Jazz (wrestler)

Jazz
Jazz in April 2014
Birth name	Carlene Denise Moore
Born	(1973-08-27) August 27, 1973 New Orleans, Louisiana, United States[1]
Residence	Lafayette, Louisiana, United States[2]
Spouse(s)	Rodney Mack
Children	2
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Jazz Jazzmine
Billed height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)[3]
Billed weight	150 lb (68 kg)
Billed from	New Orleans, Louisiana[3]
Trained by	Rod Price[4]
Debut	1998

Carlene Denise Moore-Begnaud (born August 27, 1973)^[1] is an American professional wrestler, signed to Women Superstars Uncensored under the ring name Jazz since 2007. She is best known for her tenure in Extreme Championship Wrestling, and in World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment, where she was a two-time WWE Women's Champion.^[5]

Professional wrestling career

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1999–2000)

After dropping out of college, Begnaud was approached about starting a career as a professional wrestler and joined a wrestling school in Louisiana.^[4] She was originally inspired to be a wrestler when she saw Jacqueline Moore perform.^[2] Begnaud trained with Rod Price for six to eight months,^[4] and she later made her professional wrestling debut in a match against Moore.^[4]

Using the name Jazzmine, she later joined Extreme Championship Wrestling as a part of an alliance called the Impact Players, which included wrestlers such as Jason Knight, Lance Storm, and Justin Credible.^[6] She later began a feud with Jason and defeated him at Heat Wave in 1999.^[4] She appeared on a random basis before leaving the company before ECW was shut down due to bankruptcy.^[7]

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

Training and Debut (2001)

In late 2001, the World Wrestling Federation expressed interest in Begnaud, and she was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling for six months to train.^[8] Under the new ring name Jazz, she signed a two-year contract with WWF. She made her debut in the company as a villain on the Survivor Series pay-per-view during a Six-Pack Challenge match for the WWF Women's Championship, which had been vacated by Chyna after her departure from the company.^[9] Ultimately, Trish Stratus was the winner for the match and the championship.

Women's Champion (2002)

Followed her debut in the company, Jazz began her first rivalry with then-Women's Champion Trish Stratus as on the January 14, episode of Raw, Jazz received a push as she defeated Jacqueline to become the number one contender to Stratus' Women's title.^[10] Jazz received her championship match against Trish at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, where she was unsuccessful in capturing the title,^[11] however, on the February 4, 2002 episode of Raw, Jazz defeated Stratus to win the Women's Championship for the first time.^[12] On March 17, at WrestleMania X8, Jazz successfully defend her title against Lita and Trish Stratus in a triple–threat match.^[13]

On May 6, 2002, the World Wrestling Federation was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment, subsequently renaming the title to the WWE Women's Championship, as a result, Jazz became the last woman to hold the Women's title under the WWF banner and the first to hold it under the WWE banner. On the April 29, episode of Raw, Jazz challenged Bubba Ray Dudley for the Hardcore Championship, although didn't win the championship, she successfully helped Stevie Richards to capture it.^[14] On the May 6, episode of Raw, Jazz was helped by Richards to retain her title against Trish Stratus, after knocking her with an superkick, after the match, Ray attacked both Steven and Jazz to try regain his title although multiple superstars started competing for it changing simultaneously from holders like Raven, Justin Credible, Crash, Trish Stratus and finally regained to Richard after being helped by Jazz,^[15] however, due to a torn ACL in her knee, Jazz dropped her title to Stratus in a hardcore-Rules match the following week on the May 13, episode of Raw. Post-match, she was attacked by both Ray and Stratus as he performed an aided superbomb through a table on her.^[16]

Feud with Victoria and Trish Stratus (2003–2004)

Jazz made her return on the January 27, 2003 episode of Raw, viciously attacking Trish Stratus after a Chicago Street Fight for Victoria's Women's Championship, in which Stratus was defeated.^[17] She made her return in–ring action on the February 10 episode of Raw, defeating Molly Holly in a singles match.^[18]

Jazz involved herself in the feud between Stratus and Victoria upon her return. She immediately took out Stratus and dominated in matches against Molly Holly and Jacqueline. She competed in a triple threat match for the Women's Championship at WrestleMania XIX against Stratus and Victoria, but Stratus walked away with the title. During this time, she took on the managerial services of Theodore Long, which led to another Women's Championship reign after defeating Stratus at Backlash.^[19] She had another successful title defence at Judgement Day in a Fatal Four-Way Match involving Stratus, Victoria and Jacqueline. However, she lost the title in a battle royal to Gail Kim on June 30.^[20][21] In reality, she had a chipped and dislocated shoulder and needed several weeks to rehabilitate.^[2] She returned from injury in early 2004,^[2] but was used sparingly. Later that year, she became manager and valet for her real-life husband Rodney Mack. She was released from WWE in November 2004 due to the creative department's lack of ideas for her character.^[4][8]

Independent circuit (2005–2006)

From January 16, 2005 she started working on the independent circuit and appeared at the unofficial ECW reunion show, Hardcore Homecoming. In late 2005, Jazz and Rodney Mack opened Dirtysouth Championship Wrestling, an independent promotion based in Louisiana. Jazz also performed in Women's Extreme Wrestling, where she won the company's World Heavyweight Championship in May 2005 in a Fatal Four M'enage Quatro match against Angel Orsini, Mercedes Martinez, and Simply Luscious when the previous champion, Tai "Killer Weed", was forced to relinquish the title due to an injury. While still WEW champion, on June 24, 2005, Jazz defeated April Hunter to win the NWA Cyberspace Women's Championship.

In 2006, Jazz and Mack were forced to rename DCW to Downsouth Championship Wrestling due to copyright issues. Soon after the promotion's name change, Jazz won her promotion's Louisiana State Championship. Later that month on June 24, she participated in ChickFight V and debuted in All Pro Wrestling.^[22]

Return to WWE (2006–2007)

In mid-2006, Begnaud was one of several Extreme Championship Wrestling alumni contracted to compete in WWE's new version of the promotion.^[23] Jazz made her first appearance as part of the new ECW during the WWE vs. ECW Head to Head show on June 7, where she faced then-Women's Champion Mickie James in a losing effort.^[24] Jazz, however, did not continue an on-screen role in the brand and only made a few appearances at ECW house shows before returning to ECW in September. She stayed under contract with WWE until January 18, 2007 when she, along with her husband and several other wrestlers, were released by WWE.^[23]

Women Superstars Uncensored (2007–2011)

In May 2007, Jazz and Rodney Mack were booked by the Queens of Chaos promotion in France. In late 2009, Jazz debuted for Women Superstars Uncensored in New Jersey, defeating Angel Orsini. She is still with the company, wrestling on the Third Year Anniversary show against Amber O'Neal. She continued to compete with the company and with National Wrestling Superstars, where she teamed with former ECW star Balls Mahoney in a tournament. In 2010, Jazz won WSU's third Uncensored Rumble to earn a shot at Mercedes Martinez's WSU Championship. Mercedes defeated Jazz in the main event of WSU's inaugural internet pay-per-view, "Breaking Barriers", on November 5, 2010. Jazz was defeated by Alicia at WSU's four year anniversary show on March 5, 2011. However, later that same night, she offered herself as the mystery partner of WSU Tag Team Champion Marti Belle, whose partner, Tina San Antonio, was injured in the week prior. Marti Belle and Jazz defeated Amy Lee and Cindy Rogers and The Soul Sisters (Jana and Latasha) to become the "new" WSU Tag Team Champions, giving Jazz her first Tag Team Championships. Jazz, Belle, & Tina would be able to defend the belts under the "Freebird rule" where any two of the three could compete. Marti & Tina would lose the belts before Jazz was able to have a defense. Jazz was scheduled for a rematch but had to pull out due to personal reasons.

Return to the independent circuit (2016–present)

On September 2, 2016, Jazz made her debut for Chikara, when she entered the 2016 King of Trios tournament as part of Team Original Divas Revolution, alongside Victoria and Mickie James. They defeated Team Shimmer (Candice LeRae, Crazy Mary Dobson and Solo Darling) in their first round match.^[25] The following day, Team Original Divas Revolution was eliminated from the tournament by The Warriors Three (Oleg the Usurper, Princess KimberLee and ThunderFrog).^[26]

On September 16, 2016, Jazz captured the NWA World Women's Championship from Amber Gallows at NWA Texoma.^[27]

Personal life

In high school, Carlene played basketball.^[8] She also had a basketball scholarship in college until a knee injury ended her basketball career.^[2][4] She later dropped out of college to work.^[4]

Carlene is married to Rodney Begnaud, who also competed as Rodney Mack in WWE.^[8] They live together in Lafayette, Louisiana on 25 acres (100,000 m²) of land.^[2][4] The couple welcomed twin girls named Summer and Skye in November 2008.^[28]

She owns a fitness gym, which according to her is to "keep the youth off the streets and keep them positive."^[8] She also runs a wrestling school with her husband called The Dog Pound.^[29]

In July 2016, she was named part of a class action lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred traumatic brain injuries during their tenure and that the company concealed the risks of injury. The suit is litigated by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE.^[30]

In wrestling

Jazz applying the Bitch Clamp to Trish Stratus.

Jazz performing the STF on Lead von Dutch

• Finishing moves
  • DDT^[11][17][31]
  • Fisherman brainbuster, sometimes from the second rope^[10][12][13]
  • Jazz Stinger (Sitout facebuster)^[3]
  • Sitout front powerslam - used as a signature move in WWE^[31]
  • STF, transitioned from a single leg Boston crab^[12][17][18]
• Signature moves
  • Back body drop^[11][12]
  • Backhand chop^[3]
  • Bitch Clamp^[12][17] (Elevated double chickenwing)^[31]
  • Double underhook suplex, sometimes done repeatedly in succession^[10][13][18]
  • Eye rake^[10][13]
  • Low dropkick, to the head of a kneeling opponent^[12]
  • Modified cloverleaf transitioned into a bridging double chickenwing^[18]
  • Running leg drop^{[10][12][13][31]}
  • Running splash^[11][13]
  • Side flapjack dropped into a hangman^[11][12][13]
  • Single leg Boston crab^[18]
• Managers
  • Theodore Long^[2]
• Wrestlers managed
  • Impact Players^[6]
  • Rodney Mack^[3]
  • Tommy Dreamer
• Nicknames
  • "The Baddest Bitch"^[2]
  • "The Bad-ass Bitch"^[2]
• Entrance themes
  • "Money, Power & Respect" by The LOX featuring DMX and Lil' Kim
  • "Miss Mercy" by Jim Johnston (WWF/E)
  • "Jazz Stinger" by Jim Johnston (WWE)
  • "The Spark" by Kenny Wootton and Harley Wootton^[32] (Chikara)

Championships and accomplishments

Jazz (left) and Marti Belle as the WSU Tag Team Champions in March 2011.

• Downsouth Championship Wrestling
  • DCW Louisiana State Championship (1 time)^[33]
• NWA Cyberspace
  • NWA Cyberspace Women's Championship (1 time)^[34]
• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA World Women's Championship (1 time, current)^[35]
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked her #13 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2012^[36]
• Texas Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2012
• Women Superstars Uncensored
  • WSU Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Marti Belle
  • WSU Hall of Fame (Class of 2010)
• Women's Extreme Wrestling
  • WEW World Championship (1 time)
• World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWF/E Women's Championship (2 times)^[37]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jazz (wrestler).

• Online World of Wrestling profile
• WWE Alumni profile
• Tha O Show Episode 181 Jazz Interview