Height: 6 foot 6
Weight: 290 pounds
From: New York City
Signature Move: Clothesline From Hell
WWE Debut: 1995
Entrance Video: WATCH
Career Highlights: WWE Champion (longest-reigning WWE Champion in 10 years, held from June, 2004 to April, 2005); World Tag Team Champion;
United States Champion; Hardcore Champion; European Champion

Never challenge John Bradshaw Layfield to a street fight—especially on Wall Street, or when he’s offering valuable investment pointers to help bulk up your portfolio.
Our fans watching JBL every week on WWE programming think he’s more “bull” than “bull market,” but consider the following: He didn’t clothesline his way to a senior vice-president position at a major investment bank. Analysts respect his appearances on Fox News Channel, CNN, CNNfn, MSNBC, CNBC, and C-SPAN as a financial advisor, not a “wrestling god.” He didn’t need a degree in Finance to line people’s pockets with cash, or provide common-sense management tips in his bestselling book Have More Money Now. And “The John Bradshaw Layfield Show,” a weekly radio program in which he champions his views on politics, sports, and entertainment, is now syndicated in more than 150 radio stations across America. Face it: JBL is saying something the people want to hear.Not bad for a banker’s son from Sweetwater, a Texas town that JBL claims is renown for its annual “Rattlesnake Roundup.” (He still laughs at the time the Humane Society picketed the event—“We weren’t cruel to the snakes. We just caught ’em and killed ’em.”) Snakeskin, however, is no match for pigskin in Sweetwater; football is the town’s prime pastime, and the sport that fueled two of JBL’s three teenage aspirations (“playing football at Abilene Christian University, going pro, and becoming rich”). He’d earn impressive All-American honors as an offensive tackle at Abilene, though lingering knee problems would limit his second dream to less than a year with the NFL’s then-Los Angeles Raiders, and two seasons as part of the World League’s San Antonio Riders.JBL was down to a 1980 Chevrolet step-side pickup truck and $27 in his bank account when he invested his energies toward a career in wrestling—and not opponents like the eight-foot, 800-pound brown bear he faced at a local cowboy bar on a college dare. More important, he realized that he needed to wrest control of his financial future; as he states in his book, “I decided that being poor ain’t fun, and staying that way is stupid.”Getting physical in the ring has netted JBL a career wealth of championships, while his “fiscal” approach to the stock market has made him a very bankable resource in shareholders’ eyes. Perhaps the one drawback from his economic success is that it affords him the luxury of saying whatever’s on his mind—mainly because he can put his money where his mouth is. And since his return to in-ring competition in early 2008, JBL has also put his boot where his opponents' mouths are.

JBL's Mamajuana Energy
Get virility in a bottle with JBL's Mamajuana Energy. Only JBL could bring the legend of Mamajuana into the new millennium.
More on Mamajuana

Video: JBL on Mamajuana Watch: JBL'$ Take

JBL HITS THE MEDIA
Following the special appearance by presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain on Raw, JBL hit the media to offer his feedback. Watch candidates' Raw message

Watch JBL on Fox News

JBL is "Cashin' In"
WWE Superstar John “Bradshaw” Layfield will be featured on Fox News’ weekly show Cashin’ In with Terry Keenan on Saturdays 10 a.m. ET. Cashin’ In is one of the network’s highest-rated programs.
Additionally, Layfield will continue to appear regularly on Your World with Neil Cavuto which airs weekdays at 6 p.m. ET.

JBL the Crash Test Dummy

Some of you may not like him, but JBL is one of sports-entertainment's toughest Superstars. From UNdertaker to Big Show to the late Eddie Guerrero, he has faced them all and endured vicious beatings.
Video Flashbacks: JBL Takes a Beating

Classic APA Bar Brawls
JBL was part of one of the most memorable tag teams in WWE history, the APA. This team loved to drink beer and kick ass. Relive some of their unforgettable bar brawls in this video gallery.

Video Flashbacks: APA Bar Brawls

JBL on the Radio
Listen to JBL every week on the radio.



The John Bradshaw Layfield Show is the fastest growing show in radio. Started in May of 2004, it has grown to over 150 stations. The show has two Top Ten markets, with WBAP in Dallas and KPRC in Houston.
Layfield answers calls on every show and e-mails. He gives awards every show, The Bonehead of the Week, The North End of the South Bound Donkey, Paris Hilton Tramp of the Week, and the Michael Moore Excellence in Anti-Americanism.
Layfield’s show has regular guests and discusses current topics from sports to finance to politics. Layfield also gives out gifts such as autographed books and fishing lures to the best e-mails.
Layfield loves when people disagree with him, because some of his opinions are right, and the others are right as well.
Layfield brings a very eclectic background to hosting the show

Golden JBL
JBL was the longest-reigning World Champion in SmackDown history. Here is a look at his impressive title resume.


JBL's TITLE HISTORY
While JBL began his career on his own, his first piece of WWE gold came when he and Faarooq won the World Tag Team Championship. After three successful reigns as World Tag Team Champion, JBL branched out on his own to win several singles championships, including the WWE Championship.

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP (1 time)
-6/27/2004, The Great American Bash: def. Eddie Guerrero

UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP (1 time)
-4/2/2006, WrestleMania 22: def. Chris Benoit

WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (3 times)
-5/31/1999, Monday Night Raw: with Faarooq, def. Kane & X-Pac
-7/25/1999, Fully Loaded: with Faarooq, def. The Hardys
-7/9/2001, Monday Night Raw: def. The Dudleys

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP (1 time)
-10/22/2001, Monday Night Raw: def. The Hurricane

HARDCORE CHAMPIONSHIP (17 times)
-6/3/2002, Monday Night Raw: def. Steven Richards
-6/22/2002: def. Shawn Stasiak
-6/28/2002: def. Steven Richards
-6/29/2002: def. Steven Richards
-6/30/2002: def. Steven Richards
-7/6/2002: def. Christopher Nowinski
-7/7/2002: def. Christopher Nowinski
-7/12/2002: def. Big Show
-7/13/2002: def. Shawn Stasiak
-7/14/2002: def. Shawn Stasiak
-7/15/2002, Monday Night Raw: def. Johnny Stamboli
-7/26/2002: def. Shawn Stasiak
-7/27/2002: def. Shawn Stasiak
-7/28/2002: def. Shawn Stasiak
-8/3/2002: def. Tommy Dreamer
-8/4/2002: def. Tommy Dreamer
-8/19/2002, Monday Night Raw: def. Tommy Dreamer

JBL fights global warming
JBL spent his holidays on an Antarctic mission to tackle global warming and work towards reform in public policy.


Color commentator's green cause

Spending nearly two weeks in deep freeze, SmackDown’s John Bradshaw Layfield rounded out his travel résumé of 55 different countries by visiting his seventh and final continent: Antarctica. Instead of unwrapping gifts under an energy-sucking, heavily lit Christmas tree, the SmackDown commentator spent his holiday vacation on a personal crusade against global warming.
“[Antarctica] was the only continent that I had never been to,” JBL explained. “I wanted to see the continent and get firsthand knowledge of global warming because there is such a divergence of opinion about what is really going on in our environment.” He added, “I also wanted to learn something about this because I’m going to be president one day.”
The former WWE Champion said his intent was to quell his desire to determine the cause behind global warming. He sought to learn whether man is causing the changing atmospheric conditions or if the globe is in a warming cycle, or a combination of both.
“My take is that man is causing it,” JBL asserted. “The fact that [the earth is] warming is a huge problem, and it’s being exacerbated by CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions, most likely caused by man.”
Today, there is an unprecedented amount of carbon dioxide – a harmful greenhouse gas –in the atmosphere that contributes heavily to the worldwide climate change. Studies reveal that this increase in global temperatures causes glaciers to melt and sea levels to rise.
“This isn’t just polar bears going extinct; it’s a serious problem,” he claimed. “The loss of alpine glaciers in Europe is going to cause huge economic hardships. We’re going to have wars over water if this is the case, which scientific data has proven to be certain.”
Glaciers, however, are not the Wall Street media maven’s primary concern. As JBL told WWE.com, environmental issues directly affect something that is very near and dear to his money-minded heart: investments.
“To invest in this world – in any type of energy – you’ve got to know about global warming,” he explained. “I’m not against oil. I’m not against the internal combustible engine car. I’m just saying we’ve got to be smarter with what we’re burning.”
Once close to investing in a wind farm in Texas, Layfield believes that government policy supporting alternative energy sources could positively impact the state of an already damaged atmosphere.
“There are so many things that our country can do when you talk about the consumption side,” JBL said. “[The U.S. government] has to start being responsible stewards for our environment.”
Comparing this issue to other environmental causes, JBL detailed the need for officials to take action.
“We stopped the ozone hole from growing by stopping CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) from getting into atmosphere just by cutting out Freon and other major offenders. It’s a different thing than global warming, but it’s a sign that we can do something to positively affect the environment.”
Criticizing the “flag bearers for this cause,” the SmackDown star said his journey may not necessarily end with his trip to the globe’s southernmost continent. He stated that he would like to join forces with Bill Schlesinger, international authority on climate science and Dean of Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University.
Schlesinger is hosting a think tank outside of New York in the near future and the former WWE Champion has hopes of participating in this advocacy for climate control.
“Global warming’s real,” JBL declared. “If [America wants] to be the economic powerhouse of the future, we have to make sure that this environment stays in tact. I don’t mean to sound like a leftist tree-hugger, but this is simply the fact.”

Layfield Lure
In East Texas, Jester & Cotton Layfield constructed a lure during the depression which came to be known as the Layfield Lure. As with most good things, word spread and this bass lure found its way to devout anglers far and wide over the next 30 years.
The tradition of the Layfield Lure lives on today in a descendent of the Layfields; John "Bradshaw" Layfield has worked to revive the lure (see image below).

Height: 5 foot 9
Weight: 202 pounds
From: Hanover, W. Va.
Signature Move: Modified Dragon Sleeper
Career Highlights: Cruiserweight Champion
WWE Debut: June 6, 2002
Entrance Video: WATCH

Born and bread in the trailer parks of West Virginia, Jamie Noble is one devious country boy. Having the honor of being one of the longest-reigning Cruiserweight Champions during his memorable 2002 reign, Noble has resurfaced to once again add championship gold to his waist and after being drafted to Raw during June 25's Supplemental Draft, he will be looking to do just that.

JAMIE NOBLE'S TITLE HISTORY
Jamie Noble is a former Cruiserweight Champion.
CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (1 time)-6/23/2002,
King of the Ring: def. The Hurricane

When John Cena and Batista face off at SummerSlam, the world will witness two of the largest, most powerful forces in WWE clash head on – for the first time ever. And to think, the promise of such an earth-shattering collision began over a simple misunderstanding.
When Cena accidentally knocked Batista out of the ring after The Animal’s title bout with World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, Batista came up swinging, and the two strongmen traded blows.
Those hard feelings seemed to subside when the two shook hands at the beginning of the next week’s Raw. That truce, however, was short-lived.
Batista felt he deserved to face CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Title at SummerSlam. Cena not only felt the same, he also pointed out that Batista had already lost to Punk twice. Just after the two set a match among themselves to determine who would earn the opportunity to face Punk, Shane McMahon interrupted their plans and told them that Raw’s new, yet-to-be-revealed GM had forced them to pair together that night in a tag team match against JBL & Kane.
While Cena and Batista refused to trust one another, the reluctant pair eventually prevailed. At the end of their victorious match, Raw’s new General Manager was revealed to be Mike Adamle. The ECW announcer entered the ring and told the stunned audience that it would be the Chain Gang Commander battling The Animal in a match that guarantees to rattle Conseco Fieldhouse to its foundation.
To catch the Biggest Blockbuster Event of the Summer, tune into SummerSlam August 17 on pay-per-view.

Weight: 240
From: Glens Falls, New York
Signature Move: Three Point Stance Clothesline
Career Highlights: United States Champion; WCW Television Champion
Entrance Video: WATCH

Nearly three decades have passed since the 2x4-lugging tough guy “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan first stepped into a ring. Since that time, the Superstar from Glens Falls, N.Y., has seen sports-entertainment evolve from a regional-based business into the global phenomenon it is today. He’s also seen hundreds of his colleagues come and go, but somehow, after all this time, Duggan still finds himself a part of the WWE roster.
Hacksaw considers himself a very fortunate man. That word relates to how lucky Duggan is after what he went through in the ‘90s while he was working with WCW. That’s when Duggan was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
Through early detection of the disease, and by the “grace of God and by the skills of the surgeon,” Duggan’s life – and career – was saved. And it wasn’t long before he began to ponder the next phase of his life, which included a return to the ring.
The powerful ex-football player was a regular in WWE rings throughout the 80's and early 90's, using his impressive physical stature to overpower opponents with his signature Three-Point Stance Clothesline. Hacksaw has always been a favorite of the WWE fans, carrying his trademark 2x4 and proudly waving the American flag for all to see. For more than two decades, fans have chanted along as Hacksaw bellows out the letters: U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

Height: 6 foot 1
Weight: 235 pounds
From: The Other Side of the Tracks
Signature Move: Crack 'em in da Mouth
Career Highlights: WWE Tag Team Champion
Associates: Domino, Maryse
WWE Debut: January 19, 2007
Entrance Video: WATCH


Hailing from the Other Side of the Tracks, Deuce knows a thing or two about throwing down. Even though he has a vintage haircut, West Side Story-esque dress code and a love of classic cars, there's nothing retro about the way he handles his business in the ring.
Now that Deuce has split away from his long time running partner, he will be looking to make a new splash on Raw. Will the former WWE Tag Team Champion set his sights on singles gold?

Height: 6 foot 1
Weight: 232 pounds
From: Charlotte, N.C.
Career Highlights: World Tag Team Championship
Associates: Dusty Rhodes (father); Ted DiBiase
WWE Debut: July 2, 2007
Entrance Video: WATCH

As the son of WWE Hall of Famer the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, Cody Rhodes grew up admiring his father and watching him capture the imagination of wrestling fans worldwide. Now Cody is ready to carry on his father’s legacy while carving out one of his own in WWE. Cody's road to success started when he teamed with Hardcore Holly, as the two captured the World Tag Team Championship in 2007.
Besides being the son of “the son of a plumber,” Cody seems like he was destined for the squared circle. He had a stellar high school wrestling career, winning major tournaments before signing a deal with Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE’s developmental territory. While training for his debut on the big stage, Cody was honored when his father asked him to help induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame. It was highly emotional night for father and son, who are extremely close.
“He and I, we’re like best friends, we’re really close,” Cody told WWE.com at the time. “So for us to be together – if ultimately he were to say, ‘I don’t want anything further to do with pro wrestling,’ this would be a wonderful way to cap it off.”
Now, with his father watching on, Cody Rhodes is thrilled to have an opportunity in WWE and show our fans that the legacy of the Dream lives on. Unlike another multi-generational Superstar, Randy Orton, Cody has respect for his father, legends who paved the way for him, and the business. While some have crumbled under the weight of the legacies of famous parents or siblings, Cody Rhodes is up to the task and eager to make his own mark in sports-entertainment.

Height: 6 foot 7
From: San Diego
Signature Move: Full Throttle
Career Highlights: World Tag Team Champion,WCW Tag Team Champion
WWE Debut: Summer 2001
Entrance Video: WATCH


During his career, he’s been a Natural Born Thriller, a controversial icon and a Full-Blooded Italian. Now that Chuck Palumbo has returned to WWE, however, he’s getting to be something else: Himself.
Just by looking at him, you’d never guess that the seemingly laid-back Californian’s biggest passion outside the ring has to do with speed and two wheels. But even before his in-ring days began, Palumbo was fascinated with building and riding motorcycles.
“My week consists of working on bikes for two or three days, going on the road, then coming back and starting again,” Palumbo says. “In the meantime, I’m riding on trips to Sturgis, to Vegas and so on.”
When the native of San Diego (by way of New England) needs to get his mind off his “day job,” his motorcycles are the first thing he turns to.
“Sure, sports-entertainment has been my life-long passion. I love wrestling,” Palumbo said. “But motorcycles are something else. When I need to get my mind off the business, I’ll grab a wrench or light a torch and get a weld going.”
Palumbo, who owns and has built several choppers, has even been featured in American Iron Magazine. Now, he combines his two biggest passions by bringing his motorcycle enthusiasm to the squared circle. Before his matches, Palumbo rides down to ringside on one of his bikes, and he exits the arenas the same way. For him, it’s more than a hobby; it’s a way to get revved up for the heat of battle.
“People say I’m really reserved. But when I get on the bike, it kicks in an adrenaline rush and then I become a different person,” Palumbo reveals. “I always tell people I’m doing two of the greatest things I can do; I get to wrestle and ride my bike in the same night.”
Don’t let that reserved look fool you, and don’t think for a second that Palumbo’s mind is elsewhere when he’s in the squared circle. Chuck is a master inside the ring as well, something many current and former WWE Superstars have found out the hard way.
First coming to prominence in WCW in 2000, Palumbo teamed with his fellow Natural Born Thrillers to capture the WCW Tag Team Championship four times in the promotion’s final year of existence. Having moved to WWE following the acquisition of WCW, Palumbo is also a multiple-time World Tag Team Champion.
Palumbo left WWE in 2005, moving on to wrestle in Japan and Italy (as well as spend more time working on his motorcycle craft) before finally returning in 2007. And with both of his passions merged, Palumbo sees even clearer the similarities between the two.
“Wrestling is an art form, as is building motorcycles,” he says. “You have to have a vision of what the end product is going to look like, then craft it with your hands.”
Hopefully, Palumbo’s biggest masterpiece in both fields is still ahead of him.

Height: 6 foot
Weight: 231 pounds
From: Manhasset, N.Y.
Signature Move: The Codebreaker; The Walls of Jericho; Lionsault
Entrance Video: WATCH
Career Highlights: WWE Championship; WCW Championship; Intercontinental Championship; European Championship; Hardcore Championship; World Tag Team Championship; ECW TV Championship; WCW TV Championship; WCW Cruiserweight Championship


There is one thing you can say about Chris Jericho: The guy sure knows how to make an entrance.
His WWE debut in 1999 as the man behind the mysterious Y2J millennium countdown was one of the most memorable moments in sports-entertainment history. But Jericho outdid himself in his “second coming” as the answer to a series of code-encrypted video eight years later. The man who will “Save_US” all is back after a two-year hiatus, and our fans couldn’t be happier.
Whether he's been beloved or hated by WWE fans, Jericho has never been at a loss for words. And “Y2J” has backed up every single word he said in his storied career, winning a laundry list of championships and going down in history as the first ever Undisputed WWE Champion.
The son of former National Hockey League player Ted Irvine, Jericho was born in Manhasset, N.Y. but was raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada. He trained in Stu Hart’s famed dungeon and made his pro wrestling debut at age 19 in 1990. Jericho wrestled around the world and infused different styles he learned in Canada, Mexico and Japan into his own repertoire. He slowly built a following what would become loyal “Jerichoholics” before appearing in ECW (where he briefly held the ECW TV Championship) and then landing in WCW in 1996.
Jericho’s trophy case was hardly empty during his tenure in WCW; he won the WCW Cruiserweight and TV Championships several times. However, despite his credentials and fan base, he never received an opportunity at the WCW World Championship or a chance to excel as a main event performer. Jericho would get that chance – and would rise to new heights of stardom – when he entered World Wrestling Entertainment in the summer of 1999.
Jericho made his first impact on WWE fans with his Y2J millennium countdown and in his debut in a verbal sparring session with The Rock (which has become a classic moment on Raw). This set the stage for “Y2J’s” WWE career.
Jericho’s rivalries with Chyna, The Rock, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Rob Van Dam and Christian were legendary for both their in-ring intensity and comic vignettes outside the ring. Hardly any titles were safe when he was around. Besides holding the European and Hardcore Championships, the self-proclaimed “Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla” won the Intercontinental Championship seven times and held the World Tag Team Championship three times with three different partners. But Jericho cemented his place in WWE history on December 9, 2001 at Vengeance, when he beat both The Rock for the WCW Championship and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin for the WWE Championship to unify both titles and become the first Undisputed WWE Champion. Jericho’s WWE championship was brief – he lost the title to Triple H three months later at WrestleMania X8 – but no one could take away his accomplishment.
Besides the numerous championships, Jericho also showed the world that his “Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla” mantra was more than shtick. He released three albums with his rock band Fozzy. And in the tradition of WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Jericho hosted a weekly TV segment on WWE programming, The Highlight Reel, where he interviewed – and antagonized – his guests.
Y2J’s WWE career appeared to end in August 2005 when he lost a You’re Fired Match to then-WWE Champion John Cena on Raw. Jericho pursued an acting career, continued touring with Fozzy and appeared on VH1’s Best Week Ever and I Love The 80s. He has also hosted his own show on XM Satellite Radio called The Rock of Jericho and released his biography, A Lion’s Tale: Around the World in Spandex.
Despite his numerous projects, the multitalented Jericho cannot get enough of the squared circle. Behold the second coming of Jericho. Who knows what the rebirth of his in-ring career will bring. One thing is certain, as Y2J would say, WWE fans are not likely to see anyone like him ever – evvvveerrrr – again!

Height: 6 foot 2
Weight: 242 pounds
From: Edmond, Okla.
Signature Move: Folding neck/back submission
Career Highlights: WWE Tag Team Champion
WWE Debut: Dec. 26, 2002
Entrance Video: WATCH


Haas was a two-time Big East Champion at Seton Hall University, but after graduation, Haas ventured into the workforce and became a stockbroker with Goldman-Sachs. There was a time when it appeared the wrestling career of Haas would end after he graduated college. Still, the drive to wrestle was always there.
Haas pursued his dream and began to hit the independent circuit, and along with his brother Russ, they established themselves as a talented tag team. Russ met an untimely death in November 2001, but this did not deter Charlie from the dream he shared with his brother.
After debuting the day after Christmas in 2002, Haas began to team with Shelton Benjamin. The duo developed into one of SmackDown’s top tag teams. Twice they captured the WWE Tag Team Championship before disbanding.
In 2008, Haas'' athleticism brought him success in the ring and the Superstar changed things up and shocked our fans with his unorthodox attire.

Height: 6 foot 6
Weight: 290 pounds
From: Washington, D.C.
Signature Move: Batista Bomb
Career Highlights: World Heavyweight Champion;
WWE Tag Team Champion; World Tag Team Champion;
2005 Royal Rumble winner
Entrance Video: WATCH


Dave Batista has been “The Animal” since childhood, in temper if not in name. Raised in a rough part of southeast Washington, D.C., he describes himself as being “a skinny kid with asthma and a bad size complex”— and a penchant for getting into trouble with authorities. He spent a few years in San Francisco after his parents separated, until his mother sent the troubled teen to live with his father in suburban Virginia. By the time he turned 17, he was estranged from both parents, living on his own, and still getting into trouble.
For the better part of 10 years, Batista spent his days training and competing as a bodybuilder, and his nights “bouncing in clubs, floating from here to there.” (He’s still amazed that one club he worked at is less than two blocks from Washington D.C.’s MCI Center, where he defended his World Heavyweight Championship against JBL at SummerSlam in 2005.) His drifting stopped the night he unleashed his explosive temper on two patrons who had attacked his fellow bouncers. “By the time I was finished with them,” he relates, “they were lying on the ground with their eyes rolling in the back of their heads. I was very scared they were going to die.” They didn’t, but the incident did result in Batista’s arrest, a year’s probation, and his decision to make radical changes in his life.
Enrolling in Wild Samoan Afa’s wrestling school in Allentown, Pa., Batista admits that at first he saw sports-entertainment simply as “a way to make a living”— until he was told at a WCW tryout that he didn’t have the chops to make it as a wrestler. “That lit a fire under my a**. Wrestling became an obsession that I fell in love with. I completely redirected my training and philosophies, redesigned my body and mental outlook. I just really wanted to be an athlete and an entertainer.”
Though his personal perseverance brought him to WWE in May 2002, Batista credits former Evolution colleagues Triple H and Ric Flair with developing “a muscleheaded goofball” into a World Heavyweight Champion, one who backs his composed words and demeanor with an explosive fury befitting his nickname. He considers himself neither a leader nor a follower in the locker room (“I’m just a loner, I keep to myself,” he insists), but inside the ring, on the covers of muscle mags like FLEX, and even once against budding Superman Tom Welling on The CW Network series Smallville, “The Animal” is clearly a dominant species. A dominant species who, by the way, has collected more than 50 vintage tin lunchboxes. Our advice: respect this six-foot-six, 290-pound beast and his 1967 Green Hornet sandwich container (sporting Bruce Lee’s face on the front), which he cherishes among his most prized possessions. You’ll live longer.

DOWNLOAD BATISTA ENTRANCE MUSIC

Weight: 225 pounds
From: Jamaica
WWE Debut: Jan. 22, 2008
Entrance Video:WATCH



Hailing from the tropical climate of the Caribbean Sea, Jamaican Superstar Kofi Kingston brings unique in-ring abilities, style and lingo to Raw.
For weeks, WWE fans were offered a glimpse into Kingston’s island paradise where the vibrant Superstar took troublesome matters into his own capable hands. Mixing it up with his lightning quick arsenal while maintaining his bright, amiable smile, Kofi undoubtedly made ECW his own private Island of the Extreme.
Kofi has engaged in a series matches against Shelton Benjamin as of late. Although he had done incredibly well in them, Benjamin is responsible for giving Kingston's his first loss in WWE. Rather than slowing him down, this has only inspired Kofi to work harder and do ever better in the future.
The day after defeating ECW's Gold Standard in an Extreme Rules Match, Kofi Kingston was randomly drafted to Raw in the Supplemental Draft on June 25. The Jamaican Superstar will now be looking to make an impact on Monday nights.

Matches
Undertaker def. Edge (Hell in a Cell Match)
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk def. JBL
WWE Champion Triple H def. The Great Khali
Matt Hardy def. ECW Champion Mark Henry (Disqualification)
Batista def. John Cena
Jericho crashes HBK's announcement
Winners Take All Tag Team Match
Montel Vontavious Porter def. Jeff Hardy

Summer's Most Slammin' Site

Summer explodes onto your computer screen with WWE.com's sizzling new SummerSlam microsite. But don't just take our word for it - witness the Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer like never before!
Experience Summer's Biggest Blockbuster

Maria's Photo Shoot
Go behind the scenes of Maria's

SummerSlam photo shoot in

this WWE.com exclusive video

Watch

Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer

Watch the epic unfold in the

Biggest Blockbuster Event

of the Summer. Live Sunday,

August 17 on pay-per-view.

Watch

When Edge defeated Undertaker at One Night Stand, the Rated-R Superstar and his at the time bride-to-be, SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero, had stipulated The Phenom be banished from all of WWE. But after Edge’s infidelity, Guerrero did the unthinkable, reinstating The Deadman and putting her cheating husband in a match against the returning Superstar at SummerSlam – the dangerous Hell in a Cell Match.
Edge was shocked by the revelation of Undertaker’s return and his subsequent match in the sadistic structure, but perhaps the Ultimate Opportunist’s greatest astonishment was that Vickie had accepted his “heartfelt” apology, only to stun him with the news of The Phenom.
After being banished since June at the hands of Edge, will Undertaker show any mercy to his SummerSlam opponent in a match that he has made a devil’s playground? Will Edge’s past sins come back to haunt him in the form of The Phenom? Or will the Rated-R Superstar rest in peace after Hell in a Cell? And what about Vickie Guerrero, who had a huge hand in banishing Undertaker? Will The Deadman have any sympathy for the scorned GM or her current situation?

After proving victorious in Friday Night SmackDown’s Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer Battle Royal, outlasting the likes of Big Show, Umaga, Jeff Hardy and MVP, The Great Khali has earned the right to challenge WWE Champion Triple H at SummerSlam.
A former World Heavyweight Champion himself, the Punjabi Giant is the very definition of immensity. At 7-feet, 3-inches and 420 pounds, he towers over his opponents. His vicious Khali Vise Grip has become legendary and the list of victims that have suffered his wrath is larger than he is.
Since coming to Friday Night SmackDown, The King of Kings has wasted no time in making his illustrious presence known. Despite Khali’s tremendous size and dangerous ability, the champion has proved time and time again that he fears absolutely no one. Just moments after Jeff Hardy was thrown over the top rope like a rag doll in the Battle Royal, Triple H was standing toe-to-toe with his new No. 1 contender. As they sized each other up, neither Superstar showed the slightest trace of fear.
The Great Khali has asserted himself as a force to be reckoned with in WWE. But, if he hopes to hold championship gold high above the WWE Universe, he’ll inevitably have to play The Game.

At SummerSlam, ECW’s physically ferocious champion, Mark Henry, will defend his gold against a passionately determined challenger, Matt Hardy.
The World’s Strongest Champion has been on a tear since capturing the ECW title in a Triple Threat Match against Kane and Big Show. His inhuman strength, combined with an overly aggressive temper has established Henry as the dominant Superstar in the Land of the Extreme. And now that he has aligned himself with WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas, the ECW Champion could be truly unstoppable.
Earning his opportunity to face Mark Henry at the pay-per-view was not an easy feat. Hardy had to fight through Finlay, John Morrison and The Miz in a Fatal Four Way Match on ECW on Sci Fi. By overcoming the odds, he showed without a doubt that although he may have lost the United States Championship to Shelton Benjamin at The Great American Bash, he will never be truly defeated. Hardy’s sheer determination to become the best of the best in WWE is the only thing that barely overshadows his incredible in-ring abilities.
Matt Hardy finally has a chance to capture a top spot in WWE, but in order flaunt that honor he will have to do more than reach the top of the mountain. He will have to smash through it. And this massive mountain will be fighting back, with unbelievably vicious force.

matches
WWE Champion Triple H def. Edge

JBL def. John Cena in a NYC Parking Lot Brawl

World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk vs. Batista (Double-disqualification)

Michelle McCool def. Natalya to win Divas Championship

ECW Champion Mark Henry def. Tommy Dreamer

Chris Jericho def. Shawn Michaels

Shelton Benjamin def. Matt Hardy (new United States Champion)

Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder win Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match (new WWE Tag Team Champions

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Edge approached Sunday’s WWE Title Match against champion Triple H as a desperate man, and, as he himself admitted: “When I’m desperate, I’m dangerous.” (Watch the exclusive slideshow)
Unfortunately for the Ultimate Opportunist, a man with nothing left to lose has never been much of a match against a woman scorned. That was the case Sunday night as well when a wild turn of events led Edge to spear his wife, Vickie Guerrero, and lose the match to Triple H.
The trouble all started last Friday night on SmackDown when Triple H offered his wedding gift to Edge and his Vickie Guerrero during their reception. As the newlyweds looked on, The Cerebral Assassin unspooled a video of Edge sharing a passionate kiss with wedding planner Alicia Fox.
The damning footage ruined the couple’s nascent marriage and sparked a concentrated hatred in the jilted bride.
The first flash of that animosity shown brightly Sunday night. It looked like Edge had finally gained an advantage in the match when Fox entered ringside and tried to hand him the WWE Title to use, presumably, as a weapon. Guerrero, however, charged down after her, leveling the homewrecker with a stiff clothesline.
The two women battled into the ring, where both men were exhausted and flat on their backs. As the referee tried to separate Fox and Guerrero, the Ultimate Opportunist rushed the ref, who dodged his spear at the last moment. What happened next was stunning.
The R-Rated Superstar speared his wife, slamming her frame to the canvas. The stunned former champion could hardly believe what he had done and stood in silence for several moments.
As Edge wandered about the ring in an effort to compose himself, Triple H overcame his exhaustion and managed to administer a match-ending Pedigree to ensure his title reign continue.
It was a wild conclusion to an already rowdy night, costing Edge his chance at the WWE Title and possibly sabotaging any hope of a reconciliation with Guerrero. It also allowed Triple H to retain his WWE Championship, keeping The King of Kings nestled upon his throne.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - After a brutal match that began in the parking lot and made its way inside of Nassau Coliseum, JBL slipped out of a FU at the last minute and pinned John Cena on top of a car to become the winner of the their NYC Parking Lot Brawl.
In the weeks leading up to the Bash, the issues between John Cena and JBL grew to something larger than a mere rivalry, with the Chain Gang Commander himself characterizing their conflict as a war. The build-up to their brawl saw Cena & Cryme Tyme combine forces to vandalize the self-made millionaire’s limousine. As retaliation, JBL took things to the next level, attempting to crush his opponent between two automobiles in the parking lot outside of a Raw event.
JBL arrived at his Bash match-up wielding a crowbar, ready to do some serious damage, but could not find Cena. The Chain Gang Commander turned the tables on JBL by attacking the Longhorn Loudmouth with a car and the battle was joined. In their bout, Cena went to shocking extremes, hooking up jumper-cables to the Layfield family jewels. This wasn’t enough to put down JBL, however, as he went on to beat Cena mercilessly and place his unconscious opponent inside a car, only to set the automobile ablaze.
Luckily for John Cena, WWE staff members were on hand to extinguish the flames, allowing the Chain Gang Commander to emerge steaming mad. Cena pummeled his opponent and placed JBL inside a car, which he proceeded to relocate inside the arena with the help of a nearby forklift.
John Cena seemed poised for victory with Layfield up on his shoulders for an FU, but the self-proclaimed “wrestling god” reversed the move, throwing Cena onto the car’s windshield and pinning him for the win. At The Great American Bash, though Cena is known for his drive, it was no match for the overwhelming horsepower of John “Bradshaw” Layfield.

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UNIONDALE, N.Y. – World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk may have debunked fluke-claiming critics by enduring in a highly competitive confrontation with Batista at The Great American Bash. But though the Straightedge Champion retained the gold, he was left with a bittersweet (and somewhat charred) taste in his mouth as Kane’s hell-wreaking intervention caused a double-disqualification. (Watch Punk's exclusive post-match interview)
Less than one month ago, CM Punk made a stand-out transition from ECW to Raw Superstardom by cashing in his Money in the Bank championship opportunity against an Animal-assailed Edge. Ironically, it would be Batista himself who would win No. 1 contendership and seek to curtail the tattooed champion’s greatest of personal ambitions fulfilled.
Three-time former World Heavyweight Champion Batista appeared to be the heavy favorite in a contest pitting power, size and experience against skill, resourcefulness and tenacity. But in his very first pay-per-view defense, Punk refused to be etched into history books as a mere “transitional champion” and for the entire bout, he took every ounce of fight to his sizeable challenger.
Suddenly, CM Punk and Batista’s battle for supremacy was overshadowed by a burlap sack bearing monster in the Nassau Coliseum. Deliberate and devastating, the seven-foot menace known as Kane brought an unruly ending to a hotly contested bout between two recent Raw draftees, laying both men out.
For weeks, Raw’s tormented monster has stalked the Monday night brand in search of answers to mysterious, twisted questions that none seem able to answer. Spouting his incoherent and puzzling mutterings – “Is he dead or is he alive?” – WWE’s own towering inferno continued his rancorous assault on a defenseless production crew member.
On the final Raw heading into The Bash, it was The Animal’s spear that left Kane unable to decimate Punk as planned. This may have been what drove the Big Red Monster to finish what he started with his former ally at a most inopportune moment, live on pay-per-view.
Is Kane yet satisfied with the damage caused to the World Heavyweight Champion and The Animal? Is any one safe, given the Big Red Machine’s recent unpredictability and bizarre actions?
Also, where does this leave Batista, who came within inches of clinching the gold before Kane’s unleashed wrath? The challenger was clearly unhappy as he Batista Bombed the battle-worn champion moments after the decision was rendered by the officials. Will the Straightedge Champion be able to keep the title with so many large threats?

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Tonight, before a capacity crowd at The Great American Bash, Michelle McCool defeated Natalya to become WWE’s first-ever Divas Champion. After a long road of sacrifice and hard work, McCool finally cemented her place in history, setting an incredibly high bar for any Diva bold enough to come after her and the gold.
The new championship was contested in a match every bit as praiseworthy as the title itself. It was a question of who wanted it more in this battle of fierce blows by both Divas combined with a barrage of painful submission holds by Natalya. But, despite Natalya’s vicious technical skills, the hand of irony intervened. Michelle McCool managed to reverse Natalya’s second Sharpshooter attempt to win with a submission hold of her own.
Going into to the event, a victory by Natalya seemed almost inevitable. She was trained in the Hart family Dungeon where she picked up an arsenal of dangerous maneuvers – including the Sharpshooter. Natalya earned her opportunity to fight for the title in the first Golden Dreams Match on the very night the new title was announced, giving her time to form an effective strategy and scout out her possible opponents. On top of that, McCool was forced to undertake an uphill battle for weeks to prove herself to SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero before winning the second Golden Dreams Match which qualified her to face Natalya.
However, after several heated exchanges on Friday Night SmackDown, it was clear that neither Superstar would was going to go down without a fight.
After beating the odds, Michelle has established herself as the top Diva on Friday nights. But now that she has reached the top of the mountain, she can rest assured that the Sexiest Woman on Television will be coming to knock her off her throne.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – When ECW Champion Mark Henry and Tommy Dreamer stepped in the ring, an X factor decided the outcome once again. But it wasn't a frying pan this time, rather Colin Delaney who helped the World’s Strongest Man retain the ECW Title at Nassau Coliseum.
Dreamer has had his eye on the gold seemingly forever, but especially in recent weeks. He has fought for chance after chance. Despite Henry’s ability to overpower the ECW Original along with WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas in his corner, Dreamer got his opportunity at The Great American Bash and he almost made the most of it. But the World’s Strongest Man was able to add more muscle to his campaign in the form of Dreamer’s protégé, Delaney.
Nobody has been able to slow down Mark Henry’s reign since he won the ECW Title at Night of Champions. And now with Delaney by his side, against the man who helped the youngster earn a WWE contract, Henry’s position at the top of the Land of the Extreme doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – After months of hatred boiling hotter and hotter, Shawn Michaels' promise that “the worst is truly yet to come” rung true at The Great American Bash. Unfortunately for HBK, the truth came at his own expense as Chris Jericho re-injured Michaels’ right eye drawing so much blood that, despite HBK’s insistence to battle on, the officials ended the match and Y2J was declared winner. (Watch Michaels receive medical attention)
Throughout the bout, Michaels gave it his all in the match and seemed to have the momentum until a well-placed elbow ended up worsening his injured eye. After that, Jericho and protégé Lance Cade – a former pupil of The Showstopper – targeted the injury making it bleed more and more profusely, causing the match to be ended on the referee’s decision.
With Michaels' heading back to San Antonio for further examination, Jericho came back out to make a bold announcement to our fans. He stated that tonight was historical as he claimed Michaels’ was diagnosed by the trainers with a detached retina and that those watching had just witnessed the last match of HBK’s career.
Y2J has had it out for HBK the last few months, constantly questioning Michaels’ morality. What seems to add even more fuel to his fire is the fans’ constant approval for HBK’s actions. Jericho struck first on an edition of the Highlight Reel originally injuring HBK’s eye by throwing him face-first into the Jeri-Tron 6000. Now that all is said and done, it seems as though Jericho has lived up to his prophecy and ended Michaels’ illustrious career.
Could the curtain have pulled for the last time for The Showstopper?

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Shelton Benjamin defeated Matt Hardy at The Great American Bash in the legendary Nassau Coliseum to become the new United States Champion – making history and ending a “Bash” streak, becoming the first Superstar to ever challenge for the U.S. Title at the event and win it the same night.
In a clash of two of WWE’s high-flying, risk-taking Superstars, Benjamin added to his impressive championship résumé that already included reigns as an Intercontinental Champion and Tag Team Champion, capitalizing on one mistake by Hardy in a match that was back-and-forth from start to finish. Hardy seemingly became disoriented after a moonsault, and Shelton Benjamin used that split second to bring Hardy down and earn the victory.
Now, the Gold Standard can call himself United States Champion, earning another title and bringing the gold with him to Friday Night SmackDown. Throughout his career, Benjamin has proven himself to be a fighting champion when he carries gold around his waist – and now, after more than two years without a major singles title to call his own, Shelton Benjamin will undoubtedly look to cement his legacy with his newly-won United States Championship.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – After spending months in Edge’s shadow, Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder finally made a name for themselves – and they did it in big fashion by winning the WWE Tag Team Championship in their own hometown of Long Island, N.Y.
Going into the WWE Tag Team Championship Fatal Four Way, the now-former champions, John Morrison & The Miz, had done a lot of talking in their weekly WWE.com show, “The Dirt Sheet.” (Watch) The duo claimed they had no competition for their gold, and poked fun at just about anyone and everyone in WWE. But on this night, words were not enough to stop Hawkins & Ryder as the team claimed gold when Hawkins pinned Jesse.
Taking out the former champions was challenge enough for Hawkins & Ryder, but they also had to worry about six additional Superstars who were hungry for gold.
Jesse and Festus have been making great strides on SmackDown, with the corn-fed colossus Festus manhandling many an opponent. Despite a valiant effort, they could not find a way to win on this night.
And finally, the Belfast brawler Finlay & Hornswoggle had been at odds with The Miz & Morrison for weeks, often the butt of their “Dirt Sheet” jokes. Although they got in some good shots of their own tonight, they could not capitalize at the right moment.
With Hawkins & Ryder’s victory, championship gold is once again brought home to “The Family.”