Tekno Team 2000
Encyclopedia
Tekno Team 2000 was a professional wrestling
tag team
that competed in the World Wrestling Federation
(WWF) from 1995 to 1996. The team was composed of Troy (Erik Watts
) and Travis (Chad Fortune
). Although the team started off with a strong push
from the WWF, they did not continue their initial success. Tekno Team 2000 also left the WWF temporarily to make several appearances in the United States Wrestling Association
(USWA). After returning to the WWF, the team continued to lose matches and was eventually disbanded.
tag team that was "ahead of its time". As part of the "New Generation" of the WWF, they were said to be "determined to bring the New Generation into the 21st Century". Building on their youthful appearance, Troy and Travis were featured in pin-up pictures in the World Wrestling Federation Magazine.
Tekno Team 2000 made their WWF debut during a house show
at Madison Square Garden
on March 19, 1995. They defeated The Heavenly Bodies
(Tom Prichard
and Jimmy Del Ray
) and repeated the result the following night at Boston Garden
. Their WWF television debut took place on the May 16, 1995 episode of WWF Superstars
; they defeated Barry Horowitz
and the Brooklyn Brawler
. They were booked to appear in a series of matches against The Heavenly Bodies. Del Ray was not able to appear in several of the matches, so he was replaced by Mantaur
and Barry Horowitz in several of the matches. Tekno Team 2000 won all of the matches in this series. The WWF teased a storyline in which Tekno Team 2000 was being scouted by Ted DiBiase
to join the Million Dollar Corporation
, but they did not join the group. Their success led Pro Wrestling Illustrated
to rank them among the top ten tag teams in the world.
On July 2, Troy and Travis served as lumberjacks in the lumberjack match between Diesel
and Sid
at In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks
. During the match, Sid attacked Troy and Travis. While he was distracted, other wrestlers attacked Sid and helped Diesel to win the match.
, began booking matches, the team was later sent to developmental territories
to improve their skills. They returned to USWA in Tennessee, where they had wrestled a tag team match together in April 1995 under their real names. Competing as Tekno Team 2000, they defeated PG-13
on September 18. They began losing matches, however, while facing PG-13, The Heavenly Bodies, and The Bushwhackers
. On October 30, Troy and Travis reversed their fortunes and defeated King Cobra and Spellbinder
.
on the May 6 episode of Monday Night Raw
. During Tekno Team 2000's return, however, the WWF instructed The Bodydonnas to help make Troy and Travis look good to the fans. Five days later, Tekno Team 2000 lost to The Smoking Gunns on WWF Superstars
. Their final appearance came in a loss to The Godwinns
on the June 3 episode of Monday Night Raw. Watts and Fortune were released from their WWF contracts in the summer of 1996.
promotions. They later formed a team while wrestling in Japan. In 2001, they reunited in Dusty Rhodes
' Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling
, teaming together under their real names. Watts later found work with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
, and Fortune retired from wrestling to drive monster trucks. Tekno Team 2000 was included during a video montage of poor gimmicks during the tenth anniversary of Monday Night Raw in January 2003.
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...
that competed 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...
(WWF) from 1995 to 1996. The team was composed of Troy (Erik Watts
Erik Watts
Erik Watts is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s. He is the son of legendary wrestler "Cowboy" Bill Watts.-Debut:...
) and Travis (Chad Fortune
Chad Fortune
Chad Fortune is a monster truck driver, former professional football player and former professional wrestler in both WWF and WCW.-Football career:Fortune played tight end at the University of Louisville from 1986-1989...
). Although the team started off with a strong push
Push (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a push is an attempt by the booker to make the wrestler win more matches and become more popular or more reviled with the fans depending on whether they are a heel or a face...
from the WWF, they did not continue their initial success. Tekno Team 2000 also left the WWF temporarily to make several appearances in the United States Wrestling Association
United States Wrestling Association
The United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded by former CWA owner Jerry Jarrett.-Foundation:...
(USWA). After returning to the WWF, the team continued to lose matches and was eventually disbanded.
World Wrestling Federation
Wearing "futuristic" silver and maroon ring outfits, they debuted in the WWF as a babyfaceFace (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...
tag team that was "ahead of its time". As part of the "New Generation" of the WWF, they were said to be "determined to bring the New Generation into the 21st Century". Building on their youthful appearance, Troy and Travis were featured in pin-up pictures in the World Wrestling Federation Magazine.
Tekno Team 2000 made their WWF debut during a 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...
at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
on March 19, 1995. They defeated The Heavenly Bodies
The Heavenly Bodies
The Heavenly Bodies was a professional wrestling tag team famous for having worked in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, and various independent promotions...
(Tom Prichard
Tom Prichard
Thomas Prichard is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, working in their developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling as a trainer using his ring name Tom Prichard...
and Jimmy Del Ray
Jimmy Del Ray
David Ferrier is a retired American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Gigolo" Jimmy Del Ray. Del Ray is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation as one half of the Heavenly Bodies with his tag team partner, Tom Prichard...
) and repeated the result the following night at Boston Garden
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
. Their WWF television debut took place on the May 16, 1995 episode of WWF Superstars
WWF Superstars of Wrestling
WWF Superstars of Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It debuted on September 6, 1986...
; they defeated Barry Horowitz
Barry Horowitz
Barry Horowitz is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation.-Career:Horowitz, who is Jewish, attended Florida State University, where he studied sports nutrition and wrestled...
and the Brooklyn Brawler
Steve Lombardi
Steve Lombardi is an Italian American professional wrestler, and road agent. He is also known by his ring name Brooklyn Brawler...
. They were booked to appear in a series of matches against The Heavenly Bodies. Del Ray was not able to appear in several of the matches, so he was replaced by Mantaur
Mike Hallick
Michael "Mike" Hallick is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Mantaur.-Catch Wrestling Association :...
and Barry Horowitz in several of the matches. Tekno Team 2000 won all of the matches in this series. The WWF teased a storyline in which Tekno Team 2000 was being scouted by Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
to join the Million Dollar Corporation
Million Dollar Corporation
The Million Dollar Corporation was a heel stable in the World Wrestling Federation from April 1994 to May 1996 and was led and managed by the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase.-Beginning :...
, but they did not join the group. Their success led Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
to rank them among the top ten tag teams in the world.
On July 2, Troy and Travis served as lumberjacks in the lumberjack match between Diesel
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
and Sid
Sid Eudy
Sidney Raymond "Sid" Eudy is an American professional wrestler, best known as Sid Vicious in World Championship Wrestling, and as Sid Justice and Sycho Sid in the World Wrestling Federation...
at In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks
In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks
In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It was the second pay-per-view of the In Your House series. It took place on July 23, 1995 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.Seven professional...
. During the match, Sid attacked Troy and Travis. While he was distracted, other wrestlers attacked Sid and helped Diesel to win the match.
Tennessee
Watts has stated that the WWF intended to have Tekno Team 2000 win the WWF Tag Team Championship after two months in the promotion. After Watts' father, Bill WattsBill Watts
William F. "Bill" Watts is a former American professional wrestler and promoter. Watts was famous under his "Cowboy" gimmick in his wrestling career, and then as a tough, no-nonsense promoter in the Mid-South area of the United States, which grew to become the UWF.In 1992, he was the Executive...
, began booking matches, the team was later sent to developmental territories
Farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team 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 level at a given point...
to improve their skills. They returned to USWA in Tennessee, where they had wrestled a tag team match together in April 1995 under their real names. Competing as Tekno Team 2000, they defeated PG-13
PG-13 (professional wrestling)
PG-13 was the tag team of J.C. Ice and Wolfie D who worked for the World Wrestling Federation and United States Wrestling Association . PG-13 briefly competed in Puerto Rico for the World Wrestling Council in 1995 , W*ING in Japan, Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1997 and World Championship...
on September 18. They began losing matches, however, while facing PG-13, The Heavenly Bodies, and The Bushwhackers
The Bushwhackers
The Bushwhackers were a professional wrestling tag team that also competed as The Sheepherders during their long career. They wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation and Jim Crockett Promotions as well as a nearly 40 year run on the independent wrestling circuit...
. On October 30, Troy and Travis reversed their fortunes and defeated King Cobra and Spellbinder
Harry Del Rios
Harry Del Rios is an American professional wrestler. Rios is best known as the Spellbinder, however, he has competed under many other ring names during his career....
.
Return to World Wrestling Federation
In 1996, Troy and Travis resumed competition in the WWF. They lost to The BodydonnasThe Bodydonnas
The Bodydonnas were a professional wrestling tag team in the WWF in the mid-1990s, consisting of Chris Candido as Skip, Candido's real-life girlfriend Tammy Lynn Sytch as Sunny, and Tom Prichard as Skip's kayfabe brother Zip.-History:...
on the May 6 episode of Monday Night Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
. During Tekno Team 2000's return, however, the WWF instructed The Bodydonnas to help make Troy and Travis look good to the fans. Five days later, Tekno Team 2000 lost to The Smoking Gunns on WWF Superstars
WWF Superstars of Wrestling
WWF Superstars of Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It debuted on September 6, 1986...
. Their final appearance came in a loss to The Godwinns
The Godwinns
The Godwinns was the best known gimmick of the professional wrestling tag team composed of Dennis Knight and Mark Canterbury that they used in the WWF. The team has used other gimmicks before they joined the WWF and had a gimmick change in the WWF shortly before disbanding...
on the June 3 episode of Monday Night Raw. Watts and Fortune were released from their WWF contracts in the summer of 1996.
Legacy
After disbanding the team, Watts and Fortune competed for independentIndependent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
promotions. They later formed a team while wrestling in Japan. In 2001, they reunited in Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
' Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling
Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling
Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling was a Southeastern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Marietta, Georgia. It was founded by retired wrestler and former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dusty Rhodes in 2000 and, during its three years in operation, held events throughout the...
, teaming together under their real names. Watts later found work with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
, and Fortune retired from wrestling to drive monster trucks. Tekno Team 2000 was included during a video montage of poor gimmicks during the tenth anniversary of Monday Night Raw in January 2003.
In wrestling
- Double-team finishing moves
- Simultaneous vertical suplex / diving crossbody combination