Matt Hardy

Matt Hardy
Height: 6 foot 2
Weight: 236 pounds
From: Cameron, N.C.
Signature Move: Twist of Fate
Career Highlights: ECW Champion; United States Champion; World Tag Team Champion; European Champion; Hardcore Champion; Cruiserweight Champion; WCW Tag Team Champion
In the ring, Matt Hardy lives his motto: "I will not die." Time and time again he has sacrificed his body for both the enjoyment of the fans, and the sport which he has loved so dearly for his entire life.

Matt came to the WWE in 1998 as a tag team specialist, teaming up with his brother Jeff to form the appropriately named The Hardys. While severely undersized, The Hardy's outstanding chemistry and unmatched heart carried them to stardom. The Hardys went on to become five-time World Tag Team Champions in WWE before breaking up in 2002.

In 2003, shortly after joining the SmackDown roster, Matt Hardy pursued the Cruiserweight Championship. After struggling for weeks to make the weight limit, Hardy defeated Kidman for the Championship at No Way Out '03.

After he won the title, Hardy endured an up and down rivalry with Rey Mysterio. Hardy got the best of Rey Mysterio in a controversial Championship match at WrestleMania 19. A month later however, Mysterio got his revenge, defeating Hardy for the Cruiserweight Championship on SmackDown.

In 2004, Matt Hardy's girlfriend Lita became the object of Kane's affection. For weeks on Raw, Kane stalked Hardy and Lita, routinely abusing Matt while pursuing Lita, at one point even planting a disturbing kiss on Lita's cheek. On a June episode of Raw, Lita told Matt she was pregnant, presumably with his child. One week later, Matt prepared to propose to Lita, but was interrupted by Kane, who made a shocking allegation. Kane claimed that the baby Lita was carrying was not Matt's, but his own. At Vengeance, Hardy got a small matter of revenge, beating Kane in a No Disqualification Match after the use of a steel chair and ring steps. Shortly thereafter, Lita took a DNA test and found out that Kane was indeed the father. Matt told Lita that it didn't matter to him, and he still wanted to marry Lita. Kane however decided that he also wanted to marry Lita. A unique match was set for SummerSlam, Matt Hardy vs. Kane for the right to marry Lita. SummerSlam was a nightmare for Hardy as Kane won the match, and the right to marry Lita on Raw. The marriage took place two weeks later on Raw, but not without drama. A desperate Matt Hardy tried to come down and interrupt the wedding, but a forcefield of flames kept him from getting to the altar. After the vows, Kane attacked Hardy and brutally chokeslammed him off the stage. As a result, Hardy was badly injured and was forced to take time off from Raw.

While Hardy was away, he learned that his long-time real life girlfriend, Lita, was having a sordid affair with Edge. Adding to an already emotional period, Matt was also released from WWE during the same time. It wasn’t long before information regarding the personal hell Matt was experiencing became public knowledge. His faithful followers began to make their voices heard at WWE events across the country. In fact, Matt points out the crowd’s reaction at Madison Square Garden at the April 12 Raw for starting his “movement.”Unable to simply sit at the sidelines while his heart was wrenching, Matt started popping up uninvited at WWE events, wreaking havoc on Edge and Lita every chance he had. He even called in and crashed Lita’s Byte This! interview, confronting her about their tumultuous relationship. Not long after, Mr. McMahon said that Hardy was starting fires all over the place, and he couldn’t help but to pour gasoline on those fires by re-hiring Matt. Upon his return, Hardy adopted a vicious focus that has been previously unmatched in his career. For several months in 2005, Matt made the lives of Lita and Edge a living hell, just as they did to him.After clashing with Edge on several occasions including a classic steel cage bout at the 2005 Unforgiven which saw Hardy defeat Edge following a daring legdrop from the top of the cage, Hardy and Edge would meet one more time in a ladder match at the Raw Homecoming in October 2005. The battle would result in the two bitter rivals’ careers going in quite different directions. After taking Edge to the limit and nearing an end, Lita interjected herself in the match costing Matt not only the match but his spot on the Raw roster.

After joining SmackDown once again, Matt soon found himself tag team champions along with his rival, the then United States Champion, MVP. Although the pair were not the best of friends, they made very effective champions, even though MVP constantly insisted that he was the entire reason for it. Unfortunately for Matt, MVP's true motive for partnering with him was to keep him from challenging him to his beloved United States Championship. When Matt pushed the issue, MVP double-crossed him and caused Matt a serious injury, forcing him to leave SmackDown once again.

Upon returning from this injury, Matt not only cost MVP the Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania XXIV, but inevitability the United States Championship as well.
In 2008, Hardy was drafted to ECW as part of the WWE Draft. A few months later, at Unforgiven, Hardy satisfied his career-long hunger for a World Title when he won the ECW Championship Scramble Match against Mark Henry, Finlay, Chavo Guerrero and The Miz.
After dropping the ECW Title to Jack Swagger in January 2009, Hardy set his sights on teaching his brother, Jeff, a lesson. To do so, he asked to be released from the Extreme brand to allow a return to SmackDown.

The Fly Man Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy
Height: 6 foot 1
Weight: 225 pounds
From: Cameron, N.C.
Signature Move: Swanton Bomb, Whisper in the Wind, Twist of Fate
Career Highlights: WWE Champion; World Tag Team Champion; Intercontinental Champion; Hardcore Champion; European Champion; Light Heavyweight Champion; WCW Tag Team Champion

Simply put, Jeff Hardy is an artist. His world revolves around writing “emoetry,” recording music (“alternative, alternative music,” according to his brother Matt), and employing tinfoil and paint to craft intimate, personal, and sometimes bizarre works of art. His house is decorated with toys, artificial plants and life-size Japanese fiberglass sculptures. One of his most cherished creations—a thirty-foot “Aluminummy” statue called Neroameee, from Nero, his middle name—stands tall outside his studio.

Still, this artist has always been drawn to another, very different canvas—that of the squared circle. Growing up with Matt in the pinewoods of Cameron, North Carolina, 11-year-old Jeff—influenced by the likes of Ric Flair, the Fabulous Freebirds, and the Rockers—took a ramp he built for his bike and painted it to resemble an entrance stage for his “wrestling ring,” the backyard trampoline. As he grew older, so did his desire to take greater risks, whether it was to feel the rush of executing hundred-foot-high triples on his motorcross bike, or jumping off the roof of his house as a member of the brothers’ “Teenage Wrestling Federation.” It was such fearlessness and desire that would bring the 16-year-old daredevil to World Wrestling Entertainment, and after several years catapult him to worldwide fame and main-event status, first as one-half of WWE’s high-flying “Team Extreme,” The Hardys, then in singles competition.
Though many of his paintings are abstract, this free spirit is a Rembrandt inside the ring, signing his name not with the traditional paintbrush or pen, but with wildly unorthodox, high-impact maneuvers off top ropes and 20-foot ladders. His credo is simple: to create, then surpass his creation.

Unfortunately, most true artists must sink to their lowest point before attaining their greatest heights. For Jeff, the wear-and-tear of living life on the road would help prompt him to leave WWE in 2003. But after a three-year personal journey of refocusing his passion and energies, he now finds himself “in a positive place…and that’s what motivates me.” Since returning to WWE in August 2006, this reinspired risk-taker has gone back to creating the art he loves most—entertaining WWE fans in arenas around the world. And his most extreme masterpiece awaits.

After coming close time after time in his quest to capture his first World Championship - including being forced out of the Survivor Series WWE Championship Triple Threat Match after being found unconscious in a hotel stairwell - Jeff Hardy earned yet another WWE Championship opportunity at Armageddon. After tying Triple H in a Beat the Clock Challenge on SmackDown, Hardy reigned supreme over both Edge and The Game, dropping the Swanton Bomb on the Rated-R Superstar in the culmination of an explosive championship Triple Threat Match.

CM Punk

CM Punk
Height: 6 foot 1
Weight: 222 pounds
From: Chicago
Signature Move: G.T.S. (Go to Sleep); Anaconda Vise
Career Highlights: ECW Champion, World Heavyweight Champion, World Tag Team Champion, Intercontinental Champion

Luck is for losers, at least according to CM Punk. Even though his arm is literally tattooed with good-luck charms, Punk believes you make your own good fortune through hard work and intense preparation.

Growing up in Chicago, the Raw Superstar’s childhood consisted of watching the likes of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka exchange words, then blows. Such heated rivalries helped Punk realize that WWE was where he belonged. Adopting the “straightedge” movement—in which one bases their life around personal development, and avoids drugs, alcohol and a dependency lifestyle — Punk has brought his own style to WWE.


Punk's in-ring repertoire is an assimilation of fighting styles he has learned from his travels around the world. In his WWE pay-per-view debut as a part of Team DX at Survivor Series 2006, Punk brought down the house in Philadelphia where fans showed their respect for his talents.

In 2007, the Straightedge Supertar obtained the ECW Championship by defeating John Morrison on ECW on Sci Fi. In his tenure in the Land of the Extreme, he was considered a top contender and constant threat for whoever was holding the ECW Title.



At WrestleMania 24, Punk won the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, becoming Mr. Money in the Bank. This means that Punk has earned an opportunity to challenge any WWE champion, at any time, through WrestleMania XXV.

On the June 23 edition of Raw, the Straightedge Superstar was drafted from ECW to Raw after World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly defeated ECW's Chavo Guerrero & Bam Neely earning the brand the draft pick.

The Big Show

Big Show
Height: 7 foot
Weight: 441 pounds
From: Tampa, Fla.
Signature Move: Chokeslam; Cobra Clutch Backbreaker
Career Highlights: ECW World Champion, WWE Champion, WCW Champion, World Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, United States Champion

After more than one year away from the ring, Big Show made his long-awaited return to WWE when the immense monster re-emerged at No Way Out 2008 – almost eight years to the date of his debut.

Last seen carrying the ECW Championship in the Land of the Extreme, the self-proclaimed “raw-boned bastard that breaks things and moves the immovable objects” is one of the most dominant forces in WWE history. Returning from a 14-month hiatus, Big Show has once again engulfed WWE with his gargantuan paws and the goliath looks to wreak more carnage than ever before.

Reminiscent of Andre the Giant and Big John Studd before him, the pound-for-pound World's Largest Athlete is a feared competitor who can intimidate an opponent with his size and stare alone. Big Show’s measurements are astounding: 441 pounds; 7-feet of raw girth and might; 22 EEEEE shoe size; 22 1/2 ring size and a 64-inch chest.

Big Show made his in-ring debut in WCW where he left a massive impression as The Giant, and captured the WCW Championship on two occasions, along with the WCW Tag Team Titles. The Giant had an immediate impact in WCW, focusing his attention on some of the biggest icons in the industry, from Hulk Hogan to The “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.

In 1999, the mighty giant became a worldwide star upon signing with WWE. He continued to collide with Superstars of great renown and captured countless titles, including the WWE Championship. From “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to The Rock to Undertaker to Triple H, Big Show has battled and manhandled the top names in all of World Wrestling Entertainment.

The 619 Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio
Height: 5 foot 6
Weight: 175 pounds
From: San Diego
Signature Move: 619; West Coast Pop
Career Highlights: World Heavyweight Championship (WrestleMania 22, 2006); Royal Rumble winner (2006); Cruiserweight Champion; WWE Tag Team Champion; WCW Tag Team Champion; WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Champion

Exploding onto the WWE scene in the mid 1990s, the colorfully masked Rey Mysterio quickly redefined the way the game was played in the ring. From his awe-inspiring West Coast Pop to his trademark 619, Mysterio is on the cutting edge of wrestling excellence. The definitive high-flying Superstar, Mysterio, despite his size, is an innovative underdog that fans of all ages have grown to respect and love.

Rey's impressive Championship resume ranks up there with the all-time greats. His World Championship reign complimented eight Cruiserweight Championships, four WWE Tag Team Championships and one Royal Rumble win.

Becoming a World Champion is something he aspired to do all his life. While growing up in San Diego, Rey Mysterio always wanted to be a wrestling Superstar. As a young teenager, he followed his dreams by training in the unpredictable and high-flying Mexican Lucha Libre style of wrestling. His training and early career in Tijuana, Mexico led him to an even bigger stage – first in ECW and then WCW where he revolutionized the fast, high-impact style you now associate with the master of the 619.

Rey had several memorable matches in his short time with ECW, but his first national exposure came in WCW, where he debuted in early 1996. It didn’t take long for Mysterio to make his mark in WCW, as he defeated Dean Malenko in July ‘96 to capture the first of his eight Cruiserweight Championships.

Rey had many memorable rivalries while in WCW, including ones with Ultimo Dragon, Malenko, Billy Kidman, Psicosis, Juventud, and Kevin Nash. He also recorded the first chapters of storied rivalries which would surface later in his career with future WWE Superstars like Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, and Chris Jericho. Mysterio remained with WCW until the company was purchased by WWE in 2001.

Upon his WWE debut in 2002, Rey joined the SmackDown roster and immediately began a rivalry with Kurt Angle.

Rey’s next big rivalry was with Matt Hardy over the Cruiserweight Championship. The two battled throughout the Spring of 2003 and wrestled an exciting match at WrestleMania 19. The rivalry reached its peak in June 2003 when Rey beat Hardy for the Cruiserweight Championship on Smackdown.


That same Cruiserweight Championship was the focal point of a long series of battles between Mysterio and Tajiri throughout the second half of 2003. The two exchanged the Championship on multiple occasions before Rey took it for good on a January 2004 edition of SmackDown.
Rey’s next challenger for the Cruiserweight Championship was Jamie Noble. Unfortunately for Noble, Rey was able to successfully defend his Championship on each occasion, culminating in another exciting Mysterio victory at the Royal Rumble.

In the Spring of 2004, Rey participated in WrestleMania 20. Madison Square Garden played host to the Cruiserweight Championship Open. Rey fell short as Chavo Guerrero successfully defended his Championship, but the groundwork was laid for Rey’s next rivalry.
The rivalry with Chavo Guerrero Jr. consumed the middle months of 2004, as the two battled frequently on SmackDown. The rivalry even saw the appearance of Chavo father, Chavo Classic. A freak occurrence in a handicap match saw Chavo Classic accidentally win the Cruiserweight Championship from his son, only to lose it to Rey Mysterio shortly thereafter. The victory marked Rey’s eigth Cruiserweight Championship.

The end of 2004 saw Rey turn his attention to the tag team ranks. Mysterio and his tag team partner Rob Van Dam challenged Renee Dupree and Kenzo Suzuki for the World Tag Team Championships. A late December edition of SmackDown saw Mysterio and RVD capture the Championships and then successfully defend it in a rematch at Armageddon.

The beginning of 2005 saw the start of one of more popular rivalries of the year. Only, it didn’t begin as a rivalry. Rey Mysterio and the late, great Eddie Guerrero successfully captured the WWE Tag Team Championship by defeating the Bashams at No Way Out. The duo defended their Championship successfully through the months leading up to WrestleMania 21. Rey and Eddie split up for one night only at WrestleMania, as they competed against each other in singles action in what was the first ever matchup of Tag Team Champions. Rey won a hard fought contest in which both competitors pulled out all the stops.

The following months exposed the rift between the tag team partners. Rey and Eddie lost their WWE Tag Team Championship to MNM in April 2005. A frustrated Eddie blamed Rey for the loss, and the partners-turned-enemies embarked on the rivalry which took them through the summer, and left an indelible mark on SmackDown. Mysterio won every battle including memorable matches at Judgment Day, The Great American Bash, and a Ladder Match at Summerslam. The Ladder Match was for custody of Rey’s son Dominick after Eddie had revealed to the world that he was, in fact, Dominick’s father. After months and months of trying, Eddie finally got a win over Rey in a cage match on a September edition of SmackDown.

After an emotional series with Eddie Guerrero, Rey turned his attention towards defending the honor of his home show, SmackDown. At Survivor Series, SmackDown and RAW met in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match. With Rey’s help, SmackDown came out victorious over RAW, claiming immediate bragging rights between the shows for the year to come.

After Survivor Series, the rivalry with RAW continued for Rey Mysterio as he became the subject of the RAW Tag Team Champions, Kane and Big Show’s frustration. Smackdown’s World Heavyweight Champion, Batista, came to Rey’s rescue, and a match was made between the teams for Armageddon. Just days before on SmackDown, Rey and Batista beat MNM for the WWE Tag Team Championship, making the match at Armageddon a battle of Tag Champions. After falling short at Armageddon, Rey and Batista lost the Championship back to MNM on SmackDown.

The tragic loss of his good friend Eddie Guerrero shortly before Survivor Series seemed to put Rey’s focus in a different direction. After Armageddon, Rey decided to pursue a lifelong goal, to win the World Heavyweight Championship, and do it in Eddie’s honor. Rey’s first crack at the Championship came on SmackDown in a 20 Man Battle Royal for Batista’s vacated World Heavyweight Championship. Rey lasted to the final three men, only to be eliminated by Mark Henry. Kurt Angle would go on to claim the World Heavyweight Championship, leaving Rey just short of his dream.

Rey’s next chance to fight for the World Heavyweight Championship came at the Royal Rumble. His goal was the same, to honor his fallen friend by winning the Rumble, and going on to headline WrestleMania 22, just like Eddie had done two years earlier. However, Rey learned early on that it wouldn’t be easy as he drew the No. 2, and was forced to start the match against Triple H. Rey would not be deterred, as he courageously defied the odds, winning the Royal Rumble, and in the process, setting a Rumble record for longest time in the ring at well over one hour.

At WrestleMania 22, Rey Mysterio showed the world that dreams really do come true. Coming into the event, no one thought he could walk out of Chicago as the World Heavyweight Champion. Mysterio was no stranger to playing the role of the underdog, so he was right at home when he faced Kurt Angle and Randy Orton in a Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Rey was overpowered early in the match, but he showed persistence and fought back. Mysterio utilized his unique blend of quickness and agility as he soared through the air hitting the Legend Killer with a West Coast Pop into a pinning combination. Just like that, the undersized Mysterio was the World Champion.

As World Champion, Rey Mysterio went through hell and back, and somehow, the biggest underdog Champion in WWE history endured beatings from Kane, Mark Henry, The Great Khali, Finlay, Kurt Angle and JBL.

Rey Mysterio's dream came to an abrupt end at The Great American Bash as Rey's close friend, Chavo Guerrero, cost Mysterio his livelihood: the World Championship. Seemingly about to strike Rey's opponent, King Booker, with a chair, Chavo swung at Rey and laid out the Champion for Booker to get the win and steal the World Championship. Not only did Mysterio lose his very precious World Championship, but he also lost his closest ally in Chavo Guerrero.

After recovering from an injury suffered at the massive hands of Big Show, Rey is now competing on Raw for the first time. In a short time, the WWE Universe has already come to recognize the Ultimate Underdog as an integral part of their Monday Nights, and their respect for him is sure to do nothing but grow as he continues to represent the 619 with his renowned high-flying maneuvers.

The Heart Break Kid Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels
Height: 6 foot 1
Weight: 225 pounds
From: San Antonio
Signature Move: Sweet Chin Music
Career Highlights: WWE Champion; World Heavyweight Champion; Royal Rumble winner (1995 & 1996); Intercontinental Champion; World Tag Team Champion; European Champion
Associates: Triple H
Trained By: Jose Lothario

Sports-entertainment has seen its share of immortals. There have been icons, some Great Ones, a few Olympians and a whole lot of legends. But there has only been one Showstopper, and he is Shawn Michaels.

In an industry where the hyperbole is the norm, there may not be enough ways to describe HBK. He is truly incomparable. Michaels has made a career of stealing the show – competing in matches that are talked about for years. His rivalries over a career spanning more than 20 years are truly the stuff of legends.

Michaels first started revolutionizing the sport during his partnership with Marty Jannetty as The Rockers. Their wars with “Playboy” Buddy Rose & Doug Sommers in the AWA and then the subsequent rivalries with The Hart Foundation and The Brain Busters in WWE changed the face of tag team wrestling and captured the imagination of our fans. Arguably, Michaels could have gone down as one of the greats if he had chosen to stay primarily in tag team competition. But HBK knew he could become an all-time great. One superkick to Jannetty during Brutus Beefcake’s Barber Shop closed the door on a popular partnership and opened another to Michaels’ legend.



HBK’s career can’t be just measured in titles, even though his trophy case is spilling over. He was WWE’s first-ever Grand slam Champion, holding the European Championship, World Tag Team Championship, the Intercontinental Title and WWE Championship. He, along with Triple H, co-founded one of the greatest factions of all time, D-Generation X, whose popularity and anti-establishment philosophy continue to capture the imagination of our fans today.

Perhaps the greatest measure of Michaels’ legacy is his uncanny ability to perform his best on the biggest stages. He has won the Royal Rumble Match twice and has headlined WrestleMania more times than the Immortal Hulk Hogan. HBK didn’t compete in the first Ladder Match, but he put them on the map with his WrestleMania X war against Razor Ramon over the Intercontinental Championship. He didn’t win the match, but at the end of the night, no one was talking about the loss. They were talking about Michaels and the amazing risks he took during the bout.

Students of the sports-entertainment game continued to talk about The Showstopper's performances in many WrestleManias that followed – from an unbelievable clash with John Cena for the WWE Championship in 2007 to HBK's emotional confrontation with the "Nature Boy" at WrestleMania XXIV, ultimately Ric Flair's last match.

Owning the spotlight has been a common theme throughout Michaels’ life. Even as a little boy growing up in Texas, he wanted to be the star of the show. At age 12, he saw his first wrestling match and knew he wanted to become a professional wrestler. Michaels became a stand-out linebacker and a captain on his high school team. Upon graduating, he attended Southwest Texas State University, but soon realized that college wasn’t the path he wanted to follow. He began chasing his dream to become a WWE Superstar.



But success didn’t come overnight. Early in his career, Michaels had doubters, skeptics who said he was too small to become a World Champion. But he, along with his bitter rival Bret “Hit Man” Hart, overcame incredible odds and proved that skilled wrestlers did not need to be giants to succeed in sports-entertainment. Even when WWE struggled early in the Monday Night Wars against WCW in the late 1990s and its Superstars jumped ship to the competition, HBK stayed and carried the company on his shoulders as champion. He helped lay the foundation that eventually enabled WWE – and Superstars such as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H and Mankind – to overcome WCW in the Monday Night Wars.

A serious back injury put HBK on the sidelines for four years between 1998 and 2002. During that time Michaels healed and overcame personal demons to find peace in his life. Amazingly, he returned to the ring better than ever, defeating Triple H in a Street Fight at SummerSlam, and then eventually winning the World Heavyweight Championship.

The Game and HBK have been the worst of enemies, spilling buckets of blood in one of WWE’s most memorable rivalries. But their wars have only made them the best of friends; it’s difficult to imagine these DX cohorts teaming with anyone else. Triple H, who does not give praise easily, sums up Michaels’ legacy like this:
“If you were to ask me who’s the greatest I’ve ever been in the ring with, that’s easy. It’s Shawn.”

Though more than 30 years have passed since he saw his first wrestling match, HBK is still a 12-year-old boy at heart, daring to dream. He’s still tuning up the band and delighting audiences with Sweet Chin Music. Even after the show finally ends for good, Michaels will still be the Icon … the Showstopper … the Main Event.

The Game Triple H

Triple H
Height: 6 foot 4
Weight: 255 pounds
From: Greenwich, Conn.
Signature Move: Pedigree
Career Highlights: WWE Champion, World Heavyweight Champion, Intercontinental Champion, World Tag Team Champion, European Champion, King of the Ring (1997), Royal Rumble winner (2002)
Associates: Shawn Michaels
WWE Debut: May 1995
Trained By: Killer Kowalski

For a moment, forget all the monikers and catch phrases. Overlook the seemingly countless championships and tournaments he has won. Ignore the fact that he has spearheaded two of the most important factions in WWE history, and overcome what the pundits considered a career-ending injuries. You need only two words to properly sum up Triple H: The Game

Strong words, especially when one considers the King of Kings was once a 135-pound “beanpole” from Nashua, N.H. But when he received a free one-week membership for a small local gym one summer day, the 14-year-old “gangly” teen’s life changed forever. For the next three years, he spent nearly every day in that gym, developing every muscle in his body and transforming himself into a six-foot-four, 210-pound powerhouse. He entered — and won — numerous regional bodybuilding competitions, including the prestigious Teen Mr. New Hampshire title at the age of 19. Yet The Game himself admits, “I never seriously considered becoming a pro bodybuilder…My dream was World Wrestling Entertainment.”

Enrolling in Walter “Killer” Kowalski’s Pro Wrestling School in Malden, Mass., the future Cerebral Assassin trained four days a week under Kowalski’s “tough love” tutelage, then divided his weekends between wrestling in the independent circuit and managing a Gold’s Gym in Nashua. Almost inconceivably, he would have to fly himself down to Atlanta in 1993, to convince then-new VP Eric Bischoff that he was “good enough” to join the World Championship Wrestling roster. Fortunately, the unlimited potential he showed at World Championship Wrestling quickly got him noticed at World Wrestling Entertainment; by May 1995, “Hunter Hearst-Helmsley” (a name which soon became more identifiable as Triple H) would make his WWE debut. And the rest, as they say, is history.

More than 20 years after entering that small Nashua gym, Triple H maintains the strictest of training regimens, incorporating techniques from world-renowned fitness trainers like Charles Glass. Such dedication has provided him with the fortitude to become a Grand Slam champion; the wisdom to shepherd the “Evolution” of then-newcomers Randy Orton and Batista to WWE Superstardom; the charisma to star in feature films, television shows, and commercials; and the stamina to pull countless sophomoric pranks on Mr. McMahon as a founder of D-Generation X. And it’s precisely what makes him “that damn good.”