Charles Doyle Haas II (born March 27, 1972) is an American

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and sk ...

and former

amateur wrestler Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced in collegiate, school, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the ...

. He is best known for his time in

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

(WWE) from 2000-2009 and

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was s ...

(ROH) from 2010-2013. In WWE he was a member of Team Angle, which later became a Tag Team duo with

Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under his real name. He is also known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wres ...

known as "The World's Greatest Tag Team". Haas was an amateur wrestler in high school, and attended

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesa ...

on a wrestling scholarship, before becoming a stockbroker. He became a professional wrestler in 1996, and regularly teamed with his brother, Russ, with the two winning numerous championships on the independent circuit, including the

CZW World Tag Team Championship The CZW World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned and copyrighted by the Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) promotion; it is contested for in their tag team division. It was created and debuted on Februa ...

and the JAPW Tag Team Championship. After signing contracts with WWE, The Haas Brothers were assigned to WWE's developmental territories, where they won the MCW Southern Tag Team Championship on three occasions. After Russ died in 2001 due to a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

, Haas began wrestling in singles competition, winning the HWA Heavyweight Championship once. Haas formed a team with

and the two debuted on ''SmackDown'' in December 2002. They won the

WWE Tag Team Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...

twice, and dubbed themselves The World's Greatest Tag Team before they split in 2004. Haas won the WWE Tag Team Championship once more with Rico, and gained Miss Jackie, whom he later married, as a

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "valet ...

. Haas then transferred into singles competition before being released from WWE in 2005. After a short stint in

Jersey All Pro Wrestling Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) was an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey, United States. History 1997 Jersey All Pro Wrestling was an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia and Angel Surita ...

(JAPW) and other independent promotions, Haas was re-signed to WWE in April 2006. He formed a short-lived team with

Viscera In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a f ...

, before reforming the World's Greatest Tag Team with Benjamin. After Benjamin transferred to the ECW brand, Haas began wrestling with a comical luchador persona, before developing a character where he imitated other wrestlers and

WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously i ...

rs. In addition, Haas won the last match on ''

WWE Heat ''WWE Heat'' (formerly known as ''Sunday Night Heat'' and also known as ''Heat'') is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and aired from August 2, 1998 to May 30, 2008. Ori ...

'' when the show ended on May 30, 2008. Haas was released from WWE in February 2010. He soon returned to the independent circuit, including returning to JAPW and appearing for Ring of Honor. In September 2010, he won the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship. On April 1, 2011, Haas and Benjamin won the

ROH World Tag Team Championship The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, i ...

and held it until December 2011. Haas announced his retirement from professional wrestling in March 2013, but returned to competition in August that same year. Aside from wrestling, Haas and his then-wife Jackie ran a nutritional store, Custom Muscle Nutrition and Smoothie Shop, in

Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in Collin and Denton counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Its population was 200,509 at the 2 ...

, which they opened in October 2008 but has since closed.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1996–2000)

After debuting in 1996 as a professional wrestler, Haas regularly teamed with his brother Russ for numerous

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

promotions. On July 22, 1998, The Haas Brothers won the Jersey All Pro Wrestling Tag Team Championship by defeating The Skin Head Express. They lost it to The Nation of Immigration just over a month later on August 25. They won the championship for the second time on May 21, 1999, by defeating The Big Unit (Rick Silver and Dave Desire), and held the championship until February 25, 2000 when they were defeated by Da Hit Squad. During 2000 they also held the Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship and the ECWA Tag Team Championship in the

East Coast Wrestling Association East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to ...

promotion, which they won by defeating The Backseat Boyz (

Trent Acid Michael Verdi (November 12, 1980 – June 18, 2010), best known by his ring name Trent Acid, was an American professional wrestler. He worked as a tag team wrestler for most of his career, primarily as part of The Backseat Boyz with Johnny Kashm ...

and

Johnny Kashmere John Kashmer (born November 6, 1978), better known by the ring name Johnny Kashmere, is an American professional wrestler. Kashmere has competed in Ring of Honor, Combat Zone Wrestling, Assault Championship Wrestling, and NWA New Jersey, and in ...

). The Haas brothers began competing for

Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent wrestling promotion. In 1998, John Zandig and five of his students, Ric Blade, T.C.K, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain, along with trainer Jon Dahmer, began to run professional wrestling ...

(CZW) in November 1999, losing to The King Pinz at ''The War Begins'' on November 20, 1999. They competed regularly for CZW throughout early 2000, and won the

on February 12 at ''Climbing The Ladder'' by defeating The Kashmerino Brothers and The Thrill Kill Kult in a three-way match. On July 10, they lost the championship to The Backseat Boyz at ''Caged To The End'', when Johnny Kashmere defeated Russ in a singles match and was awarded the championship.

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (2000–2005)

After a

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

(WWF) tryout match at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

on August 7, 2000, they signed a developmental contract with WWF. The two worked their way through the tag ranks in the WWF's developmental territories,

Memphis Championship Wrestling Memphis Championship Wrestling (MCW) was a professional wrestling promotion run by Terry Golden, based in Memphis, Tennessee. The promotion's first event was on February 20, 2000, and it remained active until mid-2001. It was employed as a Worl ...

(MCW) and the Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA). The brothers won the MCW Southern Tag Team Championship three times during early 2001, defeating The Dupps the first time and The Island Boyz and Joey Matthews and Christian York in a three-way match on both the second and third occasions. Russ died from a

due to a pre-existing heart condition, on December 15, 2001 at age 27. The brothers fought in house shows and dark matches in the WWF up until Russ died. After Russ' death, Charlie continue to fight in dark matches. After Russ' death as a tribute to him, Haas wrote Russ' name on his wrist tape, and used the name "R.C. Haas" (standing for Russ–Charlie) before being called up to the main WWE roster. On January 2, 2002, Haas won the HWA Heavyweight Championship, his first singles championship, by defeating Val Venis. He was later stripped of the title on January 29 due to a scripted contract loophole. After

(renamed from the WWF) ended its affiliation with the HWA, Haas was moved to

Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg. ...

(OVW) where he competed until December 2002. Haas debuted on WWE's main roster on the December 26, 2002 episode of '' SmackDown!'' as a

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exer ...

(villainous character) along with

as Team Angle. The tag team was the "contingency plan" of

Paul Heyman Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former promoter, photographer, and executive. He is currently signed to WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand as manager for Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweig ...

, and were intended to help WWE Champion

Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...

retain his title, attacking

Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit (; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestlin ...

and

Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...

in an attempt to soften them up. They quickly won the

on February 6, 2003, by defeating

Los Guerreros Los Guerreros (English: The Warriors) was an American professional wrestling tag team, which consisted of Eddie Guerrero and his nephew Chavo Guerrero Jr. Both wrestlers were members of the Guerrero family. They wrestled as a team in World Champio ...

( Eddie and

Chavo Guerrero Jr. Salvador Guerrero IV (born October 20, 1970) better known by his ring names Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero Jr., is an American professional wrestler. He has previously worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Federatio ...

). They held the championship for three months, including a successful title defense at WrestleMania XIX against Los Guerreros and the team of

and

Rhyno Terrance Guido Gerin (born October 7, 1975) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Rhyno or Rhino. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is one-half of the Impact World Tag Team Champions in his secon ...

, before losing the championship to Eddie Guerrero and his new partner Tajiri in a

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

on May 18 at

Judgment Day The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

. On the June 12 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Angle fired Haas and Benjamin after they blamed him for losing the Tag Team Championship and began to question his leadership. The duo then dubbed themselves The World's Greatest Tag Team, although announcers made sure to add "Self Proclaimed" to the name. Haas and Benjamin regained the championship from Guerrero and Tajiri on the July 3 episode of ''SmackDown!'', but lost it to the reformed Los Guerreros on September 18. The team was separated when Benjamin was moved to the Raw

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

as part of the 2004 Draft Lottery. Haas, Rico and Jackie

After Benjamin's draft, Haas turned into a fan favorite and gained Miss Jackie as a

. He teamed with Rico to win the WWE Tag Team Championship on April 22, 2004. The pair lost the championship to the

Dudley Boyz The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family ...

on June 17, and shortly afterwards, Haas became a singles wrestler, although he retained Miss Jackie as his valet. Haas lost a match to Luther Reigns at the

Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Created by Dusty Rhodes, the event was established in 1985 and was originally produced by the Nationa ...

. Haas was later involved in an

angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two rays, called the '' sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the ''vertex'' of the angle. Angles formed by two rays lie in the plane that contains the rays. Angles ...

in which he was in a love triangle with Miss Jackie, who was acknowledged on-screen as his fiancée, and Dawn Marie. The storyline culminated when Haas served as the special-guest referee in a match at

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

between the two women. After the match, Haas left both women in storyline, although he continued his relationship with Miss Jackie off-screen. In early 2005, he formed a tag team with

Hardcore Holly Robert William Howard (born January 29, 1963) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former auto racer and wrestling trainer/ host, better known by the ring name Hardcore Holly or Bob Holly. He is best known for his 16-year career wit ...

. They were involved in a

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one par ...

(scripted rivalry) with MNM for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but never won the championship. On July 8, 2005, Haas was released by

along with his real-life wife Jackie Gayda.

Independent circuit (2005–2006)

He returned to JAPW later in July 2005, and began a feud for the JAPW Heavyweight Championship with Jay Lethal. On September 10 at ''JAPW Haas of Pain'', Lethal defeated Haas to retain his title. In JAPW, on October 27, 2007, Haas was inducted along with his late brother Russ into the first class of the Jersey All Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. He won the New Legacy Championship at ''Ballpark Brawl V'' on August 13, 2005, defeating then-champion

Christopher Daniels Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kn ...

and

Chris Sabin Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982), better known by his ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, and is also known for his work in Ring of Honor. After being trained by Scot ...

in a triple threat match. He successfully defended the title the next night at ''Ballpark Brawl VI'' against Harry Smith with

Mick Foley Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American actor, author, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE under the company's Legends program, acting as a company ambassador. Foley worked for m ...

as a referee. During his time back in the independent circuit, Haas competed in the East Coast Wrestling Association's (ECWA) Super 8 Tournament in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

, where he advanced all the way to the finals before losing to

Davey Richards Wesley David Richards (born March 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), under the ring name Davey Richards, and is the current MLW National Openweight Champion in his first reign. ...

Return to WWE (2006–2010)

Singles competition (2006)

Haas returned to WWE in 2006, appearing on the April 17, 2006, episode of ''Raw'' as

Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...

's handpicked opponent for his former partner, Shelton Benjamin. Haas defeated Benjamin in the ensuing match. Haas continued to wrestle on the lower midcard spot, becoming a regular fixture on ''

Heat In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is ...

''. On the June 5, 2006 episode of ''Raw'', Haas inadvertently knocked

Lilian Garcia Lilián Annette Garcia (born August 19, 1966) is a Spanish-American ring announcer, singer and podcaster best known for her time with WWE. She is currently announcing for the Professional Fighters League (PFL).Doyle, Dave"Former WWE ring announce ...

off the ring apron as he was entering the ring. It was announced on WWE's official website that as a result, Garcia suffered a

sprain A sprain, also known as a torn ligament, is an acute soft tissue injury of the ligaments within a joint, often caused by a sudden movement abruptly forcing the joint to exceed its functional range of motion. Ligaments are tough, inelastic fiber ...

ed wrist. As a result of the legitimate accident, Haas began a feud with Garcia's onetime storyline love interest

. Haas made advances towards Garcia, at one point forcefully kissing her and then dropping her to the ground. Haas and Viscera continued to fight for Garcia's affection in the ring, until she told them both that she wanted to be "just friends". Haas gave Viscera an eye rake in anger, and a blinded Viscera accidentally gave Garcia a

Samoan drop Samoan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Samoan Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean ** Something of, from, or related to Samoa, a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands ** Something of, from, ...

. Though it was unintentional, when both Haas and Viscera had seen what had happened to their now former love interest, they simply had a laugh about it, thus making Haas a

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. '' Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a charact ...

. After that, Viscera and Haas became a tag team, competing on both ''Raw'' and ''Heat'' until splitting in December 2006.

The World's Greatest Tag Team reunion (2006–2007)

After Shelton Benjamin won a match against Super Crazy on the December 4, 2006, edition of ''Raw'', Haas came out to celebrate his win with a bewildered Benjamin. Haas and Benjamin announced the return of The World's Greatest Tag Team on the December 11, 2006 edition of ''Raw'', and they defeated The Highlanders in their return match. They then started a feud with Cryme Tyme. They continued to compete on ''Raw'' through the start of 2007, facing teams including

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...

and

Shawn Michaels Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965), better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative. Widely regarded as one ...

and

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

and Carlito. In mid-2007, The World's Greatest Tag Team feuded briefly with The Hardys in storyline; at the

One Night Stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...

pay-per-view on June 3, 2007, they challenged The Hardys for the

World Tag Team Championship The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championship (professional wrestling), championships in professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotions, promotions. Nomenclature The name of the promo ...

in a

but were unsuccessful. The team broke up once again when Benjamin moved to the ECW brand on November 20, 2007.

Various gimmicks and departure (2008–2010)

Early in 2008, Haas developed a

gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...

in which he would go under the ring in the middle of his matches and re-emerge wearing a mask. In this "alter-ego", Haas would sometimes perform luchador-esque maneuvers in a comical fashion (such as attempting a

diving splash Aerial techniques, also known as "high-flying moves" are maneuvers in professional wrestling using the ring's posts and ropes as aids, in many cases to demonstrate the speed and agility of smaller, nimble and acrobatically inclined wrestlers prefer ...

, but instead landing on his feet and hitting a standing splash). The opponent would often unmask Haas mid-match, returning him to his normal demeanor. During this persona, Haas usually competed in dark matches before the

live broadcast A live broadcast, also called a live transmission, generally refers to various types of media that are broadcast without a significant delay. The most common seen media example of the live transmission is a news program or a news broadcasting. ...

of ''Raw'' or on ''Heat''. Haas Hogan cropped

Beginning in late August, Haas turned into a

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

and began a storyline in which he began to impersonate other wrestlers, a concept created by

John Laurinaitis John Hodger Laurinaitis (born July 31, 1962), also known by his former ringname Johnny Ace, is an American retired professional wrestler and business executive. He has wrestled for such promotions as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), All Japan ...

, a WWE executive. His first match on August 25, 2008 under this gimmick was a loss to Carlito's real-life brother Primo Colón, while Haas was parodying Carlito with the name "Charlito". He has portrayed such superstars as

, John "Bradshaw" Layfield,

Jim Ross James William Ross (born January 3, 1952) is an American professional wrestling commentator currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator, analyst, and senior advisor. Ross is best known for a long and distinguished career a ...

The Great Khali Dalip Singh Rana (born 27 August 1972) is an Indian professional wrestler and wrestling promoter better known by his ring name The Great Khali. He is best known for his tenure in WWE where he became the first Indian-born WWE World Heavy ...

, Montel Vontavious Porter, legends such as

Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...

Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling back ...

, "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig,

Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka James Reiher Snuka (born James Wiley Smith; May 18, 1943 – January 15, 2017) was a Fijian American professional wrestler. He is better known by the ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Snuka wrestled for several promotions from the 1970s to 2010 ...

Rowdy Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and actor. In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his ...

the Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...

Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...

and even

WWE Diva Throughout its history, women have served in various onscreen roles in the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. In the 1990s, WWE (then known as the World Wrestling Federation) introduced the term Diva to refer to its female performe ...

Beth Phoenix Elizabeth Copeland ( Kociański; born November 24, 1980), known professionally as Beth Phoenix, is an American professional wrestler. She is a former WWE Divas Champion and a three-time WWE Women's Champion. Kociański had a successful amateur ...

for which he won a

Slammy Award The Slammy Awards is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy and Grammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers and other individuals within WWE, such as commentators and managers. Introduced in 1986, there have been 13 edi ...

. On April 15, 2009, Haas was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft. On the May 8, 2009 episode of ''SmackDown'', Haas made his in-ring return to the brand as a heel, abandoning his persona of imitating other wrestlers, and losing to John Morrison in a match where he was accompanied by his former World's Greatest Tag Team partner, Shelton Benjamin. The following week on the May 15, 2009 episode of ''SmackDown'', Benjamin and Haas unofficially reunited and competed against John Morrison and

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...

in a losing effort, but Benjamin was traded to the ECW brand in June. On July 24, 2009 episode of ''SmackDown'', Haas competed against

R-Truth Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand under the ring name R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now ...

in a losing effort. The following week, on July 31, 2009 episode of ''SmackDown'', he competed against

, ending in a no-contest due to Kane being involved in the match by attacking

Ranjin Singh David "Dave" Kapoor (born November 17, 1975) is an Indian-American writer and former professional wrestling manager, better known by his ring name, Ranjin Singh. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he worked on the writing team as the se ...

at Khali's corner. After an absence of several months, Haas made his return to television by teaming with

Mike Knox Michael Knoxville Hettinga (born July 17, 1978) is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Mike Knox. He currently performs for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Hettinga is best known for his work in World Wrestli ...

in a losing effort against Cryme Tyme on the December 31, 2009 episode of '' Superstars''. This marked Haas’ last match in WWE. On February 28, 2010, WWE announced that Haas had been released from his contract.

Return to Independent circuit (2010)

On March 20, 2010, Haas made a surprise return to Jersey All Pro Wrestling and defeated Devon Moore for the

JAPW New Jersey State Championship The JAPW New Jersey State Championship was a title in the Jersey All Pro Wrestling professional wrestling promotion. It became an official title on September 25, 1998. Flash Wheeler become the first champion in a 20-man battle royal. It was ...

. On May 22 Haas and JAPW Heavyweight Champion

Dan Maff Daniel Lopez (born October 28, 1973), better known by his ring name Dan Maff, is an American professional wrestler, known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH). Professional wrestling career Da Hit Squad Lopez attended Jersey All Pro Wrestling ...

put their titles on the line in a tag team match against the Hillbilly Wrecking Crew (

Brodie Lee Jonathan Huber (December 16, 1979 – December 26, 2020) was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Luke Harper (later simply Harper) from 2012 to 2019, and in All E ...

and

Necro Butcher Dylan Keith Summers (born July 13, 1973), better known by the ring name Necro Butcher, is an American professional wrestler. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA Mid-South, Pro W ...

). In the end, Maff turned on Haas and hit him with a chair, after which Lee pinned him to win the JAPW New Jersey State Championship. On September 10, 2010, Haas won the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship by defeating Michael Faith in

Amarillo Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat, seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County. It is the List of cities in Texas by population, 14th-most populous city in Texas and th ...

. In May 2011, Haas took part in

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...

's first tour of the United States, the Invasion Tour 2011. In their opening show on May 13 in

Rahway, New Jersey Rahway () is a city in southern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A bedroom community of New York City, it is centrally located in the Rahway Valley region, in the New York metropolitan area. The city is southwest of Manhattan ...

, Haas teamed with

in a tag team main event, where they defeated

IWGP Heavyweight Champion The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWG ...

Hiroshi Tanahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler. He works primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, his accolades in NJPW include a record setting eight reigns as IWGP Heavywei ...

and

Togi Makabe , better known by his ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, two-time ...

. The following day in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, Haas unsuccessfully challenged Tanahashi for his title. On August 20, 2011, Haas became the inaugural Family Wrestling Entertainment (FWE) Heavyweight Champion by defeating Jay Lethal and Eric Young. He held the championship for four months before losing it to Young on December 17.

Ring of Honor (2010–2013)

On September 11, 2010, Haas and Shelton Benjamin made their debut as

Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team The World's Greatest Tag Team was an American professional wrestling tag team, which also used the name Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team. The team consisted of Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin. Originally formed in World Wrestling Entertainment ( W ...

(ROH) losing to

The Kings of Wrestling The Kings of Wrestling was a professional wrestling stable that worked on the independent circuit. It was formed in Chikara as a large stable, but also appeared in numerous promotions mainly as a tag team of Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli. ...

at the

Glory By Honor IX Glory By Honor IX was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH), which was only available online. It took place on September 11, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City. This was the ninth event ent ...

pay-per-view. They returned to ROH at the ''

Ring of Honor Wrestling ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', often shortened as ''ROH Wrestling TV'' or ''ROH TV'', is an American professional wrestling television series produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). The series featured professional wrestlers competing in matches and condu ...

'' television tapings on December 9, where they defeated the Bravado Brothers (Harlem and Lance). The following day, at the second set of television tapings, Haas and Benjamin defeated the All-Night Xpress of

Kenny King Kenneth, Ken or Kenny King may refer to: Ken King * Ken King (born 1971), American politician and businessman * Ken King (ice hockey) (1952–2020), Canadian sports executive Kenneth King * Kenneth George King or Jonathan King (born 1944), Englis ...

and

Rhett Titus Everett Lawrence Titus (born September 15, 1987) is an American professional wrestler working for Ring of Honor (ROH). where he is a former ROH World Television Champion, an overall two-time ROH Tag Team Champion individually, as well as winn ...

, and participated in an eight-man tag team match, teaming with the

Briscoe Brothers The Briscoe Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Jay Briscoe (Jamin "Jay" Pugh) and Mark Briscoe (Mark Pugh). They are known for their 19-year tenure with the American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). and ...

against the Kings of Wrestling and the All-Night Xpress, which ended in a no contest. At the

Final Battle 2010 Final Battle 2010 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on December 18, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City. It was the eighth annual event in the ROH Final Battle, Final Ba ...

pay-per-view on December 18, Haas and Benjamin announced they would be wrestling regularly for ROH in 2011. At the following pay-per-view, 9th Anniversary Show, on February 26, 2011, Haas and Benjamin defeated the Briscoe Brothers in the main event of the evening to earn another shot at the Kings of Wrestling and the

. On April 1, at the first night of the

Honor Takes Center Stage Honor Takes Center Stage was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place over two consecutive days, on 1 and 2 April 2011, at the Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, with the 1 April show at 8pm E ...

pay-per-view, Haas and Benjamin defeated the Kings of Wrestling to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship. On June 26 at Best in the World 2011, Haas and Benjamin successfully defended the ROH World Tag Team Championship in a four-way match against the Briscoe Brothers, the Kings of Wrestling and the All-Night Express. The following day ROH announced that both Haas and Benjamin had signed contracts with the promotion. At

Final Battle 2011 Final Battle 2011 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on December 23, 2011 at the Manhattan Center in New York City. It was the tenth annual event in the Final Battle chronology, w ...

, Haas and Benjamin lost the ROH World Tag Team Championship to the Briscoes despite severely attacking them before the match started, turning them into villainous characters. On May 12, 2012, at Border Wars, Haas and Benjamin regained the ROH World Tag Team Championship from the Briscoe Brothers. On June 24 at

Best in the World 2012 Best in the World 2012: Hostage Crisis was a professional wrestling Internet pay-per-view (iPPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH) that took place on June 24, 2012 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, New York. Storylines Best in the W ...

, Haas and Benjamin lost the title to Kenny King and Rhett Titus. Shortly after their loss, Benjamin was suspended in storyline, to explain his absence while wrestling in Japan. Benjamin returned at the Death Before Dishonor X pay-per-view, accompanying Haas and Rhett Titus in a tag team championship match. Following Death Before Dishonor, Haas and Benjamin would continue to feud with Titus and his new tag team partner

B. J. Whitmer Benjamin Whitmer (born January 25, 1978), better known by the ring name B. J. Whitmer, is an American professional wrestler, producer, trainer, and color commentator. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer. He is bes ...

defeating them at

Glory By Honor XI Glory By Honor XI: The Unbreakable Hope was the 11th Glory By Honor professional wrestling internet pay-per-view (iPPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on October 13, 2012, at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. ...

. They defeated them again in a street fight at

Final Battle Final Battle is a professional wrestling event, held annually by the Ring of Honor promotion. The event was initially held in 2002, and is traditionally ROH's last show in the calendar year. The 2009 edition of the show was ROH's first internet ...

, where Haas won the match after sent BJ against a table. On February 2, 2013, Haas turned on Benjamin during an ROH World Tag Team Championship match against the Briscoe Brothers. He continued his feud with BJ, fighting in the 11th Anniversary Show in a No Holds Barred Match. BJ won the match when the referee stopped the match.

Late career (2013-present)

On March 30, 2013, Haas announced his retirement from professional wrestling, which coincided with him leaving Ring of Honor. He returned to the ring several months later. At JAPW 18th Anniversary Show in November 2014, Haas, Benjamin, and Angle reunited, as Team Angle, for the first time in 11 years. In the main event, Benjamin and Haas defeated

and

Teddy Hart Edward Ellsworth Annis (born February 2, 1980) is a Canadian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Teddy Hart. He currently wrestles on the independent circuit. He wrestled on a National scale for Major League Wrestling ...

. At

NWA NWA or Nwa most commonly refers to: * N.W.A ("Niggaz Wit Attitudes"), a hip hop group from Compton, California, US * National Wrestling Alliance, a professional wrestling organization NWA or Nwa may refer to: Music * New Weird America, a subgenr ...

Parade Of Champions 2K16 in March 2016 Haas was defeated by the

NWA World Heavyweight Champion The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is i ...

Jax Dane Jackson Dane Laymon (born April 10, 1981) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Jax Dane. He is known for his tenure with various National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) member promotions. He is a former NWA World Hea ...

In 2020, after a two year retirement, Haas began to work with SWE Fury. He would defeat Tim Storm for the SWE Heavyweight Championship on February 6, 2021 in Irving, Texas.

Impact Wrestling (2022)

On the January 13, 2022 episode of '' Impact!'', Haas made his

Impact Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...

debut by challenging

Josh Alexander Joshua Lemay (born May 29, 1987) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he performs under the ring name Josh Alexander. He is a two-time Impact World Champion, with his second reign being the longest reig ...

to a match. The following week on ''Impact!!'', Haas lost to Alexander, and after the match, they embraced in the middle of the ring.

Personal life

Haas married fellow professional wrestler

Jackie Gayda Jacquelyn Suzanne Gayda (born November 3, 1981) is an American retired professional wrestler and valet, best known for her work in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). She was awarded a contract with WWE ...

in 2005. The couple have four children. In December 2020, Haas announced that he and Gayda were divorced. On July 9, 2022 Haas announced on via Twitter that he is married to Jennifer Haas. Haas competed in

amateur wrestling Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced in collegiate, school, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the ...

during high school, and for

, where he attended on a wrestling scholarship. He also has various other awards for wrestling from high school. Haas was a two-time Big East Champion at Seton Hall and graduated with a degree in economics and business. He then became a stockbroker with

Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...

. According to Haas via the Q&A section on his website, he is a devout Christian. Following the death of his brother, Haas has wrestled with Russ (his brother's name) written on his wrist tape as a tribute. Since 2002 he has maintained a close friendship with his longtime tag team partner

, who he often refers to as his "brother." Benjamin served as Haas's best man at his wedding to Gayda and was the godfather to Haas' oldest daughter. His grandfather

Hugh Devore Hugh John Devore (November 25, 1910 – December 8, 1992) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Providence College (1938–1941), the University of Notre Dame (1945 and 1963), St. Bonaventure Universit ...

, was an assistant with the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

and a former Head Coach of the

Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

. Haas' brother Russ was also a professional wrestler, until his death in 2001 due to a

. In 2008, Haas and Gayda opened the "Custom Muscle Nutrition and Smoothie Shop", a nutritional store, in

Championships and accomplishments

CharlieHaasHoldingTagTeamChampionshipBelt

Ballpark Brawl Sahlen Field is a baseball park in Buffalo, New York, United States. Originally known as Pilot Field, the venue has since been named Downtown Ballpark, North AmeriCare Park, Dunn Tire Park, and Coca-Cola Field. Home to the Buffalo Bisons of the ...

**Natural Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

( 1 time) – with

Russ Haas Thomas Russell Haas (March 11, 1974 – December 15, 2001) was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work alongside his older brother Charlie in Memphis Championship Wrestling and Jersey All Pro Wrestling. Haas was a col ...

** ECWA Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Russ Haas **

ECWA Hall of Fame East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded by promoter Jim Kettner. It is home to the annual Super 8 Tournament, one of the longest-running independent wrestling tournaments in the country, a ...

(Class of 2004) *

Family Wrestling Entertainment Family Wrestling Entertainment, also known as FWE, was an independent professional wrestling promotion. The company was based and ran shows in New York. They hosted a show about every four months. All of their shows are available on iPPV and also ...

FWE Heavyweight Championship Family Wrestling Entertainment, also known as FWE, was an independent professional wrestling promotion. The company was based and ran shows in New York. They hosted a show about every four months. All of their shows are available on iPPV and also ...

( 1 time) * Heartland Wrestling Association ** HWA Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) *Insane Hardcore Wrestling Entertainment **IHWE California West Coast Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **IHWE DFW Championship (2 times) **IHWE Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **IHWE Triple Crown Championship (1 time) *

( 1 time) ** JAPW Tag Team Championship (

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) – with Russ Haas **JAPW Hall of Fame (Class of 2007) *

** MCW Southern Tag Team Championship ( 3 times) – with Russ Haas *NWA Branded Outlaw Wrestling **NWA BOW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * NWA Southwest ** NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) *NWA Texoma **NWA Texoma Heavyweight Championship (2 time) **NWA Texoma Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dane Griffin *

**Danny Davis Invitational Tag Team Tournament (2015) - with Shelton Benjamin *Old School Wrestling **Osw World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

Phoenix Championship Wrestling Phoenix Championship Wrestling was a short-lived American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Toms River, New Jersey. It was founded by twin brothers Don and Mike Bucci in 2001 and promoted by Don Bucci until its close two year ...

**Russ Haas Memorial Tag Team Tournament (2002) – with

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

PWI Tag Team of the Year This is a list of both active and inactive ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' awards which are voted on by ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') readers every year from 1972 onwards, expanding to more categories in later years. Unlike other wrestling ...

(2003) **PWI ranked him #25 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

in 2003 *

(

) – with Shelton Benjamin *Southwest Wrestling Entertainment **SWE Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current) **SWE Six Man Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) - with

Rodney Mack Rodney Begnaud (born October 12, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, better known by the ring name Rodney Mack. He is signed to National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He is best known for his time with WWE . Profes ...

and Max Castellanos *Top Of Texas Pro Wrestling **Dennis Stamp Tag Team Hero's Cup (2017) - with Phoenix *Texas Outlaw Promotion **TOP Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

( 3 times) – with Shelton Benjamin (2) and Rico (1) **

(1 time) ***Best Impersonation (

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

) – *Wrecking Ball Wrestling **Match of the Year (2011) vs.

Low Ki Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979) is an American professional wrestler of Italian and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring name Low Ki. He is known for his time with Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Major League Wrestlin ...

*WrestleForce **WrestleForce World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Xtreme Intense Championship Wrestling **XICW Midwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Haas, Charlie 1972 births American male professional wrestlers American male sport wrestlers Goldman Sachs people Living people People from Dallas Professional wrestlers from Texas Seton Hall Pirates wrestlers 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers ROH World Tag Team Champions