WWE Royal Rumble Winners List

The following is the full list of WWE Royal Rumble Winners from 1988 and on:

» 1988 Winner: Hacksaw Jim Duggan - first ever winner of event.

» 1989 Winner: Big John Studd (via eliminating Ted DiBiase).

» 1990 Winner: Hulk Hogan (via eliminating Mr. Perfect).

» 1991 Winner: Hulk Hogan (via eliminating Earthquake).

» 1992 Winner: Ric Flair (via eliminating Sid Justice).

» 1993 Winner: Yokozuna (via eliminating Randy Savage).

» 1994 Winner(s): Bret Hart/Lex Luger - both men eliminated each other at same time to become '94 co-winners.

» 1995 Winner: Shawn Michaels (via eliminating British Bulldog).

» 1996 Winner: Shawn Michaels (via eliminating Diesel).

» 1997 Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin (via eliminating Bret Hart).
(Bret Hart originally eliminated Austin when officials were not looking but Austin rolled back in and continued the match to eliminate Hart)

» 1998 Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin (via eliminating The Rock).

» 1999 Winner: Vince McMahon (via eliminating Steve Austin).

» 2000 Winner: The Rock (via eliminating Big Show).

» 2001 Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin (via eliminating Kane).

» 2002 Winner: Triple H (via eliminating Kurt Angle).

» 2003 Winner: Brock Lesnar (via eliminating The Undertaker).

» 2004 Winner: Chris Benoit (via eliminating Big Show).

» 2005 Winner: Batista (via eliminating John Cena).

» 2006 Winner: Rey Mysterio (via eliminating Randy Orton).

» 2007 Winner: The Undertaker (via eliminating Shawn Michaels).

» 2008 Winner: John Cena (via eliminating Triple H).

» 2009 Winner: Randy Orton (via eliminating Triple H).

Featured Speciality Match[June]: Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Wrestle Mania is the biggest event of WWE, and this mega event starts off with The Money in the Bank ladder match. The match can feature anywhere from six to eight participants, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended above the ring. The briefcase contains a contract, which guarantees a match for any of WWE's three world titles: the WWE Championship, ECW Championship, or the World Heavyweight Championship.The contract is valid for one year up to the next year's WrestleMania, and the briefcase holder—dubbed "Mr. Money in the Bank"—can cash in the contract for a world title match (any of the three), at the date, place, and time of their choosing.The briefcase may also be defended in matches, similar to how championships are defended. All of the briefcase holders have defended the contract except for CM Punk.

The Money in the Bank ladder match was first contested in 2005 at WrestleMania 21. Since the match's inception, four additional Money in the Bank ladder matches have been held at WrestleMania; the most recent being held at WrestleMania XXV. The first winner of the Money in the Bank ladder match was Edge, who won at WrestleMania 21. He is also the only wrestler to cash in a contract he did not win in the actual ladder match by defeating Mr. Kennedy, who won the WrestleMania 23 Money in the Bank match, for his briefcase in May 2007, and as well as the first to compete in any no. 1 contender's match style match. The most recent winner, CM Punk, won at both WrestleMania XXIV and XXV, making him the only Money in the Bank participant to win the match on multiple occasions, the second to have earned multiple Money in the Bank contracts, and the first to win the Money in the Bank match in consecutive years. The 2006 winner Rob Van Dam is the only winner to announce the date as to when he will cash in the money in the bank contract and to compete in a regular match (as opposed to Edge and CM Punk defeating a defenseless champion immediately after the champion has been weakened by a prior match or attack). So far there has yet to be a champion to succesfully retain his world championship against a money in the bank winner, which adds more value to the match.

The first such match at Wrestlemania 21 was won by Edge. Edge cashed in his contract in January 2006 at New Year's Revolution, where he defeated WWE Champion John Cena in less than two minutes just after Cena had retained his title against five opponents in an Elimination Chamber match.

Rob Van Dam won the WrestleMania 22 Money in the Bank ladder match after pushing Benjamin and Hardy off a ladder, while he was on another ladder, and retrieving the briefcase.Rob Van Dam announced in May 2006 that he would cash in his contract at One Night Stand against Cena. The match ended with Cena losing after Edge, the #1 contender to the title, interfered on behalf of Van Dam and speared Cena through a table. RVD then performed a Five-Star frog splash and Paul Heyman counted the pinfall.

The third Money in the Bank ladder match was held at WrestleMania 23, and was the first to feature eight participants from Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW.Mr. Kennedy won at WrestleMania 23, after ramming CM Punk off the ladder using another ladder.During the next few weeks, he kept declaring that he would cash in the briefcase at WrestleMania XXIV. Kennedy, however, suffered an injury, and on the May 7, 2007 episode of Raw, he lost the Money in the Bank briefcase to Edge. As of WrestleMania XXV Kennedy is the only wrestler to lose the briefcase. The following night at the taping for the May 11, 2007 SmackDown, World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker and Batista fought to a draw in a steel cage match, after which a returning Mark Henry assaulted Undertaker and left him injured in the ring. As Henry was leaving Edge came to the ring with his briefcase, handed it to referee Jim Korderas, and defeated the Undertaker after a spear to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.

The fourth Money in the Bank ladder match took place at WrestleMania XXIV and was intended to be another eight-man match-up, consisting of wrestlers from Raw, SmackDown, and ECW.CM Punk won the match after trapping Jericho's leg in a ladder and then climbing the ladder. Punk cashed in his title shot on the June 30 edition of Raw. A farewell speech by Jim Ross was interrupted by then-World Heavyweight Champion Edge who had him removed from the ring and then began to insult the crowd, saying that they will never get to see a world championship being defended on Raw (as at the time both Edge and WWE Champion Triple H were members of the SmackDown brand). When he was about to leave the arena, Batista came out and assaulted Edge in retaliation for Edge cheating in a title match the previous night at Night of Champions. Punk then immediately ran to the ring to cash in his contract, then performed a GTS on Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship, making it Raw-exclusive in the process.

The fifth annual Money in the Bank ladder match was announced for WrestleMania XXV.CM Punk won the match and became the first wrestler to win two Money in the Bank ladder matches, and the only one to win the match for two consecutive years.After Jeff Hardy defeated Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules, CM Punk cashed it in defeating Jeff Hardy to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the second time.

3 "Little-Known" Exercises to Make You As Strong As a Bull on the Wrestling Mat!

**Article by Steve Preston, a nationally-recognized strength and conditioning coach for wrestlers

If you want to gain a strength advantage over your competition, and don't have a lot of fancy equipment, don't worry. Here are 3 tried and true "unique" strength training exercises that can help get you stronger for the mat - FAST!

1. Bottom Squats - Bottom squats are incredible for developing hips and gluteal strength. In layman's terms, that would be working your rear-end. Ok, have a quick laugh, and then get to work. These are a perfect addition to your wrestling strength training routine. Here's what you do. With an Olympic barbell, you perform a regular full depth squat. This means you descend until the top of your thighs break parallel with the floor. Instead of standing straight up, you come up only half way. You pause in the half-way up position, descend to below parallel, and repeat. I would throw them in about once or twice a month, to keep the muscles "confused". This forces the muscles to respond by getting stronger. In fact, you might want to perform a regular barbell squat or machine squat during the first workout. The next workout you might perform a barbell or trap bar deadlift. The third workout might be a bottom squat. Just perform each exercise with 100% intensity (with a spotter at all times) and seek to improve strength over successive workouts.

2. Negative-Only Chinups - This one is fantastic for developing the kind of upper body strength you need for the mat very quickly. Why? Because performing negative repetitions incorporates many more muscle fibers than the positive part of the repetition. In other words, you are 40% stronger lowering a weight than you are raising a weight. To apply this to chinups do the following: Grasp a chinning bar with a close, underhand grip. (Using this grip is much more effective than a wide grip for developing the latissimus dorsi muscle. The "lats" work with the biceps when you are performing a single or double-leg takedown.) By standing on a high bench or chair, hop up so that your chin is over the bar, and hold for 2 seconds. Slowly lower yourself under control until you reach a hanging position where the "lat" muscles are stretched. This lowering should take a good 8-10 seconds. Hop right back up to the starting position and again lower in 8-10 seconds. Repeat until it is impossible to lower with control. You may have to use additional weight around your waist if using body weight only gets too easy. Keep an arch in the middle back area when performing to force the back muscles to work harder than the biceps.

3. Negative-Only Dips - Just as the last exercise works the back and biceps muscles hard, this one works the antagonistic (opposite) muscles to them. This one will get the chest, shoulders, and triceps stronger fast. To perform you lock out the arms and support yourself at the top on a dipping bar. Keep the chin tucked into the chest to force more work from the chest muscles, and less emphasis on the triceps. Lower until the chest is fully stretched. This will take 8-10 seconds. Repeat. When you can't lower in at least 6 seconds, the set is over. At this point take a much needed breather and get a drink.

Negative only training is very taxing on the body. I would do it for no more than 3 weeks at a time, about 4 times a year, to help push past a sticking point in your training. These 3 exercises can be performed by any wrestler. If a wrestler is young and hasn't reached physical maturity, perform the squats with bodyweight only. For older, more mature wrestlers, go for broke. If you aren't huffing and puffing, and can't wait to get out of the gym, you didn't work hard enough.

Discover the power of negative only training and watch your performances improve almost overnight.

[article]History Of ECW Wrestling

**Article by Raymardo

Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) was the first incarnation of the groundbreaking and influential professional wrestling promotion later dubbed Extreme Championship Wrestling (from here on they will be used interchangeably). ECW was founded by Tod A. Gordon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 as a member of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).Gordon sold the promotion to his head booker, Paul Heyman, in 1996.In 1992, as a start up wrestling promotion with no publicity, ECW needed some fire power, and Gordon found it in the form of the bad man from the Fiji Islands. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka was brought into ECW fresh off a hiatus from the WWE (WWF at the time). He was rested and appeared to be in the top shape of his career.Snuka was the first ECW world champion. His stake to the title gave it legitimacy from day one, something the baby wrestling promotion sorely needed.The "Superfly" even had a few battles with his old WWE nemesis Don Muraco. Indeed it was the Magnificent One who ended Snuka's second reign as Extreme Championship Wrestling king pin on September 30, 1992 in Philadelphia, PA at the ECW arena. Muraco and Snuka remained in ECW and later formed an alliance.

Their presence helped future stars like The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer cement their roots. The Sandman had the honor of winning his first Extreme Championship Wrestling championship from Don Muraco on November 16, 1992 also in Philadelphia, PA. Gordon remained in ECW as its commissioner after the sale to Heyman, doing microphone duty conducting interviews. He was released from his duties for what was initially explained as "family issues." Later a rumor surfaced that Heyman fired Gordon for being a "mole" for Ted Turner's rival World Championship Wrestling promotion and luring ECW talent there.An interview conducted years later had a smiling Gordon refuting the firing, claiming that the "mole" angle was nothing more than a work. The initial mastermind behind ECW went on to book Pro Pain Pro Wrestling and founded both Hardcore Homecoming and Xtreme Fight Club, the latter of which runs shows and a wrestling school.

Extreme Championship Wrestling closed in April 2001 when Heyman declared bankruptcy. Before closing its doors, the small company became known for its cult like fan base and its continual pushing of the envelope with controversial storylines. The promotion showcased many different styles of professional wrestling not seen in the WWE or WCW. ECW fans saw lucha libre and hardcore wrestling.World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) bought the rights to ECW and began promoting an annual ECW-brand event called ECW One Night Stand in 2005. After its initial success, WWE revived the promotion in a full-time fashion on June 13, 2006 with a weekly television series on Sci Fi Channel in the United States, Sky Sports 3 in the United Kingdom, and FOX8 in Australia.

[article]Wrestling Belts

**Article by Eddie Tobey

Most wrestling and boxing championships are represented by a championship belt. In wrestling championships, wrestlers wear the championship belts around their waists or carry them over their shoulders upon winning the title. In professional wrestling championships, the title belt is the recognition of a wrestler's promotion. Wrestlers who draw the greatest fan response will compete with the current champion for the title belt.

Professional wrestling championship belts originated from the championship belts in boxing. Wrestling belts are made of well-designed gold plates. The name of the title and the wrestling promotion are printed on a leather strap with a gold design on the belt. The color and design of wrestling belts vary with each title and promotion. In 2002, all major world wrestling entertainment titles included a nameplate with the current titleholder's name on the bottom of the main faceplate. Recently, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) merged into the World Wrestling Entertainment Undisputed Championship. Since then, a nameplate has been added to the design of the new WWE championship belt.

High-quality leather is used in the production of wrestling belts. The leather has good abrasion and flame resistance. The tensile and bending properties of wrestling belt leather are better than that of any other leather. They are also finely polished to give a shiny look. Wrestling belts are usually designed by the best designers in the world. The title belt for different wrestling championships varies with the design of the nameplate. Wrestling belts have larger thickness and width compared to other belts. The length of wrestling belts can be adjusted to suit the wrestler.

Both amateur and professional wrestling championships give wrestling belts as the title reward. A good wrestler can sustain a large fan following over a period of time. Wrestling championships usually generate fan interest in terms of event attendance and TV viewer ship.

[article]How To Get "Super Strong" For Wrestling!

**Article by Steve Preston

Wrestling is a sport that requires above average strength levels. In order to be a Champion, you need to keep the strength that you’ve built up in the off-season and keep it through a full season of dual meets, tournaments, and constant “cutting weight.” This isn’t easy to do… unless you know how to do it! The skills that you learn through countless hours of practice make or break you. The strength and conditioning allow you to perform the moves. Learn exactly how to get stronger for wrestling.

With all things equal, the STRONGER wrestler WINS every time!

The following tips will help you develop your wrestling strength and keep it throughout the season!

1. Drink Meal Replacement Shakes Meal replacement shakes were originally developed for cancer patients. They were consumed because they were pre-digested, and “nutrient dense.” They are loaded with vitamins and minerals, high protein blend, and just enough carbohydrates to keep up energy levels. These are perfect for wrestlers who are dropping weight to move down to a lower weight class. They are low in calories, yet have the nutritional values that are so important to maintain or build strength. Try to consume 2 or 3 per day if you’re cutting weight.

2. DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF Wrestlers are notorious for cutting weight by not eating, then dehydrating. Let me explain what happens to your body when you decide to do this in order to make weight each week. When you take in too few calories to maintain your body weight, the body goes into a defense mechanism. Sure, the scale will show that you are indeed losing weight. But the body determines that it is being starved, and as a means to protect itself from starving, it will hold onto body fat, and start breaking down muscle tissue for energy. You will wind up losing SOME body fat, plus muscle and water. So you make weight, but you’re not as strong due to less muscle on your body. If you have to make weight, plan ahead, and try to lose body fat, not muscle.

3. Train Your Wrestling Muscles When creating a workout program for wrestling you must first consider the muscles that you use in wrestling in order of importance. These are the glutes, hips and low back (the posterior chain muscles), then the quadriceps, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, and neck. I recommend that you perform a full body strength routine, You still want to work the entire body thoroughly, but prioritize the wrestling muscles first.

4. Strength Train Every 4-5 Days During The Wrestling Season Your goal during the season is to at least keep up your strength levels, with the best case scenario being strength gains as the season progresses. In order to accomplish this you want to strength train frequently enough, but not so much that you’re constantly breaking your body down. For the in-season, try to hit a full body workout on a schedule like this: Week 1 – Monday and Friday, Week 2 – Wednesday. Then repeat. This means that one week you perform 2 full body strength workouts, and the next week you perform one full body strength workout. Alternate these weeks throughout the wrestling season.

5. Progressive Resistance Remember to always strive to do at least one more repetition or the same amount of repetitions with a little more weight as often as possible. Your muscles quickly adapt, and you need to force them to become stronger. Strive for a 5% strength gain on each exercise per month. If you’re really cutting a lot of weight this season, you may not be able to gain strength because the body needs a surplus of calories from food in order to feed the muscle. At least, try to maintain your strength by keeping the same weight on each exercise throughout the season.

About the writer:
Steve Preston is a Sports Performance Specialist in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is the owner of Sports Strength, a company devoted to providing sports specific strength training information to athletes. For more information on Consultations with Steve, go to http://www.sports-strength.com or call 757-646-2644. For a FREE course called “7 Secrets Of Training Champion Wrestlers” go to http://www.sports-strength.com/wrestling.html

[article]How to Build Your Own Wrestling Ring

**Article by Sturat, an article marketer, copywriter and enjoys writing on topics like how to build a wrestling ring

Wrestling is very popular. Everyone is watching it. Everyone has an idol in the wrestling world. Everyone wants to take part in it. So you want to build your very own wrestling ring. Maybe it's for fun only. To hang out with your friends. Or maybe you want to develop a business in wrestling. Either way, here are the main steps in how to build a wrestling ring.

All materials can be purchased from the Internet for about 6000$. This means a fully professional and safe ring. Not just a model. The materials are usually pretty standard. The only major concern is to get yourself some actual steel to support the ring. Without steel the ring will surely collapse.

You then can purchase a nice assembling plan from the Internet. That is the smart way to go. Best thing is to heighten the ring. Don;t put directly on the floor. That's why you will build a steel support. Usually a support has about 2 feet height. This carcass can be made out of steel and wood. It's important to make a perfect square. Because of the forces that the ring has to endure. You want everything to be distributed equally.

You want to focus the forces into the ground. So the corners must be sent deeply down. For the ropes provide extra support. Bets ropes are the cable ones. They should be fixed in the corners. So they absorb the energy. Provide a lot of bounce to the mat so your wrestlers don't get hurt. The bouncier the mat is, the less hurt the people get. A hard mat will get big injuries for your wrestlers. So totally avoid it.

These are the basic steps. Just follow them and don't skip any advice on how to build a wrestling ring. This way you will have a very nice, your very own wrestling ring.

Wrestlemania - The Grandest Stage of Them All

**Article by Jacky Lee, a longtime wrestling fan who created Wrestlemania DVD page to inform wrestling fans about upcoming and currently released Wrestlemania dvds

Nicknamed "The Grandaddy of Them All", Wrestlemania is a worldwide global wrestling event that draws the attention of millions of wrestling and entertainment fans every year. First produced by WWE owner Vince McMahon in 1985, it has lasted for more than 25 editions, with the 26th anniversary taking place in 2010.

Since its creation, It has quickly become the most prominent event in professional wrestling. Its popularity and success have helped many of WWE's superstars such as Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, and more to the rise of stardom. It is also currently the dream of thousands of wrestlers and fans alike to be able to participate in the Superbowl of professional wrestling. To most wrestlers, being able to partake in the event is considered to be highlight of their careers and most would be label as having unsuccessful careers if their names do not show up on the event card.

Wrestlemania usually takes place in late March or early April annually. Most of the television shows such as Raw and Smackdown are designed to eventually reach their climax at the event, which features most of the organization's championship titles, especially the World Heavyweight Title and WWE's own World Title. Besides these, the event is also well known for putting up specialty and gimmick matches such as the recently addition of Money in the Bank, where the only way to be declared the winner is to climb a ladder in an attempt to reach a briefcase suspended high above the ring while fending off five to seven competitors. This fast pace and exciting match, filled with high flying maneuvers, amazing aerobics and stunts, have been a fan favorite since its inauguration five years ago.

Just How big is Wrestlemania? For a typical wrestling event, sports arenas is usually the prefer method of attendances. However, nine of the 25 editions have been held in large stadiums used by the NFL and the MLB. Those attendances goes from the low 54,097 at the 19th edition in Seattle to the current world indoor attendance record of 93,173 in Pontiac, Michigan at the event's 3rd anniversary. That edition is widely considered to be the pinnacle of the wrestling boom in the 1980s and was the largest paying attendance in professional wrestling at that time.

Perhaps some of the greatest wrestling moments occurred at Wrestlemania. Long time wrestling fans will mention Hulk body slamming Andre the Giant, the acclaim match between Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat, the Ultimate Showdown, the classic Ladder match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon, the 60 minute Iron Man, Stone Cold's first world championship, the various Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, The Rock and Hogan showdown, the emotional retirement of Ric Flair, and the Undefeated 17-0 streak of the Undertaker.

Due to the popularity and the wide appeal of Wrestlemania, many celebrities have participated with different levels of involvement throughout the 25 years. The first edition witnessed boxing legend Muhammad Ali and Mr. T. The second edition saw a 20 man battle royal pitting WWE superstars against NFL players. Mike Tyson appeared at XIV as the special guest enforcer, while professional welterweight boxer Flyod "Money"Mayweather battled The Big Show at XXIV. The latest saw Oscar-nominated best actor Mickey Rourke as a spectator for a match that ended with him delivering a knock out blow to wrestler Chris Jericho.

Furthermore, many renowned musicians such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, Little Richard, Boyz II Men, Ashanti, John Legend, Motorhead, Limp Bizkit, and Kid Rock have also performed at the events.

Thought 25 years have passed since its first inauguration, Wrestlemania still shows no signs of slowing down as many cities are still bidding for WWE to bring the event to their cities as the event have helped brought in millions of dollars of revenues in the respective cities through the years. Would we see more memorable moments in the future from this event? We will just have to wait and see.

[article]History of WWE - How it All Began

**Article by Kathy L. Mcneil

Not many of us, wrestling fans know how it all began. The story goes back to 1925, when the grandfather of WWE, Roderick McMahon began to promote some boxing matches in the city of New York. The birthday of modern wrestling can be considered the day when two persons met: Roderick McMahon and Josef Mondt. They founded the CWC (Capitol Wrestling Corporation), the corporation that will evolve to WWE in the modern days.

Next step is made in 1953, when CWC joined the National Wrestling Alliance, which brought the business to a more legitimate level. Also in 1953, McMahon's son, Vincent took over his father, beginning the tradition of a McMahon being at the helm of the company. In 1956, CWC began to air wrestling matches.

The 1963 can be considered the year of birth for World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). The story is simple: CWC's wrestler Buddy Rogers won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. By the rules of CWC he had to defend his title of to pay $25,000. Buddy chose to defend the title and lost the fight and the title. CWC's heads got upset and decided to leave the NWA.

In late 60's, Mondt decided to retire and Vincent McMahon became the sole head of the WWWF. At the same time, McMahon was on the board of directors for the NWA, and organized several matches between NWA and WWWF champions. Most of them ended in a way that no real winner was determined.

30 years ago, in 1979, the WWWF became WWF - World Wrestling Federation, and changed its owner to Vincent J. McMahon. In 1982, the ownership passes to his son, Vincent K. McMahon, who began to expand the WWF.

Vincent K. McMahon was the first McMahon that began selling the WWF TV Shows to TV stations and on VHS tapes all over the USA and abroad. He was the one to hire Hulk Hogan - an 80's wrestling and movie star. That worked excellent for WWF promotion, which became worldwide popular.

So, it was Vincent K. McMahon, who redefined both: the sport and the show, and he can be considered the father of WWE.

[article]To Be the Man

**Article from Joey Munoz of Santino Bros. Wrestling Academy:

Are you a professional wrestler? Or are you a pencil neck geek? Far too often people consider professional wrestling FAKE.

In 1976 Mike Graham introduced Hulk Hogan to Hiro Matsuda,who was among the sport's top trainers, and considered one of the toughest wrestlers in the world. According to Hogan, during their first training session, Matsuda sarcastically asked him, "So you want to be a wrestler?"

Hogan said "Yes!" then Matsuda purposely broke Hogan's leg. Obviously Hiro Matsuda didn't break Hulk Hogan's SPIRIT. That did'nt stop the HULK from becoming one of, if not THE, greatest icons in Professional Wrestling history.

The road to becoming a professional wrestler is hard. This is a tough career. It is a road paved with doubt, fatigue, and sacrifice, both mentally and physically. But just as the negatives are tough, the rewards are great....the greater the sacrifice, the greater the reward. The roar of the crowd, the camaraderie of the boys, the memories, the ability to make people laugh, to make people cry and to really touch their hearts. Along with the obvious, traveling the world, meeting and wrestling the great ones, gaining a fan base, making the big paydays, and becoming WORLD CHAMPION.

To be the Man you have to beat the Man! So says the 16 time World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair. According to Flair's autobiography, "..the best matches are called in the ring and on the fly, not laid out on paper." This ability to call it in the ring and on the fly is one of the reason's Ric Flair is the best at what he does and is so well respected. He not only knows all the moves, but is a pro wrestlers perfect opponent. To be able to "wing it" or do it without "practice" shows that you are a true pro wrestler, not just a show guy.

You have to be prepared for whatever is thrown your way, whether it be a cocky veteran who likes to tear into green boys or a green boy who doesn't know a thing who needs you to carry the match.

To be the man, you have to be prepared and to be prepared is your key to success.

Featured Wrestler of the Month[June] - TRIPLE H

REAL NAME :Paul Michael Levesque
Ring names : Terra Ryzing
Jean-Paul Levesque
Hunter Hearst Helmsley (HHH)
Triple H

Date of Birth :July 27, 1969 (1969-07-27) (age 39)

Debut :March 1992

For me, TRIPLE H is perhaps the greatest heel of all time. I haven't seen anyone carry the heel tag the way he did. So its a kind of appreciation to name him the featured wrestler in the first edition. Lets first dig into his history a bit and how he accomplished himself and then look at his other contributions.


TRIPLE H was born in Nashua, New Hampshire. In his youth, he

was a fan of professional wrestling and his favorite wrestler

was Ric Flair. He became aware of bodybuilding at the age of

fourteen, and after graduating from high school in 1987, he

entered several body building competitions. 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.

HHH enrolled at Killer Kowalski's wrestling school in 1992 after

it was recommended to him by Arcidi. He joined the

Independent Wrestling Federation (IWF), which used trainees from

Kowalski's school in their promotion. Here, Levesque became

the IWF Heavyweight Champion and started using the name

Terra Ryzing.

In early 1994, HHH signed a one year contract with World

Championship Wrestling (WCW). In his first televised match, he

wrestled as a heel and defeated Brian Armstrong. He continued

using the name Terra Ryzing until mid-1994, when he was

renamed Jean-Paul Lévesque. 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. During this time,

he began using his finisher, the Pedigree.

HHH left for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in January

1995 after WCW shot down his request to be pushed as a

singles competitor.

As a continuation of his gimmick in WCW, HHH started off his

WWF career as the Connecticut Blueblood, Hunter Hearst

Helmsley. He 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.

HHH 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. He was slated 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. Despite the punishment, Helmsley did have several

successes following the MSG Incident. Mr. Perfect became his

manager and he was booked to win the Intercontinental

Championship for the first time on October 21, 1996, defeating

Marc Mero. 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.

He 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. For a very

brief time, Helmsley was accompanied by Mr. Hughes, who was

his storyline bodyguard. After losing the Intercontinental title,

he feuded with Goldust, defeating him at WrestleMania 13.

During their feud, Chyna debuted as his new bodyguard.

Helmsley's push resumed in 1997, when he won the King of the

Ring tournament by defeating Mankind in the finals.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, 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. Even after the DX versus Hart Foundation storyline

ended, Helmsley continued to feud with the sole remaining

member Owen Hart over the European Championship. This

culminated 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.


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. 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".

Film

HHH appeared in the movie, Blade: Trinity, as a vampire enforcer named Jarko Grimwood.

HHH 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.

Television appearances

HHH appeared in an episode of the USA Network series Pacific Blue on August 9, 1998. In December 1998, he did a guest appearance in The Drew Carey Show as the Disciplinarian. 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. HHH also won the WWF edition of The Weakest Link, in which he and Stephanie McMahon were the final two contestants. HHH has also been a guest announcer for the Mr. Olympia competition.

List of Pro Wrestling Organizations

The following is a list of Wrestling Organizations around the globe:

ACWA (American Championship Wrestling Alliance)
All Star Wrestling UK (Wrestler news and profiles from Europe)
ACW American Championship Wrestling
APW
AWE American Wrestling Entertainment
Australian Wrestling Federation
AusWrestling.com
Canadian Pro Wrestling / Power Slam Entertainment
Caribbean Championship Wrestling (CCW)
Chaotic Wrestling
CCW Classic Championship Wrestling
CIW (Championship International Wrestling)
Combat Zone Wrestling
CPW
ECWA
EWA - Eastern Wrestling Alliance
EWA Empire Wrestling Alliance
FCW
Five Star Wrestling
Impact Zone Wrestling
Internet Wrestling Syndicate
International Championship Wrestling ICW
IWA International Wrestling Australia
JCW Jersey Championship Wrestling
Jersey All-Pro Wrestling
Keystone Championship Wrestling
Keystone State Wrestling Alliance KSWA
MEW Main Event Wrestling
Maryland Championship Wrestling
MLW (Major League Wrestling)
Mid-Atlantic Wrestling
MPW Midwest Powerhouse Wrestling
Midwest Women's Wrestling Association
Millennium Wrestling Federation
NECW New England Championship Wrestling
NWA Total Non-Stop Action
NWA Virginia
NWF--National Wrestling Federation
NWF Northern Wrestling Federation
NWL National Wrestling League
OVW
Penn York Wrestling
Plymouth Championship Wrestling
Portland Wrestling
Professional Championship Wrestling PCW
Ring of Honor Wrestling
Southern Championship Wrestling
Thunder Wrestling Federation
West Virginia Wrestling
Western Wrestling Association
Windy City Pro Wrestling
WBI Wrestling Beyond Imagination
WLW
World Of Hurt Wrestling
WPCW World Pacific Championship Wrestling
WWE (Formerly known as the WWF)
WXW (World Xtreme Wrestling)
WxW Women's Extreme Wrestling
UCW (Ultra Championship Wrestling)
UPW
UWA Hardcore Wrestling
UWF--Ultimate Wrestling Federation
XCW (Denton, TX)

The WWE and NWA-TNA are the biggest organizations when it comes to prowrestling. The WWE stands out as the biggest brand and highest gainer in the industry.

Professional Wrestling -- An introduction

While many of you might be knowing what exactly happens in pro wrestling, there are few people who remain clueless and then there are some who have certain questions/doubts on some aspects of pro wrestling. This post will hopefully give you the complete insight of the world of pro wrestling.

How is professional wrestling different? Unlike amateurs, professional wrestlers are paid. They also tend to be more skilled. A sporting commission regulates amateur wrestling, but pro wrestling is intentionally unregulated. In its early days, wrestling fell under the state sporting commission authority. League owners soon realized that they could avoid the hassle by classifying their shows as entertainment, not a competitive sport.

Wrestling does have rules. However, the rules are loosely defined and loosely enforced. The skills of the wrestlers do not determine the outcome of the match. Instead, writers work on plots and storylines well in advance, and every match is another chapter in the story. Who wins and who loses is all in the script.

Does that mean that wrestling is fake? It's true that the plots are predetermined and the moves are choreographed. Wrestlers aren't really trying to beat up and injure each other. Sometimes, the bitterest enemies in the ring are really best friends, and the outlandish stories surrounding the characters are usually not true. However, simply calling wrestling "fake" is like calling an action movie fake. When you see a movie, you know that the actor didn't really jump a burning car over an exploding bridge, but you're still entertained. Stunt people and special effects crews worked to make those scenes seem real, and their work can be very impressive.

Pro wrestling is like that. Most wrestlers are exceptional athletes who train for many hours each day to maintain their physical condition. They practice for years to learn both the moves and how to execute them safely while still making it look dangerous. They suffer many injuries, sometimes severe. Their schedules are grueling. There's certainly nothing fake about flying 20 feet through the air from the top rope.

This concludes the introduction to professional wrestling. Next I will try to cover various aspects of wrestling in other posts.