Misplaced Pages

#417582

75-594: The original title had a total of nine reigns shared between eight different champions. The title brought back in 2023 and given a new name, the GHC Hardcore Championship. The GHC Hardcore Championship has had a total of two reigns shared between two champions. The current titleholder is Ninja Mack who is in his first reign. The Global Hardcore Crown Openweight Hardcore Championship was created in March 2004 when Jun Akiyama declared himself champion as

150-671: A WWF Superstars dark match. He would defeat Spicolli again one night later at a Wrestling Challenge taping in Reno. Konnan returned again on January 7, 1992, at a WWF Superstars taping in Daytona Beach, FL. wrestling this time as The Latin Fury, he defeated The Heartbreaker. The next day he defeated The Juicer in a dark match at a Wrestling Challenge taping in Fort Myers, Florida. Konnan would wrestle twice more as The Latin Fury,

225-902: A destroyer tender in the Pacific Fleet – the USS Cape Cod (AD-43) . He won the California state (amateur) Middleweight Boxing Championship in 1983. He set a goal to qualify for the Junior Olympics in boxing, but injured his shoulder in training and was deployed to the Middle East subsequent to the U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut on April 18, 1983. His ship was in the Strait of Hormuz when the US Marine barracks (along with

300-677: A luchador to remove their mask to "going to Japan and telling the Japanese they have to eat with a fork instead of chopsticks." Konnan was kicked out of the NWO Wolfpac on January 11, 1999. A week later he would enter the ring using the "Psycho" theme music which would later on becoming Rey Mysterio's theme song after his unmasking and the Filthy Animals theme for a while till it was replaced with "The Reason". Konnan spent several months feuding with Disco Inferno , and then he began

375-482: A wheelchair . In June, Konnan left TNA, as did Ron Killings. Konnan gave several interviews about the drug abuse problem in pro wrestling around that time, most notably to the New York Daily News , which indicated that Konnan believed his "hip degenerated after years of steroid abuse and the physical toll of his sport, and...painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs ruined [his] kidney." He would reiterate

450-649: A "coming soon" video. He had intended to make his debut for Pro Wrestling Noah the previous year as well as in February, but has been unable to enter the country due to Japan's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and a rise in cases stemming from the omicron variant . Mack made his debut on April 29 at Majestic – N-Innovation , defeating Alpha Wolf and Dragon Bane in a three way elimination match. On July 16, at Destination , Mack defeated Dante Leon . On October 30, at Ariake Triumph , Mack defeated Hayata for

525-612: A few weeks. His debut was at Starrcade on December 16, 1990. Teaming with his trainer and mentor, Rey Misterio, Konnan entered the Pat O'Connor Memorial International Cup Tag Team Tournament held at the event. They defeated Norman Smiley and Chris Adams in the quarter-finals, but lost to eventual winners, the Steiner Brothers ( Rick and Scott ) in the semi-finals. He then won a televised match on WCW Power Hour against Chuck Coates on January 19, 1991. Konnan would not return to

600-403: A five way match to qualify as an alternate, which was won by Hektor Invictus . On night two, Mack defeated Ace Romero in a lotterie match to win the vacant wXw Shotgun Championship . The following day, Mack defended the title against Tamás Szabó, and on night three, he dropped the title to Maggot in a four way match that also involved Ender Kara and The Rotation . On April 1, 2022, Mack

675-573: A gymnastics coach at Cypress Academy of Gymnastics. He also toured with Cirque du Soleil , as well as with other circuses in the United States, Mexico, Venezuela and Belgium. Mack was trained by Booker T , and debuted for Booker's promotion Reality of Wrestling (ROW) in December 2014 under the ring name Brendan Skye. He would continue to make appearances for the Houston promotion over

750-528: A legitimately torn triceps muscle, damaged when Van Hammer threw Juventud Guerrera at him during a match and Guerrera's elbow connected with Konnan's upper arm as he attempted to catch him. Throughout 2000, the Filthy Animals feuded with other stables, including The Misfits In Action , The Natural Born Thrillers and Team Canada . At WCW's final pay-per-view event, Greed on March 18, 2001, Lance Storm and Mike Awesome (representing Team Canada) defeated Hugh Morrus and Konnan. The assets of WCW were sold to

825-406: A member of the creative team. During a career spanning almost three decades, he has wrestled for independent and national promotions in the United States and Mexico, and held fifteen title belts in nine promotions. He was also involved in the creation of Lucha Underground , where he was supposed to serve as a writer and producer, but ended up in an on-camera role as manager to Prince Puma throughout

SECTION 10

#1732780796418

900-469: A result, he became a face and teamed with Mysterio to fight the nWo. After feuding with nWo member Lex Luger, Konnan and Mysterio, Jr. were defeated by The Outsiders at SuperBrawl IX , with The Outsiders removing Mysterio's mask in the process. Konnan later criticized WCW for not respecting Mexican wrestling culture by writing storylines that saw several Mexican wrestlers unceremoniously unmasked (Juventud Guerrera, Psicosis, and Mysterio). He compared asking

975-510: A rivalry with Stevie Ray . He and Mysterio formed an alliance with Master P and his No Limit Soldiers and fought with The West Texas Rednecks . After Master P left WCW, Konnan formed a stable known as The Filthy Animals . He and Mysterio, representing the Filthy Animals, defeated Harlem Heat ( Booker T and Stevie Ray) for the WCW World Tag Team Championship on October 18, 1999. They were scheduled to defend

1050-454: A separate lineage. Masato Tanaka won the revived title on October 23, 2023, at Monday Magic ep. 2, by defeating Ninja Mack . Across the two lineages, there have been a total of eleven reigns shared between ten different champions. The current title holder is Shuji Ishikawa who is in his first reign. As of November 28, 2024. Ninja Mack Brenden McAleavey (born December 31, 1989), better known by his ring name Ninja Mack ,

1125-466: A short stint in Mexico. In July 2021, Mack worked two dates for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), under the ring name Kamikaze. On July 3, at Verano de Escándalo , he participated in a Trofeo Alas de Oro match, which was won by El Hijo del Vikingo . On July 5, he teamed with Aramís and Dinastía in a loss to Abismo Negro Jr. , Arez and Toxin. On January 3, 2022, at Reboot, Mack appeared in

1200-900: A six-man tag team match with the vacant NWA World Tag Team Championships on the line. The championship was held by all three members of the Kru, until January 28, 2004, when they were defeated by Kevin Northcutt and Legend in Nashville. After several abortive attempts to regain the tag title, the Kru began supporting Ron Killings's bid to become NWA World Heavyweight Champion. The Kru later feuded with Jarrett's mercenaries , The Elite Guard ( Chad Collyer , Hotstuff Hernandez , and Onyx ). While with TNA, Konnan also returned to Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, making his first appearance at AAA Sin Limite - Guerra De Titanes 2004 on May 12, 2004. Konnan

1275-482: A six-man, two out of three falls, tag team match as Konnan El Barbaro ("Konnan the Barbarian") with Lizmark and Yoshihiro Asai against As Charro, Indio Yori and Negro Casas on February 3, 1989, for World Wrestling Association. Konnan joined Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre (EMLL) later that year. He used Konnan El Barbaro with EMLL as well. Konnan's first stint with World Championship Wrestling lasted only

1350-689: A two-out-of-three falls match against Cien Caras at EMLL Super Viernes in Mexico City on June 9, 1991. In 1992, Konnan, along with several other EMLL wrestlers, joined Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA). Shortening his ring name to simply "Konnan", he feuded with Cien Caras. Back in AAA, following interference from Jake Roberts , Konnan lost a two out of three falls retirement match by count-out to Caras at Triplemanía I on April 30, 1993, in front of 48,000 fans in Mexico City, setting

1425-560: A way to liven up the Pro Wrestling Noah regional tours. In 2007, it was announced that it would be reformed into a tag team title , continuing with the same lineage as the original belt. Later in 2007, it reverted to being a singles championship. Kentaro Shiga , who was the fifth champion before the reforming into a tag team title, was still recognized as such (along with his tag team partner, Kishin Kawabata ), even though it

1500-496: A wrestler in Florida. Suddenly, a big roar (laughter) went up from another wrestler, Miguel Lopez, who wrestled as Rey Misterio. Lopez/Misterio explained to Carlos that Roberts was just a nutty fan, always in the front row, but that he did nothing involved with managing or agent-ing or anything else in the business. Still, the wrestlers asked Carlos, want to give it a try? Billed as El Centurión ("The Centurion"), Ashenoff debuted for

1575-505: A year early from Southwest Miami Senior High School , and was arrested and charged as a juvenile with credit card theft and motorcycle theft. Shortly after his 18th birthday, Ashenoff was caught selling drugs and charged as an adult. He was given a choice of going to jail or entering the military . He chose the latter, joining the United States Navy . After basic training, Ashenoff was relocated to San Diego, and assigned to

SECTION 20

#1732780796418

1650-492: Is an American professional wrestler currently performing for Pro Wrestling Noah , where he is a one-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion and one-time GHC Openweight Hardcore Champion . He also worked for Game Changer Wrestling and Ring of Honor . Born on Long Island , Mack was raised in Cypress, Texas . He has an athletic background, as he competed in amateur wrestling at Cypress Creek High School , and later worked as

1725-672: The GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship , his first title in the promotion. Eleven days later, at Global Honored Crown , Mack lost the title in his first defense against Leon. On February 21, 2023, at the Keiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling "Last" Love event, Mack teamed with Naomichi Marufuji and El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. in a six-man tag team match, defeating Dragon Gate 's Z-Brats ( Shun Skywalker , Kai and Diamante ). On May 4, at Majestic , Mack failed to win

1800-594: The New Age Outlaws . Konnan and Killings feuded with The Outlaw and "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown , with James's loyalties divided. From March 2005 onwards, Konnan was also feuding with Vampiro and La Parka in AAA. The feud went on intermittently through 2006. Brown and The Outlaw, who had by now renamed himself "Kip James", defeated Konnan and Killings at No Surrender on July 17, 2005, with James declining to help either team. Konnan and Killings became increasingly frustrated, at one point referring to themselves as

1875-758: The United States Heavyweight Championship on January 29, 1996. During his reign, he continued to defend his IWAS and AAA Heavyweight Championships in Mexico (these championships were billed as a "Mexican Heavyweight Title" wherever Konnan wore one or the other to a WCW ring). Konnan successfully defended the United States Heavyweight Championship against One Man Gang at SuperBrawl VI , Eddie Guerrero at Uncensored , Jushin Liger at Slamboree and El Gato at The Great American Bash before losing

1950-669: The Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) on January 6, 1988. In the early part of his career, he wrestled for many different promotions. After making his debut for UWA, Konnan wrestled for the UWA Heavyweight title against El Canek at UWA 14 on January 29, 1989, and wrestled six- and eight-man tag matches intermittently for the promotion until 1994, with the likes of Dos Caras , Mascara Sagrada, and others. All of his matches for UWA after 1991 were cross-promotions with EMLL and AAA. Konnan wrestled in

2025-422: The "2Live Kru". The two teams faced one another in a No Surrender rematch on August 14, 2005, at Sacrifice , with James appointed guest referee by Director of Authority Larry Zbyszko, and James reaffirmed his loyalty to the Kru by attacking Kip, enabling Konnan to pin him and win the match. The Kru, apparently undivided, celebrated together following the match. Over the following weeks, Kip James began assisting

2100-469: The 3 Live Kru, and on October 23, 2005, at Bound for Glory , he saved Konnan from a beating at the hands of Team Canada. On the November 26 episode of Impact! , B.G. James brought Kip James and the 3 Live Kru to ringside, then asked Killings and Konnan whether James could join the stable. Following a heated argument between the still skeptical Konnan and B.G., both Killings and Konnan gave their assent, and

2175-441: The 4 Live Kru was born. At Turning Point the 4 Live Kru faced Team Canada in an eight-man tag match. In the course of the match, Konnan attacked both B.G. and Kip James. On the December 31, 2005, episode of Impact! , Konnan told B.G.'s father, Bob Armstrong , that he was a "hothead" and invited Armstrong to accompany him backstage for an apology. Instead of apologizing, Konnan turned heel by leading Armstrong into an ambush at

2250-691: The AAA in Chicago, Illinois . Konnan returned to WCW on a full-time basis on the January 22, 1996, edition of Nitro , where he announced that he would defend his "Mexican Heavyweight Championship" against Psicosis, the following night at Clash of the Champions , where Konnan retained the title. As a WCW employee, he was largely responsible for the hiring of several prominent Mexican wrestlers by WCW, including Rey Mysterio Jr. , Psicosis , Juventud Guerrera and La Parka . Konnan defeated One Man Gang for

2325-574: The April 8, 2006, episode of Impact! , Konnan faced Armstrong in an "Arm Wrestling Challenge"; the contest ended in a no-contest after LAX member Hernandez attacked Armstrong. At Lockdown on April 23, 2006, Konnan was defeated by Armstrong in an arm wrestling contest held within the confines of a steel cage; following the bout, each member of the LAX received ten lashes from the James Gang . May 2006

GHC Openweight Hardcore Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue

2400-714: The French paratrooper barracks) in Beirut were bombed on October 24, 1983. By 1984, the Cape Cod was rotated out of the Persian Gulf. Ashenoff returned to San Diego, and received an honorable discharge. In San Diego, Konnan met John Roberts. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter then details Ashenoff's first foray in to professional wrestling: Carlos traveled to Tijuana on Wednesday, January 6, 1988, (his 24th birthday), where he

2475-560: The GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship from Hayata. On September 24, at Grand Ship in Nagoya , Mack teamed with Alejandro and lost to Alpha Wolf and Dragón Bane for the vacant GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship . On the weekend of March 4–6, 2022, Mack was involved in four matches during the 16 Carat Gold tournament, held by Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). On night one, Mack wrestled in

2550-1130: The MXPW Heavyweight Title on August 12, 2002. He lost yet another title match upon returning to World Wrestling Council, losing by disqualification to Carly Colón in a match for the Universal Heavyweight title at WWC 29th Aniversario on September 14, 2002. Konnan finally won the title by defeating Colón on November 2, 2002, only to lose the title back to Colón 21 days later. Returning to World Wrestling All-Stars in November and December 2002, Konnan defeated Norman Smiley twice in singles matches on November 28 and 29, 2002, and won in three minutes against Nate Webb on December 6, 2002, at WWA The Retribution in Glasgow. Subsequent to that, Konnan tag-teamed with Smiley against Disco Inferno and Malice for three matches between December 8–13, 2002, and won all three. Konnan made two final appearances for World Wrestling All-Stars in May 2003, before

2625-632: The NWA World Tag Team Championship. Their reign lasted one month, with Team Canada regaining the title on December 5, 2004, at Turning Point with the help of the injured Johnny Devine . Throughout early 2005, the Kru feuded with Michael Shane and Kazarian , Team Canada and The Naturals . Dissension arose after James's former tag team partner from the WWF, Billy Gunn , joined TNA as "The New Age Outlaw" and began trying to convince James to reform their highly successful tag team,

2700-511: The November 30, 1998, episode of Nitro , Konnan defeated Chris Jericho for the World Television Championship . His reign lasted until December 28, 1998, when he lost to nWo Hollywood member Scott Steiner on Nitro following interference from Buff Bagwell . When the two halves of the nWo reunited in January 1999, Konnan was thrown out of the nWo for standing up for Rey Mysterio, Jr and was attacked by Lex Luger . As

2775-599: The South Bay, there has never been lucha libre for la raza. Finally they will be able to see the lucha libre that they watch on television live here a few minutes from their home." Despite having left TNA in June 2007, Konnan did not wrestle for AAA until October, and only wrestled in four matches during the remainder of the year, due to his aforementioned surgeries. Konnan returned to World Wrestling Council at WWC Euphoria Tour 2008 on January 6, 2008, with Ron Killings of

2850-499: The WWF following a disagreement with WWF owner Vince McMahon in 1992. Konnan was not showing up for WWF events due to his rising fame in Mexico, and his supposed "bad attitude" and heat from fellow WWF workers leading to a very strained relationship with McMahon, who had invested heavily in the Max Moon character, both financially and creatively, up until that point. Konnan was still working in Mexico while under contract to WWF, and

2925-483: The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) five days later, on March 23. Following the sale of WCW, Konnan returned to wrestling for multiple independent promotions. He first went to Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW), where he took part in a tournament for the then-vacant XPW Television title on August 25, 2001. He defeated Johnny Webb and Vic Grimes in the first and second rounds, respectively, and then lost

3000-560: The all-time attendance record for a Mexican wrestling event. Konnan did not comply with the stipulations of the match and returned to defeat Roberts in a hair versus hair match at Triplemanía II on May 27, 1994, in Tijuana. Later in 1994, Konnan began a storyline where he betrayed his tag team partner, Perro Aguayo, and formed a heel alliance known as Los Gringos Locos with Eddie Guerrero , Art Barr and Madonna's Boyfriend . Aguayo gained his revenge on Konnan by defeating him in

3075-451: The character on the first episode of Monday Night Raw on January 11, 1993. After a brief run, the character was abandoned. After meeting Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) booker Paul Heyman while on a wrestling tour of Singapore , Konnan joined ECW in 1995 and feuded with The Sandman . He appeared at ECW November to Remember on November 18, 1995, squashing Jason Knight . He also wrestled at an event co-promoted by ECW and

GHC Openweight Hardcore Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue

3150-493: The family relocated to Carol City in South Florida. When Richard formally adopted Carlos, he listed Carlos's legal name as Charles Ashenoff. By 1976, under the influence of older friends and neighbors, Ashenoff had gotten into stealing cars. He learned how to drive at 12, learned to box, and was an "avid weightlifter". Ashenoff was expelled from several schools before landing at Miami Southwest High. In 1982, he graduated

3225-549: The final time at a house show in Hyannis, Massachusetts on July 19, 1992, when he defeated Pete Doherty. The next day, when he appeared at a WWF Superstars taping in Worcester, Massachusetts against The Mercenary, he was renamed El Relámpago. He wrestled again as El Relámpago the following night against Luis Mendieta. A little over a month later he received the gimmick that he would become known for, Max Moon (although he

3300-565: The final to Kaos. He then wrestled a match with Damian Steele on October 13, 2001. He wrestled Steele again on November 24, 2001, in a "Loser Leaves XPW" match at XPW Revolution at Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California . Konnan won the match. Konnan wrestled in Australia, the UK, and Germany for World Wrestling All-Stars from October to December 2001. His first match with

3375-532: The first lucha libre event in San Diego. He stated that "Unfortunately there has never been lucha libre in the South Bay, there has never been lucha libre for la raza. Finally they will be able to see the lucha libre that they watch on television live here a few minutes from their home." In early 2007, Konnan underwent hip replacement surgery, and his appearances in TNA from then on saw him frequently using

3450-559: The first season. Outside of wrestling, Konnan is an occasional rapper . He is best known to United States audiences for his run in World Championship Wrestling as part of the nWo stable and as part of The Filthy Animals . He also formed the 3 Live Kru for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in the early 2000s and later the Latin American Xchange (LAX) stable there. In Mexico, Konnan was

3525-641: The first-ever CMLL World Heavyweight Champion , and the leader of the Foreign Legion in AAA when they were the top stable. Konnan was born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises in Santiago , Cuba, of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. In 1966, he and his mother arrived in Boston. Soon after landing in Boston, she met a young half-Jewish, half-Puerto Rican private investigator from New York named Richard Ashenoff. They soon married, and raised Carlos together. By 1967,

3600-451: The friendship of Konnan. Throughout May and June 2003, Konnan began teaming with B.G. James and Ron Killings , and in July 2003 the trio formed a stable known as the 3 Live Kru . The Kru first wrestled as a unit on August 13, 2003, defeating The New Church ( Sinn , Vampire Warrior and Tempest ). On November 26, the Kru defeated Simon Diamond , Johnny Swinger and Glenn Gilberti in

3675-559: The hands of Apolo and the debuting Homicide . The trio, later identified as The Latin American Xchange (LAX), then instructed an unconscious Armstrong to tell B.G. and Kip to "take care of their own business". At Final Resolution on January 15, 2006, Konnan and Homicide defeated The Naturals . After Apolo was released by TNA, he was replaced by Machete , who was in turn evicted from LAX by Konnan and Homicide. In subsequent weeks, Konnan began feuding with Bob Armstrong. On

3750-662: The inaugural Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) pay-per-view on June 19, 2002, in the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama . He entered the Gauntlet for the Gold match for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship , but he was chokeslammed and subsequently eliminated by Malice . He then went to Maximum Xtreme Pro Wrestling, where he lost another heavyweight title match; this time against Simon Diamond for

3825-430: The issue on his podcast some years later He successfully underwent kidney transplant surgery on July 23, 2007. While with TNA, Konnan also returned to AAA (Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración de Espectáculos), making his first appearance at AAA Sin Limite - Guerra De Titanes 2004 on May 12, 2004. Konnan was teamed with Rikishi and lost to Cibernetico and La Parka by disqualification. From March 2005 onwards, Konnan

SECTION 50

#1732780796418

3900-637: The next two years. He initially wrestled on the independent circuit in Texas , featuring for promotions such as Promociones Martinez, Loko Wrestling, Pale Pro Wrestling and the Independent Wrestling Expo. He also took an extended break from wrestling, following the birth of his son. Mack's performance in a Loko Wrestling match involving him and Dante Leon attracted the attention of Game Changer Wrestling (GCW). On April 8, 2021, at Jimmy Lloyd's D-Generation F, Mack made his debut for

3975-517: The only AAA pay-per-view , " When Worlds Collide ", in a steel cage match . He eventually became the AAA booker . Konnan defeated Killer on February 2, 1996, in Querétaro to become the first ever AAA Heavyweight Champion. He vacated the title after leaving AAA in October 1996 to form his own promotion, Promo Azteca , and the title remained inactive until 2004. Konnan's Mexican wrestling career

4050-733: The promotion folded. He also wrestled a tag match teamed with Norman Smiley for MXPW in September 2003. These would be his last extended stints in the independent circuit for nearly a decade. Konnan returned to TNA on February 12, 2003, and formed a short-lived villainous alliance, the Authentic Luchadores, with fellow Hispanic wrestlers Juventud Guerrera, Super Crazy and The S.A.T. (Spanish Announce Team). The stable feuded with Jerry Lynn until April 2, 2003, when Lynn claimed that he had been heavily influenced by lucha libre and that he respected his Mexican opponents, thus earning

4125-479: The promotion until 1996. While still part of WCW, Konnan was contacted by talent scout Pat Patterson on New Year's Eve 1990, which led to a meeting with Vince McMahon, where the initial idea for what became Max Moon was discussed. According to Konnan, "When I was wrestling in Japan, I saw this Japanese anime cartoon robot on TV that shot confetti and fire. [Vince] asked if I knew anybody that could design it." Konnan

4200-513: The promotion was October 19, 2001, where he defeated Gangrel . He would win two further matches against Gangrel during his time at the promotion, but his singles record was generally poor: he lost in the first round of the WWA Heavyweight Championship title in a dog collar match against Road Dogg on October 26, 2001, and lost three tables matches against Norman Smiley on December 8, 9 and 11, 2001. Konnan's tag-team record

4275-401: The promotion, winning in a six man scramble match. He later partnered with Leon, in two unsuccessful challenges for the GCW Tag Team Championship, losing to the Second Gear Crew ( Mance Warner and Matthew Justice ) and The Briscoes ( Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe ). Although he had previously worked unmasked for GCW, Mack would adopt the ninja persona upon the advice of Konnan , after

4350-442: The sympathetic crowd. In 1991, EMLL changed its name officially to Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). Konnan then became the first-ever CMLL World Heavyweight Champion later that year by winning a tournament consisting of four matches at four events: an eight-man elimination match for the first round on May 24, 1991; a four-man battle royal quarterfinal on May 31; a two-out-of-three falls semifinal match on June 7; and finally,

4425-409: The title the next night on Nitro , but lost to Harris Brothers (Ron and Don Harris) on November 22, 1999. Konnan was inactive throughout early 2000, as he was suspended for three months by Bill Busch after requesting his release from WCW, unhappy with the way he was being used. Shortly after returning from suspension and reforming the Filthy Animals, Konnan was sidelined once again, this time with

4500-463: The title to Ric Flair on July 7 at Bash at the Beach following interference from Flair's valets Miss Elizabeth and Woman . Several months after losing the United States Championship, Konnan became a villain and joined The Dungeon of Doom . However, the gimmick was already on its way out. According to Kevin Sullivan (the originator of the stable), speaking in a retrospective interview in July 2016, Konnan "didn't fit in The Dungeon of Doom. He

4575-481: The titles against Harlem Heat in the MGM Grand Garden Arena on October 24, 1999, at Halloween Havoc , but on the night of the event Mysterio was announced as being injured. The title was then contested in a three-way tag match pitting Konnan and Billy Kidman, representing the Filthy Animals, against Harlem Heat and the First Family ( Hugh Morrus and Brian Knobs ). Harlem Heat regained the title after Stevie Ray pinned Morrus. Konnan and Kidman defeated Harlem Heat for

SECTION 60

#1732780796418

4650-504: Was also feuding with Vampiro and La Parka in AAA. The feud went on intermittently through 2006. On May 1, 2006, he made his first appearance with La Legión Extranjera (with Chessman and Ron Killings), losing to El Zorro, Octagon and Vampiro Canadiense at AAA Sin Limite . He soon became the leader of the stable, which was active through 2009. On June 24, 2006, Konnan participated in the first lucha libre event in San Diego. He stated that "Unfortunately there has never been lucha libre in

4725-451: Was also simultaneously appearing in a Mexican telenovela aimed at children called El abuelo y yo . As he was becoming more popular in Mexico, he was not as focused on making it in America. Konnan recollected, "Wrestling was so hot in Mexico, because they had lifted this 30-year ban on wrestling on TV in Mexico City. I was able to capitalize on that wrestling boom. I was wrestling three times in one day on many weekends. The amount of work

4800-445: Was defeated by Brian Cage at Supercard of Honor XV . Konnan Charles Rudy Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises ; January 6, 1964), better known by his ring name Konnan , is a Cuban-born American professional wrestling personality, manager, and former professional wrestler . He is signed to Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). In Impact, he was the manager of The Latin American Xchange (LAX) and serves as

4875-433: Was forced into it." Sullivan also praised Konnan highly: [He's] a fabulous performer and has a great mind for the wrestling business. He should have been on his own. Putting him with us, he just lost all the steam he had. He brought the luchadors into WCW, so he had a real effect on professional wrestling." Konnan joined the New World Order (nWo) on July 14, 1997. Konnan developed an increasingly hip-hop based gimmick and

4950-503: Was given an outfit (purchased by the WWF at the cost of $ 15,000) bedecked with circuitry and a pyrotechnic gun that shot sparkles into the crowd. Konnan recollected later that the costs associated with the costume led to problems between himself and the promotion right from the start. Days later he received a tryout on January 7, 1991, at a WWF Superstars taping in Amarillo, Texas defeating Ultraman. He returned again on March 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada, defeating Louie Spicolli in

5025-470: Was hampered in the late-1990s by his American wrestling commitments, and Promo Azteca closed in 1998. He made a return to the Mexican wrestling circuit in the 2000s after a six-year absence, selling out arenas in Mexico City and Guadalajara . Konnan made his WWF debut on September 1, 1992, in Hershey, Pennsylvania , during a Superstars taping under the name The Comet Kid when he pinned Barry Horowitz . After three televised matches, Konnan abruptly left

5100-406: Was incredible. It was like when Raw and Nitro were going head-to-head and there was work for everybody." There was also some locker room tension over the costs associated with the costume, Konnan's perceived attitude, and Konnan also was missing tapings because he was more successful in Mexico and was not focusing on WWF. In the end, the Max Moon character was given to Paul Diamond, who appeared as

5175-487: Was led to the dressing area and introduced to Manuel de los Santos, the promoter of the show, and who also wrestled in the main event as "Kiss". De los Santos took one look at the 215-pound bodybuilder and did the classic double-take—what the hell is this guy doing here, and, how quickly can I get this guy in the ring. Konnan introduced himself and explained how he was brought here by his manager/agent, John Roberts. Roberts had already bragged to de los Santos that Carlos had been

5250-530: Was much better: Konnan went 6–0 teamed with Nathan Jones (exclusively against the team of Lenny Lane and Lodi , better-known formerly as The West Hollywood Blondes in WCW) between November 27 – December 11, 2001. After a no-contest match against Sandman on January 12, 2002, at XPW New Year's Revolution 2 , Konnan then went to World Wrestling Council , where he won the World Wrestling Council World Tag Team Championship with Carly Colón , defeating Thunder and Lightning on May 26, 2002. Konnan appeared on

5325-524: Was nicknamed "K-Dogg." During his first stint in the nWo, Konnan feuded with the Luchadores whom he had brought to WCW. During this storyline, he wrestled in a Mexican Death match at Road Wild against Rey Mysterio, Jr. and a match against Juventud Guerrera at Uncensored in March 1998. When the nWo divided into two rival factions on the May 4, 1998, episode of Nitro , Konnan sided with the nWo Wolfpac, led by Kevin Nash . The Wolfpac feuded with nWo Hollywood, led by Hollywood Hogan and became tweeners . On

5400-537: Was originally called The Comet Kid for a handful of appearances). The Moon character , created by Konnan, was that of a cyborg from "The Future" or "Outer Space". Back in EMLL, Konnan lost his mask to Perro Aguayo in a Lucha de Apuesta mask versus hair match . on June 9, 1991, by disqualification. After the match, a young boy—introduced as Konnan's brother—entered the ring crying and handed Konnan his mask back, generating considerable bonhomie towards Konnan from

5475-585: Was teamed with Rikishi and lost to Cibernetico and La Parka by disqualification. On July 14, 2004, the 3 Live Kru, Dusty Rhodes and Larry Zbyszko defeated Jarrett, Ken Shamrock and the Elite Guard in a ten-man tag team match. The Kru began feuding with Team Canada in August 2004, and at the inaugural three-hour TNA pay-per-view, Victory Road on November 7, 2004, Konnan and James defeated Team Canada members Bobby Roode and "Showtime" Eric Young for

5550-427: Was vacated to be put up for grab in a tournament, which they eventually won. On November 19, 2007, Kawabata defeated Shiga to reunify the title. The title was deactivated after ninth champion Kenta Kobashi suffered an injury in December 2009, forcing him to vacate the title. In October 2023, it was revealed by Nosawa Rongai that Pro Wrestling Noah would bring the belt as the newly created GHC Hardcore Championship with

5625-666: Was very busy for Konnan. In AAA, he made his first appearance with La Legión Extranjera (with Chessman and Ron Killings) on May 1, 2006, losing to El Zorro, Octagon and Vampiro Canadiense at AAA Sin Limite . He soon became the leader of the stable, which was active through 2009. That same month, Konnan became the TNA Impact! Spanish color commentator . Additionally, he and the LAX began a storyline that saw them refuse to wrestle (as well as himself and Moody Jack refuse to commentate), claiming that Latinos were discriminated against within TNA. On June 24, 2006, Konnan participated in

#417582