John Layfield

This article is about the professional wrestler and Fox News business analyst. For the seventeenth century theologian, see John Layfield (theologian).

"John Hawk" redirects here. For the Medal of Honor recipient, see John D. Hawk.

John Layfield
Born	(1966-11-29) November 29, 1966 Sweetwater, Texas
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Blackjack Bradshaw Bradshaw Death Mask John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) Johnny Hawk Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw Vampiro Americano
Billed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Billed weight	290 lb (130 kg)
Billed from	New York City Sweetwater, Texas Roscoe, Texas
Trained by	Brad Rheingans
Debut	September 23 1992

John Charles Layfield (born November 29 1966) known by his current ring name John "Bradshaw" Layfield or JBL, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently working for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), previously known as World Wrestling Federation (WWF), wrestling on its Raw brand. He is the longest reigning World Champion in SmackDown history, the brand which he recently left his position as a color commentator to restart his career as an in-ring competitor.

His gimmick—a wealthy, gladhanding businessman—is based on Layfield's real-life accomplishments as a stock market investor. Layfield is a regular panelist on Fox News Channel's The Cost of Freedom and previously appeared on CNBC. He has also written a best-selling book on financial planning called Have More Money Now (ISBN 0-7434-6633-0). While Layfield continues to perform for WWE, he also hosts a weekend talk radio program, syndicated nationally by Talk Radio Network, in which he discusses his conservative political views. Layfield is also employed by Northeast Securities as Senior Vice President.

In WWF/E, Layfield is a one-time WWE Champion, a one-time United States Champion, a one-time European Champion, a seventeen-time Hardcore Champion and a three-time World Tag Team Champion with Faarooq as part of the tag team Acolytes Protection Agency (APA).

Football

Prior to his professional wrestling career, Layfield was a successful collegiate football player for Trinity Valley Community College and Abilene Christian University. At Abilene, Layfield was a two-year starter on the offensive line and was named first-team All-Lone Star Conference as a junior and senior.

Layfield signed with the Los Angeles Raiders as an undrafted free agent, but was released before the 1990 season began. Layfield did play in the World League of American Football, starting all ten games of the 1991 season at right tackle for the San Antonio Riders, wearing jersey number 61.

Professional wrestling

Global Wrestling Federation (1992–1994)

Layfield was trained initially by Brad Rheingans and first started wrestling in the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF) in Texas on September 23 1992. His first gimmick was as Johnny Hawk, storyline cousin of the famous Windham brothers. He formed the tag team "Texas Mustangs" with Bobby Duncum, Jr.; they quickly won the GWF Tag Team Championship from Rough Riders (Black Bart and Johnny Mantell) on November 27 but dropped the titles to Bad Breed (Ian & Axl Rotten) on January 29 1993. Later that year, Hawk won his second GWF Tag Team Championship with Black Bart on December 25 from Steve Dane and Chaz Taylor. They held the titles for a long while before losing them to Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin and Terry Gordy) on June 3 1994. Layfield also won the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship on January 14 1995, defeating Kevin Von Erich. Two months later, he lost the NWA North American Title to Greg "The Hammer" Valentine.

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment

Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw (1996-1997)

After three and a half years touring the independent circuit in forgettable guises, Layfield signed a contract with World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in late 1995 and debuted in January 1996 as Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw. His initial gimmick was that of a tough cowboy/mountain man, similar in tone to Stan Hansen. After victories, he branded his opponents with the symbol "JB." Of course, the brand was in ink, rather than being seared into the flesh. Managed by Uncle Zebekiah, the character fizzled out by the end of the year, perhaps remembered only for a feud with Savio Vega and a match with Fatu which he won in eight seconds.

New Blackjacks (1997-1998)

Main article: The New Blackjacks

Layfield paired up with his storyline cousin Barry Windham to form The New Blackjacks, complete with the traditional "Blackjack" handlebar mustaches and short, jet black hair.

Windham's injuries piled up throughout 1997, so the team disbanded, and Layfield wrestled only occasionally on TV as "Blackjack Bradshaw", sometimes teaming with fellow Texan Terry Funk. He earned a shot at the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (a title Layfield held before coming to WWF) against Jeff Jarrett at No Way Out of Texas: In Your House and won by disqualification but Jarrett retained the title because a title cannot change hands by a disqualification. In 1998, he wrestled as a mid-carder wrestling guys such as Marc Mero at Mayhem in Manchester, and Kaientai (Funaki, Dick Togo & Men's Teioh) with Taka Michinoku in a handicap match in 1998 at Over the Edge and Vader in a Falls Count Anywhere match at Breakdown.

Acolytes Protection Agency (1998–2001)

Further information: Acolytes Protection Agency

In late 1998, Bradshaw teamed alongside former World Championship Wrestling's World Champion Faarooq to form the powerhouse tag team Hell's Henchmen, managed by the Jackal. After the Jackal left the WWF, Faarooq and Bradshaw joined The Undertaker's new Ministry of Darkness under the name The Acolytes. The Ministry went on to feud with the Corporation. As part of the Ministry, Bradshaw feuded with Ken Shamrock. The Ministry was defeated by Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Undertaker went on hiatus, so Bradshaw and Faarooq's dark gimmick faded.

The duo turned face to become cigar-smoking, bar-brawlers-for-hire. In jeans and t-shirts, Faarooq and Bradshaw became the Pulp Fiction-inspired Acolytes Protection Agency (APA), with a motto of "Because we need beer money." The duo was often seen in the backrooms of arenas with a trademark poker table and later a framed doorway comically in the middle of the often large, open aired hallways; they insisted that anyone entering the space use the door. Occasionally, if the "room" was destroyed in one arena, it was set up exactly as it was destroyed at the next arena, pushing continuity through time and space for comic effect. On May 31 1999 edition of Raw is War, APA won their first WWF Tag Team Championship by defeating Kane and X-Pac. On July 5 edition of Raw is War, they dropped the titles to Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff) before defeating Hardyz and their manager Michael "P.S." Hayes at Fully Loaded for their second WWF Tag Team Championship. On August 9 edition of Raw is War, they lost the titles to Kane and X-Pac.

Acolytes earned a shot at the WWF Tag Titles at the Royal Rumble against New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn), but lost the match. Their next shot at the titles was at Fully Loaded when they faced Edge and Christian for the titles. Acolytes won the match by disqualification but did not become champions. After unsuccessfully challenging for the tag titles in 2000, APA won their third WWF Tag Team Championship on July 9 2001 edition of Raw is War by defeating Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von). On the August 9 edition of SmackDown!, they lost the tag titles to The Alliance (Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Kanyon).

On the October 22 edition of Raw is War, Bradshaw defeated The Hurricane to win the WWF European Championship, his first singles title in WWF. He lost the title to Christian on November 1 edition of SmackDown!. At No Way Out in 2002, APA won a Tag Team Turmoil match and as a result, they challenged for the tag titles at WrestleMania X8 along with Hardys and Dudleys, in a Four Corners Elimination match. The champions Billy and Chuck retained their titles.

Singles competitor (2002)

Layfield at a 2002 house show during his time as Bradshaw.

Shortly after WrestleMania, Faarooq and Bradshaw split due to the WWE Draft. Layfield was drafted to Raw where his Bradshaw gimmick had an increased emphasis on his Texas roots, which included him carrying a cowbell to the ring. Bradshaw joined the hardcore division after debuting on Raw and won the WWE Hardcore Championship seventeen times, with his first title win coming over Steven Richards. He renamed the title Texas Hardcore Championship. It was also during this time that his finishing move was briefly renamed from the Clothesline From Hell to the Clothesline from Texas or the Clothesline from Deep in the Heart of Texas. Jim Ross often called the move as such during his commentary, although the name eventually reverted back to the original "Clothesline From Hell".

In the hardcore division, Bradshaw feuded and exchanged the title with the likes of Richards, Shawn Stasiak, Raven, Christopher Nowinski, Big Show, Justin Credible, Johnny Stamboli, Crash Holly, Jeff Hardy and Tommy Dreamer, before the title was unified by WWE Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam in August 2002. In September 2002, Layfield suffered a torn left biceps at a house show event. He was out of action for six months until returning to Ohio Valley Wrestling and then a few weeks later to the active WWE roster.

APA Reunion (2003)

Bradshaw returned on an episode of SmackDown! in 2003, which saw him and his old friend Faarooq saving the Undertaker from the hands of Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli. Layfield returned with a new look, cutting his long hair and not dying it black and shaving his facial hair. The duo would return to perform their regular segments, as they did before the brand extension, such as playing poker, drinking beer, and bribing superstars of their money. At Vengeance, the duo won a bar room brawl match. The duo wrestled tag teams such as Basham Brothers (Doug and Danny) at No Mercy and The World's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) at No Way Out. At WrestleMania XX in 2004, they unsuccessfully challenged for the WWE Tag Team Championship in a fatal four way tag team match. The gimmick continued on-and-off until the March 18 edition of SmackDown! when Faarooq (Ron Simmons) was fired in the storyline (in actuality, he retired) from WWE after losing a tag team "You're Fired" Match to Tag Team Champions Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty for the tag titles. Then-SmackDown! General Manager Paul Heyman reminded Bradshaw that the "You're Fired" stipulation applied only to Faarooq and Bradshaw should think about his own future, noting his status as a successful author and then-current FOX News personality.

WWE Champion (2004)

The next week, Bradshaw changed his gimmick into a J.R. Ewing-esque heel persona complete with a suit, cowboy hat, and tie. He began referring to himself as John "Bradshaw" Layfield, or JBL. As in 2002, his finishing move's name was part of the overhaul, becoming the Clothesline From Wall Street until he later changed it back to its original name. His first promo was on the border between Texas and Mexico, where he hunted for incoming illegal immigrants in order to win a "Great American Award", which granted the winner number one contendership to the WWE title. He won, and immediately challenged Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Championship. The storyline leading up to the match was that JBL caused Eddie's mother to have a heart attack at a house show when he threatened her and grabbed her by the shoulder. At Judgment Day, JBL defeated Guerrero via disqualification in a match for Eddie's WWE title. A title cannot change hands by DQ, so Guerrero retained the title. JBL controversially won the WWE Championship from Guerrero in a Texas Bull Rope match at The Great American Bash. The initial decision of Guerrero's victory was reversed by then-General Manager Kurt Angle, (who was feuding with Guerrero at the time) awarding the match and the title to JBL; the replay showed that JBL touched the fourth corner before Guerrero. JBL won a rematch in a steel cage two weeks later, again with Angle's assistance.

John "Bradshaw" Layfield, during his reign as WWE Champion.

JBL won several squash matches in the following weeks. After claiming he would not be defending the title at SummerSlam, the Undertaker challenged JBL for the title. Around this time, JBL hired Orlando Jordan to help him in title matches. At SummerSlam, JBL won the match by disqualification. After the match, Undertaker chokeslammed JBL through the roof of his limo. JBL wore a halo (complete with his cowboy hat on top) for the next few weeks to sell his "injuries". SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long then booked a Last Ride match for the title at No Mercy. JBL retained the title with some help from Heidenreich.

Though JBL held the title for many months, most title matches were won controversially. At Survivor Series, JBL defeated Booker T to retain his WWE Championship by hitting Booker in the face with the title belt when the referee was knocked out. JBL defeated Eddie Guerrero, The Undertaker, and Booker T in a Fatal Four Way at Armageddon after a run-in by Heidenreich, who incapacitated the Undertaker, allowing JBL to take advantage and hit Booker with the Clothesline From Hell to get the pinfall victory.

The "JBL" character, at first, mimicked the actions of a J.R. Ewing-style businessman running for office (campaign speeches, kissing babies, etc., which fit with the 2004 Election Cycle) but then started referring to himself as a "Wrestling God", much to the on-screen disdain of Raw's then-World Heavyweight Champion Triple H. The segment of Raw where Triple H showed himself thoroughly unimpressed by JBL is an instance of a rare occurrence in professional wrestling, where a heel expresses hostility against another heel in the same company without one or the other turning face shortly afterward.

The Cabinet (2005)

Main article: Cabinet (professional wrestling)

The Cabinet: "Chief of Staff" Orlando Jordan and Layfield, the WWE Champion.

During JBL's time as WWE Champion, he employed a "staff" to work for him. The stable was named The Cabinet. At its peak, the stable contained Orlando Jordan, who was JBL's "Chief-of-Staff" and Doug and Danny Basham, who were his "Co-Secretaries of Defense" until "quitting" the Cabinet on the June 16 2005 episode of SmackDown!. Amy Weber was also a member, being JBL's image consultant, but later left WWE due to alleged harassment. WWE explained Weber's absence by saying that JBL "fired" her after an episode of SmackDown! taped in Japan. That episode saw Weber accidentally shoot JBL with a tranquilizer gun. Jordan is the only member not announced to have left the group, though mention of the term cabinet went on hiatus after SummerSlam and Orlando was released from WWE in May 2006.

JBL's luck continued in early 2005; at the Royal Rumble, he sneaked past both The Big Show and Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat match when he pinned Angle after the Clothesline From Hell. He once again emerged with his title intact from WWE's first-ever Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match at No Way Out 2005 against Big Show. JBL won the match when Big Show chokeslammed JBL off the top rope through the ring. JBL managed to crawl out from under the ring apron before Show could make it to the floor, winning the match by escape. On the next edition of SmackDown!, JBL had a "Celebration of Excellence" in which he and his Cabinet celebrated the fact that he was the longest-reigning WWE Champion in ten years (since Diesel), a party which was broken up and ruined by newly-crowned #1 contender John Cena.

JBL lost the WWE Championship to Cena at WrestleMania 21. His unbroken nine-month reign was billed as the longest in a decade, lasting 280 days. On the April 28 edition of SmackDown!, JBL defeated Big Show, Booker T, and Kurt Angle in a four-way elimination match to earn a rematch for the WWE title, but lost to Cena at Judgment Day in an "I Quit" match. He was ribbed by Cena and other wrestlers for saying "I Quit" over the next few months. Cena even called him the most celebrated quitter in WWE history.

Sporadic feuds / United States Champion (2005–2006)

On June 12, Layfield appeared at the WWE-promoted ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view as an anti-ECW "crusader." In the course of the night, however, he shot on The Blue Meanie. WWE capitalized on the situation by re-signing Meanie to a short-term contract. On the July 7 episode of SmackDown!, Blue Meanie was reunited with his old Blue World Order associates Nova and Stevie Richards and he defeated Layfield with the help of the World Heavyweight Champion Batista, who was drafted to SmackDown! a few weeks after Cena was drafted to Raw.

Layfield and Batista then met in a match at The Great American Bash for the World Heavyweight Championship. JBL won the match by disqualification but a title does not change hands by DQ, so Batista retained the title. At SummerSlam, Batista defeated Layfield in a rematch. JBL lost another rematch with Batista on September 9 edition of SmackDown! in a Texas Bullrope match.

On the September 16 edition of SmackDown!, JBL lost to Rey Mysterio, which was the beginning of a long feud with Mysterio that lasted almost eight months. He hired Jillian Hall to "fix" his career. At No Mercy, JBL defeated Mysterio in a rematch. JBL then teamed up with Rey Mysterio in the SmackDown! versus Raw rivalry with Chris Masters and Edge. He later defeated Chris Benoit on November 11 edition of SmackDown!, with the help of Booker T, to become a member of "Team SmackDown!" to face "Team Raw" at Survivor Series JBL lasted throughout most of the Survivor Series match, and can even be credited for helping give Smackdown! the victory by distracting Shawn Michaels with a steel chair long enough for Randy Orton to hit him with the RKO.

In early 2006, JBL started a feud with The Boogeyman who scared him many times in the new year. The two had a match at Royal Rumble, which Boogeyman won. His next opponent was Bobby Lashley, whom Layfield defeated at No Way Out. On February 24 2006 edition of SmackDown!, he suffered a broken hand at the hands of Chris Benoit in a six man tag team match, and WWE.com announced that he underwent successful surgery. Layfield was in fact having surgery to remove a non-cancerous cyst. Layfield returned and feuded with Benoit, defeating him for his WWE United States Championship at WrestleMania 22. During this time, Jillian Hall remained at the side of JBL until April 21 edition of SmackDown! when JBL fired Hall, due to her inability to help JBL defend his title during a JBL/Benoit steel cage rematch the week before (which JBL was still able to win) as well as her lack of putting together an "appropriate" celebration for him.

JBL, while still United States Champion, challenged for the World Heavyweight Championship. JBL tried to weaken then champion Rey Mysterio in the weeks leading up to his title match as Mysterio faced off against any opponent of JBL's choosing. Mysterio was defeated by Mark Henry and squashed by The Great Khali in non title singles matches before facing Raw's Kane in a match, that went to a no-contest. This was leading to their title match at Judgment Day, which Mysterio won and retained the title by pinning JBL after a frog splash. On the May 26 edition of SmackDown!, JBL lost the US Title to Bobby Lashley. He also lost another attempt at the World Title against Rey Mysterio, stating beforehand that he would quit SmackDown! if he lost that match. When he did lose, the crowd at the arena began to sing "Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye". It was reported that JBL began to verbally attack the crowd while in the ring. JBL, however, later stated that he did not have a formal contract with Teddy Long going into the match and that he did not intend to leave SmackDown!. This angle was used to give JBL time off wrestling due to his serious back injury.

Semi-retirement / WWE Commentator (2006–2007)

At One Night Stand, Layfield announced that he would take Tazz's place as the new color commentator for SmackDown!. He made his debut as a heelish color commentator on June 16 edition of SmackDown!. Layfield noted in a commentary on TheStreet.com that he was retiring from in-ring competition for good. In his final column on the website, JBL wrote, "I have also come to believe that you can't fight father time. A broken back suffered in a match in England, compounded by a herniated and bulged disc, finally made me realize my career as a professional wrestler was over. I since migrated to the color commentary position much in the way that Jesse Ventura did before me." In a WWE.com article, Layfield quelled internet rumors that he would be leaving WWE in October 2006. While Layfield did admit to giving his notice to WWE, he said that he did so because he was heartbroken that he could no longer wrestle, not because he wanted to quit the wrestling business. Nevertheless, he signed a new long-term deal with the company.

JBL returned to the ring on November 13 2006, in the main event of a WWE house show in Dublin, Ireland, JBL teamed with Mr. Kennedy and King Booker against Brothers of Destruction (Kane and The Undertaker), and Batista. On the December 22 edition of SmackDown!, JBL cut a promo berating Theodore Long and cursing out the fans for cheering during the Inferno match at Armageddon five days earlier ("Rome didn't fall because of the gladiators in the ring. Rome fell because of the spectators in the stands.")

On the October 12 2007 edition of Smackdown!, Layfield was announced as one of the options WWE fans would be able to vote for to be the special guest referee at Cyber Sunday for the World Heavyweight Championship match between Batista and The Undertaker. However, he lost the vote to Steve Austin. At Cyber Sunday, he issued a heated altercation towards those running alongside him, ultimately receiving a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin. After this, he became physical as a color commentator, attacking both Batista and The Undertaker in a middle of a match as revenge after he was speared by Batista and later chokeslammed by The Undertaker after taunting them consecutively, in events leading up to the pay-per-view. He justified these actions by explaining, "I am retired, not dead" (and that he [Layfield] should be respected).

On the December 3 edition of Raw, JBL and Ron Simmons re-united as the APA to help Hornswoggle during his handicap match against Carlito and Jonathan Coachman. JBL stated that this would be a one-night only occurrence.

In-ring return (2007–present)

JBL was present at the SmackDown announcer's table during the WWE Championship match between Randy Orton and Chris Jericho, at Armageddon. During this match, Orton whipped a charging Jericho over the announcer table where JBL was situated, and in the heat of the match, Jericho "pushed" JBL out of the way. Minutes later, an infuriated Layfield applied his boot to the head of Jericho whilst he looked set to win the match. This interference led to a disqualification and - as DQ's tend to go against the opponent of the assaulted and titles cannot change hands in such instances - Randy Orton retained the title.

Raw (2007–present)

On the December 17 2007 edition of Raw, JBL announced that he would resume his role as an active wrestler, in response to a challenge made by Jericho. On the December 21 edition of SmackDown!, JBL gave his farewell address from SmackDown, officially marking his return to Raw on December 31. His feud with Jericho ended after JBL defeated him at Royal Rumble via disqualification. The duo battled in a rematch on February 11 edition of Raw, which Jericho won.

On February 18 on Raw, JBL interfered in scheduled steel cage match between Mr. McMahon and his kayfabe illegitimate son, Hornswoggle. He attacked Finlay from behind and handcuffed him to the top rope. After Mr. McMahon left the ring JBL proceeded to beat Hornswoggle by throwing him against the sides of the cage. Following this, WWE.com announced that Hornswoggle had suffered kayfabe internal injuries, including bleeding of the brain and spinal trauma. JBL revealed to Vince McMahon that Hornswoggle was Finlay's storyline son, not McMahon's. Following his attack on Hornswoggle, JBL defeated Finlay in a Belfast Brawl at Wrestlemania XXIV. JBL's first championship bid since returning to the ring came by challenging Randy Orton for the WWE Championship and participating in a Fatal Four Way Elimination match at Backlash that also included John Cena and Triple H. JBL was eliminated first in the match by tapping out to Cena's STFU, thus renewing their feud from 2005. Cena defeated JBL at Judgment Day and then at One Night Stand in a First Blood match. However he managed to defeat Cena in a New York City Parking Lot Brawl at The Great American Bash.

Controversy

Layfield's actions at a WWE house show in Munich, Germany early in June 2004 caused a substantial uproar. During the show, in an attempt to draw heel heat, he gave the crowd several Nazi salutes while goose-stepping around the ring. Such a display is illegal in Germany if used for political purposes. In an interview with The Washington Post, Layfield explained "I'm a bad guy [on WWE TV]. I'm supposed to incite the crowd. I've done [the Nazi salute] for decades. I really didn't think anything of it - I know how bad it is, I've lived [in Germany]. I've been to Dachau, seen those places where they exterminated millions of Jews. I draw the line between me and my character. That's like saying Anthony Hopkins (who portrays Hannibal Lecter) really enjoys cannibalism."

Personal life

His parents are Lavelle Layfield, who is a minister, and Mary Layfield.

On his February 5 2007 blog on WWE.com, Layfield announced that he is looking into running for political office in his home state of Texas. Layfield also makes regular appearances on the Fox News Channel weekend business show, Bulls & Bears. In February 2008, his company, Layfield Energy, launched an drink called MamaJuana Energy.

John Layfield married Meredith Whitney on February 13 2005 in Key West, Florida. On November 1 2007, Meredith received several threatening e-mails after making a controversial announcement to the investment community to sell their shares of Citigroup stock. This financial advice from such a well known analyst caused many investors to indeed sell their stock in the company, costing Citigroup an estimated $15 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. Layfield stood by his wife's decision, calling the people who threatened her "cowardly pieces of shit" and canceled a planned trip to Texas to visit family so that he could, instead, accompany his wife in a protective role until heat from the incident died down.

In wrestling

• Finishing and signature moves
  • Clothesline From Hell
  • Standing release powerbomb - 1998-2006
  • Backbreaker rack
  • Bear hug
  • Big boot
  • Eye poke
  • Last Call (Fallaway slam, sometimes from the second rope)
  • Multiple elbow drops
  • Russian legsweep
  • Sleeper hold
  • Short-arm clothesline
  • Swinging neckbreaker
  • Three Amigos (Rolling vertical suplexes) - 2004-2006; Used to mock Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio

• With Faarooq
  • Aided powerbomb
  • Back suplex / Neckbreaker slam combination
  • Double spinebuster

• Managers
  • Uncle Zebekiah
  • Skandor Akbar
  • The Jackyl
  • Jacqueline
  • Amy Weber
  • Jillian Hall

• Nicknames
  • The Wrestling God
  • Longhorn Loudmouth

Championships and accomplishments

JBL during his reign as United States Champion

• Catch Wrestling Association
  • CWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Cannonball Grizzly

• Global Wrestling Federation
  • GWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Bobby Duncum, Jr. (1) and Black Bart (1)

• Memphis Championship Wrestling
  • MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Faarooq

• NWA Texas
  • NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Ohio Valley Wrestling
  • OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ron Simmons

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him # 5 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2005.

• World Wrestling Federation | World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWF European Championship (1 time)
  • WWF Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Faarooq
  • WWE Championship (1 time)
  • WWE Hardcore Championship (17 times)
  • WWE United States Championship (1 time)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Best Gimmick (2004)
• Other titles
  • All-American, Div II NCAA at Abilene Christian University (1 time)
  • Korean Wrestling Championship (1 time)

External links

• John Layfield (JBL) at WWE.com
• John Layfield at IMDb
• John Layfield (Bradshaw) at Online World of Wrestling
• John Bradshaw Layfield at TipsTraders.com
• Offical WWE Fan Nation Page

Drew Hankinson
Hankinson as Festus (right) with current tag team partner Jesse.
Born	(1984-12-22) December 22, 1984 Cumberland, Maryland
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Festus Festus Dalton Justice Dalton Dargon Deacon Deville Dorian Deville (The) Freakin' Deacon "Imposter Kane"
Billed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Billed weight	291 lb (132 kg)
Billed from	Purgatory (as (The) Freakin' Deacon)
Trained by	Bill DeMott DSW Training staff

Andrew William Hankinson (born December 22, 1984) is an American professional wrestler currently signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) appearing on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Festus. He is one of six great wrestlers on the Smackdown roster.

Career

Early career

Hankinson began his career in Pennsylvania with the World Star Wrestling Federation (AWA/World Star Wrestling), Summit Wrestling Association of Southern Pennsylvania, and Maryland-based National Wrestling League, wrestling as Dorian Deville. In April 2005, he was signed to a contract by World Wrestling Entertainment and assigned to the Deep South Wrestling (DSW) developmental territory, where he formed a partnership with Palmer Cannon. Hankinson wrestled in DSW as Deacon Deville before changing his ring name to The Freakin' Deacon.

World Wrestling Entertainment

Impostor Kane (2006)

On May 29, 2006, the Wrestling Observer reported that Hankinson debuted on Raw, confronting Kane while dressed in Kane's original ring attire, complete with a full face mask. Without saying a word, Hankinson chokeslammed Kane. The two continued to battle one another over subsequent weeks, the impersonator continually gaining the upper hand; this led to a match being scheduled for Vengeance. Hankinson went on to defeat Kane at Vengeance with a chokeslam. On the following episode of Raw, Hankinson was beaten down by the real Kane, who then tore the mask from his face and threw him out of the arena, claiming that it belonged to him. This marked Hankinson's last appearance on Raw. Neither Hankinson's face nor his true identity were ever revealed by WWE during this feud.

Following his feud with Kane, Hankinson returned to Deep South Wrestling, in addition to appearing at SmackDown! house shows as The Freakin' Deacon. In late January he formed a tag team with G-Rilla.

SmackDown! (2007–present)

On the May 11, 2007 edition of SmackDown, a vignette aired suggesting that Hankinson would be repackaged as Festus Dalton as part of a tag team using a 'Southern' gimmick, alongside fellow WWE developmental talent Ray Gordy. On June 2, 2007, however, it was reported that WWE was dropping the "Dalton Boys" gimmick. The explanation for the reason they didn't show up on Smackdown was because (kayfabe) they got lost on their way to the arena. Hankinson and Gordy had actually been sent back to OVW and Hankinson changed his name to Justice Dalton. It marked the second time Hankinson had been dropped from the main roster.

On the June 29, 2007 edition of SmackDown!, vignettes hyping Jesse and Festus began to air. On the September 7, 2007 edition of SmackDown!, there was a segment featuring Jesse and Festus now actually in the arena rather than in a studio. On October 5th, Hankinson won his debut match on Smackdown! with his partner Jesse. When the opening bell rang, Festus' persona changed into a very focused competitor as compared to the aloof, absent-minded character he had portrayed. When the bell rang signifying the end of the match, Festus returned to his "normal" self. On the December 21, 2007 of Smackdown!, Hankinson defeated Deuce in a Santa Match with both of them wearing Santa Claus outfits. On the January 25 edition of Smackdown Jesse explained the reason they haven't been around since the new year is because Festus has been seeing doctors about his "problems".

In 2008, Jesse and Festus came out and before the bell rang Jesse explained that Festus has been changed. After the bell rang Festus changed into his determined and monstrous face. Festus did not change and continues to make a determined and monstrous face after the bell has rung.

On the March 21, 2008 edition of SmackDown, Jesse and Festus had a chance to face John Morrison and The Miz for the WWE Tag Team Championships; Morrison and The Miz retained their titles in this match. Festus received his first loss against The Undertaker on the April 112008 edition of Smackdown after passing out while in the gogoplata. Jesse and Festus had another chance at the WWE Tag Team Championship when they were involved in a Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match, but came up short when Jesse was pinned by Curt Hawkins, making his team the new WWE Tag Team Champions. On the August 15 edition of Smackdown, Festus was defeated by Vladimir Kozlov.

In wrestling

• Finishing and signature moves
• As Festus / Festus Dalton

• Fireman's carry flapjack
• Flying Biscuit (Running leaping seated senton splash)
• Gutbuster drop
• Big boot / Bicycle kick
• Biel throw

• As (The) Freakin' Deacon

• Deacon Bomb (Chokebomb)
• Deacon Clutch (Cobra clutch)
• Deacon Death Drop (Inverted DDT)
• Big boot / Running arched big boot
• Lariat

• As Imposter Kane

• Chokeslam
• Big boot
• Diving clothesline
• Scoop powerslam
• Sidewalk slam

• With Jesse

• Aided diving shoulder block
• Powerbomb (Festus) / Double knee backbreaker (Jesse) combination

• Nicknames

• "The Corn-Fed Colossus"

• Theme music

• Burned by Jim Johnston (as Imposter Kane)
• Biscuits & Gravy by Jim Johnston

• Signature taunts

• As the imposter Kane, he imitated Kane's behaviors in the ring.
• Festus' character is that of a mentally retarded man until the bell rings to begin the match. At the sound of the bell, Festus' face shifts to become determined and monstrous. Upon the bell at the end of the match, Festus' face returns to "normal".
• His tag team partner Jesse, is always complementing his face by saying "That is the face of something that relates to something that was just said.

Championships and accomplishments

• National Wrestling League

• NWL Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Summit Wrestling Association

• SWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Vanguard Championship Wrestling

• VCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

References

• Drew Hankinson at Cagematch.net (In German)
• The fake Kane is...
• The NWL Heavyweight Championship at the Wrestling Information Archive
• The VCW Heavyweight Championship at VCW-Wrestling.com
• Summit Wrestling Association Website

External links

• WWE Profile

Rob Van Dam
Born	(1970-12-18) December 18, 1970 Battle Creek, Michigan
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Robbie V Rob Szatkowski Rob Van Dam
Billed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Billed weight	237 lb (108 kg)
Billed from	Battle Creek, Michigan,
Trained by	The Sheik
Debut	1990

Robert "Rob" Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently shortened to RVD), is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The day after Van Dam's WWE contract expired, he was in the United Kingdom on a promotional tour, and to record scenes for the wrestling documentary, Bloodstained Memoirs. He also took part in interviews for the BBC. Another venture that Van Dam produces is RVDTV, reality based programming looking at the life of Rob Van Dam. The name Rob Van Dam or Robbie V. was given to Rob by Ron Slinker, a promoter in Florida, in 1991.

Career

Early career

Rob Van Dam debuted in 1990 after being trained by The Sheik, wrestling his first match against Dango Nguyen in Toledo, Ohio. He wrestled in many independent promotions across Michigan, including the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) and South Atlantic Pro Wrestling (SAPW). In SAPW, he won his first wrestling title, the SAPW Tag Team Championship, in July 1992 with Chaz Rocco.

He signed with World Championship Wrestling in late 1992 and was dubbed Robbie V upon his arrival. His WCW run was uneventful and largely unnoticed. He also wrestled in several independent promotions across America, and in All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he challenged for the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship on several occasions.

Extreme Championship Wrestling

1996–1997

In January 1996, Van Dam signed with promoter Paul Heyman's Philadelphia-based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), defeating Axl Rotten in his debut match at House Party. Van Dam's mannerisms were those of a stoner, and he became a face due to his laid-back attitude and unorthodox style. On March 30, he faced 2 Cold Scorpio in a match for the ECW Television Championship. The match ended in a draw with 2 Cold Scorpio retaining the title.

Van Dam gained attention following a series of matches with long-time rival Sabu, began with a match at Hostile City Showdown, won by Sabu. After the match, Van Dam declined to show proper respect for his opponent, leading to a rematch at A Matter of Respect, which was won by Van Dam. Per the pre-match stipulation, Sabu then offered Van Dam a handshake, but was again ignored. Instead, Van Dam left the ring and turned heel under the management of Bill Alfonso. At Hardcore Heaven, Van Dam faced his rival Sabu once again, in a match to prove who was the better man. Sabu won the match. The two faced each other yet again in a stretcher match at The Doctor is In. Van Dam lost the match after missing a Plancha to the outside, hitting the railing and falling onto the stretcher. He was quickly rolled out.

At Natural Born Killaz, Van Dam defeated Doug Furnas in a match. Post-match, Van Dam offered Furnas a handshake, but Furnas instead punched Van Dam, starting a rivalry between the two. After his rivalry with Furnas expanded to also include Dan Kroffat, Van Dam wanted a tag team partner of his own. After losing to long-time rival Sabu once again at Unluckily Lottery, the two united and formed what was to become one of the most successful tag teams in ECW history. They feuded with Furnas and Kroffat defeating them at When Worlds Collide II and High Incident.

RVD and Sabu next feuded with The Eliminators (John Kronus and Perry Saturn). On November 1, the two teams fought to a draw. RVD then feuded with Taz, to whom he lost at Holiday Hell via knockout. Sabu and RVD continued to feud with The Eliminators for the ECW Tag Team Championship into 1997. At Crossing the Line Again and Cyberslam, the teams faced off for the ECW Tag Team Championship in a pair of matches, both of which were won by The Eliminators. At CyberSlam, the two teams faced each other for the titles in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, in which The Eliminators again retained their titles.

At ECW's first pay-per-view event Barely Legal, Van Dam defeated Lance Storm as a last-minute replacement for the injured Chris Candido. Immediately following the match, RVD expressed his distaste for being chosen as a back-up for "some guy who couldn't even lace his boots". RVD delivered a speech directed towards Paul Heyman, and not being originally booked on the show was a point of contention between Van Dam and Heyman for a time.

In May 1997 ECW "invaded" the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television show, drawing the ire of color commentator Jerry Lawler. Lawler then promised he would show up at an ECW show in order to gain revenge, and when he did show up, he had ECW mainstays Van Dam and Sabu with him. Van Dam cut promos about how he was too good for ECW and deserved to be in one of the "Big Two" (WWF or WCW) on one of their Monday Night programs ("Monday Night Raw" or "Monday Nitro"), while Jerry Lawler dubbed Van Dam "Mr. Monday Night" on an episode of Raw. Despite his arrogance and "betrayal" of ECW, over time Van Dam became applauded by fans recognizing his athleticism and unique maneuvers.

Van Dam continued to team up with Sabu upon his return to ECW on June 13. Tazz's manager Bill Alfonso betrayed Tazz and joined Sabu and Van Dam. Van Dam started a new rivalry with Tommy Dreamer, who wanted to gain revenge on Van Dam for his betrayal of ECW. On June 21, RVD and Sabu earned a victory over Dreamer and The Sandman. Van Dam and Sabu emerged victorious against Dreamer and Sandman again at Orgy of Violence. At Heat Wave, Van Dam, Sabu and WWF's Jerry "The King" Lawler fought Dreamer, Sandman and Rick Rude to a no contest. Van Dam and Dreamer faced each other in a hardcore match at Born to Be Wired, won by Van Dam after he hit Dreamer with a legdrop on a trashcan. At As Good as it Gets, the team of Van Dam and Alfonso lost to Dreamer and Beulah McGillicutty in a mixed tag team match. Van Dam and Sabu became partners while Dreamer teamed up with Tazz. At Fright Fight, Van Dam lost to Dreamer in a flag match. At Ultimate Jeopardy, Van Dam and Sabu faced Dreamer and Tazz, a match won by Tazz and Dreamer after Dreamer pinned Van Dam. At November to Remember, Van Dam faced Dreamer in another flag match, which went to a no contest. At Better Than Ever, Van Dam and Sabu faced Dreamer and Tazz in a rematch. This time, Van Dam pinned Dreamer to give the victory to his team and to settle their rivalry. Van Dam's final encounter with Dreamer came on December 26, when Dreamer teamed up with Tazz, Al Snow and Sandman to take on Van Dam, Sabu, Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon. Van Dam's team lost the match.

1998–2001

In 1998, Van Dam started a feud with Triple Threat (Shane Douglas, Bam Bam Bigelow and Chris Candido). At House Party, RVD defeated Bam Bam Bigelow. At Hostile City Showdown, Van Dam and Sabu defeated Axl Rotten and Balls Mahoney by disqualification. The two went on to win a fatal four way elimination tag team match later that night. At CyberSlam, Van Dam and Sabu fell to Shane Douglas and Bam Bam Bigelow.

Van Dam's popularity increased when he got his first taste of ECW gold, on April 4 when he defeated Bam Bam Bigelow to win the ECW Television Championship. After winning the Television title, RVD became known as The Whole F'n Show. RVD made the first title defense on April 10 against Doug Furnas, a match won by Van Dam. Sabu also expressed interest in Van Dam's championship, leading to a title match between them. Van Dam defended the Television title against Sabu at Wrestlepalooza. The match was a time limit draw, resulting in Van Dam retaining his title.

At A Matter of Respect, Van Dam and Sabu were forced to face each other in a tag team match as they both teamed up with ECW Tag Team Champions. Van Dam teamed with the one half of the champions, Lance Storm, while Sabu teamed with the other half, Chris Candido. Van Dam and Sabu reconciled and instead took out Storm and Candido making it a no contest. Van Dam and Sabu started a feud with Storm and Candido in the next month for the tag team titles. On June 27, Van Dam and Sabu beat Storm and Candido to win the ECW Tag Team Championship, which made Van Dam a double champion. On October 24, Sabu and Van Dam lost the titles to the Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von) after interference from Triple Threat. Van Dam decided to take revenge from his rivals. At November to Remember, Van Dam and Sabu teamed with Taz to defeat Triple Threat. On December 13, Van Dam and Sabu won the ECW Tag Team Championship for a second time by beating the Dudley Boyz in Japan at a Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling (FMW) show.

Van Dam remained the Television champion for the rest of 1998, and he started 1999 by making successful title defenses against the likes of Spike Dudley, Lance Storm at Guilty as Charged, Balls Mahoney, and 2 Cold Scorpio at CyberSlam.

Van Dam and Sabu were scheduled to make a title defense of the Tag Team titles on April 17, but Sabu was suspended by ECW before the match occurred. Instead, Van Dam faced D-Von Dudley in a singles match and as a result of losing the match, Van Dam also lost the Tag Team titles to the Dudleyz. After losing the Tag Team titles, Van Dam focused on defending the Television title. He entered into a rivalry with Jerry Lynn against whom he defended the Television title at Hardcore Heaven in a "no time limit" match. Van Dam retained the title, and the match was deemed so good that Paul Heyman aired it on ECW's debut on TNN in place of a shoot promo about TNN that he was planning, but was not allowed to air, according to The Rise and Fall of ECW. Van Dam continued to defend the ECW Television Championship for the remainder of the year.

Van Dam began a feud with Rhino in the beginning of 2000. RVD made a successful title defense of the ECW Television Championship against Rhino on January 7. RVD got a big victory during a title defense against Sabu at Guilty as Charged. Van Dam was scheduled to perform in a "champion vs. champion" pay-per-view main event against ECW Champion Mike Awesome. This match potentially could have been the most lucrative pay-per-view main event in company history, and Heyman was depending on this mega-match to bring an influx of badly-needed cash but the match never occurred because Van Dam suffered a broken ankle during a successful title defense against Rhino on January 29. The injury also forced Van Dam to vacate the ECW Television Championship.

He returned to ECW at Hardcore Heaven and faced long-time rival Jerry Lynn. Van Dam was supported by his real-life friend Scotty Anton who eventually betrayed him when Van Dam was going to perform a Five-Star Frog Splash on Lynn. Anton pushed him from the top rope, which helped Lynn win the match. Van Dam feuded with Anton and took his revenge at Heat Wave by defeating Anton after a Van Terminator.

Van Dam then attempted to exact revenge on Rhino for forcing him into injury. He got many opportunities to win the ECW Television Championship back from Rhino, but Rhino's allies usually attacked Van Dam, causing disqualifications and allowing Rhino to retain the title. At Anarchy Rulz, Van Dam faced Rhino for the ECW Television Championship but was screwed when a heel referee made a fast count during a pinfall attempt made by Rhino.

Van Dam was not advertised and did not show for a large number of ECW events due to the large sum of money owed to him. He appeared at ECW's final pay-per-view event Guilty as Charged, where he defeated Jerry Lynn. This was Van Dam's last appearance in ECW, as ECW only held two more shows after the pay-per-view.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

The Invasion (2001)

Several months after the closure of ECW, Van Dam was signed to a short term contract by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Along with fellow ECW alumnus Tommy Dreamer, Van Dam returned to WWF television on the July 9 2001 episode of Raw in Atlanta, Georgia, attacking WWF wrestlers Kane and Chris Jericho. Later that night, five wrestlers from WWF and five wrestlers from WCW took on ten ECW wrestlers, including Van Dam. The match never took place as instead the WCW wrestlers aligned themselves with the ECW wrestlers.

Despite normally being a heel, Van Dam was popular with the WWF fans, who were aware of his reputation in ECW. After defeating Jeff Hardy for the WWF Hardcore Championship at Invasion, Van Dam became one of the most over members of the Alliance, as a tweener. He even challenged Alliance leader Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship including a triple threat match at No Mercy where Austin defended his title against Van Dam and Kurt Angle.

Van Dam lost the Hardcore title to Hardy on the August 13 edition of Raw, but regained the title from Hardy at SummerSlam. At Survivor Series on November 18, Van Dam and four other Alliance members (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, and Shane McMahon) faced five WWF wrestlers (The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and Big Show) in a Winner Take All match. Team WWF won, and the members of the Alliance were fired; however, as he held the Hardcore Championship, Van Dam was able to retain his job.

Hardcore and Intercontinental titles (2001–2002)

Van Dam after winning the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania X8.

RVD dropped the Hardcore Championship to The Undertaker at Vengeance. On the February 4 edition of Raw, Van Dam defeated Bubba Ray Dudley. After the match, he was confronted by Goldust who hit him a neckbreaker, starting a rivalry between the duo. RVD defeated Goldust after a Five Star Frog Splash at No Way Out.

RVD entered into a rivalry with William Regal over Regal's Intercontinental title. On February 25 edition of Raw, Van Dam defeated Lance Storm and Big Show in a triple threat match to become the #1 contender to the Intercontinental title. At WrestleMania X8, RVD faced Regal for the Intercontinental title and won the match after he hit Regal a Five-Star Frog Splash.

When the WWF was divided into two "brands", Raw and SmackDown! in 2002, Van Dam was drafted to the Raw brand as the fourth pick. After he defended his title successfully against Booker T, Eddie Guerrero returned to the WWF and attacked Van Dam. He started a feud with Eddie Guerrero over the Intercontinental title. On April 8 edition of Raw, Van Dam faced The Undertaker in a non-title #1 contender's match for the WWF Undisputed Championship, but he lost the match after interference from Eddie Guerrero. At Backlash, Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Eddie Guerrero. At Insurrextion, Van Dam and Guerrero had a rematch for the Intercontinental title. Guerrero was disqualified after hitting the referee with the Intercontinental title, as a result Van Dam won the match but not the title because a title cannot change hands by disqualification. At Judgment Day, Van Dam faced Guerrero in another rematch for the Intercontinental title, but was defeated .

On May 20 edition of Raw, RVD faced The Undertaker in a match for the WWE Undisputed Championship. Van Dam had originally won the match when he hit Undertaker a Rolling Thunder and pinned him for the victory and the Undisputed title. However, Raw co-owner "Nature Boy" Ric Flair announced that Undertaker's feet were on the ropes so the match was restarted. Van Dam punched Flair and got distracted. Undertaker took advantage and hit him a Last Ride. On May 27 edition of Raw, RVD faced Eddie Guerrero in a ladder match for the Intercontinental title. RVD won the ladder match and his second WWE Intercontinental Championship.

After facing each other in the final round of the King of the Ring tournament, Van Dam and Lesnar began feuding with each other. Van Dam defended his Intercontinental title against Lesnar twice and retained his title both times by disqualification.On July 21, 2002, Van Dam unified the WWE European Championship into the WWE Intercontinental Championship after he defeated European Champion Jeff Hardy in a title unification ladder match. As a result, the European title was abandoned. On July 29 edition of Raw, Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to SmackDown! superstar Chris Benoit. Benoit took the Intercontinental title to SmackDown!. RVD defeated Jeff Hardy (with help from Jeff's brother Matt who hit Jeff with a Twist of Fate) to become the #1 contender to the Intercontinental title.

At SummerSlam, Van Dam won his third WWE Intercontinental Championship by defeating Benoit in a rematch for the title. He brought the Intercontinental title back to Raw. On August 26 edition of Raw, Van Dam also unified the WWE Hardcore Championship into the WWE Intercontinental Championship by defeating Hardcore Champion Tommy Dreamer in a hardcore title unification match. As a result, the WWE Hardcore Championship was also unified into the Intercontinental title and abandoned. On September 9 edition of Raw, Van Dam became the #1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy and Big Show in a #1 contender's fatal four way elimination match.

Main event push (2002)

Van Dam started feuding with the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H over the title. On September 16, 2002 edition of Raw, Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Chris Jericho after interference by Triple H. At Unforgiven, Van Dam faced Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. Due to Ric Flair's interference, Van Dam lost the match. At No Mercy, Van Dam took his revenge from Flair by defeating him. At Survivor Series, Van Dam participated in the first-ever Elimination Chamber match for Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship. This match also included Shawn Michaels, Booker T, Chris Jericho and Kane. Van Dam was the first man to be eliminated by Booker T after a missile dropkick.

Van Dam appeared on the World Heavyweight Championship scene and also formed a tag team with Kane in October 2002 against various heels. Van Dam defeated Chris Jericho and Booker T in a Triple Threat match to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. On November 25 edition of Raw, Van Dam faced Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship. Michaels was disqualified after Triple H hit RVD with a Pedigree. On December 2 edition of Raw, Van Dam lost to Triple H in a #1 contender's match with World Heavyweight Champion Shawn Michaels acting as the Special Guest Referee.

Teaming with Kane (2003)

In 2003, Rob Van Dam continued to team up with Kane. The two faced Lance Storm and William Regal at No Way Out for the World Tag Team Championship but failed to win the titles when Kane mistakenly chokeslammed RVD. On March 31 edition of Raw, Van Dam and Kane defeated World Tag Team Champions Lance Storm and Chief Morley and The Dudley Boyz in a 3-way elimination tag team match to win the World Tag Team Championship. At Backlash, Van Dam and Kane had a successful title defense against The Dudley Boyz with Val Venis as the special guest referee.

Van Dam and Kane entered into a rivalry with La Resistance (Rene Dupree and Sylvain Grenier). On May 26 edition of Raw, Van Dam lost a flag match to Grenier. As a result of losing to Grenier, Van Dam and Kane had to defend the World Tag Team Championship against Dupree and Grenier. At Insurrextion, Van Dam and Kane defended the World Tag Team titles successfully against La Resistance, before losing the titles to La Resistance at Bad Blood.

Kane and Van Dam split up because Kane claimed that he didn't like RVD. The two started feuding with each other. On August 18 edition of Raw, Van Dam faced Intercontinental Champion Christian for the title, but Kane interfered in the match and knocked RVD out after hitting him with a chair, Kane then took RVD to the backstage where he was restrained and was about to be set on fire. However, Kane changed his mind at the last minute and said that he wasn't going to do what "they" want. Their rivalry lead the two to a No Holds Barred match at SummerSlam, which Kane won. On September 8 edition of Raw, the rivalry ended when Van Dam faced Kane in a steel cage match and fell to Kane once again.

In September 2003, Van Dam started feuding with both Christian and Chris Jericho over Christian's Intercontinental title. On September 15 edition of Raw, Van Dam faced Chris Jericho in a #1 contender's match for the Intercontinental title. The match ended in a double disqualification when Intercontinental Champion Christian interfered and whacked both men with the title belts. Raw Co-General Manager Stone Cold Steve Austin made the Intercontinental title match a triple threat match between Jericho, Van Dam and Christian. The match took place at Unforgiven, and Christian retained his title after he countered the Five Star Frog Splash by putting his title belt across his knees while the ref's back was turned, preoccupied by Jericho. However, Van Dam defeated Christian in a ladder match on September 29 edition of Raw to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship for a fourth time.

Rivalries and tag titles (2003–2004)

Van Dam entered into a rivalry with Chris Jericho in October 2003. The two faced each other in several tag team matches. On October 27 edition of Raw, Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Jericho in a steel cage match when Eric Bischoff distracted the referee while Van Dam had caught the ropes but Jericho brought him into the middle of the ring. Van Dam submitted and Jericho became the new champion. Austin came out and immediately ordered Jericho to face RVD in a rematch for the title. Van Dam won the rematch and his fifth WWE Intercontinental Championship.

Rob Van Dam at a SmackDown! live event.

At Survivor Series, Van Dam participated in a survivor series match. He was a part of Team Austin which consisted of Van Dam himself, Shawn Michaels, Booker T and Dudley Boyz. Van Dam and Dudley Boyz pinned Mark Henry of Team Bischoff to eliminate him from the match. Van Dam was later on pinned by Team Bischoff's Randy Orton. Orton and Van Dam started feuding with each other over Van Dam's Intercontinental title. Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Orton at Armageddon (Mick Foley was the special guest referee) after interference from Ric Flair. Van Dam went on to feud with both Randy Orton and Evolution. On January 12, 2004 edition of Raw, Van Dam faced Orton in a rematch for the Intercontinental title but lost the match.

Van Dam formed a tag team with Booker T. The two teamed for the first time on January 19 edition of Raw when they defeated Christian and Matt Hardy to qualify for a battle royal where the winner of the battle royal would get the #30 spot in the 2004 Royal Rumble match. On February 16 edition of Raw, Booker T and Van Dam defeated Evolution (Ric Flair and Batista) to win the World Tag Team Championship. At WrestleMania XX, Booker and Van Dam defended the World Tag Team Championship in a fatal four way elimination tag team match against the Dudley Boyz, La Resistance and the team of Mark Jindrak and Garrison Cade. On March 22 edition of Raw, Booker T and Van Dam lost the World Tag Team Championship back to Evolution.

On March 22, Van Dam was drafted from Raw to SmackDown!. He made his SmackDown! debut on March 25 defeating Charlie Haas. RVD and Rey Mysterio began a feud with Dudley Boyz, defeating them at Judgment Day 2004. In June, RVD left the tag team division and began a pursuit for the WWE United States Championship. On June 10 edition of SmackDown!, Van Dam faced US Champion John Cena in a match to decide that the man who would beat Cena in 5 minutes, would receive a match against Cena for the title. Van Dam, Booker T and Rene Dupree, all of them failed to beat Cena in separate matches. At The Great American Bash 2004, Cena defended the title against RVD, Booker and Dupree in a fatal four way match and retained his championship. On July 1 edition of SmackDown!, RVD and Dupree lost to Booker in a #1 contender's triple threat match. Four weeks later, Van Dam participated in an 8-way elimination match for the vacant US Championship, won by Booker.

Van Dam began teaming up with Mysterio again in summer 2004, and feuded with Rene Dupree and Kenzo Suzuki. At No Mercy 2004, RVD and Mysterio failed to win the Tag Team Championship from Dupree and Suzuki. In November, Van Dam and Mysterio joined Eddie Guerrero and Big Show during their rivalry with Kurt Angle, Mark Jindrak and Luther Reigns. At Survivor Series 2004, Van Dam was a part of Guerrero's team, consisting of Guerrero himself, Van Dam, Big Show and John Cena (replacement for Mysterio) against Kurt Angle, Mark Jindrak, Luther Reigns and Carlito. RVD was the only man to be eliminated from his team. On December 9 edition of SmackDown!, RVD and Mysterio defeated Dupree and Suzuki to win the WWE Tag Team Championship, and had a successful title defense against Dupree and Suzuki at Armageddon 2004.

In January 2005, Van Dam suffered a knee injury. To explain his absence, the Basham Brothers (Doug and Danny) defeated Mysterio and Van Dam for the Tag Team Championship, in a fatal four way elimination tag team match on January 13, 2005 edition of SmackDown!, "injuring" Van Dam in the process. On January 27 2005, Van Dam underwent reconstructive knee surgery under Dr. James Andrews to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus.

Injury, One Night Stand and Money in the Bank (2005–2006)

While recuperating, Van Dam made an appearance at the ECW reunion pay-per-view ECW One Night Stand. Accompanied by his former-manager Fonzie and sporting a knee brace, Van Dam delivered a scathing shoot promo, criticizing the way he had been booked in WWE, until he was attacked by Rhyno. He was saved by Sabu, who defeated Rhyno in an impromptu match. Despite his injury, Van Dam got physically involved in the match, hitting Rhyno with a chairshot and giving him a Chair Surf.

On Raw, Van Dam (still healing) was drafted back to the Raw brand in the 2005 draft lottery. He was introduced to Raw by Carlito, who insulted Van Dam before attacking him and assaulting his knee. Van Dam made his return to the ring over six months later at the Royal Rumble. He gained revenge on Carlito by eliminating him, but was in turn, and inadvertently, eliminated by Rey Mysterio. On the February 6 episode of Raw, Van Dam defeated Carlito in the first round of the 2006 Road to WrestleMania Tournament. One week later, he defeated Chris Masters in the tournament semi-finals. On the February 20 episode of Raw, Van Dam and Big Show were defeated by Triple H in a triple threat match to determine the winner of the tournament and number one contender to the WWE Championship.

The following week, now out of the WrestleMania main event, Van Dam defeated Trevor Murdoch to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match. Van Dam went on to win the match, thus earning himself a guaranteed shot at either the WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Championship at any time within the subsequent year. Following the ladder match, Shelton Benjamin challenged Van Dam to put his Money in the Bank opportunity on the line in a match. Van Dam countered by requesting a match for Benjamin's Intercontinental Championship. One week later, both Van Dam and Benjamin picked mystery opponents for one another, with the loser placing their respective prize on the line in a bout at Backlash on April 30. Benjamin lost to the returning Charlie Haas, while Van Dam was defeated by all five members of the Spirit Squad. As a result, both the Intercontinental Championship and the Money in the Bank title shot were contested at Backlash. Van Dam went on to win both prizes, before dropping the Intercontinental title back to Benjamin on the May 15 edition of Raw.

On the May 22 episode of Raw, Van Dam informed WWE Champion John Cena that he would be cashing in his Money in the Bank contract at ECW One Night Stand on June 11 for a WWE Championship match.

ECW brand (2006–2007)

Van Dam competing for the ECW brand.

On May 29, Van Dam was selected by Paul Heyman to be drafted from Raw to WWE's new ECW brand. Upon being drafted, Van Dam became the new brand's flagship wrestler, mostly due to his prior history in ECW and his title shot against John Cena at One Night Stand. At One Night Stand, Van Dam defeated Cena to win the WWE Championship, his first ever World Title. After two referees were knocked out, Edge appeared from under the ring and interfered to attack Cena, spearing him through a table. Van Dam then hit a Five Star Frog Splash and the pinfall was counted by Paul Heyman, who suddenly ran down the aisle. On the following episode of Raw, Vince McMahon confirmed that the title change was official, due to the match being held under "extreme rules." For the past few weeks, Heyman had hinted that the WWE Championship would be "rechristened" the ECW World Heavyweight Championship when Van Dam won. On the debut of ECW on Sci Fi, Van Dam was awarded the re-instated ECW World Heavyweight Championship by Heyman. However, Van Dam decided to defend the WWE Championship separately and simultaneously, joking that "this one spins." Thus, Van Dam became the first wrestler in history to hold both the WWE Championship and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, and the only one to hold them at the same time.

On the July 3 episode of Raw, Van Dam lost the WWE Championship to Edge in a triple threat match that also featured John Cena. The next night, on the July 4 episode of ECW, he lost the ECW World Heavyweight Championship to The Big Show after Heyman turned on him. Later on WWE.com, Heyman suspended Van Dam for 30 days without giving a reason; (in reality, WWE suspended Van Dam for 30 days as a result of his recent drug possession arrest). He returned to television on August 8, attacking both Sabu and Kurt Angle during a match. His return to the ring came a week later, in a losing effort to Sabu in a ladder match for number one contendership to the ECW World Championship.

Van Dam slowly worked his way back into the championship picture. In October, Van Dam defeated The Big Show in a non-title match to regain the number one contendership. Having the option to pick a date, Van Dam announced the title match would occur at December to Dismember. Heyman, however, had the option of picking the match type and announced that the main event would be a six-man Extreme Elimination Chamber match. At the event, following an elbow drop with a steel chair from Test, Van Dam was the third participant eliminated. Later in December, Van Dam once again earned the No. 1 contendership to the ECW World Championship, but this time by a fan poll. Van Dam got three matches against ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley, coming up short each time.

Rob Van Dam later joined the ECW Originals along with Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, and The Sandman. The ECW Originals began a feud with the New Breed (Elijah Burke, Kevin Thorn, Marcus Cor Von, and Matt Striker). The two teams faced off at WrestleMania 23 in a match which the ECW Originals won. After Vince McMahon won the ECW World Championship at Backlash, RVD and the other ECW Originals made statements on WWE.com about Vince killing ECW. The ECW Originals all competed in a four way dance to decide who would take on Vince McMahon the next week on ECW in a title match, which Van Dam won after a five-star frog splash on Sandman. However, Rob Van Dam instead had to face Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Umaga in a 3 on 1 handicap match, which Rob Van Dam was unable to win.

Rob Van Dam received a kayfabe concussion during a match with Randy Orton. Orton further attacked Van Dam after the match due to the comments Van Dam made on WWE.com about the lack of respect Orton displayed towards Shawn Michaels, who also suffered a "concussion" at the hands of Orton. Van Dam once again faced Orton at One Night Stand, this time in a Stretcher match. Although it looked as if Orton was going to win again, Van Dam gave a kick to his head, and was able to push the stretcher across the line for the win. However, despite winning the match, Orton continued to attack him, ending with an elevated DDT off the barricade and onto the concrete floor. After the match, he left the WWE for unknown reasons.

Post-WWE

The day after Van Dam's WWE contract expired, he was in the United Kingdom on a promotional tour, and to record scenes for the wrestling documentary, Bloodstained Memoirs. He also took part in interviews for the BBC.

On December 10 2007, Van Dam made a special appearance on the Raw 15th Anniversary special episode, accepting a challenge made by Santino Marella and easily defeating him in less than a minute with a Five-Star Frog Splash. In a recent interview with the Baltimore Sun, Van Dam stated that while WWE would be the first choice and that he would definitely talk to them, he'd definitely consider Total Nonstop Action Wrestling if he returns full time in pro wrestling. On 12/13/14/15 of June in Canarias and on 27th June: San Sebastian, 28th June: Bilbao, 29th June: Cordoba,Van Dam wrestled for Nu-Wrestling Evolution and faced wrestlers Such as Orlando Jordan. Van Dam also trained with The Ultimate Warrior for his wrestling return.

RVD-TV

Rob Van Dam officially announced on his website's blog that he is in the process of creating an online show entitled RVD-TV. On this show, he will give his fans a glimpse at what his life is like outside of the wrestling business. A preview for this upcoming series can now be found on the homepage of his website. Some of RVD's friends will appear on the show, such as Samoa Joe, Chris Masters and Sabu. The show will be filmed at his home in California, where he has been spending most of his time since temporarily retiring. Rob is expected to announce some of his other future projects through the show, such as his upcoming DVD on stretching.

In wrestling

File:Rollingthunder.jpg

Rob Van Dam performing his signature Rolling Thunder on Marcus Cor Von

• Finishing moves
  • 450° splash - AJPW
  • Five-Star Frog Splash (High angle frog splash)
  • Hollywood Star Press (ECW) / Split-legged moonsault (WWE)
  • Van Daminator (Spinning heel kick to a steel chair held in front of the opponent's face)
  • Van Terminator (Corner-to-corner missile dropkick, usually with a chair)
• Signature moves
  • Air Van Dam (Diving somersault senton)
  • Bridging Northern Lights suplex
  • Chair Surf (Running dropkick, driving a steel chair into the face of a seated opponent in the corner of the ring)
  • Diving superkick
  • Inverted suplex slam onto the barricade followed by climbing onto an elevated surface and jumping off with a corkscrew leg drop to the back
  • Legsweep
  • Moonsault, sometimes while springboarding or sometimes perceded by a cartwheel
  • Monkey flip to a standing or cornered opponent
  • Multiple kick variations
    • Roundhouse
    • Spinning crescent
    • Windmill Kick (Van Dam catches the opponent's kicking leg and performs a step-over wheel)
  • Multiple leg drop variations
    • Corkscrew
    • Diving
    • Slingshot
  • Pescado
  • Rolling Thunder, sometimes into a monkey flip, somersault senton or vertical splash
  • Running crossbody, sometimes done while facing away from opponent
  • Steam Roller Slam (Rolling fireman's carry slam)
  • Springboard diving clothesline
  • Springboard leg lariat
  • Two turnbuckle thrusts followed by a back handspring and finished with a monkey flip

• Managers
  • Bill Alfonso
  • Paul Heyman
  • Jerry Lawler
  • Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley

• Nicknames
  • Mr. Monday Night (while on the RAW or ECW on TNN roster)
  • Mr. Thursday Night (while on the Thursday Night SmackDown! roster)
  • Mr. Tuesday Night (while on the ECW roster)
  • Mr. Pay-Per-View (Extreme Championship Wrestling)
  • Mr. Money in the Bank
  • "Magic Soldier" Rob Van Dam (All Japan Pro Wrestling)
  • RVD
  • The Whole "Dam" Show
  • The Whole F'n Show
  • The Whole Fuckin' Show (used in Extreme Championship Wrestling)
  • The Van Daminator

• Theme music
  • Van Dam's entrance music in the original ECW was "Walk" by Pantera. The song was covered by Kilgore for the ECW Extreme Music album; Van Dam briefly used this version as his entrance music when the album was released.
  • Van Dam's entrance music in WWE was "One of a Kind" by Breaking Point. He appears in the music video for the song, in which he loses his car to the band's lead singer, Brett Erickson, in a street race. At the end of the video, he spin kicks the keys to the car into his opponent's hands. The song appears on the WWF Forceable Entry album and Breaking Point's Coming of Age album.
  • Van Dam's entrance music on the WWE Wreckless Intent album is "Fury of the Storm" by Shadows Fall. Possibly due to licensing issues with his "One of a Kind" theme, "Fury of the Storm" is used as Van Dam's theme in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007.

Championships and accomplishments

Van Dam as both WWE Champion and ECW Champion.

• All Star Wrestling
  • ASW North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Extreme Championship Wrestling
  • ECW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Sabu
  • ECW World Television Championship (1 time)(Longest Reign)

• International Wrestling Federation
  • IWF Television Championship (1 time)

• National Wrestling Council
  • NWC Tag Team Champion (1 time) - with Bobby Bradley

• Peach State Wrestling
  • PSW Cordele City Heavyweight Championship(1 time)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Comeback of the Year (2001)
  • PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2001, 2002)
  • PWI ranked him #1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2002

• South Atlantic Pro Wrestling
  • SAPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Chaz Rocco

• World Wrestling Federation | World Wrestling Entertainment
  • ECW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Kane (1) and Booker T (1)
  • WWE Championship (1 time)
  • WWE European Championship (1 time) (Last)
  • WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Rey Mysterio
  • WWF/E Hardcore Championship (4 times) (Last)
  • WWF/E Intercontinental Championship (6 times)
  • Mr. Money in the Bank (2006)
  • Fifteenth Triple Crown Champion
  • Sixth Grand Slam Champion

Filmography

• Superfights (1995) as "The Mercenary"
• Bloodmoon (1997) as "Dutch Scholtz"
• City Guys (October 23, 1999) in episode "El-Trainmania IV" as "Himself"
• 18 Wheels of Justice (August 2, 2000) as "Robert Laramie"
• The X-Files (May 7, 2000) in episode "Fight Club" as "Burt's opponent"
• V.I.P. (2000) in episode "Danger Island" as "Major Ving Talbot"
• Spy TV (July 26, 2001) as "Himself"
• Ultimate Revenge (December 2, 2001) as "Himself"
• Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002) as "Claw"
• The Backyard (2002) as "Himself"
• Rob Van Dam: One Of A Kind (2005; DVD)

Personal life

Szatkowski is married to Sonya, She is an aspiring make up artist. During his wrestling career, Sonya often traveled on the road with Rob and appeared at ringside during events that Rob took part in. On April 23, 2008, Szatkowski revealed that his wife is suffering from colon cancer.

Szatkowski is a trained kickboxer and martial artist. In 1990, he placed second in the Kalamazoo Heavyweight Toughman Contest. Szatkowski is also an outspoken advocate of vitamins and bodybuilding supplements and attributes this to his mother's influence. Van Dam participated in amateur wrestling while in high school. He is the inventor of the Van Dam Lift, a weightlifting technique that involves performing a split (which he took up in his early teens) between two benches and lifting a dumbbell from the floor to the waist. The lift was approved by the International All-Around Weightlifting Association in 1998, and Szatkowski holds the current record, 166.5 lb (76 kg). Growing up in Battle Creek, Michigan, Szatkowski studied martial arts at two local dojos. He received instruction in Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Aikido, Kendo, and Kickboxing.

Szatkowski was featured in an article in the March 1999 issue of High Times. His signature symbol is the Taijitu; in an interview for WWE's "Invasion" DVD, he said he uses this symbol because it represents "the use of good or evil."

Van Dam used to own a comic book shop called "5 Star Comics". He, along with several other wrestlers, often showed up at the store to sign autographs.

2006 arrest

On July 3, 2006, The Ironton Tribune reported that Szatkowski and Terry Brunk (one of his colleagues known as Sabu) had been arrested on the previous evening on U.S. Route 52 in Hanging Rock, Ohio. Szatkowski had been stopped for speeding by an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper, who discovered that he was in possession of 18 grams of marijuana and five Vicodin pills, while Brunk was in possession of drug paraphernalia and nine tablets of Testolactone. Both Szatkowski and Brunk were released after posting bail, and were scheduled to appear in Ironton Municipal Court on July 6, 2006. On July 6, 2006, The Ironton Tribune reported that the court date for Szatkowski and Brunk was in limbo, as their attorneys had asked for and were granted continuances.

According to the WWE's wellness policy, a drug-related arrest can lead to that talent's immediate dismissal from the company. WWE Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis released a statement on WWE.com reporting that Szatkowski and Brunk were still eligible to compete on the Raw and ECW tapings the following days while an investigation conducted by WWE was being undertaken. It was on those two shows that Van Dam dropped both his WWE Title and ECW Title in succession. Van Dam was subsequently suspended without pay for 30 days, and an on-air segment on ECW was scripted to relay this to the fans.

On August 31, 2006, Szatkowski and Brunk appeared in court. Szatkowski plead guilty to possessing marijuana and was fined $140 USD, while Brunk was fined $1000 USD.

References

• Rob Van Dam comments on Benoit Family tragedy (1)
• An interview with Rob Van Dam, conducted by Ken Tuccio (1)
• An interview with Rob Van Dam, conducted by Ken Tuccio (2)
• Rob Van Dam at Bodyslamming.com
• Rob Van Dam at UPW.com
• Rob Van Dam at UKEvents.net
• http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCO/is_3_2/ai_65858908

External links

• Official Website
• Template:Myspace
• Rob Van Dam Interview with Brett Cohen on World Talk LIVE!
• Rob Van Dam's WWE Alumni Page
• Rob Van Dam at IMDb
• CygyWrestling.com - Biography - Rob Van Dam
• Profile OWW
• FitnessAus.com.au - Article on The "Van Dam lift" an official body building maneuver created by Pro Wrestler Rob Van Dam