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Spirit Squad is a heel professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment on its RAW brand. The team consists of Kenny, Johnny, Mitch, Nicky, and Mikey with the gimmick of an all-male cheerleading squad. They are the current World Tag Team Champions and, by "executive decision", are all recognized as champion and get to decide who defends the belts at any given time (see Freebird Rule). Their reign marks the first time five wrestlers are recognized as World Tag Team Champions.
History
The Spirit Squad members all competed in WWE's farm federation Ohio Valley Wrestling before they were brought together for their gimmick.
The group appeared during WWE house shows before making its RAW' debut on January 23, 2006. On that night, the Spirit Squad members they helped Jonathan Coachman win a Royal Rumble qualifying match againt Jerry "The King" Lawler by performing cheers for the Coach. The team was subsequently hired by several wrestlers to perform cheers. The members formally introduced themselves to the crowd during an online WWE Unlimited segment.
The Spirit Squad eventually became a part of the on-going feud between WWE chairman Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels. The heel McMahon hired the Spirit Squad to perform disrespectful cheers and attack Michaels on more than one occasion. At one point Mr. McMahon placed Michaels in a handicap match with four members of the Spirit Squad (the kayfabe reason given by McMahon that "five against one would just be unfair", in reality Mitch was recovering from an injury and was relegated to accompanying the rest of the team to ringside) which Michaels won by disqualification. A few weeks later they won a 4 on 1 Tornado Handicap Steel Cage Match against Michaels, and interfered during the Michaels/McMahon match at WrestleMania 22.
On the April 3, 2006 edition of RAW, Kenny and Mikey, with help from the other three members of the squad, defeated The Big Show and Kane to win the World Tag Team Championship. By "executive edict," all five members were recognized as the champions, with any two members being allowed to defend the titles at once (see Freebird Rule).
At Backlash, the Spirit Squad interfered in the Shawn Michaels/Vince McMahon match. Although HBK dove to the floor onto them from the top of a ladder (situated in the ring) the Spirit Squad rallied to attack Michaels, eventually giving him High Spirits through a table, and allowing Vince McMahon to score the pinfall.
The next night the five members of the Spirit Squad were named Co-General Managers of RAW while Vince McMahon took a "day of rest". After drawing "spirit straws" it was decided that Kenny would challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship. Before the match the Spirit Squad demanded to see announcer Joey Styles in their office to instruct him on how to call Kenny's upcoming win. They ordered him that he had better do it "with spirit" or next week they would see that he was forced to call all of RAW while wearing a (female) cheerleading uniform. This lead to Styles having a confrontation with his color-commentator Jerry Lawler and eventually, in (kayfabe), quitting the show (and the WWE).
Triple H was named special guest referee in the title match, but walked out (after attacking both John Cena and the various members of the Spirit Squad at ringside). Shawn Michaels took his place and hit his finisher, Sweet Chin Music, on Kenny which allowed John Cena to pin him and retain his title.
On May 22 2006, RAW was in Las Vegas and Vince McMahon signed a 5 v. 1 Handicap Match pitting the Spirit Squad against Shawn Michaels. However, the match never started and The Spirit Squad brutally beat down Michaels. They ripped apart his ring attire and shattered his knee with a steel chair (as he was going for his Sweet Chin Music). Vince called Triple H to the ring to finish Michaels off with a sledgehammer shot. However, Kenny suddenly snatched the sledgehammer away and disrespected Triple H, which led to Triple H attacking the group.
Spirit Squad would continue to feud with both Triple H and Shawn Michaels, who would team together to revive the DX faction. DX would play various pranks on Spirit Squad and the McMahons, aswell as defeating Spirit Squad in various handicap tag matches during WWE Vengeance and Saturday Night's Main Event.
In wrestling
- Finishing and signature moves
- Johnny-Go-Round (Jumping spinning roundhouse kick) - Johnny
- High angle senton bomb - Mikey
- Simultaneous feint knee drop into a gulliotine leg drop (Kenny) and high angle senton bomb (Mikey)
- High Spirits (The five members each grab one of a prone opponent's limbs and lift him/her high into the air, letting the opponent plummet back first to the mat)
- Spirit Squad also perform the move while Kenny performs his leg drop so that Kenny's leg will drop across the throat of the opponent just as this opponent is lifted into the air by the remaining four members of the Squad.
- Spirit Squad also use a mini-trampoline and perform various aerial moves after bouncing off of it to gain height:
- Springboard bulldog - Mikey
- Diving clothesline - Mitch
- Ring entrance
- Spirit Squad has a unique entrance in which Mitch stands in the middle of the ring and the other four members stand on the apron at each corner and simultaneously springboard somersault over the ropes and into the ring.
- Taunts
- Jumping from the trampoline to enter the ring - All five members
- Jumping jacks - All five members
- Dance move where he sits a hops across the ring - Mitch
- Michael Jackson impersonation - Johnny
- Spinning in a circle - Nicky
- High pitched scream - Nicky
- Chants
- "Ready, OK!"
- "Let's hear it for Spirit Squad!"
- "Who's got spirit!"
- "2,4,6,8, who do you appreciate?"
- "1,2,3 Spirit Squad!"
- "Let's see those spirit fingers!"
- Kenny: "Kenny!", Johnny: "Johnny!", Mitch: "Mitch!", Nicky: "Nicky!", Mikey: :"Mikey!", Together: "And we are... the spirit squad!"
Trivia
- Spirit Squad member Nick "Nicky" Nemeth was formerly Kerwin White's (Chavo Guerrero) caddy on WWE RAW.
- Nick Mitchell, known as Mitch in the Spirit Squad, was a competitor in the $1,000,000 Tough Enough
- All of Spirit Squad's ring attire were Adidas-branded in the colors green and white (in the beginning they used "Athletic Wear" which is an imitation of Adidas from Walmart (picture above with them holding the titles, one has an "Adidas" shirt while Kenny has an "Athletic Wear" shirt).
- Spirit Squad's Kenny, is engaged to WWE Women's Champion, Mickie James.
- Spirit Squad's cheers and mannerisms seem to be in reference to the film Bring It On, in which is said to be an inspiration to the formation of the group. Bring It On also featured male cheerleaders.
- Even though Kenny and Mikey were the ones who won the tag titles, any two Spirit Squad members can defend them.
- Nicky so far has the best record in televised tag matches, he is undefeated in all 2 on 2 tag team matches he has been in, having a record of 5-0. 2 of those wins were while still under his Nick Nemeth persona on HEAT and the other 3 were tag title defenses while teaming with fellow Spirit Squad member Johnny.
- Kenny is the only member who has competed one-on-one as a member of the Squad, however Nicky has competed in house shows in single matches while still under the Nick Nemeth persona.
Championships and accomplishments
- Kenny and Mikey won the titles from Kane and The Big Show on April 3, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, USA during WWE RAW.
- Current
External links
"Spirit Squad"