Search

WWF Championship Wrestling

1980

The first nationally syndicated WWE television series, Championship Wrestling features numerous WWE Hall of Famers and Legends in action.

Vince McMahon

Cast · Executive Producer · Producer · Known for WWF Championship Wrestling, WWF Superstars, The Scorpion King

Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler, and is often referred to as the archetypal wrestling magnate. McMahon currently serves as the Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the professional wrestling promotion WWE and is the majority shareholder of the company, holding approximately 88% of the total voting power and 59% of the outstanding shares within WWE. Upon acquiring World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), McMahon's WWE became the sole remaining major American professional wrestling promotion until the national expansion of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor. As an on-camera character, he can appear on all WWE brands (though the majority of the time, he appears on Raw). McMahon plays a character known by the ring name Mr. McMahon, based on himself. In the world of WWE, he is a two-time world champion, having won the WWF Championship and ECW World Championship. He was also the winner of the 1999 Royal Rumble. Vince is the husband of Linda McMahon, with whom he ran WWE from its establishment in 1980 until she resigned as CEO in September 2009.

Randy Colley

Randy Colley was an American professional wrestler better known as Moondog Rex. In 1976 he joined Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and began wrestling under his real name for the first time. This would also be his first singles run. While appearing in MACW he would compete against opponents such as Steve Strong, Two Ton Harris, and Larry Sharpe. For the remainder of the 1970s he moved around various National Wrestling Alliance territories. He next appeared in Georgia Championship Wrestling. Wrestling with Moondog Spot (Larry Latham), the Moondogs made their debut on October 25, 1982 in a match at the Omni against Brad Armstrong and Tito Santana. The Moondogs would continue with the promotion for the next three months, wrestling The Wild Samoans and various combinations that included Stan Hansen. The Moondogs jumped to the World Wrestling Federation in the midst of its national expansion. The Moondogs made their return on the March 4th, 1984 edition of All American Wrestling and defeating Bobby Fulton and Brian Madden. The new duo remained undefeated until June 30, where they lost a Los Angeles house show match to The Wild Samoans. The Moondogs continued to unsuccessfully feud with the Samoans throughout that summer. In June 1984 Colley received two singles shots against WWF Champion Hulk Hogan on the Canadian television tapings that aired on both Maple Leaf and All-Star wrestling. In September 1984 they were programmed into a house show series against the newly arrived Fabulous Freebirds. While continuing to defeat preliminary opposition on television, the Dogs were winless against the Freebirds. Following departure of Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, and Buddy Roberts from the promotion, the Moondogs feuded with the Brisco Brothers. On February 22, 1986 Colley made his return to the WWF on a house show in Melbourne, Australia and lost to Jacques Rougeau. Following an April tour of All Japan Pro Wrestling that saw him team with Andre the Giant and Dick Murdoch he returned to full time action in the World Wrestling Federation. On April 14 he was reunited with Moondog Spot, losing to The Rougeau Brothers on Prime Time Wrestling. Colley now found himself in a similar position as in his previous WWF run, defeating preliminary opposition but losing to more established teams. Their most high profile match came on the July 12th, 1986 edition of WWF Championship Wrestling, where they lost to WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff; the match being worked entirely by Orndorff and part of the famous feud between the latter that would begin shortly. In the fall of 1986 they began a house show series with The Islanders and finished the year facing The Killer Bees and US Express. On January 4, 1987, in Springfield, Massachusetts, Colley was repackaged as "Smash" in the new tag team of Demolition, facing and defeating The Islanders before later taking part in a battle royal won by Pete Doherty. The following day in East Rutherford, New Jersey, he made his televised debut at a WWF Superstars taping. Despite having his hair trimmed, his beard shaved off, and wearing face paint, fans almost immediately recognized him and began chanting "Moondog" when he entered the ring. Following a third appearance, this time at a Wrestling Challenge taping, he was replaced by Barry Darsow.

Kevin Nash

Kevin Scott Nash is an inactive American professional wrestler and actor, who is signed to WWE. Nash has wrestled under various ring names, but is most notably known by his real name in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and in WWE/World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment, where he was known as Diesel during his first and current run with the company. Between WWE, WCW, and TNA, Nash has won 21 total championships, including six world championships (having won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship five times and the WWF Championship once). He has achieved notable success in the tag team division as well, being a twelve-time world tag team champion: a nine-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, two-time WWF World Tag Team Champion and one-time TNA World Tag Team Champion. He is also a one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a two-time winner of the TNA Legends Championship (now known as the TNA Television Championship). In addition to championships, he won the 1998 WCW World War 3. Nash is a member of The Kliq, a group which includes Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman and was known in the WWE during the 90's as a backstage group were shown favoritism by owner Vince McMahon and often refused to work with others outside of their group. He is also one of the three founding members of the New World Order (nWo), along with Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall.

Bret Hart

Cast · Known for WWF Superstars, WWF Wrestling Challenge

Bret Sergeant Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and retired professional and amateur wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College. Along with his famed "Hit Man" nickname, Hart's agile, technical style earned him the moniker, "The Excellence of Execution". He was also known as "The Pink and Black Attack", in reference to his ring attire, as well as his signature mirrored sunglasses, which he would routinely give away to a young audience member before matches. Hart debuted in professional wrestling in 1978 with his father, Stu Hart's promotion, Stampede Wrestling, and enjoyed mainstream popularity and championship success throughout the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF—later WWE), where he helmed the Hart Foundation, a faction of Hart family members and allies. He defected to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) following the controversial "Montreal Screwjob" in 1997, where he enjoyed continued championship success until his departure from that promotion in 2000, due to a concussion that would force his retirement that same year. Hart became the on-screen commissioner of World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) in 2001, but this role came to a premature conclusion when he suffered a 2002 stroke, which temporarily rendered him a wheelchair user. Upon recovering, he continued to make non-wrestling appearances with independent promotions throughout the remainder of the decade, and, in 2005, returned to WWE programming. Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by former on-screen rival, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the following year. He returned to sporadic in-ring competition with WWE in 2010, where he won his final championship and also briefly served as the General Manager of Raw. Hart continues to make appearances on WWE programming. Hart has held championships in every decade from the 1970s onward, with a total of thirty-two held throughout his career, and seventeen held between the WWF/WWE and WCW. Among other accolades, he is a seven-time world champion, having held the WWF Championship five times (with the highest number of combined days as champion in the 1990s) and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice (being the first non-American born United States champion); a record-tying five-time WCW/WWE United States Champion, with his four WCW reigns being the most in the history of the organization; and the second WWF Triple Crown Champion. In addition to championships, he is the 1994 Royal Rumble winner (with Lex Luger), and the only two-time King of the Ring in WWE history, having won the 1991 tournament and the first King of the Ring pay-per-view in 1993. Hart has been described by WWE and WCW publications, fellow wrestlers, prominent industry figures and fans as one of the greatest, and most popular, professional wrestlers of all time. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bret Hart, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Mark Calaway

Mark William Calaway, better known by his ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under a legends contract. One of the most recognizable figures in professional wrestling history, his 30-year tenure with WWE—formerly the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)—is the longest uninterrupted run of any wrestler in the company’s history. Upon his retirement in 2020, he became the last active performer to have appeared on the inaugural episode of WWF Monday Night Raw in 1993. Calaway began his wrestling career in 1984 with World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) before moving to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1989 under the name “Mean” Mark Callous. After WCW declined to renew his contract in 1990, he signed with the WWF. He made his televised debut at the 1990 Survivor Series, originally introduced as Kane the Undertaker, before shortening the name to simply The Undertaker. At the event, he aligned with Ted DiBiase as part of DiBiase’s Survivor Series elimination team. Shortly thereafter, he was paired with manager Paul Bearer, a partnership that helped elevate him to the WWF Championship within a year of his debut. In 1998, The Undertaker faced Mankind in a Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring, a bout that became one of the most infamous matches in wrestling history. The match is best remembered for Undertaker throwing Mankind off the top of the cell and later chokeslamming him through the roof, moments that redefined the limits of spectacle and physical risk in professional wrestling and cemented both men’s reputations for toughness while permanently elevating Hell in a Cell as a signature stipulation. Over the course of his WWE career, The Undertaker amassed numerous championships and accolades, most famously a 21-match undefeated streak at WrestleMania, the company’s flagship annual event. His final match took place at WrestleMania 36 in 2020, where he defeated AJ Styles in the cinematic Boneyard Match, bringing his in-ring career to a definitive close. Revered by fans and fellow wrestlers alike, his longevity, character work, and consistency at the highest level cemented his legacy as one of the most celebrated figures in professional wrestling history and a near-universal choice among the greatest of all time.

Steve Austin

Cast · Known for The Expendables, Grown Ups 2

Steven James Anderson, formerly Steven James Williams, better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE. 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. Billed as "The Most Popular Superstar in WWE History", he 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 his boss, Vince McMahon. This defiance was often shown by Austin flipping off McMahon and incapacitating him with the Stone Cold Stunner, his finishing move. 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 occasional appearances. In 2011, Steve Austin returned to WWE to host the reality series Tough Enough. On August 14, 2002, Austin was arrested and charged with domestic abuse. He pleaded no contest on November 25, 2002, and was given a year's probation, a $1,000 fine, and ordered to carry out 80 hours of community service.] Marshall told Fox News that Austin beat her three times and that the 2002 incident was the result of roid rage. She also stated that WWE knew of the abuse, working to conceal the bruises on her face, and kept her from revealing that Austin hit her, as it would cost the company millions of dollars. During his early years as a wrestler, Austin was a technical wrestler. However, after his neck injury against Owen Hart in 1997, he changed his style from technical to brawler. His most famous finishing move is the Stone Cold Stunner, or simply Stunner. During his time as The Ringmaster he used the Million Dollar Dream as finisher, since it was Ted DiBiase's finisher. During his time in WCW, Austin used the Stun Gun as finisher One of Austin's taunts during the Attitude Era was to show the middle finger. In August 2001, Austin cut a promo, debuting his catchphrase "What?", which is used today by fans when they want to mock wrestlers during promos

Pat Tanaka

Patrick Tanaka is an American professional wrestler best known for his work in the American Wrestling Association as one half of Badd Company and the World Wrestling Federation as one half of The Orient Express. He is the son of Duke Keomuka. In his career, which has spanned almost three decades, Tanaka has appeared in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), World Wrestling Federation (WWF), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW),Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Trained by his father, Duke Keomuka, Hiro Matsuda, and the New Japan Pro Wrestling Dojo, Pat Tanaka debuted in 1984 for NJPW. During his time there, he wrestled the likes of Keiichi Yamada, Shunji Kosugi, Black Cat, Naoki Sano, Tatsutoshi Goto, Shinichi Nakano, and Hirokazu Hata. After a year in New Japan, Tanaka started wrestling as a jobber in Jim Crockett Promotions in 1985. In 1986, Tanaka moved to Memphis, Tennessee where he worked for Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett’s Continental Wrestling Association. Early on Tanaka teamed with Jeff Jarrett to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship.[3] In late 1986 the tag-team specialist Tanaka was teamed up with Paul Diamond, who was also seen as a tag-team specialist, to form Badd Company,[4] a move that paid off pretty soon as the two won the CWA/AWA International Tag Team Championship, beating Tarzan Goto and Akio Sato on December 15, 1986. The first reign was short lived as The Sheepherders (Luke Williams & Butch Miller) defeated the duo on January 10, 1987. Badd Company quickly regained the titles only to lose them to Tarzan Goto and Akio Sato on February 5, 1987. The third reign with the tag-team titles came on May 9, 1987 when the team beat Mark Starr in a handicap match, but lost them back to Starr and his new tag team partner Billy Joe Travis. Badd Company had one last run with the International tag team titles as they won the vacant titles on May 25, 1987 and held them until July 6, 1987 where they lost the titles to Bill Dundee and Rocky Johnson (who were the last International tag team champions). While in Memphis Badd Company also won the CWA's main tag team title, the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship, defeating Jeff Jarrett and Billy Joe Travis on August 8, 1987.

Scott Hall

Scott Oliver Hall was an American professional wrestler. He was known for his work within the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) as Razor Ramon and with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name. Hall began his career in 1984, before rising to prominence after signing with the WWF in May 1992, assuming the name Razor Ramon. While within the company, he won the WWF Intercontinental Championship four times. He departed the company in May 1996, and subsequently defected to WCW, where he became a founding member of the New World Order (nWo) faction, along with Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash. In the company, he became a two-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion, a one-time WCW World Television Champion, and a nine-time WCW World Tag Team Champion. He left WCW in February 2000, and returned to the WWF (later renamed WWE) for a short stint in 2002. He spent the rest of his career wrestling for various promotions, such as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he held the TNA World Tag Team Championship once, with Kevin Nash and Eric Young. Although he never won a world championship in a major promotion, Hall was nonetheless a two-time world champion, as he held the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship and the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a singles competitor in 2014, and again as a member of the nWo in 2020. Description above from the Wikipedia article Scott Hall, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Paul Levesque

Cast · Executive Producer · Known for WWE Heat, WWE Money in the Bank 2026

Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, actor and WWE executive, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of his former ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley. As well as wrestling on the Raw brand, Levesque is a Senior Advisor to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, and Head of WWE's talent development department. Before joining WWE, Levesque began his wrestling career with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994, wrestling under the ring name Terra Ryzing and later as Jean-Paul Lévesque. Levesque joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1995 with the on-screen persona of wealthy sophisticate Hunter Hearst Helmsley.  He later abbreviated 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.  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,  and in 2006 and 2009, reformed DX with Shawn Michaels. Overall, Levesque has won 23 championships in WWF/E, including thirteen World Championships, having won the WWF/E Championship a record eight times (tied with John Cena), and the World Heavyweight Championship five times (Triple H is also recognized as the first World Heavyweight Champion under WWE's lineage).  He has the highest number of world title reigns of all active WWE wrestlers. In addition, Levesque won the 1997 King of the Ring, the 2002 Royal Rumble, and was the second Grand Slam Championship winner. Outside wrestling, Levesque has made numerous guest appearances in film and on television

Mike Bell

Mike Bell was an American professional wrestler who worked for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) as Mike "Mad Dog" Bell. He is the brother of Mark Bell. Professional wrestling career Bell worked as a jobber for the WWF during the early 1990s and appeared on Monday Night Raw. He, however, never had a contract with the company. He later worked with ECW and appeared at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center. Bell was well known amongst the wrestling community after an incident with professional wrestler Perry Saturn during a dark match in the WWF. During the match, Bell attempted a snapmare armdrag on Perry, which left Perry concussed. Perry instinctively began kicking Bell and then threw him out of the ring, causing Bell to land on his head. Bell sustained a heavy injury to his neck. Saturn then proceeded to throw Bell into a set of metal stairs, further injuring him. Personal life Bell, who had a history with substance abuse, was featured in the documentary Bigger, Stronger, Faster along with his two brothers. On December 14, 2008, he was found dead at a rehabilitation facility in Costa Mesa, California. Bell was 37 years old.

Jacqueline Moore

Jacqueline DeLois Moore is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. She is best known for her time in WWE from 1998 to 2004, as well as working for World Championship Wrestling in 1997-98 and later Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a wrestler, manager and road agent. She began her career in World Class Championship Wrestling, but was well known in the United States Wrestling Association, where she was a fourteen-time USWA Women's Champion. She later moved to World Championship Wrestling, where she briefly managed the team Harlem Heat. In 1998, she joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later World Wrestling Entertainment). She began managing Marc Mero and had her first rivalry with Sable, which culminated in the re-establishment of the WWF Women's Championship, which Moore held twice during her time with the WWF. In 1999, she formed an all-female alliance with Terri Runnels and Ryan Shamrock called the Pretty Mean Sisters. In the early 2000s, Moore worked as both a referee and trainer for the WWF, and she also held the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, which was a title predominantly held by men. She was the third woman to accomplish the feat, but the only woman to do so under the WWE banner (following Madusa and Daffney in WCW). In 2004, she joined TNA, where she worked mostly as a manager and occasional wrestler. On April 2, 2016, Moore was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Moore grew up in Dallas, Texas.[5] As a young fan of professional wrestling, Moore stated that the Von Erichs were her favorite wrestlers. She has a third degree black belt in taekwondo and also has experience in kickboxing and boxing. In mid-2001, Moore, along with Tazz, Al Snow, and Tori, became a trainer on the MTV reality TV series Tough Enough.[22] It was her first time training other wrestlers.On the show, she helped train future WWE wrestlers Nidia and Maven. In 2002, Moore competed on a special WWF superstar edition of Fear Factor, coming in second place to Matt Hardy After leaving WWE, Moore began taking acting classes on an action movie set in Los Angeles during the 1970s. Jacqueline made her video game debut in the PlayStation version of WCW Nitro. She would later appear in nine WWE video games, which include WWF Attitude, WWF WrestleMania 2000, WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role, WWF No Mercy, WWE WrestleMania X8, WWE Raw 2, WWE 2K17 (DLC), WWE 2K18 and WWE 2K19.

Debbie Szostecki

is a professional wrestler better known as Debbie Combs Combs worked for the World Wrestling Federation from 1986-1987, where she challenged for the WWF Women's Championship against The Fabulous Moolah and Sherri Martel She also worked in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and is a former NWA World Women's Champion. She originally won the title by winning a battle royal in Honolulu, Hawaii in spring 1986. At some point, she was no longer recognized as the champion and defeated Penny Mitchell to become the champion again in Kansas City, Missouri on April 10, 1987. The Kansas City promotion withdrew from NWA in 1987 and closed in 1988. The NWA vacated Combs' title and awarded Misty Blue Simmes the reinstated NWA United States Women's Championship (a replacement of the prior NWA World Women's Championship held by Combs). Combs challenged Simmes to a title match at a Delta Tiger Lilies card in 1989, but Simmes was unable to accept due to an arm injury she had sustained. American Wrestling Association She also competed in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the 1980s. Upon joining the promotion, Combs wrestled against Sherri Martel as a babyface, but later turned heel and became tag team partners with Madusa Miceli. The duo feuded with Heidi Lee Morgan and Brandi Mae. Return to WWF and World Championship Wrestling After leaving the promotion, she later returned to the WWF in 1994 to challenge Alundra Blayze. She wrestled Blayze once on an episode of Wrestling Challenge and was scheduled to face her at WrestleMania X, but was replaced by Leilani Kai. Combs briefly competed in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the mid-1990s during their brief attempt at a women's division. On the March 31, 1997 edition of WCW Monday Nitro, Combs lost to WCW Women's Champion Akira Hokuto. Women's Pro Wrestling In the early 1990s, she was also president and booker of Women's Pro Wrestling (WPW), an all-women's promotion that produced direct-to-video matches. Her organization featured "Awesome" Ondi Austin, Babyface Nellie, Bambi, Candi Devine, Denise Storm, Jackie Moore, Lady Justice, Lisa Starr, Malia Hosaka, Olympia Hartauer, Peggy Lee Leather, Penelope Paradise, Penny Mitchell, Sandy Partelow, Susan Green, and Velvet McIntyre. After Wrestling Since her retirement, Debbie Combs has worked as a booking processor with the Davidson County Sheriff's Office in Nashville, TN.

Timothy Alan Smith

was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Rex King and Timothy Well. He wrestled in several promotions, including the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Much of his career was spent wrestling as a tag team with Steve Doll throughout his career. While in WWF, they were known as Well Dunn. Well Dunn left the WWF in 1995 after losing matches to several of the company's top teams.The team parted ways, and Smith returned to the ring name Rex King. Returning to Puerto Rico, he held the WWC Television Championship twice in 1995. Later that year, he took the place of Shane Sewell as a member of the Canadian Glamour Boys Tag Team with Sean Morley. They won the promotion's tag team title on November 26, 1995 and held it until the following March. After they lost the belts, Morley resumed teaming with Sewell. King reunited with Doll in 1998 to win the MCW North American Tag Team Championship in Tennessee's Music City Wrestling (MCW). Immediately after the match, however, Reno Riggins came to the ring, joined with Doll in attacking King, and took King's place as tag team champion. King returned to competing for WWC in Puerto Rico, where he defeated Jose Rivera, Jr. on February 12, 2000 to win the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship. While still holding the Puerto Rican title, he also won the Television Championship for a third time, defeating Glamour Boy Shane (Sewell) for the belt on March 19.One week later, he lost the Puerto Rican title but he held the Television Championship for over a year.In September 2001, King sustained an injury while competing in Puerto Rico, during a match with Mustafa Saed, and retired as a full-time wrestler, although he returned to wrestle on some independent shows until 2004. Personal life On February 20, 2012, the website for World Wrestling Council reported that Smith died. A week later, it was confirmed to be false, as Smith gave an interview with Canada's Slam! Wrestling website, confirming he was still alive and well. In July 2016, Smith was named part of a class action lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred traumatic brain injuries during their tenure and that the company concealed the risks of injury. The suit is litigated by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE. On January 9, 2017, Smith died from kidney failure at his home in Greenup, Kentucky. He was 55 years old.

Terry Daniels

Terrance Daniels is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Private Terry Daniels. His wrestling career spanned from 1978 to his retirement in 2007, and he is primarily known as a "jobber," a wrestler whose main role was to lose to the star performers. Daniels started his career in Texas, working for MMP in Amarillo and later for Southwest Championship Wrestling. In 1983, he made his debut in the WWF, where he gained some attention. In 1984, he had a notable appearance on Piper's Pit and won a battle royal in New Hampshire, with a $10,000 prize. During his time in the WWF, he faced well-known figures like Bob Backlund, Tito Santana, and the Iron Sheik, although he never won his matches against more established wrestlers like Big John Studd and Nikolai Volkoff. In 1984, he briefly teamed up with Sgt. Slaughter to challenge Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch for the WWF Tag Team Championship, but they were unsuccessful. After leaving the WWF in late 1984, Daniels continued his career in Mid-South Wrestling until 1986, and then joined various independent promotions. He briefly returned to the WWF in 1989 and 1992. He also worked in other promotions such as the Global Wrestling Federation and the United States Wrestling Association. Daniels officially retired from professional wrestling in 2007.

Randy Poffo

Cast · Known for WWF Superstars, WWF Wrestling Challenge

Randy Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Savage was described by sportswriter Bill Simmons as "one of the greatest pro wrestlers who ever lived"—a statement echoed by multiple industry performers. He was recognizable by wrestling fans for his distinctively flamboyant ring attire and raspy voice, intensity exhibited in and out of the ring, use of the finale from "Pomp and Circumstance March no. 1" by Elgar as his entrance music, and signature catchphrase, "Oooh yeah!" For most of his tenures in the WWF and WCW, Savage was managed by his real-life wife, Miss Elizabeth Hulette. Savage had six world championship reigns during his 32-year career, including two as WWF World Heavyweight Champion and four as WCW World Heavyweight Champion. As WWF Champion, he held similar drawing power as Hulk Hogan. A one-time WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion, he was named by WWE as the greatest titleholder of all time and credited for bringing "a higher level of credibility to the title through his amazing in-ring performances". Savage was the 1987 WWF King of the Ring and the 1995 WCW World War 3 winner. He headlined many pay-per-view events throughout his career, including WrestleManias IV, V, and VIII (being part of a double main event at VIII), two of the first five SummerSlam shows, and 1995 Starrcade. He was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame upon its inception in 1996, with a posthumous WWE Hall of Fame induction following in 2015. Description above from the Wikipedia article Randy Savage, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Tom Laughlin

Cast · Known for Impractical Jokers

Thomas James Laughlin, best known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer, is an American professional wrestler, promoter, and actor. He is the founder, owner, and wrestler of the independent professional wrestling promotion House of Hardcore, which he runs with his wife Monique Dupree. Dreamer is best known for his appearances with Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), WWE, and Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling. Dubbed the "heart and soul" of ECW, Dreamer regularly featured in the company's major storylines as well as holding a number of back-office roles in TNA notably. Championships held by Dreamer over the course of his career include the ECW Championship (which he has held twice, becoming the only man to do so in the ECW organization and WWE's ECW brand), ECW World Tag Team Championship and WWF/E Hardcore Championship.

Jeffrey Jarrett

Cast · Known for WWE Heat

Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, which he co-founded along with his father, Jerry. He is well-known from his multiple runs in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s. A third-generation wrestler, Jarrett has held seventy championships in various promotions throughout his career. Within TNA, he is a former six-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and is also a former four-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and one-time AAA World Heavyweight Champion. He has also accumulated five additional world title reigns, being a three-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion and two-time WWA World Heavyweight Champion. He achieved notable championship success in the World Wrestling Federation, becoming a six-time Intercontinental Champion, and one of four men to hold both the Intercontinental and European Championshipssimultaneously. He is the first wrestler to be a two-time King of the Mountain, and also won Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración's (AAA) Rey de Reyes tournament in 2004. Between the WWF, WCW, and TNA, Jarrett has held twenty-two total championships as well as other numerous regional titles.

Al Perez

Perez began wrestling as an amateur in high school and was one of the top athletes in his home state of Florida. He started professional wrestling in 1982. He formed a team in ICW with Joe Savoldi known as the "New York Rockers". Al Perez worked for the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico were he feuded with Invader l. In 1986 Perez wrestled for Bill Watt's Mid-South Wrestling. Perez began teaming with "Wildcat" Wendell Cooley and defeated the team of Steve" Dr. Death" Williams and Bruiser Bob Sweetan for the Mid-South Tag Team Championship. Sweetan was substituting for Ted Dibiase while Dibiase was touring the Orient. Perez went on to make a name for himself as "The Latin Heartthrob" in World Class Championship Wrestling in 1987, where he was the top heel for several months. He was managed by Gary Hart and feuded with Kevin Von Erich, Kerry Von Erich and Dingo Warrior. In 1988, Perez moved to the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions with Hart and teamed with Larry Zbyszko along with feuding with Nikita Koloff and Dusty Rhodes. In 1989 he wrestled for Dusty Rhodes' Professional Wrestling Federation based in Florida. He won the PWF Florida Heavyweight Title, defeating Mike Graham for the title. He would the lose the title to Dustin Rhodes. In September 1990, Perez competed as the Black Scorpion, wrestling Sting in a losing effort at Clash of Champions XII. According to Ric Flair, Perez was always meant to be the Black Scorpion but quit after finding out he was going to lose. Perez debuted in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1989 where he wrestled against the likes of Brooklyn Brawler, Koko B. Ware, Red Rooster, and Bret Hart. In the beginning of 1990, Perez left the WWF and appeared in WCW. Over the next several years, Perez competed in several independent promotions around the United States, including a return to Liberty All-Star Wrestling (LAW) in 2001 Where he beat Jimmy Jannetty for the LAW Heavyweight title, before retiring from the business in 2002.

Jeremy Lynn

Jeremy Lynn is an American former professional wrestler. He has worked for promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the World Wrestling Federation(WWF), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and Ring of Honor (ROH). Lynn is a two time world heavyweight champion, having held the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once and the ROH World Championship once. Other championships held by Lynn in his career include the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (once), the TNA X Division Championship (twice), the NWA World Tag Team Championship (twice) and the WWA International Cruiserweight Championship (once). In December 2012, sports journalist Dave Meltzer described Lynn as "one of the most underrated workers of the last quarter century".

Haku

Tonga ʻUliʻuli Fifita is a Tongan professional wrestling manager, former professional wrestler and former sumo wrestler. He currently performs in WWE as the manager for The Tongans consisting of his sons Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name Haku and his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Meng. Making his debut in 1978, Fifita also wrestled under the names King Tonga and King Haku while wrestling for the WWF. Fifita appeared on multiple pay-per-view events for the WWF and WCW and is a former WWF World Tag Team Champion.

Peter Polaco

Peter Joseph "PJ" Polaco is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and WWE under the ring name Justin Credible. He is also known for his earlier stint with WWE under the ring name Aldo Montoya. In WWF/WWE, he was an eight-time WWF/E Hardcore Champion. In ECW, he was a one-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion and a two-time ECW World Tag Team Champion with Lance Storm as the Impact Players. Polaco returned to the independent circuit in 2007 using the name "Justin Time". He wrestled for the Pro Wrestling Syndicate promotion, along with fellow original ECW wrestlers Sabu, Danny Doring and Julio Dinero, as well as making appearances for the Insane Clown Posse owned Juggalo Championship Wrestling. On March 29, 2009 he became the Big Time Wrestling Champion, defeating "Hurricane" John Walters with Ric Flair as special guest referee, but Credible was stripped of the title in August of the same year. Justin is also the topic of an upcoming documentary The Price of Fame which also includes Ted DiBiase and Sean Waltman. He was inducted into the New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame on July 12, 2009. On August 8, 2010, Polaco returned to TNA to take part in the ECW-themed pay-per-view Hardcore Justice where he performed as P.J. Polaco due to the WWE owning the rights to the Justin Credible name; Polaco was defeated by Stevie Richards. Afterwards, he was assaulted by former rival The Sandman with a Singapore cane. On January 14, 2012, Credible returned to the former ECW Arena, when he was defeated by Sabu at an Evolve event in the venue's final professional wrestling match. On April 28, 2012, Polaco was scheduled to wrestle on Shane Douglas' Extreme Reunion show, but was removed from the card, as well as the building after being found "slumped over, passed out asleep" in a chair. While he begged management to be let back on the show, they denied his request and kicked him out a second time. On August 8, 2012, Chikara announced that Polaco, returning to his Aldo Montoya character, would be making his debut for the promotion in the following month's 2012 King of Trios tournament, where he would team with the 1-2-3 Kid and Tatanka as "Team WWF". In their first round match on September 14, Team WWF was defeated by The Extreme Trio (Jerry Lynn, Tommy Dreamer and Too Cold Scorpio). Polaco retired on November 20, 2015, after facing long-time rival Tommy Dreamer at a Pro Wrestling Syndicate event. Credible faced Matt Tremont in a winning effort at CZW show in August 2016. In March 2017, he returned to wrestling, and teamed with The Sandman & New Jack in a winning effort at ECPW show. Polaco is of Portuguese ancestry. His parents emigrated to the United States from Portugal three years before he was born. He speaks Portuguese fluently. Peter and his wife Jill Marie Polaco née Jurecki were married on June 4, 1997. They have a son Nicholas (born April 2000).

Fred Ottman

Fred Ottman is a retired American professional wrestler best known as Tugboat or Typhoon, and for teaming with John "Earthquake" Tenta as The Natural Disasters in the World Wrestling Federation. Ottman is also well known for his infamous Shockmaster gimmick in World Championship Wrestling. In WWF, he is a one-time Tag Team Champion. Personal life Ottman retired from wrestling after WCW folded in 2001. Ottman was one of the participants of the 20 Man Gimmick Battle Royal match at WrestleMania X-Seven as Tugboat. He now lives in Lakeland, Florida and works as a safety manager for Gaffin Industrial Services, a building cleaning service. He also coaches the little league team of his two sons and daughter, Berkley, Beau, and Bailey.

John Nord

is a retired American professional wrestler. John Nord started wrestling in late 1984 as "The Barbarian" for Mid-South Wrestling under manager Skandor Akbar. In 1985 and 1986 he changed his ring name to Nord the Barbarian and wrestled in singles and tag team competition under manager Adnan El Kassey in the American Wrestling Association. He frequently teamed with Bruiser Brody while there. The two faced Greg Gagne and Jimmy Snuka as part of a triple main event at WrestleRock 86. Nord then went to World Class Championship Wrestling under manager Gary Hart where he feuded with Kevin Von Erich for the World Class Title. He challenged Von Erich for the WCCW title at the 3rd Annual David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions at Texas Stadium in 1987. In 1989, he returned to the AWA under the name "Yukon John". A lumberjack gimmick where he would come to the ring with an ax, dressed in blue jeans, flannel shirt, animal skin hat, and boots. He mainly competed in singles competition until forming a tag team in 1990 with Scott Norton, calling themselves the ""Yukon Lumberjacks". They feuded briefly with the Texas Hangmen. When the AWA stopped promoting, he moved to Pacific Northwest Wrestling. In 1991, Nord went to the WWF as The Viking. He soon changed his name to The Berzerker and was managed by Mr. Fuji and he feuded with Davey Boy Smith and Jimmy Snuka. His most preferred method of winning matches was by throwing his opponents out of the ring and getting a "count out" victory, all the while holding his wrist, licking his hand, shouting "Huss! Huss!" à la Bruiser Brody, and intentionally falling flat on his back. He wrestled as part of a 4-man team in an elimination match at the 1991 Survivor Series pay-per-view event. He was the last man eliminated for his team. He then feuded with The Undertaker, at one point attempting to stab him with his sword. In 1992 he won a 40-man Battle Royal, aired on WWF Prime Time Wrestling, but left the WWF the following year. He went to All Japan Pro Wrestling in 1994 and stayed until 1997 when he showed up in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) with bleach blond hair under his real name, John Nord. He wrestled mainly on WCW Saturday Night and started a long winning streak that culminated with a match against another streak holder, Bill Goldberg, on July 4, 1998. Nord lost the match, had a short-lived team with Barry Darsow, and was soon gone from WCW. He retired from wrestling and went to work at his brother's auto dealership, Nord East Motors in Hilltop, MN. He has a son, Joe that wrestles HWT for the University of Minnesota. He is a junior this season 2009-2010.