaker and Kane pinned Austin simultaneously after a double chokeslam,[19] so the title was vacated by McMahon. This event led to a match at Judgment Day: In Your House between the two brothers for the title, with Austin as the special guest referee. Near the end of the match, Paul Bearer seemed about to assist Kane by handing him a steel chair to hit The Undertaker with, but as Kane had his back turned, both Bearer and The Undertaker hit Kane with the chair. The Undertaker went for the pin, but Austin refused to count the fall, attacked the Undertaker, and counted out both brothers.[19] Finally, The Undertaker became a villain the next night on Raw is War for the first time in over six years, reconciling with Bearer and claiming that he and Bearer would unleash their Ministry of Darkness on the World Wrestling Federation. As part of this new storyline, he admitted that he had indeed set the fire that killed his parents, for which he had previously blamed Kane.[20]

After Survivor Series, The Undertaker returned his attention back to his previous feud with Austin for costing him the title at Judgment Day, hitting Austin in the head with a shovel during a title match with The Rock, returning the favor for what happened a month earlier. With this twist in the storyline, McMahon scheduled a Buried Alive match between The Undertaker and Austin at Rock Bottom: In Your House. In the weeks leading up to Rock Bottom, The Undertaker attempted to embalm Austin alive, tried to have Kane committed to a mental asylum, and had his druids chain Austin to his symbol, raising it high into the arena.[20] The Undertaker, however, lost the match after Kane interfered.[21]

Ministry of Darkness (1999)
Main article: Ministry of Darkness
In January 1999, The Undertaker returned and formed the Ministry of Darkness, developing a more evil persona and explaining that he was taking orders from a "Higher Power." He often appeared in a black robe and sat on a throne. With the help of his minions, he often performed sacrifices on various WWE superstars, which were meant to bring out the more evil side of superstars so as to recruit them into his Ministry. The Ministry eventually merged with The Corporation alliance to form the Corporate Ministry.[22] During this time, The Undertaker was booked to defeat Austin for his third WWF Championship at Over the Edge with help from Shane McMahon, the special referee.[23] Two weeks later, it was revealed on Raw is War that Vince McMahon had been The Undertaker's "Higher Power" all along. After The Undertaker dropped the WWF Championship back to Austin one night after King of the Ring,[22] and lost a First Blood match at Fully Loaded, his relationship with the McMahons dissolved and the Corporate Ministry disbanded.

The Undertaker then began a storyline where he teamed with The Big Show in a tag team known as The UnHoly Alliance, which held the WWF Tag Team Championship twice.

American Bad Ass/Big Evil (2000–2003)

The Undertaker took on a second persona during this portion of his WWF career. He abandoned the Gothic mortician-themed attire, his funeral dirge ring music, allusions to the supernatural, and the accompanying theatrics of his ring entrance. The Undertaker now took on the personality of a biker, riding to the ring on a motorcycle, and wearing sunglasses and bandanas to the ring. His ring music was now replaced with popular rock songs of the time, like Limp Bizkit's "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" and Kid Rock's "American Bad Ass" (from which the name of The Undertaker's new gimmick originated), though it was accompanied by the characteristic opening bell gong of The Undertaker's original theme.

Upon his return in May 2000, he took out all the members of the McMahon-Helmsley Faction, which caused him to once again be a fan favorite. He also targeted their leader, WWF Champion Triple H. At King of the Ring, The Undertaker teamed with The Rock and Kane to defeat the team of Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Vince McMahon.[24] Afterward, he was booked to team with Kane to contend for the WWF Tag Team Championship. They defeated Edge and Christian, earning the right to face them the following week for the tag title, which Edge and Christian retained. Kane betrayed The Undertaker by chokeslamming him twice on the August 14 episode of Raw is War.[25] This incident led to another match between the two at SummerSlam, which ended in a no contest as Kane ran from the ring area after The Undertaker removed Kane's mask.[24]

The Undertaker then challenged Kurt Angle for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series.[26] Angle, however, defeated The Undertaker after Kurt switched places with his real life brother, Eric Angle. The Undertaker demanded and was awarded a spot in the Six Man Hell in a Cell match for the WWF Championship at Armageddon. The Undertaker promised to make someone "famous" and did so when he chokeslamed Rikishi off the roof of the cell.[26]

In 2001, The Undertaker reunited with Kane as the Brothers of Destruction, challenging for the WWF Tag Team Championship once again. They received a shot at the title at No Way Out, facing Edge and Christian and then champions the Dudley Boyz in a Tables Match. The Brothers of Destruction dominated almost the entire match but were not the winners.[26] The Undertaker was then booked to defeat Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven, where he improved his WrestleMania winning streak to 9–0.[12] He and Kane continued a storyline that focused on Triple H, who formed a "surprise alliance" with WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Brothers of Destruction were granted an opportunity to face Triple H and Austin for their titles. After The Undertaker and Kane acquired the WWF Tag Title from Edge and Christian,[27] Triple H pinned Kane after attacking him with a sledgehammer at Backlash, where the Brothers of Destruction dropped the title.[28] With Kane injured, The Undertaker feuded briefly with Steve Austin for his WWF Championship, but at Judgment Day, Austin retained his title.[28]

As part of "The Invasion" storyline, The Undertaker's next nemesis was Diamond Dallas Page, who was obsessively following The Undertaker's wife Sara.[28] At SummerSlam, WCW Tag Team Champions The Undertaker and Kane defeated Page and his partner Chris Kanyon in a steel cage match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.[28] At Survivor Series, The Undertaker teamed with Kane, The Rock, Chris Jericho, and The Big Show to take on The Alliance's Steve Austin, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Shane McMahon, and Kurt Angle (this would be the last time that The Undertaker and Kane would team up until 2006). Angle pinned The Undertaker due to interference by Austin.[28] After the Alliance was defeated, The Undertaker became a villain once again by forcing commentator Jim Ross to kiss Vince McMahon's ass.[29] This was the beginning of a new persona for The Undertaker, as he cut his long hair short and called himself "Big Evil". At Vengeance, The Undertaker defeated Van Dam to capture the WWF Hardcore Championship.[30]

The Undertaker's next storyline began at the Royal Rumble in 2002 when Maven eliminated him by dropkicking him from behind. Subsequently, The Undertaker eliminated Maven in return and brutally assaulted him backstage.[30] On an episode of SmackDown!, The Rock mentioned The Undertaker's elimination at the Royal Rumble, angering The Undertaker. The Undertaker responded by costing The Rock the number one contendership for the WWF Undisputed Championship.[31] The storyline continued when The Rock cost The Undertaker his match with Maven for the Hardcore Championship.[32] The two faced off at No Way Out, where The Undertaker lost due to interference from Ric Flair.[30] This interference began a storyline with Flair, who declined a challenge to wrestle Undertaker at WrestleMania X8,[33] and, as a result, Undertaker assaulted his son David Flair.[34] Flair eventually accepted the match after The Undertaker threatened to inflict the same punishment on Flair's daughter.[34] A no disqualification stipulation was added to the match, and The Undertaker defeated Flair.[12]

After the storyline with Flair, The Undertaker defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin at Backlash to win the number one contendership for the WWF Undisputed Championship. Later that night, he helped Hulk Hogan win his title match against the Undisputed Champion Triple H.[30] The Undertaker then defeated Hogan for his fourth world championship at Judgment Day.[35] On the July 1 episode of Raw, The Undertaker turned into a fan favorite again after defeating Jeff Hardy in a ladder match and raising Hardy's hand as a show of respect. The Undertaker, however, dropped the title at Vengeance to The Rock in a triple threat match that also involved Kurt Angle.[35] The Undertaker was then switched from Raw to SmackDown!, alongside former Raw talent Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero. The Undertaker challenged Lesnar in a title match at Unforgiven that ended in a double-disqualification.[35] Their feud carried over to No Mercy in a Hell in a Cell match. The Undertaker performed in the match with a legitimate broken hand and eventually lost to the champion.[35]

The Undertaker took a leave from wrestling after the Big Show threw him off the stage, sparking a feud.[36] The Undertaker returned at the Royal Rumble in 2003.[37] He immediately continued his feud with Big Show and defeated him by submission at No Way Out with a triangle choke. A-Train entered the storyline by attempting to attack The Undertaker after the match, but Nathan Jones came to his aid.[37] The storyline resumed as The Undertaker began to train Jones to wrestle, and the two were scheduled to fight Big Show and A-Train in a tag team match at WrestleMania XIX.[12] Jones, however, was removed prior to the match, making it a handicap match, which The Undertaker won with the help of Jones.[37]

Over the remainder of the year, he was booked to have two WWE Championship opportunities. The first, on the September 4 SmackDown!, against Kurt Angle, ended in a no contest, due to interference from Brock Lesnar.[38] The second, at No Mercy, was a Biker Chain match between The Undertaker and Lesnar, which Lesnar won with the help of Vince McMahon.[39] This match resulted in a feud with McMahon, culminating at Survivor Series where The Undertaker lost a Buried Alive match against McMahon when Kane interfered.[39] The Undertaker disappeared for some time following the match, with Kane claiming that he was "dead and buried forever."[40]

Return of the Deadman (2004–2007)
In the storyline leading up to WrestleMania XX, Kane was haunted by vignettes proclaiming The Undertaker's return. The first was during the Royal Rumble when The Undertaker's bells tolled, distracting Kane and allowing Booker T to eliminate him.[39] At WrestleMania XX, The Undertaker, accompanied by Paul Bearer and in his "Deadman" persona, returned and defeated Kane.[41] Three months later, Bearer was kidnapped by the Dudley Boyz at the direction of Paul Heyman,[42] who then took "control" of Undertaker.[43] At The Great American Bash The Undertaker fought a handicap match against the Dudleys, with the stipulation that if he didn't lay down and purposely lose, Heyman would bury Bearer in cement. The Undertaker won and stopped Heyman from burying Bearer, then buried him anyway, explaining that Bearer was merely a liability now and that he had no use for him anymore.[41]

After defeating the Dudley Boyz, The Undertaker began a feud by challenging then WWE Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) to a title match at SummerSlam, which The Undertaker lost by disqualification.[41] At No Mercy, The Undertaker and JBL competed in the first ever "Last Ride" match, although The Undertaker lost after Heidenreich interfered.[41] After a brief program with Heidenreich,[44] The Undertaker turned his focus to the WWE Championship once again. Along with Eddie Guerrero and Booker T, he challenged JBL to a championship rematch at Armageddon in a Fatal Four-Way match, in which The Undertaker was unsuccessful, again due to Heidenreich's interference.[44] The feud culminated in a Casket match between The Undertaker and Heidenreich at the Royal Rumble, where The Undertaker sealed Heidenreich in a casket for the victory.[44]

Soon afterward, Randy Orton challenged The Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania 21, in a storyline where Orton claimed that he would end The Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak.[45] Even with help from his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Randy failed, and The Undertaker improved his WrestleMania record to 13–0.[44] He returned for the June 16 episode of SmackDown! but lost to JBL, thanks to interference from Randy Orton.[46] After The Great American Bash, The Undertaker became the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship, a position that JBL felt he should have. As part of the feud, on the following SmackDown!, The Undertaker lost a number one contender match against JBL, once again due to interference from Orton.[47] With this, The Undertaker resumed his feud with Orton. At SummerSlam, Orton defeated The Undertaker in a WrestleMania rematch.[48] The storyline intensified as the two taunted each other with caskets, leading to a casket match at No Mercy, in which The Undertaker lost to Randy and his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton.[48] After the match, the Ortons poured gasoline on the casket and set it on fire. When the charred casket was opened, however, The Undertaker had once again vanished. He returned at the Survivor Series, emerging from a burning casket.[49] The Undertaker returned to SmackDown! in early December to haunt Orton and set up a Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon.[50] After winning the match,[49] Calaway took a short hiatus from wrestling.

In early 2006 at the Royal Rumble, The Undertaker returned during Kurt Angle's celebration of his world title defense against Mark Henry on a horse drawn cart, signaling for a title shot. As part of their storyline feud, The Undertaker lost his match with Angle at No Way Out after a thirty minute bout. Undertaker cornered Angle after the match, and after a stare down, told Angle that he had his number and that he was not finished with him yet. The Undertaker had his No Way Out rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship against Angle on SmackDown! when Henry attacked The Undertaker from behind, costing him the title. This began an angle between the duo, as The Undertaker then challenged Henry to a Casket match at WrestleMania 22, and Henry, like Orton a year before him, vowed to end Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak. The Undertaker defeated Henry to become 14-0 at WrestleMania, keeping his storyline undefeated streak alive. During a rematch on the next edition of SmackDown!, The Great Khali made his debut and assaulted The Undertaker, signaling the end of one storyline and the beginning of a new one.

The Undertaker was not heard from until the May 5 episode of SmackDown!, as Theodore Long delivered a challenge from The Undertaker to Khali for a match at Judgment Day.[51] The Undertaker lost to Khali,[52][53] and he did not appear again until the July 4 edition of SmackDown!, when he accepted Khali's challenge to a Punjabi Prison match at The Great American Bash.[54] Khali, however, was removed from the match and was replaced by ECW Champion The Big Show, over whom The Undertaker gained the victory. In the storyline, Teddy Long replaced Khali with Big Show as punishment for an attack on The Undertaker shortly before the match.[52] Khali was then challenged to a Last Man Standing match at SummerSlam after interfering in The Undertaker's match with World Heavyweight Champion King Booker.[55] Khali refused the challenge for SummerSlam, though Long made the match official for the August 18 episode of SmackDown! instead. The Undertaker won the match by striking Khali with the steel stairs, delivering several chair shots, and finishing him with a chokeslam.[56]

The Undertaker's next match was with WWE United States Champion Mr. Kennedy at No Mercy but was disqualified in the match after he hit Kennedy with the championship belt.[57] On the November 3 edition of SmackDown!, The Undertaker reunited with Kane to form the Brothers of Destruction for the first time in five years, defeating the reluctant opposition team of Mr. Kennedy and MVP, with whom Kane was feuding with at the time.[58] As part of the storyline, Kennedy defeated The Undertaker in a First Blood match at Survivor Series after interference from MVP,[57] but finally defeated Kennedy in a Last Ride match at Armageddon.[57] The two continued to feud into 2007 as Kennedy cost The Undertaker two World Heavyweight Championship opportunities for a championship match at the Royal Rumble.[59][60]

World Heavyweight Champion (2007–2008)
The Undertaker won his first Royal Rumble match at the 2007 event,[60] becoming the first man to enter the Rumble at number 30 and win the match.[61] He then began a storyline with Batista, whom he defeated at WrestleMania 23 to win his first World Heavyweight Championship. At Backlash in a Last Man Standing match, they had a rematch that ended in a draw when neither man was able to answer the ten-count, resulting in The Undertaker retaining the Championship. On the May 11 episode of SmackDown!, The Undertaker and Batista participated in a steel cage match that ended in a draw when both men's feet touched the floor at the same time. After the match, Mark Henry returned and assaulted The Undertaker. Immediately after the assault, Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank title shot, and The Undertaker dropped the World Heavyweight Championship to Edge. As The Undertaker laid in the ring, druids appeared and carried him to the backstage area.

During Calaway's rehabilitation, Henry quickly defeated local jobbers and bragged about his assault on Undertaker, until vignettes began playing promoting The Undertaker's return. The Undertaker returned at Unforgiven, successfully defeating Henry and again on SmackDown! two weeks later.[62] Batista and The Undertaker reignited their feud at Cyber Sunday where the fans chose the special guest referee Stone Cold Steve Austin, but Batista retained the world title.[63] They battled again inside a Hell in a Cell at Survivor Series where Edge returned and interfered to help Batista retain the World Heavyweight Championship.[64] In response to this, The Undertaker delivered a Tombstone piledriver to General Manager Vickie Guerrero, on the next SmackDown!, sending her to the hospital. Returning Assistant-General Manager Theodore Long declared a Triple Threat match for the title at Armageddon, which Edge won.

At No Way Out, The Undertaker defeated Batista, Finlay, The Great Khali, Montel Vontavious Porter, and Big Daddy V in an Elimination Chamber, to become the number one contender for Edge's World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXIV. He defeated Edge at WrestleMania with his "Hell's Gate" submission hold, to win his second World Heavyweight Championship and elevate his undefeated streak at WrestleMania to 16–0.[65] In a WrestleMania rematch, The Undertaker defeated Edge once again at Backlash to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.[66] Vickie Guerrero announced that The Undertaker's "Hell's Gate" was an illegal hold and stripped him of the title. The Undertaker battled Edge for the vacant title at Judgment Day, which he won by countout. Vickie ordered that the title remain vacant, because titles cannot change hands in this way. Edge and The Undertaker faced each other again for the vacant championship at One Night Stand in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, which The Undertaker lost after interference from La Familia. As a result of the stipulation, Undertaker was forced to leave WWE.

Various rivalries (2008–2009)

On the July 25, 2008 episode of SmackDown!, Vickie Guerrero announced that she had reinstated The Undertaker, and that Edge would face him at SummerSlam in a Hell in a Cell match,[67] which The Undertaker won. After the match, The Undertaker chokeslammed Edge from the top of a ladder and through the ring canvas.[68] Following this match, Guerrero tried to make a peace offering with The Undertaker on SmackDown by apologizing, but The Undertaker told her that he is not the forgiving kind. At Unforgiven, as The Undertaker approached the ring to "take Guerrero's soul" and take her in a casket, the Big Show, who appeared at first to aid the Undertaker, betrayed and assaulted him.[69] As a result of this altercation, The Undertaker and Big Show faced each other in a match at No Mercy, where the Big Show knocked The Undertaker out with a punch to the back of The Undertaker's head.[70] At Cyber Sunday, The Undertaker defeated the Big Show in a Last Man Standing match after applying Hell's Gate.[71] The Undertaker then went on to defeat the Big Show at Survivor Series in a casket match, to end the feud.[72]
At No Way Out The Undertaker was part of the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match, which was won by Triple H. He then became embroiled in a long time feud with Shawn Michaels over his WrestleMania undefeated streak and the fact that The Undertaker had never defeated Michaels in a singles match previously. The feud culminated in a match at WrestleMania XXV which The Undertaker won to extend his WrestleMania streak to a perfect record of 17–0.[73] After WrestleMania, he took a hiatus.

Third World Heavyweight Championship reign and injury (2009–present)

After a four month absence, The Undertaker returned at SummerSlam in August by attacking CM Punk, who had just won the World Heavyweight Championship from Jeff Hardy in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.[74] At Breaking Point, The Undertaker faced Punk in a submission match. The Undertaker had originally won the match with his Hell's Gate submission hold, but the match was restarted by SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long, who ruled that the ban placed on the move by Vickie Guerrero was still in effect. Punk went on to win the match with his Anaconda Vise when referee Scott Armstrong called for the bell, despite Undertaker never submitting (reminiscent of the Montreal Screwjob, which took place in the same venue in 1997).[75] On the September 25 episode of SmackDown, Theodore Long announced that the ban had now been officially lifted, after being released from a casket that The Undertaker had apparently placed him in.[76] The feud between the two continued and at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, The Undertaker won the World Heavyweight Championship from Punk in a Hell in a Cell match.[77] The Undertaker went on to successfully defend the title against CM Punk in a rematch on SmackDown, in a fatal four way match at WWE Bragging Rights, and in a triple threat match at Survivor Series.[78][79] He faced Batista at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs for the championship, and won when the match was restarted by Long, after Batista had originally won after utilising a low blow.[80] He later retained the championship against Rey Mysterio at the Royal Rumble in January 2010.[81]

At the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, a pyrotechnics malfunction momentarily engulfed The Undertaker in flames during his ring entrance. He was able to continue with his scheduled match, with a burn on his chest that "looked like a bad sunburn" according to a WWE spokesman.[82] He lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Chris Jericho after interference from Shawn Michaels.[83] The following night, on Raw, Michaels claimed that he cost The Undertaker his championship because he wanted to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI, but The Undertaker had previously turned down his offer of a match. The Undertaker agreed to the match on the condition that Michaels' career was on the line.[84] The match was later made into a no disqualification, no countout match as well. At WrestleMania, The Undertaker defeated Michaels in a "Streak vs. Career" match at WrestleMania XXVI, to extend his WrestleMania winning streak to 18–0 and force Michaels to retire. After the match, the Undertaker shook Michaels' hand as a sign of respect.[85] After a hiatus, he returned to SmackDown on May 28, defeating Rey Mysterio. During the match, however, The Undertaker suffered a concussion, broken orbital bone and broken nose. On the June 4, 2010 taping of SmackDown, it was reported that The Undertaker was found to be "in a vegetative state" (kayfabe) over Memorial Day Weekend, thus unable to compete in the Fatal 4-Way. Later in the show, a battle royal featuring the entire SmackDown roster took place to determine a replacement for the Undertaker, which was won by Rey Mysterio. At WWE Fatal 4-Way Kane revealed that the group allegidly responsible for Undertaker's vegetative state is the Straight Edge Society.
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Other media
Calaway appeared in the 1991 film Suburban Commando.[86] He also appeared on episodes of Poltergeist: The Legacy[87] and Celebrity Deathmatch in 1999.

A number of spin-offs have covered The Undertaker's character. Chaos! Comics released an Undertaker comic.[88] In 2005, Pocket Books released a novel, Journey into Darkness: An Unauthorized History of Kane, which dealt largely with Kane but also featured Undertaker as his brother, although they are not related in real life.[89]

The Undertaker character was present in the Hindi movie Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi as a villain, played by Brian Lee (who played the 'fake Undertaker' in the WWF). He was dressed in the western mortician attire adopted by the Undertaker from 1990 to 1993, and used the Tombstone Piledriver as a finishing move in the film. On November 6, it was announced that the Undertaker will be in his own feature film that will focus on his origin and more about his powers. It will also star Calaway himself.[90]

Personal life

He graduated from Waltrip High School in 1983, where he was a member of the basketball team.[91] Calaway first married Jodi Lynn in 1989, and they had a son, Gunner, born in 1993, before the marriage ended in 1999. Calaway married his second wife Sara in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 21, 2000. They had two daughters together before they divorced: Chasey (born on November 21, 2002) and Gracie (born on May 15, 2005). Calaway married Michelle McCool on June 26, 2010 in Houston, Texas.[92]

Calaway has several tattoos: a gravedigger, which he refers to as "Original Deadman", skulls, a castle, and a wizard. When talking about his body art, he has said that there is kind of a medieval thing going-on on his arms. He also has a dancing skeleton on the back of his neck and has a tattoo on his stomach that says BSK Pride. As a wedding gift, Calaway had his second wife's name tattooed onto his throat[93] Calaway collects Harley-Davidson and West Coast Choppers motorcycles and purchased his first brand new motorcycle after defeating Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship at the 1991 Survivor Series. Calaway has also had a custom motorcycle built for him by Jesse James, the founder of West Coast Choppers. He is a massive fan of Nick Cave and all his musical endeavors (The Birthday Party and The Bad Seeds). He also enjoys listening to bands like ZZ Top, AC/DC, Kiss, Black Sabbath, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Black Label Society. Other favorite music genres include country and blues. Calaway is an avid boxing fan and carried the Flag of the United States while leading Team Pacquiao to the ring during the Pacquiao vs. Velázquez fight in 2005.[94] This was also confirmed by fellow wrestler Batista in a televised interview for the Philippine news program TV Patrol World. Calaway is also an avid mixed martial arts fan and has attended several Ultimate Fighting Championship shows.

Calaway invests in real estate with business partner Scott Everhart. Calaway and Everhart finished construction on a $2.7m building in Loveland, Colorado called "The Catahart," a portmanteau of their last names. [95] Calaway and his ex-wife Sara established The Zeus Compton Calaway Save the Animals fund at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences to help pay for lifesaving treatments for large-breed dogs.[96]

In wrestling

Finishing moves
As The Undertaker
Chokeslam[1][3]
Hell's Gate (Modified gogoplata)[97][98] – 2008–present
The Last Ride (Elevated powerbomb)[1][3] – 2000–present
Tombstone piledriver[1][3]
Triangle choke[1]
As "Mean" Mark Callous
Callous Clutch (Jaw clutch)[1]
Heart punch[1]

Signature moves
Big boot[1]
Corner clothesline[1]
Dragon sleeper[99][100]
Fujiwara armbar[1]
Guillotine leg drop onto the chest of an apron hung opponent[1]
No-handed over the top rope suicide dive[101]
Old School[102] (Arm twist ropewalk chop)[1]
Reverse STO[1]
Running DDT[1]
Running jumping leg drop[1]
Running leaping clothesline[1]
Sidewalk slam[1]

Managers
General Skandor Akbar[5][103]
Paul Bearer[5][103]
Paul E. Dangerously[5][103]
Theodore Long[5][103]
Brother Love[5][103]
Dutch Mantell[5][103]
Downtown Bruno[5][103]

Nicknames
"The Phenom"[3][104]
"The Deadman"[3][104]
"The American Bad Ass"[104]
"The Red Devil"[104]
"Big Evil"[104]
"The Man From The Dark Side"
"The Lord of Darkness"[105]
"The Demon of Death Valley"[106]
"The Conscience of the WWE"[107]

Taunts
Slashing his own throat with the right hand, signalling for a tombstone piledriver (signifying that the end is near for the opponent) [108]
Victory pose: Kneeling after winning a match to signify his dominance in the ring (1990–'96: also raised his hand towards Paul Bearer and the urn while kneeling; 2004-onwards: takes his tongue out in demonic fashion and looks towards his opponent or just the crowd) [109]
Rolling his eye-balls above to intimidate opponents (usually done after removing his hat during his entrance)
Raising his right-hand after victory (2000-onwards: adopted during the American Bad Ass gimmick)

Quotes
Rest in Peace (1990–'99; 2004-onwards) [110] (also led to a Rest in Peace match with Giant Gonzales at SummerSlam 1993)
This is My Yard (2000–2003: during the American Bad Ass and Big Evil persona) [111]
I'll Make you Famous (2000–2003: during the American Bad Ass and Big Evil persona) [112]

Entrance themes
"Miracle Man" by Ozzy Osbourne (NJPW)
"China White" by Scorpions (NWA / WCW)
"The Grim Reaper" by Jim Johnston
"Graveyard Symphony" by Jim Johnston (1995–1998)
"Dark Side" by Jim Johnston (1998–1999)
"Ministry" by Jim Johnston (1999)
"American Bad Ass" by Kid Rock (2000)
"Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" by Limp Bizkit (2000–2002, 2003)
"Dead Man by Jim Johnston (2002)
"You're Gonna Pay" by Jim Johnston (2002–2003)
"Graveyard Symphony" by Jim Johnston (2004–present)

Championships and accomplishments
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI Feud of the Year (1991)[113] vs. The Ultimate Warrior
PWI Match of the Year (1998)[114] vs. Mankind in a Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring
PWI Match of the Year (2009)[115]vs. Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XXV
PWI ranked him #2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2002[116]
United States Wrestling Association
USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[1]
World Class Wrestling Association
WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6]
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
WCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kane1[117]
World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[118]
WWF/E Championship (4 times)2[119]
WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time)[120]
WWF Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Steve Austin (1), The Big Show (2), The Rock (1) and Kane (2)[121]
Royal Rumble (2007)
Slammy Award for WWF's Greatest Hit (1996) Sucking Diesel into the abyss
Slammy Award for Best Tattoo (1997)
Slammy Award for Best Entrance Music (1997)
Slammy Award for Star of the Highest Magnitude (1997)
Slammy Award for Match of the Year (2009) vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXV
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Best Gimmick (1990–1994)
Best Heel (1991)
Feud of the Year (2007) vs. Batista
Match of the Year (2009) vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXV
Most Overrated (2001)
Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler (2001)
Worst Worked Match of the Year (2001) with Kane vs. KroniK at Unforgiven
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2004)
Worst Feud of the Year (1993) vs. Giant González
The Mirror ranked The Undertaker's Wrestlemania undefeated streak as the 7th greatest winning streak in sports, and it was the only ranked streak from professional wrestling.[122]
1 ^ Won during The Invasion.
2 ^ The Undertaker's fourth reign was as WWE Undisputed Champion.
WrestleMania record
WrestleMania Year Wrestler Notes
VII 1991 Jimmy Snuka [12]
VIII 1992 Jake Roberts [12]
IX 1993 Giant González Won via disqualification[12]
XI 1995 King Kong Bundy [15]
XII 1996 Diesel [12]
13 1997 Sycho Sid For the WWF Championship in a No Disqualification match[18]
XIV 1998 Kane [19]
XV 1999 The Big Boss Man Hell in a Cell match[123]
X-Seven 2001 Triple H [12]
X8 2002 Ric Flair No Disqualification match[12]
XIX 2003 The Big Show and A-Train Handicap match[12]
XX 2004 Kane [41]
21 2005 Randy Orton [44]
22 2006 Mark Henry Casket match[12]
23 2007 Batista For the World Heavyweight Championship[124]
XXIV 2008 Edge For the World Heavyweight Championship[65]
XXV 2009 Shawn Michaels [12]
XXVI 2010 Shawn Michaels No countout, no disqualification, "Streak vs. Career" match[85]