The Holly Cousins
Encyclopedia
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. It consisted of on-screen cousins Crash Holly
, Hardcore Holly
and Molly Holly
.
in 1994, introduced his on-screen
"cousin" Crash Holly on August 16, 1999. After arguing over who was the toughest Holly cousin, the pair brawled all over the arena for the rest of the show. They teamed up for the first time at SummerSlam
, and spent the next few weeks alternating between being rivals and partners. From September on, the cousins started teaming together full time, during which time they took to the gimmick of claiming themselves to be well over 400 lb (181.4 kg), so they could be considered "superheavyweights".
On October 19, 1999, on Raw is War
, Crash and Hardcore won the WWF World Tag Team titles together, defeating the Rock 'n' Sock Connection
, after Mankind
refused to tag into the match, and Triple H
interfered. They went on to hold the titles for two weeks before dropping them back to Mankind
and his new partner Al Snow
on the November 4 edition of SmackDown!.
over the Hardcore title
. Hardcore had first won the title in early 1999, before Crash's debut; however, Crash won it on February 22, 2000, defeating Test. The pair soon started fighting each other for the title including in the "hardcore" Battle royal
at WrestleMania 2000
, where Crash started off as the champion, but Hardcore left as champion. Crash regained the title the day after Wrestlemania, and soon after this, the Holly cousins had their last match as a team for over six months.
During these months Crash concentrated on the hardcore division winning the title 22 times (after introducing the infamous "24/7 rule"), and earning the nickname "the Houdini of Hardcore". Hardcore suffered a legitimate broken arm in a match against Kurt Angle
and was sidelined for most of this time.
with Test and Albert
. This set up the debut of another "cousin", Molly Holly
. She debuted on November 6, 2000, on Raw
, attacking Trish Stratus
, who was managing
T&A. This led to the Holly Cousins reuniting to feud with T & A and their manager, Trish Stratus.
Although Hardcore and Crash had opportunities to win the Tag Team championship, they were never able to capitalise. They competed mainly in both the hardcore division
and the tag title division for the next few months. Molly had multiple opportunities to win the Women's title
, but was booked to lose them all.
In early 2001, the Hollys began feuding with the Dudley Boyz
. In May 2001, Crash and Hardcore, along with Bubba and D-Von Dudley
became concerned about Molly's burgeoning relationship with Spike Dudley
. This led to the Hollys-Dudleys feud intensifying, with both Spike and Molly caught in the middle. On May 28, 2001, the Dudley Boys famously put Molly through a table, with Spike lying on the table to try and protect her. As Molly and Spike's relationship progressed, the feud between the Hollys and the Dudleys worsened.
The led to the final break-up of the Holly cousins, as Molly started accompanying Spike for his matches, Crash joined the Raw
brand until 2003, and Hardcore was re-injured in September 2001.
on June 30, 2003. He later died on November 6, 2003. Molly eventually dumped Spike
, and went on to become a two-time Women's champion
. On April 12, 2005, Molly left the company and retired from full-time wrestling. Hardcore was the final Holly to be released from the company, on January 16, 2009.
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...
and, later, stable 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...
between 1999 and 2001. It consisted of on-screen cousins Crash Holly
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....
, Hardcore Holly
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 ....
and Molly Holly
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...
.
History
First run
Hardcore, who had debuted in the World Wrestling FederationWorld 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...
in 1994, introduced his on-screen
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...
"cousin" Crash Holly on August 16, 1999. After arguing over who was the toughest Holly cousin, the pair brawled all over the arena for the rest of the show. They teamed up for the first time at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (1999)
SummerSlam was the twelfth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 22, 1999 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Results:Tag Team Turmoil...
, and spent the next few weeks alternating between being rivals and partners. From September on, the cousins started teaming together full time, during which time they took to the gimmick of claiming themselves to be well over 400 lb (181.4 kg), so they could be considered "superheavyweights".
On October 19, 1999, on Raw is War
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, Crash and Hardcore won the WWF World Tag Team titles together, defeating the Rock 'n' Sock Connection
Rock 'n' Sock Connection
The Rock 'N' Sock Connection is a former professional wrestling tag team of The Rock and Mankind that wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation between 1999 and 2000 and briefly in 2004...
, after Mankind
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
refused to tag into the match, and Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
interfered. They went on to hold the titles for two weeks before dropping them back to Mankind
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
and his new partner 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...
on the November 4 edition of SmackDown!.
Hardcore title chase and break-up
In early 2000, the Holly cousins began feudingFeud (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...
over the Hardcore title
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...
. Hardcore had first won the title in early 1999, before Crash's debut; however, Crash won it on February 22, 2000, defeating Test. The pair soon started fighting each other for the title including in the "hardcore" 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 Crash started off as the champion, but Hardcore left as champion. Crash regained the title the day after Wrestlemania, and soon after this, the Holly cousins had their last match as a team for over six months.
During these months Crash concentrated on the hardcore division winning the title 22 times (after introducing the infamous "24/7 rule"), and earning the nickname "the Houdini of Hardcore". Hardcore suffered a legitimate broken arm in a match against Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
and was sidelined for most of this time.
Reformation
In October 2000, Crash started feudingFeud (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 Test and Albert
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...
. This set up the debut of another "cousin", Molly Holly
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...
. She debuted on November 6, 2000, on Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, attacking 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....
, who was managing
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
T&A. This led to the Holly Cousins reuniting to feud with T & A and their manager, Trish Stratus.
Although Hardcore and Crash had opportunities to win the Tag Team championship, they were never able to capitalise. They competed mainly in both the hardcore division
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...
and the tag title division for the next few months. Molly had multiple opportunities to win the Women's title
WWE Women's Championship
The WWE Women's Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Created in 1956, it was the oldest active professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment history until its retirement in 2010 as a result from a unification...
, but was booked to lose them all.
In early 2001, the Hollys began feuding 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 May 2001, Crash and Hardcore, along with Bubba and D-Von Dudley
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...
became concerned about Molly's burgeoning relationship with Spike Dudley
Matt Hyson
Matthew "Matt" Hyson is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his performances in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Spike Dudley and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brother Runt.In ECW, he was a two-time...
. This led to the Hollys-Dudleys feud intensifying, with both Spike and Molly caught in the middle. On May 28, 2001, the Dudley Boys famously put Molly through a table, with Spike lying on the table to try and protect her. As Molly and Spike's relationship progressed, the feud between the Hollys and the Dudleys worsened.
The led to the final break-up of the Holly cousins, as Molly started accompanying Spike for his matches, Crash joined the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand until 2003, and Hardcore was re-injured in September 2001.
Aftermath
Crash competed on Raw and later traded to SmackDown! until his release from 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...
on June 30, 2003. He later died on November 6, 2003. Molly eventually dumped Spike
Matt Hyson
Matthew "Matt" Hyson is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his performances in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Spike Dudley and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brother Runt.In ECW, he was a two-time...
, and went on to become a two-time Women's champion
WWE Women's Championship
The WWE Women's Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Created in 1956, it was the oldest active professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment history until its retirement in 2010 as a result from a unification...
. On April 12, 2005, Molly left the company and retired from full-time wrestling. Hardcore was the final Holly to be released from the company, on January 16, 2009.
In wrestling
- Crash's finishing moves
- Corner springboard bulldog
- Crash Course (Over the shoulder belly to back piledriver)
- Crash Landing (Belly-to-back inverted mat slam)
- Flowing snap DDT
- Hardcore's finishing moves
- Alabama Slam
- Falcon Arrow/Hollycaust (Sitout suplex slam)
- Molly's finishing moves
- Molly-Go-Round
- Diving Sunset Flip - 2000
Championships
- 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...
- WWF Tag Team Championship - Crash HollyMike LockwoodMichael 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 Hardcore HollyBob HollyRobert "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 ....
(1 time)
- WWF Tag Team Championship - Crash Holly
External links
- Holly Cousins at Online World Of Wrestling
- Hardcore Holly's WWE Profile
- Molly Holly's WWE Alumni Profile
- Hardcore Holly at Online World Of Wrestling
- Crash Holly at Online World Of Wrestling
- Molly Holly at Online World Of Wrestling