Three Minute Warning
Encyclopedia
3-Minute Warning was a hoodlum
-like professional wrestling
tag team
consisting of cousins Matt Anoa'i
and Eddie Fatu, most notable for their time with WWE.
. When their training was completed they debuted in their uncle Afa's
World Xtreme Wrestling
(WXW), where Matt held the WXW Tag Team Championship as one half of the Samoan Gangstas with another cousin, Lloyd Anoa'i
.
In 1996, Matt and Eddie were brought into the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) together to take part in an angle with their cousin Solofa Fatu
who was working under just his family name with a gimmick that he wanted to be a positive influence on kids and that he wanted to "make a difference" in inner city neighborhoods. Matt and Eddie were brought in as two silent "gangsters" who would watch Fatu's matches from the entrance aisle and stalk him around arenas, making him nervous. Neither gimmick lasted long, and Matt and Eddie were sent to the WWF's Heartland Wrestling Association
(HWA) "farm league
". There they used the individual names Ekmo Fatu (Eddie) and Kimo (Matt), with the team name Island Boyz. They held the HWA Tag Team Championship
once, and for a time Haku served as their manager
. They left HWA together, and in 2000 traveled to Japan to wrestle for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
, where they held the FMW Hardcore Tag Team Championship
. The next year they returned to the United States to wrestle for Memphis Championship Wrestling
, where again they held gold, holding the MCW Southern Tag Team Championship
on three occasions in the span of one month.
In 2002 they returned to (the now renamed) World Wrestling Entertainment as enforcers for Raw
brand
General Manager Eric Bischoff
. Now known as Jamal (Eddie) and Rosey (Matt), the team was used to squash any activity in the ring that Bischoff deemed "boring". They made their debut on the July 22 episode of Raw, interrupting a match between D'Lo Brown
and Shawn Stasiak
that had been previously allotted three minutes. When the time limit expired Rosey and Jamal entered through the crowd and laid out both men, to the delight of Bischoff watching on from the entryway. The gimmick continued over the next few weeks, with Bischoff either giving people three minutes to entertain him before they were attacked or otherwise deciding that three minutes of a segment was enough before the team appeared to end it. As a result of the time period, the team became known as Three Minute Warning.
For a time, the team used the 2 Skinnee J's
song 3 Minutes as its entrance music. According to 2 Skinnee's guitarist, Lance Rockworthy, the band did not receive any compensation for use of the song.
During the September 12 episode of SmackDown! Three Minute Warning and Eric Bischoff crashed the "commitment ceremony
" being held for the Billy and Chuck
tag team. Afterward Rico
, Billy and Chuck's manager, started managing Three Minute Warning full time. With Rico by their side they engaged in a feud
with the Dudley Boyz
(Bubba Ray and Spike
) and Jeff Hardy which resulted in their highest-profile match as a team — an Elimination Tables match at the November Survivor Series
.
The team stayed on the low- and mid-card until June 2003, when Jamal was released from WWE, reportedly after his involvement in a bar fight. Rosey then went to form a superhero tag-team with The Hurricane
, while Jamal did a short stint in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
under his "Ekmo Fatu" name before returning to WWE and being repackaged as Umaga. He was eventually released and later died in 2009.
Hoodlum
Hoodlum is a 1997 crime film that gives a fictionalized account of the gang war between the Italian/Jewish mafia alliance and the black gangsters of Harlem that took place in the late 1920s and early 1930s...
-like professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
consisting of cousins Matt Anoa'i
Matt Anoa'i
Matthew "Matt" Anoa'i is a professional wrestler, best known for his time on the independent circuit under numerous ring names, and his time in World Wrestling Entertainment , where he competed as Rosey....
and Eddie Fatu, most notable for their time with WWE.
History
Anoa'i and Fatu trained together at the Wild Samoan professional wrestling school operated by members of their familyAnoa'i family
The Anoa'i family, originating from American Samoa, is a family of professional wrestlers. Family members have comprised several tag teams and stables within a variety of promotions.-Family members:...
. When their training was completed they debuted in their uncle Afa's
Afa Anoa'i
Arthur "Afa" Anoa'i, Sr. is a Samoan American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring in the 1990s, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Facility.-Early life:Anoa'i was born in Samoa, but...
World Xtreme Wrestling
World Xtreme Wrestling
World Xtreme Wrestling is a Northeastern-based independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and have toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American Samoa and Guam....
(WXW), where Matt held the WXW Tag Team Championship as one half of the Samoan Gangstas with another cousin, Lloyd Anoa'i
Lloyd Anoa'i
Lloyd Anoa'i is a Samoan American professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager who has performed under numerous ring names. He is one of the three sons of professional wrestling patriarch Afa Anoa'i, and a member of the Anoa'i family.-Career:...
.
In 1996, Matt and Eddie were brought into the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) together to take part in an angle with their cousin Solofa Fatu
Solofa Fatu
Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
who was working under just his family name with a gimmick that he wanted to be a positive influence on kids and that he wanted to "make a difference" in inner city neighborhoods. Matt and Eddie were brought in as two silent "gangsters" who would watch Fatu's matches from the entrance aisle and stalk him around arenas, making him nervous. Neither gimmick lasted long, and Matt and Eddie were sent to the WWF's Heartland Wrestling Association
Heartland Wrestling Association
The Heartland Wrestling Association is a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, it was listed as one of the top independent...
(HWA) "farm league
Farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point...
". There they used the individual names Ekmo Fatu (Eddie) and Kimo (Matt), with the team name Island Boyz. They held the HWA Tag Team Championship
HWA Tag Team Championship
The HWA Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles contested for in the Heartland Wrestling Association. It was established in 1996 when the Head Bangers became the first champions.-Title history:...
once, and for a time Haku served as their manager
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...
. They left HWA together, and in 2000 traveled to Japan to wrestle for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded on July 28, 1989 by Atsushi Onita that specialized in hardcore wrestling involving weapons such as barbed wire and fire. They held their first show on October 6, 1989...
, where they held the FMW Hardcore Tag Team Championship
FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship
The FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship was a tag team hardcore wrestling championship contested in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling from April 2000 until FMW closed in February 2002...
. The next year they returned to the United States to wrestle for 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...
, where again they held gold, holding 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:...
on three occasions in the span of one month.
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand
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...
General Manager Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. Now known as Jamal (Eddie) and Rosey (Matt), the team was used to squash any activity in the ring that Bischoff deemed "boring". They made their debut on the July 22 episode of Raw, interrupting a match between D'Lo Brown
D'Lo Brown
Accie Julius Connor better known by his ring name D'Lo Brown , is an American professional wrestler. Well known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment, he is currently working as an agent for Impact Wrestling.Connor has held forty-eight championships in various promotions during...
and Shawn Stasiak
Shawn Stasiak
Dr. Shawn Emile Stipich, DC, is an American chiropractor and former professional wrestler. He is best known under the ring name Shawn Stasiak and for his stints with World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment, where he is a fifteen time Hardcore Champion, and World Championship Wrestling, where he...
that had been previously allotted three minutes. When the time limit expired Rosey and Jamal entered through the crowd and laid out both men, to the delight of Bischoff watching on from the entryway. The gimmick continued over the next few weeks, with Bischoff either giving people three minutes to entertain him before they were attacked or otherwise deciding that three minutes of a segment was enough before the team appeared to end it. As a result of the time period, the team became known as Three Minute Warning.
For a time, the team used the 2 Skinnee J's
2 Skinnee J's
2 Skinnee J's is the name of a musical band characterized as nerdcore hip hop. The band was founded in 1991 by Special J , Rabbi J-Slim , Joey Viturbo , Sammy B , DJ Casper , and Andy Action . With numerous line-up changes, the band was active through the 1990s until 2003, when they officially...
song 3 Minutes as its entrance music. According to 2 Skinnee's guitarist, Lance Rockworthy, the band did not receive any compensation for use of the song.
During the September 12 episode of SmackDown! Three Minute Warning and Eric Bischoff crashed the "commitment ceremony
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
" being held for the Billy and Chuck
Billy and Chuck
Billy and Chuck was the professional wrestling tag team of Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo seen in World Wrestling Entertainment.-History:Near the end of the Invasion storyline, Chuck Palumbo was kicked out of the WCW/ECW coalition. In response, he defected to the WWF, where he began teaming with Gunn...
tag team. Afterward Rico
Rico Constantino
Americo Sebastiano Costantino is a retired American professional wrestler and wrestling manager of Italian origin. He is best known by his ring names Rico Costantino and Rico in World Wrestling Entertainment from 2001 to 2004...
, Billy and Chuck's manager, started managing Three Minute Warning full time. With Rico by their side they engaged in a 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 the Dudley Boyz
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
(Bubba Ray and Spike
Matt Hyson
Matthew "Matt" Hyson is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his performances in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Spike Dudley and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brother Runt.In ECW, he was a two-time...
) and Jeff Hardy which resulted in their highest-profile match as a team — an Elimination Tables match at the November Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2002)
Survivor Series was the sixteenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on November 17, 2002 from Madison Square Garden in New York, New York and featured talent from both the Raw and SmackDown! brands...
.
The team stayed on the low- and mid-card until June 2003, when Jamal was released from WWE, reportedly after his involvement in a bar fight. Rosey then went to form a superhero tag-team with The Hurricane
Gregory Helms
Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms...
, while Jamal did a short stint in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
under his "Ekmo Fatu" name before returning to WWE and being repackaged as Umaga. He was eventually released and later died in 2009.
In wrestling
- 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...
- Haku
- RicoRico ConstantinoAmerico Sebastiano Costantino is a retired American professional wrestler and wrestling manager of Italian origin. He is best known by his ring names Rico Costantino and Rico in World Wrestling Entertainment from 2001 to 2004...
Championships and accomplishments
- Frontier Martial-Arts WrestlingFrontier Martial-Arts WrestlingFrontier Martial-Arts Wrestling was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded on July 28, 1989 by Atsushi Onita that specialized in hardcore wrestling involving weapons such as barbed wire and fire. They held their first show on October 6, 1989...
- FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team ChampionshipFMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team ChampionshipThe FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship was a tag team hardcore wrestling championship contested in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling from April 2000 until FMW closed in February 2002...
(1 time)
- FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship
- Heartland Wrestling AssociationHeartland Wrestling AssociationThe Heartland Wrestling Association is a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, it was listed as one of the top independent...
- HWA Tag Team ChampionshipHWA Tag Team ChampionshipThe HWA Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles contested for in the Heartland Wrestling Association. It was established in 1996 when the Head Bangers became the first champions.-Title history:...
(1 time)
- HWA Tag Team Championship
- 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:...
(3 times)
- MCW Southern Tag Team Championship
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Worst Tag Team (2002)