Rodney Leinhardt
Encyclopedia
Rodney Leinhardt is an American
professional wrestler
, better known simply as Rodney from his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation
. He is currently working on the independent circuit
as RodRageous.
and debuted in 1998. In 1999 he was hired by the World Wrestling Federation
along with his friend Pete Gas
. Lienhardt (known simply as "Rodney") and Gas were both childhood friends of Shane McMahon
, the son of WWF owner Vince McMahon
, and were placed in a stable. The duo debuted on WWF television on the March 22, 1999 episode of Raw is War
as the "Mean Street Posse
", and began assisting Shane in his feud
with Test and helping him retain the European Championship
. Joey Abs
was added to the faction three months later. Shane eventually turned face
and briefly feuded with his former allies before leaving WWF television.
The Posse took part in a tag team
battle royal
for the number one contendership to the WWF World Tag Team Championship at Armageddon 1999, and gained an advantage by switching places with the third wrestler behind the referees' backs, thus enabling them to outnumber the other teams three to two. Despite this advantage, they failed to win and were the first team eliminated.
In early-2000, the Posse repeatedly tried to defeat Crash Holly
for the WWF Hardcore Championship
, attacking the champion in unlikely venues such as an airport
, a circus
and his hotel room
. At WrestleMania 2000
on April 2, the trio took part in a Hardcore battle royal
for the Hardcore Championship. Lienhardt pinned Funaki
to win the title after stunning him by throwing him into a metal fence railing, but was pinned by Abs just fourteen seconds later. Despite the infighting, the Posse remained a relatively cohesive unit. On an episode of Sunday Night Heat
later that year, Edge and Christian
briefly became the managers
of the Mean Street Posse. They accompanied them to ringside for the duration of their WWF World Tag Team Championships title match with the Hardy Boyz
, assisting the Posse with the proviso that they would receive a title shot if the posse was to win. The Hardy Boyz, however, thwarted the interference of Edge and Christian and retained their titles.
Later that year, all three members of the Posse were sent to Memphis Championship Wrestling
, then a WWF developmental territory. On May 24, 2000 in Tunica, Mississippi
, Leinhardt and Abs defeated Bull Pain
and Todd Morton to win the MCW Southern Tag Team Championship
. They lost the titles to The Kingpins on July 26 in Memphis, Tennessee
, but regained the titles on August 12, 2000 in Jackson, Mississippi
. Their second reign ended when they were defeated by The Dupps
on October 28 in Jonesboro, Arkansas
.
Lienhardt was then sent to the MCW affiliate Memphis Power-Pro Wrestling, where he was renamed RodRageous. He defeated Bulldog Raines to win the MPPW Television Championship on January 27, 2001 in Memphis. He lost the title to Grandmaster Sexay
on February 21 of that year in Jonesboro, but regained the title just three days later in Memphis. His second reign came to an end on March 17, 2001, when MPPW severed all connection with the WWF and vacated all titles held by WWF employees.
Lienhardt and the remainder of the Posse were released by the WWF later that year, and began working on the independent circuit.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler
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...
, better known simply as Rodney from his appearances with 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...
. He is currently working on the independent circuit
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
as RodRageous.
Career
Leinhardt trained under Tom PrichardTom Prichard
Thomas Prichard is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, working in their developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling as a trainer using his ring name Tom Prichard...
and debuted in 1998. In 1999 he was hired by 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...
along with his friend Pete Gas
Peter Gasperino
Peter Gasparino is an American former professional wrestler, better known simply as Pete Gas from his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation.-Professional wrestling career:...
. Lienhardt (known simply as "Rodney") and Gas were both childhood friends of Shane McMahon
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...
, the son of WWF owner Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
, and were placed in a stable. The duo debuted on WWF television on the March 22, 1999 episode of 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...
as the "Mean Street Posse
Mean Street Posse
The Mean Street Posse was a villainous professional wrestling faction that formerly wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation. The faction consisted of Pete Gas, Rodney, and Joey Abs...
", and began assisting Shane in his feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Test and helping him retain the European Championship
WWE European Championship
The WWE European Championship was a professional wrestling championship competed for in World Wrestling Entertainment. A coveted singles title of the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was held by superstars such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, and was...
. Joey Abs
Jason Arhndt
Jason Ahrndt is a professional wrestler best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation as part of the three man team known as the Mean Street Posse, where he was known as Joey Abs...
was added to the faction three months later. Shane eventually turned face
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
and briefly feuded with his former allies before leaving WWF television.
The Posse took part in a 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...
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...
for the number one contendership to the WWF World Tag Team Championship at Armageddon 1999, and gained an advantage by switching places with the third wrestler behind the referees' backs, thus enabling them to outnumber the other teams three to two. Despite this advantage, they failed to win and were the first team eliminated.
In early-2000, the Posse repeatedly tried to defeat 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....
for the WWF Hardcore Championship
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...
, attacking the champion in unlikely venues such as an airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
, a circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
and his hotel room
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
. 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...
on April 2, the trio took part in a 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...
for the Hardcore Championship. Lienhardt pinned Funaki
Shoichi Funaki
is a Japanese/American professional wrestler best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one-time Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time Hardcore Champion.-Early years :...
to win the title after stunning him by throwing him into a metal fence railing, but was pinned by Abs just fourteen seconds later. Despite the infighting, the Posse remained a relatively cohesive unit. On an episode of Sunday Night Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
later that year, Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
briefly became the managers
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...
of the Mean Street Posse. They accompanied them to ringside for the duration of their WWF World Tag Team Championships title match with the Hardy Boyz
Hardy Boyz
The Hardy Boyz are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy...
, assisting the Posse with the proviso that they would receive a title shot if the posse was to win. The Hardy Boyz, however, thwarted the interference of Edge and Christian and retained their titles.
Later that year, all three members of the Posse were sent to Memphis Championship Wrestling
Memphis Championship Wrestling
Memphis Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion run by Terry Golden, based in Memphis, Tennessee. The promotion's first event was on February 20, 2000, and it remained active up until mid-2001...
, then a WWF developmental territory. On May 24, 2000 in Tunica, Mississippi
Tunica, Mississippi
Tunica is a town in Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, located near the Mississippi River. Until the early 1990s the town was one of the most impoverished places in the United States, semi-famous for the particularly deprived neighbourhood known as "Sugar Ditch Alley", named for the open...
, Leinhardt and Abs defeated Bull Pain
Bull Pain
Rick Gantner, known by his ring name Bull Pain, is an American independent professional wrestler, currently best known for his work in IWA Mid-South, and for his past career as part of the Texas Hangmen tag team in promotions such as American Wrestling Association, United States Wrestling...
and Todd Morton to win the MCW Southern Tag Team Championship
MCW Southern Tag Team Championship
The MCW Southern Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in Memphis Championship Wrestling from 2000 until the promotion closed in 2002.-Title history:...
. They lost the titles to The Kingpins on July 26 in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, but regained the titles on August 12, 2000 in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. Their second reign ended when they were defeated by The Dupps
The Dupps
The Dupps were a professional wrestling tag team in southern independents and ECW during the late 1990s composed of Bo Dupp and Jack Dupp. They feuded with Amish Roadkill & Danny Doring over who should have a shot at the ECW Tag-Team Titles...
on October 28 in Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state...
.
Lienhardt was then sent to the MCW affiliate Memphis Power-Pro Wrestling, where he was renamed RodRageous. He defeated Bulldog Raines to win the MPPW Television Championship on January 27, 2001 in Memphis. He lost the title to Grandmaster Sexay
Brian Lawler
Brian Christopher Lawler is a professional wrestler. He is the son of color commentator and professional wrestler Jerry "The King" Lawler and brother of wrestling referee Kevin Christian...
on February 21 of that year in Jonesboro, but regained the title just three days later in Memphis. His second reign came to an end on March 17, 2001, when MPPW severed all connection with the WWF and vacated all titles held by WWF employees.
Lienhardt and the remainder of the Posse were released by the WWF later that year, and began working on the independent circuit.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Diving neckbreaker
- Signature moves
- MoonsaultMoonsaultA moonsault, moonsault press, or back flip splash is a professional wrestling aerial technique. Much of its popularity in American wrestling is attributed to The Great Muta, despite it being used in North America by "Leaping" Lanny Poffo years before Muta came from Japan.In a standard moonsault,...
- Moonsault
- ManagersManager (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...
- Edge and ChristianEdge and ChristianEdge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
- Shane McMahonShane McMahonShane 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...
- Terri RunnelsTerri RunnelsTerri Lynne Boatright Runnels is a former World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation professional wrestling manager, television host and occasional wrestler....
- Edge and Christian
Championships and accomplishments
- Memphis Championship WrestlingMemphis Championship WrestlingMemphis Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion run by Terry Golden, based in Memphis, Tennessee. The promotion's first event was on February 20, 2000, and it remained active up until mid-2001...
- MCW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipMCW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipThe MCW Southern Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in Memphis Championship Wrestling from 2000 until the promotion closed in 2002.-Title history:...
(2 times) - with Pete GasPeter GasperinoPeter Gasparino is an American former professional wrestler, better known simply as Pete Gas from his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation.-Professional wrestling career:...
- MCW Southern Tag Team Championship
- Memphis Power-Pro Wrestling
- MPPW Television Championship (2 times)
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him #219 of the Top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2001
- 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 Hardcore ChampionshipWWE Hardcore ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Hardcore Championship is a hardcore wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and is contested under "hardcore" rules, meaning there is no disqualifications, no countouts, and pin falls could be counted anywhere...
(1 time)
- WWF Hardcore Championship