T & A (professional wrestling)
Encyclopedia
T & A was a professional wrestling
tag team
in the World Wrestling Federation
. T & A had Trish Stratus
as their team manager with their name being a pun on the initials of the two wrestlers and the slang expression "T&A" (referring to Tits
and Ass
), spawning numerous coarse jokes on fan's signs and from commentator Jerry Lawler
in reference to the buxom Trish Stratus.
's training center, the Funkin' Conservatory, where they were trained. Following this, both men took on individual careers in the business leading them to the WWF, where they were repackaged as a tag team during 2000. On the March 19, 2000 episode of Sunday Night Heat
Stratus made her debut with the gimmick of scouting wrestlers to form a team. Shortly after this Test and Albert (who both wrestled on that show) became her wards. Their first match as a team was on the March 30 episode of SmackDown!, when they lost to the Hardy Boyz
. Their first pay-per-view
match was at WrestleMania 2000
, when they defeated Steve Blackman
and Al Snow
. They competed against established teams in the WWF's tag team division, including Road Dogg
and X-Pac
, The Godfather
and D'Lo Brown
, and The Holly Cousins
, before beginning a feud with the Dudley Boyz
. In a match against the Dudley Boyz
at the Backlash 2000 pay-per-view Stratus was the recipient of a powerbomb
through a table from Bubba Ray Dudley, although T & A won the match.
They continued competing against teams including the Hardy Boyz and the Dudley Boyz for the next few months, and on June 25, they competed for the WWF Tag Team Championship in a four-way elimination match at King of the Ring, but were the first team eliminated after Matt Hardy
pinned Test. Test, Albert and Stratus began a feud with the Hardy Boyz, Matt and Jeff
, and their manager Lita
, which led to a six-person intergender
tag team match at Fully Loaded, which T & A lost when Lita pinned Stratus.
During a feud with the Acolytes Protection Agency
(APA), the two men parodied the team under the name T & APA (Test & Albert Protection Agency). As part of this feud, all three members of T & A were supposed to face Bradshaw
and Farooq
of the APA and Lita in a six-person tag team match on October 22, at the No Mercy pay-per-view, but T & A attacked the APA backstage, so the match never started. They then attacked Lita at ringside until the Hardy Boyz saved her.
A feud with The Holly Cousins
(Hardcore
, Crash
and Molly
) followed, and at Survivor Series
, the Holly Cousins, with Steve Blackman
replacing Hardcore, defeated T & A in a six-person match when Molly pinned Stratus.
In December 2000, Albert turned on Test, causing storyline
internal injuries which resulted in bleeding from Test's mouth. Trish continued to manage Albert for a while, but eventually began a storyline involving Vince McMahon
and eventually broke out as a wrestler on her own. Albert went on to join X-Pac
and Justin Credible
in their own stable, X-Factor
. Test went on to feud with Eddie Guerrero
over the European title
before eventually joining The Alliance.
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 the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
. T & A had Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus
Patricia Anne Stratigias , better known by her ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and television personality currently signed with WWE. She is also a former fitness model....
as their team manager with their name being a pun on the initials of the two wrestlers and the slang expression "T&A" (referring to Tits
Breast
The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
and Ass
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
), spawning numerous coarse jokes on fan's signs and from commentator Jerry Lawler
Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...
in reference to the buxom Trish Stratus.
History
Test and Albert met in Dory Funk, Jr.Dory Funk, Jr.
Dory Ernest Funk Jr. known professionally as Dory Funk, Jr. is a professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. He is the son of Dory Funk Sr. and brother of Terry Funk. He is credited with the invention of the Texas cloverleaf submission hold and runs the Funking Conservatory, a professional...
's training center, the Funkin' Conservatory, where they were trained. Following this, both men took on individual careers in the business leading them to the WWF, where they were repackaged as a tag team during 2000. On the March 19, 2000 episode of Sunday Night Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
Stratus made her debut with the gimmick of scouting wrestlers to form a team. Shortly after this Test and Albert (who both wrestled on that show) became her wards. Their first match as a team was on the March 30 episode of SmackDown!, when they lost to the Hardy Boyz
Hardy Boyz
The Hardy Boyz are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy...
. Their first pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
match was at WrestleMania 2000
WrestleMania 2000
WrestleMania 2000 was the sixteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on April 2, 2000 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California...
, when they defeated Steve Blackman
Steve Blackman
Steve Blackman is a American professional wrestler who is best known for his career in the World Wrestling Federation under his own name.-Stampede Wrestling and South Africa :...
and Al Snow
Al Snow
Allen Ray Sarven is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name of Al Snow. He is best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment and currently works for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a road agent.-Early career:Sarven...
. They competed against established teams in the WWF's tag team division, including Road Dogg
Brian Gerard James
Brian Gerard James is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE as an agent and producer. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation as "The Road Dogg" Jesse James or simply Road Dogg...
and X-Pac
Sean Waltman
Sean Michael Waltman is an American professional wrestler currently signed with WWE in their developmental program. He wrestled there under the ring names 1–2–3 Kid and X-Pac off and on from 1993–2002, World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Syxx, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ...
, The Godfather
Charles Wright (wrestler)
Charles Wright is an American businessman and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation throughout the 1990s and early 2000s under the ring names Papa Shango, Kama, Kama Mustafa, The Godfather, and The Goodfather .After leaving the wrestling...
and D'Lo Brown
D'Lo Brown
Accie Julius Connor better known by his ring name D'Lo Brown , is an American professional wrestler. Well known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment, he is currently working as an agent for Impact Wrestling.Connor has held forty-eight championships in various promotions during...
, and The Holly Cousins
The Holly Cousins
The Holly Cousins, also known as The Hollys, was a professional wrestling tag team and, later, stable in the World Wrestling Federation between 1999 and 2001...
, before beginning a feud with the Dudley Boyz
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
. In a match against the Dudley Boyz
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
at the Backlash 2000 pay-per-view Stratus was the recipient of a powerbomb
Powerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
through a table from Bubba Ray Dudley, although T & A won the match.
They continued competing against teams including the Hardy Boyz and the Dudley Boyz for the next few months, and on June 25, they competed for the WWF Tag Team Championship in a four-way elimination match at King of the Ring, but were the first team eliminated after Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
pinned Test. Test, Albert and Stratus began a feud with the Hardy Boyz, Matt and Jeff
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
, and their manager Lita
Amy Dumas
Amy Christine Dumas , known by her primary stage name Lita, is the lead singer for the band The Luchagors as well as a retired professional wrestler and WWE Diva active from 1999 to 2006....
, which led to a six-person intergender
Intergender wrestling
Intergender wrestling, also known as mixed wrestling is a type of professional wrestling match between a man and a woman, and may also refer to tag team matches with both men and women on each team....
tag team match at Fully Loaded, which T & A lost when Lita pinned Stratus.
During a feud with the Acolytes Protection Agency
Acolytes Protection Agency
The Acolytes Protection Agency , was a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of Bradshaw and Faarooq. They wrestled for the American promotion World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment between October 1998 and March 2004....
(APA), the two men parodied the team under the name T & APA (Test & Albert Protection Agency). As part of this feud, all three members of T & A were supposed to face Bradshaw
John Layfield
John Charles Layfield is a former American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News...
and Farooq
Ron Simmons
Ronald "Ron" Simmons is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and retired American football player. He is recognised as being the first Black world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling and the first of only two African Americans to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship,...
of the APA and Lita in a six-person tag team match on October 22, at the No Mercy pay-per-view, but T & A attacked the APA backstage, so the match never started. They then attacked Lita at ringside until the Hardy Boyz saved her.
A feud with The Holly Cousins
The Holly Cousins
The Holly Cousins, also known as The Hollys, was a professional wrestling tag team and, later, stable in the World Wrestling Federation between 1999 and 2001...
(Hardcore
Bob Holly
Robert "Bob" Howard better known by his ring name Bob "Hardcore" Holly, is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for his 15-year stint with World Wrestling Entertainment ....
, Crash
Mike Lockwood
Michael John "Mike" Lockwood was an American professional wrestler best known for his time with World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment under the ring name Crash Holly....
and Molly
Nora Greenwald
Nora Kristina Greenwald , better known by her ring name Molly Holly, is an inactive American professional wrestler. Greenwald is best known for her appearances with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment .Greenwald began her professional wrestling career in WCW, where she...
) followed, and at Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2000)
Survivor Series was the fourteenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on November 19, 2000 at the Ice Palace in Tampa, Florida....
, the Holly Cousins, with Steve Blackman
Steve Blackman
Steve Blackman is a American professional wrestler who is best known for his career in the World Wrestling Federation under his own name.-Stampede Wrestling and South Africa :...
replacing Hardcore, defeated T & A in a six-person match when Molly pinned Stratus.
In December 2000, Albert turned on Test, causing storyline
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
internal injuries which resulted in bleeding from Test's mouth. Trish continued to manage Albert for a while, but eventually began a storyline involving Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
and eventually broke out as a wrestler on her own. Albert went on to join X-Pac
Sean Waltman
Sean Michael Waltman is an American professional wrestler currently signed with WWE in their developmental program. He wrestled there under the ring names 1–2–3 Kid and X-Pac off and on from 1993–2002, World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Syxx, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ...
and Justin Credible
Peter Polaco
Peter Joseph Polaco is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Justin Credible. He is also known for his earlier stint with the WWF under the ringname Aldo Montoya...
in their own stable, X-Factor
X-Factor (professional wrestling)
X-Factor was a villainous professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation led by X-Pac that featured Justin Credible and Albert....
. Test went on to feud with Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
over the European title
WWE European Championship
The WWE European Championship was a professional wrestling championship competed for in World Wrestling Entertainment. A coveted singles title of the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was held by superstars such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, and was...
before eventually joining The Alliance.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Baldo Bomb by Albert followed by a diving elbow drop by Test
- Signature moves
- Corner body splash by Albert followed by a running big boot by Test
External links
- T & A Profile at Online World Of Wrestling