Grand Slam (professional wrestling)
The Grand Slam is an accomplishment in professional wrestling. It is a distinction given to a professional wrestler who has won four specific championships within a promotion throughout the course of their career. National promotions that recognize this include WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Notable independent promotions include Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). The four titles typically feature three levels of singles championships and a tag team championship. These singles championships include a primary, secondary, and tertiary championship. As a result, a Grand Slam winner is also inherently a Triple Crown Champion, which consists of only two levels of singles titles (primary and secondary) and a tag team title.
WWE
In WWE (formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment) the term "Grand Slam" was originally used by Shawn Michaels to describe himself upon winning the European Championship on September 20, 1997. Michaels previously held the WWF Championship, Intercontinental Championship, and the Tag Team Championship with Diesel.[1]
In May 2001, the then WWF.com indicated that the Hardcore Championship was an acceptable substitute for the European Championship in the Grand Slam. Kane, who had defeated Triple H for the Intercontinental Championship at Judgment Day on May 20, 2001,[2] was acknowledged as a Grand Slam winner as he had "become the only superstar in World Wrestling Federation history that has held the Intercontinental title as well as the Hardcore, Tag Team and WWF titles".[3][4]
In April 2006, Kurt Angle was noted as being a former Grand Slam winner on WWE.com, having won the WWE, WWE Tag Team, Intercontinental, and European Championship, indicating that WWE considers the WWE Tag Team Championship to be an acceptable substitute for the World Tag Team Championship.[5] In August 2007, WWE.com published an article listing Shawn Michaels' championship reigns that completed the Grand Slam. They included the WWE, World Heavyweight, World Tag Team, Intercontinental, and European Championship. The inclusion of the World Heavyweight Championship indicated that WWE considered the title to be an acceptable substitute for the WWE Championship in completing the Grand Slam.[1]
At ECW One Night Stand in 2006, Rob Van Dam became the first superstar acquired by WWE after the purchase of World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling in 2001 to complete the Grand Slam when he defeated John Cena for the WWE Championship. Booker T became the second star acquired by the purchase to complete the Grand Slam when he defeated Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship at The Great American Bash (2006). Booker has held the World Tag Team, Intercontinental, and Hardcore titles.[6]
Following WrestleMania 31 in 2015, WWE established an updated version of the Grand Slam consisting of the four then-active men's titles in WWE: the WWE World, Intercontinental, United States, and WWE Tag Team Championships.[7] Six wrestlers have been recognized as Grand Slam winners under these new parameters (including three who were already recognized as Grand Slam winners under the original guidelines).[8] With the brand extension re-established, it is not yet known if the WWE Universal Championship and the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships will be acceptable substitutes for their counterpart titles as part of the Triple Crown and Grand Slam.
As of December 5, 2016, 15 wrestlers have been recognized as WWE Grand Slam winners under its various incarnations.
Guide
| Text | |
|---|---|
| Championships in italics | The title is an alternate title in the original Grand Slam format. |
| Dates | A date indicates the wrestlers first reign with that championship. |
| Dates in bold | The date the wrestler won the Grand Slam. |
| Names in bold | Indicates Grand Slam winner under both formats. |
| Dates in italics | The wrestler has won that title, but does not contribute to their Grand Slam because they had already won the Grand Slam or they had already won a title at the same level. |
| N/A | Indicates future reigns are not possible |
| Colors | |
| Won all Grand Slam eligible titles under the original format. | |
| Won title as a member of the Raw brand. | |
| Won title as a member of the ECW brand. | |
| Won title as a member of the SmackDown brand. | |
| Won title either before the brand extension or after its discontinuation. | |
Original format
| Champion | Primary championships | Tag team championships | Secondary championship | Tertiary championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WWE World | World Heavyweight |
World Tag Team |
WWE Tag Team |
Intercontinental | European | Hardcore | |
| Shawn Michaels[1] | March 31, 1996 | November 17, 2002 | August 28, 1994 (with Diesel) |
December 13, 2009 (with Triple H) |
October 27, 1992 | September 20, 1997 | N/A (Title defunct) |
| Triple H[9] | August 23, 1999 | September 2, 2002 | April 29, 2001 (with Stone Cold Steve Austin) |
December 13, 2009 (with Shawn Michaels) |
October 21, 1996 | December 11, 1997 | N/A (Title defunct) |
| Kane[3][4] | June 28, 1998 | July 18, 2010 | July 13, 1998 (with Mankind) |
April 19, 2011 (with Big Show) |
May 20, 2001 | N/A (Title defunct) |
April 1, 2001 |
| Chris Jericho[10] | December 9, 2001 | September 7, 2008 | May 21, 2001 (with Chris Benoit) |
June 28, 2009 (with Edge) |
December 12, 1999 | April 2, 2000 | May 28, 2001 |
| Kurt Angle[5] | October 22, 2000 | January 10, 2006 | N/A (Title defunct) |
October 20, 2002 (with Chris Benoit) |
February 27, 2000 | February 8, 2000 | September 10, 2001 |
| Eddie Guerrero | February 15, 2004 | N/A (Deceased) |
N/A (Deceased) |
November 17, 2002 (with Chavo Guerrero) |
September 5, 2000 | April 3, 2000 | N/A (Deceased) |
| Rob Van Dam[6][7] | June 11, 2006 | N/A (Title defunct) |
March 31, 2003 (with Kane) |
December 7, 2004 (with Rey Mysterio) |
March 17, 2002 | July 22, 2002 | July 22, 2001 |
| Booker T | July 23, 2006 | October 30, 2001 (with Test) |
July 7, 2003 | N/A (Title defunct) |
May 4, 2002 | ||
| Jeff Hardy[11] | December 14, 2008 | June 7, 2009 | June 29, 1999 (with Matt Hardy) |
April 10, 2001 | July 8, 2002 | July 10, 2001 | |
| John Bradshaw Layfield[12] | June 27, 2004 | N/A (Retired) |
May 25, 1999 (with Faarooq) |
N/A (Retired) |
March 9, 2009 | October 22, 2001 | June 3, 2002 |
| Christian[13] | N/A (Retired) |
May 1, 2011 | April 2, 2000 (with Edge) |
N/A (Retired) |
September 23, 2001 | October 30, 2001 | March 17, 2002 |
| Big Show | November 14, 1999 | December 18, 2011 | August 22, 1999 (with The Undertaker) |
July 26, 2009 (with Chris Jericho) |
April 1, 2012 | N/A (Title defunct) |
February 25, 2001 |
Current format
| Champion | Primary championship | Tag team championship | Secondary championship | Tertiary championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WWE World | WWE Raw Tag Team | Intercontinental | United States | |
| Kurt Angle*[8][14] | October 22, 2000 | October 20, 2002 (with Chris Benoit) |
February 27, 2000 | October 22, 2001 |
| Eddie Guerrero[8][15] | February 15, 2004 | November 17, 2002 (with Chavo Guerrero) |
September 3, 2000 | July 23, 2003 |
| Edge*[8][16] | January 8, 2006 | November 7, 2002 (with Rey Mysterio) |
July 24, 1999 | November 12, 2001 |
| Big Show[8][17] | November 14, 1999 | July 26, 2009 (with Chris Jericho) |
April 1, 2012 | October 19, 2003 |
| The Miz[8][18] | November 22, 2010 | November 16, 2007 (with John Morrison) |
July 23, 2012 | October 5, 2009 |
| Daniel Bryan[8][19] | August 18, 2013 | September 16, 2012 (with Kane) |
March 29, 2015 | September 19, 2010 |
- Kurt Angle and Edge won the United States Championship under the WCW banner while in the WWE. WWE only counts United States Championship reigns under either banner that took place in the WWE.
FCW Grand Slam
In Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's former developmental territory, a Grand Slam winner was a wrestler who had won every championship that was available in FCW.[20] All FCW titles were retired when FCW changed its name to NXT.
| Champion | Primary championship | Tag team championship | Secondary championship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Heavyweight Championship | Florida Tag Team Championship | Jack Brisco 15 Championship | |
| Seth Rollins | February 23, 2012 | March 25, 2011 (with Richie Steamboat) |
January 13, 2011 |
| Richie Steamboat | July 25, 2012 | March 25, 2011 (with Seth Rollins) |
January 13, 2012 |
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
The first Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) Grand Slam winner was crowned on March 15, 2009 at TNA's Destination X pay-per-view event. At said event, then three-time TNA Triple Crown champion A.J. Styles defeated Booker T for the TNA Legends Championship. On the March 19 episode of TNA's primary television program, TNA Impact!, announcer Mike Tenay stated that Styles had become the first TNA Grand Slam winner by capturing the World Heavyweight (NWA or TNA), World Tag Team (NWA or TNA), TNA X Division, and TNA Legends Championships (The Legends Championship has subsequently been renamed the Global, Television, and King of the Mountain Championship).[21][22]
The following is a list of TNA Grand Slam winners with dates indicating when the wrestler first won the respective championship. Under TNA's definition of the Grand Slam, wrestlers are eligible to be a multiple Grand Slam winner each time they complete a new circuit. Thus far, only A.J. Styles has won the Grand Slam on more than one occasion, as well as being the only one to have held every eligible championship to qualify for the Grand Slam.
On August 15, 2016, the TNA King of the Mountain Championship was once again retired when Lashley unified the title into his World Heavyweight Championship. As a result of which, once again, the number of potential Grand Slam Champions in TNA is limited to former Legends/Global/Television/King of the Mountain Champions. It is unknown at this time if the Impact Grand Championship is considered as an acceptable tertiary championship for the Grand Slam.
| Champion | Primary championships | Tag team championships | Secondary championship | Tertiary championship | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWA World Heavyweight |
TNA World Heavyweight |
NWA World Tag Team |
TNA World Tag Team |
TNA X Division |
TNA King of the Mountain (Legends/Global/Television) | |
| A.J. Styles (2 times)[21] | June 11, 2003 | September 20, 2009 | July 3, 2002 (with Jerry Lynn) |
October 14, 2007 (with Tomko) |
June 19, 2002 | March 15, 2009 |
| Abyss | November 19, 2006 | February 4, 2004 (with A.J. Styles) |
September 19, 2014 (with James Storm) |
May 16, 2011 | January 9, 2011 | |
| Samoa Joe | N/A | April 13, 2008 | N/A | July 15, 2007 (no partner) | December 11, 2005 | September 27, 2012 |
| Eric Young | N/A | April 10, 2014 | October 12, 2004 (with Bobby Roode) |
April 15, 2008 (with Kaz) |
December 7, 2008 | October 18, 2009 |
| Text | |
|---|---|
| Championships in italics | The title is an alternate title from the original definition of a Grand Slam. |
| Dates | A date indicates the wrestlers first reign with that championship. |
| Dates in bold | The date the wrestler won the Grand Slam. |
| N/A | Indicates no future reigns possible due to the title no longer being under TNA control. |
| Colors | |
| Won all Grand Slam eligible titles. | |
IWA Puerto Rico
In IWA, a Grand Slam winner is a wrestler who has won the IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship, IWA Intercontinental Championship, IWA World Tag Team Championship, IWA Hardcore Championship and IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.[23]
| Champion | Primary championship | Tag team championship | Secondary championship | Tertiary championship | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship | IWA World Tag Team Championship | IWA Intercontinental Championship | IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship[24] | IWA Hardcore Championship | IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship | |
| Chicano | April 8, 2005 | January 6, 2004 (with Stefano) |
May 18, 2002 | December 12, 2009 | January 12, 2002 | March 2, 2002 |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 "Shawn Michaels". WWE.com. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
He would also become the first-ever WWE “Grand Slam”d Tag Team Title gold.
- ↑ "Kane's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2007-04-19. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
- 1 2 "WWF.com Headlines". World Wrestling Entertainment. 2001-05-26. Archived from the original on 2001-05-26. Retrieved 2009-03-11.
In a rare interview with WWF.com, Kane discussed the chain match Sunday at Judgment Day and his feelings on being the only "Grand Slam Champion" of his variety.
- 1 2 "Big Red Grand Slam". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-03-11.
- 1 2 "Kurt Angle...". WWE.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
While most fans of this former Grand Slam Champion...
- 1 2 "Rob Van Dam". wwe.com. Archived from the original on 2008-03-31. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
At ECW One Night Stand 2006, Rob Van Dam became the only person out of ECW, after its 2001 purchase to become a WWE Grand Slam winner. At WWE Great American Bash 2006, Booker T became the second
- 1 2 New Grand Slam - WWE.com
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "6 Superstars who have won every active title: Photos". WWE. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- ↑ "Triple H". WWE.com. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
Such dedication has provided him with the fortitude to become a Grand Slam champion.
- ↑ "Nikki Sixx and Courtney Bingham at the Premiere of "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne (Chris Jericho)".
- ↑ Marcus Müller. Der Kleine Wrestling-Almanach 2010: - Nordamerika - (in German).
- ↑ "JBL Milestone 04-05-09". WWE. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
- ↑ Paul White. 101 Things You May Not Have Known About World Wrestling.
His vast collection of titles made him the 23rd Triple Crown Champion and the 11th Grand Slam Champion.
- ↑ Kurt Angle Grand Slam - WWE.com
- ↑ Eddie Guerrero Grand Slam - WWE.com
- ↑ Edge Grand Slam - WWE.com
- ↑ Big Show Grand Slam - WWE.com
- ↑ The Miz Grand Slam - WWE.com
- ↑ Daniel Bryan Grand Slam - WWE.com
- ↑ "Seth Rollins' Bio". 2009-03-19.
- 1 2 "Total Nonstop Action Wrestling presents: TNA Impact!". TNA Impact!. 2009-03-19. Spike TV.
- ↑ Boutwell, Josh (2009-03-20). "Impact results - 3/19/09". WrestleView.com. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
- ↑ "IWA Facebook page". 2009-03-19.
- ↑ http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/pr/iwa-pr/iwapr-pr-h.html