Stars 'n' Stripes
Encyclopedia
Stars 'n' Stripes was a professional wrestling
tag team
in World Championship Wrestling
composed of The Patriot
and Marcus Alexander Bagwell.
and Marcus Bagwell formed a face
(fan favorite) tag team. Bagwell, who had previously held the WCW World Tag Team Championship
while teaming with 2 Cold Scorpio
, got wrestling gear to match The Patriot's patriotic look.
Shortly after the pair began teaming, Pretty Wonderful
(Paul Roma
and Paul Orndorff
) won the WCW World Tag Team Championship. Bagwell and The Patriot faced the new champions in a series of non-title matches on house show
s. They defeated the Roma and Orndorff in the majority of the matches, but they were unable to win the title belts during a match between the teams at Fall Brawl on September 18. They faced each other one week later on the September 25 episode of WCW Saturday Night
, and Stars 'n' Stripes won the match and the championship.
Bagwell and The Patriot defended the title in a series of rematches over the next month, but they dropped the belts back to Pretty Wonderful at Halloween Havoc 1994 on October 23. The feud
continued between the teams, and Stars 'n' Stripes regained the championship on November 16 at Clash of the Champions XXIX. Had Roma and Orndorff won the match, The Patriot would have been forced to remove his mask
.
The team defended the belts against a series of challenger but lost them in a match with Harlem Heat
on December 8 during a taping of WCW Saturday Night. They were unable to regain them in subsequent rematches; the match was not aired for several weeks, however, so Stars 'n' Stripes continued to be billed as champions at events until the match was shown on television. Bagwell and The Patriot resumed their rivalry with Pretty Wonderful and were given a title match against Harlem Heat at Clash of the Champions XXX, but the champions retained the belts.
In February 1995, Stars 'n' Stripes began a series of matches with The Blue Bloods (Lord Steven Regal
and Earl Robert Eaton
). They also wrestled Romeo Valentino and Dino Cassanova at SuperBrawl V in a dark match and defeated them in one minute and ten seconds. After the match, Bagwell and The Patriot were attacked by Big Van Vader. The team continued to face Harlem Heat and The Blue Bloods (with Steve Austin
substituting for Bobby Eaton). They wrestled in another dark match at Uncensored 1995, defeating the team of Bunkhouse Buck and Dick Slater
.
In May 1995, The Patriot was entered in a tournament for the vacant WCW United States Championship
but was eliminated in the first round by Ric Flair
. Shortly thereafter, the team disbanded when The Patriot left WCW. Bagwell remained in WCW, holding the tag team belts once more while teaming with Scotty Riggs
to form The American Males
.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
in World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
composed of The Patriot
Del Wilkes
Del Wilkes is a former American professional wrestler. Over the span of 14 years, he performed in various promotions such as American Wrestling Association, All Japan Pro Wrestling...
and Marcus Alexander Bagwell.
History
Stars 'n' Stripes was formed in WCW in the summer of 1994 when The PatriotDel Wilkes
Del Wilkes is a former American professional wrestler. Over the span of 14 years, he performed in various promotions such as American Wrestling Association, All Japan Pro Wrestling...
and Marcus Bagwell formed a face
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
(fan favorite) tag team. Bagwell, who had previously held the WCW World Tag Team Championship
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
while teaming with 2 Cold Scorpio
2 Cold Scorpio
Charles Scaggs is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name 2 Cold Scorpio . Scaggs has competed in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment and Pro Wrestling Noah...
, got wrestling gear to match The Patriot's patriotic look.
Shortly after the pair began teaming, Pretty Wonderful
Pretty Wonderful
Pretty Wonderful was a professional wrestling tag team composed of "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff and "Pretty" Paul Roma who competed in World Championship Wrestling in 1993 and 1994-The making of the team:...
(Paul Roma
Paul Roma
Paul Roma is a professional wrestler who is known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling primarily as a tag-team wrestler alongside such partners as Jim Powers, Hercules, Arn Anderson and Paul Orndorff.-World Wrestling Federation :Paul Roma entered...
and Paul Orndorff
Paul Orndorff
Paul Parlette Orndorff, Jr. is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling as "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff...
) won the WCW World Tag Team Championship. Bagwell and The Patriot faced the new champions in a series of non-title matches on house show
House show
A house show is a professional wrestling show run 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 during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...
s. They defeated the Roma and Orndorff in the majority of the matches, but they were unable to win the title belts during a match between the teams at Fall Brawl on September 18. They faced each other one week later on the September 25 episode of WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night was a weekly Saturday night TV show on TBS produced by World Championship Wrestling. The program existed through various incarnations under different names before becoming WCW Saturday Night in 1992...
, and Stars 'n' Stripes won the match and the championship.
Bagwell and The Patriot defended the title in a series of rematches over the next month, but they dropped the belts back to Pretty Wonderful at Halloween Havoc 1994 on October 23. The feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
continued between the teams, and Stars 'n' Stripes regained the championship on November 16 at Clash of the Champions XXIX. Had Roma and Orndorff won the match, The Patriot would have been forced to remove his mask
Wrestling mask
A Wrestling mask is a fabric based mask that some professional wrestlers wear as part of their in-ring persona or gimmick. Professional wrestlers have been using masks as far back as 1915 and they are still widely used today, especially in Lucha Libre in Mexico.-History:In 1915 a North American...
.
The team defended the belts against a series of challenger but lost them in a match with Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat was a professional wrestling tag team made up of two real-life brothers, Booker and Lane Huffman. Booker Huffman took the ring name of Booker T, and Lane Huffman took the ring name of Stevie Ray...
on December 8 during a taping of WCW Saturday Night. They were unable to regain them in subsequent rematches; the match was not aired for several weeks, however, so Stars 'n' Stripes continued to be billed as champions at events until the match was shown on television. Bagwell and The Patriot resumed their rivalry with Pretty Wonderful and were given a title match against Harlem Heat at Clash of the Champions XXX, but the champions retained the belts.
In February 1995, Stars 'n' Stripes began a series of matches with The Blue Bloods (Lord Steven Regal
Darren Matthews
Darren Kenneth Matthews , is an English professional wrestler, author and color commentator currently signed to WWE and competing on the SmackDown brand under the ring name William Regal. He is also known for his time in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Steven Regal...
and Earl Robert Eaton
Bobby Eaton
Robert Lee "Bobby" Eaton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, who made his debut in 1976. Eaton is most famous for his work in tag teams, especially his days as one-half of the team the Midnight Express. Under the management of Jim Cornette, Eaton originally teamed with Dennis...
). They also wrestled Romeo Valentino and Dino Cassanova at SuperBrawl V in a dark match and defeated them in one minute and ten seconds. After the match, Bagwell and The Patriot were attacked by Big Van Vader. The team continued to face Harlem Heat and The Blue Bloods (with Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
substituting for Bobby Eaton). They wrestled in another dark match at Uncensored 1995, defeating the team of Bunkhouse Buck and Dick Slater
Dick Slater
Richard Van Slater , better known by his ring name "Dirty" Dick Slater, is a retired American professional wrestler who wrestled in the 1970s, 1980s, and mid 1990s for various promotions including Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling .Slater began wrestling with Mike...
.
In May 1995, The Patriot was entered in a tournament for the vacant WCW United States Championship
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
but was eliminated in the first round by Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
. Shortly thereafter, the team disbanded when The Patriot left WCW. Bagwell remained in WCW, holding the tag team belts once more while teaming with Scotty Riggs
Scott Antol
Scott Antol is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling under the ring names Scotty Riggs and Scotty Anton, respectively....
to form The American Males
The American Males
The American Males were a professional wrestling tag team in World Championship Wrestling composed of Marcus Bagwell and Scotty Riggs. Their gimmick was of two "pretty boys" who were fond of their own bodies and popular with women. Riggs was Bagwell's third partner with whom he won the WCW World...
.
In wrestling
- Double-team finishing moves
- Simultaneous vertical suplex / diving crossbody combination
Championships and accomplishments
- World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
- WCW World Tag Team ChampionshipWCW World Tag Team ChampionshipThe World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
(2 times)
- WCW World Tag Team Championship