Shawn Emile Stipich (born July 21, 1970) is an American-Canadian
chiropractor
Chiropractic () is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of physical disorder, mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the vertebral column, spine. It is based on sever ...
,
motivational speaker
A motivational speaker (or inspirational speaker) is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep ta ...
and retired
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
. He is best known for his appearances with the
professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event. Within ...
s the
World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment and
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
in the late 1990s and early 2000s under the
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
s Shawn Stasiak and Meat.
Championships held by Stasiak over the course of his career include the
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The WCW World Tag Team Championship, originally known as the NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-Atlantic version)'', was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling ...
and
WWF Hardcore Championship. Stasiak is the son of former
WWWF Champion Stan Stasiak
George Emile Stipich (April 13, 1937 – June 19, 1997) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Stan "the Man" Stasiak. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in the 1970s, ...
.
Early life
Though born in Hayward, California, much of the early years of Stasiak's life were spent on the road, traveling from territory to territory with his dad, before the family eventually returned to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
and settled in
Oakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town and List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipality in Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. Generally seen as a commuter suburb of Toronto, it is located on Lake ...
, near Toronto. He attended
White Oaks Secondary School, where he wrestled in
Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations
The Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) is an organization of student-athletes, teacher-coaches, student-coaches, teachers, principals, and sport administrators in Ontario, Canada. OFSAA is the second largest high school ath ...
events. After graduating, he attended
Boise State University
Boise State University (BSU) is a Public university, public research university in Boise, Idaho, United States. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has b ...
, where he graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
in communications. During his studies, Stipich made it to second place in the
Pacific-10 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...
in two consecutive years.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1996–1998)
Stipich trained as a professional wrestler under
Dory Funk Jr. at
Funking Conservatory, debuting in 1996 under the ring name "Shawn Stasiak" for the
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
-based
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States
* Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
promotion Pacific Coast Championship Wrestling.
World Wrestling Federation (1998–1999)
In 1996, Stipich sent a tape consisting of
vignettes to the
World Wrestling Federation, with one of the segments seeing him dressed up as a
Halloween
Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
character named Fobia and instructing kids on how to
trick-or-treat safely.
The character's origin story was based on a nest of spiders that lived under his bed. After reviewing the tape, the WWF gave him a tryout match in October 1997.
Stipich was signed to a developmental deal in January 1998, and he began training with Tom Prichard
Thomas Prichard (born August 18, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestling, professional wrestler and author better known by the ring name Dr. Tom Prichard. He is the older brother of Bruce Prichard.
Professional wrestling career
...
in the Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
-based Power Pro Wrestling, where he stayed until he was called up to the WWF in 1999. While with PowerPro, one of the angles he was involved in revolved around Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "the King" Lawler, is an American retired color commentator and professional wrestler signed to WWE under a Legends contract.
Prior to joining the World Wrestling Federati ...
and his real life wife, Stacy "The Kat" Carter. Stasiak first won the services of Stacy for two weeks by beating Jerry Lawler in a match. He then claims that they have started a relationship, and he introduces Stacy to his "sister" ( storyline). The next week, he introduces Stacy to his "mother", Mae Young. This begins a series of different matches between Stasiak, Lawler, Mae Young, and Stacy.
He made his WWF debut on the April 18, 1999 episode of '' Sunday Night Heat'' as Meat, attacking Tiger Ali Singh. He soon became the storyline " boy-toy" of the Pretty Mean Sisters ( Terri Runnels, Jacqueline, and Ryan Shamrock), although Shamrock left the company a few months later. Meat picked up many victories for a few months over the likes of Droz, Brian Christopher
Brian Christopher Lawler (January 10, 1972 – July 29, 2018) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best remembered for his career in the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), where he performed as "Too Sexy" Brian ...
, and The Blue Meanie. However, he would soon be relegated to that of a jobber, with the on-air explanation for this was that he would tire himself out before matches by sexually pleasuring PMS. This led to Jacqueline leaving Meat and Terri by themselves.
The character only lasted a few months before he split from Terri after Terri saw Meat kissing Marianna, Terri's nemesis, on the Titantron. This led to her and Chaz attacking Meat. In the next couple of weeks, Stipich dropped the Meat name and began to compete under his Shawn Stasiak name. At Survivor Series
Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
, Stasiak was defeated by the debuting Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
.
Stasiak was later suspended in December 1999 after he recorded a heated conversation between Davey Boy Smith
David Smith (27 November 1962 – 18 May 2002) was an English professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring names Davey Boy Smith and The British Bulldog.
Smith ...
and Steve Blackman without their permission. Although Stasiak stated that this was done as a joke, he was fired regardless.
World Championship Wrestling (2000–2001)
After WWF, Stasiak was signed by World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
in early 2000. After training in the company's Power Plant
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...
wrestling school with Paul Orndorff
Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr. (October 29, 1949 – July 12, 2021), nicknamed "Mr. Wonderful", was an American professional wrestler and football player, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Champions ...
, he made his WCW debut on the April 10, 2000 episode of ''Nitro
Nitro may refer to:
Chemistry
*Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed:
**Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2
**Nitro ligand ...
'' by attacking Curt Hennig. He later joined the New Blood and began feuding with Hennig. He was soon given nicknames such as "The Perfect One" and later "Perfect" Shawn Stasiak, the latter of which was a parody of Hennig's "Mr. Perfect" character. Stasiak picked up two victories over Hennig, one of which was Stasiak's WCW pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
debut on May 7, 2000 at Slamboree
Slamboree was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of NWA/WCW closed-circuit events and pay-per-view events, event from World Championship Wrestling (WCW) held from 1993 through 2000. It was originally billed as "A Legends' Reunion" b ...
. Hennig soon became impressed with Stasiak and briefly coached him before Hennig's WCW contract expired in June 2000.
In late-May, Stasiak formed the tag team called the Perfect Event with Chuck Palumbo, and they soon won the World Tag Team Championship
In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rival ...
after defeating KroniK
KroniK (also stylized as Kroniꓘ) was an American professional wrestling tag team in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), composed of Brian Adams and Bryan Clark in the ...
( Brian Adams and Bryan Clark
Bryan Emmett Clark (born March 14, 1964) is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and All Japa ...
). After winning the title, they began feuding with KroniK over the title. In August, the Perfect Event helped form The Natural Born Thrillers alongside Mike Sanders, Sean O'Haire
Sean Christopher Haire (February 25, 1971 – September 8, 2014) was an American professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and kickboxer, better known by his ring name Sean O'Haire.
Haire was best known for his appearances with the profess ...
, Mark Jindrak, Johnny the Bull and Reno
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...
, while they were briefly "coached" by Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor, podcaster and retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is also known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Ac ...
.
Stasiak and Palumbo would later win the World Tag Team Title two more times before splitting in early January 2001 when Stasiak and Palumbo won a tag team battle royal with O'Haire and Jindrak. Sanders declared both teams victorious and that one member from each team would start teaming together and get a tag team title shot against The Insiders (Diamond Dallas Page
}
Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), is an American fitness instructor, actor, and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract, under the ring name Di ...
and Kevin Nash). Palumbo began teaming with O'Haire and they defeated the Insiders and became the World Tag Team Champions while Stasiak and Jindrak began teaming together. In February 2001, the Natural Born Thrillers broke up when Stasiak and Jindrak became jealous of Palumbo and O'Haire. The two teams faced off at SuperBrawl Revenge on February 18, 2001, for the World Tag Team Title, but Palumbo and O'Haire retained.
In March 2001, Stasiak acquired the services of Miss Hancock as his valet, gaining the nickname "The Mecca of Manhood" in the process. He was also, in storyline, hinted as the alleged father of Hancock's baby, which later turned out to be a stack of 8x10 cameras in a stroller. As a heel
The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg.
Structure
To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
, Stasiak used the cameras to take pictures of himself before throwing the pictures to fans as a way to show off his physique. While with Miss Hancock, he also started a brief feud with Bam Bam Bigelow
Scott Charles Bigelow (September 1, 1961 – January 19, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Bam Bam Bigelow. Recognizable by his close-to-400-pound frame and the distinctive flame tattoo that spanned mo ...
. The feud culminated on the last episode of ''Nitro'' on March 26, 2001, as Stasiak defeated Bigelow in a tattoo match. Following this, WCW was purchased by the World Wrestling Federation and most of the talent contracts, including Stasiak's, were picked up.
Return to WWF/E (2001–2002)
Stasiak returned to the WWF in July 2001 as part of The Alliance after WCW was bought by the WWF. Stasiak won at InVasion
An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...
where he, Kanyon, and Hugh Morrus defeated the Big Show
Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) f ...
, Billy Gunn, and Albert. Throughout August, he was given the gimmick of being clumsy while trying to impress the Alliance's leader, Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...
. Every time he tried attacking major WWF stars such as The Rock or Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
, he would run into a wall, statue, milk truck, or just completely miss and trip over his boots. In late August, Stasiak was also briefly paired with Stacy Keibler again, but she stopped being his valet in late September to manage the Dudley Boyz
The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley. The team was also joined by various Dudley family members, notably Spike Dudley and ...
. He was injured soon after and was out of action until late October.
On November 18 at Survivor Series
Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
, Stasiak, in storyline, lost his job along with all of the Alliance members when Team WWF defeated Team Alliance. The Alliance members still worked house shows and dark matches for a while, however, until being ready to be called up to the main active roster. However, Stasiak was injured in late November and required surgery on his knee to remove his damaged bursa sac. He was later cleared to wrestle on January 1, 2002. In February 2002, Stasiak was sent to the Heartland Wrestling Association
The Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) was a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Entertainment, World Wres ...
for training and to work off ring rust.
Stasiak was later called up to the Raw brand in late-March 2002 and had his return televised match on the April 7, 2002, edition of '' Sunday Night Heat'', defeating Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestli ...
and the following week on ''Sunday Night Heat'' Stasiak was defeated by Goldust.
Stasiak made his return on the April 15, 2002 episode of ''Raw'' with a new character that saw him claim that he was from Planet Stasiak, heard voices in his head, talked to himself with rhymes, and acted comically insane. On this same night, Stasiak was defeated by Big Show
Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) f ...
. Stasiak traded the Hardcore Championship several times with the likes of Steven Richards, Justin Credible
Peter Joseph Polaco (born October 16, 1973) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Justin Credible.
Debut ...
, Bradshaw, and Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestli ...
until he requested his early release on September 27, 2002, to pursue other business ventures.
Independent Circuit (2007, 2010)
In 2007, Stasiak came out of retirement for the Texas-based independent promotion Professional Championship Wrestling wrestling three matches. On February 20, 2010, Stasiak wrestled his last match teaming with Rodney Mack
Rodney Begnaud (born October 12, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, better known by the ring name Rodney Mack. He is signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he performs under the ring name Damage ...
as they lost to Prince Ali Farhat and Bash at Universal Championship Wrestling in Ardmore, Oklahoma.
Chiropractic career
After his release, Stipich retired from wrestling and became a chiropractor
Chiropractic () is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of physical disorder, mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the vertebral column, spine. It is based on sever ...
. He currently works for the Advanced Comprehensive Medical team based out of Texas as a chiropractor
Chiropractic () is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of physical disorder, mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the vertebral column, spine. It is based on sever ...
. In 2007, he received a certificate in manipulation under anesthesia from the Academy of Physical and Manual Medicine in New York. In addition to his work as a chiropractor
Chiropractic () is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of physical disorder, mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the vertebral column, spine. It is based on sever ...
, Stipich also works as a motivational speaker
A motivational speaker (or inspirational speaker) is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep ta ...
and uses the Fobia character he created while in college during his talks with children.[
]
Other media
Stasiak appears in the video game ''WWF WrestleMania 2000'' as Meat.
Personal life
Stipich is the son of former WWF Champion Stan Stasiak
George Emile Stipich (April 13, 1937 – June 19, 1997) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Stan "the Man" Stasiak. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in the 1970s, ...
.[ During his early childhood, Stipich travelled with his father as he wrestled in various territories, and met the likes of ]André the Giant
André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Dubbed "the Eighth Wonder of the World", Roussimoff was known for his great size, which ...
and Jesse "The Body" Ventura during this time.[
]
Championships and accomplishments
Amateur wrestling
* Espoir World Cup
** Winner (1990)
* National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
** Ranked in the Top Twelve in Division I (1996)
* Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations
The Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) is an organization of student-athletes, teacher-coaches, student-coaches, teachers, principals, and sport administrators in Ontario, Canada. OFSAA is the second largest high school ath ...
** Provincial Champion (1990)
* Pacific-10 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...
** Runner-up (1994, 1995)
Professional wrestling
* ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
''
** PWI ranked him No. 117 of the best 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
in 2002
* World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
** WCW World Tag Team Championship
The WCW World Tag Team Championship, originally known as the NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-Atlantic version)'', was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling ...
( 3 times) – with Chuck Palumbo
* World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment
** WWF/E Hardcore Championship ( 15 times)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stasiak, Shawn
1970 births
American chiropractors
American male professional wrestlers
American people of Croatian descent
Boise State University alumni
Canadian chiropractors
Canadian male professional wrestlers
Canadian people of Croatian descent
Living people
People from Oakville, Ontario
Professional wrestlers from California
Professional wrestlers from Ontario
Sportspeople from Hayward, California
WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions
WCW World Tag Team Champions