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La Familia (professional wrestling)
Encyclopedia
La Familia was a villainous
alliance in the professional wrestling promotion
World Wrestling Entertainment (now WWE) that existed from the end of 2007 until the middle of 2009. The group consisted Edge, Vickie Guerrero
, Chavo Guerrero
, Curt Hawkins
, Zack Ryder
and Bam Neely
. The team went on to have control over several championships and authority positions on WWE as they appeared on all three WWE brands
, starting on SmackDown and later spreading over to ECW and Raw
.
During the group's tenure most members earned at least one championship while feuding with such superstars as: Jeff Hardy
, Santino Marella, CM Punk
, Kane
, The Undertaker, Cherry
, Ric Flair
, Shawn Michaels
, Triple H
and Rey Mysterio among others. The team also had short-lived convenience alliances with Theodore Long
, Armando Estrada, and William Regal, when they were the General Managers of SmackDown, ECW, and Raw respectively, and also with wrestlers Matt Hardy
, Alicia Fox, Umaga, Vladimir Kozlov, The Great Khali and The Big Show. The symbol and signature-move for the team would become the move made famous by Edge and his former tag-team partner Christian Cage, the con-chair-to, which they would often use to win matches or when attacking their opponents after a match. La Familia was responsible for several ambushes and severely injuring Kofi Kingston
, along with several other superstars, as well as almost ending the career of The Undertaker.
On August 16 all members of the group except Chavo Guerrero and Edge were found unconscious in the backstage area, apparently at the hands of the returning Undertaker. However as Chavo Guerrero and Edge went out to the ring to confront him, Edge suddenly attacked Guerrero and made him the victim of a one man con–chair–to revealing what had really happened backstage and thus turning on his followers and bringing "La Familia" to its end. Despite all of this, no one turned face during that time.
, the Guerrero wrestling family, with Chavo being Vickie's nephew by way of her marriage to the deceased wrestler Eddie Guerrero
. Through his on-screen romantic (and later marital) relationship with her, Edge became part of the family and the group largely revolved around protecting his interests although they would often help out other members as well. The name of the group conveys the Mexican heritage of the Guerreros, giving a Spanish inflection on the word family.
While the group consisted of six members, Vickie and Edge were the central focus and were known for their grotesquely hyperbolised displays of affection, such as primal kisses. As well as frequently kissing on screen, the couple often showed video packages of them in comically blissful situations such as playing on swings and feeding each other while having a picnic. As well as these romantic scenes the pair would often be shown indulging in non-wrestling activities such as having a pedicure and other beauty treatments. Also, despite being a non-wrestler, Vickie Guerrero played a central role in the group not only in aiding Edge's career but also earning the ire of many wrestlers which resulted in her frequently being attacked and consequently appearing in a wheelchair or wearing a neck brace, which became somewhat iconic for Vickie at the time. She also became notorious for her screeching and for shouting "Excuse me!" to gain the attention of booing fans, all started during her tumultuous affair with Edge.
While the group were notorious villains on-screen, they received praise off-screen for their performances. Adam Copeland, who portrays Edge, was noted to be able to indulge in comically entertaining scenes without losing his potency as a convincingly detestable character. Vickie Guerrero was also commended for being able to draw anger and hate from the crowd so successfully despite no training as a wrestler or actor.
returned to WWE in November 2007 after recovering from a four month injury which had forced him to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship
. He returned at the Survivor Series 2007
pay-per-view (PPV), posing as a camera man to enter a Hell in a Cell match and cost The Undertaker his World Heavyweight Championship against champion Batista. On the following episode of SmackDown, General Manager of the show, Vickie Guerrero
, pretended to punish Edge by giving him a World Heavyweight Championship match against Batista, revealing that Edge and Guerrero were an on-screen couple. Seeking revenge, Undertaker used the Tombstone Piledriver on Vickie Guerrero that night, making her absent the following week. In her absence, Edge lost his match against Batista and Theodore Long
returned as Assistant General Manager, (having been replaced by Guerrero months before through a storyline illness; although Vickie and Long's roles were previously reversed) booking a Triple Threat match at Armageddon
for the championship.
The group grew at Armageddon during the championship match. Toward the final minutes of the contest, Edge apparently took both a spear from Batista and a chokeslam
from Undertaker, both of whom were led to believe that he was essentially removed from the contest; however, the camera revealed that at ringside three people looking like Edge were there, with the two lookalikes taken out and the real Edge crouching in wait. Edge waited by the ring until Undertaker had taken out Batista, then hit Undertaker with a steel chair
and pinned Batista to win his second World Heavyweight Championship. The next SmackDown opened with Vickie Guerrero, who was now in a wheelchair due to receiving a Tombstone Piledriver from The Undertaker and would remain in a wheelchair for the majority of the following year. Vickie, begrudgingly being pushed to the ring by Long, brought with her the World Heavyweight Championship and then introduced Edge to present it to. The two then revealed Edge's doppelgangers were the Major Brothers, who made a speech retconning their previous gimmick of being brothers and now proclaimed themselves to be Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
, dubbed as Edgeheads, fans and protégés of Edge.
. Chavo, Vickie's nephew, voiced his misgiving about her relationship with Edge, thinking it disrespected the Guerrero name
, alluding to Vickie being the off-screen widow of Eddie Guerrero
. Despite being forced to face Edge's enemies, Chavo was soon brought around and welcomed into the group when Edge appeared on ECW on Sci-Fi in mid-January to help Chavo win contendership for the ECW Championship
by beating CM Punk
, having lost twice already. Using her power to influence ECW General Manager Armando Estrada, Vickie turned Chavo's championship match into a no disqualification
and with Edge using a spear on Punk, Chavo became the ECW Champion on 22 January. With two World Championships in their possession, Edge and Vickie's relationship fully established, and Chavo fully on board, the group began to act as a family, calling themselves by the Mexican variant La Familia.
Meanwhile, Vickie was also using her power on SmackDown to help Edge retain his championship. When Edge was forced to defend his championship at the Royal Rumble
, Vickie announced a Beat The Clock Challenge, placing perennial rivals Batista and Undertaker in difficult matches, facing Hawkins and Ryder in a handicap match and having a special guest referee, respectively. However, Undertaker used his powers, part of his character's gimmick, to turn the arena lights out and attack Edge which helped Rey Mysterio become the contender. At the event, Edge came to the ring with his entourage aside from Chavo who was participating in the event later that evening. Hawkins and Ryder were sent from ring side early during the match and Mysterio almost beat Edge after using his 619 finishing move, but as the referee tried to count for three Vickie rose up from her chair and pulled the official from the ring. As Mysterio reprimanded Vickie, Edge tried to run into him but ended up on the ropes once again allowing Mysterio to attempt another 619; this time however, Vickie jumped on the ropes and hugged Edge, protecting him from the move and giving Edge enough time to recover and use his spear to pin Mysterio and win the match. On the Valentine's Day
episode of SmackDown, the week before the No Way Out
pay-per-view, with Vickie back in her wheelchair as a result of Mysterio's 619, Edge proposed to Vickie. After she accepted Mysterio came to the ring and voiced his disappointment at the union and proceeded to come at Edge with a springboard senton but as he ducked, Mysterio hit Vickie instead. At No Way Out, though, Edge would retain the championship over Mysterio again to end their rivalry while Chavo successfully defended his championship against Punk. However, the Undertaker also became the new contender for Edge's championship at the pay-per-view, and La Familia began to target him, with Edge, Hawkins, and Ryder defeating Undertaker in a handicap match on SmackDown in March. The entire group (aside from Vickie) also took on Ric Flair
and Shawn Michaels
in a steel cage match but Undertaker invaded the cage using his powers, attacking the group as Edge climbed over the cage in fear to win the match for the team.
At WrestleMania XXIV
, both Edge and Chavo lost their championships to Undertaker and Kane, respectively, with Edge tapping out to Undertaker's new gogoplata
submission move (which would eventually be called Hell's Gate) and Chavo making a WrestleMania record by losing in nine seconds. While signing a contract for his rematch, Chavo introduced Bam Neely
, given a fictitious history as a border guard
turned body guard, as his new enforcer and member of La Familia. Despite this help and Vickie's power, both Edge and Chavo failed to win back their titles at Backlash
, with Edge being stretchered out after again submitting to the eventual Hell's Gate. On May 2's SmackDown, Vickie announced that Undertaker's chokehold was an illegal move and banned Undertaker from using it, as well as stripping Undertaker of the World Heavyweight Championship. Later that month, on the May 16 edition of SmackDown, Vickie was forced by the WWE Board of Directors to compete against The Undertaker in what she subsequently made a six-on-one handicap match featuring all of La Familia. However Chavo and Neely left before the match began, feeling used by the group, though they were brought on side the next week. At Judgment Day
, Undertaker defeated Edge but instantly after the match Vickie announced that the title would remain vacant as Undertaker won by count out, under which a championship would not normally change hands. The next month at One Night Stand
, a rematch for the vacant championship was given two stipulations: firstly it was a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
, Edge's specialty, and secondly if Undertaker lost he would be banished from the WWE. After interference from La Familia, Edge reclaimed the World Heavyweight Championship after pushing Undertaker off a ladder and through four tables, forcing his storyline exile from WWE television. Following this Batista set his sights on Edge and avoided being banished himself by beating The Great Khali to earn a title match. With Chavo as referee, Edge retained the championship at Night of Champions
, but the next night on Raw
Batista attacked Edge while he was making a speech and afterwards CM Punk
used his Money in the Bank
contract to make an instant championship match and win the belt.
, an opponent of Hawkins and Ryder, and canceled his wedding with Vickie. The following week Chavo, Neely, Hawkins and Ryder were seen backstage agreeing with both Vickie and Edge in their argument while Edge was punished the next week by being forced into a no-disqualification match against Big Show. However, after watching Edge receive punishment from Show she stopped the match and the two embraced in the ring, both expressing their love. The following week, on July 18, SmackDown became a wedding reception with La Familia at the top of the ramp all evening in formal dress with a table and large wedding cake, while highlights were shown of Edge and Vickie's wedding that were filmed earlier in the day. During the evening Cherry
lost her match and afterwards Vickie declared an impromptu match, capitalizing on Cherry's defeat to pin her herself giving Vickie her first wrestling win. However, also during the evening The Hardys
were forced to compete against each other but tipped over the wedding cake in protest and the show ended with Triple H giving a mock celebration speech. During the speech he revealed hidden camera video footage of Edge talking to the wedding planner Alicia Fox about Vickie, mocking her size and eventually kissing Fox.
That Sunday at The Great American Bash
Hawkins and Ryder won the WWE Tag Team Championship
in a Four Way match. However, during Edge's WWE Championship match against Triple H, Fox attempted to hand Edge the WWE Championship belt to use as weapon, but was stopped with a clothesline by Vickie. Vickie then picked up the belt and prepared to use it but Fox started fighting with her again and while the referee tried to separate the two women Edge attempted to spear the referee, who fell to the ground with Fox just beforehand resulting in Edge Spearing Vickie. Triple H used this distraction to recover and hit a Pedigree to retain his title. The following week on SmackDown Edge tried to apologize to all the members of La Familia, though after Bam Neely was unsure whether Edge wanted to apologize or wanted Vickie to apologize to him when reiterating the story. Edge closed the show in the ring, asking for forgiveness and blaming it all on Fox. Vickie came out and teased forgiveness but revealed that she had reinstated the Undertaker and booked the two in his speciality match, the Hell in a Cell, at SummerSlam
.
On the August 16 edition of SmackDown, a week after having already turned on the others, Edge kidnapped Vickie in her wheelchair and rode her round the building taunting her until he pushed her to the ring, tipping her out onto the stage and then lying next to her, watching a montage video of their moments together mixed with advice received from Mick Foley
about having to become more tough and deranged (like his old self) to defeat The Undertaker. Despite his new attitude, Undertaker defeated Edge in his return match and after pinning him, choke slammed him from the top of a ladder causing him to fall through the mat, which flames came up through shortly afterwards as the commentators announced Edge had been sent to hell.
After SummerSlam, Vickie tried to apologise to the WWE fans and The Undertaker, blaming Edge for being a negative influence but despite this Undertaker appeared on August 23's SmackDown and attacked all of La Familia in an attempt to get to Vickie who managed to escape. La Familia began to dissipate, however, as Chavo and Neely began to argue due to costing each other victories in matches by interfering. Neely was later released while Hawkins and Ryder stopped being seen with Vickie. At Unforgiven
, Big Show came to the ring to voice his frustration at Vickie for keeping him out of the main event match. After she came to the ring to defend herself, the lights went dim signalling the arrival of The Undertaker, fulfilling his promise to come take her soul for banishing him. Despite holding her hostage, Show suddenly attacked Undertaker and revealed he was in cahoots with her. Show was revealed to be protecting Vickie in a strictly business arrangement, though he would unwittingly leave her at the hands of Undertaker on SmackDown in September, resulting in her receiving another Tombstone Piledriver which put her back in a wheelchair.
, Undertaker beat him in a Casket Match. However at the same event, SmackDowns WWE Championship match was missing a competitor after Jeff Hardy
was reported to have been hospitalised after being attacked in his hotel as part of the storyline. The match became a singles match between Triple H and the challenging Vladimir Kozlov
, but towards the end of the match Vickie came out announcing the third competitor had arrived, but rather than the expected Hardy it was a returning Edge. Hardy chased out afterwards in a neck brace swinging a chair but accidentally hit Triple H and Kozlov, allowing Edge to gain an easy pin to win the WWE Championship. With this La Familia reformed as just Vickie, Edge and Chavo with Edge's problems at the forefront of their attention. They feuded with both former champion Triple H and Jeff Hardy, who would both earn a shot at Edge's championship at Armageddon
in December, where Hardy pinned Edge to win the championship. On the road to their rematch at the Royal Rumble
in 2009, Vickie used her alliance with Big Show to have him weaken Hardy for Edge, promising Show a title match if he beat Hardy but later revealing to Edge this was just a ruse; regardless Hardy won and Edge had his rematch at the Royal Rumble, winning the WWE Championship again after Jeff's own brother Matt
attacked him with a chair, following his own loss earlier in the evening, leading to the reveal that Matt had been Jeff's attacker all along. During this time Vickie had a brief feud with Triple H where she tried to keep him out of the Royal Rumble match and he blackmailed her with naked photographs of her he had procured, resulting in Triple H helping Montel Vontavious Porter (who was on a four month losing streak) defeat Big Show to gain a place in the match.
As both World Champions were forced to defend their championships inside an Elimination Chamber
, Edge opened No Way Out
by being the first competitor in the ring, opposite Jeff Hardy. Hardy delivered a shock upset to Edge by rolling a Spear attempt into a pin and pinning him within three minutes, before any other wrestler entered the match. This ensured Edge had lost the WWE Championship and a new champion would be crowned, ultimately Triple H. Living up to his nickname of the Ultimate Opportunist, though, Edge later appeared in the main event of the evening by attacking Kofi Kingston
with a chair until he was unable to compete in the Elimination Chamber for the World Heavyweight Championship, locking himself in one of the pods and refusing to come out. After eliminating reigning champion John Cena
third, Edge went on to pin Rey Mysterio to win the match and become World Heavyweight Champion. The following night on Raw, Vickie explained that with Raw General Manager Stephanie McMahon absent tending to her brother Shane
in the hospital after his match with Randy Orton
, she was the highest in command and with Kingston injured a replacement had to be found, giving Edge's forced entry into the match carte blanche. Later in that evening, McMahon was attacked by Orton, which left Vickie as the interim General Manager of Raw as well as SmackDown. Cena demanded an instant rematch, which he won but as it was by disqualification the title did not change hands. Edge revealed that he had asked Big Show to look after Vickie while he was gone and consequently gave him a World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania XXV
. However, at the contract signing Cena interfered and blackmailed Vickie into making it a Triple Threat match; the next week after signing the contract he revealed he was blackmailing Vickie with footage of her sharing a kiss with Big Show. At WrestleMania, Cena pinned Big Show and won the World Heavyweight Championship.
and made it a Last Man Standing match. Their match at Backlash ended on the stage, where Big Show came out and chokeslammed Cena through a searchlight that was used as a decorative prop making sure Cena could not answer the ten count and that Edge regained the championship. This returned the World Heavyweight Championship to the SmackDown brand, while Chavo was drafted
to Raw alongside Vickie. Meanwhile Edge rekindled his feud with Jeff Hardy and faced new members on the SmackDown roster vying for his title. In early May CM Punk
, who again held the Money in the Bank
briefcase, faced Edge in a series of non-title singles matches and vowed to cash in his championship match after winning. However, both attempts at this (and various attempts to interfere in Edge's matches) ended with an interference from Umaga
which prevented Punk from winning the belt. After this, Hardy became the main contender for Edge's championship but Edge successfully defended it at Judgment Day
when Matt Hardy, who had just finished a rivalry with Jeff, hit his brother from behind. The following night on Raw, Vickie rewarded Matt for his help with a match for the United States Championship
. However, because of the interference Jeff received a rematch at Extreme Rules but this time it was a Ladder match which Jeff won.
Meanwhile, Vickie thanked Big Show, who had also been drafted to Raw, for helping Edge at Backlash by putting him in a contendership match for the WWE Championship, but when he tried to kiss her she told him their previous affair was a mistake and she wanted a purely professional relationship, ending any affair they may have had. On Raw, she then entered into a feud with Santino Marella after the latter made disparaging remarks about Vickie's appearance, calling her a pig in relation to the swine flu outbreak
. The wrestler who portrayed Santino was involved in a storyline where he played his twin sister, Santina Marella, at the time so that when Vickie accused Santino of insulting her, Santina acted innocently though also made similar jokes. On May 18 the feud reached a head when Vickie demanded Santina face her in a match following some comical skits where Chavo tried to teach her some Guerrero family
moves, before making it a no-disqualification match so that Chavo and William Regal could interfere and help her win the match to become Miss WrestleMania. Their rematch for the crown, at Extreme Rules, was a Hog Pen match where, despite having Chavo at her side Vickie lost the match and the title. The following night on June 8's Raw, Vickie voiced her anger at the crowd for not sympathising with her while she was being humiliated. Subsequently she announced she was quitting as General Manager of Raw which prompted Edge to come out and announce that he only married her for her power and with no power anymore, he insulted her appearance and demanded a divorce.
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...
alliance in the professional wrestling promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
World Wrestling Entertainment (now WWE) that existed from the end of 2007 until the middle of 2009. The group consisted Edge, Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Lynn Guerrero is an American professional wrestling personality, manager, shifting authority figure and occasional wrestler. She is the widow of professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand...
, Chavo Guerrero
Chavo Guerrero, Jr.
Salvador "Chavo" Guerrero IV also known as Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero, Jr., is a third generation Mexican-American professional wrestler and member of the famed Guerrero wrestling family who was well known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling...
, Curt Hawkins
Curt Hawkins
Brian Joseph Myers is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Curt Hawkins. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand...
, Zack Ryder
Zack Ryder
Matthew Joseph Cardona, Jr. better known by his ring name Zack Ryder, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE and works on the Raw brand as a wrestler and the SmackDown brand as an assistant to SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long.Cardona wrestled mostly with his tag...
and Bam Neely
Justin LaRouche
Justin Bruce Rocheleau is an American professional wrestler, who worked on World Wrestling Entertainment's ECW brand under the name Bam Neely...
. The team went on to have control over several championships and authority positions on WWE as they appeared on all three WWE brands
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
, starting on SmackDown and later spreading over to ECW and 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 the group's tenure most members earned at least one championship while feuding with such superstars as: Jeff Hardy
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...
, Santino Marella, CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
, Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
, The Undertaker, Cherry
Kara Drew
Kara Elizabeth Drew is a former American professional wrestler and valet, better known by her ring name Cherry. She is best known for working in World Wrestling Entertainment as the manager of former Tag Team Champions, Deuce 'n Domino, and as a performer for its SmackDown brand.After becoming...
, Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
, 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...
and Rey Mysterio among others. The team also had short-lived convenience alliances with Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
, Armando Estrada, and William Regal, when they were the General Managers of SmackDown, ECW, and Raw respectively, and also with wrestlers 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 ....
, Alicia Fox, Umaga, Vladimir Kozlov, The Great Khali and The Big Show. The symbol and signature-move for the team would become the move made famous by Edge and his former tag-team partner Christian Cage, the con-chair-to, which they would often use to win matches or when attacking their opponents after a match. La Familia was responsible for several ambushes and severely injuring Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
, along with several other superstars, as well as almost ending the career of The Undertaker.
On August 16 all members of the group except Chavo Guerrero and Edge were found unconscious in the backstage area, apparently at the hands of the returning Undertaker. However as Chavo Guerrero and Edge went out to the ring to confront him, Edge suddenly attacked Guerrero and made him the victim of a one man con–chair–to revealing what had really happened backstage and thus turning on his followers and bringing "La Familia" to its end. Despite all of this, no one turned face during that time.
Concept
The idea behind the group was the concept of family. This specifically pertained to Vickie and Chavo both being members of Los GuerrerosLos Guerreros
Los Guerreros is a Mexican American family that has been involved with professional wrestling for three generations with the patriarch of the family Gory Guerrero making his debut on September 15, 1937...
, the Guerrero wrestling family, with Chavo being Vickie's nephew by way of her marriage to the deceased wrestler 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...
. Through his on-screen romantic (and later marital) relationship with her, Edge became part of the family and the group largely revolved around protecting his interests although they would often help out other members as well. The name of the group conveys the Mexican heritage of the Guerreros, giving a Spanish inflection on the word family.
While the group consisted of six members, Vickie and Edge were the central focus and were known for their grotesquely hyperbolised displays of affection, such as primal kisses. As well as frequently kissing on screen, the couple often showed video packages of them in comically blissful situations such as playing on swings and feeding each other while having a picnic. As well as these romantic scenes the pair would often be shown indulging in non-wrestling activities such as having a pedicure and other beauty treatments. Also, despite being a non-wrestler, Vickie Guerrero played a central role in the group not only in aiding Edge's career but also earning the ire of many wrestlers which resulted in her frequently being attacked and consequently appearing in a wheelchair or wearing a neck brace, which became somewhat iconic for Vickie at the time. She also became notorious for her screeching and for shouting "Excuse me!" to gain the attention of booing fans, all started during her tumultuous affair with Edge.
While the group were notorious villains on-screen, they received praise off-screen for their performances. Adam Copeland, who portrays Edge, was noted to be able to indulge in comically entertaining scenes without losing his potency as a convincingly detestable character. Vickie Guerrero was also commended for being able to draw anger and hate from the crowd so successfully despite no training as a wrestler or actor.
Formation (2007)
The seeds for what became La Familia began to take hold when EdgeAdam Copeland
Adam Joseph Copeland is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract....
returned to WWE in November 2007 after recovering from a four month injury which had forced him to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
. He returned at the Survivor Series 2007
Survivor Series (2007)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on November 18, 2007 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida...
pay-per-view (PPV), posing as a camera man to enter a Hell in a Cell match and cost The Undertaker his World Heavyweight Championship against champion Batista. On the following episode of SmackDown, General Manager of the show, Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Lynn Guerrero is an American professional wrestling personality, manager, shifting authority figure and occasional wrestler. She is the widow of professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand...
, pretended to punish Edge by giving him a World Heavyweight Championship match against Batista, revealing that Edge and Guerrero were an on-screen couple. Seeking revenge, Undertaker used the Tombstone Piledriver on Vickie Guerrero that night, making her absent the following week. In her absence, Edge lost his match against Batista and Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
returned as Assistant General Manager, (having been replaced by Guerrero months before through a storyline illness; although Vickie and Long's roles were previously reversed) booking a Triple Threat match at Armageddon
Armageddon (2007)
Armageddon was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on December 16, 2007 at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the eighth event produced under the Armageddon name and starred wrestlers from the Raw,...
for the championship.
The group grew at Armageddon during the championship match. Toward the final minutes of the contest, Edge apparently took both a spear from Batista and a chokeslam
Chokeslam
A chokeslam refers to a type of body slam in professional wrestling in which the wrestler grasps their opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerful on camera...
from Undertaker, both of whom were led to believe that he was essentially removed from the contest; however, the camera revealed that at ringside three people looking like Edge were there, with the two lookalikes taken out and the real Edge crouching in wait. Edge waited by the ring until Undertaker had taken out Batista, then hit Undertaker with a steel chair
Folding chair
A folding chair is a light, portable chair that that folds flat, and can be stored in a stack, row, or on a cart.-Uses:Folding chairs are generally used for seating in areas where permanent seating is not possible or practical. This includes outdoor and indoor events such as funerals, college...
and pinned Batista to win his second World Heavyweight Championship. The next SmackDown opened with Vickie Guerrero, who was now in a wheelchair due to receiving a Tombstone Piledriver from The Undertaker and would remain in a wheelchair for the majority of the following year. Vickie, begrudgingly being pushed to the ring by Long, brought with her the World Heavyweight Championship and then introduced Edge to present it to. The two then revealed Edge's doppelgangers were the Major Brothers, who made a speech retconning their previous gimmick of being brothers and now proclaimed themselves to be Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder were a American professional wrestling tag team who appeared on the independent circuit and WWE under a variety of evolving names....
, dubbed as Edgeheads, fans and protégés of Edge.
Dominance; Edge and Vickie's engagement (2007-2008)
As well as being opposed by Batista and The Undertaker, the group faced a different kind of opposition from Chavo GuerreroChavo Guerrero, Jr.
Salvador "Chavo" Guerrero IV also known as Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero, Jr., is a third generation Mexican-American professional wrestler and member of the famed Guerrero wrestling family who was well known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling...
. Chavo, Vickie's nephew, voiced his misgiving about her relationship with Edge, thinking it disrespected the Guerrero name
Los Guerreros
Los Guerreros is a Mexican American family that has been involved with professional wrestling for three generations with the patriarch of the family Gory Guerrero making his debut on September 15, 1937...
, alluding to Vickie being the off-screen widow of 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...
. Despite being forced to face Edge's enemies, Chavo was soon brought around and welcomed into the group when Edge appeared on ECW on Sci-Fi in mid-January to help Chavo win contendership for the ECW Championship
ECW World Heavyweight Championship
The Extreme Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
by beating CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
, having lost twice already. Using her power to influence ECW General Manager Armando Estrada, Vickie turned Chavo's championship match into a no disqualification
Hardcore wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted...
and with Edge using a spear on Punk, Chavo became the ECW Champion on 22 January. With two World Championships in their possession, Edge and Vickie's relationship fully established, and Chavo fully on board, the group began to act as a family, calling themselves by the Mexican variant La Familia.
Royal Rumble (2008)
Royal Rumble was the twenty-first annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 27, 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands. The event was...
, Vickie announced a Beat The Clock Challenge, placing perennial rivals Batista and Undertaker in difficult matches, facing Hawkins and Ryder in a handicap match and having a special guest referee, respectively. However, Undertaker used his powers, part of his character's gimmick, to turn the arena lights out and attack Edge which helped Rey Mysterio become the contender. At the event, Edge came to the ring with his entourage aside from Chavo who was participating in the event later that evening. Hawkins and Ryder were sent from ring side early during the match and Mysterio almost beat Edge after using his 619 finishing move, but as the referee tried to count for three Vickie rose up from her chair and pulled the official from the ring. As Mysterio reprimanded Vickie, Edge tried to run into him but ended up on the ropes once again allowing Mysterio to attempt another 619; this time however, Vickie jumped on the ropes and hugged Edge, protecting him from the move and giving Edge enough time to recover and use his spear to pin Mysterio and win the match. On the Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
episode of SmackDown, the week before the No Way Out
No Way Out (2008)
No Way Out was the ninth annual No Way Out professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on February 17, 2008 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada...
pay-per-view, with Vickie back in her wheelchair as a result of Mysterio's 619, Edge proposed to Vickie. After she accepted Mysterio came to the ring and voiced his disappointment at the union and proceeded to come at Edge with a springboard senton but as he ducked, Mysterio hit Vickie instead. At No Way Out, though, Edge would retain the championship over Mysterio again to end their rivalry while Chavo successfully defended his championship against Punk. However, the Undertaker also became the new contender for Edge's championship at the pay-per-view, and La Familia began to target him, with Edge, Hawkins, and Ryder defeating Undertaker in a handicap match on SmackDown in March. The entire group (aside from Vickie) also took on Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
and Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
in a steel cage match but Undertaker invaded the cage using his powers, attacking the group as Edge climbed over the cage in fear to win the match for the team.
At WrestleMania XXIV
WrestleMania XXIV
WrestleMania XXIV was the twenty-fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . The event took place on March 30, 2008, at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida and was the first WrestleMania to be held in the state of Florida...
, both Edge and Chavo lost their championships to Undertaker and Kane, respectively, with Edge tapping out to Undertaker's new gogoplata
Gogoplata
A gogoplata is a type of chokehold also called Kagato-Jime in Judo, that is used in grappling and was popularised by practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.-Execution:...
submission move (which would eventually be called Hell's Gate) and Chavo making a WrestleMania record by losing in nine seconds. While signing a contract for his rematch, Chavo introduced Bam Neely
Justin LaRouche
Justin Bruce Rocheleau is an American professional wrestler, who worked on World Wrestling Entertainment's ECW brand under the name Bam Neely...
, given a fictitious history as a border guard
Border guard
The border guard, frontier guard, border patrol, border police, or frontier police of a country is a national security agency that performs border control, i.e., enforces the security of the country's national borders....
turned body guard, as his new enforcer and member of La Familia. Despite this help and Vickie's power, both Edge and Chavo failed to win back their titles at Backlash
Backlash (2008)
Backlash was the tenth annual Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 27, 2008 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland...
, with Edge being stretchered out after again submitting to the eventual Hell's Gate. On May 2's SmackDown, Vickie announced that Undertaker's chokehold was an illegal move and banned Undertaker from using it, as well as stripping Undertaker of the World Heavyweight Championship. Later that month, on the May 16 edition of SmackDown, Vickie was forced by the WWE Board of Directors to compete against The Undertaker in what she subsequently made a six-on-one handicap match featuring all of La Familia. However Chavo and Neely left before the match began, feeling used by the group, though they were brought on side the next week. At Judgment Day
Judgment Day (2008)
Judgment Day was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on May 18, 2008 at the Qwest Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska...
, Undertaker defeated Edge but instantly after the match Vickie announced that the title would remain vacant as Undertaker won by count out, under which a championship would not normally change hands. The next month at One Night Stand
One Night Stand (2008)
One Night Stand was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that took place on June 1, 2008 at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California. It was the fourth and final event promoted under the One Night Stand name...
, a rematch for the vacant championship was given two stipulations: firstly it was a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
A Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, often abbreviated as a TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match originated within WWE, but can be seen under different variations in other wrestling promotions....
, Edge's specialty, and secondly if Undertaker lost he would be banished from the WWE. After interference from La Familia, Edge reclaimed the World Heavyweight Championship after pushing Undertaker off a ladder and through four tables, forcing his storyline exile from WWE television. Following this Batista set his sights on Edge and avoided being banished himself by beating The Great Khali to earn a title match. With Chavo as referee, Edge retained the championship at Night of Champions
Night of Champions (2008)
Night of Champions was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 29, 2008 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. It was the first annual event to be promoted solely under the Night of Champions name and the eighth...
, but the next night 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...
Batista attacked Edge while he was making a speech and afterwards CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
used his Money in the Bank
Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a professional wrestling ladder match held by WWE. The match can feature anywhere from six to ten participants from any WWE brand, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring...
contract to make an instant championship match and win the belt.
The wedding and initial dissolution (2008)
On the July 4 edition of SmackDown, Edge's frustrations about losing the World Championship which he could not reclaim materialized when he assaulted FestusDrew Hankinson
Andrew "Drew" Hankinson is an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment , where he appeared under the ring names Festus and Luke Gallows...
, an opponent of Hawkins and Ryder, and canceled his wedding with Vickie. The following week Chavo, Neely, Hawkins and Ryder were seen backstage agreeing with both Vickie and Edge in their argument while Edge was punished the next week by being forced into a no-disqualification match against Big Show. However, after watching Edge receive punishment from Show she stopped the match and the two embraced in the ring, both expressing their love. The following week, on July 18, SmackDown became a wedding reception with La Familia at the top of the ramp all evening in formal dress with a table and large wedding cake, while highlights were shown of Edge and Vickie's wedding that were filmed earlier in the day. During the evening Cherry
Kara Drew
Kara Elizabeth Drew is a former American professional wrestler and valet, better known by her ring name Cherry. She is best known for working in World Wrestling Entertainment as the manager of former Tag Team Champions, Deuce 'n Domino, and as a performer for its SmackDown brand.After becoming...
lost her match and afterwards Vickie declared an impromptu match, capitalizing on Cherry's defeat to pin her herself giving Vickie her first wrestling win. However, also during the evening The Hardys
Hardy Boyz
The Hardy Boyz are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy...
were forced to compete against each other but tipped over the wedding cake in protest and the show ended with Triple H giving a mock celebration speech. During the speech he revealed hidden camera video footage of Edge talking to the wedding planner Alicia Fox about Vickie, mocking her size and eventually kissing Fox.
The Great American Bash (2008)
The Great American Bash was the fifth annual Great American Bash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
Hawkins and Ryder won the WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
in a Four Way match. However, during Edge's WWE Championship match against Triple H, Fox attempted to hand Edge the WWE Championship belt to use as weapon, but was stopped with a clothesline by Vickie. Vickie then picked up the belt and prepared to use it but Fox started fighting with her again and while the referee tried to separate the two women Edge attempted to spear the referee, who fell to the ground with Fox just beforehand resulting in Edge Spearing Vickie. Triple H used this distraction to recover and hit a Pedigree to retain his title. The following week on SmackDown Edge tried to apologize to all the members of La Familia, though after Bam Neely was unsure whether Edge wanted to apologize or wanted Vickie to apologize to him when reiterating the story. Edge closed the show in the ring, asking for forgiveness and blaming it all on Fox. Vickie came out and teased forgiveness but revealed that she had reinstated the Undertaker and booked the two in his speciality match, the Hell in a Cell, at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2008)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on August 17, 2008 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was the 21st annual SummerSlam event and starred wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands.Seven...
.
On the August 16 edition of SmackDown, a week after having already turned on the others, Edge kidnapped Vickie in her wheelchair and rode her round the building taunting her until he pushed her to the ring, tipping her out onto the stage and then lying next to her, watching a montage video of their moments together mixed with advice received from Mick Foley
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...
about having to become more tough and deranged (like his old self) to defeat The Undertaker. Despite his new attitude, Undertaker defeated Edge in his return match and after pinning him, choke slammed him from the top of a ladder causing him to fall through the mat, which flames came up through shortly afterwards as the commentators announced Edge had been sent to hell.
After SummerSlam, Vickie tried to apologise to the WWE fans and The Undertaker, blaming Edge for being a negative influence but despite this Undertaker appeared on August 23's SmackDown and attacked all of La Familia in an attempt to get to Vickie who managed to escape. La Familia began to dissipate, however, as Chavo and Neely began to argue due to costing each other victories in matches by interfering. Neely was later released while Hawkins and Ryder stopped being seen with Vickie. At Unforgiven
Unforgiven (2008)
Unforgiven was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on September 7, 2008 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio...
, Big Show came to the ring to voice his frustration at Vickie for keeping him out of the main event match. After she came to the ring to defend herself, the lights went dim signalling the arrival of The Undertaker, fulfilling his promise to come take her soul for banishing him. Despite holding her hostage, Show suddenly attacked Undertaker and revealed he was in cahoots with her. Show was revealed to be protecting Vickie in a strictly business arrangement, though he would unwittingly leave her at the hands of Undertaker on SmackDown in September, resulting in her receiving another Tombstone Piledriver which put her back in a wheelchair.
Family reunion (2008–2009)
Big Show kept Undertaker at bay from Vickie until November where, at Survivor SeriesSurvivor Series (2008)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , took place on November 23, 2008 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts The Survivor Series was in Boston 15 years prior in 1993 in the now-demolished Boston Garden...
, Undertaker beat him in a Casket Match. However at the same event, SmackDowns WWE Championship match was missing a competitor after Jeff Hardy
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...
was reported to have been hospitalised after being attacked in his hotel as part of the storyline. The match became a singles match between Triple H and the challenging Vladimir Kozlov
Oleg Prudius
Oleg Aleksandrovich Prudius is a Ukrainian American professional wrestler, also known by his ring name Vladimir Kozlov . Since competing for WWE, he won the WWE Tag Team Championships with Santino Marella on one occasion...
, but towards the end of the match Vickie came out announcing the third competitor had arrived, but rather than the expected Hardy it was a returning Edge. Hardy chased out afterwards in a neck brace swinging a chair but accidentally hit Triple H and Kozlov, allowing Edge to gain an easy pin to win the WWE Championship. With this La Familia reformed as just Vickie, Edge and Chavo with Edge's problems at the forefront of their attention. They feuded with both former champion Triple H and Jeff Hardy, who would both earn a shot at Edge's championship at Armageddon
Armageddon (2008)
Armageddon was a professional-wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion, which took place on December 14, 2008 at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. It featured professional wrestlers and other talent from all WWE's three brands: Raw, SmackDown and ECW...
in December, where Hardy pinned Edge to win the championship. On the road to their rematch at the Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2009)
Royal Rumble was the twenty-second annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 25, 2009 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands...
in 2009, Vickie used her alliance with Big Show to have him weaken Hardy for Edge, promising Show a title match if he beat Hardy but later revealing to Edge this was just a ruse; regardless Hardy won and Edge had his rematch at the Royal Rumble, winning the WWE Championship again after Jeff's own brother Matt
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 ....
attacked him with a chair, following his own loss earlier in the evening, leading to the reveal that Matt had been Jeff's attacker all along. During this time Vickie had a brief feud with Triple H where she tried to keep him out of the Royal Rumble match and he blackmailed her with naked photographs of her he had procured, resulting in Triple H helping Montel Vontavious Porter (who was on a four month losing streak) defeat Big Show to gain a place in the match.
As both World Champions were forced to defend their championships inside an Elimination Chamber
Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE promotion. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure or "chamber" which encloses the ring. The chamber's floor is platformed over the ringside area which elevates it to ring level and within...
, Edge opened No Way Out
No Way Out (2009)
No Way Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on February 15, 2009 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington. It was the 11th and final event under the No Way Out name and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands...
by being the first competitor in the ring, opposite Jeff Hardy. Hardy delivered a shock upset to Edge by rolling a Spear attempt into a pin and pinning him within three minutes, before any other wrestler entered the match. This ensured Edge had lost the WWE Championship and a new champion would be crowned, ultimately Triple H. Living up to his nickname of the Ultimate Opportunist, though, Edge later appeared in the main event of the evening by attacking Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
with a chair until he was unable to compete in the Elimination Chamber for the World Heavyweight Championship, locking himself in one of the pods and refusing to come out. After eliminating reigning champion John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
third, Edge went on to pin Rey Mysterio to win the match and become World Heavyweight Champion. The following night on Raw, Vickie explained that with Raw General Manager Stephanie McMahon absent tending to her brother Shane
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
in the hospital after his match with Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
, she was the highest in command and with Kingston injured a replacement had to be found, giving Edge's forced entry into the match carte blanche. Later in that evening, McMahon was attacked by Orton, which left Vickie as the interim General Manager of Raw as well as SmackDown. Cena demanded an instant rematch, which he won but as it was by disqualification the title did not change hands. Edge revealed that he had asked Big Show to look after Vickie while he was gone and consequently gave him a World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania XXV
WrestleMania XXV
WrestleMania XXV was the twenty-fifth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on April 5, 2009 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas...
. However, at the contract signing Cena interfered and blackmailed Vickie into making it a Triple Threat match; the next week after signing the contract he revealed he was blackmailing Vickie with footage of her sharing a kiss with Big Show. At WrestleMania, Cena pinned Big Show and won the World Heavyweight Championship.
Divorce and dissolution (2009)
The night after WrestleMania, April 6, on Raw, Vickie announced she could no longer be General Manager of two shows and chose to continue on Raw alone. She also booked Edge in a rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena at BacklashBacklash (2009)
Backlash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 26, 2009 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The 11th and final event under the Backlash banner, it featured talent from all three WWE brands: Raw,...
and made it a Last Man Standing match. Their match at Backlash ended on the stage, where Big Show came out and chokeslammed Cena through a searchlight that was used as a decorative prop making sure Cena could not answer the ten count and that Edge regained the championship. This returned the World Heavyweight Championship to the SmackDown brand, while Chavo was drafted
2009 WWE Draft
The 2009 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft was the seventh Draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The Draft took place over two days: the first day was televised live for three hours on April 13; the second part, the "Supplemental Draft", was held on April 15...
to Raw alongside Vickie. Meanwhile Edge rekindled his feud with Jeff Hardy and faced new members on the SmackDown roster vying for his title. In early May CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
, who again held the Money in the Bank
Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a professional wrestling ladder match held by WWE. The match can feature anywhere from six to ten participants from any WWE brand, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring...
briefcase, faced Edge in a series of non-title singles matches and vowed to cash in his championship match after winning. However, both attempts at this (and various attempts to interfere in Edge's matches) ended with an interference from Umaga
Eddie Fatu
Edward Smith "Eki" Fatu was a Samoan-American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Umaga...
which prevented Punk from winning the belt. After this, Hardy became the main contender for Edge's championship but Edge successfully defended it at Judgment Day
Judgment Day (2009)
Judgment Day , a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , took place on May 17, 2009 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It was the eleventh and final show under the Judgment Day name and the tenth show held annually; it...
when Matt Hardy, who had just finished a rivalry with Jeff, hit his brother from behind. The following night on Raw, Vickie rewarded Matt for his help with a match for the United States Championship
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
. However, because of the interference Jeff received a rematch at Extreme Rules but this time it was a Ladder match which Jeff won.
Meanwhile, Vickie thanked Big Show, who had also been drafted to Raw, for helping Edge at Backlash by putting him in a contendership match for the WWE Championship, but when he tried to kiss her she told him their previous affair was a mistake and she wanted a purely professional relationship, ending any affair they may have had. On Raw, she then entered into a feud with Santino Marella after the latter made disparaging remarks about Vickie's appearance, calling her a pig in relation to the swine flu outbreak
2009 flu pandemic
The 2009 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the second of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus , albeit in a new version...
. The wrestler who portrayed Santino was involved in a storyline where he played his twin sister, Santina Marella, at the time so that when Vickie accused Santino of insulting her, Santina acted innocently though also made similar jokes. On May 18 the feud reached a head when Vickie demanded Santina face her in a match following some comical skits where Chavo tried to teach her some Guerrero family
Los Guerreros
Los Guerreros is a Mexican American family that has been involved with professional wrestling for three generations with the patriarch of the family Gory Guerrero making his debut on September 15, 1937...
moves, before making it a no-disqualification match so that Chavo and William Regal could interfere and help her win the match to become Miss WrestleMania. Their rematch for the crown, at Extreme Rules, was a Hog Pen match where, despite having Chavo at her side Vickie lost the match and the title. The following night on June 8's Raw, Vickie voiced her anger at the crowd for not sympathising with her while she was being humiliated. Subsequently she announced she was quitting as General Manager of Raw which prompted Edge to come out and announce that he only married her for her power and with no power anymore, he insulted her appearance and demanded a divorce.
Championships and accomplishments
- World Wrestling Entertainment/ WWE
- ECW World Heavyweight ChampionshipECW World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Extreme Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
(1 time) – Chavo GuerreroChavo Guerrero, Jr.Salvador "Chavo" Guerrero IV also known as Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero, Jr., is a third generation Mexican-American professional wrestler and member of the famed Guerrero wrestling family who was well known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling... - Miss WrestleMania (1 time) – Vickie GuerreroVickie GuerreroVickie Lynn Guerrero is an American professional wrestling personality, manager, shifting authority figure and occasional wrestler. She is the widow of professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand...
- World Heavyweight ChampionshipWorld Heavyweight Championship (WWE)The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
(4 times) – Edge - WWE ChampionshipWWE ChampionshipThe WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
(2 times) – Edge - WWE Tag Team ChampionshipWWE Tag Team ChampionshipThe WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
(1 time) – Curt Hawkins and Zack RyderCurt Hawkins and Zack RyderCurt Hawkins and Zack Ryder were a American professional wrestling tag team who appeared on the independent circuit and WWE under a variety of evolving names.... - Slammy Award for Couple of the Year (2008) – Vickie Guerrero and Edge
- ECW World Heavyweight Championship