Sean Waltman
| Sean Waltman | |
|---|---|
| File:Seanwaltman-tna.jpg | |
| Born | July 13, 1972 Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The 1-2-3 Kid, The Cannonball Kid, The Lightning Kid, The Kid, The Kamikaze Kid, Mizark Henry, Pac, Sean Waltman, Syxx, Syxx-Pac, X, X-Pac |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Billed weight | 215 lb (102 kg) |
| Trained by | Boris Malenko, Joe Malenko, Eddie Sharkey |
| Debut | 1990 |
Sean Waltman (born July 13, 1972 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American professional wrestler.
Waltman is perhaps best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring names The 1-2-3 Kid and X-Pac, and with World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Syxx. Since leaving Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in January 2006, Waltman has wrestled on the independent circuit under his real name and under the ring name Syxx-Pac.
Career
After training under Eddie Sharkey, Joe Malenko, and Boris Malenko, Waltman began his career as The Lightning Kid, working his way through various independent organizations such as Pro Wrestling America (PWA) and the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), winning both the PWA Light Heavyweight title and the GWF Light Heavyweight Championship. Throughout the early part of his career, Waltman worked extensively with future Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) star Jerry Lynn in both North America and Japan. The duo would even team up to win two PWA Tag Team titles in the spring of 1993.
World Wrestling Federation (1993-1995)
When he arrived in the World Wrestling Federation he was made a jobber and given a number of different names such as The Kid and the Kamikaze Kid. After a few months of this he suddenly won an "upset" over (his real-life friend) Razor Ramon on the May 17, 1993 episode of WWF Monday Night RAW. Upon his win he renamed himself 1-2-3 Kid, a name referencing his three-count pinfall over Ramon. This win and the Kid were worked into Ramon's feud with Ted DiBiase with DiBiase taunting Ramon repeatedly over losing to a nobody until he too was pinned by the Kid.
For the next two years Waltman's character played the role of the natural underdog and displayed a rebellious attitude until the RAW before Survivor Series '95 where he was the special ref in a match between Razor Ramon and Sycho Sid and turned heel. While Razor was attempting the Razor's Edge, his finishing maneuver, The Kid pulled Sid down and fast counted Razor, giving Sid the win. Doing this, he joined the Ted DiBiases Million Dollar Corporation. The 1-2-3 Kid would remain with this faction until the end of Waltman's first WWF run.
World Championship Wrestling (1996-1997)
He continued using the 1-2-3 Kid name until his departure for World Championship Wrestling in 1996. Upon joining WCW he immediatley became a part of the nWo. To play upon his previous gimmick of the 1-2-3 Kid, he was given the name Syxx, supposedly as he was the sixth member of the nWo, or as a joke on his old name (1+2+3=6 or also 1x2x3=6).
In April 1997, while a member of the nWo, he won the WCW Cruiserweight Championship and began a feud with Ric Flair which lasted several months. In June 1997, he would drop the Cruiserweight Title to Chris Jericho at a non-televised webcasted house show in Los Angeles, California minutes after a successful defense aganist Rey Misterio Jr..
During that October, Waltman injured his neck and was forced out of action. While he was out injured, he was fired by then WCW President Eric Bischoff (reportedly by means of Fed-Ex) as a show of force to keep the more popular Scott Hall and Kevin Nash in check due to locker room instability caused by the three.
World Wrestling Federation (1998-2002)
Waltman returned to WWF programming on March 30, 1998, the night after Wrestlemania XIV. With Shawn Michaels out of action following his title loss and back injury, Triple H was now the leader of D-Generation X. In a promo, he stated that he was forming a DX army and "when you start an army, you look to your blood...you look to your buddies...you look to your friends...you look to the Clique." Waltman appeared on the stage as announcer Jim Ross sarcastically replied "Well look who's back." Waltman immediately cut a promo on Bischoff and Hulk Hogan, as well as claiming that if contractually free to do so, Hall and Nash would have been joining him in returning to the WWF.
Up to this point in the Monday Night Wars, wrestlers only jumped from the WWF to the big money, guaranteed deals available in WCW. Waltman's return proved that it was a two-way street. This heated promo actually prompted Bischoff to respond on Nitro the following week, telling Waltman "Bite me."
Following that RAW, Waltman was initially being billed as "The Kid" on the World Wrestling Federation homepage, but became known as "X-Pac" by the next broadcast (a multiple reference to: his departure from "The Wolfpac" aka Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and himself ie "Ex-(Wolf)pac" as well as his reported love for rap music, mostly by the late Tupac Shakur), a direct reference to D-Generation X and a variation of the unofficial (un-trademarked) nickname of "Syxx-Pac" he was sometimes referred to by Nash during his WCW tenure.
As a member of DX, Waltman feuded with many wrestlers such as Jeff Jarrett, and he would eventually win the European Championship from D'Lo Brown in 1998. Brown and Waltman traded the title a couple of times with Waltman ultimately winning the championship at Judgment Day in October 1998. Waltman held the European Championship until February of 1999 when he lost the title to Shane McMahon. At WrestleMania XV in 1999, Waltman had a rematch with McMahon for the European Championship, but Triple H turned on him and cost Waltman the title.
A few weeks after WrestleMania Waltman formed a tag team with Kane; a mute, brooding, menacing loner. Waltman and Kane would go on to hold the WWF Tag Team Championship two times. After DX was reunited in late 1999 Waltman led Kane to believe that he would be inducted into DX, but instead betrayed him and eventually (kayfabe) stole his girfriend, Tori.
Waltman would then pair off with Road Dogg against Triple H and Billy Gunn in a split of DX over the principles of the stable. Waltman and Road Dogg wanted DX to be about rebellion while Triple H and Billy Gunn wanted it to be about making money.
In the summer of 2000, Waltman would go on to feud with fellow DX member Road Dogg and Chris Jericho. He would be out of action for three months due to a neck injury in the fall of that same year.
Upon his return to action, Waltman found himself without a storyline. His most notable actions in the next two years were forming the short-lived stable X-Factor along with Justin Credible and Albert. During this time, he won the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship and unified it with the WCW Cruiserweight Championship held by Billy Kidman. When X-Factor broke up due to Credible joining The WCW/ECW Alliance, he would feud with Kidman and Tajiri during his title reigns until he had to take time off for another injury. The WWF Light Heavyweight Championship was vacated to be brought back as the WWF Cruiserweight Championship.
When Hall, Nash and Hogan returned to the WWF in 2002 and Hogan's nostalgic popularity required that he be turfed from the latest incarnation of the nWo, Waltman, who had been out with an injury, returned and immediately attacked Hogan, claiming he had been waiting three years to do so, stemming from shoot comments from Hogan on WCW Monday Nitro after he was fired that he couldn't "cut the mustard". This storyline was immediately dropped.
During the nWo's feud with the tag team of Booker T and Goldust, Booker was set to take the next step in his WWE evolution to the main event level. To achieve this end, he was booked to beat nWo member Waltman in a short feud between the two. Waltman refused to lose to Booker as he thought himself to be the bigger star and the bigger draw. This, combined with an incident at an airport where he collapsed for "unknown reasons", led to Waltman being released by WWE and nWo member The Big Show taking his place in the feud.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2002-2003, 2005-2006)
Waltman joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling upon leaving the WWE and began using the name Syxx-Pac, another play on previous stage names (and because WWE still owns the name X-Pac). Waltman left TNA in November 2002 after Vince Russo (whom Waltman disliked) joined the promotion.
On TNA's first anniversary pay-per-view A.J. Styles with Vince Russo was to team with a mystery partner against Jeff Jarrett and a returning Sting. Before annoucing the mystery opponent Russo described him as a "scumbag", a "degenerate", and a "scum of the Earth", he also said he was just like him. Russo then announced the shocking return of Sean Waltman, "Syxx-Pac". Waltman and Styles lost the match.
Sean Waltman also wrestled for XPW, during its dying days in early 2003. He first went by the name "Pac" and then later, "X". He won the XPW Television Title.
Russo left TNA in November 2004, and Waltman returned to TNA on February 13, 2005 at Against All Odds, attacking Jeff Jarrett during his NWA World Heavyweight Championship match with Waltman's friend Kevin Nash. Nash, Waltman and Diamond Dallas Page formed an alliance against Planet Jarrett (Jarrett, The Outlaw and Monty Brown) which disbanded when Nash and Page left TNA to focus on their respective acting careers.
On June 19 at Slammiversary, Waltman took part in a five man King of the Mountain match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. In the course of the match, Waltman confronted the incumbent and defending champion, A.J. Styles. This eventually led to a match between Styles and Waltman at No Surrender 2005, which Styles won after guest referee Jerry Lynn prevented Waltman from cheating. Waltman confronted Lynn the following week on iMPACT!, and later challenged his former partner to a match at Sacrifice. After Lynn won the match with a victory roll, Waltman attacked him and endeavoured to reinjure his shoulder. After Sacrifice, Waltman was partnered with Alex Shelley and together they won the 2005 Chris Candido Cup. As a result of their tournament victory, Waltman and Shelley received a shot at the NWA World Tag Team Championships at TNA Unbreakable. However at Unbreakable, Waltman was announced as having no-showed the event. He was subsequently not heard from until September 19, when he was reported to have contacted a family member in Florida. Waltman made two appearances for Full Impact Pro in October 2005, defeating Jimmy Rave on October 7 and teaming with Azrieal to lose to Rave and Austin Aries the following night.
Waltman made a surprise return to TNA on January 15, 2006 at TNA Final Resolution 2006, defeating Raven. Sean Waltman has confirmed that TNA has discontinued using him.
Wrestling Society X (2006-)
In February 2006, Waltman joined MTVs newly formed Wrestling Society X promotion. At the inaugural WSX tapings on February 9, 2006, Waltman (wrestling as Syxx-Pac) faced nine other wrestlers in a hardcore battle royal ladder match, which both Waltman and Vampiro won by climbing the ladder to take possession of WSX contracts.
Wrestling facts
- Finishing and signature moves
- X-Factor / Syxx-Factor (Sit out facebuster)
- Bronco Buster
- Buzz Killer (Chickenwing hold)
- Backhand chop
- Moonsault
- Roundhouse kick
- Somersault flying clothesline
- Spinning heel-kick
- Managers
Championships and accomplishments
- Global Wrestling Federation
- Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
- 1-time MEWF Light-Heavyweight Champion
- Pro Wrestling America
- 2-time PWA Light Heavyweight Champion
- 1-time PWA Iron Horse Television Champion
- 1-time PWA Tag Team Champion (with Jerry Lynn)
- 1-time TNA X-Division Champion
- 2005 Chris Candido Cup winner (with Alex Shelley)
- 1-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion
- 2-time WWF European Champion
- 1-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion
- 2-time WWF Light Heavyweight Champion
- Waltman is the only person to have won the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship and the TNA X Division Championship.
- 4-time WWF World Tag Team Champion (1-time with Marty Jannetty, 1-time with Bob Holly, 2-time with Kane)
- 1-time XPW Television Champion
Championship succession
Personal life
Waltman was engaged to Joanie Laurer, who formerly played the role of Chyna in the WWF, but the relationship ended after she accused Waltman of domestic violence. Before the couple split they filmed a sex tape which was later released under the name 1 Night in China in late 2004. Since WWE still owned the rights of the name Chyna, the video included live shots of Waltman in China walking over the Great Wall to spare Red Light District Video any legal issues.
In March 2005, Waltman appeared on the VH1 reality TV show The Surreal Life when he visited Laurer in a drunken attempt to reconcile with her. He was eventually forcibly ejected from the house by the other guests.
During his WCW / WWF stints, Waltman was married to a woman named Terri. He has two children, a son Jesse and a daughter Kaitlyn.
Waltman was a member of The Clique, and remains friends with most of the other Clique members. However, his relationship with Chyna led to tension between Waltman and Triple H, who had dated Chyna several years before.
External links
