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49-623: Perfect Event formed in late May 2000 feuding with KroniK and defeated them in June 2000 for the WCW Tag Team Titles. Despite being very green in the ring, they were booked over established stars, won titles and enjoyed a constant push by way of Dusty Finishes . They feuded with Tony Marinara , M.I.A. , KroniK and The Filthy Animals . The duo became known for using a Lex Flexer, Lex Luger's own custom dumbbell taken by Palumbo, as an illegal weapon in their matches. The Perfect Event grew

98-593: A Tag Team Turmoil match at SummerSlam to become number one contenders for the WWF Tag Team Championship but their title match against The Big Show and The Undertaker ended in a no-contest . After this, they feuded with the Dudley Boyz and defeated them at Unforgiven . The Acolytes then developed a gimmick as card players and beer drinkers , hustling many wrestlers and WWF employees out of their money. After sporadic feuds,

147-656: A clean sweep for his New Blood alliance at the 2000 Spring Stampede pay-per-view . Adams and Clark interfered in the WCW World Tag Team Championship match, allowing the team of Buff Bagwell and Shane Douglas to win the title. While in WCW, KroniK moved between babyface and heel roles several times - holding the WCW World Tag Team Championship twice. In the final months of WCW, KroniK became hired muscle, adopting

196-556: A notoriety for hijacking the WCW production truck (similar to the nWo and D-Generation X) and blatantly messing with opponent's entrances. In August, Stasiak and Palumbo helped form The Natural Born Thrillers with Mike Sanders , Sean O'Haire , Mark Jindrak , and Reno . They were briefly "coached" by Kevin Nash . Johnny the Bull , a tag team partner of Palumbo later on in WWE, would also join

245-669: A pay-per-view appearance, Clark was released from his contract for being unconditioned and unsafe during their PPV match, while Adams began working for the Heartland Wrestling Association , which served as WWF's developmental territory, for conditioning. Adams requested his release from the WWF in November 2001. Following their WWF departure, KroniK made appearances for World Wrestling All-Stars , their debut match with promotion taking place at Revolution , defeating

294-583: A similar, beer drinking character on TV, just sitting around, playing cards, drinking beer and getting into fights backstage and in bars. Upon being told this, Simmons said it was “the best idea I’ve ever heard”, as both Layfield and Simmons liked to participate in the APA’s social activities in real life, so both talents felt at home. On the January 31, 2000, episode of Raw , the Mean Street Posse asked

343-485: A tag team called The Hell's Henchmen managed by The Jackyl . Both men made their first appearance on TV as a team on the November 15, 1998, episode of Sunday Night Heat attacking 8-Ball , Skull and Paul Ellering as the D.O.A. came down to the ring for a match. The following week on Sunday Night Heat , The Jackyl came down to the ring as the duo interrupted a match and proclaimed Bradshaw and Faarooq to be his Acolytes. Both men made their official tag team debut on

392-662: A tag team in Ohio Valley Wrestling and then on SmackDown in 2003. The team again split in 2004 when Simmons was getting ready to retire, and as part of Bradshaw's heel turn Simmons was on-screen released by WWE; Bradshaw continued his singles career before retiring in 2009, and the group has made sporadic appearances afterwards, mostly in a non-competing capacity. As single competitors in the World Wrestling Federation , Bradshaw and Faarooq's careers had stalled. WWF management then placed them in

441-608: A tournament to determine the newly created WWE Tag Team Champions . In September 2002, Bradshaw was injured and was inactive for six months. After their brief single careers, Bradshaw and Simmons reunited in WWE's former farm territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling in March 2003, winning the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship on April 10, 2003. They vacated the OVW title when they returned to WWE television on

490-545: A valued asset to the company and noting his role as a published author and a Fox financial analyst . While Bradshaw stayed, Faarooq left in disgust. The angle covered Simmons' real-life retirement from professional wrestling. Two years later in 2006, Layfield was injured and became a commentator for SmackDown. Bradshaw returned to wrestling in 2007, on the Raw brand, while Simmons began cutting promos with his trademark catchphrase, " Damn !". The APA had an in-ring reunion on

539-637: The Basham Brothers , which Rikishi and Scotty won to retain the Tag Team Championship. On March 18, 2004, the APA angered SmackDown! general manager Paul Heyman by mocking his being Stunned by Stone Cold Steve Austin the previous week; Heyman ordered them to face Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty with the APA's jobs on the line. After the APA was defeated, Heyman only fired Faarooq and told Bradshaw to worry about his own career, calling him

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588-509: The Hillsborough County medical examiners determined that each drug was found to be at therapeutic levels, the combination of the drugs together were enough to impede Adams' respiratory system and cause his death. Acolytes Protection Agency The Acolytes Protection Agency ( APA ) was an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of Bradshaw ( John Layfield ) and Faarooq ( Ron Simmons ). They wrestled in

637-632: The WWF roster was divided into the Raw and SmackDown! brands. Bradshaw was drafted to Raw, while Faarooq was drafted to SmackDown!. On the Raw brand, Bradshaw won the WWF Hardcore Championship eighteen times , and went back to his Blackjack Texan gimmick, while Faarooq – now wrestling under his real name – had a brief stint with the SmackDown! brand, teaming with Reverend D-Von in

686-562: The World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) between October 1998 and March 2004. Before forming the APA, Faarooq and Bradshaw were known simply as The Acolytes and went on to become a part of The Undertaker 's Ministry of Darkness . As The Acolytes, they won two World Tag Team Championships in 1999, while feuding with X-Pac and Kane and the Hardy Boyz . After renaming themselves

735-483: The AJPW World Tag Team Champions, calling everyone in the initiative "losers", "stupid" and "not smart enough" to be the champions. KroniK would only make one successful title defense against Barton and Steele on August 30, 2002 as part of a two day pay-per-view. On the second day of the pay-per-view on August 31, KroniK defeated Tomoaki Honma and Yuto Aijima in a non-title match. KroniK

784-563: The APA began a feud with Bull Buchanan and Big Bossman . On the April 10, 2000, episode of Raw , the APA protected Kai En Tai during a match, when they were attacked by Buchanan and Bossman. The APA, however, was unsuccessful in winning a tag team match against them at Backlash . On the May 18, 2000, episode of SmackDown! , the APA were hired to protect Crash Holly for an hour, to prevent him from losing his WWF Hardcore Championship . After

833-551: The APA lost an Eight-man Tag Team match against Right to Censor. After sporadic feuds through midway 2001, the APA were awarded a WWF Tag Team Championship match against the Dudley Boyz. On the July 9, 2001, episode of Raw , Bradshaw pinned D-Von to win their third WWF Tag Team Championship. The following month on SmackDown! , however, the APA lost the WWF Tag Team Championship to Kanyon and Diamond Dallas Page , one of

882-585: The Acolytes Protection Agency in 2000, they adopted the gimmick of bodyguards-for-hire to other wrestlers, and won a third tag team championship in 2001. In 2002, the brand split also split the duo as the 2002 draft sent Faarooq to SmackDown and Bradshaw to Raw . As a singles competitor, Bradshaw had an extensive hardcore wrestling career, winning the Hardcore Championship on various occasions. The two reunited as

931-467: The Acolytes for the WWF Tag Team Championship, in a losing effort. The following night on Raw , Kane then teamed up with X-Pac to face the Acolytes in another championship match, in which X-Pac delivered an X-Factor to Faarooq into the pinfall, which meant that the Acolytes lost the title. The following week, they lost a rematch for the WWF Tag Team Championship. After losing their rematch, they won

980-540: The Acolytes to protect them, which they refused to do, until the Posse offered to pay them. When they did, Bradshaw started the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA). Behind the scenes, the gimmick of the tag team was also created by John Layfield. To further enhance their mercenary gimmick, the APA began to appear weekly backstage in an "office," dubbed the APA Office . The office was a free-standing door and frame, with

1029-688: The Acolytes won a tag team battle royal at Armageddon against seven other tag teams to win a WWF Tag Team Championship match. They were unable to win the championship at the Royal Rumble , as the New Age Outlaws defeated them, after Billy Gunn performed a Fame-ass-er on Bradshaw, after interference from X-Pac. According to Layfield, he got drunk during a party for his birthday in Baltimore, and Vince and Shane McMahon saw him. They found it funny, so they asked both of them to portray

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1078-527: The December 3, 2007, episode of Raw when Hornswoggle hired their protection services for his handicap match against Jonathan Coachman and Carlito . Simmons and Layfield reunited for Raw 1000 on July 23, 2012, when they provided protection for Lita during her brief match with Heath Slater . Layfield attacked Slater with a Clothesline from Hell, and after the match, Simmons simply said his trademark catchphrase, "Damn." The APA again reunited on

1127-547: The European Championship to Christian on the November 1, 2001, episode of SmackDown! . At No Way Out , the APA won a Tag Team Turmoil match to win a WWF Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania X8 . The APA were unsuccessful in winning the Tag Team Championship on two occasions: on the February 28, 2002, episode of SmackDown! and at WrestleMania X8. On March 25, 2002, the APA were split up when

1176-556: The Hardy Boyz's manager , cane, and Matt delivered a Tornado DDT on Bradshaw into a pinfall. The Acolytes regained the WWF Tag Team Championship at Fully Loaded in a No Disqualification Handicap match against the Hardy Boyz and Hayes. After regaining the championship, the Acolytes began another feud with Kane with various partners. On the August 8, 1999, episode of Sunday Night Heat , Kane teamed up with Road Dogg to face

1225-546: The January 19, 2015, episode of Raw (dubbed Raw Reunion due to numerous special appearances by various WWE Hall of Famers and Legends ), alongside the New Age Outlaws , saving the New World Order (nWo) members from The Ascension , during which Layfield attacked Ascension member Viktor with a Clothesline from Hell . On April 2, 2016, the APA inducted The Godfather into the WWE Hall of Fame . They returned

1274-416: The June 19, 2003, episode of SmackDown! to assist The Undertaker in an ambush from the F.B.I. During their return, they revived their former gimmick of beer drinking and card playing segments in backstage areas. Bradshaw had a new look as he had a shorter hair style, debuted a clean shaven look and went to his natural hair color. At Vengeance , the APA hosted a Bar Room Brawl , which Bradshaw won. On

1323-431: The May 30, 1999, episode of Sunday Night Heat with the Acolytes attacking X-Pac after his match against Big Boss Man . Their attack was to no avail, however, as Kane, X-Pac's tag team partner, came down to the ring to attack the Acolytes. Later that night, the Acolytes challenged X-Pac and Kane for a WWF Tag Team Championship match on the following Raw broadcast. The following night on Raw , X-Pac and Kane accepted

1372-531: The Money In The Bank contract. Since October 17, 2022, Layfield, now a manager for Baron Corbin , had been frequently shown doing poker matches backstage with Akira Tozawa . On January 23, 2023, Layfield and Simmons once again appeared backstage for Raw is XXX to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Monday Night Raw, the pair once again hosted poker matches. On the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, Layfield and Simmons appeared to award Tim White with

1421-725: The Navajo Warrior and Ghost Walker in less than five minutes. KroniK then joined All Japan Pro Wrestling in the summer of 2002 during the Pro Wrestling Love era , making an immediate impact by defeating Keiji Mutoh and Taiyo Kea for the AJPW World Tag Team Championship on July 17, 2002. On the July 20, 2002 edition of AJPW TV, KroniK participated in the Stan Hansen Cup Four Way initiative. KroniK would eliminate

1470-404: The November 30, 1998, episode of Raw is War , when they attacked Tiger Ali Singh and his manager, Babu , after Singh's match against Val Venis . The team was notorious for their intense and brutal beatings done during the ensuing matches. Afterwards, they won tag team matches against the team of Venis and The Godfather and the team of The J.O.B. Squad . When The Jackyl left the WWF,

1519-456: The Ring to become the number one contenders to the Acolytes' WWF Tag Team Championship. The feud intensified on the July 3, 1999, episode of Shotgun Saturday Night , when the Acolytes attacked the Hardy Boyz during a segment . On the July 5, 1999, episode of Raw , however, the Acolytes lost the WWF Tag Team Championship to the Hardy Boyz, after Jeff attacked Bradshaw with Michael Hayes 's,

Perfect Event - Misplaced Pages Continue

1568-482: The September 4, 2003, episode of SmackDown! , the APA were booked in a WWE Tag Team Championship match against the defending champions, Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin , which the APA lost. After sporadic tag team matches, the APA was once again booked in a WWE Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania XX , in a Fatal-Four way tag team match also involving Haas and Benjamin, Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty , and

1617-499: The Tag Team Championship. On the September 7, 2000, episode of SmackDown! , the Dudley Boyz and the APA formed an alliance. The following week on Raw , the APA faced Right to Censor ( Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather ) in a losing effort. Then, on the September 18, 2000, episode of Raw , the APA come out to help the Dudley Boyz against an assault by all the members of the Right to Censor. At Unforgiven , The Dudley Boyz and

1666-478: The WWF Tag Team Championship. During the weeks leading up to Fully Loaded , Edge and Christian avoided defending the Tag Team Championship against the APA by challenging their opponents to one-on-one matches: on the July 10, 2000, episode of Raw , Edge defeated Bradshaw, while on SmackDown! later that week, Christian was defeated by Faarooq. At Fully Loaded, the APA defeated Edge and Christian by disqualification but due to WWF rules, Edge and Christian retained

1715-440: The catchphrase " breakin' necks and cashin' checks ", similar to the WWF's popular APA tag team. Their contracts were not picked up by the WWF when WCW was sold by AOL Time Warner . In September 2001, Brian Adams and Bryan Clark each made their re-debut as a World Wrestling Federation (WWF) tag team. Recruited by Stevie Richards , KroniK was called in to settle past differences Richards had with The Undertaker , stemming from

1764-514: The challenge. During the match, however, Shane McMahon , who was also a member of the Corporate Ministry, interfered in the match, causing Kane to chase McMahon to the backstage area. The situation allowed Bradshaw to hit X-Pac with a Clothesline from Hell into a pinfall, allowing the Acolytes to win their first WWF Tag Team Championship. The Acolytes then began a feud with the Hardy Boyz , who had defeated The Brood at King of

1813-438: The disbanding of Richards' stable, " Right to Censor " earlier that year. KroniK wrestled their first tag team match defeating Kaientai on the September 20, 2001 episode of SmackDown! and their last tag team match for the WWF a few days later at Unforgiven , losing to then WCW Tag Team Champions The Brothers of Destruction ( Kane and The Undertaker). After two dark matches, four appearances on Raw and SmackDown! and

1862-768: The duo joined The Undertaker 's new heel stable , the Ministry of Darkness . They debuted in Undertaker's Ministry on the January 11, 1999, episode of Raw , recruited Dennis Knight into the Ministry, giving him the name Mideon. After Undertaker's Ministry merged with The Corporation to form the Corporate Ministry , the Acolytes began a feud with X-Pac and Kane over the WWF World Tag Team Championship . The feud began on

1911-540: The following year, on March 31, 2017, to induct Theodore Long into the WWE Hall of Fame. On January 22, 2018, the APA appeared backstage hosting a poker game during WWE Raw 25 Years . On the October 23, 2020, episode of SmackDown , both Simmons and Layfield, along with Hall of Famer Theodore Long appeared in a court-like segment named Law and Otis wherein debates are tackled between Otis and The Miz for

1960-587: The group following the formation. Palumbo and Stasiak won the WCW Tag Team Championship two more times before splitting in early January 2001 when they won a tag team battle royal with Sean O'Haire and Mark Jindrak for a future tag team title shot. After the conclusion of the match Mike Sanders declared both teams victorious and that any combination of the four would face The Insiders ( Diamond Dallas Page and Kevin Nash ). The Perfect Event split up when Palumbo and Sean O'Haire would be

2009-532: The hour was up, the APA left, allowing Gerald Brisco to pin Holly for the Hardcore Championship. The situation resulted in Holly challenging Bradshaw in a Hardcore match , which Bradshaw won. Later that week on SmackDown! , Faarooq defeated Holly in a Hardcore match. On the June 26, 2000, episode of Raw , the APA won a Tag-Team Battle Royal against seven other teams to earn an opportunity at

Perfect Event - Misplaced Pages Continue

2058-593: The invading WCW wrestlers in The Alliance stable. After losing the Tag Team Championship, Faarooq was briefly absent, while Bradshaw pursued singles championships: on the September 27, 2001, episode of SmackDown! , Bradshaw lost a WWF Intercontinental Championship match against Christian. On the October 22, 2001, episode of Raw , Bradshaw defeated The Hurricane to win the WWF European Championship . When Faarooq returned, Bradshaw lost

2107-484: The letters 'A.P.A.' written in magic marker on a piece of typing paper. A running gag consisted of Faarooq and Bradshaw seated at a table playing cards with the door open. When a wrestler would appear to hire their services, they would admonish the potential customer for either not knocking on the door, walking around the door frame or not closing the door on the way out. The APA would only accept cash or beer in payment for protection work. After protecting many WWF superstars,

2156-491: The scenes in AJPW. In that match, Adams suffered a spinal injury that forced him into retirement, and Clark decided to leave during the exodus. This was also when AJPW's sale finalized, the company having been in the process of being sold in late 2002. Adams died on August 13, 2007, after mixing the painkiller buprenorphine with the muscle relaxant carisoprodol , as well as the sedatives chlordiazepoxide and alprazolam . Though

2205-527: The tag team titles, which Palumbo and O'Haire retained. Following the acquisition of WCW's intellectual unit by the World Wrestling Federation in 2001, the duo of Palumbo and Stasiak were reunited on July 9, 2001 edition of Raw is War as part of Shane McMahon 's The Alliance stable feuding with the WWF wrestlers until Palumbo defected to the WWF near the end of the storyline. KroniK KroniK (also stylized as Kroniꓘ )

2254-528: The team of George Hines and Johnny Smith , before being eliminated by "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Mike Rotunda after Williams pinned Adams after delivering the Doctor Bomb. Mike Barton and Jim Steele would go onto win the tournament. Despite KroniK's failure in winning the Stan Hansen Cup, after the match they would cut a confident and rather cocky promo talking about how they were still

2303-585: The two chosen members of the Natural Born Thrillers who would face and defeat Page and Nash for the tag titles at Sin on January 14, 2001. Palumbo and O'Haire continued to team together while Stasiak and Mark Jindrak also started teaming together. Following Palumbo and O'Haire's title victory, the Natural Born Thrillers broke up when the team of Shawn Stasiak and Mark Jindrak would become jealous of Palumbo and O'Haire. The teams would face each other at SuperBrawl Revenge on February 18, 2001, for

2352-531: Was an American professional wrestling tag team in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), composed of Brian Adams and Bryan Clark in the early 2000s. Adams and Clark first joined together as a duo in April 2000 in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Upon joining together as a tag team, KroniK (originally spelled Kronic) assisted Vince Russo in his vision of

2401-516: Was later stripped of the titles in October as they canceled the rest of their appearances in 2002, as Adams suffered a shoulder injury while training for a boxing career. They returned for the WRESTLE-1 show on January 19, 2003 in what would be KroniK's last match, losing to Keiji Muto and Goldberg . Along with Goldberg, Steve Williams and Mike Rotunda, KroniK left AJPW during a gaijin exodus, which occurred after Mrs. Baba's last appearance behind

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