Mid 20th Century
138-701: Taylor Michael Rotunda (born May 25, 1990) is an American professional wrestler . As of December 2022, he is signed to WWE where he currently performs on the Raw brand under the ring names Bo Dallas and his alter ego Uncle Howdy and is the leader of The Wyatt Sicks faction. Rotunda is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Blackjack Mulligan , his father Mike Rotunda , his uncles Barry and Kendall Windham , and his brother Bray Wyatt were professional wrestlers. While in WWE's then- developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), he became
276-594: A 10-Diva tag team match on the WrestleMania 32 pre-show, which Tamina's team lost. In early May, Tamina underwent knee surgery in order to repair torn ligaments, while Naomi also claimed to be injured on May 5, due to a torn ankle tendon, thus disbanding the team. After having been undrafted in the 2016 WWE draft due to her injury, it was reported in December that Tamina was cleared for in-ring competition. On February 18, 2017, Snuka made her in-ring return in
414-643: A battle royal to become the number one contender to the NXT Championship. On the June 12 NXT (taped on May 23), Dallas defeated Big E Langston to win the title. He successfully defended the championship against Antonio Cesaro and Leo Kruger during mid-2013. By then, the NXT audience's dislike of Dallas had grown to the point of the crowd literally turning their backs on him while cheering all his opponents, regardless of who he faced, thus turning him heel in
552-446: A " gimmick " consisting of a specific persona , stage name , entrance theme , and other distinguishing traits. Matches are the primary vehicle for advancing storylines, which typically center on interpersonal conflicts, or feuds , between heroic " faces " and villainous " heels ". A wrestling ring , akin to the platform used in boxing , serves as the main stage ; additional scenes may be recorded for television in backstage areas of
690-638: A "Second Chance Fatal Four Way" to re-enter the Women's Tag Team Tournament on the August 26 episode of SmackDown , in which they lost. Tamina entered at #19 in the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble, she lasted just under 12 minutes before being eliminated by Michelle McCool . Tamina was used sporadically on Main Event tapings in early 2023, losing to Michin on the March 3rd taping in what would be Tamina's final appearance with
828-533: A Cell pre-show, ending their feud. After a four-month absence due to a foot injury, Dallas made his televised return on the WrestleMania 31 pre-show in March 2015, competing in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal , where he was eliminated by Hideo Itami . The next night on Raw, Dallas came out and interrupted Sting , telling him to Bo-lieve before receiving a Scorpion Death drop . On
966-413: A background in authentic wrestling no longer mattered. After this time, matches became more outlandish and gimmicky and any semblance professional wrestling had to catch wrestling faded. The personas of the wrestlers likewise grew more outlandish. Gorgeous George , who performed throughout the 1940s and 1950s, was the first wrestler whose entrance into the arena was accompanied by a theme song played over
1104-443: A brawl between the three teams. The trio of Tamina, Naomi and Banks was later dubbed Team B.A.D. (Beautiful and Dangerous). At Battleground , a triple threat match took place with Banks representing Team B.A.D., against Charlotte of PCB and Brie Bella for Team Bella in a losing effort, while Charlotte picked up victory. The three teams would ultimately face off at SummerSlam in a three team elimination match , where Team B.A.D. were
1242-532: A carny term for a shooting gallery gun whose sights were not deliberately misaligned. Wrestling in the United States blossomed in popularity after the Civil War , with catch wrestling eventually becoming the most popular style. At first, professional wrestlers were genuine competitive fighters, but they struggled to draw audiences because Americans did not find real wrestling to be very entertaining, so
1380-519: A central authority. Nor could any of them stomach the idea of leaving the NWA themselves to compete directly with McMahon, for that would mean their territories would become fair game for the other NWA members. McMahon also had a creative flair for TV that his rivals lacked. For instance, the AWA's TV productions during the 1980s were amateurish, low-budget, and out-of-touch with contemporary culture, which lead to
1518-585: A champion that Curley put forth: Dick Shikat . The National Wrestling Association shut down in 1980. In 1948, a number of promoters from across the country came together to form the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The NWA recognized one "world champion", voted on by its members, but allowed member promoters to crown their own local champions in their territories. If a member poached wrestlers from another member, or held matches in another member's territory, they risked being ejected from
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#17328019375351656-568: A concussion in July at a live event, Tamina returned at Hell in a Cell , defeating Carmella backstage for the 24/7 Championship , the first championship of her wrestling career. She later lost the championship to R-Truth later on in the night. As part of the 2019 draft , Tamina was drafted to SmackDown. At the Royal Rumble event on January 26, 2020, Tamina competed in the women's Royal Rumble match, entering at number 14, lasting less than
1794-411: A degree. Vince Russo, the boss of WCW in 2000, completely disregarded kayfabe by routinely discussing business matters and office politics in public, which alienated fans. I watch championship wrestling from Florida with wrestling commentator Gordon Solie . Is this all "fake"? If so, they deserve an Oscar . Tamina Snuka Sarona Moana Marie Reiher Snuka-Polamalu (born January 10, 1978)
1932-411: A disqualification when Cameron almost won the match. After Snuka left Lee, shw wrestled for the title, participating in at WrestleMania XXX in the 14- Diva match, which was won by the defending champion AJ Lee , and against Paige at Extreme Rules , losing again. Eleven months after having undergone surgery following a torn ACL on June 4, 2014, Snuka, billed simply as Tamina again, returned on
2070-410: A fee, a visitor could challenge the wrestler to a quick match. If the challenger defeated the champion in a short time frame, usually 15 minutes, he won a prize. To encourage challenges, the carnival operators staged rigged matches in which an accomplice posing as a visitor challenged the champion and won, giving the audience the impression that the champion was easy to beat. This practice taught wrestlers
2208-570: A five-on-five traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match where Dallas, The Cosmic Wasteland ( Stardust , Konnor and Viktor ) and The Miz lost to Goldust , The Dudley Boyz ( Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley , Neville and Titus O'Neil. At Tribute to the Troops , Bo Dallas, dressed as Uncle Sam , lost to Mark Henry. On the January 4, 2016 episode of Raw , Dallas, along with Heath Slater , Curtis Axel and Adam Rose , debuted as
2346-414: A genuine sport, and the phrase "professional wrestling" therefore has a more literal meaning in those places. A notable example is India's Pro Wrestling League . In numerous American states, professional wrestling is legally defined as a non-sport. For instance, New York defines professional wrestling as: Professional wrestling means an activity in which participants struggle hand-in-hand primarily for
2484-405: A legitimate sport. Firstly, wrestling was more entertaining when it was faked, whereas fakery did not make boxing any more entertaining. Secondly, in a rigged boxing match, the designated loser must take a real beating for his "defeat" to be convincing, but wrestling holds can be faked convincingly without inflicting injury. This meant that boxers were less willing to "take dives"; they wanted to have
2622-466: A losing effort to Sami Zayn and Neville. The following week on Raw , Dallas defeated Neville with Axel in his corner, and after the match, attacked Axel. The following week, Dallas defeated Axel by pinning him while grabbing Axel's tights. On April 2, 2017, at WrestleMania 33 , Dallas was part of the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, from which he was eliminated by the eventual winner Mojo Rawley . On
2760-641: A lot of physical strength and power. In 2008, Rotunda signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), where he debuted on November 15, 2008, by defeating Kaleb O'Neal. On December 16, Rotunda, wrestling under his real name, teamed with Kris Logan to defeat Ryback and Jon Cutler in a tag team match . Throughout early 2009, Rotunda continued wrestling in tag team matches, and changed his name to Tank Rotunda in February. In June, he began wrestling as Bo Rotunda and later Bo Rotundo, and
2898-744: A match against Gus Sonnenberg in January 1929. Bowser then broke away from the trust to form his own cartel, the American Wrestling Association (AWA), in September 1930, and he declared Sonnenberg to be the AWA champion. This AWA should not be confused with Wally Kadbo's AWA founded in 1960. Curley reacted to this move by convincing the National Boxing Association to form the National Wrestling Association , which in turn crowned
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#17328019375353036-495: A match for the Raw Women's Championship , which was won by Lana. At the beginning of January 2021, Tamina turned heel once again, when formed an alliance with Natalya while "putting the women's tag team division on notice". At the Royal Rumble event on January 31, 2021, Tamina competed in the women's Royal Rumble match, but was eliminated by Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler . At WrestleMania 37 night 1, Tamina and Natalya won
3174-543: A minute before being eliminated by Bianca Belair . On the March 20 episode of SmackDown , Tamina was announced as a participant in a Fatal 5-Way elimination match for Bayley 's SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 36 . At WrestleMania 36, Tamina was the first woman eliminated after the four other competitors pinned her at once. Tamina demanded a title match against Bayley on the April 10 episode of SmackDown , which Bayley accepted if Tamina could defeat Sasha Banks
3312-440: A new city, attendance was high because there was a waiting fanbase cultivated in advance by the cable TV shows. The NWA's traditional anti-competitive tricks were no match for this. The NWA attempted to centralize and create their own national cable television shows to counter McMahon's rogue promotion, but it failed in part because the members of the NWA, ever protective of their territories, could not stomach submitting themselves to
3450-405: A new entrance theme and mannerisms, this would be Dallas' first time as a face since 2013. At SummerSlam on August 19, The B-Team successfully retained their title against The Revival ( Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson ). On the September 3 episode of Raw , The B-Team lost the championships to Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, ending their reign at 50 days. The following week on Raw , they received
3588-491: A new stable and went on to assist Slater in defeating Dolph Ziggler , calling themselves "Social Outcasts". They would remain as a stable for seven months, including all of them competing in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32 , which was won by Baron Corbin . In May, The Social Outcasts began filming The Marine 5: Battleground , taking them out of action. On July 19 at
3726-545: A place in the Royal Rumble match ; he defeated Luke Harper , Conor O'Brian , and Leo Kruger to win the tournament. The next day, Dallas entered the Rumble match at number 16, where he lasted over 20 minutes and eliminated the WWE Intercontinental Champion , Wade Barrett , who returned to the ring and eliminated Dallas. This provoked a brief feud, with Barrett challenging Dallas to a non-title match
3864-491: A rematch at NXT Arrival in February 2014, Dallas lost the title to Neville, and failed to regain it in a rematch on NXT on March 27. The following month, Dallas attempted to "Occupy NXT", but the crowd turned their backs on him, and he was forced into a match against Justin Gabriel, which he won. Beginning to throw tantrums after failing to get his own way, he was put in a match against Big E on May 22. Dallas subsequently lost
4002-518: A rematch for the titles, but they were unsuccessful. At Survivor Series , The B-Team made up part of Team Raw as they took on Team SmackDown in a 10-on-10 Survivor Series tag team elimination match , and Team Raw would go on to lose the match. At WrestleMania 35 on April 7, 2019, Dallas competed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal but failed to win the match. As part of the Superstar Shake-up , both Dallas and Axel were moved to
4140-413: A rematch took place on the June 27 episode's main event , in which Tamina failed again and Carmella was victorious. On the July 4 episode of Smackdown, Tamina comforted Lana after her championship loss, teasing an alliance between the two. Lana later became her manager. On July 23 at Battleground , Snuka unsuccessfully competed in a five-way elimination match to determine the number one contender for
4278-491: A singles match and won by disqualification when Hawkins interfered. Rotunda was then absent from FCW due to injury, making his return in June. He moved into singles competition, defeating wrestlers including Derrick Bateman , Hawkins, Tyler Reks , and Brodus Clay . In August, FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion Mason Ryan issued an open challenge, which Rotundo accepted. He lost the subsequent championship match by submission . On February 3, 2011, Rotundo defeated Ryan to win
Bo Dallas - Misplaced Pages Continue
4416-500: A six-woman tag team match alongside Carmella and Natalya, where the three emerged victorious over Flair, Naomi, and Becky Lynch . On June 18 at Money in the Bank , Snuka competed in the inaugural women's Money in the Bank ladder match , which was won by Carmella following an interference by James Ellsworth . On the June 20 episode of SmackDown , Carmella was stripped from the briefcase by SmackDown's general manager, Daniel Bryan , and
4554-623: A tag team turmoil match to earn an opportunity at the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, and the following night, they were unsuccessful. The two would continue feuding with Jax and Baszler, defeating them on the May 14 episode of SmackDown to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship , which they proceeded to lose to Rhea Ripley and Nikki Cross . At the Money in the Bank event, both women entered
4692-547: A tag-team match at a SmackDown live event , where she and Natalya scored a victory over Alexa Bliss and Carmella . She made her televised return on the April 11 episode of SmackDown Live , where she was established as a member of the SmackDown brand as part of the " Superstar Shake Up ". On the April 25 episode of SmackDown , Tamina interfered in a title match between Charlotte Flair and Naomi alongside Natalya and Carmella. On May 21 at Backlash , Tamina competed in
4830-607: A team since August 2017. On the June 4 episode of Raw, The B-Team won a tag team battle royal to determine the number one contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championships . At Extreme Rules , The B-Team defeated Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy to win the Raw Tag Team Championship. On the July 23 episode of Raw , they successfully retained their title against Wyatt and Hardy. In the following weeks, The B-Team transitioned into faces and adopted
4968-427: A ten-woman elimination tag team match against Team Raw , losing the match but scoring an elimination over Bayley . On January 28, 2018, at Royal Rumble , Tamina entered at number 7 during the first women's Royal Rumble match , in which she was eliminated by Lita . Shortly thereafter, Tamina would go on hiatus due to a torn rotator cuff and underwent a successful surgery. This ended her partnership with Lana. On
5106-560: A three-time FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion as well as a two-time FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with his brother. FCW was rebranded as NXT in 2012 where Rotunda, repackaged as Bo Dallas, became a one-time and youngest NXT Champion . He was promoted to WWE's main roster in 2014, where he won the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship (with Curtis Axel as part of The B-Team ) and the WWE 24/7 Championship once each. He
5244-503: A typical American household only received four national channels by antenna, and ten to twelve local channels via UHF broadcasting . But cable television could carry a much larger selection of channels and therefore had room for niche interests. The WWF started with a show called All-American Wrestling airing on the USA Network in September 1983. McMahon's TV shows made his wrestlers national celebrities, so when he held matches in
5382-586: A victory for all the pain to which they subjected themselves. In the 1910s, promotional cartels for professional wrestling emerged in the East Coast (outside its traditional heartland in the Midwest ). These promoters sought to make long-term plans with their wrestlers, and to ensure their more charismatic and crowd-pleasing wrestlers received championships, further entrenching the desire for worked matches. The primary rationale for shoot matches at this point
5520-410: Is a true sport. Wrestlers would at all times flatly deny allegations that they fixed their matches, and they often remained in-character in public even when not performing. When in public, wrestlers would sometimes say the word kayfabe to each other as a coded signal that there were fans present and they needed to be in character. Professional wrestlers in the past strongly believed that if they admitted
5658-558: Is an American professional wrestler . She is signed to WWE where she competes as Tamina , but has since been removed from WWE's internal roster. A second generation wrestler, she has been working with WWE since 2010, becoming one time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion and nine times WWE 24/7 Champion. She started as the manager of The Usos and later, become the enforcer of AJ Lee . During her career has been tag team partners with wrestlers like Natalya, Lana, and Nia Jax. Snuka first became involved in professional wrestling after she received
Bo Dallas - Misplaced Pages Continue
5796-428: Is distinguished by its scripted outcomes and emphasis on entertainment and showmanship . The staged nature of matches is an open secret , with both wrestlers and spectators nonetheless maintaining the pretense that performances are bona fide competitions, which is likened to the suspension of disbelief employed when engaging with fiction . Professional wrestlers perform as characters and usually maintain
5934-519: The 2016 WWE draft , Dallas was drafted to Raw in the 10th round (50th overall). Dallas then returned on the September 5 episode of Raw , carrying a sign saying "Bo-lieve in Bo", speaking in rhymes and displaying a more vicious style as he defeated a local competitor. Dallas would continue defeating local competitors the following weeks. On the October 10 episode of Raw , Bo Dallas teamed with Curtis Axel in
6072-570: The 2024 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony to induct the tag team of their father and uncle, The U.S. Express ( Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham ), into the WWE Hall of Fame . Starting on the Raw after WrestleMania XL , WWE began to tease the return of Rotunda as the Uncle Howdy character by playing ominous music during episodes of Raw and SmackDown during commercial breaks, as well as showing QR codes on screen for viewers at home, similar to
6210-624: The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that professional wrestling is not a real sport because its matches have predetermined outcomes. Shortly thereafter, New Jersey deregulated professional wrestling. The WWF then rebranded itself as a " sports entertainment " company. In the early years of the 20th century, the style of wrestling used in professional wrestling matches was catch wrestling . Promoters wanted their matches to look realistic and so preferred to recruit wrestlers with real grappling skills. In
6348-477: The SmackDown Women's Championship after she was eliminated by Becky Lynch. On the September 19 episode of SmackDown , Snuka participated in a fatal four-way match to determine the number one contender for Natalya's SmackDown Women's Championship against Becky Lynch, Naomi and the returning Charlotte Flair, which was won by Flair. On November 19 at Survivor Series , Tamina represented Team SmackDown in
6486-657: The Survivor Series pay-per-view as a heel , interrupting a segment between AJ Lee and Vickie Guerrero by attacking AJ from behind. She at Elimination Chamber , Snuka unsuccessfully challenged Kaitlyn for the Divas Championship. On the June 5 episode of NXT , Snuka was defeated by Paige in the first round of the NXT Women's Championship tournament to crown the inaugural champion. Snuka returned to WWE programming in late September 2013, taking on
6624-776: The United States , Mexico , Japan , and northwest Europe (the United Kingdom , Germany/Austria and France ), which have each developed distinct styles, traditions, and subgenres within professional wrestling. Professional wrestling has developed its own culture and community , including a distinct vernacular . It has achieved mainstream success and influence within popular culture , with many terms, tropes , and concepts being referenced in everyday language as well as in film , music , television , and video games . Likewise, numerous professional wrestlers have become national or international icons with recognition by
6762-449: The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship , but were eliminated by Bayley, Sasha Banks, Sonya Deville , and Mandy Rose . On the final show of Raw before Fastlane , Tamina defeated Sasha Banks after a distraction from Jax. At Fastlane on March 10, Tamina and Jax unsuccessfully challenged Banks and Bayley for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. Afterwards, Tamina and Jax continued to attack Banks, Bayley, WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix , who
6900-462: The tag team turmoil match . On the November 15, 2019 episode of SmackDown , Dallas and Axel were attacked by Braun Strowman , this would be Dallas's final appearance in WWE. In December 2019, Rotunda asked WWE for time off, which was granted. He also suffered a neck injury which prevented him from working in the ring. On April 30, 2020, his tag team partner Curtis Axel was released by WWE. Rotunda
7038-539: The 19-man battle royal for the vacant Intercontinental Championship ; he managed to eliminate Sin Cara and Titus O'Neil before being the 16th person eliminated by Dolph Ziggler . Dallas's undefeated streak was ended by R-Truth on the July 28 episode of Raw , prompting a small feud between the two. In late August, Dallas began tormenting Jack Swagger about his loss to Rusev at SummerSlam after Swagger's matches. Dallas began feuding with Mark Henry after defeating him on
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#17328019375357176-584: The 1920s, a group of wrestlers and promoters known as the Gold Dust Trio introduced moves which have since become staples of the mock combat of professional wrestling, such as body slams, suplexes , punches, finishing moves, and out-of-ring count-outs. By the early 1930s, most wrestlers had adopted personas to generate public interest. These personas could broadly be characterized as either faces (likeable) or heels (villainous). Native Americans, cowboys, and English aristocrats were staple characters in
7314-400: The 1930s and 1940s. Before the age of television, some wrestlers played different personas depending on the region they were performing in. This eventually came to an end in the age of national television wrestling shows, which forced wrestlers to stick to one persona. Wrestlers also often used some sort of gimmick, such as a finishing move, eccentric mannerisms, or out-of-control behavior (in
7452-509: The 1990s, WCW became a credible rival to the WWF, but by end it suffered from a series of creative missteps that led to its failure and purchase by the WWF. One of its mistakes was that it diminished the glamor of its World Heavyweight Championship . Between January 2000 and March 2001, the title changed hands eighteen times, which sapped fan enthusiasm, particularly for the climactic pay-per-view matches. In professional wrestling, two factors decide
7590-411: The 19th century, who later sought to make matches shorter, more entertaining, and less physically taxing. As the public gradually realized and accepted that matches were predetermined, wrestlers responded by increasingly adding melodrama, gimmickry, and outlandish stunt work to their performances to further enhance the spectacle . By at least the early 20th century, professional wrestling had diverged from
7728-573: The André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but he failed to win. As part of the Superstar Shake-Up , Miz was moved to the SmackDown brand, while Dallas and Axel remained on Raw. On the April 16 episode of Raw , during a tag team match, Dallas and Axel turned on Miz, ending their alliance. On the May 14 episode of Raw , the duo adopted the new team name "The B-Team" and defeated Breezango ( Tyler Breeze and Fandango ), their first win as
7866-653: The Atlantic Athletic Corporation (AAC). The AAC shut down in 1960. In 1958, Omaha promoter and NWA member Joe Dusek recognized Verne Gagne as the world champion without the approval of the NWA. Gagne asked for a match against the recognized NWA champion Pat O'Connor. The NWA refused to honor the request, so Gagne and Minneapolis promoter Wally Karbo established the American Wrestling Association in 1960. This AWA should not be confused with Paul Bowser's AWA, which ceased operations just two months prior. Gagne's AWA operated out of Minnesota . Unlike
8004-477: The August 26 episode of Raw , defeating Chad Gable . It was also his first match in five years. Rotunda, as Bo Dallas, made his video game debut as a playable character in WWE 2K15 , and has since appeared in WWE 2K16 , WWE 2K17 , WWE 2K18 , WWE 2K19 , WWE 2K20 , and WWE 2K Battlegrounds . Rotunda, as Uncle Howdy, appeared as a playable character in WWE 2K23 as DLC , and WWE 2K24 as part of
8142-465: The August 5 episode of Smackdown , a tag team tournament to crown new champions was announced. Tamina and Brooke were announced as a team on the August 8 episode of Raw. Tamina and Brooke lost in the first round against Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky . Due to an injury from Gigi Dolin after her and Jacy Jayne won round 1 against Natalya and Sonya Deville , it was announced on the August 22 episode of Raw that Tamina and Dana Brooke would be participating in
8280-416: The December 6 episode of Raw , Tamina and Marella began a relationship storyline. On April 2, 2011, Tamina, alongside the entire roster of WWE Divas , inducted Sunny into the WWE Hall of Fame . After being drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2011 supplemental draft , Tamina made her SmackDown debut as a villain on the May 27 episode of SmackDown , teaming with Alicia Fox to defeat
8418-604: The East on July 4, Tamina failed to capture the Divas Championship from Nikki Bella in a triple threat match that also involved Paige. On the July 13 episode of Raw , after weeks of being outnumbered by Team Bella (The Bella Twins and Alicia Fox ), Stephanie McMahon called for a "revolution" in the Divas division and introduced the debuting NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks as an ally to Tamina and Naomi. Charlotte and Becky Lynch would then debut and ally with Paige, leading to
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#17328019375358556-508: The FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship for the first time, but lost the championship to Lucky Cannon immediately afterward. He regained the championship from Cannon three months later, on May 19. In July and August, Rotundo appeared in multiple untelevised matches before Raw and SmackDown . On September 1, Rotundo vacated the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship due to injury. Later that month, it
8694-527: The Hart Dynasty were in the "wrong place at the wrong time", before again brawling with the trio. On June 20 at Fatal 4-Way , Tamina and the Usos were defeated by the Hart Dynasty in a six-person mixed tag team match , after Natalya pinned Tamina. Two weeks later on the June 21 episode of Raw , Tamina made her singles debut against Natalya, but the match ended in a no contest after The Nexus interrupted
8832-404: The July 4 episode of SmackDown . He would go on to defeat El Torito for his twelfth victory and then defeated both Diego and Torito in a handicap match as his thirteenth and fourteenth victories. WWE released a video of Bo highlighting the "14-Bo" streak he acknowledged. He continued his streak against The Great Khali , Damien Sandow , and Dolph Ziggler . At Battleground , Dallas participated in
8970-783: The June 19 episode of Raw , Intercontinental Champion The Miz approached Dallas and Curtis Axel, offering to make them "the stars they deserve to be" if they become his entourage, and later that night, Dallas and Axel appeared in bear costumes during an in ring segment between Miz and his wife Maryse , attacking Dean Ambrose . Dallas and Axel, now dubbed The Miztourage , began helping Miz in his matches and occasionally teamed him with him, including winning efforts against Dean Ambrose, Heath Slater and Rhyno on June 26 episode of Raw and Jason Jordan and The Hardy Boyz ( Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy ) at SummerSlam . At No Mercy , they also helped Miz to defeat Jason Jordan to retain his title. At WrestleMania 34 on April 8, 2018, Dallas participated in
9108-417: The May 18 episode of Raw , Dallas reignited his rivalry with Neville , attacking him before and after his match with King Barrett . At Elimination Chamber , Dallas faced Neville in a losing effort. On the August 24 episode of Raw, Dallas interrupted Brock Lesnar and brought up Lesnar's loss to The Undertaker at SummerSlam , before Lesnar attacked him. On the Survivor Series pre-show, Dallas competed in
9246-541: The May 4, 2015, episode of Raw , allying herself with Naomi , as the two attacked The Bella Twins . Tamina and Naomi went on to defeat the Bella Twins in a tag team match at Payback . The following night on Raw , Tamina interfered in Naomi's Divas Championship match against Nikki Bella, causing a disqualification. After the match, Paige returned from injury and attacked Tamina, Naomi and Nikki. At The Beast in
9384-408: The NWA, at which point his territory became fair game for everyone. The NWA would blacklist wrestlers who worked for independent promoters or who publicly criticized an NWA promoter or who did not throw a match on command. If an independent promoter tried to establish himself in a certain area, the NWA would send their star performers to perform for the local NWA promoter to draw the customers away from
9522-488: The NWA, which only allowed faces to be champions, Gagne occasionally allowed heels to win the AWA championship so that they could serve as foils for him. In August 1983, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), a promotion in the north-east , withdrew from the NWA. Vince K. McMahon then took over as its boss. No longer bound by the territorial pact of the NWA, McMahon began expanding his promotion into
9660-409: The NXT audience began to turn against Dallas (despite Dallas not changing his character) and started booing him. NXT Tag Team Champion Adrian Neville chose Dallas to replace his injured partner, Oliver Grey , but on May 8, they lost the title to The Wyatt Family. Soon after, Dallas's character began showing subtle villainous traits of being disingenuous . On the May 29 episode of NXT , Dallas won
9798-522: The November 19 episode of Raw, Tamina and Nia Jax scored a victory over Bayley and Sasha Banks and later on that night they confronted Ronda Rousey . Tamina would participate in the Women's Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble on January 27, 2019, entering at number 10, eliminating Mickie James , before being eliminated by Charlotte Flair . Tamina and Jax would compete at the Elimination Chamber in an elimination chamber match for
9936-423: The October 15, 2018, episode of Raw , after nine months of inactivity due to various injuries, Tamina made a surprising return, working again as a heel . In her first match back, she teamed with Dana Brooke against Ember Moon and Nia Jax . During the match, it was announced that Tamina will be take part of the women's battle royal set for WWE Evolution . At the event, which took place on October 28, Tamina
10074-535: The September 29 episode of Raw , tormenting him like he did Swagger following Henry's losses to Rusev at Night of Champions . On the October 7 episode of Main Event , Dallas unsuccessfully challenged Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship. Dallas then scored three wins over Henry in both singles and tag team matches, before being quickly defeated by Henry in a match on the Hell in
10212-460: The SmackDown brand. On the April 30 episode of SmackDown Live , The B-Team formed a brief alliance with Shane McMahon , thus turning heel once again. On the September 3 episode of SmackDown , Dallas became the WWE 24/7 Champion by pinning Drake Maverick on the backstage area thanks to the help of Axel, only to lose it to Maverick again some minutes later. Dallas' final televised match was at Crown Jewel in October, where he and Axel failed to win
10350-514: The WWE. She was removed from WWE's active roster in July 2024. According to TKO executive Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Tamina remains in WWE, but has since been moved to a legend's position. This move was done as an oversight towards Triple H allowing her active contract expire. Snuka has appeared in nine WWE console games. She made her in-game debut in WWE 2K15 and appears in WWE 2K16 WWE 2K17 , WWE 2K18 , WWE 2K19 , WWE 2K20 , WWE 2K22 , WWE 2K23 and WWE 2K24 . Snuka
10488-517: The Women's Money in the Bank ladder match , but would be unsuccessful in winning the briefcase as it was won by Nikki A.S.H. As part of the 2021 Draft , Tamina was drafted to the Raw brand while Natalya remained on the SmackDown brand , ending the team. On the January 3 episode of Raw, Tamina failed to win the WWE 24/7 Championship from Dana Brooke in a mixed tag team match also involving Reggie and Akira Tozawa . Tamina, Tozawa, and R-Truth then spent months trying unsuccessfully to win
10626-415: The age of 36 due to a heart attack caused by COVID-19. Professional wrestler 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Professional wrestling (often referred to as pro wrestling , or simply, wrestling ) is a form of athletic theater that combines mock combat with drama , with the premise that the performers are competitive wrestlers. Professional wrestling
10764-401: The arena's loudspeakers, his being Pomp and Circumstance . He also wore a costume: a robe and hairnet, which he removed after getting in the ring. He also had a pre-match ritual where his "butler" would spray the ring with perfume. In the 1980s, Vince McMahon made entrance songs, costumes, and rituals standard for his star wrestlers. For instance, McMahon's top star Hulk Hogan would delight
10902-418: The art of staging rigged matches and fostered a mentality that spectators were marks to be duped. The term kayfabe comes from carny slang. By the turn of the 20th century, most professional wrestling matches were "worked" and some journalists exposed the practice: American wrestlers are notorious for the amount of faking they do. It is because of this fact that suspicion attaches to so many bouts that
11040-561: The audience by tearing his shirt off before each match. The first major promoter cartel emerged on the East Coast, although up to that point, wrestling's heartland had been in the Midwest. Notable members of this cartel included Jack Curley , Lou Daro, Paul Bowser and Tom and Tony Packs. The promoters colluded to solve a number of problems that hurt their profits. Firstly, they could force their wrestlers to perform for less money. As
11178-412: The broader public. In the United States, wrestling is generally practiced in an amateur context. No professional league for competitive wrestling exists due to a lack of popularity. For example, Real Pro Wrestling , an American professional freestyle wrestling league, dissolved in 2007 after just two seasons. In other countries, such as Iran and India , wrestling enjoys widespread popularity as
11316-657: The buildup to Wyatt's return in 2022 . He made his official return as Uncle Howdy on the June 17 episode of Raw , appearing alongside real-life versions of Wyatt's " Firefly Fun House " puppet characters Rambling Rabbit , Mercy the Buzzard , Huskus the Pig , and Abby the Witch . The group was dubbed The Wyatt Sicks . The following week, he was seen unmasked in a vignette, where he was interviewed by his alter ego Howdy, with lamenting his brother's death. Howdy made his in-ring debut on
11454-424: The cartel grew, there were fewer independent promoters where independent wrestlers could find work, and many were forced to sign a contract with the cartel to receive steady work. The contracts forbade them from performing at independent venues. A wrestler who refused to play by the cartel's rules was barred from performing at its venues. A second goal of the wrestling cartels was to establish an authority to decide who
11592-418: The case of heels). The matches could also be gimmicky sometimes, with wrestlers fighting in mud and piles of tomatoes and so forth. The most successful and enduring gimmick to emerge from the 1930s were tag-team matches. Promoters noticed that matches slowed down as the wrestlers in the ring tired, so they gave them partners to relieve them. It also gave heels another way to misbehave by double-teaming. Towards
11730-563: The championship against Dylan Klein and Vance Archer and the team of Curt Hawkins and Heath Slater . At the FCW television tapings on November 19, the Rotundos lost the championship to The Dude Busters (Hawkins and Croft). In early 2010, the Rotundos began feuding with The Usos (Jimmy and Jey), and their manager , Sarona Snuka . In April, they moved into a feud with Jackson Andrews and Curt Hawkins, which began when Rotunda faced Andrews in
11868-423: The character in shows must be considered fictional, wholly separate from the life of the performer. This is similar to other entertainers who perform with a persona that shares their own name. Some wrestlers also incorporate elements of their real-life personalities into their characters, even if they and their in-ring persona have different names. Kayfabe is the practice of pretending that professional wrestling
12006-461: The commission. The Commission did on very rare occasions hand out such authorizations, such as for a championship match between Jim Londos and Jim Browning in June 1934. This decree did not apply to amateur wrestling, which the commission had no authority over. Wrestling fans widely suspected that professional wrestling was fake, but they did not care as long as it entertained. In 1933, a wrestling promoter named Jack Pfefer started talking about
12144-468: The competitive sport to become an artform and genre of sports entertainment . Professional wrestling is performed around the world through various " promotions ", which are roughly analogous to production companies or sports leagues . Promotions vary considerably in size, scope, and creative approach, ranging from local shows on the independent circuit , to internationally broadcast events at major arenas. The largest and most influential promotions are in
12282-540: The current fashion of wrestling is the universal discussion as to the honesty of the matches. And certainly the most interesting phrase of this discussion is the unanimous agreement: "Who cares if they're fixed or not—the show is good." Newspapers tended to shun professional wrestling, as journalists saw its theatrical pretense to being a legitimate sport as untruthful. Eventually promoters resorted to publishing their own magazines in order to get press coverage and communicate with fans. The first professional wrestling magazine
12420-405: The end of the 1930s, faced with declining revenues, promoters chose to focus on grooming charismatic wrestlers with no regard for their skill because it was charisma that drew the crowds, and wrestlers who were both skilled at grappling and charismatic were hard to come by. Since most of the public by this time knew and accepted that professional wrestling was fake, realism was no longer paramount and
12558-603: The facade of kayfabe as best as they could. In 1989, Vince McMahon testified before the New Jersey government that professional wrestling was not a true sport and therefore should be exempted from sports-related taxes. Many wrestlers and fans resented McMahon for this, but Lou Thesz accepted it as the smart move as it gave the industry more freedom to do as it pleased, and because by that point professional wrestling no longer attempted to appear real. The demise of WCW in 2001 provided some evidence that kayfabe still mattered to
12696-687: The first Lia Maivia Scholarship to train at the Wild Samoan Training Center in Minneola, Florida . On the May 24, 2010, episode of Raw , Snuka debuted as a villainous character , under the ring name Tamina, along with Jimmy and Jey Uso by attacking the Unified Tag Team Champions , The Hart Dynasty ( David Hart Smith , Tyson Kidd , and Natalya ). The next week on the May 31 episode of Raw , Tamina and The Usos introduced themselves and stated that
12834-470: The first place. "Double-crosses", where a wrestler agreed to lose a match but nevertheless fought to win, remained a problem in the early cartel days. At times a promoter would even award a victorious double-crosser the title of champion to preserve the facade of sport. But promoters punished such wrestlers by blacklisting them, making it quite challenging to find work. Double-crossers could also be sued for breach of contract, such as Dick Shikat in 1936. In
12972-546: The first team to be eliminated courtesy of Team Bella when Tamina was pinned by Brie, and PCB would win the match. On the February 1, 2016, episode of Raw , Tamina and Naomi attacked Banks after the latter announced her departure from team B.A.D. The feud between Tamina and Naomi and Banks would continue throughout February, and would lead to a tag team match at Fastlane , where Tamina and Naomi lost to Banks and her partner Becky Lynch. In late March, Tamina and Naomi allied with Lana , Emma and Summer Rae , leading to
13110-697: The following month he began teaming with his brother, Duke Rotundo . At the FCW television tapings on June 23, The Rotundo Brothers defeated The Dude Busters ( Caylen Croft and Trent Barreta ) to become the number one contenders to the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship . That same night, they defeated Justin Angel and Kris Logan for the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship. They went on to successfully defend
13248-409: The following week, which Tamina did, turning her face in the process. At the Money in the Bank event, Tamina failed to win the title. On the August 14 episode of SmackDown , Tamina competed in a triple brand battle royal to earn a WWE SmackDown Women's Championship match at SummerSlam , which was won by Asuka . On the October 12 episode of Raw , Tamina competed in another battle royal to earn
13386-610: The game is not popular here. Nine out of ten bouts, it has been said, are pre-arranged affairs, and it would be no surprise if the ratio of fixed matches to honest ones was really so high. The wrestler Lou Thesz recalled that between 1915 and 1920, a series of exposés in the newspapers about the integrity of professional wrestling alienated a lot of fans, sending the industry "into a tailspin". But rather than perform more shoot matches, professional wrestlers instead committed themselves wholesale to fakery. Several reasons explain why professional wrestling became fake whereas boxing endured as
13524-460: The government. They pledged to stop allocating exclusive territories to its promoters, to stop blacklisting wrestlers who worked for outsider promoters, and to admit any promoter into the Alliance. The NWA would flout many of these promises, but its power was nonetheless weakened by the lawsuit. Paul Bowser's AWA joined the NWA in 1949. The AWA withdrew from the Alliance in 1957 and renamed itself
13662-526: The independent. By 1956, the NWA controlled 38 promotions within the United States, with more in Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. The NWA's monopolistic practices became so stifling that the independents appealed to the government for help. In October 1956 the US Attorney General's office filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NWA in an Iowa federal district court. The NWA settled with
13800-492: The individual wrestlers are paid or have been paid for their performance in a professional wrestling exhibition. All engagements of professional wrestling shall be referred to as exhibitions, and not as matches. In the industry's slang, a fixed match is referred to as a worked match, derived from the slang word for manipulation, as in "working the crowd". A shoot match is a genuine contest where both wrestlers fight to win and are therefore "straight shooters", which comes from
13938-480: The industry was anything but a competitive sport. The first wrestling promoter to publicly admit to routinely fixing matches was Jack Pfefer . In 1933, he started talking about the industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , resulting in a huge exposé. The exposé neither surprised nor alienated most wrestling fans, although some promoters like Jack Curley were furious and tried to restore
14076-496: The industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , maintaining no pretense that wrestling was real and passing on planned results just before the matches took place. While fans were neither surprised nor alienated, traditionalists like Jack Curley were furious, and most promoters tried to maintain the facade of kayfabe as best they could. Not the least interesting of all the minor phenomena produced by
14214-459: The main roster. He also appears in the mobile games WWE Tap Mania , WWE Universe , and WWE SuperCard as Dallas. On February 19, 2012, Rotunda was arrested for driving under the influence in Tampa, Florida , with blood-alcohol levels of 0.166 and 0.178 according to two breathalyser tests, above the legal limit of 0.08. He was released later that day on a $ 500 bond. In August 2016, Rotunda
14352-400: The match and was forced to leave NXT as a result. In June, he attempted to return to NXT by appearing as the masked character "Mr. NXT" but was exposed by Zayn and forced to leave. On the April 7 episode of Raw , WWE started airing motivational-style introductory vignettes for Dallas. On the May 23 episode of SmackDown , Dallas made his official main roster debut by defeating Sin Cara . This
14490-472: The match. On the June 28 episode of Raw , Tamina and The Usos were scheduled to face The Hart Dynasty in another six-person mixed tag team match, but instead attacked them during their entrance, leading to Tamina throwing Natalya in the ring and executing the Superfly Splash on her. On August, Tamina turned face when she became the manager of the team of Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov . On
14628-498: The members of wrestling cartels as the champion drew big crowds wherever he performed, and this would occasionally lead to schisms. By 1925, this cartel had divided the country up into territories which were the exclusive domains of specific promoters. This system of territories endured until Vince McMahon drove the fragmented cartels out of the market in the 1980s. This cartel fractured in 1929 after one of its members, Paul Bowser , bribed Ed "Strangler" Lewis to lose his championship in
14766-541: The next night on Raw , in which Dallas earned an upset victory. On the February 11 episode of Raw , Dallas appeared, attacking Barrett before Barrett's match against Kofi Kingston . Dallas later challenged Barrett for the Intercontinental Championship in a losing effort. Simultaneously with his feud with Barrett, Dallas entered the NXT Tag Team Championship tournament alongside Michael McGillicutty . The pair defeated Primo & Epico to advance to
14904-441: The process. In September, Dallas held an open challenge to determine his next title contender but banned Sami Zayn from competing, so Zayn masqueraded as the masked El Local and defeated Dallas to earn his title shot. The match occurred on the October 16 episode of NXT , and Dallas retained his title by sending Zayn into an exposed turnbuckle. Dallas then faced Adrian Neville in December and lost by countout to retain his title. In
15042-717: The promotion's closing in 1991. In the spring of 1984, the WWF purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), which had been ailing for some time due to financial mismanagement and internal squabbles. In the deal, the WWF acquired the GCW's timeslot on TBS . McMahon agreed to keep showing Georgia wrestling matches in that timeslot, but he was unable to get his staff to Atlanta every Saturday to fulfill this obligation, so he sold GCW and its TBS timeslot to Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). JCP started informally calling itself World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1988, Ted Turner bought JCP and formally renamed it World Championship Wrestling. During
15180-439: The purpose of providing entertainment to spectators and which does not comprise a bona fide athletic contest or competition. Professional wrestling is not a combative sport. Wrestling constituting bona fide athletic contests and competitions, which may be professional or amateur combative sport, shall not be deemed professional wrestling under this Part. Professional wrestling as used in this Part shall not depend on whether
15318-453: The role as Divas Champion AJ Lee 's bodyguard. Snuka helped AJ retain her title on several ocasions. AJ went on to captain a team at Survivor Series in a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match against the cast of Total Divas , where Snuka was the penultimate eliminated. On February 23, 2014, at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Snuka accidentally superkicked AJ during her title match against Cameron, and eventually caused
15456-404: The second time. The brothers held the championship until March 15, when they lost it to Corey Graves and Jake Carter . In May 2012, Rotundo made several appearances at WWE house shows , defeating Drew McIntyre . At an FCW live event on June 16 Rotundo defeated Rick Victor to win the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship for the third time, right after Victor had just defeated Seth Rollins for
15594-549: The semi-finals, but lost to the Wyatt Family ( Luke Harper and Erick Rowan ) due to Bray Wyatt 's interference. In an NXT Championship number one contender's three-way match against Conor O'Brian and Corey Graves, Dallas was prevented from winning by Wyatt, due to Dallas's earlier refusal to join The Wyatt Family. This resulted in a match between Dallas and Wyatt, which Dallas won. Starting in late April 2013,
15732-440: The stamina for an hours-long fight. Audiences also preferred short matches. Worked matches also carried less risk of injury, which meant shorter recovery. Altogether, worked matches proved more profitable than shoots. By the end of the 19th century, nearly all professional wrestling matches were worked. A major influence on professional wrestling was carnival culture. Wrestlers in the late 19th century worked in carnival shows. For
15870-529: The state wrestling championships. He also played football as a defensive tackle . Originally, he was offered a football scholarship at Webber International University in Babson Park, Florida , but when the offer fell through, he decided to become a wrestler instead. Rotunda always had a naturally large build and bulky physique, he was already 5'10 and 210 lbs at the age of 15 which is why he chose to compete in sports like football and wrestling which include
16008-505: The team of AJ and Kaitlyn . Tamina would then begin an on-screen relationship with JTG , becoming his valet. After changing to face on the December 30 episode of SmackDown , and changing her name to Tamina Snuka, she wrestled for the WWE Divas title at Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, but was defeated by Beth Phoenix. On the August 20 episode of Raw , Snuka suffered a legitimate back injury. She returned three months later at
16146-426: The territories of his former NWA peers, now his rivals. By the end of the 1980s, the WWF would become the sole national wrestling promotion in the U.S. This was in part made possible by the rapid spread of cable television in the 1980s. The national broadcast networks generally regarded professional wrestling as too niche an interest, and had not broadcast any national wrestling shows since the 1950s. Before cable TV,
16284-417: The title from Reggie and later Dana Brooke in various backstage segments. Tamina would however win the title on the April 18 edition of Raw , during a double wedding ceremony, losing it to her partner, Tozawa after. Later that month, due to him being unable to help her win the title, she filed for divorce. After having an ongoing feud with Brooke for the 24/7 Championship, the two began to team together. On
16422-405: The title. He re lost the title to Victor at another FCW live event on July 13, 2012. In 2012, WWE rebranded FCW as NXT , Rotunda made his NXT television debut in the June 20 episode of NXT , portraying a happy-go-lucky and resilient character under the ring name Bo Dallas, where he defeated Rick Victor. In August, Dallas competed in a tournament for the newly established NXT Championship ; he
16560-519: The trial, witnesses testified that most of the "big matches" and all of the championship bouts were fixed. By the 1930s, with the exception of the occasional double-cross or business dispute, shoot matches were essentially nonexistent. In April 1930, the New York State Athletic Commission decreed that all professional wrestling matches held in the state had to be advertised as exhibitions unless certified as contests by
16698-471: The truth, their audiences would desert them. Today's performers don't "protect" the industry like we did, but that's primarily because they've already exposed it by relying on silly or downright ludicrous characters and gimmicks to gain popularity with the fans. It was different in my day, when our product was presented as an authentic, competitive sport. We protected it because we believed it would collapse if we ever so much as implied publicly that it
16836-405: The venue, in a format similar to reality television . Performers generally integrate authentic wrestling techniques and fighting styles with choreography , stunts , improvisation , and dramatic conventions designed to maximize entertainment value and audience engagement. Professional wrestling as a performing art evolved from the common practice of match-fixing among American wrestlers in
16974-535: The way of proceedings: the "in-show" happenings, presented through the shows; and real-life happenings outside the work that have implications, such as performer contracts, legitimate injuries, etc. Because actual life events are often co-opted by writers for incorporation into storylines of performers, the lines between real life and fictional life are often blurred and become confused. Special discern must be taken with people who perform under their own name (such as Kurt Angle and his fictional persona ). The actions of
17112-420: The wrestlers quietly began faking their matches so that they could give their audiences a satisfying spectacle. Fixing matches was also convenient for scheduling. A real ("shoot") match could sometimes last hours, whereas a fixed ("worked") match can be made short, which was convenient for wrestlers on tour who needed to keep appointments or share venues. It also suited wrestlers who were aging and therefore lacked
17250-425: Was Wrestling As You Like It , which printed its first issue in 1946. These magazines were faithful to kayfabe . Before the advent of television, professional wrestling's fanbase largely consisted of children, the elderly, blue-collar workers and minorities. When television arose in the 1940s, professional wrestling got national exposure on prime-time television and gained widespread popularity. Professional wrestling
17388-489: Was arrested for public intoxication in Dallas, Texas after being ejected from a flight from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Mexico City . Rotunda was married to Swedish arm wrestling champion Sarah Bäckman from 2014 until their divorce in 2019. Rotunda's older brother, Windham , was also a professional wrestler and was best known for performing under the ring name Bray Wyatt until his death in August 2023 at
17526-488: Was challenges from independent wrestlers. But a cartelized wrestler, if challenged, could credibly use his contractual obligations to his promoter as an excuse to refuse the challenge. Promotions would sometimes respond to challenges with "policemen": powerful wrestlers who lacked the charisma to become stars, but could defeat and often seriously injure any challenger in a shoot match. As the industry trend continued, there were fewer independent wrestlers to make such challenges in
17664-399: Was eliminated by Jinder Mahal in the quarter-finals. On the November 7 episode of NXT , Dallas competed in a number one contenders fatal four-way elimination match against Mahal, Drew McIntyre, and Justin Gabriel ; despite eliminating McIntyre and Gabriel, Dallas succumbed to Mahal. On January 26, 2013, at WWE's Royal Rumble Fanfest, Dallas participated in an eight-man NXT tournament for
17802-399: Was one of the final competitors left but she was eliminated by Moon. Shortly after her return, Tamina started an alliance with Nia Jax, after multiple confrontations between the two. On the November 12 episode of Raw , Tamina achieved her first singles victory on Raw when she defeated Ember Moon . At Survivor Series , Tamina eliminated Naomi before she got eliminated by Carmella . On
17940-644: Was performing commentary, and Natalya . On the March 25 episode of Raw, it was announced that Tamina and Jax would compete in a Fatal 4-Way match at WrestleMania 35 for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship against current champions The Boss 'n' Hug Connection (Bayley and Banks), The IIconics ( Billie Kay and Peyton Royce ) and The Divas of Doom (Phoenix and Natalya). At the event on April 7, Tamina and Jax were unsuccessful when Kay pinned Bayley. Afterwards, Tamina and Jax would stop appearing on Raw after Jax underwent surgery for knee injuries. After wrestling on Main Event several times and later suffering
18078-650: Was previously considered a niche interest, but the TV networks at the time were short on content and thus were willing to try some wrestling shows. In the 1960s, however, the networks moved on to more mainstream interests such as baseball, and professional wrestling was dropped. The core audience then shrunk back to a profile similar to that of the 1930s. In 1989, Vince McMahon was looking to exempt his promotion (the World Wrestling Federation ) from sports licensing fees. To achieve this, he testified before
18216-518: Was released almost one year later, on April 15, 2021, after over a year of absence, ending his 13-year tenure with the company. At Extreme Rules , on October 8, 2022, Rotunda's brother Windham, known by his ring name Bray Wyatt , made his return to WWE. Soon after, a new character named Uncle Howdy began haunting Wyatt. Rotunda would then make his return to WWE and portray Howdy, first appearing as Howdy in December and allied with Wyatt in his feuds against LA Knight and Bobby Lashley . However, as Wyatt
18354-507: Was released from WWE in 2021 but returned in 2022, portraying a character named Uncle Howdy, an accomplice of his brother's. After his brother became ill in 2023, both men were removed from television. His brother Windham died unexpectedly that August, leaving Rotunda off television before he returned with his new faction in June 2024, portraying both Bo Dallas and Uncle Howdy. Rotunda attended Hernando High School , and graduated in 2008. During his final two years of high school, he qualified for
18492-439: Was reported that Rotundo had suffered a lacerated kidney, and was expected to be absent for several months to recuperate. Rotundo returned at the tapings of the January 29, 2012, episode of FCW television, declaring his intentions to reclaim the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship. On February 2, Rotundo and his brother, renamed Husky Harris, defeated Brad Maddox and Eli Cottonwood to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship for
18630-415: Was something other than what it appeared to be. I'm not sure now the fear was ever justified given the fact that the industry is still in existence today, but the point is no one questioned the need then. "Protecting the business" in the face of criticism and skepticism was the first and most important rule a pro wrestler learned. No matter how aggressive or informed the questioner, you never admitted
18768-417: Was the "world champion". Before the cartels, there were multiple wrestlers in the U.S. simultaneously calling themselves the "world champion", and this sapped public enthusiasm for professional wrestling. Likewise, the cartel could agree on a common set of match rules that the fans could keep track of. The issue over who got to be the champion and who controlled said champion was a major point of contention among
18906-573: Was the start of a winning streak, which reached a third victory with the defeat of Xavier Woods on the May 30 episode of SmackDown . Dallas made his first pay-per-view appearance at Payback , where he was scheduled to face Kofi Kingston . The match never happened due to interference from Kane . Dallas would defeat Kingston the following night on Raw for his fourth victory. Dallas continued his streak with wins over Santino Marella , Xavier Woods, R-Truth , Fandango and Titus O'Neil . Dallas attacked El Torito after his eleventh victory over Diego on
19044-497: Was then taken off television due to an illness, Howdy was also taken off as a result. Wyatt unexpectedly died from a heart attack in August 2023, leaving Rotunda's future as Howdy and in WWE in general unknown at the time. In April 2024, amid his in-ring hiatus, Rotunda appeared in the Peacock documentary, Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal , a biopic about his brother. Days later on April 5, Rotunda, along with his sister Mika, appeared at
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