Brian Kendrick
Currently he is wrestling in Japan. I always feel he will be more appreciated in Japan and indy feds. We'll see where he goes from here on in but I can't see him returning to mainstream television any time soon [unless of course it is in some type of non wrestling relate role].
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Chris Kanyon
This week's 'where are they now' is about former wrestler, Chris Kanyon. He will probably be most remembered for his time in WCW and his stint in the WWE where he debuted during the Invasion angle.
After originally appearing as a jobber in the WWE in 1994, he signed for WCW in 1995 and debuted as Mortis. He was part of the Flock and Jersey triad and went through a Chris 'champagne' Kanyon phase as Mr glitz and glamour. His most memorable fueds were probably with Diamond Dallas Page and his most notable fued with DDP was in 2000 when he would call himself Positively Kanyon, where a blonde wig and name his finisher the 'Kanyon' Cutter, all of these taking a leaf out of DDP's 'play book.'
After the closure of WCW, Kanyon was involved in the Invasion angle. He had enough TV time, getting the US title [although it was handed to him by Booker T who already had the WCW title] and re-packaging himself as the Alliance MVP, but he only wrestled in 1 PPV's during his time there, in a 6 man tag match at Invasion.
After being sidelined with an injury, he made one more appearance in the WWE, being one of the Big Show's supposedly pathetic apology attempts [after Big Show's attack] in the Big Show's fued with the Undertaker. He later wrestled mostly on Velocity for the rest of that year before being released.
It was a shame for the man who Mike Tenay referred to as the 'Innovator of Offense' to be so underused in WWE. To be honest though, during his time in the WWE, he was often fighting injuries. He retired in 2004 after losing a retirement match to....yep, none other than DDP.
Where is he now? Unfortunately Kanyon committed suicide at the age of 40. His brother found him next to a bottle of antidepressants. He had admitted to being a homosexual some time before that. Whether this had any baring on why he did it, I don't know.
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Well I did Hardcore Holly some time ago, so it's time for his 'in ring' cousin, Crash.
Crash Holly, or Mad Mikey, as he was also known [real name, Michael Lockwood]. He began his career in independent feds and briefly wrestled in ECW, before he signed a contract with WWE in 1999. In the WWE he teamed up with Bob Holly to form the Holly's, who were later joined by Molly ['Molly Holly'] to make a trio. Interestingly, while Bob Holly christened himself Hardcore Holly after being a multiple time Hardcore champion, it was Crash who won the Hardcore title an amazing 22 times.
He was released by the WWE in mid 2003 but quickly joined TNA as Mad Mikey.
Where is he now? Lockwood was unfortunately found dead in November of 2003, at Stevie Richards home. There was a half empty bottle of vodka and emptied bottles of prescription drugs by his body. He had recently got divorce papers from his wife and this is thought to be the reason for his recent depression and believed suicide. Lockwood was one of the former ECW wrestlers honored in a video clip at ECW One Night Stand 2005.
Bob Holly, better known as Hardore Holly, a name he adopted during his WWE career, began his career in WWO [World Wrestling Organisation]. He continued to wrestle in NWA and Smokey Mountain Wrestling before he briefly worked in the WWE in 1991 as a jobber. He later returned to WWE in 1994 where he later christened himself Hardcore Holly after entering the race for the Hardcore title in 1999 and winning it 6 times. Holly later teamed up with on screen cousin Crash to form the Holly's. Molly 'Holly' later joined them to make it a 3 man team.
He was involved in an incident while being one of the mentors on Tough Enough III. In one episode he legitimately beat up on of the contestants. This caused a negative reaction and it was surprising that he managed to keep his job, after a number of wrestlers, including the owner's daughter's then partner [now husband] Triple H, said this behaviour was totally unacceptable.
After the brand split Holly was not used as much, constantly being on and off screen, returning for a while, only to later vanish from TV. His big fued was with Brock Lesnar after Lesnar had broken his neck during a match [for real]. It is believed that Hardcore Holly was unhappy having to job to Lesnar, stating he had not 'paid his dues,' so tried to 'sandbag' a powerbomb than ended up with him getting dropped on his neck. He returned a year and a half later to fued with Brock Lesnar for the WWE title that ended with him losing at the Royal Rumble where he tried to 'kayfabe' Lesnar's neck during the match.
Holly was released in January of 2009. Where is he now? Currently working independent circuits where he has also worked in Britain's Varsity Pro Wrestling. He plans to release a book next year entitled 'The Hardcore Truth.'
Crash Holly
Well I did Hardcore Holly some time ago, so it's time for his 'in ring' cousin, Crash.
Crash Holly, or Mad Mikey, as he was also known [real name, Michael Lockwood]. He began his career in independent feds and briefly wrestled in ECW, before he signed a contract with WWE in 1999. In the WWE he teamed up with Bob Holly to form the Holly's, who were later joined by Molly ['Molly Holly'] to make a trio. Interestingly, while Bob Holly christened himself Hardcore Holly after being a multiple time Hardcore champion, it was Crash who won the Hardcore title an amazing 22 times.
He was released by the WWE in mid 2003 but quickly joined TNA as Mad Mikey.
Where is he now? Lockwood was unfortunately found dead in November of 2003, at Stevie Richards home. There was a half empty bottle of vodka and emptied bottles of prescription drugs by his body. He had recently got divorce papers from his wife and this is thought to be the reason for his recent depression and believed suicide. Lockwood was one of the former ECW wrestlers honored in a video clip at ECW One Night Stand 2005.
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Hardcore Holly
Bob Holly, better known as Hardore Holly, a name he adopted during his WWE career, began his career in WWO [World Wrestling Organisation]. He continued to wrestle in NWA and Smokey Mountain Wrestling before he briefly worked in the WWE in 1991 as a jobber. He later returned to WWE in 1994 where he later christened himself Hardcore Holly after entering the race for the Hardcore title in 1999 and winning it 6 times. Holly later teamed up with on screen cousin Crash to form the Holly's. Molly 'Holly' later joined them to make it a 3 man team.
He was involved in an incident while being one of the mentors on Tough Enough III. In one episode he legitimately beat up on of the contestants. This caused a negative reaction and it was surprising that he managed to keep his job, after a number of wrestlers, including the owner's daughter's then partner [now husband] Triple H, said this behaviour was totally unacceptable.
After the brand split Holly was not used as much, constantly being on and off screen, returning for a while, only to later vanish from TV. His big fued was with Brock Lesnar after Lesnar had broken his neck during a match [for real]. It is believed that Hardcore Holly was unhappy having to job to Lesnar, stating he had not 'paid his dues,' so tried to 'sandbag' a powerbomb than ended up with him getting dropped on his neck. He returned a year and a half later to fued with Brock Lesnar for the WWE title that ended with him losing at the Royal Rumble where he tried to 'kayfabe' Lesnar's neck during the match.
Holly was released in January of 2009. Where is he now? Currently working independent circuits where he has also worked in Britain's Varsity Pro Wrestling. He plans to release a book next year entitled 'The Hardcore Truth.'
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Justin Credible
Justin Credible is the next guy to enter the 'where are they now?' section of my blog. Hardcore ECW fans and those who have watched wrestling for over 10 years might remember this dude, but even some of the newer fan base might have seen his last few appearances in WWE a few years ago when there was an ECW brand.
After learning his trade in Canada and wrestling in a few New England based promotions, Justin Credible started in the WWE back in 1993 as a jobber named PJ. He spent a few years there before being released. ECW was where he really rose to fame, spending 4 years in the company. After ECW folded he was hred back at the WWE as part of the X Factor stable. He was later part of the Alliance [as one of the ECW guys that defected to the original WCW/ECW stable] but after the Alliance was 'beaten,' his importance was reduced in 2002 to occasional matches on Heat [with him losing most of them].
Justin Credible has since made a brief appearance in the WWE in 2006, wrestling as part of the ECW brand where he had a few matches. Other than that he has spent most of his time working in the independent circuit.
I should note that I personally enjoyed Justin Credible's short if not slightly irrelevant stint in the WWE over 10 years ago [although his 2006 one was even more irrelevant], but I do find it a shame that the WWE decided to change his rather impressive spinning tombstone piledriver [named 'That's Incredible'] to a 'Lifting DDT' finisher. I suppose he was too insignificant to have a move that would outshine The Undertaker's finisher, so they gave him a more generic move.
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Muhammad Hassan
Remember that guy who used to draw a ton of heat in the WWE? In fact he drew heat from the very day he made his debut. Yep it's Muhammad Hassan.
He did manage to get a great reaction from the fans, but he was a gimmick wrestler, meaning that once he had pretty much fueded with the main guys that were available to fued with, the WWE had no use for him. He was an average wrestler and, despite his in ring promos receiving a very heated fan reaction, he was not a guy of much charisma. When he spoke, it seemed like he was trying to make sure he remembered what he had to say. Oh sure he had the right tone, but the tone was always the same. You could say it was loud and he did sound frustrated and angry, as he was supposed to, yet there was still a monotone about it every time.
His last fued was to be against the 'Deadman,' who he fought at The Great American Bash in a number 1 contender match for the World Title, that was supposed to be taking place at Summerslam. In that match [or after it] he was hit with a Last Ride on the ramp, to some concrete below [supposedly] that was under the ramp. He was then taken away by paramedics, never to be seen again. Funny how his last match in the company was a number 1 contender match for the World title. His loss was insignificant anyway since The Undertaker's victory never got him his title shot at Summerslam, like it was supposed to.
His Persian partner in crime who you probably remember, Khosrow Daivari, was kept on for a while, since they saw some potential in him to be a manager for other wrestlers. As for Hassan, well, I mean, it was fun while it lasted, it just didn't last very long. Having said that I do not remember a wrestler previously debuting and drawing so much heat in the space of 8 months, only to be released soon after. He is currently completing his degree to get in to teaching [perhaps he already has] after unsuccessfully trying to break in to the acting and screenwriting business.
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He said all you need is a gimmick to make it in wrestling and he was proof of that. That is not to say that he could not wrestle, but it was true that it was the gimmick that got him far [or further] in the WWE than he would have probably gotten if he just wrestled under his own name.
After starting in the United States Wrestling Association, Nick Dinsmore soon joined OVW. During his time in OVW he made occasional appearances on WWE television, mostly wrestling as a jobber. He got a proper shot on the full WWE roster on April 5th 2004, when he debuted his 'Eugene' character. He had debuted before as Nick Dinsmore but did not get too much air time. On September 1st 2007 he was released from his contract after he failed a second drug test.
Since then he has made appearances in Juggalo Championship Wrestling [JCW], Wrestling Fan Xperience in Canada [WFX] and the World Wrestling Council [WWC] in Puerto Rico, among other independent feds. He even made a brief return to the WWE in 2009, only to be released soon after.
He is currently in charge of the beginner's wrestling course in OVW, where he has won the World Heavyweight title 10 times. As well as wrestling in independent feds as Eugene, U-Gene and under his real name.
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I actually used to get more excited when I heard the 'Here comes the Money' entrance hit the PA system, than I did for most of the roster. Shane McMahon, despite not actually being a 'wrestler,' was probably one of the most entertaining guys to watch in the ring. He knew he wasn't officially a wrestler so he always went out of his way to put on an entertaining performance in the ring, taking a lot of high risk moves in the process. He wasn't half bad on the mic either. He made his first appearance on WWE television in a strange way, as a referee in the early 90's. He was named Shane Stevens, so as not to give away that he is a McMahon.
In 1998 he debuted as an on screen character, and had on and off feuds and matches since then, right up until he eventually decided to leave at the end of 2009. His most memorably role was probably as the head of WCW, then later the Alliance [along with his sister Stephanie] during the Invasion angle.
Where is Shane now? Well he left to pursue his own ventures, and that's what he is doing now. Not long after leaving the WWE, he signed a deal to become the new CEO of China broadband Inc. He is also involved in sports management, representing well known golfers Ernie Els and Rory Mcllroy.
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Nick Dinsmore
He said all you need is a gimmick to make it in wrestling and he was proof of that. That is not to say that he could not wrestle, but it was true that it was the gimmick that got him far [or further] in the WWE than he would have probably gotten if he just wrestled under his own name.
After starting in the United States Wrestling Association, Nick Dinsmore soon joined OVW. During his time in OVW he made occasional appearances on WWE television, mostly wrestling as a jobber. He got a proper shot on the full WWE roster on April 5th 2004, when he debuted his 'Eugene' character. He had debuted before as Nick Dinsmore but did not get too much air time. On September 1st 2007 he was released from his contract after he failed a second drug test.
Since then he has made appearances in Juggalo Championship Wrestling [JCW], Wrestling Fan Xperience in Canada [WFX] and the World Wrestling Council [WWC] in Puerto Rico, among other independent feds. He even made a brief return to the WWE in 2009, only to be released soon after.
He is currently in charge of the beginner's wrestling course in OVW, where he has won the World Heavyweight title 10 times. As well as wrestling in independent feds as Eugene, U-Gene and under his real name.
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Shane McMahon
I actually used to get more excited when I heard the 'Here comes the Money' entrance hit the PA system, than I did for most of the roster. Shane McMahon, despite not actually being a 'wrestler,' was probably one of the most entertaining guys to watch in the ring. He knew he wasn't officially a wrestler so he always went out of his way to put on an entertaining performance in the ring, taking a lot of high risk moves in the process. He wasn't half bad on the mic either. He made his first appearance on WWE television in a strange way, as a referee in the early 90's. He was named Shane Stevens, so as not to give away that he is a McMahon.
In 1998 he debuted as an on screen character, and had on and off feuds and matches since then, right up until he eventually decided to leave at the end of 2009. His most memorably role was probably as the head of WCW, then later the Alliance [along with his sister Stephanie] during the Invasion angle.
Where is Shane now? Well he left to pursue his own ventures, and that's what he is doing now. Not long after leaving the WWE, he signed a deal to become the new CEO of China broadband Inc. He is also involved in sports management, representing well known golfers Ernie Els and Rory Mcllroy.
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Ultimate Warrior
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| Yep that's how he looks now |
Yes the ultimate wrestler is the Ultimate Warrior. Okay so that might be going too far. His in ring ability was far from outstanding, but his physique was, and his facepaint wasn't badly done either [contratulations to the make up artist]. After first being interested in and getting in to bodybuilding, he decided to divert his attention to wrestling. After spending some time in various promotions, including teaming with Steve Borden [Sting] in one of them, he was signed by the WWE in 1987. As Intercontinental champion he defeated Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania to be the first wrestler ever hold both the Intercontinental and World championships.
Warrior [a name he legally now holds] left the WWE in 1991 after some contract disagreements but was asked to return in 1992. He did, but was released that same year for disputed reasons. In the years 1992 - 1996 he was semi retired, wrestling occasionally. He made one last return to the WWE in 1996 to squash Hunter Hearst Helmsley [Triple H]. Once again he was released not long after with various stories as to why he was let go.
Warrior's last appearance in the 'big time' was in WCW in 1998. Once again he did not last long [only a few months] before he left. He announced his retirement 1 year later. Where is he now? It's hard to say. One thing is for sure, there is a lot of anamosity between him and the WWE and he is no longer involved in wrestling. A recent rumour said he is in the motoring business now. How true that is , who knows?
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