The Headbangers
Encyclopedia
The Headbangers is a professional wrestling
tag team
consisting of Mosh
and Thrasher
, best known for their work in the World Wrestling Federation
(WWF). As the name of the team implied, their gimmick was that they were a pair of metalheads, complete with heavy metal
related T-shirts, piercings, shaved heads, and black face paint.
s' clothing and billed as the Flying Nuns, Sister Angelica and Mother Smucker. On an episode of Shotgun Saturday Night
, Brother Love
showed up to manage the Nuns. After the Nuns defeated The Godwinns
, Love renamed them the Sisters of Love. The gimmick was short-lived, but they kept the skirts when they returned to being The Headbangers in January 1997. They later had T-shirts with the phrase "Real men wear skirts" and occasionally wore sports bra
s over their shirts. The duo often carried a boombox
to the ring, and on one occasion, Mosh vomited during an interview.
Throughout 1997, The Headbangers (initially as heels
, later as faces
) feuded
with The Godwinns, as well as Doug Furnas
and Phil Lafon, often finding themselves on the losing end. They faced Legion of Doom
during their surprise return match on February 24 to a double countout. At WrestleMania 13
, The Headbangers won a 4-way elimination match for a shot at the WWF Tag Team Championship. The team was seen on New York
's WABC-TV
in June, which re-aired on WWF programming.
The Headbangers' won the vacant Tag Team title at Ground Zero: In Your House
due to run-in interference by Steve Austin
. Mosh and Thrasher would lose the titles to the Godwinns at Badd Blood: In Your House
in October. They faced the New Age Outlaws
in their debut match on October 20 and frequently challenged them into the following the year for the Tag Team title.
The two are seen backstage playing with Bret Hart
's son, Blade, in the 1998
documentary film
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
. The footage depicts events from the previous year.
Both Mosh and Thrasher entered the 1998 Royal Rumble
and both lasted over 10 minutes before Mosh was eliminated by Kurrgan and Thrasher by Steve Austin. On February 17, 1998, The Headbangers won the NWA World Tag Team Championship
from The Rock 'n' Roll Express during a WWF program. They feuded with The Quebecers
and the Oddities throughout the year and become the first Maryland Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champions
on August 18.
, but Thrasher suffered a (legitimate) knee injury and was shelved while Mosh was (kayfabe) attacked backstage by Mabel (Nelson Frazier) as a way to write both men off television. While Thrasher was injured, Mosh would be repackaged as Beaver Cleavage and then Chaz, performed in singles competition and began having problems with his on-screen girlfriend, Marianna Komlos
. He was kayfabe
arrested on an episode of Sunday Night Heat
in September after Komlos claimed he hit her. After Chaz's match on October 5, Glen Ruth (Thrasher) showed GTV footage of Mariana applying makeup to create the effect of wounds. This proved her accusations false, and The Headbangers subsequently reunited. They then took on a gimmick where they dressed as the opponents that they feuded with, such as the Dudley Boyz
and Mean Street Posse
. The duo later turned heel and began to dress in drag
, which included wearing breast cones.
Mosh entered in the 2000 Royal Rumble
alone; however, The Headbangers continued performing in tag team and singles matches. Both men participated in the Hardcore
battle royal
at WrestleMania 2000
where Thrasher held the title for 43 seconds. The team continued battling the likes of Too Cool
and T & A
until mid 2000. They separated, and Mosh joined D'Lo Brown
as Chaz to form Lo Down
.
Glen Ruth was released from WWF in 2000 and performed independently
briefly before retiring. Charles Warrington was released from WWF in July 2001 and continues to perform occasionally at Florida
shows.
media. One example can be found in a 2007 article in WWE Magazine
about the history of WWE champions. The article criticized wrestlers who are considered not worthy of winning a belt they held. The Headbangers were included in this article for their supposedly poor Tag Team Championship
reign.
WWE's Raw 15th Anniversary magazine also includes a list of 15 superstars who "overstayed" their welcomes in the company. This has The Headbangers at #2, behind only Scott Steiner
. However, recently WWE have added the team to their "Where Are They Now?" section of WWE.com, putting them in a positive light within WWE history once again.
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...
consisting of Mosh
Charles Warrington
Charles Warrington is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Chaz and Mosh.-Career:Warrington began training under Larry Sharpe and Glen Ruth during the early 1990s, debuting in 1993...
and Thrasher
Glen Ruth
Glen Ruth is a former American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Thrasher.-Career:Ruth trained under Larry Sharpe and debuted in 1990 as The Spider. He later became Sharpe's assistant and trained wrestlers such as the Big Show and others at Sharpe's "Monster Factory"...
, best known for their work 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). As the name of the team implied, their gimmick was that they were a pair of metalheads, complete with heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
related T-shirts, piercings, shaved heads, and black face paint.
1996–1998
The team debuted on WWF television on the November 24, 1996 episode of Superstars under their Headbangers gimmick. Shortly after that, they began wearing nunNun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s' clothing and billed as the Flying Nuns, Sister Angelica and Mother Smucker. On an episode of Shotgun Saturday Night
WWF Shotgun Saturday Night
WWF Shotgun Saturday Night is a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It aired from January 4, 1997 through August 21, 1999 as a syndicated broadcast...
, Brother Love
Bruce Prichard
Bruce Prichard is a professional wrestling personality, best known as a manager and producer for World Wrestling Entertainment , where he portrayed Brother Love, the original manager of The Undertaker...
showed up to manage the Nuns. After the Nuns defeated 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...
, Love renamed them the Sisters of Love. The gimmick was short-lived, but they kept the skirts when they returned to being The Headbangers in January 1997. They later had T-shirts with the phrase "Real men wear skirts" and occasionally wore sports bra
Sports bra
A sports bra is a bra that provides additional support to female breasts during physical exercise. Sturdier than typical bras, they minimize breast movement, alleviate discomfort, and reduce potential damage to chest ligaments. Many women wear sports bras to reduce pain, and physical discomfort...
s over their shirts. The duo often carried a boombox
Boombox
Boombox is a colloquial expression for a portable cassette or CD player. Other terms known are ghetto blaster, jambox, or radio-cassette. It is a device capable of receiving radio stations and playing recorded music , usually at relatively high volume...
to the ring, and on one occasion, Mosh vomited during an interview.
Throughout 1997, The Headbangers (initially as heels
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
, later as faces
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...
) feuded
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...
with The Godwinns, as well as Doug Furnas
Doug Furnas
Doug Furnas is a former American professional wrestler and powerlifter. Furnas briefly worked for World Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s...
and Phil Lafon, often finding themselves on the losing end. They faced Legion of Doom
Road Warriors
The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion...
during their surprise return match on February 24 to a double countout. At WrestleMania 13
WrestleMania 13
WrestleMania 13 was the thirteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
, The Headbangers won a 4-way elimination match for a shot at the WWF Tag Team Championship. The team was seen on New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's WABC-TV
WABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
in June, which re-aired on WWF programming.
The Headbangers' won the vacant Tag Team title at Ground Zero: In Your House
Ground Zero: In Your House
Ground Zero: In Your House was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on September 7, 1997 at Louisville Gardens in Louisville, Kentucky...
due to run-in interference by 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...
. Mosh and Thrasher would lose the titles to the Godwinns at Badd Blood: In Your House
Badd Blood: In Your House
Badd Blood: In Your House was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation, that took place on October 5, 1997 at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri. On the afternoon preceding this event, Brian Pillman, who was scheduled to face Dude Love on the show,...
in October. They faced the New Age Outlaws
New Age Outlaws
The New Age Outlaws, later known as the James Gang and the Voodoo Kin Mafia, were a professional wrestling tag team in World Wrestling Federation, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , Jersey All Pro Wrestling, and Maryland Championship Wrestling consisting of B.G...
in their debut match on October 20 and frequently challenged them into the following the year for the Tag Team title.
The two are seen backstage playing with Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
's son, Blade, in the 1998
1998 in film
-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows is a 1998 documentary film, written by Paul Jay, which follows World Wrestling Federation superstar Bret Hart during his last year in the WWF, from his WWF Championship victory at SummerSlam to his final match with the company at Survivor Series on November 9,...
. The footage depicts events from the previous year.
Both Mosh and Thrasher entered the 1998 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1998)
Royal Rumble was the eleventh annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 18, 1998 at the San Jose Arena in San Jose, California....
and both lasted over 10 minutes before Mosh was eliminated by Kurrgan and Thrasher by Steve Austin. On February 17, 1998, The Headbangers won the NWA World Tag Team Championship
NWA World Tag Team Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship is the professional wrestling world tag team championship within the NWA framework.-History:...
from The Rock 'n' Roll Express during a WWF program. They feuded with The Quebecers
The Quebecers
The Quebecers were a heel professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation from mid-1993 to mid-1994 and again in 1998 that consisted of Jacques Rougeau and Pierre...
and the Oddities throughout the year and become the first Maryland Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champions
MCW Tag Team Championship
The MCW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the Maryland Championship Wrestling promotion. The title was created and debuted on August 18, 1998 at a MCW live event....
on August 18.
1999–2000
The Headbangers were both meant to compete in the 1999 Royal RumbleRoyal Rumble (1999)
Royal Rumble was the twelfth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 24, 1999 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The title of the event was taken from a promise by Mr...
, but Thrasher suffered a (legitimate) knee injury and was shelved while Mosh was (kayfabe) attacked backstage by Mabel (Nelson Frazier) as a way to write both men off television. While Thrasher was injured, Mosh would be repackaged as Beaver Cleavage and then Chaz, performed in singles competition and began having problems with his on-screen girlfriend, Marianna Komlos
Marianna Komlos
Marianna Komlos was a Canadian bodybuilder, fitness model and Valet. She is perhaps best known for her stint in World Wrestling Federation in 1999 as Marianna and "Mrs...
. He was kayfabe
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...
arrested on an episode of Sunday Night Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
in September after Komlos claimed he hit her. After Chaz's match on October 5, Glen Ruth (Thrasher) showed GTV footage of Mariana applying makeup to create the effect of wounds. This proved her accusations false, and The Headbangers subsequently reunited. They then took on a gimmick where they dressed as the opponents that they feuded with, such as 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...
and Mean Street Posse
Mean Street Posse
The Mean Street Posse was a villainous professional wrestling faction that formerly wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation. The faction consisted of Pete Gas, Rodney, and Joey Abs...
. The duo later turned heel and began to dress in drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
, which included wearing breast cones.
Mosh entered in the 2000 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2000)
Royal Rumble was the thirteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 23, 2000 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
alone; however, The Headbangers continued performing in tag team and singles matches. Both men participated in the Hardcore
WWE Hardcore Championship
The World Wrestling Entertainment Hardcore Championship is a hardcore wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and is contested under "hardcore" rules, meaning there is no disqualifications, no countouts, and pin falls could be counted anywhere...
battle royal
Battle royal (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
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...
where Thrasher held the title for 43 seconds. The team continued battling the likes of Too Cool
Too Cool
Too Cool is a professional wrestling tag team and former faction most notably active in World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment between 1998 and 2001 and for a short time in 2004.-1998–1999:...
and T & A
T & A (professional wrestling)
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" , spawning numerous coarse jokes on fan's signs and from commentator Jerry...
until mid 2000. They separated, and Mosh joined 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...
as Chaz to form Lo Down
Lo Down
Lo Down was a tag team formed in WWF in 2000 that consisted of Chaz and D'Lo Brown.-History:...
.
Glen Ruth was released from WWF in 2000 and performed independently
Independent 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...
briefly before retiring. Charles Warrington was released from WWF in July 2001 and continues to perform occasionally at Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
shows.
Criticism by WWE
Years after their departure from the company, The Headbangers have been the brunt of criticism by WWEWorld 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...
media. One example can be found in a 2007 article in WWE Magazine
WWE Magazine
WWE Magazine is the official professional wrestling magazine of WWE. This incarnation of the magazine contains lifestyle sections, a monthly calendar, entertainment, work out tips, and other information.-History:...
about the history of WWE champions. The article criticized wrestlers who are considered not worthy of winning a belt they held. The Headbangers were included in this article for their supposedly poor Tag Team Championship
World Tag Team Championship
The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in World Wrestling Entertainment . It served as the premier title for tag teams in WWE from 1971 until 2002 when a second WWE Tag Team Championship was established...
reign.
WWE's Raw 15th Anniversary magazine also includes a list of 15 superstars who "overstayed" their welcomes in the company. This has The Headbangers at #2, behind only Scott Steiner
Scott Steiner
Scott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order...
. However, recently WWE have added the team to their "Where Are They Now?" section of WWE.com, putting them in a positive light within WWE history once again.
Championships and accomplishments
- Heartland Wrestling AssociationHeartland Wrestling AssociationThe Heartland Wrestling Association is a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, it was listed as one of the top independent...
- HWA Tag Team ChampionshipHWA Tag Team ChampionshipThe HWA Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles contested for in the Heartland Wrestling Association. It was established in 1996 when the Head Bangers became the first champions.-Title history:...
(1 time)
- Insane Championship Wrestling
- ICW Streetfight Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- Main Event Championship Wrestling
- MECW Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- Maryland Championship WrestlingMaryland Championship WrestlingMaryland Championship Wrestling is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Dundalk, Maryland, and has regularly run events in the Mid-Atlantic region since the late 1990s as well as participating in numerous fundraising events throughout the state.Rivaling other east coast independent...
- MCW Tag Team ChampionshipMCW Tag Team ChampionshipThe MCW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the Maryland Championship Wrestling promotion. The title was created and debuted on August 18, 1998 at a MCW live event....
(1 time)
- New England Wrestling Federation
- NEWF Tag Team Championship (3 times)
- Texas Wrestling Alliance
- TWA Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- World Wrestling Association
- WWA Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- World Wrestling FederationWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld 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...
- NWA World Tag Team ChampionshipNWA World Tag Team ChampionshipThe National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship is the professional wrestling world tag team championship within the NWA framework.-History:...
(1 time) - WWF Hardcore ChampionshipWWE Hardcore ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Hardcore Championship is a hardcore wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and is contested under "hardcore" rules, meaning there is no disqualifications, no countouts, and pin falls could be counted anywhere...
(1 time) – Thrasher - WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time)