The Un-Americans

The Un-Americans

Lance Storm (left) and Christian (right) as World Tag Team Champions
Stable
Members Christian
Lance Storm (leader)
Test
William Regal
Chris Jericho (unofficial)
Name(s) The Un-Americans
The Anti-Americans
Debut June 2002
Disbanded March 2003
Years active 2002-2003
Promotions WWE

The Un-Americans (originally known as The Anti-Americans) were a professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment who were active throughout mid-2002. The stable was originally composed of three anti-American Canadian wrestlers, Lance Storm, Christian and Test. Towards the end of the Un-Americans existence, the trio was joined by British wrestler William Regal.

History

The Un-Americans were formed on SmackDown in June 2002 by the Canadian Lance Storm, who had led a similar stable known as Team Canada in World Championship Wrestling. Storm claimed that World Wrestling Entertainment had discriminated against Canadians for years, citing the Montreal Screwjob as an example. Christian (who had teamed with Storm regularly since the fall of the WCW/ECW Alliance) and Test, also Canadian, joined the burgeoning stable later that month. The stable was named "The Anti-Americans" shortly thereafter.

In the lead-up to the formation of the group, each member had suffered a televised loss, decided by the ineptitude of the referee calling the match. Lance Storm lost a tag team match when he used a Bridging German Suplex to pin his opponent Billy Kidman. Storm inadvertently put his own shoulders on the mat, forcing the referee to count a pinfall on both men. Storm managed to raise his shoulder off the mat before Kidman did, but the referee did not see this, and awarded the victory to Kidman's team. In the following weeks, Christian and Test were pinned by their opponents in matches, and the referee failed to see that they were touching the ring-ropes (thus invalidating the pin attempt).

As indicated by the name, the Anti-Americans differed from previous incarnations of Team Canada in that they were anti-American rather than pro-Canadian. As a result of this, the emblem of the stable was not the Canadian flag, but an American flag flown upside down.

In July, The Anti-Americans began feuding with characters such as Rob Van Dam, Rikishi, fellow Canadian Edge and Hollywood Hulk Hogan. In July 2002 Storm and Christian defeated Edge and Hogan to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. They were assisted by Chris Jericho, another Canadian, who both proposed the match to Mr. McMahon, and helped them win it after striking Edge with one of the belts. However, Jericho did not formally join the stable and had only helped due to an ongoing feud with Edge. Original plans, according to Storm, were to have the four Canadians form a group called "C-4", but plans were scrapped before many details could be worked out. In fact, Jericho had jumped to Raw on the same day as the stable, but still did not join them, though he is sometimes regarded as an associate (especially with Christian).

The Anti-Americans then jumped from SmackDown to Raw on July 29, and immediately began a feud with The Undertaker. Up until this night, the World Tag Team Championship was only active on the SmackDown brand. But when Storm and Christian moved to Raw, the titles moved too, forcing the creation of a second tag team championship. This is when Jim Ross started referring to the group as "The Un-Americans". They went on to feud with Booker T and Goldust, who Storm and Christian defeated in a Tag Team Championship title match at SummerSlam on August 25. In the same night, The Undertaker defeated Test in a singles match.

In late August and early September, The Un-Americans attempted on several occasions to burn the American flag, but were thwarted on each occasion by Booker T, Goldust, Kane and Bradshaw. In mid September, the English William Regal joined the stable. At Unforgiven on September 22, The Un-Americans lost to Booker T, Goldust, Kane and Bubba Ray Dudley in an eight-man tag team match.

The Un-Americans used an upside-down American flag, like the one seen here, as a logo.

Storm and Christian lost the Tag Team Championship on September 23 when they were defeated by Kane and The Hurricane. Following the match, both Storm and Christian blamed one another for the loss. One week later, Storm and Christian were both defeated in singles matches (by the same man, Randy Orton), and Test and Regal lost a tag team match. The series of losses divided The Un-Americans, and the stable split in brawling fashion.

The stable continued as a tag team featuring Regal and Storm, retaining their anti-American sentiments, although with an emphasis on their respective English and Canadian heritage, regaining the Tag Titles on two occasions. Meanwhile, Test took on Stacy Keibler as a manager, and became a babyface. Christian went on to team with Jericho and serve as Jericho's side-kick and partner.

It was commented by Michael Hayes during a segment of "The Legends of Wrestling"- Patriotism, that everyone in the Un-Americans were afraid of the "heat" brought on by the angle. William Regal was remarked to be the only one who was not and due to that, the angle was short-lived.

Championships and accomplishments

See also

References

  1. ↑ "History Of The World Tag Team Championship - Christian & Lance Storm". WWE. 2002-07-21. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  2. ↑ Duncan, Royal; Gary Will (2002-07-21). "WWWF/WWF/WWE Tag Team Title History". Solie's Title Histories. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
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