Early career (Late 1990s – 2000) Punk’s first venture into wrestling was a stint in a backyard wrestling federation called the Lunatic Wrestling Federation with his friends and brother Mike Brooks in the mid-late 1990s. He first started using the ring name CM Punk when he was put into a tag team named the Chick Magnets with CM Venom after another performer skipped out on the card. He soon left the federation and enrolled as a student at the “Steel Dominion” wrestling school in… [Continue Reading]

Training (2000–2001) John Cena started training to become a professional wrestler in 2000 at the California-based “Ultimate University” operated by Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW). Once he was placed into an in-ring role, Cena began using a semi-robotic character known as The Prototype. While in UPW, Cena held the UPW Heavyweight Championship for just shy of a month in April 2000. In 2001, he signed a developmental contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was assigned to its developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW)…. [Continue Reading]

Feud with The Undertaker (1997–2000) Following the Undertaker’s WWF Championship victory over Sycho Sid at WrestleMania 13, Paul Bearer attempted to reunite with The Undertaker after a long period of mutual hostility, using the threat of revealing The Undertaker’s “biggest secret”. When The Undertaker refused to once again become aligned with Bearer, Bearer began tormenting him by telling him that his long-lost half-brother, Kane (later revealed as Bearer’s son), was coming to the WWF to challenge him. After months of hype and speculation Kane… [Continue Reading]

Amateur Wrestling Career Angle started amateur wrestling at the age of six. He attended Mt. Lebanon High School, where he won varsity letters in football and wrestling and was an All-State linebacker. He went undefeated on the freshman wrestling team at Mt. Lebanon High and qualified for the state wrestling tournament his sophomore year. Angle also placed third in the state wrestling tournament as a junior and was the 1987 Pennsylvania State Wrestling Champion as a senior. Upon graduating from high school, Angle attended… [Continue Reading]

Training (1995–1996) Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson began training to become a wrestler in 1995. Along with his father and grandfather, several members of Johnson’s family are current and former professional wrestlers, including his uncles, the Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika Anoa’i) and cousins, such as Manu, Yokozuna, Rikishi, Rosey, and Umaga. When he declared his intention to join the family business, his father resisted, but agreed to train his son himself, warning him that he would not go easy on him. With help from… [Continue Reading]

Debut and various feuds (1990–1994) Undertaker made his WWF debut as “Kane the Undertaker” at a taping of WWF Superstars on November 19, 1990. The appearance of The Undertaker’s first Deadman persona was modelled after a mortician from old Western movies, wearing a trench coat and black hat with grey gloves and boot covers. Under this Deadman persona, he was portrayed as impervious to pain. Undertaker made his official on-camera debut on November 22 at Survivor Series as a heel when he was the… [Continue Reading]