| Sean Waltman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Waltman in April 2024 | |
| Birth name | Sean Michael Waltman |
| Born | (1972-07-13)July 13, 1972 (age 52) Minneapolis,Minnesota, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The 1–2–3 Kid[1][2] 6-Pac[3] The Cannonball Kid[1] The Kamikaze Kid[1] The Kid The Lightning Kid[1] Pac Sean Waltman Syxx[1][2] Syxx-Pac X X-Pac[1] "X-Pac" Sean Waltman |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 212 lb (96 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.[1] |
| Trained by | Eddie Sharkey[4] Boris Malenko[4] |
| Debut | 1989[5] |
| Retired | March 31, 2022 |
Sean Michael Waltman (born July 13, 1972) is an American retiredprofessional wrestler. He is signed toWWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his appearances for theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) under thering names1–2–3 Kid andX-Pac;World Championship Wrestling (WCW) asSyxx; andNWA Total Nonstop Action (NWA-TNA) asSyxx-Pac and under his real name.
Waltman began his career in the WWF in 1993, where he performed under several monikers as ajobber, until he was branded the 1-2-3 Kid after an upset victory overRazor Ramon onRaw. As 1-2-3 Kid, he held theWWF Tag Team Championship twice and challengedBret Hart for theWWF World Heavyweight Championship in July 1994 in what was ranked by WWE as the third-best match ever aired onRaw.[6] During this time, he was part ofThe Kliq, a backstage group that was known for their influence on WWF storylines in the 1990s.
During theMonday Night War, Waltman left the WWF in 1996 to join Kliq membersKevin Nash andScott Hall (formerly known as Diesel and Razor Ramon) as Syxx in WCW, and held theWCW World Tag Team Championship with them as part of theNew World Order (nWo), as well as becoming a one-timeWCW Cruiserweight Champion. After being released from WCW in 1998, he returned to the WWF during itsAttitude Era, where he was re-branded asD-Generation X (DX) member X-Pac and held theWWF Light Heavyweight Championship andWWF European Championship twice each, while also holding the WWF Tag Team Championship two more times while paired withKane. After WCW went out of business in 2001, X-Pac held the WCW Cruiserweight and WWF Light Heavyweight Championships simultaneously duringThe Invasion, before departing the company after a brief nWo reunion the following year. He subsequently performed sporadically for several promotions, notably TNA (where he became a one-timeTNA X Division Champion and was a member ofThe Band), and on theindependent circuit.
Waltman has won a dozen championships between WWE, WCW, and TNA, the majority being cruiserweight and tag team titles. He is the only wrestler to have held the TNA X Division Championship, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, and the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. He was the final WWF Light Heavyweight Champion before the title was retired in favor of the Cruiserweight Championship he simultaneously held. He is recognized by WWE as the only wrestler to have been "an active member of both the nWo and DX during their heydays" in the 1990s.[7] Additionally, he is a two-timeWWE Hall of Fame inductee and the only inductee to be inducted two years in a row (2019 and2020) as a member of DX and the nWo respectively.
Sean Michael Waltman was born inMinneapolis on July 13, 1972.[4] He had a self-described troubled childhood. He was raised by a single mother and has called himself "unsupervised from age five". He claimed he was molested several times as a child. He joined his school wrestling team in ninth grade, but quickly quit when they told him he needed to cut his hair in order to wrestle.[8] He soon dropped out of school entirely. A love of professional wrestling and limited career opportunities led to him working in local wrestling promotions for free, setting up rings and doing other odd jobs before eventually wrestling himself.[8]
After training underBoris Malenko, Joe Malenko, Masami Soronaka, andKarl Gotch,[8] Waltman began his career as "The Lightning Kid". He worked his way through various independent promotions, includingPro Wrestling America (PWA) in Minnesota and theGlobal Wrestling Federation (GWF) in Texas, winning thePWA Light Heavyweight title,[9] thePWA Iron Horse TV Title[10] and theGWF Light Heavyweight Championship.[11] During this time, Waltman worked extensively withJerry Lynn in North America and Japan. They often wrestled each other, but also teamed up to win thePWA Tag Team titles twice in 1993.[12][13] While working forLarry Sharpe andDennis Coralluzzo's WWA Promotion on November 28, 1992, inClementon, New Jersey, his opponent "The Kamikaze Kid" Bill Wilcox overshot asuicide dive and landed on Waltman's head, driving it to the concrete and causing a blood clot near his brain. He was hospitalized for three days, could not work for four months, and was advised to give up wrestling completely.[8] In March 1993, he won theMEWF Light Heavyweight Title.
He also appeared inNew Japan Pro-Wrestling'sTop of the Super Juniors in 1993, facing the likes ofChris Benoit,Eddie Guerrero andJushin Liger.
As The Lightning Kid, Waltman had his WWF tryout match inPhoenix, Arizona, in April 1993, the day afterWrestleMania IX, lost to fellow hopefulLouie Spicolli (soon known as Rad Radford in the WWF). He reminisced that he was lucky to have an opponent with a vested interest in an impressive match, rather than (as was then typical) a disinterested WWF veteranjobber likeVirgil orJim Powers.[8] After earning a contract, he made his television debut as "The Kamikaze Kid" onMonday Night Raw on May 3 (taped April 26), losing toDoink the Clown.[14] He quickly became "The Cannonball Kid", losing to Mr. Hughes. He then became simply "The Kid", scoring an upset pinfall onRazor Ramon on the May 17, 1993, episode ofMonday Night Raw, thus becoming "The 1–2–3 Kid".[4][13] Razor challenged him to a rematch, wagering $2,500, then $5,000 and finally $10,000 of his own money. Kid accepted the challenge, but grabbed the money and ran from the arena during the match.Ted DiBiase, taunted him over losing to a nobody and losing his $10,000.
This angered Kid, and led to a match in which he upset DiBiase as well. Razor who turnedface shortly before took Kid under his wing.[4] The 1–2–3 Kid made his pay-per-view debut atSummerSlam, losing to DiBiase's tag partnerIrwin R. Schyster after Razor had defeated DiBiase. AtSurvivor Series, Kid was on Razor's team in a four-on-four elimination match. He andMarty Jannetty were the sole survivors, which led to them forming a tag team and holding theWWF Tag Team Championship for a week in January 1994 after beatingThe Quebecers.
For the next two years, The 1–2–3 Kid was a natural underdog and fan favorite. He wrestledBret Hart in an unusually long (for the time) and competitive match for theWWF Championship on July 11, 1994, onRaw[15] and had another brief (one-day) tag title reign in January 1995, withBob Holly beatingBam Bam Bigelow andTatanka at theRoyal Rumble before losing toThe Smoking Gunns the next day onRaw.
After Kid and Razor failed to win the Tag Team Championship fromBilly Gunn andBart Gunn in October 1995, Kid attacked the face Gunns after the match to tease a heel turn. On theRaw beforeSurvivor Series in November, he was theguest referee in a match between Razor Ramon andSycho Sid. As Razor attempted his finisher,The Razor's Edge, Kid pulled Sid down from Razor, allowing Sid to then hit Razor with his Powerbomb, and Kid fast-counted the pinfall, thus turningheel. AtSummerSlam, he lost toHakushi but won a rematch in November afterTed DiBiase interfered. He was the sole survivor of his team atSurvivor Series, besting rivalMarty Jannetty with assistance from Psycho Sid. Kid and Jannetty had a singles feud, with the two trading victories over one another. Razor and Marty would team up to beat Kid and Sid atIn Your House 5.
After Survivor Series, Kid joined Ted DiBiase'sMillion Dollar Corporation faction.[13] He remained with the group until May 1996 when Waltman left the WWF. He lost a "Crybaby match" to Razor Ramon atIn Your House 6. The 1–2–3 Kid's final WWF match aired on the May 20 episode ofMonday Night Raw; he lost toSavio Vega. Notably, Waltman was the only Kliq member not involved in the infamous"Curtain Call" that took place atMadison Square Garden the night before his final match from his first WWF run aired, as he was indrug rehab at the time.[16]
On September 16, 1996, Waltman was shown sitting in the front row for a live episode ofNitro.[17] Later that night, he used a remote control to releaseNew World Order (nWo) propaganda from the ceiling, revealing himself as the newest member of the recently formed faction.[17] He was called "Syxx", because he was the sixth member of the nWo, and six is the sum of numbers in "1–2–3 Kid".[13] His first match with WCW was on September 23 when he defeatedJim Duggan on Nitro. In his first major angle, Syxx stoleEddie Guerrero'sWCW United States Heavyweight Championship belt, leading to aladder match for the title atSouled Out in January 1997, which Syxx lost.[13] The next month, atSuperBrawl VII, Syxx pinned Dean Malenko for theWCW Cruiserweight Championship, after hitting him with the title belt, which he had grabbed from Guerrero at ringside.[13][18] In June 1997, he lost the championship toChris Jericho at awebcasthouse show inLos Angeles, California, minutes after successfully defending againstRey Mysterio Jr.[4]
During a feud withRic Flair, and a loss to him atRoad Wild in August, Syxx disparagingly portrayed Flair as part of an nWo segment parodying hisFour Horsemen group.[13] This segment led to aWarGames match atFall Brawl, where Syxx,Kevin Nash,Buff Bagwell andKonnan defeated The Four Horsemen (Flair,Steve McMichael,Chris Benoit andCurt Hennig) after Hennig betrayed the Horsemen and joined the nWo.[13] In mid-1997, the nWo invoked"Wolfpac Rules", allowing Syxx to replace the injured Kevin Nash in defending theWCW World Tag Team Championship with Scott Hall.[19] On October 13, 1997, Hall and Syxx lost the title toThe Steiner Brothers (Rick andScott).[13]
During October 1997, a neck injury sidelined Waltman from wrestling, but he continued to appear on television for several weeks after.[4] While later recuperating at home, he was fired viaFederal Express by WCW PresidentEric Bischoff. Waltman claims this was a power play aimed at his friends Hall and Nash, whose backstage influence was felt as a threat.[13] Bischoff later said Waltman was a competent performer when sober, but sober periods were "few and far between", and "in many ways, Sean was lucky to even have a job".[20]
Waltman returned to WWF television on the March 30, 1998, episode ofMonday Night Raw, the night afterWrestleMania XIV and days after his firing from WCW.[2][13] WithShawn Michaels beginning a four-year retirement after a WWF World Heavyweight Championship loss and back injury,Triple H was now the leader ofD-Generation X (DX). He said he was forming a DX army and "when you start an army, you look to your blood... you look to your buddies... you look to your friends... you look toThe Kliq."[2] Waltman appeared on the stage with a beard, commented on Bischoff andHollywood Hogan, and said if they weren't contracted to WCW, Hall and Nash would have also returned to the WWF.[2][13] Bischoff responded onNitro the next week by telling Waltman to "bite me".[21]
Initially called "The Kid" on the WWF website, he became known as "X-Pac" (which originated from his nickname "Syxx-Pac" based on his ring name "Syxx" in WCW)[22] by the nextRaw. X-Pac feuded withJeff Jarrett, ultimately defeating him in a hair-vs-hair match atSummerSlam, then withWWF European ChampionD'Lo Brown, whom he dethroned on September 21, 1998. He lost the title to Brown two weeks later, then won it again atJudgment Day: In Your House in October.[13] Waltman lost the title toShane McMahon on February 15, 1999.[23] AtWrestleMania XV, he lost a championship rematch when Triple H betrayed him, and hit him with his Pedigree finisher.[4] X-Pac then sided withRoad Dogg against Triple H,Chyna andBilly Gunn, after the temporary demise of DX. X-Pac and Road Dogg wanted a reformed DX to be about rebellion, while the others wanted it to be about making money.[4] X-Pac befriendedKane, a mute, angry loner whom he partially socialized and encouraged to speak, through anelectrolarynx. They won theWWF Tag Team Championship twice together.[24] After DX reunited in late 1999 as aheel group, X-Pac led Kane to believe he would be inducted into DX, but instead betrayed him and eventually stole his new girlfriend,Tori.[13] The rivalry between X-Pac and Kane culminated in atag team match pitting X-Pac and Road Dogg against Kane andRikishi atWrestleMania 2000.
Following WrestleMania, X-Pac continued to team with Road Dogg, with the duo competing against other tag teams includingEdge and Christian,the Hardy Boyz, andToo Cool. In June 2000, X-Pac competed in theKing of the Ring tournament, losing toChris Benoit in the first round. AtKing of the Ring, X-Pac, Road Dogg, and Tori defeatedthe Dudley Boyz in adumpster match; during the bout, Tori waspowerbombed through a table by the Dudley Boyz, marking the end of her affiliation with X-Pac. In August 2000, growing dissension between X-Pac and Road Dogg saw the two face one another atSummerSlam, with X-Pac winning the bout following alow blow; after the match, Road Dogg attacked X-Pac, marking the end of their tag team and the dissolution of DX. In September 2000, X-Pac began feuding withChris Jericho, with Jericho defeating X-Pac atUnforgiven and then again in acage match atNo Mercy. During the feud, X-Pac sustained a neck injury when Jericho gave him a powerbomb, side-lining him for three months.[4]
After returning from his neck injury in February 2001, X-Pac continued his feud with Chris Jericho over the WWF Intercontinental Championship, culminating in a fatal four-way match with Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero atNo Way Out in February, which Jericho won to retain the title.In February, X-Pac formed a new stable calledX-Factor withJustin Credible andAlbert.[13] During this time, he usually teamed with Credible, but also appeared in singles matches. He won theWWF Light Heavyweight Championship fromJeff Hardy on June 25,[25] then won theWCW Cruiserweight Championship[18] for the second time in his career when he defeatedBilly Kidman on July 30. Despite the reign occurring during theWCW Invasion angle, where the WWF side was mostly portrayed as faces, the fans were vocal in their disapproval of Waltman during his reign. This fan disapproval, later known as "X-Pac heat", was acknowledged on-screen by both Alliance member Billy Kidman and, later by WWF member Edge.
When Credible joined theECW/WCW Alliance, X-Factor broke up. AtSummerSlam, X-Pac defeated Tajiri to win the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship for the second time while WCW Cruiserweight Champion at the same time. X-Pac then feuded with Kidman andTajiri. After losing the WCW Cruiserweight title to Kidman, he took time off for another injury.[4] The WWF Light Heavyweight Championship was abandoned upon his return to television in March 2002, though he defended it at severalhouse shows shortly prior.
Hall, Nash and Hogan returned to the WWF in 2002 as theNew World Order (nWo), brought in by Vince McMahon. Hogan was kicked from the group after losing to The Rock atWrestleMania X8. X-Pac, who had been out with an injury, returned on the March 21 episode ofSmackDown!, rejoined the nWo and attacked Hogan. He said he had been waiting four years to do so, because Hoganshot onWCW Thunder after Waltman's firing, saying he could not "cut the mustard".[13] The storyline was dropped after the firstWWF draft, when the nWo went to Raw and Hogan to SmackDown!. During the nWo's feud withBooker T andGoldust a botched spinebuster injured him and kept him from participating in the feud.[26] On the July 8, 2002, episode ofRaw, Waltman wrestled in his last WWE match, a ten-man tag. This match was also the end of the nWo angle, as Nash tore his quadriceps, and Vince McMahon disbanded the group a week later. AtSummerSlam,Raw commentatorJim Ross announced WWE and Waltman had parted ways.[4]
After WWE, Waltman, as "Syxx-Pac", debuted forNWA Total Nonstop Action on September 18, 2002, losing agauntlet match. Rejoining his WWF tag partnersScott Hall andB.G. James, he feuded withJeff Jarrett andBrian Lawler.[13] On October 9, 2002, Syxx-Pac made hisX Division debut, defeating eight other wrestlers in aladder match to win the vacantTNA X Division Championship.[27] He held the title for two weeks before losing toA.J. Styles in aNo Disqualification match. He abruptly left TNA after defeating Lawler in the first round of anNWA World Heavyweight Championship number one contender tournament on November 6.[28]
Waltman, as Syxx-Pac, returned to TNA for a single night on June 18, 2003, at their first anniversary pay-per-view, asA.J. Styles's mystery partner in a loss to Jeff Jarrett andSting.[13]
In between during his time in TNA, X-Pac worked in the independent circuit. His first match in the indies as Syxx-Pac was when he defeatedSabu. at3PW in Philadelphia on September 21, 2002. Afterwards, he feuded with Sabu. On November 23, 2002, he lost to Sabu for the 3PW Heavyweight title.[29] On November 30, 2002, Syxx-Pac defeatedCurt Hennig at IPW Hardcore/NWA Florida Independent Armageddon event in Pinellas Parks, Florida.
On April 16, 2004, X-Pac lost toAmerican Dragon at NJPW Inoki Dojo Best Of American Super Juniors 2004 tournament in the first Round in Santa Monica, California.
In 2005, he worked forIWA Puerto Rico.
Waltman, as "X", debuted inXtreme Pro Wrestling on February 28, 2003, winning theXPW Television Championship from Kaos.[13][30] He retained the title in a bout withJuventud Guerrera on March 1, and held it until the promotion closed in March 2003.
Under his real name, Waltman returned to TNA on February 13, 2005, atAgainst All Odds, attacking Jeff Jarrett during hisNWA World Heavyweight Championship match with Kevin Nash. Nash, Waltman andDiamond Dallas Page formed an alliance and feuded withPlanet Jarrett (Jarrett,The Outlaw andMonty Brown) and atLockdown, Waltman, B.G. James and Diamond Dallas Page defeated Planet Jarrett in aLethal Lockdown match. Nash and Page left TNA to focus on acting afterwards.
AtHard Justice in 2005, Waltman replacedJeff Hardy, whono-showed, and lost toRaven in aClockwork Orange House of Fun match after being back body dropped through the steel cage.[4] On June 19, atSlammiversary, Waltman wrestled a five-manKing of the Mountain match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He lost, but cost defending champion A.J. Styles the title by delivering anX-Factor off a ladder. This turned him heel[13] and led to a grudge match atNo Surrender, which Styles won after guest referee Jerry Lynn prevented Waltman from cheating. Waltman challenged Lynn to a match atSacrifice. After losing byvictory roll, Waltman attacked Lynn and tried to reinjure his shoulder. Waltman then partnered withAlex Shelley to win theChris Candido Cup. This earned them a shot at theNWA World Tag Team Championship atUnbreakable, which Waltman no-showed.
He was not seen again until a one-night return atFinal Resolution on January 15, 2006, brought in byLarry Zbyszko to defeat his rival, Raven.
In February 2006, Waltman joinedMTV's newly formedWrestling Society X (WSX) promotion, as "6-Pac". At their inaugural tapings on February 9, 6-Pac had a ten-manhardcorebattle royalladder match, which both he andVampiro won by climbing the ladder to retrieve WSX contracts. 6-Pac lost aWSX Championship title match to Vampiro the following week.[13] He challenged Vampiro in episode four, as a ruse to introduceRicky Banderas, who attacked Vampiro from behind. He later defeatedHuman Tornado andScorpio Sky in singles matches, and teased an affair withLizzy Valentine (the valet and girlfriend ofMatt Sydal), though WSX folded before theangle could go on any further.[13]
Waltman, under his real name, defeatedAdam Pearce for theNWA Heritage Championship inEl Paso, Texas, on April 21, 2007. He defended it againstEl Sicodelico Jr. on April 27, and lost it to Pearce two days later.[31] On July 8, 2007, Waltman teamed withBilly Kidman in a three-way tag match inMcAllen, Texas, for theNWA World Tag Team Championship, which had been vacated byTeam 3D after theNWA stopped working withTNA. They lost the match toKarl Anderson andJoey Ryan. On the May 14, 2008, episode ofNWA Wrestling Showcase, Waltman challenged Pearce for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship. The match ended prematurely after Waltman legitimately injured his knee five minutes in. He was attacked by The Real American Heroes and Pearce, so won by disqualification. As wrestling titles can generally only change hands by pinfall or submission, Pearce retained the belt.
In June 2007, Waltman, as X-Pac, began working regularly forAAA, initially a member of Konnan'sLa Legión Extranjera (Foreign Legion) and managed by girlfriendAlicia Webb.[13] He usually used theD-Generation X entrance music. After leaving for rehab in mid-2008, he returned atVerano de Escándalo (Summer of Scandal) that September, turning on the Foreign Legion and forming D-Generation Mex, a parody of D-Generation X, withRocky Romero andAlex Koslov. He later feuded with one of AAA's top stars,El Zorro.
On August 8, 2009, at GLCW Slamfest, X-Pac became the new GLCW Heavyweight Champion by defeating Skull Crusher, who had replaced championAl Snow when he failed to show.
On a special live, three-hourMonday night episode ofImpact! on January 4, 2010, Waltman (as Syxx-Pac) and Scott Hall returned to TNA. That night, fellow formernWo memberHulk Hogan debuted in TNA. Kevin Nash, Hall and Waltman quickly reformed an alliance calledThe Band, but Hogan stayed away, saying times had changed.[32] On the January 14 episode ofImpact!, The Band attacked Robert Roode and James Storm with led to a tag team match at Genesis. AtGenesis on January 17, Syxx-Pac replaced Hall and teamed with Nash to lose toBeer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode andJames Storm).[33] On the nextImpact! Hogan, disgusted by The Band's actions, had security eject Syxx-Pac and Hall, saying they weren't contracted to TNA.[34] They appeared the next week anyway, attackingKurt Angle from behind.[35] They returned a week later, betraying Nash and beating him down.[36] on the February 11 episode of Impact!, Waltman and Hall attacked Kurt Angle until Hogan made the save. on the February 18 episode of Impact!, Waltman and Hall brawled with Nash and Young and a week later on the February 25 episode of Impact!, Waltman and Hall brawled with Nash and Young in the parking lot and left them laying. on the March 8 episode of Impact, Nash and Young brought out a contract to wrestle Waltman and Hall on PPV. on the March 15 episode of Impact, Nash and Hall had a 5-Min $25,000 challenge when Waltman attacked Nash and handcuffed him to the rope. AtDestination X on March 21, Syxx-Pac and Hall wagered their TNA jobs in a tag match against Nash andEric Young. In the end, Nash turned on Young and helped The Band win the match and full TNA contracts.[37] On the March 29Impact!, The Band lost a six-man steel cage tag match to Eric Young, Jeff Hardy andRob Van Dam.[38] on the April 12 episode of Impact, Waltman, Hall and Nash defeatedTeam 3D andJesse Neal in a Street Fight. Syxx-Pac was scheduled for a tag match atLockdown, but was replaced by Nash[39] after the Missouri Athletic Commission barred Waltman from wrestling, due to hishepatitis C.[40][41] On the April 26Impact!, Waltman was written off of TV whenTeam 3D found Syxx-Pac on a backstage floor in a pool of blood;[42] Eric Young took his place in The Band.[43] In June 2010, TNA released Waltman and Hall.[44]
On February 26, 2011, Waltman was inducted into the Legends Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame inWheeling, West Virginia, by Jack Blaze at their "LPW X-Factor 2011" event. On March 5, 2011, Waltman reunited with former D-Generation X members Road Dogg and Billy Gunn for a six-man tag match at a Pro Wrestling Syndicate show inLong Island, New York. A week later, X-Pac defeated UIW Lightweight Champion Stupid in a non-title match.[45]
On April 2, 2011, Waltman returned to WWE television to celebrate, withKevin Nash andTriple H, their longtime friendShawn Michaels' induction into the 2011WWE Hall of Fame. He later worked backstage as a scout and evaluator inFlorida Championship Wrestling, the WWEdevelopmental territory.
On April 15, 2011, Waltman, as The 1–2–3 Kid, debuted forChikara by entering theirKing of Trios tournament, teaming withArik Cannon and Darin Corbin (Team Minnesota).[46][47] They were eliminated in the first round by TeamMichinoku Pro (Dick Togo,Great Sasuke andJinsei Shinzaki).[48] The day after, Waltman defeatedAmazing Red,Frightmare andObariyon in a four-way elimination match to make it to the next day'sRey de Voladores tournament final.[49] There, he lost toEl Generico.[50] After the match, Waltman said he believed 2011 would be his last year in professional wrestling, praising Chikara as the "future of wrestling" and thanking them for a memorable weekend.[51][52]
In October 2011, X-Pac teamed with Billy Gunn wrestled the Full Blooded Italians in the main event on a Caribbean Pro Wrestling show in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
In March 2012, Waltman attended the Hall of Fame again, withThe Kliq. On July 23, he,Billy Gunn andRoad Dogg returned to join Shawn Michaels and Triple H for aD-Generation X reunion on the1000th episode ofRaw.
In September 2012, the 1–2–3 Kid returned to Chikara for the2012 King of Trios tournament, this time teaming withAldo Montoya andTatanka as Team WWF.[53] On September 14, they lost their first-round match to The Extreme Trio (Jerry Lynn,Tommy Dreamer andToo Cold Scorpio).[54][55] The next day, The 1–2–3 Kid was low-blowed and pinned byMark Angelosetti.[54][56] On the final day of the tournament weekend, The 1–2–3 Kid and Marty Jannetty won the annual tag teamgauntlet match.[54][57]
On October 8 and 9, 2012, he wrestled in a Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation tournament to crown the BBWF Caribbean Champion. He defeatedKrimson in the semi-final[58] andDaivari in the final, winning the title.[59]
On November 18, 2012, The 1–2–3 Kid returned to Chikara, when he and Marty Jannetty defeated The Heart Throbs (Antonio Thomas andRomeo Roselli) to earn their third point (for three consecutive wins) and a shot at theChikara Campeonatos de Parejas.[54] They lost the title match on December 2, at theUnder the Hood internet pay-per-view, to defending championsThe Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson).[54]
In early 2013, The Kliq/DX reunited for an episode ofNXT. In March 2013, Waltman signed a WWE Legends contract (a long-term contract which gives WWE merchandising rights to a wrestler's name and likeness, requires occasional appearances and prevents them from working for competing major promotions, but allows for independent appearances).[60]
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Waltman, under his real name, returned to Chikara on March 8, 2013, losing toHallowicked.[54] On March 23, 2013, in a four-way match atJerry Lynn's retirement show inMinneapolis, X-Pac tore hisanus by performing his signatureBronco Buster onto the exposedturnbuckle. Afterward, he went back to his hotel room, where he discovered a lot of blood coming out of his clothes and went to the hospital.[61] He underwent asphincteroplasty and was released the following morning.[62] On November 9, 2013, X-Pac andLance Storm lost toTommy Dreamer andTerry Funk in the main event of House of Hardcore 3.[63]
On April 5, 2014, the night before WrestleMania XXX, Waltman joined Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Kevin Nash at Scott Hall's WWE Hall of Fame induction, reuniting The Kliq.
On June 14, 2014, X-Pac and Rikishi defeated Gangrel and Matt Striker at House of Hardcore 6. In September 2014, Waltman returned to Chikara to do commentary during the first round of the2014 King of Trios.[64]
On the January 19, 2015, episode ofRaw, labelled Raw Reunion,Damien Mizdow appeared with Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels,Scott Hall and Triple H dressed as X-Pac, only for X-Pac to confront him (finding the impersonation funny), untilThe Miz interrupted them to tell them that Mizdow was only his stunt double, and that the party was over. He appeared again with Hall and Nash, being interrupted byThe Ascension, who were attempting to attack them, only to be joined byThe APA andThe New Age Outlaws in fending off The Ascension. AtWrestleMania 31, X-Pac along with the New Age Outlaws and Shawn Michaels helped Triple H win his match againstSting. They were backstage atNXT TakeOver: Brooklyn in August 2015.
On 22 July 2016, Waltman, as X-Pac reunited with Billy Gunn in the Scotland,[65] defeating The New Age Kliq (Chris Renfrew &BT Gunn) for the first night of Pro Wrestling Elite's anniversary weekend (PWE: Five Year Anniversary: Break It Down!).[66][65] The following night, Waltman teamed with Grado and Kenny Williams in a winning effort overJoe Hendry, Andy Wild and Stevie Xavier.[67][68]
On September 4, 2016, Waltman made a surprise return to Chikara, again representing DX alongside Billy Gunn in a tag team gauntlet match. The two entered the match as the final team and scored the win over Prakash Sabar and The Proletariat Boar of Moldova.[69]
In January 2018, Waltman returned atWWE Raw 25 Years and reunited with DX and Scott Hall. In November 2018, he attendedNXT TakeOver: WarGames.[70]
In2019, Waltman was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame (under the X-Pac name) as a member ofD-Generation X alongsideTriple H,Shawn Michaels,Road Dogg,Billy Gunn and the lateChyna.[71] DuringWrestleMania 35 weekend in April 2019, X-Pac,Hurricane Helms andJushin Thunder Liger won a six-man tag team match against Revolt! (Caleb Konley, Jake Manning, and Zane Riley) at the WrestleCon Mark Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow. Later in July, he claimed that the match would be his last and that he was retired, stating "I'm fucking done wrestling. I'm done." He said he would be open to potential one-night returns for special occasions, such asWrestleMania orNXT TakeOver.[72] On December 9, 2019, it was announced that Waltman would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame a second time (this time under his real name) as a part of theclass of 2020, this time as a member of theNew World Order, together with fellow former nWo stablematesHulk Hogan,Kevin Nash, andScott Hall; this made him the first person to be inducted two years in a row, and the first to be inducted twice as part of teams or groups.[73] The 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony was delayed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States, it eventually took place a year later.
Waltman came out of retirement in February 2022, debuting inGame Changer Wrestling on its "Welcome to Heartbreak" pay-per-view inLos Angeles as the tag team partner ofJoey Janela. The following month at the "Joey Janela's Spring Break 6" pay-per-view, Waltman lost to Janela.
In 2004, Waltman co-starred with then-girlfriendChyna in the now-infamous amateur adult film1 Night in China.[74] Waltman won anAVN Award for his performance in the video.
Waltman has been a playable character in video games includingWWF Raw,WCW vs. nWo: World Tour,WCW Nitro,WWF Attitude,WWF Smackdown!,WWF WrestleMania 2000,WWF No Mercy,WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role,WWF With Authority!,WWF Road to WrestleMania,WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth,WWF Raw,WWE '13, downloadable content inWWE 2K14 as Syxx-Pac,WWE 2K16,WWE 2K20,WWE 2K22,WWE 2K23,WWE 2K24 andWWE 2K25.
Starting in 2016, Waltman began hosting the weeklypodcast,X-Pac 1, 2, 360.[75] Waltman has also made various appearances on other podcasts includingThe Steve Austin Show,Talk Is Jericho, andThe Ross Report.[76][77][78]
In the mid-2000s, Waltman was in a relationship withJoanie Laurer, who competed as Chyna in the WWF.[13] They were engaged but later split up. In March 2005, Waltman appeared on theVH1 reality showThe Surreal Life, in which he visited Laurer in an attempt to reconcile with her. After Laurer refused to reconcile, he was eventually ejected from the house by the other guests. OnThe Tomorrow Show with Keven Undergaro, he recounted the last time he saw Chyna.[79] He has been open about past substance abuse issues; during his relationship with Laurer, he struggled with an addiction tomethamphetamine and narcotics such ascocaine and prescription pain medication.[80]
In 2008, Waltman attempted suicide in hisMexico City apartment. He later said he was so overcome with shame and guilt after a physical altercation with his then-girlfriendAlicia Webb that he consumed a mixture of pills and alcohol and hanged himself from his apartment balcony. Webb found him hanging and was able to get him down, reviving him until an ambulance arrived. Following this incident, he was placed in WWE-sponsored rehab and began his recovery.[81]
On April 30, 2017, Waltman was arrested at theLos Angeles International Airport while allegedly possessing methamphetamine. On May 26, the charges were dropped after lab results determined the pills he had were not methamphetamine nor any form of narcotic.[82]
On September 24, 2018, Waltman announced the death of his ex-wife and the mother of his two children, Terry Waltman, to whom he was married from 1994 to 2002. He said she had "lost her battle with mental illness and addiction".[83] He began dating authorAngela Nissel in 2018.[84][85] In 2022, Waltman became a grandfather.[86]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Crossing the Bridge | High School Senior #3 | |
| 2004 | 1 Night in China | Himself | |
| 2016 | The Chris Gethard Show | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Table for 3 | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Movie Trivia Schmoedown | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2017 | The Swerve | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Verotika | Counter Person | Segment: "Change of Face" |
1 –Following an injury to Nash, the nWo invoked"Wolfpac Rules" and named Syxx as co-champion[19]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X-Pac (hair) | Jeff Jarrett (hair) | New York, New York | SummerSlam (1998) | August 30, 1998 | [101] |
21.9.2002
,Wrestlingdata.com,Internet Wrestling Database
