Sean Michael Waltman (born July 13, 1972) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

currently signed to

WWE 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 vario ...

under a legends contract. He is best known for his appearances for the

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 vario ...

(WWF, now WWE) under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

s 1–2–3 Kid and X-Pac,

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...

(WCW) as Syxx, and

NWA Total Nonstop Action 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 promoti ...

(NWA-TNA) as Syxx-Pac and Sean Waltman. Waltman began his career in the WWF in 1993, where he performed under several monikers as a

jobber Jobber may refer to: Athletics * Job (professional wrestling) - A professional wrestler who routinely loses a match. * Wichita Jobbers, a minor league baseball team in the Western Association from 1905 to 1911 Commerce * A person or corporation ...

, until he was branded the 1-2-3 Kid after an upset victory over

Razor Ramon Scott Oliver Hall (October 20, 1958 – March 14, 2022) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name and under the ring name the Diamond Studd and with the ...

on ''

Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

''. As 1-2-3 Kid, he held the

WWF Tag Team Championship The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...

twice and challenged

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 backgr ...

for the

WWF World Heavyweight Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown's ...

in July 1994 in what was ranked by WWE as the third-best match ever aired on ''Raw''. During this time, he was part of

The Kliq The Kliq was a backstage group in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) during the mid-1990s, composed of Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H. Michaels, Nash, and Hall wielded a considerable amount of power ...

, a backstage group that was known for their influence on WWF storylines in the 1990s. During the

Monday Night Wars The Monday Night Wars or Monday Night War was an era of mainstream televised American professional wrestling, from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001, in which the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF, now WWE) ''Monday Night Raw'' (later ''Raw I ...

, Waltman left the WWF in 1996 to join Kliq members

Kevin Nash Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his r ...

and

Scott Hall Scott Oliver Hall (October 20, 1958 – March 14, 2022) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name and under the ring name the Diamond Studd and with the ...

(formerly known as Razor Ramon) as Syxx in WCW, and held the

WCW World Tag Team Championship The WCW World Tag Team Championship (previously NWA (Mid-Atlantic) World Tag Team Championship) was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). ...

with them as part of the New World Order (nWo), as well as becoming a one-time

WCW Cruiserweight Champion World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Natio ...

. After being released from WCW in 1998, he returned to the WWF during its

Attitude Era The Attitude Era was a term used by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE) to describe the company's programming from November 9, 1997 to May 6, 2002. It started during the Monday Night Wars, a pe ...

, where he was re-branded as

D-Generation X D-Generation X (DX) is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable, and later a tag team, who consisted of Triple H and Shawn Michaels. The group originated in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF ...

(DX) member X-Pac and held the

WWF Light Heavyweight Championship The WWF Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) promotion. The title was challenged by light heavyweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs (before deactivation, ...

and

WWF European Championship The WWE European Championship was a professional wrestling championship competed for in World Wrestling Entertainment. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, multiple wrestlers held the European and WWF Intercontinental Championships within short ...

twice each, while also holding the WWF Tag Team Championship two more times while paired with Kane. After WCW went out of business in 2001, X-Pac held the WCW Cruiserweight and WWF Light Heavyweight Championships simultaneously during The Invasion, before departing the company after a brief nWo reunion the following year. He subsequently performed sporadically for several promotions, notably TNA (where he became a one-time

TNA X Division Champion The Impact X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of then-TNA's second weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The current champion is Trey M ...

), and on the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...

, until he announced his retirement in 2019. He returned to the ring in 2022. Waltman has won a dozen championships between WWE, WCW, and TNA, the majority being cruiserweight and tag team titles. He is the only wrestler to have held the TNA X Division Championship, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, and the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. He was the final WWF Light Heavyweight Champion before the title was retired in favor of the Cruiserweight Championship he simultaneously held. He is recognized by WWE as the only wrestler to have been "an active member of both the nWo and DX during their heydays" in the 1990s. Additionally, he is a two-time

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 ind ...

inductee and the only inductee to be inducted two years in a row (

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

and

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

) as a member of DX and the nWo respectively.

Early life

Sean Michael Waltman was born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

on July 13, 1972. He had a self-described troubled childhood. He was raised by a single mother and has called himself "unsupervised from age five". He claimed he was molested several times as a child. He joined his school wrestling team in ninth grade, but quickly quit when they told him he needed to cut his hair in order to wrestle. He soon dropped out of school entirely. A love of professional wrestling and limited career opportunities led to him working in local wrestling promotions for free, setting up rings and doing other odd jobs before eventually wrestling himself.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1989–1993)

After training under

Boris Malenko Lawrence J. Simon (June 28, 1933 – September 1, 1994), better known by the ring name, Boris Malenko ( rus, Бори́с Маленко́, p=bɐˈrʲis mɐlˈɛnko, pron), was an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer. ...

, Joe Malenko, Masami Soronaka, and

Karl Gotch Charles Istaz (August 3, 1924 – July 28, 2007) was a Belgian-born German-American professional wrestler and trainer, best known by his ring name Karl Gotch. In Japan, Gotch was known as the "God of Wrestling" due to his influence in shaping the ...

, Waltman began his career as "The Lightning Kid". He worked his way through various independent promotions, including

Pro Wrestling America Pro Wrestling America is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the 1980s and early 1990s. Founded and promoted by retired wrestler Eddie Sharkey, a longtime veteran of the American Wrestling Association ...

(PWA) and the

Global Wrestling Federation Global Wrestling Federation was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Dallas, Texas. It started in June 1991 and folded in September 1994. At one time its shows were presented on the ESPN television network. Often the promotion pr ...

(GWF), winning the PWA Light Heavyweight title, the PWA Iron Horse TV Title and the

GWF Light Heavyweight Championship The GWF Light Heavyweight Championship was the secondary title in the Global Wrestling Federation in Texas. The title existed from 1991 until 1994, when GWF closed. The title was defended on the promotion's show that aired nationally on ESPN. To ...

. During this time, Waltman worked extensively with

Jerry Lynn Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach. He has worked for promotions such as World Championship ...

in North America and Japan. They often wrestled each other, but also teamed up to win the PWA Tag Team titles twice in 1993. While working for Larry Sharpe and Dennis Coralluzzo's WWA Promotion on November 28, 1992 in

Clementon, New Jersey Clementon is a borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 5,000,suicide dive and landed on Waltman's head, driving it to the concrete and causing a blood clot near his brain. He was hospitalized for three days, could not work for four months, and was advised to give up wrestling completely. He also appeared 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 ...

Top of the Super Juniors The Best of the Super Juniors (often abbreviated BOSJ) is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), typically in May or June. Originally known as Top of the Super Juniors, the first tournament was held in ...

in 1993, facing the likes of

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

Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. He was a prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family, being the son of first-generation wrestler Gory Guerrero. Eddie Guerrero is ...

and

Jushin Liger , better known as and later , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having wrestled for the company since h ...

World Wrestling Federation (1993–1996)

Early appearances (1993–1995)

As The Lightning Kid, Waltman had his WWF tryout match in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

in April 1993, the day after

WrestleMania IX WrestleMania IX was the ninth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The event took place on April 4, 1993, at Caesars Palace in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradi ...

, against fellow hopeful

Louie Spicolli Louis Mucciolo Jr. (February 10, 1971 – February 15, 1998) was an American professional wrestler. He performed in Mexico under the ring name Madonna's Boyfriend, for the World Wrestling Federation as Rad Radford, and in Extreme Championship Wres ...

(soon known as Rad Radford in the WWF). He reminisced that he was lucky to have an opponent with a vested interest in an impressive match, rather than (as was then typical) a disinterested WWF veteran

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

Jim Powers James Manley (born January 4, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jim Powers. He worked for the World Wrestling Federation from 1984 to 1994, then elsewhere until 2010. He was ...

. After earning a contract, he made his television debut as "The Kamikaze Kid" on ''

Monday Night Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...

'' on May 3, losing to

Doink the Clown Doink the Clown is a professional wrestling persona originally and most popularly portrayed by Matt Osborne, who debuted the Doink persona in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1992. Doink is a clown (or evil clown) wearing traditional clo ...

. He quickly became "The Cannonball Kid", losing to Mr. Hughes. He then became simply "The Kid", scoring an upset pinfall on

on the May 17, 1993 episode of ''Monday Night Raw'', thus becoming "The 1–2–3 Kid". Razor challenged him to a rematch, wagering $2,500, then $5,000 and finally $10,000 of his own money. Kid accepted the challenge, but grabbed the money and ran from the arena during the match.

Ted DiBiase Theodore Marvin DiBiase Sr. (born January 18, 1954) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE working in their Legends program. DiBiase achieved championship ...

, who was feuding with Razor, taunted him over losing to a nobody. This angered Kid, and led to a match in which he upset DiBiase as well. Razor turned

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 ...

shortly after and took Kid under his wing. The 1–2–3 Kid made his pay-per-view debut at

SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...

, losing to DiBiase's tag partner

Irwin R. Schyster Lawrence Michael Rotunda (born March 30, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s under the ring names Mik ...

after Razor had defeated DiBiase. At

Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...

, Kid was on Razor's team in a four-on-four elimination match. He and

Marty Jannetty Fredrick Martin Jannetty (born February 3, 1960) is an American professional wrestler who has worked for promotions including the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), World Championship Wres ...

were the sole survivors, which led to them forming a tag team and holding the

for a week in January 1994 after beating

The Quebecers The Quebecers were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from in between 1993 to 1994 and again in 1998 who consisted of Quebecer Jacques and Quebecer Pierre. They also worked as The Amazing French-Canadians ...

. For the next two years, The 1–2–3 Kid was a natural underdog and fan favorite. He wrestled

in an unusually long (for the time) match for the

WWF Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown's ...

on July 11, 1994 on ''Raw'' and had another brief (one-day) tag title reign in January 1995, with

Bob 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 ...

beating

Bam Bam Bigelow Scott Charles Bigelow (September 1, 1961 – January 19, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Bam Bam Bigelow. Recognizable by his close to 400-pound frame and the distinctive flame tattoo that spanned most ...

and Tatanka at the

Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...

before losing to

The Smoking Gunns The Smoking Gunns were a professional wrestling tag team of kayfabe brothers Billy Gunn (Monty Sopp) and Bart Gunn (Mike Polchlopek). They portrayed cowboys in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1993 to 1996. As a team, the Smoking Gunns w ...

the next day on ''Raw''.

Million Dollar Corporation (1995–1996)

After Kid and Razor failed to win the Tag Team Championship from

Billy Gunn Monty Kip Sopp (born November 1, 1963), better known by his ring name Billy Gunn, although he is currently finding renewed popularity under the ring name Daddy Ass, is an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently ...

and

Bart Gunn Michael Polchlopek (born December 27, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1993 to 1999 under the ring names Bart Gu ...

in October 1995, Kid attacked the face Gunns after the match to tease a heel turn. On the ''Raw'' before

in November, he was the guest referee in a match between Razor Ramon and

Sycho Sid Sidney Raymond Eudy (born December 16, 1960) is an American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his various Sid gimmicks, each distinguished by the ring names Sid Justice, Sid Vicious, and Sycho Sid in World Championship Wrestlin ...

. As Razor attempted his finisher,

The Razor's Edge ''The Razor's Edge'' is a 1944 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It tells the story of Larry Darrell, an American pilot traumatized by his experiences in World War I, who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life. The story beg ...

, Kid pulled Sid down from Razor, allowing Sid to then hit Razor with his Powerbomb, and Kid fast-counted the pinfall, thus turning

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 Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...

. At

, he lost to

Hakushi Kensuke Shinzaki (新崎健介 ''Shinzaki Kensuke'', born December 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling executive, better known by his ring name, Jinsei Shinzaki (新崎人生 ''Shinzaki Jinsei''). He is curr ...

but won a rematch in November after

interfered. He was the sole survivor of his team at

, besting rival

. Razor and Marty would team up to beat Kid and Sid at

In Your House 5 In Your House 5 (retroactively titled In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings) was the fifth In Your House professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The event took place on December 17, 19 ...

. After Survivor Series, Kid joined Ted DiBiase's

Million Dollar Corporation The Million Dollar Corporation was a professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from April 1994 to May 1996 and was led and managed by the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. DiBiase had retired from active competition aft ...

faction. He remained with the group until May 1996 when Waltman left the WWF. He lost a "Crybaby match" to Razor Ramon at

In Your House 6 In Your House 6 (retroactively titled In Your House 6: Rage in the Cage) was the sixth In Your House professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The event took place on February 18, 19 ...

. The 1–2–3 Kid's final WWF match aired on the May 20 episode of ''Monday Night Raw''; he lost to

Savio Vega Juan Rivera (born August 10, 1964) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is known for his work in the World Wrestling Council, where he won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Champion ...

. Notably, Waltman was the only Kliq member not involved in the infamous "Curtain Call" that took place 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 Pennsylva ...

the night before his final match from his first WWF run aired, as he was in

drug rehab Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general intent ...

at the time.

World Championship Wrestling (1996–1998)

On September 16, 1996, Waltman was shown sitting in the front row for a live episode of ''

Nitro Nitro may refer to: Chemistry *Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed: **Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2 **Nitroalkene, ...

''. Later that night, he used a remote control to release New World Order (nWo) propaganda from the ceiling, revealing himself as the newest member of the recently formed faction. He was called "Syxx", because he was the sixth member of the nWo, and six is the sum of numbers in "1–2–3 Kid". In his first major angle, Syxx stole

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, along with the WWE ...

belt, leading to 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 ...

for the title at

Souled Out Souled Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in January from 1997 through 2000. The 1997 and 1998 WCW Souled Out PPV events were held on Saturdays due to the Super Bowl played ...

in January 1997, which Syxx lost. The next month, at

SuperBrawl VII SuperBrawl VII was the seventh SuperBrawl professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of NWA/WCW closed-circuit events and pay-per-view events, event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The event took place on February 23, 1997 fro ...

, Syxx pinned Dean Malenko for the

WCW Cruiserweight Championship World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nationa ...

, after hitting him with the title belt, which he had grabbed from Guerrero at ringside. In June 1997, he lost the championship to

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...

at a

webcast A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, web ...

house show A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, minutes after successfully defending against Rey Mysterio, Jr. During a feud with

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 a loss to him at

Road Wild Road Wild (originally known as Hog Wild) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) that was held in the month of August from 1996 to 1999. It was a free event held in Sturgis, South Dakot ...

in August, Syxx disparagingly portrayed Flair as part of an nWo segment parodying his

Four Horsemen The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos. Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand tha ...

group. This segment led to a

WarGames match WarGames is a specialized steel cage match in professional wrestling. The match usually involves two teams of either four, five, or more wrestlers locked inside a steel cage that encompasses two rings placed side by side. The cage may or may not ...

Fall Brawl Fall Brawl was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and was held in September from 1993 through 2000. The name was derived from the fall edition of ''Clash of the Champions'', ca ...

, where Syxx,

Buff Bagwell Marcus Alexander Bagwell (born January 10, 1970) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1991 to 2 ...

and

Konnan Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', Dave Meltzer, ed., May 10, 2010, issue.Sims, Steve"Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame/Founded by Dave Meltzer - Konnan". Accessed August 1, 2016. O ...

defeated The Four Horsemen (Flair,

Steve McMichael Stephen Douglas McMichael (born October 17, 1957), nicknamed "Mongo", "Ming" and "Ming the Merciless", is an American former professional football player, sports broadcaster, and professional wrestler. McMichael played college football for the U ...

and

Curt Hennig Curtis Michael Hennig (March 28, 1958 – February 10, 2003) was an American professional wrestler. He performed under his real name for promotions including the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF; now WWE) ...

) after Hennig betrayed the Horsemen and joined the nWo. In mid-1997, the nWo invoked "Wolfpac Rules", allowing Syxx to replace the injured Kevin Nash in defending the

with Scott Hall. On October 13, 1997, Hall and Syxx lost the title to

The Steiner Brothers The Steiner Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner. The brothers wrestled as amateurs at the University of Michigan. The team ma ...

(

Rick Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...

and Scott). In October, a neck injury sidelined Waltman from wrestling, but he continued to appear on television for several weeks after. While later recuperating at home, he was fired via

Federal Express FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...

by WCW President

Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, professional wrestling booker, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Senior Vice President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and ...

. Waltman claims this was a power play aimed at his friends Hall and Nash, whose backstage influence was felt as a threat. Bischoff later said Waltman was a competent performer when sober, but sober periods were "few and far between", and "in many ways, Sean was lucky to even have a job".

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (1998–2002)

D-Generation X (1998–2000)

Waltman returned to WWF television on the March 30, 1998 episode of ''Monday Night Raw'', the night after

WrestleMania XIV WrestleMania XIV was the 14th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF; WWE as of 2002). It took place on March 29, 1998, at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts. A ...

and days after his firing from WCW. With

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 of ...

beginning a four-year retirement after a WWF World Heavyweight Championship loss and back injury,

Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as on ...

was now the leader of

(D-X). He said he was forming a D-X 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

." Waltman appeared on the stage with a beard, commented on Bischoff and

Hollywood 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 said if they weren't contracted to WCW, Hall and Nash would have also returned to the WWF. Bischoff responded on ''Nitro'' the next week by telling Waltman to "bite me". X Pac Dumpster match - King of the Ring 2000

X Pac Dumpster match - King of the Ring 2000

Initially called "The Kid" on the WWF website, he became known as "X-Pac" (which originated from his nickname "Syxx-Pac" based on his ring name "Syxx" in WCW) by the next ''Raw''. X-Pac feuded with

Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also serves as Director of Business Development. Beginning his career in his father J ...

, ultimately defeating him in a hair-vs-hair match at

, then with

WWF European Champion The WWE European Championship was a professional wrestling championship competed for in World Wrestling Entertainment. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, multiple wrestlers held the European and WWF Intercontinental Championships within short ...

D'Lo Brown Accie Julius Connor (born October 22, 1970), better known by his ring name D'Lo Brown (also formatted as D-Lo Brown), is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling and WWE. Brown is also known for his ...

, whom he dethroned on September 21, 1998. He lost the title to Brown two weeks later, then won it again at Judgment Day: In Your House in October. Waltman lost the title to

Shane McMahon Shane Brandon McMahon (; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he was a wrestler, producer and minority owner. He is the founder and executive chairman of Idean ...

on February 15, 1999. At

WrestleMania XV WrestleMania XV was the 15th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on March 28, 1999, at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ...

, he lost a championship rematch when Triple H betrayed him, and hit him with his Pedigree finisher. X-Pac then sided with

Road Dogg Brian Girard James (born May 20, 1969) is an American professional wrestler currently signed with the WWE where he serves as the Senior Vice President of Live Events. James was best known for his initial tenure with World Wrestling Federation (W ...

against Triple H,

Chyna Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016) was an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and television personality. She first rose to prominence in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1997, where sh ...

and

, after the temporary demise of D-X. X-Pac and Road Dogg wanted a reformed D-X to be about rebellion, while the others wanted it to be about making money. X-Pac befriended Kane, a mute, angry loner whom he partially socialized and encouraged to speak, through an

electrolarynx An electrolarynx, sometimes referred to as a "throat back", is a medical device about the size of a small electric razor used to produce clearer speech by those people who have lost their voice box, usually due to cancer of the larynx. The most ...

. They won the

twice together. After D-X reunited in late 1999 as a

group, X-Pac led Kane to believe he would be inducted into D-X, but instead betrayed him and eventually stole his new girlfriend, Tori. The rivalry between X-Pac and Kane culminated in a

tag team match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

pitting X-Pac and Road Dogg against Kane and

Rikishi A , or, more colloquially, , is a professional sumo wrestler. follow and live by the centuries-old rules of the sumo profession, with most coming from Japan, the only country where sumo is practiced professionally. Participation in official t ...

WrestleMania 2000 WrestleMania 2000 (sequentially known as WrestleMania 16) was the 16th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view events, event produced by the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took p ...

. Following WrestleMania, X-Pac continued to team with Road Dogg, with the duo competing against other tag teams including

Edge and Christian Edge & Christian (E&C) were a Canadian professional wrestling tag team. They are best known for their time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), later renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where they won the WWF Tag Team Championship on ...

the Hardy Boyz The Hardys, also known as The Hardy Boyz, are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy, who are currently appearing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The team is currently inactive due to Jeff ...

, and

Too Cool Too Cool, originally known as Too Much, was an American professional wrestling tag team and group active in the World Wrestling Federation (later World Wrestling Entertainment) between 1998 and 2001 and for a short time in 2004 and 2014. The group ...

. In June 2000, X-Pac competed in the

King of the Ring King of the Ring was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The PPV event was held annually in June and was established in 1993 when the promotio ...

tournament, losing to

in the first round. At King of the Ring 2000, X-Pac, Road Dogg, and Tori defeated

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 me ...

in a dumpster match; during the bout, Tori was

powerbomb A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a sta ...

ed through a table by the Dudley Boyz, marking the end of her affiliation with X-Pac. In August 2000, growing dissension between X-Pac and Road Dogg saw the two face one another at

SummerSlam 2000 The 2000 SummerSlam was the 13th annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view events, event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on Attitude Era, August 27, 2000, at the R ...

, with X-Pac winning the bout following a low blow; after the match, Road Dogg attacked X-Pac, marking the end of their tag team and the dissolution of D-Generation X. In September 2000, X-Pac began feuding with

, with Jericho defeating X-Pac at Unforgiven 2000 and then again in a

cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

at No Mercy 2000. During the feud, X-Pac sustained a neck injury when Jericho gave him a powerbomb, side-lining him for three months.

X-Factor; nWo reunion (2001–2002)

After returning from his neck injury in February 2001, X-Pac briefly feuded with Chris Jericho over the WWF Intercontinental Championship, culminating in a fatal four-way match with Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero at No Way Out in February, which Jericho won to retain the title. In February, X-Pac formed a new stable called

X-Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

with

Justin Credible Peter Joseph "PJ" Polaco (born October 16, 1973) is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Justin Credible. He ...

and

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

. During this time, he usually teamed with Credible, but also appeared in singles matches. He won the

from

Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...

on June 25, then won the

for the second time in his career when he defeated

Billy Kidman Peter Alan Gruner Jr. (born May 11, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Billy Kidman. He is currently employed by WWE as a producer. As a wrestler, Kidman is best known for his work with World Champi ...

on July 30. Despite the reign occurring during the WCW Invasion angle, where the WWF side was mostly portrayed as faces, the fans were vocal in their disapproval of Waltman during his reign. This fan disapproval, later known as " X-Pac heat", was acknowledged on-screen by both Alliance member Billy Kidman and, later by WWF member Edge. When Credible joined the ECW/WCW Alliance X-Factor broke up. At

, X-Pac defeated Tajiri to win the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship for the second time while WCW Cruiserweight Champion at the same time. X-Pac then feuded with Kidman and Tajiri. After losing the WCW Cruiserweight title to Kidman, he took time off for another injury. The WWF Light Heavyweight Championship was abandoned upon his return to television, though he defended it at several

s shortly prior. Hall, Nash and Hogan returned to the WWF in 2002 as the New World Order, brought in by Vince McMahon. Hogan was kicked from the group after losing to The Rock at

WrestleMania X8 WrestleMania 18 (stylized as WrestleMania X8) was the 18th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view events, event produced by the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on Attit ...

. X-Pac, who had been out with an injury, returned on the March 21 episode of ''

SmackDown! ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...

'', rejoined the nWo and attacked Hogan. He said he had been waiting four years to do so, because Hogan

shot Shot may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Shot'' (album), by The Jesus Lizard *''Shot, Illusion, New God'', an EP by Gruntruck *''Shot Rev 2.0'', a video album by The Sisters of Mercy * "Shot" (song), by The Rasmus * ''Shot'' (2017 fi ...

on ''

WCW Thunder ''WCW Thunder'', or simply ''Thunder'', is an American professional wrestling show that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) which aired on TBS from January 8, 1998 to March 21, 2001. The popularity of WCW in 1996 and 1997 allo ...

'' after Waltman's firing, saying he could not "cut the mustard". The storyline was dropped after the first WWF draft, when the nWo went to Raw and Hogan to SmackDown!. During the nWo's feud with

Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to * Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century ** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T." * Booker T. Jones (born 1944) ...

and

Goldust Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes. He is best known for his multiple tenures with WWE f ...

a botched spinebuster injured him and kept him from participating in the feud. On the July 8, 2002 episode of ''Raw'', Waltman wrestled in his last WWE match, a ten-man tag. This match was also the end of the nWo angle, as Nash tore his quadriceps, and Vince McMahon disbanded the group a week later. At

, ''Raw'' commentator

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 as ...

announced WWE and Waltman had parted ways.

NWA Total Nonstop Action (2002, 2003)

Waltman, as "Syxx-Pac", debuted for

on September 18, 2002, losing a

gauntlet match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

. Rejoining his WWF tag partners

and B.G. James, he feuded with

and

Brian Lawler Brian Christopher Lawler (January 10, 1972 – July 29, 2018) was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered for his career in the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), where he performed as "Too Sexy" Brian Christopher and Grand M ...

. On October 9, 2002, Syxx-Pac made his

X Division The X Division is a high-flying, high-risk, fast-paced style of professional wrestling seen in Impact Wrestling (formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) and since then in various NWA member promotions. Its tagline is that "It's not about weight ...

debut, defeating eight other wrestlers in a

to win the vacant

TNA X Division Championship The Impact X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of then-TNA's second weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The current champion is Trey M ...

. He held the title for two weeks before losing to

A.J. Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...

in a

No Disqualification match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

. He abruptly left TNA after defeating Lawler in the first round of an

NWA World Heavyweight Championship 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 in ...

number one contender tournament on November 6. Waltman, as Syxx-Pac, returned to TNA for a single night on June 18, 2003, at their first anniversary pay-per-view, as

's mystery partner in a loss to Jeff Jarrett and

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

Xtreme Pro Wrestling (2003)

Waltman, as "X", debuted in

Xtreme Pro Wrestling Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion owned by Rob Zicari. Zicari originally ran the promotion out of Los Angeles from 1999 to 2003. He appeared on shows as the on-camera owner under the name Ro ...

on February 28, 2003, winning the

XPW Television Championship The XPW Television Championship was introduced in 2001 by Xtreme Pro Wrestling and the champion was decided in a one night tournament at XPW's ''Damage Inc.'' event, which featured competitors such as Konnan, Johnny Webb, Kid Kaos, Dynamite D and ...

from Kaos. He retained the title in a bout with

Juventud Guerrera Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández (born November 23, 1974) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Juventud "Juvi" Guerrera. Guerrera is best known for his appearances with the Mexican professional wrestling promot ...

on March 1, and held it until the promotion closed in March 2003.

NWA Total Nonstop Action (2005, 2006)

Under his real name, Waltman returned to TNA on February 13, 2005 at Against All Odds, attacking Jeff Jarrett during his

match with Kevin Nash. Nash, Waltman and

Diamond Dallas Page Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), better known by his ring name Diamond Dallas Page (often stylized as DDP), is an American actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. In the course of his wrest ...

formed an alliance and feuded with

Planet Jarrett Planet Jarrett was a professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, led by the eponymous Jeff Jarrett and containing many of the main event heels in the promotion. It replaced the Kings of Wrestling as the dominant heel faction ...

(Jarrett,

The Outlaw ''The Outlaw'' is a 1943 American Western film, directed by Howard Hughes and starring Jack Buetel, Jane Russell, Thomas Mitchell, and Walter Huston. Hughes also produced the film, while Howard Hawks served as an uncredited co-director. The f ...

and

Monty Brown Montaque "Monty" Brown (born April 13, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestler and NFL linebacker. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) where he wrestled under his real n ...

) and at

Lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...

, Waltman, B.G. James and Diamond Dallas Page defeated Planet Jarrett in a

Lethal Lockdown match A Lethal Lockdown match is a professional wrestling match used in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). This match has become a staple of TNA's Lockdown pay-per-view event, but has also made appearances at other TNA pay-per-views, and during Impac ...

. Nash and Page left TNA to focus on acting afterwards. At

Hard Justice Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, is an annual professional wrestling Impact Plus event produced by Impact Wrestling. It was originally introduced as a pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 200 ...

in 2005, Waltman replaced

, who no-showed, and lost to

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...

in a

Clockwork Orange House of Fun match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

after being back body dropped through the steel cage. On June 19, at

Slammiversary Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling. It is one of Impact's “Big Four” PPV events (along with Hard to Kill, Rebellion, and Bound for Glory), and celebrates ...

, Waltman wrestled a five-man

King of the Mountain match The King of the Mountain match (Queen of the Mountain when female wrestlers are involved) is a professional wrestling match exclusive to Impact Wrestling (formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling). Match format The five competitors in the match st ...

for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He lost, but cost defending champion A.J. Styles the title by delivering an

off a ladder. This turned him heel and led to a grudge match at

No Surrender No Surrender may refer to: Politics * "No Surrender!", a British Unionist slogan originating from Siege of Derry now used in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England *No Surrender (to the IRA), a political chant since used by England football fans ...

, which Styles won after guest referee Jerry Lynn prevented Waltman from cheating. Waltman challenged Lynn to a match at

Sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...

. After losing by victory roll, Waltman attacked Lynn and tried to reinjure his shoulder. Waltman then partnered with

Alex Shelley Patrick Kenneth Martin (born May 23, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and physical therapy clinician, better known by the ring name, Alex Shelley, makes appearances with Impact Wrestling (formerly known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestl ...

to win the Chris Candido Cup. This earned them a shot at the

NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed member promotions to create their own territorial version of the "NWA World ...

Unbreakable Unbreakable may refer to: * '' Unbreakable: My Story, My Way'', a book written by Jenni Rivera * Unbreakable (horse) (1935–1962), a Thoroughbred racehorse and sire Film and television * ''Unbreakable'' (film series), a trilogy directed by M ...

. Waltman, however, no-showed the event. He was not seen again until a one-night return at

Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling Impact Plus event held by Impact Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to Decem ...

on January 15, 2006, brought in by

Larry Zbyszko Lawrence Whistler (born December 5, 1951), better known by the ring name Larry Zbyszko, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, Bruno Sammartino, during the early 1980s as well as his ...

to defeat his rival, Raven.

Wrestling Society X (2006)

In February 2006, Waltman joined

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's newly formed

Wrestling Society X Wrestling Society X (WSX) is a short-lived American professional wrestling promotion and professional wrestling-based television series created in 2006 by Big Vision Entertainment. The weekly television series formerly aired on MTV, MTV2, MTV Tr3 ...

(WSX) promotion, as "6-Pac". At their inaugural tapings on February 9, 6-Pac had a ten-man

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...

, which both he and

Vampiro Ian Richard Hodgkinson (born May 31, 1967), better known by his ring name Vampiro, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler who most recently served as director of talent for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He also worked for Lucha Unde ...

won by climbing the ladder to retrieve WSX contracts. 6-Pac lost a

WSX Championship Wrestling Society X (WSX) is a short-lived American professional wrestling promotion and professional wrestling-based television series created in 2006 by Big Vision Entertainment. The weekly television series formerly aired on MTV, MTV2, MTV ...

title match to Vampiro the following week. He challenged Vampiro in episode four, as a ruse to introduce

Ricky Banderas Gilbert Cosme Ramírez (born May 25, 1972) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler, better known by his ring names El Mesías, Mil Muertes, Ricky Banderas and King Muertes. He began his career in the International Wrestling Association based in ...

, who attacked Vampiro from behind. He later defeated

Human Tornado Craig Williams (born May 1, 1983), better known by his ring name, Human Tornado, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. His character was that of a 1970s blaxploitation street pimp. He performed primarily on the California independen ...

and

Scorpio Sky Schuyler Andrews (born April 2, 1983), better known by the ring name Scorpio Sky, is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Andrews is also known for his appearances with Ring of ...

in singles matches, and teased an affair with Lizzy Valentine (the valet and girlfriend of

Matt Sydal Matthew Joseph Korklan (born March 19, 1983), better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Prior to signing with AEW, Sydal wrestled in WWE as Evan Bourne, and was ...

), though WSX folded before the

angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two Ray (geometry), rays, called the ''Side (plane geometry), sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the ''vertex (geometry), vertex'' of the angle. Angles formed by two ...

could go on any further.

Independent circuit (2006–2010)

Waltman, under his real name, defeated

Adam Pearce Adam John Pearce (born June 24, 1978) is an American professional wrestling executive and former professional wrestler. He is currently employed by WWE as Director of Live Events, producer, trainer, coach, and on-screen authority figure. He is ...

for the

NWA Heritage Championship The NWA Heritage Championship is a title sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance. Title history As of , . Combined reigns As of , . See also *National Wrestling Alliance *CWFH Heritage Heavyweight Championship The UWN Herita ...

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

on April 21, 2007. He defended it against El Sicodelico Jr. on April 27, and lost it to Pearce two days later. On July 8, 2007, Waltman teamed with

in a three-way tag match in

McAllen, Texas McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, and the 22nd-most populous city in Texas. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexico–United States border. The city limits extend ...

for the

, which had been vacated by

Team 3D 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 me ...

after the

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 ...

stopped working with TNA. They lost the match to

Karl Anderson Chad Allegra (born January 20, 1980), better known by the ring name Karl Anderson, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE where he performs on the Raw brand. He also makes appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), whe ...

and Joey Ryan. On the May 14, 2008, episode of ''

NWA Wrestling Showcase The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA began as a governing body for a g ...

'', Waltman challenged Pearce for the

. The match ended prematurely after Waltman legitimately injured his knee five minutes in. He was attacked by The Real American Heroes and Pearce, so won by disqualification. As wrestling titles can generally only change hands by pinfall or submission, Pearce retained the belt. In June 2007, Waltman, as X-Pac, began working regularly for

AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...

, initially a member of Konnan's ''

La Legión Extranjera La Legión Extranjera (Spanish for "The Foreign Legion") was the main Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración heel group, though loosely affiliated. It was a catch all for one time and irregularly scheduled foreign heels, working as Konnan's hired ...

'' (Foreign Legion) and managed by girlfriend

Alicia Webb Alicia Nicole Webb (born May 4, 1979) is an American retired professional wrestling manager (professional wrestling), valet and occasional professional wrestler. She is best known for her appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 19 ...

. He usually used the

entrance music. After leaving for rehab in mid-2008, he returned at ''

Verano de Escándalo Verano de Escándalo (Spanish Language, Spanish for "Summer of Scandal") is a major annual professional wrestling event in Mexico promoted by the Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (AAA) promotion. The show is as the name indicates a summer show, traditi ...

'' (''Summer of Scandal'') that September, turning on the Foreign Legion and forming D-Generation Mex, a parody of D-Generation X, with

Rocky Romero John R. Rivera (born October 28, 1982) is a Puerto Rican-American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently signed non-exclusively to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), better known by his ring name Rocky Romero (ロッ ...

and

Alex Koslov Alex Sherman (born January 21, 1984) is a Moldovans, Moldovan-born retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and color commentator, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling under the ring name Alex Koslov. Koslov has mainly worke ...

. He later feuded with one of AAA's top stars, El Zorro. On August 8, 2009, at GLCW Slamfest, X-Pac became the new GLCW Heavyweight Champion by defeating Skull Crusher, who had replaced champion

Al Snow Allen Ray Sarven (born July 18, 1963) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Al Snow. He is best known as a wrestler for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Sn ...

when he failed to show.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010)

On a special live, three-hour Monday night episode of ''Impact!'' on January 4, 2010, Waltman (as Syxx-Pac) and Scott Hall returned to TNA. That night, fellow former nWo member

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 ...

debuted in TNA. Kevin Nash, Hall and Waltman quickly reformed an alliance called The Band, but Hogan stayed away, saying times had changed. On the January 14 episode of ''Impact!'', The Band attacked Robert Roode and James Storm with led to a tag team match at Genesis. At

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

on January 17, Syxx-Pac replaced Hall and teamed with Nash to lose to

Beer Money, Inc. Beer Money, Inc. was a professional wrestling tag team which consisted of Robert "Bobby" Roode and James Storm in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where they are record-tying five-time TNA World Tag Te ...

(

Robert Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery. Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonstop ...

and

James Storm James Allen Cox (born June 1, 1977) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name James Storm. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling. He started his career in 1997 and after working on several independent pr ...

). On the next ''Impact!'' Hogan, disgusted by The Band's actions, had security eject Syxx-Pac and Hall, saying they weren't contracted to TNA. They appeared the next week anyway, attacking

Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...

from behind. They returned a week later, betraying Nash and beating him down. on the February 11 episode of Impact!, Waltman and Hall attacked Kurt Angle until Hogan made the save. on the February 18 episode of Impact!, Waltman and Hall brawled with Nash and Young and a week later on the February 25 episode of Impact!, Waltman and Hall brawled with Nash and Young in the parking lot and left them laying. on the March 8 episode of Impact, Nash and Young brought out a contract to wrestle Waltman and Hall on PPV. on the March 15 episode of Impact, Nash and Hall had a 5-Min $25,000 challenge when Waltman attacked Nash and handcuffed him to the rope. At

Destination X Destination X is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Impact Wrestling currently in the month of August. The event primarily revolves around the X-Division, the 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010 events had Ultimate X matches. It w ...

on March 21, Syxx-Pac and Hall wagered their TNA jobs in a tag match against Nash and Eric Young. In the end, Nash turned on Young and helped The Band win the match and full TNA contracts. On the March 29 ''Impact!'', The Band lost a six-man steel cage tag match to Eric Young, Jeff Hardy and

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 ...

. on the April 12 episode of Impact, Waltman, Hall and Nash defeated

and

Jesse Neal Jesse Neal (born April 10, 1980)
Profightdb.com. Retrieved on August 5, 2010. is an American

, but was replaced by Nash after the Missouri Athletic Commission barred Waltman from wrestling, due to his

hepatitis C Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection people often have mild or no symptoms. Occasionally a fever, dark urine, a ...

. On the April 26 ''Impact!'', Waltman was written off of TV when

found Syxx-Pac on a backstage floor in a pool of blood; Eric Young took his place in The Band. In June 2010, TNA released Waltman and Hall.

Late career (2010–2019)

On February 26, 2011, Waltman was inducted into the Legends Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...

by Jack Blaze at their "LPW X-Factor 2011" event. On March 5, 2011, Waltman reunited with former D-Generation X members Road Dogg and Billy Gunn for a six-man tag match at a Pro Wrestling Syndicate show in

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...

. A week later, X-Pac defeated UIW Lightweight Champion Stupid in a non-title match. On April 2, 2011, Waltman returned to WWE television to celebrate, with

and

, their longtime friend

' induction into the 2011

. He later worked backstage as a scout and evaluator in

Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...

, the WWE

developmental territory In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

On April 15, 2011, Waltman, as The 1–2–3 Kid, debuted for Chikara by entering their King of Trios tournament, teaming with

Arik Cannon Arik Cannon (born December 23, 1981) is an American professional wrestler known for competing in companies such as Chikara, Dragon Gate USA, IWA Mid-South, All American Wrestling and Wrestling Society X. He also runs the Minneapolis-based wrest ...

and Darin Corbin (Team Minnesota). They were eliminated in the first round by Team

Michinoku Pro (originally known as North Eastern Wrestling) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded by The Great Sasuke on October 1, 1992. It was the first independent wrestling promotion in Japan to not base its operations in Tokyo, but rather ...

(

Dick Togo , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. Togo is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the Bullet Club stable, and its sub-group House of Torture. Togo has spent the majority of ...

Great Sasuke , born July 18, 1969), is a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter and politician, currently wrestling for Michinoku Pro Wrestling (MPW) under the ring name . Aside from professional wrestling, he is also a former Iwate Prefectural Assembly ...

and

Jinsei Shinzaki Kensuke Shinzaki (新崎健介 ''Shinzaki Kensuke'', born December 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling executive, better known by his ring name, Jinsei Shinzaki (新崎人生 ''Shinzaki Jinsei''). He is curr ...

). The day after, Waltman defeated

Amazing Red Jonathan Figueroa (born April 26, 1982), better known by his ring name Amazing Red, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler and promoter. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former three-time ...

, Frightmare and Obariyon in a four-way elimination match to make it to the next day's ''Rey de Voladores'' tournament final. There, he lost to

El Generico Rami Sebei ( ar, رامي سبعي; born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sami Zayn, and is a member of The Bloodline. Prior to joi ...

. After the match, Waltman said he believed 2011 would be his last year in professional wrestling, praising Chikara as the "future of wrestling" and thanking them for a memorable weekend. In October 2011, X-Pac teamed with Billy Gunn wrestled the Full Blooded Italians in the main event on a Caribbean Pro Wrestling show in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. In March 2012, Waltman attended the Hall of Fame again, with

. On July 23, he,

and

returned to join Shawn Michaels and Triple H for a

reunion on the 1000th episode of ''Raw''. In September 2012, the 1–2–3 Kid returned to Chikara for the 2012 King of Trios tournament, this time teaming with Aldo Montoya and Tatanka as Team WWF. On September 14, they lost their first-round match to The Extreme Trio (Jerry Lynn,

Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...

and

Too Cold Scorpio Charles Bernard Scaggs (born October 25, 1965) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by the ring name 2 Cold Scorpio (sometimes spelled Too Cold Scorpio). He is best known for his appearances with World Champi ...

). The next day, The 1–2–3 Kid was low-blowed and pinned by

Mark Angelosetti Mark Angelosetti (born July 9, 1988) is an American retired professional wrestler, also known by the ring name Mr. Touchdown. Angelosetti primarily worked for Chikara, where he is a former Grand Champion, a former one-time Campeon de Parejas a ...

. On the final day of the tournament weekend, The 1–2–3 Kid and Marty Jannetty won the annual tag team

. On October 8 and 9, 2012, he wrestled in a Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation tournament to crown the BBWF Caribbean Champion. He defeated

Krimson Krimson is a Flemish comic book character and the main antagonist in the Belgian comic strip series ''Suske en Wiske''. He is a doctor, billionaire and supervillain who wants to take over the world. Debut Krimson made his debut in the album " ...

in the semi-final and Daivari in the final, winning the title. On November 18, 2012, The 1–2–3 Kid returned to Chikara, when he and Marty Jannetty defeated The Heart Throbs ( Antonio Thomas and

Romeo Roselli Giovanni "Johnny" Roselli (born September 23, 1980) is a professional wrestler and actor better known as Romeo Roselli. He is best known for his work with World Wrestling Entertainment, on its RAW brand, as one half of the tag team "The Heart Thr ...

) to earn their third point (for three consecutive wins) and a shot at the

Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas The Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas (''Chikara Tag Team championship'') was a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based promotion Chikara. History The Campeonatos de Parejas was introduced ...

. They lost the title match on December 2, at the

Under the Hood Under may refer to: * "Under" (Alex Hepburn song), 2013 * "Under" (Pleasure P song), 2009 *Bülent Ünder (born 1949), Turkish footballer *Cengiz Ünder (born 1997), Turkish footballer *Marie Under Marie Under ( – 25 September 1980) was one o ...

internet pay-per-view, to defending champions

The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...

(Matt and Nick Jackson). In early 2013, The Kliq/DX reunited for an episode of ''

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

''. In March 2013, Waltman signed a WWE Legends contract (a long-term contract which gives WWE merchandising rights to a wrestler's name and likeness, requires occasional appearances and prevents them from working for competing major promotions, but allows for independent appearances). 190px, Waltman in April 2014 Waltman, under his real name, returned to Chikara on March 8, 2013, losing to

Hallowicked Robert Goodwin (born November 1, 1981) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Hallowicked. He performs primarily in the Chikara professional wrestling promotion, where he started his career in May 2002. His accomplis ...

. On March 23, 2013, in a four-way match at

's retirement show in

, X-Pac tore his

anus The anus (Latin, 'ring' or 'circle') is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, the residual semi-solid waste that remains after food digestion, which, d ...

by performing his signature Bronco Buster onto the exposed

turnbuckle A turnbuckle, stretching screw or bottlescrew is a device for adjusting the tension or length of ropes, cables, tie rods, and other tensioning systems. It normally consists of two threaded eye bolts, one screwed into each end of a small metal f ...

. Afterward, he went back to his hotel room, where he discovered a lot of blood coming out of his clothes and went to the hospital. He underwent a sphincteroplasty and was released the following morning. On November 9, 2013, X-Pac and

Lance Storm Lance Timothy Evers (; born April 3, 1969), known professionally by his ring name Lance Storm, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Extreme Championship Wrestling (EC ...

lost to

and

Terry Funk Terrence Funk (born June 30, 1944) is an American retired professional wrestler, rapper, disc jockey and actor. Funk is known for the longevity of his career – which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements – a ...

in the main event of House of Hardcore 3. On April 5, 2014 the night before WrestleMania XXX, Waltman joined Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Kevin Nash at Scott Hall's WWE Hall of Fame induction, reuniting The Kliq. On June 14, 2014, X-Pac and Rikishi defeated Gangrel and Matt Striker at House of Hardcore 6. In September 2014, Waltman returned to Chikara to do commentary during the first round of the 2014 King of Trios. On the January 19, 2015 episode of ''Raw'', labelled Raw Reunion, Damien Mizdow appeared with Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels,

and Triple H dressed as X-Pac, only for X-Pac to confront him (finding the impersonation funny), until

The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...

interrupted them to tell them that Mizdow was only his stunt double, and that the party was over. He appeared again with Hall and Nash, being interrupted by The Ascension, who were attempting to attack them, only to be joined by The APA and

The New Age Outlaws The New Age Outlaws were an American professional wrestling tag team in World Wrestling Federation (WWF) made up of "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn. The duo became popular in the late 1990s as members of the second incarnation ...

in fending off The Ascension. At

WrestleMania 31 WrestleMania 31 was the 31st annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on March 29, 2015, at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area town of Santa Clara, California. Nine ...

, X-Pac along with the New Age Outlaws and Shawn Michaels helped Triple H win his match against

. They were backstage at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn in August 2015. On September 4, 2016, Waltman, as X-Pac, made a surprise return to Chikara, representing DX alongside Billy Gunn in a tag team gauntlet match. The two entered the match as the final team and scored the win over Prakash Sabar and The Proletariat Boar of Moldova. In January 2018, Waltman returned at

WWE Raw 25 Years Raw 25 Years was a television special, special episode of WWE's weekly television series ''WWE Raw, Raw'', broadcast on the USA Network on January 22, 2018. The episode was a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the program's debut in January ...

and reunited with DX and Scott Hall. In November 2018, he attended NXT TakeOver: WarGames.

Retirement (2019–2022)

, Waltman was inducted into the

(under the X-Pac name) as a member of

alongside

and the late

. During

WrestleMania 35 WrestleMania 35 was the 35th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brand divisions. The event took place on A ...

weekend in April 2019, X-Pac,

Hurricane Helms Gregory Shane Helms (born July 12, 1974) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed with WWE under a legends contract, as a wrestler and as a backstage producer. In WWE, Helms has wrestled as The Hurricane, Gregory Helms, and Hu ...

and

Jushin Thunder Liger , better known as and later , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having wrestled for the company since h ...

won a six-man tag team match against Revolt! (

Caleb Konley Mason Burnett (born August 30, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in Impact Wrestling where he competed under the ring name Kaleb with a K, or simply, Kaleb Konley. He is best known under the ring name Caleb Kon ...

, Jake Manning, and Zane Riley) at the WrestleCon Mark Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow. Later in July, he claimed that the match would be his last and that he was retired, stating "I'm fucking done wrestling. I'm done." However, he did mention that he would be open to potential one-night returns for special occasions such as

WrestleMania WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held annually between mid-March and mid-April by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Since premiering in 1985, 37 editions followed, mos ...

and

NXT TakeOver NXT TakeOver was a series of periodic professional wrestling events produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The events were produced exclusively for the promotion's NXT brand division and aired live on pay-per-v ...

. On December 9, 2019, it was announced that Waltman would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame a second time (this time under his real name) as a part of the

class of 2020 ''Class of 2020'' is a 2020 Hindi web series created and produced by Vikas Gupta for Ekta Kapoor's video on demand platform ALTBalaji. It stars Rohan Mehra and Joyita Chatterjee in lead roles. The web series revolves around the lives of a few t ...

, this time as a member of the New World Order, together with fellow former nWo stablemates

, and

; this made him the first person to be inducted two years in a row, and the first to be inducted twice as part of teams or groups. The 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony was delayed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...

, it eventually took place a year later.

Game Changer Wrestling (2022–present)

Waltman came out of retirement in February 2022, debuting in

Game Changer Wrestling Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), formerly known as Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW), is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Jersey. The promotion was originally founded by Ricky Otazu in 1999, it was rebranded un ...

on its "Welcome to Heartbreak" pay-per-view in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

as the tag team partner of

Joey Janela Joseph Janela (born July 3, 1989) is an American professional wrestler. Janela is most known for his work with promotions such as All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW ...

. The following month at the "Joey Janela's Spring Break 6" pay-per-view, Waltman lost to Janela.

Other media

In 2004, Waltman co-starred with then-girlfriend

in the now-infamous amateur adult film ''

1 Night in China ''1 Night in China'' is a pornographic film directed by Marcos Nunez and featuring professional wrestling personalities Sean Waltman and Chyna, Joanie Laurer. It was released by Red Light District Video in 2004 but recorded in 2003. While Waltman a ...

''. Waltman's has been a playable character in video games including ''

WWF Raw WWF may refer to: Non-profit organizations *World Wide Fund for Nature or World Wildlife Fund, a nature conservation group *World Water Forum, an international forum for water issues *Working Women's Forum, a training, trade and credit union in In ...

'', '' WCW vs. nWo: World Tour'', ''

WCW Nitro ''WCW Monday Nitro'', also known as ''WCW Nitro'' or simply ''Nitro'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT in the United ...

'', ''

WWF Attitude ''WWF Attitude'' is a professional wrestling video game based on the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) released by Acclaim Entertainment in 1999 for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64. A slightly enhanced port of the game was later released ...

'', ''

WWF Smackdown! ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, ET on Fox Br ...

'', '' WWF WrestleMania 2000'', '' WWF No Mercy'', '' WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role'', '' WWF With Authority!'', '' WWF Road to WrestleMania'', ''

WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth ''WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth'' (known as ''Exciting Pro Wrestling 4'' in Japan) is a professional wrestling video game released on the PlayStation 2 console by THQ and developed by Yuke's. It is the fourth game in the ''WWE SmackDown!'' vide ...

'', ''

WWE '13 ''WWE '13'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. It was released on October 30, 2012, in North America and November 2, 2012, in United Kingdom. It is the fourteenth ...

'', downloadable content in ''

WWE 2K14 ''WWE 2K14'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K Sports for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released on October 29, 2013, in North America, October 30, 2013, in Japan, October 31, 2013, in Austr ...

'' as Syxx-Pac, ''

WWE 2K16 ''WWE 2K16'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K Sports for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It is the sequel to '' WWE 2K15'', and was succeeded by ''WWE 2K17''. ...

'', ''

WWE 2K20 ''WWE 2K20'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It was released worldwide on October 22, 2019, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the twenty-first installment of ...

'', and ''

WWE 2K22 ''WWE 2K22'' is a 2022 professional wrestling sports video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It is the twenty-second overall installment of the video game series based on WWE, the ninth game under the ''WWE 2K'' banne ...

''. Starting in 2016, Waltman began hosting the weekly

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

, ''X-Pac 1, 2, 360''. Waltman has also made various appearances on other podcasts including ''

The Steve Austin Show 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 ...

'', ''Talk Is Jericho'', and ''The Ross Report''.

Personal life

In the mid-2000s, Waltman was in a relationship with

Joanie Laurer Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016) was an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and television personality. She first rose to prominence in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1997, where sh ...

, who competed as Chyna in the WWF. They were engaged but later split up. In March 2005, Waltman appeared on the

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

reality show ''

The Surreal Life ''The Surreal Life'' is an American reality television series that records a group of celebrities as they live together in Glen Campbell's former mansion in the Hollywood Hills for two weeks. The format of the show resembles that of ''The Real W ...

'', in which he visited Laurer in an attempt to reconcile with her. After Laurer refused to reconcile, he was eventually ejected from the house by the other guests. On ''

The Tomorrow Show with Keven Undergaro ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'', he recounted the last time he saw Chyna. He has been open about past substance abuse issues; during his relationship with Laurer, he struggled with an addiction to

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...

and narcotics such as

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

and prescription pain medication., In 2008, Waltman attempted suicide in his

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

apartment. He later said he was so overcome with shame and guilt after a physical altercation with his then-girlfriend

that he consumed a mixture of pills and alcohol and hanged himself from his apartment balcony. Webb supposedly found him hanging and was able to get him down, reviving him until an ambulance arrived. Following this incident, he was placed in WWE-sponsored rehab and began his recovery. On April 30, 2017, Waltman was arrested at the

Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...

after allegedly being found in possession of methamphetamines. On May 26, however, it was announced that the charges had been dropped after lab results determined the pills he possessed were not methamphetamines nor any form of narcotic. On September 24, 2018, Waltman announced the death of his ex-wife and the mother of his two children, Terry Waltman, to whom he was married from 1994 to 2002. He said she had "lost her battle with mental illness and addiction". He began dating author

Angela Nissel Angela R. Nissel (born December 5, 1978) is an American author and television writer best known for her first book ''The Broke Diaries: The Completely True and Hilarious Misadventures of a Good Girl Gone Broke''. She was a writer and executive ...

in 2018. In 2022, Waltman became a grandfather.

Filmography

Championships and accomplishments

* Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation ** BBFW Caribbean Championship (1 time) *

DDT Pro-Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bo ...

Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight in its DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) brand. Open to anyone, regardless of gender or DDT employment status, the championship is defended " 24/7", as i ...

( 1 time) * Great Lakes Championship Wrestling ** GLCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

(

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 ...

) ** GWF Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament (1991) *

Jersey Championship Wrestling Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), formerly known as Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW), is an American Independent circuit, independent professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in New Jersey. The promotion was origina ...

** JCW Tag Team Championships (1 time) – with

* Legends Pro Wrestling ** LPW Hall of Fame (2011) * Metroplex Wrestling ** MPX Tag Team Champion (1 time) – with Jerome Daniels *

Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation was a Mid-Atlantic independent professional wrestling promotion based in Essex, Maryland. Founded by promoter Dennis Wippercht and wrestler Tim "Lucifer" Burke in 1991, the MEWF was one of the leading independ ...

MEWF Light Heavyweight Championship The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation (MEWF) Cruiserweight Championship was the primary Cruiserweight singles title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation. The title was created when Ricky Blues defeated Adrian Hall at an event held in Pasaden ...

( 1 time) * NWA Pro Wrestling **

(1 time) *

** PWA Iron Horse Television Championship ( 1 time) **

PWA Light Heavyweight Championship The PWA Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling light heavyweight championship in Pro Wrestling America (PWA). It remained active until 1992 when the title was abandoned. The inaugural champion was "Mr. Electricity" Steve Re ...

(

) ** PWA Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with

* ''

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 ...

'' ** Comeback of the Year (1998) ** Tag Team of the Year (1999) – with Kane ** Ranked No. 21 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 Publishi ...

in 1997 ** Ranked No. 177 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003 * South Eastern Wrestling Alliance ** SEWA Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

Total Nonstop Action 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 ...

( 1 time) **

Chris Candido Memorial Tag Team Tournament The Chris Candido Memorial Tag Team Tournament was a professional wrestling tag team single-elimination tournament held by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion in 2005. It was held to honor the TNA wrestler Chris Candido, who died ...

– with

( 1 time) **

( 1 time) – with

and

¹ * World Wrestling Federation/WWE **

(

) **

( 2 times, final) **

( 1 time) **

( 4 times) – with

(1),

(1), and Kane (2) **

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 ...

(1 time) *** Biggest Heart (

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

) ** WWF World Tag Team Championship Tournament (1995) – with Bob Holly **

(2 times) *** Class of 2019 – as a member of

***

Class of 2020 ''Class of 2020'' is a 2020 Hindi web series created and produced by Vikas Gupta for Ekta Kapoor's video on demand platform ALTBalaji. It stars Rohan Mehra and Joyita Chatterjee in lead roles. The web series revolves around the lives of a few t ...

– as a member of the New World Order *

( 1 time) *

** WSX Rumble (shared with

) * ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...

'' ** Best Gimmick (1996) – nWo ** Feud of the Year (1996) New World Order vs. World Championship Wrestling ¹ – Following an injury to Nash, the nWo invoked "Wolfpac Rules" and named Syxx as co-champion

''Luchas de Apuestas'' record

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Waltman, Sean 1972 births American male professional wrestlers American podcasters Bridgeport Bluefish guest managers D-Generation X members Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan Living people Professional wrestlers from Minneapolis Professional wrestling podcasters Sportspeople from Minneapolis The Kliq members The Million Dollar Corporation members New World Order (professional wrestling) members WWE Hall of Fame inductees WWF European Champions 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers TNA/Impact X Division Champions WCW/WWE Cruiserweight Champions Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions GWF Light Heavyweight Champions WCW World Tag Team Champions