Konnan

Charles Ashenoff
Data
Ring name	El Centurión Konnan Konnan el Bárbaro K-Dog El Relámpago Max Moon
height	178 cm
Fighting weight	107 kg
birth	January 6, 1964 in Santiago de Cuba , Cuba
Announced from	Mexico City Outer space (as Max Moon)
Trained by	Super Astro, Negro Casas, Eddie Guerrero , Rey Mysterio, Sr.
debut	January 6, 1987

Carlos Santiago Espada Moisés (born January 6, 1964 in Santiago de Cuba , Cuba ), also known as Charles Ashenoff and even better under his ring name Konnan , is a Cuban - American wrestler . Ashenoff is particularly popular in Mexico , as he used to be seen regularly on Mexican television during his time with the Mexican wrestling league Asistencia Asesoría y Administración . At that time he was also referred to by his fans as the "Mexican Hulk Hogan " because of his skills , but this is also due to his popularity status among fans in Mexico.

He not only wrestled in Mexico, but also in the leading wrestling leagues World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now World Wrestling Entertainment , WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). Ashenoff was also an active wrestler in the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) league . He was also the manager of the wrestling table Latin American Exchange , which consisted of the wrestlers Homicide , Hernandez and Ashenoff themselves.

resume

Youth and early career

Konnan was born as Charles Ashenoff in Santiago de Cuba , Cuba . Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Miami , Florida , USA . Ashenoff did not have a good childhood in Miami. He was expelled from various schools for unacceptable behavior before attending Miami Southwest High School in 1982 . He was arrested many times during this period for committing vandalism with a street gang. After further arguments with drug dealers, he left Miami in the hope of leaving his criminal past behind. After further crimes, however, he was given a choice: either he went back to prison or he went to the military. He chose to serve in the United States Navy , where he stayed for four years. He trained in boxing while in the Navy and became the California Middleweight Champion in 1982 and 1983 and represented the US in fights around the world. After fighting a few fights in the Persian Gulf, Ashenoff moved back to the United States, to San Diego .

Mask of "Konnan el Barbaro"

During his time in San Diego, Ashenoff worked as a bodybuilder and a short time later he decided to take up wrestling . Then he met the Mexican professional wrestling promoter John Roberts. Ashenoff was impressed by the colorful Mexican wrestling culture with its masked wrestlers and their superhero gimmicks . He traveled to Tijuana , Mexico , where he (along with Rey Mysterio, Jr. , Psicosis, Halloween and Damián 666) trained with various wrestlers called the luchadores (as a certain group of Mexican wrestlers are called). Ashenoff made his debut on January 6, 1987 in the Universal Wrestling Alliance . In his first match he had to play an eight-man tag team match, which he lost. For the match he received a full € 16.00 fee. Because of the feeling of not being able to step out of the shadows of the other wrestlers, Ashenoff switched to UWA . There he managed to get into the main events (main matches). When he went to EMLL , he was given the ring name "Konnan El Barbaro", which is derived from the feature film Conan the Barbarian . In 1991 he fought without a mask after it was removed from him in a match. On June 9, 1991 he was the first wrestler to win the CMLL World Heavyweight Champion in a tournament. On August 18, 1991, he lost the title in a match against "Cien Caras".

The Asistencia Asesoría y Administración

In 1992 Konnan, like many other wrestlers from the EMLL , joined the Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA), which had been founded shortly before by the Mexican Antonio Peña. There Ashenoff shortened his ring name from "Konnan El Barbaro" to simply "Konnan". Shortly thereafter, he had a long-running feud with Cien Caras . On April 30, 1993 Konnan lost a two out of three falls retirement match against Caras by counting thanks to the intervention of Jake "The Snake" Roberts at the major event TripleMania , which took place in Mexico City in front of 48,000 spectators. This attendance is the absolute record in Mexican wrestling that has not been broken to this day.

On May 27, 1994, Konnan came back after a year-long wrestling break and defeated Roberts in a "hair versus hair match" at TripleMania II in Tijuana. Later in 1994, Konnan attacked his own tag team partner Perro Aguayo . He then formed the stable Los Gringos Locos , together with Eddie Guerrero , Art Barr and Louie Spicolli, who at that time appeared under the ring name "Madonna's Boyfriend" . Konnan's former tag team partner Aguayo returned the favor by speaking to Konnan on November 6, 1994 in Los Angeles , California in the first, and to date also only, Asistencia Asesoría y Administración pay-per-view “When Worlds Collide “ Defeated in a steel cage match . At that time, Konnan was already very popular in Mexico, and many of his matches were played on Mexican television.

On February 2, 1996 Konnan defeated the wrestler "Killer" in Santiago de Querétaro and thus became the first "AAA Heavyweight Champion" . In October 1996 he left the AAA and tried his own wrestling promotion, the Promo Azteca . He gave up his AAA title without ever losing it. The title was only used again in the AAA in 2004. In 1998 Konnan had to close the Promo Azteka . After a lengthy break in wrestling in the 2000s, he returned to Mexican wrestling, where he fought mostly in Mexico City and Guadalajara .

World Wrestling Federation and Extreme Championship Wrestling

Konnan's manager

Surname	Management from-to
Jimmy Hart	1996-1997
Kevin Sullivan	1996-1997
Torrie Wilson	1998-1999
Tygress	2000

After Konnan was discovered by the famous wrestling talent scout Pat Patterson in 1992, he stayed in the World Wrestling Federation for eight months under the ring name Max Moon . Konnan chose the moon character himself. He got it when he saw a Japanese cartoon on TV. Moon was a kind of cyborg there . After some disagreement with the owner of the WWF, Vince McMahon , he left the WWF. He said he was being discriminated against in the WWF by McMahon. Wrestler Paul Diamond took over the moon gimmick after Konnan's departure.

In the mid-1990s, Konnan went to Mexico to wrestle again. After meeting the boss of Extreme Championship Wrestling, Paul Heyman , during a WCW tour of Singapore , Konnan suggested he move to the ECW. In 1995 Konnan did the same and wrestled for the ECW. Shortly after joining this league, he had a major feud with The Sandman . Sandman appeared in the November To Remember 1995 PPV , which took place on November 18, 1995, and attacked Konnan.

World Championship Wrestling

Konnan's first experience in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) began with a challenge from Jim Barnett to a so-called tryout match with Bobby Eaton. The WCW officials liked the match and for this reason Konnan got a match at the major event StarrCade 1990: Collision Course on December 16, 1990 in the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis , Missouri . Along with his trainer and mentor Rey Mysterio, Sr., Konnan fought at the Pat O'Connor Memorial Tournament (O'Connor had died shortly before the event). He and Mysterio defeated Norman Smiley and Chris Adams in the quarterfinals, but then lost to the Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) in the semifinals. Believing that he had given everything in Mexico and that he “finished his work” [according to Konnan], Konnan went back to WCW in January 1996 after his temporary stay in Mexico, with the aim of becoming a “main eventer” did not succeed in his first time at WCW. This time he was better accepted in the WCW and even got a higher position in management. As a result, he was also significantly responsible for the settings of the Mexicans Rey Mysterio, jr., Psicosis, Juventud Guerrera and La Parka.

On January 28, 1996 Konnan won the WCW United States Championship at Monday Nitro , defeating George Gray, who appeared under the ring name "The One Man Gag". At the major event Bash At The Beach 1996 on July 7, 1996 in Daytona Beach , Florida , he lost the title to Ric Flair , thanks to the active intervention in the match by Flair's managers Miss Elizabeth and Woman . A few months after losing the title, Konnan joined the Dungeon of Doom wrestling table .

On July 14, 1997, Konnan became a member of the New World Order (nWo). The nWo later split into two halves, the nWo - wolfpack, in which Konnan was, and the nWo-Hollywood, in which, among other things, Hollywood Hogan was. Konnan was awarded a new rapper gimmick and he was given a new ring name: K-Dawg . On November 30, 1998, Konnan defeated Chris Jericho on an episode of the WCW show "Nitro" to win the WCW World Television Championship . His title reign ended on December 28, 1998 when he lost to nWo Hollywood member Scott Steiner in Baltimore , Maryland to the intervention of Buff Bagwell .

In January 1999 the two halves of the nWo reunited. But shortly afterwards Konnan was kicked out of the nWo and attacked by the other members. He teamed up again with Rey Mysterio Jr. together to fight together against the nWo. After a feud with nWo member Lex Luger , Konnan and Mysterio were defeated by the stable "The Outsiders" at the SuperBrawl IX event . After the match, The Outsiders took off his mask from Rey Mysterio. Konnan then criticized the WCW for writing storylines where a Mexican wrestler's mask was removed, as it is the custom in Mexican wrestling to never take his mask off in the ring.

Konnan then had a feud with the wrestler Disko Inferno for many months and then with Stevie Ray . He later founded the stable No Limit Soldiers with Rey Mysterio, Brad Armstrong, Master P. After Master P left WCW, Konnan founded another stable, Filthy Animals . On October 18, 1999, he and Mysterio, who represented the Filthy Animals, defeated the Stable Harlem Heat (consisting of Booker T and Stevie Ray) to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship, with the help of Billy Kidman and Eddie Guerrero .

On October 24, 1999 at the Halloween Havoc 1999 event , the Filthy Animals were supposed to compete in the rematch against the Harlem Heat, but Mysterio was injured the day before the show. The titles were then scheduled in a 3-way tag team match . Konnan and Billy Kidman represented the Filthy Animals and fought against Harlem Heat and the First Family team (consisting of Hugh Morrus and Brian Knobbs). Harlem Heat won the match by pinfall. However, Konnan and Kidman got the title back one night later at an edition of WCW Nitro in Phoenix, Arizona . But this title reign did not last long either, as they lost the title again on November 22, 1999 against Creative Control in Auburn Hills , Michigan .

In the early 2000s, Konnan was suspended for three months following comments made about the WCW. There he criticized the WCW management too violently in public interviews as to how those responsible justified his suspension. He questioned the storylines and criticized the creative team. He also said that the WCW worked unprofessionally with the wrestlers. There were rumors that Konnan wanted to go back to WWF, but that didn't happen. Shortly after returning from his suspension and re-establishing the Filthy Animals, Konnan had to take a break again, this time due to an injury to his triceps. In the mid-2000s, the Filthy Animals had many feuds, including with stables like Misfits In Action , The Natural Born Thrillers, and Team Canada . On March 18, 2001 at the WCW Greed event , Lance Storm and Mike Awesome (representing Team Canada) defeated Hugh Morrus and Konnan in one of Konnan's last appearances in the WCW.

Mid 2001's toured Konnan with the newly formed wrestling promotion World Wrestling All-Stars by Australia and Europe. In addition to wrestling, Konnan also occasionally commented on all-star fights. Ashenoff later studied criminology .

Total non-stop action wrestling

On June 19, 2002, Konnan first appeared in Total Nonstop Actionwrestling (TNA), the TNA pay-per-view at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville , Alabama . He played a Gauntlet for the Gold match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship , but lost to Malice after the latter gave Konnan a chokeslam. Konnan only returned to TNA on February 12, 2003 and shortly thereafter founded a new stable, the Authentic Luchadores . In addition to himself, Konnan's friends Juventud Guerrera, Super Crazy and the wrestlers from "The Spanish Announce Team" were also represented in this stable. This stable had a feud with Jerry Lynn that lasted until April 2, when Lynn stated that he likes and respects the Mexican luchadores. With this statement he gained sympathy with Konnan.

The 3Live Kru

In May 2003 Konnan befriended BG James and Ron Killings, with whom he often competed in tag team matches. In July the trio then founded the wrestling table "3Live Kru". The first match after the founding of 3Live Kru took place on August 13, 2003. The three defeated the also consisting of three wrestlers stable "New Church" ( Sinn , Vampire Warrior and Devon Storm). On November 26, 2003, the Kru defeated Simon Diamond, Johnny Swinger and Glenn Gilberti in a Six Man Tag Team Match in Nashville , Tennessee , winning the NWA World Tag Team Championships . On January 28, 2004, the team then lost the title again against Kevin Northcutt and Legend in a handicap match in Nashville.

In August 2004, the Kru began a feud with "Team Canada". At the pay-per-view TNA Victory Road 2004 on November 7, 2004 in Orlando , Florida there was a match between Kru members Konnan and James against Team Canada members Bobby Roode and "Showtime" Eric Young for the NWA World Tag Team Championships that Konnan and James won. Their title reign lasted only a month because they lost the title again on December 5, 2004 at the TNA Turning Point 2004 event against Team Canada, through the intervention of the injured Johnny Devine.

In the early 2005s, the Kru had feuds with Michael Shane and Kazarian, Team Canada, and The Naturals . Over the next few weeks, the Kru got more and more help from Kip James. For example, in an issue of TNA, he saved Konnan from knocking a chair. On November 26, 2005 in an episode of iMPACT! asked BG James Killings and Konnan if Kip James could join 3Live Kru. Killings and Konnan liked this idea too, and the 4Live Kru was born.

Latin American Exchange

Konnan formed the Latin American eXchange in the TNA together with the wrestlers Homicide and Hernandez. This was a Mexican / Puerto Rican stable that won the Tag Team titles in 2007 after defeating AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels in a title bout.

Championships Won (Greatest Successes)

1. Asistencia Asesoría y Administración
   • AAA Heavyweight Championship (1 ×)
   • AAA Parejas Increibles Tag Team Championship (1 ×)
2. Championship Wrestling USA
   • CW-USA Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 ×) - with Beetlejuice
3. Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
   • CMLL World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
4. International Wrestling All-Stars
   • IWAS Heavyweight Championship (1 ×)
   • IWAS Tag Team Championship (1 ×) - with Rey Mysterio, Jr.
5. International Wrestling Council
   • IWC Heavyweight Championship (1 ×)
6. Latin American Wrestling Association
   • LAWA Heavyweight Championship (1 ×)
7. Total non-stop action wrestling
   • NWA World Tag Team Championship (4 ×) - with BG James / Ron Killings and Homicide / Hernandez
8. World Championship Wrestling
   • WCW United States Championship (1 ×)
   • WCW World Television Championship (1 ×)
   • WCW World Tag Team Championship (2 ×) - with Rey Mysterio, Jr. (1 ×), and Billy Kidman (1 ×)
9. World Wrestling Council
   • WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 ×)
   • WWC Tag Team Championship (1 ×) - with Carly Colon

supporting documents

1. ↑ Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter of May 10, 2010
2. ↑ ^{a b} Homepage of the TNA. Retrieved October 11, 2018 . 
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} Power Wrestling Interview ( Memento from May 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ ^{a b c} Konnan . In: canoe.com . ( canoe.ca [accessed October 11, 2018]).
5. ↑ ^{a b} Konnan the Creator - Charles Ashenoff discusses Mexican style of wrestling - Interview | Wrestling Digest | Find Articles at BNET. Archived from the original on December 1, 2009 ; accessed on October 11, 2018 . 
6. ↑ ^{a b c d} Konnan Shoot Interview. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008 ; Retrieved October 11, 2018 (American English). 
7. ↑ JIM VARSALLONE. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012 ; accessed on October 11, 2018 (English). 
8. ↑ Veterans relishing time in TNA . In: canoe.com . ( canoe.ca [accessed October 11, 2018]).
9. ↑ Solie's Title Histories: AAA. Retrieved October 11, 2018 . 
10. ↑ Veterans relishing time in TNA . In: canoe.com . ( canoe.ca [accessed October 11, 2018]).
11. ↑ ^{a b c} Solie's Title Histories: WCW. Retrieved October 11, 2018 . 
12. ^ Konnan: Politics killed WCW. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012 ; accessed on July 17, 2012 (English). 
13. ↑ Konnan's Bio at Obsessed with wrestling.com ( Memento from November 6, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
14. ^ ^{A b} Solie's Title Histories: NWA NATIONAL WRESTLING ALLIANCE. Retrieved October 11, 2018 . 

Web links

Commons : Konnan  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Short biography of Konnan ( Memento from October 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
• TNA profile