Grand Slam (professional wrestling): Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 23:32, 7 April 2009
A Grand Slam Champion in professional wrestling is a distinction made to a professional wrestler who has won four major titles in World Wrestling Entertainment or Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (mirroring the grand slams found in golf and tennis). The four titles typically feature three tiers of heavyweight belts and a set of tag team belts. Because of this, a Grand Slam Champion is necessarily a Triple Crown Champion, which consists of the top two tiers of heavyweight belts and tag team belts.
World Wrestling Entertainment
In the World Wrestling Federation (now known as "World Wrestling Entertainment") the term "Grand Slam Champion" was originally used by Shawn Michaels to describe himself upon winning the WWF European Championship on September 20, 1997. Michaels was the current WWF Champion and WWF European Champion and has previously held the WWF Intercontinental Championship and the WWF Tag Team Championship with Diesel.[1]
In 2001, WWF.com indicated that the WWF Hardcore Championship was an acceptable substitute for the WWF European Championship in the Grand Slam. Kane, who had defeated Triple H for the WWF Intercontinental Championship at Judgment Day on May 20, 2001,[2] was acknowledged as a Grand Slam Champion as he had "become the only superstar in World Wrestling Federation history that has held the [Intercontinental] title as well as the Federation, Hardcore and Tag Team titles".[3][4]
In 2006, World Wrestling Entertainment stated, "Michaels was the first-ever Grand Slam Champion, capturing the European Championship once, the World Tag Team Championship four times, the Intercontinental Championship three times and the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships a total of four times." indicating that WWE considers the World Heavyweight Championship to be an acceptable substitute for the WWF Championship (renamed the WWE Championship in 2002) in completing the Grand Slam.[1]
In April 2006, Kurt Angle was described as a former Grand Slam Champion on WWE.com, indicating that WWE considers the WWE Tag Team Championship to be an acceptable substitute for the World Tag Team Championship.[5]
At ECW One Night Stand in 2006, Rob Van Dam became the only superstar acquired by WWE after the purchase of World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling in 2001 to complete the Grand Slam.[6]
As of October 14, 2024, ten wrestlers have held a combination of the four championships to complete the Grand Slam (six of them holding a modified version, as compared to the original definition). As the European Championship and Hardcore Championships were unified with the Intercontinental Championship on July 22 and August 27, 2002, respectively, the number of future potential Grand Slam Champions is limited to wrestlers who have held the European or Hardcore Championships (see list of WWE European Champions and list of WWE Hardcore Champions). WWE has not declared the WWE United States Championship or the ECW Championship to be acceptable substitutes for other titles in order to complete the Grand Slam or Triple Crown Championships.
List of WWE Grand Slam Champions
| Name | World Championships | Tag Team Championships | Second-Tier Championship | Third-Tier Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WWE Championship | World Heavyweight Championship |
World Tag Team Championship |
WWE Tag Team Championship |
Intercontinental Championship |
European Championship |
Hardcore Championship | |
| Shawn Michaels[1] | March 31, 1996 | November 17, 2002 | August 28, 1994 (with Diesel) |
no reign | October 27, 1992 | September 20, 1997 | no future reign possible1 |
| Triple H[7] | August 23, 1999 | September 2, 2002 | April 29, 2001 (with Stone Cold Steve Austin) |
no reign | October 21, 1996 | December 11, 1997 | no future reign possible1 |
| Kane[3][4] | June 28, 1998 | no reign | July 13, 1998 (with Mankind) |
no reign | May 20, 2001 | no future reign possible2 | April 1, 2001 |
| Chris Jericho | December 9, 2001 | September 7, 2008 | May 21, 2001 (with Chris Benoit) |
no reign | December 12, 1999 | April 2, 2000 | May 28, 2001 |
| Kurt Angle[5] | October 22, 2000 | January 10, 2006 | no future reign possible3 | October 20, 2002 (with Chris Benoit) |
February 27, 2000 | February 8, 2000 | September 10, 2001 |
| Eddie Guerrero | February 15, 2004 | no future reign possible4 | no future reign possible4 | November 17, 2002 (with Chavo Guerrero) |
September 5, 2000 | April 3, 2000 | no future reign possible14 |
| Rob Van Dam | June 11, 2006 | no future reign possible3 | March 31, 2003 (with Kane) |
December 7, 2004 (with Rey Mysterio) |
March 17, 2002 | July 22, 2002 | July 22, 2001 |
| Booker T | no future reign possible3 | July 23, 2006 | October 30, 2001 (with Test) |
no future reign possible3 | July 7, 2003 | no future reign possible23 | May 4, 2002 |
| Jeff Hardy | December 14, 2008 | no reign | June 29, 1999 (with Matt Hardy) |
no reign | April 10, 2001 | July 8, 2002 | July 12, 2001 |
| John "Bradshaw" Layfield | June 27, 2004 | no reign | May 25, 1999 (with Faarooq) |
no future reign possible1 | March 9, 2009 | October 22, 2001 | June 3, 2002 |
| Text | |
|---|---|
| Championships in italics | The title is an alternate title from the original definition of a Grand Slam Championship. |
| Dates | A date indicates the wrestlers first reign with that championship. |
| Dates in bold | The date the wrestler became a Grand Slam champion. |
| Dates in italics | The wrestler has won that title, but does not contribute to their Grand Slam because they had already won the Grand Slam or they had already won a title at that the same level. |
| no reign | The wrestler has no reign with this championship belt. |
| no future reign possible | The wrestler cannot have a reign with this championship belt. |
| Colors | |
| Name colors: | Meaning: |
| Won the Grand Slam under the original definition. | |
| Won the Grand Slam with an alternate title. | |
| Won the Grand Slam with an alternate title but has won all the titles under the original definition. | |
| Date colors: | Meaning: |
| Won title as a member of the Raw brand. | |
| Won title as a member of the SmackDown! brand. | |
| Won title as a member of the ECW brand. | |
| Won title before the WWE Brand Extension. | |
| Notes | |
| 1 ^ The Hardcore Championship was unified with the Intercontinental Championship on August 27, 2002, so future reigns with this championship are not possible. | |
| 2 ^ The European Championship was unified with the Intercontinental Championship on July 22, 2002, so future reigns with this championship are not possible. | |
| 3 ^ The wrestler is no longer employed by World Wrestling Entertainment, so future reigns are not currently possible. | |
| 4 ^ The wrestler is deceased, so future reigns are not possible. | |
List of potential WWE Grand Slam Champions
The following is a list of all WWE contracted wrestlers (with championships won at three levels, at a minimum) that can complete the Grand Slam by winning one championship. Those who are deceased, retired or otherwise not employed with WWE anymore are not listed.
| Name | World Championships | Tag Team Championships | Second-Tier Championship | Third-Tier Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WWE Championship | World Heavyweight Championship |
World Tag Team Championship |
WWE Tag Team Championship |
Intercontinental Championship |
European Championship |
Hardcore Championship | |
| Big Show | 
|
unneeded |
|
unneeded | 
|
inactive |
|
| Christian |
|
|
|
unneeded |
|
|
|
| Goldust |
|
|
|
unneeded |
|
inactive |
|
| The Undertaker |
|
|
|
unneeded |
|
inactive |
|
| William Regal |
|
|
|
unneeded |
|
|
|
|
|
The championship has been won. |
|
|
The championship has not been won and is needed to complete their Grand Slam. |
| unneeded | The championship is not needed to complete their Grand Slam since a championship at the same level has already been won. |
| inactive | The championship is no longer in existence, so potential reigns are not possible. |
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
The first Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) Grand Slam champion was crowned on March 15, 2009 at TNA's Destination X pay-per-view event. At said event, three-time TNA Triple Crown champion A.J. Styles defeated Booker T for the TNA Legends Championship. On the March 19 episode of TNA's primary television program, TNA Impact!, Impact! TV announcer Mike Tenay stated that Styles had become the first TNA Grand Slam champion by capturing the World Heavyweight, World Tag Team (NWA or TNA), TNA X Division, and TNA Legends Championships.[8][9]
List of TNA Grand Slam Champions
The following is a list of TNA Grand Slam Champions with dates indicating the wrestler's first reign with the respective championship.
| Name | World Championships | Tag Team Championships | Second-Tier Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWA World Heavyweight Championship | TNA World Heavyweight Championship | NWA World Tag Team Championship | TNA World Tag Team Championship | TNA X Division Championship | TNA Legends Championship | |
| A.J. Styles[8] | June 11, 2003 | no reign | July 3, 2002 (with Jerry Lynn) |
October 14, 2007 (with Tomko) |
June 19, 2002 | March 15, 2009 |
| Text | |
|---|---|
| Dates | A date indicates the wrestlers first reign with that championship. |
| Dates in bold | The date the wrestler became a Grand Slam champion. |
| no reign | The wrestler has no reign with this championship belt. |
List of potential TNA Grand Slam Champions
| Name | World Championships | Tag Team Championships | Second-Tier Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWA World Heavyweight Championship | TNA World Heavyweight Championship | NWA World Tag Team Championship | TNA World Tag Team Championship | TNA X Division Championship | TNA Legends Championship | |
| Samoa Joe | inactive |
|
inactive |
|
|
|
| Kurt Angle | inactive |
|
inactive |
|
|
|
|
|
The championship has been won. |
|
|
The championship has not been won and is needed to complete their Grand Slam. |
| inactive | The championship is no longer active in TNA, so potential reigns are not possible. |
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Shawn Michaels". WWE.com. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
Michaels was the first-ever Grand Slam Champion, capturing the European Championship once, the World Tag Team Championship three times, the Intercontinental Championship three times and the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships a total of four times.
- ^ "Kane's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
- ^ a b "WWF.com Headlines". World Wrestling Entertainment. 2001-05-26. Archived from the original on 2001-05-26. Retrieved 2009-03-11.
In a rare interview with WWF.com, Kane discussed the chain match Sunday at Judgment Day and his feelings on being the only "Grand Slam Champion" of his variety.
- ^ a b "Big Red Grand Slam". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-03-11.
- ^ a b "Kurt Angle..." WWE.com. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
While most fans of this former Grand Slam Champion...
- ^ "Rob Van Dam". wwe.com. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
At ECW One Night Stand 2006, Rob Van Dam became the only person out of ECW, after its 2001 purchase to become a WWE Grand Slam Champion.
- ^ "Triple H". WWE.com. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
Such dedication has provided him with the fortitude to become a Grand Slam champion.
- ^ a b "Total Nonstop Action Wrestling presents: TNA Impact!". TNA Impact!. 2009-03-19. Spike TV.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help) - ^ Boutwell, Josh (2009-03-20). "Impact results - 3/19/09". WrestleView.com. Retrieved 2009-03-21.