Godwinns
The Godwinns were a professional wrestling tag team that are best known for their time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1996 until 1997.
| The Godwinns | |
|---|---|
 Henry O. Godwinn during his time in the Godwinns | |
| Stable | |
| Name(s) | The Godwinns Southern Justice Tex Slazenger and Shanghai Pierce |
| Billed from | "Bitters, Arkansas" |
| Former member(s) | Henry O. Godwinn / Shanghai Pierce / Mark Canterbury Phineas I. Godwinn / Tex Slazenger / Dennis Knight |
| Debut | 1991 |
| Disbanded | 1998 |
The members of the team were Henry O. Godwinn (HOG) and Phineas I. Godwinn (PIG). The team has also wrestled in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), United States Wrestling Association (USWA), and Deep South Wrestling (DSW). In the WWF, the members of the team were portrayed as a family of Arkansas hillbilly pig farmers.[1] In WCW, they went by the names Tex Slazenger and Shanghai Pierce and wore masks.[2]
In the WWF, the group debuted on January 22, 1996 in a victory against The Bodydonnas (Skip & Zip).[3] The Godwinns entered a tag team tournament for the then-vacant WWF Tag Team Championships. They faced the Bodydonnas in the finals at WrestleMania XII but lost.[4] They feuded with the Bodydonnas over the championships and their valet Sunny. The Godwinns ended up defeating the Bodydonnas at a house show on May 19, 1996 to win the WWF Tag Team Championships.[5] They would lose the championships to The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart Gunn) at In Your House: Beware of Dog.[6]
After Henry got injured, the team would return as heels. They also replaced their manager Hillbilly Jim with their Uncle Cletus.[7] At Badd Blood: In Your House, the Godwinns defeated The Headbangers (Thrasher and Mosh) to become two-time WWF Tag Team Champions.[8] They lost the championships to the Legion of Doom (Animal and Hawk) on the October 13 episode of Raw is War. After the match, they attacked Uncle Cletus.[9]
After the loss, the team had a gimmick change. They changed their name to Southern Justice, started using their real names and became backup for Jeff Jarrett. This was short-lived as Canterbury injured his neck. He got surgery and spinal fusion but decided to retire from professional wrestling afterwards. Knight was renamed as Mideon.[10]
Championships and accomplishments
change- World Wrestling Federation
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Worst Tag Team (1996, 1997)
References
change- ↑ "Former WWE Champion Describes How Vince McMahon Created His Gimmick". ITR Wrestling. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ↑ "WCW Show Results 1992". The History of WWE. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ↑ "WWF Show Results 1996". The History of WWE. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ↑ "WWE WrestleMania Countdown - 1996 PPV Report (WM 12): Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart Iron Man match, Ultimate Warrior vs. Triple H". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ↑ "The Godwinns' first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on December 31, 2005. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ↑ "Smokin' Gunns' third reign". WWE. Archived from the original on December 31, 2005. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ↑ "Wrestling Observer: September 3 – 9th, 1997". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ↑ "Leighty's Retro Review – WWF In Your House: Badd Blood". 411Mania. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ↑ "WWF Show Results 1997". The History of WWE. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ↑ "O Henry! Henry O. Godwinn set to return". WWE. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ↑ "World Tag Team Championship history". WWE. Retrieved December 20, 2024.