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| D-Generation X | |
|---|---|
 D-Generation X logo in the 1990s | |
| Stable | |
| Name(s) | D-Generation X DX DX Army |
| Former member(s) | Shawn Michaels (Co-leader) Triple H (Co-leader) Chyna Rick Rude Mike Tyson X-Pac Road Dogg Billy Gunn Tori Stephanie McMahon Hornswoggle See below |
| Debut | August 11, 1997 |
| Years active | 1997–2000 2006–2010 (sporadic) 2010–present (non-wrestling reunions) 2018[1] |
D-Generation X (DX), was an Americanprofessional wrestlingstable, and later a tag team, who consisted of various members mostlyGeneration X wrestlers, most notablyShawn Michaels,Triple H,Chyna,X-Pac, and theNew Age Outlaws, a tag team consisting ofRoad Dogg andBilly Gunn.
The group originated in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known asWWE) at the dawn of the "Attitude Era" in 1997 as a foil to another prominent faction, TheHart Foundation, and became one of the main driving forces behind the WWF competing withWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) in theMonday Night War. In addition to two other founding members,Chyna andRick Rude, the group later expanded with new additionsX-Pac, TheNew Age Outlaws, andTori until the group officially disbanded in August 2000. After a teased reunion in 2002, DX reformed in June 2006 as the duo of Triple H and Shawn Michaels for the remainder of the year[2] and again in August 2009 until March 2010, shortly before Michaels' retirement. This incarnation was voted the greatestWWE Tag Team Champions of all time in a 2013 WWE viewer poll.[3] Today, most of its members are active in the day-to-day operations of the WWE, such as Levesque, who serves as the chief content officer and head of creative, while Michaels serves as Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative overseeing theNXT brand and James holds the role as the Senior Vice President of Live Events.
On October 8, 2018, it was announced that DX would face TheBrothers of Destruction (The Undertaker andKane) at theCrown Jewel pay-per view. At Crown Jewel, Triple H and Michaels were victorious against The Undertaker and Kane. On February 18, 2019, it was announced that the group would be inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame later that year, with Triple H, Michaels, Chyna, The New Age Outlaws, and X-Pac as the inducted members.
The group'sgimmick was best known as a gang ofrebels who broke the rules, acted and spoke as they pleased, and wrestled whomever they wanted no matter how provocative and insulting. Noted for their crude, profane humor and sophomoric pranks, the stable has been dubbed multiple times as the "most controversial group in WWF/E history". Michaels' autobiography suggests that it was WWF head writerVince Russo who first conceived the moniker for the faction, whileBret Hart claims it originated fromNew York Post columnistPhil Mushnick, a frequent critic of the WWF.[4] Triple H also claims thatShane McMahon coined the name of D-Generation X when responding toBret Hart's characterization of younger wrestlers as degenerates.[5]
DX was one of the three main contributing factors,[6][better source needed] along withStone Cold Steve Austin andThe Rock, to the onset of the WWF'sAttitude Era. WWF/E ChairmanVince McMahon has repeatedly denied that DX was inspired or heavily influenced byWorld Championship Wrestling's (WCW)New World Order (nWo), though the core members of both on-screen factions included members ofThe Kliq; (Sean Waltman even served as a member of both groups; as did Michaels, briefly, during the nWo's short-lived revival in the WWF/E in 2002). On October 6, 1997, in one of the earliest DX promos, Michaels alluded to this off-screen connection. After Bret Hart claimed to have destroyed the Kliq and to have "runScott Hall andKevin Nash outta town" (referring to Hall and Nash leaving the WWF and signing with WCW), Michaels declared, "The Kliq owns thisprofessional wrestling business", and said that the group had simply undergone "expansion" rather than "destruction".
According to Triple H, WWF management wanted to keepThe Kliq apart on-screen, so they were hesitant to pair he and Michaels together at first.[7] Despite this, the group began to form during the August 11, 1997 main event ofRaw Is War. During Michaels' match with Mankind, Triple H (then wrestling under the ring name of Hunter Hearst Helmsley) and Chyna both interfered, as Helmsley had been recently feuding with Mankind; the end of the match also sawRick Rude return to the WWF revealing himself as Michaels' "insurance policy", helping Michaels win the match by attacking Mankind with a chair.[8][9] The following week onRaw, Michaels and Helmsley teamed up to take onMankind andThe Undertaker in the main event, only to lose the match by disqualification after Michaels used a chair on Undertaker.[8][10] Michaels would eventually face the Undertaker atGround Zero: In Your House on September 7 with Helmsley, Chyna and Rude all interfering on Michaels' behalf to force the match to end in a no contest.[11] During this time, the group (Michaels and Helmsley in particular) were regularly shown on television practicingsophomoric/crude humor and rebelling against authority figures in the company, primarilyVince McMahon (then primarily presented as an on-screen commentator) and then-CommissionerSgt. Slaughter, the latter of which DX made a recurring habit of humiliating by giving him the nickname "Sgt. Slobber".
D-Generation X's first majorfeud was against theHart Foundation, which was led by Michaels' nemesisBret Hart. AtWWF One Night Only, the rest of DX helped Michaels defeat Foundation memberBritish Bulldog for theWWF European Championship, officially making Michaels the WWF's firstGrand Slam Champion.[12][13][14] On-screen, the name was taken from comments by Hart, who on several occasions, particularly including the October 6, 1997 episode ofRaw Is War, had labeled Michaels "nothing more than a degenerate".[15] The following week, on October 13, 1997, Michaels made "D-Generation X" the group's official name,[16] mockingly citing Hart's insults as his inspiration and howGeneration X (with both members being part ofGeneration X) is always stereotyped as apathetic and cynical.
Although DX and the members ofThe Hart Foundation continued to battle on-screen in one fashion or another through the end of 1997, the Bret Hart-Shawn Michaels feud ended abruptly atSurvivor Series when Michaels won his thirdWWF Championship via theMontreal Screwjob, whereby Hart was lied to about the match's pre-determined outcome after Hart had signed withWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) and refused to drop the WWF Championship to Michaels in Canada and instead agreed to drop the title one month later in Springfield, Massachusetts.[17][18][19] Rick Rude was also legitimately upset over the events of the screwjob, and subsequently left the WWF to return to WCW. On the November 24 episode ofRaw Is War, DX invitedJim "The Anvil" Neidhart to join the group, which he accepted prior to a match later that night between Vader and Michaels. Michaels, Chyna and Helmsley assaulted Neidhart at the end of the show after Michaels defeatedVader, showing that Neidhart's invitation to the group was nothing more than a ruse.[20] The following week on the December 1 episode ofRaw Is War, Helmsley defeated Neidhart.[21] After the match, DX assaulted Neidhart once again, before Michaels spray-painted "WCW" on Neidhart's back, signifying him following Bret Hart and The British Bulldog to WCW.[21] Sgt. Slaughter andKen Shamrock saved Neidhart, before Slaughter and Shamrock attacked DX at the end of the show.[21]
D-Generation X was used as the title for a WWFD-Generation X: In Your House pay-per-view telecast on December 7, 1997.[22] By this point, with Michaels holding both the WWF and WWF European Championships, and DX's victory in the feud with the Hart Foundation, their status as the lead stable in the company was solidified. Michaels headlined the event and was disqualified in a WWF Championship title defense againstKen Shamrock after interference from Helmsley and Chyna. After the match, Owen Hart interfered, having not been seen on WWF television since Survivor Series, starting a feud between Owen and DX.[22] Earlier in the night, Helmsley (now primarily wrestling under the ring name of Triple H) defeated Sgt. Slaughter with the help of Chyna in aBoot Camp match.[22][23] On the December 22 episode ofRaw is War, however, Michaels and Triple H were forced by Slaughter to wrestle each other for the European Championship.[24] In a mock match, Michaels laid down in the middle of the ring while Triple H constantly ran the ropes.[24] Triple H would then pin Michaels and win the European Championship.[24][25]
Triple H lost the European Championship to Owen Hart in January 1998 only to regain it two months later.[26][27][28] Going intoWrestleMania XIV that March, Shawn Michaels was the reigning WWF Champion and Triple H was the reigning WWF European Champion. HeavyweightboxerMike Tyson was also involved as the "special enforcer" in the main event of the night featuring Michaels againstStone Cold Steve Austin. In the weeks leading up to the event, Tyson was revealed to have joined D-Generation X, and looked as if he was going to help Michaels retain the championship.[29] However, at the end of the match, Tyson turned on DX and cost Michaels the match and the WWF Championship, allowing Austin to win the title.[30][31]
The night after WrestleMania, Triple H officially ejected Michaels from DX for "dropping the ball" over the Tyson incident and subsequently losing the WWF Championship.[32] In reality, Michaels had suffered a severe back injury during his Casket Match withThe Undertaker at theRoyal Rumble, and started what would become a four-year hiatus from the WWE to recuperate.[7] Triple H would assume full leadership of DX and recruitedX-Pac, who had been recently fired from WCW, and the currentWWF Tag Team ChampionsThe New Age Outlaws ("Bad Ass" Billy Gunn and"The Road Dogg" Jesse James) into the stable. Triple H would dub this iteration as his new "DX Army".[32][7] While the intent was for the stable to remainheels, they quickly became popular with audiences and were eventuallypushed asfaces. During this time, they feuded withThe Rock and his groupThe Nation and then later, Vince McMahon'sCorporation.[7][33] The group remained united throughout 1998 and into early 1999.[vague][citation needed]
On episodes ofRaw Is War in April and May[vague] DX "went to war" with WCW, with whom the WWF were in direct competition at the time, through a series of legitimate visits to WCW headquarters and live events. On April 27, 1998,Raw Is War andNitro both took place in theHampton Roads area ofVirginia, a mere 19 miles apart. DX traveled from the WWF show inHampton Coliseum inHampton toThe Scope inNorfolk and shouted insults against WCW through a bullhorn, as well as accusing WCW of giving out free tickets to fill up arenas for television while sporting black armbands with the acronym "POWCW" (Prisoner of WCW), which referenced fellow Kliq membersScott Hall andKevin Nash. DX then tried to enter the arena via a loading dock in their army jeep before being stopped by someone closing the door.[34] They also attempted to forcibly secure meetings with Nitro's executive producerEric Bischoff and WCW ownerTed Turner at WCW headquarters inAtlanta,Georgia. Another segment used computer graphics to make it appear as if Triple H had flown over theRoberts Municipal Stadium inEvansville, Indiana where WCW Nitro was taking place and wrote "WCW Sucks" and "DX Says Suck It" in the sky.[33]
The group also feuded with the new CorporateCommissioner, former DX leader Shawn Michaels, who had turned heel and betrayed the group after costing X-Pac a WWF Championship match against The Rock.[35] The faction would continue to feud with Michaels and The Corporation throughout late 1998, with Michaels reversing Billy Gunn'sIntercontinental Championship victory againstKen Shamrock,[35] costing The Outlaws the Tag Team Titles and even managing to seemingly lure the New Age Outlaws to The Corporation on the December 7 episode ofRaw Is War. However, the Outlaws quickly revealed this to have been a ruse, turning on The Corporation that same night.[35] When The Corporation turned on Michaels in January 1999[vague], he was taken in by DX once more. This too was short lived, as later that night DX were instrumental in Michaels being ambushed by The Corporation, with X-Pac commenting "What goes around, comes around".
Some of the group's most memorablepromos were their parodies of their rivals. On July 6, 1998, DX carried out the first of these segments, where they mocked and parodied The Nation, with Triple H mocking The Rock as "The Crock"; Road Dogg playing the part ofD'Lo Brown as "B'Lo"; Billy Gunn asThe Godfather; X-Pac as a parody ofMark Henry, going by "Mizark"; and comedian Jason Sensation as Owen Hart. On December 14, 1998, they would turn their attention to The Corporation with Triple H again appearing as "The Crock"; Road Dogg playing Mr. McMahon (with twomidgets representingGerald Brisco andPat Patterson kissing his behind throughout); Billy Gunn, playingShane McMahon wearing an adult diaper; X-Pac playing Ken Shamrock; Chyna as TheBig Boss Man; and Sensation returning to play Michaels.[36] These parodies would also be resurrected during the fourth incarnation. X-Pac's parody of Mark Henry has been seen as highly controversial due to him being inblackface (unlike the rest of DX); X-Pac would admit on his podcast in 2018 that it was one of his biggest career regrets, despite having Henry's personal blessing to do the segment.[37]
Throughout 1999, the members would gradually turn on one another, leading to the group officially disbanding for the first time. Initially, Chyna turned on Triple H and X-Pac and joined the Corporation on January 25.[7] AtWrestleMania XV, Chyna turned on then fellow Corporation memberKane, helping Triple H to defeat him, and seemingly rejoining DX. Later that night, however, Triple H and Chyna interfered in X-Pac'sEuropean Championship match with Shane McMahon. Initially, it appeared that they were there to help X-Pac, but Triple H quickly turned on him, delivering aPedigree to his stablemate, costing him the match. Chyna and Triple H would then join The Corporation, with Kane subsequently being ousted.[7] As a result, X-Pac began to share a bond with Kane, which resulted in Kane becoming a close ally of the faction, and the duo would hold the WWF Tag Team Championship on two occasions.[38][39][40]
Though the group maintained a united front against The Corporation, Billy Gunn would become frustrated at Kane's presence, as well as The New Age Outlaws' inability to win the Tag Team Championships from X-Pac and Kane. Following one such defeat on the April 29 episode ofSmackDown!, Gunn became angry at X-Pac.[41] The following week onSunday Night Heat, he apologized to X-Pac, but attacked him when X-Pac's back was turned, citing his frustration at being "held back" and departing from D-Generation X, therefore reducing the remaining members to just Road Dogg and X-Pac.[33] Over the following weeks, Gunn would continue to attack X-Pac and Road Dogg, often being chased away by Kane.[41] In July[vague], Triple H and Chyna told Billy Gunn that Road Dogg and X-Pac were making a lot more money from DX's royalties than the other three (due to them still using the name as a tag team). This would lead to a tag match atFully Loaded, in which the winners would get the rights to use the DX name, which Road Dogg and X-Pac won. Though not officially a member, upon winning the Tag Team titles fromThe Acolytes on August 9, Kane, under encouragement from partner X-Pac, uttered his first on-screen words without help from a voice box, saying "suck it".[41]
On October 25, the group reformed as villains when Triple H and X-Pac helped the New Age Outlaws – who had reunited the previous month[41] – defeat Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock.[33][42] Later that week onSmackDown!, X-Pac suggested that DX would get "bigger", hinting that Kane would finally become an official member. However, later that night, he turned on Kane following a match withThe Dudley Boyz, stating there would be no additional members and starting a feud between the two.[43] That same night, DX were "hunted" by Austin, with Stone Cold catching Road Dogg in abear trap, Billy Gunn in asnare trap, having a portion of the backstage ceiling fall on X-Pac and finally catching the whole group in a net.[43] Despite this, The Outlaws won their fifth Tag Team Championship soon afterward, defeating Mankind andAl Snow on the November 8 edition ofRaw.[44] Not participating in the reunited DX wereChyna who was in a feud withChris Jericho for theIntercontinental Championship;Shawn Michaels, who was in the middle of a four-year hiatus from wrestling; andRick Rude, who had died in April 1999.
Triple H, meanwhile, would escalate an ongoing feud with Vince McMahon on the November 29 episode ofRaw, when he interrupted the wedding ofStephanie McMahon andTest to reveal that he had already married Stephanie at aLas Vegasdrive-through wedding chapel while she was supposedly drugged unconscious. Triple H would then defeat Vince in a street fight atArmageddon after Stephanie turned on her father and embraced her then-storyline husband. The two revealed the next night onRaw that the ceremony, as well as Stephanie being under the influence, was a ruse as part of a revenge plot for Vince orchestrating Stephanie's abduction by the Ministry earlier in the year. This officially marked the beginning of theMcMahon-Helmsley Era, with Stephanie becoming an official member of DX through her ties to Triple H.[45]
When Kane's storyline girlfriendTori began to get involved in the feud between Kane and X-Pac, Triple H and Stephanie punished her by scheduling Tori in a match with X-Pac on the December 16 episode ofSmackDown!, after which they would grant Kane a WWF Championship match againstThe Big Show on the December 20 episode ofRaw wherei if Kane lost, Tori would have to spend Christmas with X-Pac. The New Age Outlaws distracted Kane, costing him the match. When Tori returned, she insisted that X-Pac had been a perfect gentleman.
By January 2000, Triple H had dubbed himself "The Game", after stating he was above the top of the wrestling world (as in not merely the "best in the game", but in fact "the game" itself) and was nicknamed "The Cerebral Assassin" byJim Ross. On the January 3 episode ofRaw Is War, Triple H defeated Big Show to win his third WWF Championship.[46]Meanwhile, storylines implied that X-Pac had truly done something harmful to Tori when she started appearing as neurotic and paranoid, with many WWF superstars using Tori's mental state to provoke Kane into attacking their enemies over the ensuing month. X-Pac also gave Tori an apparently forced kiss during his match with Kane on the January 24 episode ofRaw. This storyline culminated on the January 27 episode ofSmackDown!, when DX jumped Kane during another match against Big Show, leading to a promo in which X-Pac recounted his Christmas rendezvous with Tori; Tori then passionately kissed X-Pac, turning on Kane and joining DX in the process.[47] Throughout this period, DX would feud with the likes of The Rock, Mankind/Cactus Jack,Chris Jericho, Kane and the other McMahons,[41] primarily securing and protecting Triple H's WWF Championship[48] as well as The Outlaws' WWF Tag Team Championship. They would also arrive at arenas in a tour bus called "The DX Express".[49]
During a match atNo Way Out where The Outlaws lost the Tag Team Championship to TheDudley Boyz, Gunn suffered a tornrotator cuff which would place him out of action for several months.[50] On-screen, to explain his impending absence to recover from his injury, Gunn's storyline involved him getting thrown out of DX because "he lost his cool" when Triple H had X-Pac take his place in the rematch.[33] X-Pac teamed with Road Dogg once again, but the two never reached the heights the New Age Outlaws had. On March 30, X-Pac and Tori assisted Stephanie McMahon in winning theWomen's Championship fromJacqueline.[51] AtWrestleMania 2000, Triple H defended his title in a fatal four-way elimination match against The Rock, Mick Foley, and Big Show, with a separate McMahon appearing in every superstar's corner. Vince McMahon turned on The Rock and aided Triple H in retaining his title.[52] DX would then unite with Vince and Shane's Corporation stable, and the resulting group was officially dubbedThe McMahon-HelmsleyRegime. On April 27, Stone Cold Steve Austin used a crane to drop a steel beam on the DX Express tour bus, causing the bus to explode in the parking lot.[53]
The Rock defeated Triple H for the WWF Championship atBacklash in a match which featured Stone Cold Steve Austin's brief return to the WWF.[54] Though Triple H regained the title the following month atJudgment Day,[55] the group gradually broke apart. Road Dogg and X-Pac became frustrated by their lack of success as a tag team and turned on each other, culminating in a match atSummerSlam, which X-Pac won.[56] By late 2000, Triple H had become a solo star, and even briefly turned face during a love triangle storyline involving Stephanie andKurt Angle. Billy Gunn, meanwhile, had returned to action and struck a partnership with Chyna following the dissolution of her storyline relationship withEddie Guerrero.
On the November 6, 2000 episode ofRaw Is War, Chyna, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, and Triple H reunited to take onThe Radicalz (Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero,Dean Malenko, andPerry Saturn) in an eight-person tag team match, which they won.[57] The match included the group doing their old DX entrance, as well as telling the crowd to "suck it!" This reunion would be short-lived however, as on that very same episode, Triple H turned heel when he attacked Stone Cold Steve Austin and revealed himself as the mastermind behind Austin's hit-and-run assault at the Survivor Series the year before. Chyna and Gunn, along with Road Dogg and his new tag team partnerK-Kwik, continued to feud with The Radicalz that month, leading to a match atSurvivor Series, which The Radicalz would win.[58]
After November 2000, DX remained unseen and largely unmentioned until Shawn Michaels returned to WWE in the summer of 2002. Michaels persuaded then-Raw General ManagerEric Bischoff to sign Triple H to aRaw contract as part of the "Brand Extension" atVengeance. The following night on the July 22 episode ofRaw (Shawn Michaels' 37th birthday), a week after the breakup of thenWo, Triple H handed Michaels a DX T-shirt and stated that he "had an idea", suggesting that the two reform the group and make Eric Bischoff's life a living hell. The duo later came out that night to their old music, crotch chops, and pyro to the delight of the crowd. However, Triple H turned on Michaels that same night; he had teased the reunion as a ploy to appease Michaels and lure him to the ring before giving him aPedigree, making Triple H a heel once again.[59] This act led to the in-ring return of Michaels atSummerSlam in 2002 and was the genesis of a long feud between the two that ended with Triple H emerging victorious in aHell in a Cell match atBad Blood in 2004.[60]
In 2006, a series of events began occurring which hinted at a DX reunion. AtWrestleMania 22, former members Shawn Michaels and Triple H performed the group's signature crotch chop during their respective matches (the former against Mr. McMahon, and the latter againstJohn Cena for theWWE Championship), which was met with loud cheering from the fans in attendance.[61] The two continued to deliver chops in the following episodes ofRaw as Michaels feuded withVince andShane McMahon and Triple H focused on the WWE Championship, repeatedly running into the McMahons in the process.
On the June 12 episode ofRaw, the events came to a head. During Triple H's gauntlet match against TheSpirit Squad, Shawn Michaels came in to help his former friend. After the duo had laid out the entire Spirit Squad, the two men put aside their past rivalry and officially reformed. DX continued their brash antics at the expense of the Spirit Squad, the McMahons, andJonathan Coachman for several weeks and repeatedly took part in blatantlycampproduct placement duringRawpromos.[62][63] DX would defeat the Spirit Squad in a 5-on-2 handicap match atVengeance, with Michaels forcingMitch’s face into Triple H’s buttocks after the match concluded. Most of their antics now involved practical jokes on Vince.
On the June 26 episode ofRaw, DX added to the list of parodies with Triple H impersonating Vince McMahon, talking about his love of "Dicks" (a double entendre referring toDick Ebersol,Dick Clark, andDick Cheney, as well as the male member; this was also used again repeatedly with roosters, saying that Vince loved "cocks"), while Michaels impersonatedShane McMahon, dancing around the ring until "Vince" screamed at him to "STOP IT!"[64] When Vince, Shane, and the Spirit Squad came to confront them, the contents of a port-a-potty were promptly dumped on them.
On the July 3 episode ofRaw, as a result of their actions on June 26, Vince banned DX from the arena; DX responded by hijacking the production truck and performing a series of pranks on Mr. McMahon, including focusing a camera on McMahon in a public restroom, which was also shown on theRaw Titantron; as well as tampering with his microphone. At the end of the episode, as Vince tried to leave in his limousine, fireworks were activated inside the limousine, shooting out of the moon roof, causing a dazed Vince to crawl out covered in soot, at which point DX greeted him with sparklers, wishing him a "Happy 4th of July".
On the August 21 episode ofRaw, DX repeatedly vandalized Vince's property bytagging "DX" on Vince's $30 million private jet, on the front windows of the WWE World Headquarters building, and finally on Vince's limousine (as well as tying a chain to the back axle of the limousine, causing the axle to be violently pulled off when Vince and Shane tried to leave).
During their feud, DX defeated the Spirit Squad atVengeance and on the July 15, 2006 edition ofSaturday Night's Main Event,[65][66] as well as The McMahons (Vince and Shane) atSummerSlam.[67] AtUnforgiven in a handicapHell in a Cell match that featuredBig Show on The McMahons' side, DX again came out victorious.[68]
DX's next feud was againstRated-RKO (Edge andRandy Orton). AtCyber Sunday, the fans selectedEric Bischoff over Vince McMahon and Jonathan Coachman to be thespecial guest referee for the match. Bischoff allowed the illegal use of a steel chair to give Rated-RKO the win, marking DX's first defeat as a tag team since their reunion in June 2006.[62][69] AtSurvivor Series, Michaels and Triple H got back at Edge and Orton by leading Team DX (Triple H, Michaels,MattandJeff Hardy, andCM Punk) to a 5–0 sweep over Team Rated-RKO (Edge, Orton,Gregory Helms,Johnny Nitro, andMike Knox).[62][70] In 2007, DX challenged for theWorld Tag Team Championship against Edge and Orton atNew Year's Revolution. The fight ended in ano contest after Michaels hit the referee. During the match, Triple H suffered alegitimate tornquadriceps, which would put him out of action for 7 months. After the match, DX beat down Rated-RKO with steel chairs and on the announce tables.
After Triple H's injury, Shawn Michaels continued to uphold the DX image by himself leading intoWrestleMania 23. Michaels would still come to the ring with the DX music and attire, even though Triple H was not joining him during this period. During this time, Michaels captured the World Tag Team Championship withJohn Cena, as well as earning the right to face Cena at WrestleMania 23 for the WWE Championship. It was confirmed in later interviews and documentaries that original plans called for Triple H to challenge Cena for the championship prior to his injury, after which Michaels was substituted in Triple H's place. Michaels would continue to use the D-Generation X motif untilBacklash, at which point he reverted to his traditional entrance music and attire, thus ending this incarnation of DX. Michaels and Triple H teamed up again as DX on the January 28, 2008 episode ofRaw defeatingUmaga andSnitsky.[71] Despite DX reforming for one night only, both Triple H and Shawn Michaels would periodically use the "crotch chop" during their solo runs.
On the September 29, 2008 episode ofRaw, Triple H and Shawn Michaels once again reunited as DX to take onChris Jericho andLance Cade. They won by disqualification, due to Cade and Jericho's two-on-one assault of Michaels.[72] After being mocked byJohn Morrison and the Miz for two weeks, on the 800th episode celebration ofRaw, DX defeated the duo. During the Christmas season, DX appeared in numerous vignettes to promote DX clothing and other WWE merchandise; one such commercial also featuredKelly Kelly. In the2009 WWE draft on April 13, 2009, Triple H was drafted back to the Raw brand.
In the midst of Triple H rejoiningRaw, Michaels took a brief hiatus from WWE after losing toThe Undertaker atWrestleMania 25. Meanwhile, Triple H was embroiled in a rivalry withRandy Orton andThe Legacy (Cody Rhodes andTed DiBiase). The feud continued throughout the summer with Triple H mainly combating with Orton over the WWE Championship. Eventually, Triple H would begin to target The Legacy because they were responsible for his losses against Orton during matches. After losing ahandicap match to The Legacy, Triple H stated that he would "make a phone call" to Michaels in the hopes of reuniting DX. On the August 10, 2009 episode ofRaw, video segments aired in which Triple H met with Michaels at an office cafeteria inTexas where he was working as a chef; throughout the segments, Triple H would try to convince Michaels to return to WWE and reform DX. After several incidents during the segments (including agrease fire and Shawn getting shouted at by a little girl), Michaels agreed to team with Triple H to face The Legacy atSummerSlam, superkicking the girl, and quitting his chef job in the process.[73]
_Vs._Legacy_(Cody_Rhodes%2c_Ted_Dibiase_Jr.).jpg)
On the August 17 episode ofRaw, Michaels and Triple H officially reunited as DX, but as they were in the middle of their in-ring promo, Legacy attacked them both.[74] Their first match after reuniting was against Legacy atSummerSlam, which they won.[75] AtBreaking Point, however, they lost to Legacy in the first everSubmissions Count Anywhere match in WWE history.[76] The following month atHell in Cell, DX defeated Legacy in a Hell in a Cell match.[77] DX would go on to challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship in atriple threat match atSurvivor Series with both men failing to win the title,[78] although they were able to retain their friendship and tag team partnership. On December 13 atTLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, DX defeatedJeri-Show (Chris Jericho and Big Show) to win theUnified WWE Tag Team Championship in aTables, Ladders, and Chairs match;[79] the first tag team championship reign for Michaels and Triple H as a tag team.
On December 21, 2009, Triple H announced thatHornswoggle was the new DX "mascot".[80] This came about after Hornswoggle sued DX for emotional and physical distress due to them not allowing him to join the group.[80] After being taken to "Little People's Court", where they were ruled guilty by a jury and judge consisting ofdwarves, Michaels told Triple H that Hornswoggle could be the mascot. Triple H agreed to it only if the charges were dropped, which Hornswoggle agreed to.[80] On the January 11, 2010 episode ofRaw, Mike Tyson, who was theRaw guest host for the night, teamed with Jericho to face DX; however, at the end of the bout, Tyson turned on Jericho and re-aligned himself with Michaels and Triple H.[81] On the February 8, 2010 episode ofRaw, DX lost the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship toShoMiz (The Miz andBig Show) in a Triple Threat Elimination Tag Team match also featuring TheStraight Edge Society (CM Punk andLuke Gallows). On the March 1 episode ofRaw, DX lost their rematch for the titles which would be the duo's last televised match as a tag team.[82] Due to Michaels' ongoing obsession with ending the Undertaker's WrestleMania streak, Triple H and Michaels quietly separated heading intoWrestleMania XXVI, but remained on good terms.
Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and X-Pac have gone under the team names of D-Generates of Wrestling and Team Suck as a tribute to D-Generation X. It while wrestling together on the indy scene before returning to WWE.
On the September 3, 2018 episode ofRaw, Shawn Michaels made a special appearance to promote the match between Triple H and The Undertaker atSuper Show-Down, during which he was confronted by The Undertaker himself. At Super Show-Down, Michaels assisted Triple H in defeating The Undertaker, after which, he was attacked by Undertaker and Kane.
On October 8, Triple H and Shawn Michaels announced that they were officially reforming DX to take on TheBrothers of Destruction atCrown Jewel. On the October 29 episode ofRaw, both Undertaker and Kane declared that they would take the souls of Triple H and Shawn Michaels and stated they would never "Rest in Peace". This then led to Triple H distracting Kane and Shawn Michaels delivering aSweet Chin Music to the Undertaker. At Crown Jewel, the Brothers of Destruction dominated DX for most of the match, however, DX were eventually able to pick up the win despite Triple H tearing hispec.
Shawn Michaels and Triple H reunited in a non-wrestling capacity for the 2010Tribute to the Troops, afterSmackDown events in 2011 and 2012 and during the2012 Hall of Fame ceremony when they inducted Mike Tyson. On July 23, 2012, at the1000th episode ofRaw Billy Gunn, Road Dogg, X-Pac, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H simultaneously appeared together for only the second time with all five male members present.[83] Since then, DX reunited on several occasions, like atRaw 25,[84] atRaw Reunion, on the October 10, 2022 episode ofRaw in the celebration of the group's 25th anniversary,[85] or atRaw is XXX.[86]
Also, during Triple H's heelAuthority storyline from 2013 to 2015, Shawn Michaels and The New Age Outlaws allied with The Authority on separate occasions. Michaels, as the guest referee forRandy Orton andDaniel Bryan's match for thevacated WWE Championship at the2013 Hell in a Cell,superkicked Bryan during the match, resulting in Orton, The Authority's centerpiece, winning back the championship.[87] The Outlaws won the WWE Tag Team Championship against theRhodes Brothers (Cody Rhodes andGoldust) on the2014 Royal Rumble pre-show, and teamed withKane to wrestleThe Shield atWrestleMania XXX in a losing effort. The last of these appearances, during Triple H's match againstSting atWrestleMania 31, was also the first legitimate major confrontation and skirmish between DX (The Outlaws and X-Pac, joined by Michaels later in the match) and thenWo (Hulk Hogan,Scott HallandKevin Nash). Triple H won after hitting Sting with a sledgehammer passed to him by Billy Gunn.
In December 2015, Billy Gunn and X-Pac reformed DX, in an event for Big Time Wrestling, where they defeated Bam Shaw and "The Punisher" Don Vega. They returned as D-Generation X during theMCW event,Spring Fever In Maryland on April 23, along withLio Rush andBrandon Scott. They competed for Empire State Wrestling on May 21, and for Elite Pro Wrestling, where they faced the New Age Kliq on July 22.
On September 4, 2016, Gunn and X-Pac represented DX in a tag team gauntlet match at aChikara event. The two entered the match as the final team and scored the win over Prakash Sabar and The Proletariat Boar of Moldova.[88]
D-X promos always include a signature gesture whereby the wrestler points his hands towards his own crotch, making the shape of a "V", and in the later, more popular variant with hands crossed, an "X". The implication is that the viewer or listener should "suck it".
The crotch chop was first used in the WWF by Sean Waltman as 1-2-3 Kid during an In Your House match against Razor Ramon. After knocking Ramon down, he seems to do the gesture almost unintentionally, but perhaps took the risk knowing it was a PPV event and thus not subject to normal censoring restrictions. Either way, the move went back to obscurity, until Shawn Michaels revived the taunt several months before the formation of D-X, at least as early as July 21, 1997, while he stood in-ring for an interview segment onRaw Is War filmed inHalifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Although Michaels had not yet made his heel turn (which would follow a few weeks later, after the events ofSummerSlam), his feud with the Canadian-born Bret Hart made Michaels a de facto heel to the Canadian crowd. Months later, at the October 6, 1997 episode ofRaw Is War, both Michaels and Triple H repeatedly directed the crotch chop at both Hart and hostile members of the audience.
According to Triple H,Vince McMahon was hesitant to let D-X members perform the "X" at first, but he was later talked into it.[7] When D-X enters the ring they do a pyro routine. Green X pyrotechnics go off three times, with D-X crotch-chopping at each firing. They then pause for a second, then chop once more as the pyrotechnics fire for the fourth time.
The crotch chop is used in the 2008 filmSlumdog Millionaire by Jamal (Dev Patel) after getting away from pursuing security guards[89] and by a character in the opening scenes of the 2007 movieKnocked Up.Fidel Edwards, the West Indian fast bowler has on occasions used numerous professional wrestling gestures (including the crotch chop and aJohn Cena gesture) after taking a wicket.[90] It has also been used byProfessional BowlerPete Weber after getting a strike, Weber himself is a fan of wrestling.[91] The characterKenny Powers, in theHBO seriesEastbound & Down, also uses the gesture in a fantasy sequence where he walks through the halls of the school where he works. In a 2010 episode ofFamily Guy, titled "Extra Large Medium", a cutaway showsSpock doing the crotch chop after he wins the lottery. In the 2012 film, "Pitch Perfect", Becca does the crotch chop at the end of the Barden Bellas' rap in the riff off. It's also featured in Nintendo's Super Mario strikers in a taunt that Waluigi does after scoring a goal.Jon Jones performed the "X" crotch chop after defeatingDaniel Cormier atUFC 197. The most recent use of the group's crotch chop that occurred on October 29, 2023, whenPhiladelphia 76ers playerJoel Embiid performed that gesture as he and his team played thePortland Trail Blazers in the late third quarter. He was fined $35,000 by theNational Basketball Association but Triple H, the current Chief Content Officer, was impressed with the gesture, has invited Embiid for a special role atWrestleMania XL in Philadelphia although the Sixers are playing theMemphis Grizzlies and theSan Antonio Spurs during the same weekend.[92][93]
The crotch chop appeared in an NBA game for a second time on Friday, April 26, 2024, during Game 3 of the Western Conference playoffs first round series between theMinnesota Timberwolves andPhoenix Suns. Minnesota'sAnthony Edwards was doing the taunt repeatedly, not directed at an opposing player, but rather atRudy Gobert, his own teammate. Edwards later stated in an interview alongside Gobert, "I was trying to get Rudy to do it with me but he would never make eye contact with me, which was crazy because I threw you the ball for the and one."[94]
Teams in the AustralianNational Rugby League competition have also used the crotch chop to taunt opponents.[95]
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The crotch chop and the words "suck it" actually originated with the nWo. While Syxx/X-Pac was still a member of the faction, he along with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash would regularly perform the gesture.[96] Later on, D-X would use a cross armed x-chop. The signature D-X slogan originated on the October 6, 1997 episode ofRaw Is War, with Shawn Michaels stating, "I've got two words for 'The Hitman' Bret Hart: suck it!", before doing a one-armed crotch-chop (while holding the microphone with his other hand). Later in the episode, both Michaels and Triple H (separately) proceeded to the ring for the Bret Hart-Triple H match, each of them directing the slogan and crotch-chops at fans seated along the entry ramp, as well as the viewers watching at home."Oh you didn't know? Your ass better call somebody."
The slogan is also used in the D-X Army's popular "Let's get ready to suck it!" promos, conceived as a parody ofMichael Buffer's "Let's get ready to rumble!" match introduction that was routinely featured at televised WCW events. The routine originated in the "D-X Army" era with X-Pac, Road Dogg, and Billy Gunn and starts when Triple H asks the audience, "Are you ready?". He then shouts, "No, [city name], I said, are you ready?!", or "I thought this was [city name], I said, are you ready?!", to elicit a louder reaction from the crowd. He would continue on, in a similar cadence and voice to Buffer, "Then, for the thousands in attendance, and to the millions watching at home: let's get ready to suck it!". Following this, Road Dogg would announce a variation of "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages: D-Generation X proudly brings to you itsWWF Tag Team Champions of the World! The Road Dogg Jesse James, The Bad Ass Billy Gunn: TheNew Age Outlaws!" In which, the variation is, they would call themselves the "soon-to-be WWF Tag Team Champions of the world" only if they weren't holding the championship at the time. The group would then talk or posture in relation to the people they were feuding with at the time. Billy Gunn would then end the routine with "And if you're not down with that, we got two words for ya!" to which the crowd shouts "suck it!" back at them.
During the tag team revival of the group in later years, the routine was truncated so that Triple H would say his part while Michaels would take Billy Gunn's lines to conclude it. They often would just say these two parts, with brief ad libbing, rather than lengthy speeches each time.
| Incarnation: | Notes | Members |
|---|---|---|
| First | Shawn Michaels and Triple H along with Chyna began teaming on August 11, 1997, with Rick Rude accompanying the group as Michaels' storyline insurance policy (Heel) |
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| Second | Shawn Michaels left WWF after "dropping the ball" and losing toSteve Austin atWrestleMania XIV. Triple H assumed leadership following this and recruited X-Pac, Road Dogg, and Billy Gunn (Heel then Tweener then Face) |
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| Third | Membership of the group came down to X-Pac and Road Dogg who maintained the D-X name after winning the rights to use it from Triple H and Chyna. Kane was never an official member, although he walked down to the ring with the group and wontag titles with X-Pac (Face) |
|
| Fourth (The McMahon-Helmsley Faction) | The group reformed after Triple H and X-Pac aligned with the New Age Outlaws who had reunited a month previously. Kane was never an official member. Triple H assumed leadership and associated the group with his new wife Stephanie McMahon and father-in-lawVince McMahon andShane McMahon. The group gradually broke apart, culminating in late 2000 with Road Dogg turning on X-Pac. (Heel) |
|
| Fifth | The group eventually reformed in 2006 as a tag team with original founding members Shawn Michaels and Triple H. This incarnation of D-X would appear throughout the following years (Face) |
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The claim from several at the top was that in the production meeting the night before, the scenario discussed was Hart winning via DQ, a lame duck storyline planned to build for the subsequent PPV in Springfield, MA where Hart would lose the title in a final four match and Michaels would become the champion on 12/7, and then on live TV on 12/8 bid farewell to theWWF thanking the organization and the fans. It has also been confirmed thatEric Bischoff was contacted and had agreed to the entire scenario as proposed, and even though Hart's contract withWCW began on 12/1, was going to allow him to finish up with WWF on 12/8.
It has been noted Fidel is a wrestling fan and this was the gesture known as the "crutch thrust" made infamous by a group known as D-Generation X.
He is, to this day, a Golden Tee aficionado and has watched professional wrestling religiously since the age of 12, having borrowed his famous crotch chop from the likes of Triple H, Shawn Michaels and the rest of D Generation X.
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