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Natural Born Thrillers

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Natural Born Thrillers
Stable
MembersChuck Palumbo
Johnny the Bull
Mark Jindrak
Mike Sanders
Reno
Sean O'Haire
Shawn Stasiak
HometownMean Streets of Bronx, New York
Debut2000[1]
Disbanded2001
TrainerWCW Power Plant[1]

The Natural Born Thrillers were a professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling from 2000 to 2001.[1] The name is a play on the 1994 film Natural Born Killers.

History

The Natural Born Thrillers were made up of seven young wrestlers, all graduates of the WCW Power Plant. They were trained by Paul Orndorff and WCW management decided to push them immediately.

The Thrillers were Mike Sanders who was the leader of the group, Chuck Palumbo, Sean O'Haire, Shawn Stasiak, Reno, Mark Jindrak and Johnny the Bull.[1] They became the enforcer group for Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff, replacing The Filthy Animals, who they quickly began feuding with.[2] Tension between the two teams quickly grew as the Thrillers attacked their former trainer, Orndoff, and the Animals saved him. At Fall Brawl, the Thrillers and the Animals had an elimination match.[3] After the Thrillers eliminated all but two members of the Animals, the match ended in a no-contest after Orndoff legitimately injured himself attempting a piledriver.[3] The next night on Nitro, the Thrillers faced off against the two survivors, Rey Misterio Jr. and Tygress, and lost.[4]

The following week, Jindrak and O'Haire won a battle royal to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship.[5][6] Sanders became the new WCW commissioner by defeating Ernest Miller, and he declared the WCW Hardcore Championship vacant. He set up a tournament to crown the new champion, which was won by Sgt. AWOL.[7] Sanders, however, reversed the decision and the title was awarded to Reno.[7] In October, Jindrak and O'Haire lost the tag titles to Lt. Loco and Cpl. Cajun, but won them back the same night, when Sanders made an immediate rematch.[6]

They were later "coached" by Kevin Nash, who helped Sanders win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship in a Powerbomb match, after he powerbombed Elix Skipper.[7] The Thrillers later turned on Nash, however, and a handicap match with O'Haire, Palumbo, and Stasiak, against Nash went to a no-contest.[8] Jindrak and O'Haire lost the Tag Team Championship to Boogie Knights on the November 20 edition of WCW Monday Nitro, but the following week, Stasiak and Palumbo, as The Perfect Event, won the tag team titles from the Boogie Knights.[6][9][10] The Perfect Event feuded with Nash and his new partner, Diamond Dallas Page, who called themselves The Insiders. At Mayhem, The Insiders won the Tag team Championships, but Sanders later stripped them of the titles.

Sanders lost the Cruiserweight Championship to Chavo Guerrero, Jr. on the December 6 edition of WCW Thunder.[11] The following week, Sanders set up a handicap match between Guerrero and the Perfect Event, which the Perfect Event won.[12] Sanders also set up a three-way dance between the Insiders, O'Haire and Jindrak, and the Perfect Event, which the Perfect Event won.[13] At Starrcade, the Insiders beat the Perfect Event for the tag team Championships, despite O'Haire and Jindrak's interference.[14]

Sanders then announced a tag team Battle Royal for the number one contendership to the tag team Championships.[15][16] The final two teams in the battle royal were O'Haire and Jindrak, and the Perfect Event.[15] Sanders declared both teams the winner, and announced that one member from each team would compete for the titles.[15] Palumbo and O'Haire later won them in early January 2001, at Sin.[6] Sanders permanently lost the Commissioner position back to Miller.[2]

By February 2001, the Thrillers had broken up as tensions grew between Stasiak and Jindrak, and Palumbo and O'Haire.[15] Stasiak and Jindrak demanded a tag title shot, and got it at SuperBrawl Revenge, but O'Haire and Palumbo retained.[15] At WCW Greed on March 18, Palumbo and O'Haire pinned Buff Bagwell and Lex Luger in a 54-second squash,[17] and on the final episode of Nitro on March 26, retained the belts over Lance Storm and Mike Awesome to finish as the last tag team champions in WCW history. They moved on to the WWE after it had bought out WCW,[18] while Stasiak and Jindrak moved into singles competition[2][15] and Johnny the Bull reunited with Big Vito to reform The Mamalukes, but neither Jindrak nor Reno rose to much prominence after the Thrillers.[19][20][21]

Championships and accomplishments

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Natural Born Thrillers profile". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  2. ^ a b c "Mike Sanders Biography". Accelerator. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  3. ^ a b "WCW Pay Per View - Fall Brawl 2000". Online World Of Wrestling. 2000-09-17. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  4. ^ "WCW Nitro Year-By-Year - 2000 - September 18". Online World Of Wrestling. 2000-09-18. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  5. ^ "WCW Nitro Year-By-Year - 2000 - September 25". Online World Of Wrestling. 2000-09-25. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  6. ^ a b c d e Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary. "WCW World Tag Team Title History". Solie's Title Histories. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  7. ^ a b c d Oliver, Earl; Benaka, Matt. "World Cruiserweight Title History". Solie's Title Histories. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  8. ^ "WCW Nitro Year-By-Year - 2000 - November 13". Online World Of Wrestling. 2000-11-13. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  9. ^ "WCW Nitro Year-By-Year - 2000 - November 20". Online World Of Wrestling. 2000-11-20. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  10. ^ "The Perfect Event Profile". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  11. ^ "WCW Thunder Year-By-Year - 2000 - December 6". Online World Of Wrestling. 2000-12-06. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  12. ^ "WCW Thunder Year-By-Year - 2000 - December 13". Online World Of Wrestling. 2000-06-13. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  13. ^ "WCW Nitro Year-By-Year - 2000 - December 12". Online World Of Wrestling. 2000-12-12. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  14. ^ "WCW Pay Per View - WCW Starrcade 2000". Online World Of Wrestling. 2000-12-17. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  15. ^ a b c d e f "Shawn Stasiak". Accelerator. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  16. ^ "WCW Thunder Year-By-Year - 2000 - December 20". Online World Of Wrestling. 2000-12-20. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  17. ^ "WCW Greed - March 18, 2001". DDT Digest. March 18, 2001. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  18. ^ "Palumbo and O'Haire Profile". Online World Of Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2008-10-02. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  19. ^ "Mark Jindrak". Accelerator. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  20. ^ "Johnny the Bull". Accelerator. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  21. ^ "Reno". Accelerator. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  22. ^ Oliver, Earl; Solo, John. "WCW Hardcore Title History". Solie's Title Histories. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
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