123-709: Peter Joseph "PJ" Polaco (born October 16, 1973) is a retired American professional wrestler , best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Justin Credible . He is also known for his earlier stint with the WWF under the ring name Aldo Montoya . Polaco is a one-time world champion , having won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once . His first major stint
246-568: A Tables, Ladders, Chairs and Canes match at the company's final pay-per-view Guilty as Charged , where Sandman won the title. He competed against Sandman in the final match in the history of ECW on January 13, 2001, which he won but offered a rematch, which he lost to Sandman. With ECW facing imminent bankruptcy and Paul Heyman becoming unable to pay the roster, Polaco returned to the WWF as Justin Credible in February 2001, immediately forming an alliance with X-Pac and assisting him in his pursuit of
369-533: A handicap match . He made only one pay-per-view appearance in 1996 at the Royal Rumble , where he participated in the Royal Rumble match , where he lasted only two minutes until he was eliminated by Tatanka . His only highlight of the year was an upset victory against Jerry Lawler on the July 27 episode of Superstars , which he gained by pinning Lawler with Jake Roberts ' DDT finishing move. He lost to Lawler in
492-566: A lower house based on population; and the Senate , an upper house based on equal representation for each state. Federalism provides substantial autonomy to the 50 states, while the country's political culture promotes liberty , equality , individualism , personal autonomy , and limited government . One of the world's most developed countries , the United States has had the largest nominal GDP since about 1890 and accounted for over 15% of
615-543: A tag team match at the company's premier pay-per-view event November to Remember . However, he defeated Dreamer in the first-ever Stairway to Hell match at the Guilty as Charged pay-per-view on January 10, 1999, thanks to interference by Terry Funk . In the midst of his rivalry with Tommy Dreamer , Polaco aligned himself with his mentor Lance Storm after the duo lost a three-way dance against Dreamer at House Party . Storm and Credible continued to feud with Dreamer until
738-565: A two out of three falls match at A Matter of Respect and in a standard one-on-one match at the Heat Wave pay-per-view on August 2. In the fall of 1998, Credible renewed his feud with Tommy Dreamer. He joined forces with Jack Victory and Rod Price against Dreamer and The Gangstanators ( John Kronus and New Jack ) in a Philly Street Fight at the UltraClash event, where his team lost. Polaco and Victory lost to Dreamer and Jake Roberts in
861-562: A " Special Relationship " with the United Kingdom and strong ties with Canada , Australia , New Zealand , the Philippines , Japan , South Korea , Israel , and several European Union countries ( France , Italy , Germany , Spain , and Poland ). The U.S. works closely with its NATO allies on military and national security issues, and with countries in the Americas through
984-484: A "jockstrap". Polaco befriended The Kliq , an influential group of upper card wrestlers, after Razor Ramon offered to mentor him. Polaco made his pay-per-view debut at the 1995 Royal Rumble as a participant in the Royal Rumble match . He lasted 13 minutes until he was eliminated by eventual winner Shawn Michaels . Montoya suffered his first televised loss against Mantaur on the January 29 episode of Action Zone . On
1107-498: A contract with the MTV " Wrestling Society X " stating that if MTV decided to turn the "one time special" into a full season, he would complete the season and would be un-able to compete anywhere else for that time period. He was released from his contract on June 5, 2006. Polaco was in the main event of the first Wrestling Society X Show, the WSX Rumble. He was the first person in the match and
1230-533: A coordinated, continent-wide military effort. Finally, deteriorating relations between the British military establishment and the colonists, relations that were already less than positive, set the stage for further distrust and dislike of British troops. Following their victory in the French and Indian War, Britain began to assert greater control over local colonial affairs, resulting in colonial political resistance ; one of
1353-522: A decentralized government that operated until 1789. After the British surrender at the siege of Yorktown in 1781 American sovereignty was internationally recognized by the Treaty of Paris (1783), through which the U.S. gained territory stretching west to the Mississippi River, north to present-day Canada, and south to Spanish Florida . The Northwest Ordinance (1787) established the precedent by which
SECTION 10
#17328692973501476-407: A few prominent industrialists , largely by their formation of trusts and monopolies to prevent competition. Tycoons led the nation's expansion in the railroad , petroleum , and steel industries. The United States emerged as a pioneer of the automotive industry . These changes were accompanied by significant increases in economic inequality , slum conditions , and social unrest , creating
1599-616: A founding member of the World Bank , Organization of American States , NATO , and the United Nations , as well as a permanent member of the UN Security Council . The first documented use of the phrase "United States of America" is a letter from January 2, 1776. Stephen Moylan , a Continental Army aide to General George Washington , wrote to Joseph Reed , Washington's aide-de-camp , seeking to go "with full and ample powers from
1722-479: A losing effort. Impact Players continued their rivalry with Raven and Dreamer as they began pursuing the ECW World Tag Team Championship. On the January 7, 2000, episode of ECW on TNN , Credible defeated Dreamer in the second Stairway to Hell match. Impact Players were booked to win the titles from Raven and Dreamer at Guilty as Charged on January 9, 2000. A month later, Impact Players dropped
1845-483: A loss to Chris Candido on August 21, 1997. He later resumed his "PJ Walker" name. At As Good as It Gets , his character was repackaged as he shaved his head and switched to a grunge style of dress, and adopted a cocky, sneering, egomaniacal attitude. He was introduced by Jason Knight , who named him "Justin Credible" ("Just Incredible"). Credible defeated Jerry Lynn by debuting a new finisher called That's Incredible . He began an undefeated streak which included
1968-580: A notable win over The Great Sasuke on the October 24 episode of Hardcore TV . Credible suffered his first loss in ECW against Mikey Whipwreck in his pay-per-view debut at November to Remember . Credible continued his rivalry with Whipwreck, beating him in televised rematches on Hardcore TV , while losing again at Better Than Ever . Credible quickly became a rising villain in the company and adopted Nicole Bass as his bodyguard. He began his next major feud with
2091-583: A period of heightened, overt racism following Reconstruction, a time often called the nadir of American race relations . A series of Supreme Court decisions, including Plessy v. Ferguson , emptied the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of their force, allowing Jim Crow laws in the South to remain unchecked, sundown towns in the Midwest, and segregation in communities across the country , which would be reinforced by
2214-488: A prominent leader in the early 1960s. The Great Society plan of President Lyndon Johnson 's administration resulted in groundbreaking and broad-reaching laws, policies and a constitutional amendment to counteract some of the worst effects of lingering institutional racism . The counterculture movement in the U.S. brought significant social changes, including the liberalization of attitudes toward recreational drug use and sexuality . It also encouraged open defiance of
2337-607: A rematch on the August 5 episode of Monday Night Raw . After the match, Lawler poured Jim Beam whiskey down his throat. Throughout this time, Montoya became more of a lower card wrestler and even asked for his release in June 1997 when he was only being booked twice a month. The WWF initially declined and sent him to a developmental promotion United States Wrestling Association in Memphis to hone his skills, where he remained for seven weeks. He
2460-518: A sense of manifest destiny . The Missouri Compromise attempted to balance the desire of northern states to prevent the expansion of slavery into new territories with that of southern states to extend it, admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. It further prohibited slavery in all other lands of the Louisiana Purchase north of the 36°30′ parallel . As Americans expanded further into land inhabited by Native Americans,
2583-603: A sense of American identity as well. Men who otherwise never left their own colony now traveled across the continent to fight alongside men from decidedly different backgrounds but who were no less "American". British officers trained American officers for battle, most notably George Washington ; these officers would lend their skills and expertise to the colonists' cause during the American Revolutionary War to come. In addition, colonial legislatures and officials found it necessary to cooperate intensively in pursuit of
SECTION 20
#17328692973502706-582: A stable with several other ex-ECW wrestlers and reviving his feud with Jerry Lynn. He was also briefly a member of the Xtreme Horsemen in Major League Wrestling with C. W. Anderson , Steve Corino , and Simon Diamond , who were briefly managed by J. J. Dillon . In June 2005, Polaco appeared in all Hardcore Homecoming event. He was defeated by Jerry Lynn at June 10, by Sandman at September 15 and by Lynn again at September 18. He defeated Lynn at
2829-611: A status solidified after its involvement in World War I . After Japan 's attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the U.S. entered World War II . Its aftermath left the U.S. and the Soviet Union as the world's two superpowers and led to the Cold War , during which both countries struggled for ideological dominance and international influence . Following the Soviet Union's collapse and
2952-650: A team with Raven , until Team Alliance lost at Survivor Series . Credible was fired along with the rest of the Alliance roster (in kayfabe) by Vince McMahon until Ric Flair was able to save his job and get him drafted over to the Raw brand in March 2002. On the Raw brand, Credible wrestled mostly on Sunday Night Heat and lost many singles matches he was in, but managed to become an eight-time Hardcore Champion . His last match on Raw
3075-506: A tournament for the vacant World Tag Team Championship in September. They defeated The Sandman and Chilly Willy in the first round before losing to Dreamer and Jerry Lynn in the quarterfinals. Credible defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Network's Steve Corino on the September 15 ECW on TNN , during which Corino brought Dawn Marie as his valet, who had been injured by Credible at Hardcore Heaven. Credible managed to retain
3198-428: A winning effort at ECPW show. Polaco is of Portuguese ancestry. His parents emigrated to the United States from Portugal three years before he was born. He speaks Portuguese fluently. Peter and his wife Jill Marie Polaco (née Jurecki) were married on June 4, 1997. They have three sons, Nicholas (born April 2000) and Christian, and, Jasper. United States The United States of America ( USA ), commonly known as
3321-401: A year). Juvenile correctional facilities are operated by local or state governments and serve as longer-term placements for any minor adjudicated as delinquent and ordered by a judge to be confined. As of January 2023, the United States has the sixth-highest per capita incarceration rate in the world—531 people per 100,000 inhabitants—and the largest prison and jail population in
3444-571: Is believed to be the first widespread culture in the Americas. Over time, indigenous North American cultures grew increasingly sophisticated, and some, such as the Mississippian culture , developed agriculture , architecture , and complex societies . In the post-archaic period , the Mississippian cultures were located in the midwestern , eastern , and southern regions, and the Algonquian in
3567-492: Is known as the presidential system , in contrast to the parliamentary system , where the executive is part of the legislative body. Many countries around the world imitated this aspect of the 1789 Constitution of the United States , especially in the Americas. The Constitution is silent on political parties. However, they developed independently in the 18th century with the Federalist and Anti-Federalist parties. Since then,
3690-438: Is now the United States experienced conflicts with Native Americans, they also engaged in trade, exchanging European tools for food and animal pelts. Relations ranged from close cooperation to warfare and massacres. The colonial authorities often pursued policies that forced Native Americans to adopt European lifestyles, including conversion to Christianity. Along the eastern seaboard, settlers trafficked African slaves through
3813-542: Is the federal agency charged with addressing most environmental-related issues . The idea of wilderness has shaped the management of public lands since 1964, with the Wilderness Act . The Endangered Species Act of 1973 provides a way to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitats. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service implements and enforces the Act. In 2024, the U.S. ranked 34th among 180 countries in
Justin Credible - Misplaced Pages Continue
3936-492: The 1-2-3 Kid and Tatanka as "Team WWF". In their first round match on September 14, Team WWF was defeated by The Extreme Trio (Jerry Lynn, Tommy Dreamer and Too Cold Scorpio ). Polaco retired on November 20, 2015, after facing long-time rival Tommy Dreamer at a Pro Wrestling Syndicate event. Credible came out of retirement and faced Matt Tremont in a winning effort at CZW show in August 2016. In March 2017, he returned to wrestling, and teamed with The Sandman & New Jack in
4059-584: The Allies of World War I , helping to turn the tide against the Central Powers . In 1920, a constitutional amendment granted nationwide women's suffrage . During the 1920s and '30s, radio for mass communication and the invention of early television transformed communications nationwide. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 triggered the Great Depression , which President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded to with
4182-548: The Atlantic slave trade . The original Thirteen Colonies that would later found the United States were administered as possessions of Great Britain , and had local governments with elections open to most white male property owners . The colonial population grew rapidly, eclipsing Native American populations; by the 1770s, the natural increase of the population was such that only a small minority of Americans had been born overseas. The colonies' distance from Britain allowed for
4305-408: The ECW World Heavyweight Championship . He threw down his ECW World Tag Team Championship belt and challenged Dreamer to defend the title against him on the spot to which Dreamer agreed. Polaco defeated Dreamer to win the title after Dreamer's valet Francine turned on Dreamer. From this point, Francine became Credible's valet. Credible became a loyal ally of The Network and the top wrestler of
4428-529: The Environmental Performance Index . The country joined the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2016 and has many other environmental commitments. The United States is a federal republic of 50 states and a separate federal capital district, Washington, D.C. It also asserts sovereignty over five unincorporated territories and several uninhabited island possessions . The U.S. is
4551-493: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Marshals Service have national jurisdiction and specialized duties, such as protecting civil rights , national security and enforcing U.S. federal courts ' rulings and federal laws. State courts conduct most civil and criminal trials, and federal courts handle designated crimes and appeals of state court decisions . There is no unified "criminal justice system" in
4674-688: The Great Lakes , Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico . British colonization of the East Coast began with the Virginia Colony (1607) and Plymouth Colony (1620). The Mayflower Compact and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut established precedents for representative self-governance and constitutionalism that would develop throughout the American colonies. While European settlers in what
4797-701: The Great Lakes region and along the Eastern Seaboard , while the Hohokam culture and Ancestral Puebloans inhabited the southwest . Native population estimates of what is now the United States before the arrival of European immigrants range from around 500,000 to nearly 10 million. Christopher Columbus began exploring the Caribbean for Spain in 1492, leading to Spanish-speaking settlements and missions from Puerto Rico and Florida to New Mexico and California . France established its own settlements along
4920-580: The Midwest . At the same time, about one million French Canadians migrated from Quebec to New England . During the Great Migration , millions of African Americans left the rural South for urban areas in the North. Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867. The Compromise of 1877 effectively ended Reconstruction and white supremacists took local control of Southern politics . African Americans endured
5043-672: The National Park Service and other agencies. About 28% of the country's land is publicly owned and federally managed, primarily in the Western States . Most of this land is protected , though some is leased for commercial use, and less than one percent is used for military purposes. Environmental issues in the United States include debates on non-renewable resources and nuclear energy , air and water pollution , biodiversity , logging and deforestation , and climate change . The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Justin Credible - Misplaced Pages Continue
5166-535: The New Deal , a series of sweeping programs and public works projects combined with financial reforms and regulations . All were intended to protect against future economic depressions. Initially neutral during World War II , the U.S. began supplying war materiel to the Allies of World War II in March 1941 and entered the war in December after the Empire of Japan 's attack on Pearl Harbor . The U.S. developed
5289-759: The Organization of American States and the United States–Mexico–Canada Free Trade Agreement . In South America, Colombia is traditionally considered to be the closest ally of the United States. The U.S. exercises full international defense authority and responsibility for Micronesia , the Marshall Islands , and Palau through the Compact of Free Association . It has increasingly conducted strategic cooperation with India , but its ties with China have steadily deteriorated. Since 2014,
5412-638: The Pentium microprocessor in accordance with Moore's law , rechargeable lithium-ion batteries , the first gene therapy trial, and cloning either emerged in the U.S. or were improved upon there. The Human Genome Project was formally launched in 1990, while Nasdaq became the first stock market in the United States to trade online in 1998. In the Gulf War of 1991, an American-led international coalition of states expelled an Iraqi invasion force that had occupied neighboring Kuwait . The September 11 attacks on
5535-576: The Spanish–American War . (The Philippines was granted full independence from the U.S. on July 4, 1946, following World War II. Puerto Rico and Guam have remained U.S. territories.) American Samoa was acquired by the United States in 1900 after the Second Samoan Civil War . The U.S. Virgin Islands were purchased from Denmark in 1917. The United States entered World War I alongside
5658-664: The United States ( U.S. ) or America , is a country primarily located in North America . It is a federal union of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous states border Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, with the states of Alaska to the northwest and the archipelagic Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean . The United States also asserts sovereignty over five major island territories and various uninhabited islands . The country has
5781-573: The WWF Intercontinental Championship . The duo eventually formed a stable with Albert known as X-Factor . X-Pac and Credible tried several times to win the WWF Tag Team Championship , but were unsuccessful. The team split when Credible aligned himself with Paul Heyman 's band of ECW insurgents and helped form The Alliance with World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Credible remained on the company's "B" shows, forming
5904-430: The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as an enhancement talent . His first match was a loss to Lex Luger on the March 1, 1993, episode of Monday Night Raw . He continued to wrestle sporadically in the WWF throughout 1993 and 1994 losing to Yokozuna , Bam Bam Bigelow , Mr. Perfect , Diesel , Jeff Jarrett , Owen Hart , Undertaker and Nikolai Volkoff . He even scored an upset victory against Irwin R. Schyster on
6027-670: The cotton gin made the institution increasingly profitable for Southern elites . This sectional conflict regarding slavery culminated in the American Civil War (1861–1865). Eleven slave states seceded and formed the Confederate States of America , while the other states remained in the Union . War broke out in April 1861 after the Confederates bombarded Fort Sumter . After
6150-514: The end of the Cold War in 1991, the U.S. emerged as the world's sole superpower , wielding significant geopolitical influence globally . The U.S. national government is a presidential constitutional federal republic and liberal democracy with three separate branches : legislative , executive , and judicial . It has a bicameral national legislature composed of the House of Representatives ,
6273-524: The fall of communism and the collapse of the Soviet Union , which marked the end of the Cold War and left the United States as the world's sole superpower . The 1990s saw the longest recorded economic expansion in American history , a dramatic decline in U.S. crime rates , and advances in technology . Throughout this decade, technological innovations such as the World Wide Web , the evolution of
SECTION 50
#17328692973506396-400: The global economy in 2023. It possesses by far the largest amount of wealth of any country and has the highest disposable household income per capita among OECD countries. The U.S. ranks among the world's highest in economic competitiveness , productivity , innovation , human rights , and higher education . Its hard power and cultural influence have a global reach. The U.S. is
6519-548: The " Portuguese Man O' War " character since he didn't like soccer. He made his televised debut as a fan favorite on the November 14 episode of Monday Night Raw , where he picked up a victory over The Brooklyn Brawler . He was once offered to be a part of the Million Dollar Corporation by Ted DiBiase . He refused and told him to "shove his money in his ear". His mask drew criticism by fellow wrestlers, who called it
6642-406: The 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord , igniting the American Revolutionary War . At the Second Continental Congress , the colonies appointed George Washington commander-in-chief of the Continental Army , and created a committee that named Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence . Two days after passing the Lee Resolution to create an independent nation the Declaration
6765-466: The 2010s, political polarization in the country increased between liberal and conservative factions. This polarization was capitalized upon in the January 2021 Capitol attack , when a mob of insurrectionists entered the U.S. Capitol and sought to prevent the peaceful transfer of power in an attempted self-coup d'état . The United States is the world's third-largest country by total area behind Russia and Canada. The 48 contiguous states and
6888-426: The American West have an alpine climate . The climate is arid in the Southwest, Mediterranean in coastal California , and oceanic in coastal Oregon , Washington , and southern Alaska . Most of Alaska is subarctic or polar . Hawaii , the southern tip of Florida and U.S. territories in the Caribbean and Pacific are tropical . States bordering the Gulf of Mexico are prone to hurricanes, and most of
7011-424: The April 8 episode of Superstars , Polaco defeated the Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett in a non-title match, which earned him a title shot against Jarrett for the Intercontinental Championship on the April 22 episode of Superstars , where Jarrett retained the title. Montoya appeared at the In Your House pay-per-view, where he attempted to prevent Jarrett and The Roadie from attacking Razor Ramon after
7134-420: The Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The term "United States" and the initialism "U.S.", used as nouns or as adjectives in English, are common short names for the country. The initialism "USA", a noun, is also common. "United States" and "U.S." are the established terms throughout the U.S. federal government , with prescribed rules. In English, the term "America" rarely refers to topics unrelated to
7257-404: The District of Columbia occupy a combined area of 3,119,885 square miles (8,080,470 km ). The coastal plain of the Atlantic seaboard gives way to inland forests and rolling hills in the Piedmont plateau region. The Appalachian Mountains and the Adirondack massif separate the East Coast from the Great Lakes and the grasslands of the Midwest . The Mississippi River System ,
7380-466: The ECW World Heavyweight Championship at CyberSlam and held it for five months. He remained in the title contention until ECW folded in 2001 and competed in the last match of ECW. He headlined the company's flagship event November to Remember twice. He then returned to WWF as a member of X-Factor and later The Alliance during the Invasion angle . He later won the Hardcore Championship eight times before departing in 2003. He briefly returned to
7503-458: The Elder concluded that major military resources needed to be devoted to North America to win the war against France. For the first time, the continent became one of the main theaters of what could be termed a " world war ". The British colonies' position as an integral part of the British Empire became more apparent during the war, with British military and civilian officials becoming a more significant presence in American life. The war increased
SECTION 60
#17328692973507626-465: The January 1863 Emancipation Proclamation , many freed slaves joined the Union army . The war began to turn in the Union's favor following the 1863 Siege of Vicksburg and Battle of Gettysburg , and the Confederacy surrendered in 1865 after the Union's victory in the Battle of Appomattox Court House . The Reconstruction era followed the war. After the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln , Reconstruction Amendments were passed to protect
7749-476: The Rocky Mountains, the Yellowstone Caldera , is the continent's largest volcanic feature. In 2021, the United States had 8% of global permanent meadows and pastures and 10% of cropland. With its large size and geographic variety, the United States includes most climate types. East of the 100th meridian , the climate ranges from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in the south. The western Great Plains are semi-arid . Many mountainous areas of
7872-411: The September 20, 1993, episode of Raw , after a distraction by Razor Ramon . In 1994, he also worked a few matches as an enhancement talent in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In November 1994, Polaco was hired by Pat Patterson to a full-time contract in the WWF. His Portuguese ancestry inspired the WWF to give him the soccer player character of Aldo Montoya . However the idea changed to
7995-451: The U.S. has become a key ally of Ukraine ; it has also provided the country with significant military equipment and other support in response to Russia's 2022 invasion . The president is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces and appoints its leaders, the secretary of defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff . The Department of Defense , which is headquartered at the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., administers five of
8118-661: The U.S. territories." Despite disparate systems of confinement, four main institutions dominate: federal prisons , state prisons , local jails, and juvenile correctional facilities . Federal prisons are run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and hold people who have been convicted of federal crimes, including pretrial detainees. State prisons, run by the official department of correction of each state, hold sentenced people serving prison time (usually longer than one year) for felony offenses. Local jails are county or municipal facilities that incarcerate defendants prior to trial; they also hold those serving short sentences (typically under
8241-416: The United States and the peaceful transfer of power , respectively. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 from France nearly doubled the territory of the United States. Lingering issues with Britain remained , leading to the War of 1812 , which was fought to a draw. Spain ceded Florida and its Gulf Coast territory in 1819. In the late 18th century, American settlers began to expand westward , many with
8364-541: The United States entered the Cold War, where geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union led the two countries to dominate world affairs . The U.S. utilized the policy of containment to limit the USSR's sphere of influence, and prevailed in the Space Race , which culminated with the first crewed Moon landing in 1969. Domestically, the U.S. experienced economic growth , urbanization , and population growth following World War II . The civil rights movement emerged, with Martin Luther King Jr. becoming
8487-495: The United States has operated as a de facto two-party system , though the parties in that system have been different at different times. The two main national parties are presently the Democratic and the Republican . The former is perceived as relatively liberal in its political platform while the latter is perceived as relatively conservative . In the American federal system , sovereign powers are shared between two levels of elected government: national and state. People in
8610-402: The United States in 2001 by the pan-Islamist militant organization al-Qaeda led to the war on terror , and subsequent military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq . The cultural impact of the attacks was profound and long-lasting. The U.S. housing bubble culminated in 2007 with the Great Recession , the largest economic contraction since the Great Depression. Coming to a head in
8733-415: The United States of America to Spain" to seek assistance in the Revolutionary War effort. The first known public usage is an anonymous essay published in the Williamsburg newspaper, The Virginia Gazette , on April 6, 1776. By June 1776, the "United States of America" appeared in the Articles of Confederation and the Declaration of Independence . The Second Continental Congress adopted
8856-580: The United States, despite the usage of "the Americas " as the totality of North and South America. "The States" is an established colloquial shortening of the name, used particularly from abroad; "stateside" is the corresponding adjective or adverb. The first inhabitants of North America migrated from Siberia across the Bering land bridge about 12,000 years ago; the Clovis culture , which appeared around 11,000 BC,
8979-605: The United States, except Iran , North Korea , and Bhutan . Though Taiwan does not have formal diplomatic relations with the U.S., it maintains close unofficial relations. The United States regularly supplies Taiwan with military equipment to deter potential Chinese aggression. Its geopolitical attention also turned to the Indo-Pacific when the United States joined the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with Australia, India, and Japan. The United States has
9102-509: The United States. The American prison system is largely heterogenous, with thousands of relatively independent systems operating across federal, state, local, and tribal levels. In 2023, "these systems [held] almost 2 million people in 1,566 state prisons, 98 federal prisons, 3,116 local jails, 1,323 juvenile correctional facilities, 181 immigration detention facilities, and 80 Indian country jails, as well as in military prisons , civil commitment centers, state psychiatric hospitals, and prisons in
9225-544: The WWE owning the rights to the Justin Credible name; Polaco was defeated by Stevie Richards . Afterwards, he was assaulted by former rival The Sandman with a Singapore cane. On January 14, 2012, Credible returned to the former ECW Arena, when he was defeated by Sabu at an Evolve event in the venue's final professional wrestling match. On April 28, 2012, Polaco was scheduled to wrestle on Shane Douglas' Extreme Reunion show, but
9348-505: The World Heavyweight Championship. Credible defended the title against Storm in a singles match , during which he injured Storm's valet Dawn Marie with a That's Incredible . Credible retained the title and was assaulted by Dreamer after the match. Credible successfully defended the title against Dreamer in the third Stairway to Hell match between the duo at Heat Wave . Credible represented The Network with Rhino in
9471-502: The company in mid-1999. Following Douglas' departure, Credible faced Sid Vicious in a match at May's Hardcore Heaven , which ended in a no contest. Impact Players began dominating the roster in singles and tag team competition and quickly earned main event status by feuding with the company's top wrestlers. They defeated Jerry Lynn and Sabu at the Hostile City Showdown event in June while lost to Lynn and Rob Van Dam in
9594-486: The company's veteran Tommy Dreamer in 1998. Credible defeated Dreamer in a first blood match at February's CyberSlam pay-per-view but lost to him in a match at Living Dangerously . Polaco was attacked by his returning nemesis Mikey Whipwreck after the match. The two resumed their rivalry as Credible defeated Whipwreck at Wrestlepalooza . During this time, Credible began a high-profile feud with Jerry Lynn as he lost to Lynn at It Ain't Seinfeld . Credible defeated Lynn in
9717-453: The contiguous United States are in the State of California, about 84 miles (135 km) apart. At an elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m), Alaska's Denali is the highest peak in the country and continent. Active volcanoes are common throughout Alaska's Alexander and Aleutian Islands , and Hawaii consists of volcanic islands. The supervolcano underlying Yellowstone National Park in
9840-549: The country's GDP. The U.S. has 42% of the world's nuclear weapons —the second-largest share after Russia. The United States has the third-largest combined armed forces in the world, behind the Chinese People's Liberation Army and Indian Armed Forces . The military operates about 800 bases and facilities abroad, and maintains deployments greater than 100 active duty personnel in 25 foreign countries. State defense forces (SDFs) are military units that operate under
9963-464: The country's territory would expand with the admission of new states , rather than the expansion of existing states. The U.S. Constitution was drafted at the 1787 Constitutional Convention to overcome the limitations of the Articles. It went into effect in 1789, creating a federal republic governed by three separate branches that together ensured a system of checks and balances . George Washington
10086-699: The development of self-governance, and the First Great Awakening , a series of Christian revivals , fueled colonial interest in religious liberty . For a century, the American colonists had been providing their own troops and materiel in conflicts with indigenous peoples allied with Britain's colonial rivals , especially France, and the Americans had begun to develop a sense of self-defense and self-reliance separate from Britain. The French and Indian War (1754–1763) took on new significance for all North American colonists after Parliament under William Pitt
10209-414: The dispossession of native inhabitants . As more states were admitted , a North–South division over slavery led to the secession of the Confederate States of America , which fought states remaining in the Union in the 1861–1865 American Civil War . With the victory and preservation of the United States, slavery was abolished nationally . By 1900, the country had established itself as a great power ,
10332-467: The duo formed a tag team at Crossing the Line called The Impact Players . They proclaimed themselves to be "New Franchise" after Shane Douglas teased his retirement but Douglas instead chose Dreamer as his successor. Impact Players were defeated by Dreamer and Douglas at Living Dangerously on March 21. Credible lost a match to Douglas at CyberSlam . The feud with Dreamer and Douglas ended when Douglas left
10455-564: The environment for labor unions to begin to flourish . This period eventually ended with the advent of the Progressive Era , which was characterized by significant reforms. Pro-American elements in Hawaii overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy ; the islands were annexed in 1898. That same year, Puerto Rico , the Philippines , and Guam were ceded to the U.S. by Spain after the latter's defeat in
10578-527: The federal government often applied policies of Indian removal or assimilation . The Trail of Tears (1830–1850) was a U.S. government policy that forcibly removed and displaced most Native Americans living east of the Mississippi River to lands far to the west. These and earlier organized displacements prompted a long series of American Indian Wars west of the Mississippi. The Republic of Texas
10701-450: The final Hardcore Homecoming event in a Steel Cage match. Also, he interfered at ECW One Night Stand match between his mentor Lance Storm and Chris Jericho, attacking Jericho with a kendo stick. On November 13, 2005, Polaco, wrestling as P.J. Polaco, was announced as the "mystery opponent" for Raven on the TNA pay-per view, Genesis . Polaco lost the match after Raven hit a DDT. Credible signed
10824-541: The first nuclear weapons and used them against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, ending the war. The United States was one of the " Four Policemen " who met to plan the post-war world , alongside the United Kingdom , Soviet Union , and China . The U.S. emerged relatively unscathed from the war, with even greater economic power and international political influence . After World War II,
10947-705: The first settlement of the Thirteen Colonies in Virginia in 1607. Clashes with the British Crown over taxation and political representation sparked the American Revolution , with the Second Continental Congress formally declaring independence on July 4, 1776. Following its victory in the 1775–1783 Revolutionary War , the country continued to expand westward across North America , resulting in
11070-564: The group. Upon winning the World Heavyweight Championship, Credible vacated his half of the World Tag Team Championship and berated his mentor and tag team partner Lance Storm , leading to a rivalry between the two. At the Hardcore Heaven pay-per-view, Credible was scheduled to defend the title against Dreamer and Storm in a three-way dance but he refused to defend the title against anyone except Storm and threatened to throw
11193-693: The independent circuit in 2006 using the name "Justin Time". He wrestled for the Pro Wrestling Syndicate promotion, along with fellow original ECW wrestlers Sabu , Danny Doring and Julio Dinero , as well as making appearances for the Insane Clown Posse owned Juggalo Championship Wrestling . On March 29, 2009, he became the Big Time Wrestling Champion, defeating "Hurricane" John Walters with Ric Flair as special guest referee, but Credible
11316-463: The integration of Army National Guard units and personnel into the U.S. Army and (since 1947) the U.S. Air Force. There are about 18,000 U.S. police agencies from local to national level in the United States. Law in the United States is mainly enforced by local police departments and sheriff departments in their municipal or county jurisdictions. The state police departments have authority in their respective state , and federal agencies such as
11439-641: The last one eliminated. Polaco was rehired by World Wrestling Entertainment in June 2006. He returned to WWE television at the June 7 WWE vs. ECW Head to Head event as a member of the ECW brand of WWE, taking part in a 20-man battle royal . He made several appearances on ECW on Sci Fi before being released from his WWE contract on September 28, 2006. During his brief WWE run he won two matches, both by disqualification defeating Balls Mahoney and Sabu . He also lost to CM Punk in Punk's ECW debut match. Polaco returned to
11562-501: The main event of Heat Wave pay-per-view on July 18. Polaco then embarked on a feud with Sabu, which culminated in a match between the two at September's Anarchy Rulz pay-per-view, which Polaco won. Impact Players' next feud was with The Sandman and the ECW World Tag Team Champions Tommy Dreamer and Raven . At November to Remember , Impact Players teamed with Rhino against Sandman, Raven and Dreamer in
11685-477: The military draft (leading to the end of conscription in 1973) and wide opposition to U.S. intervention in Vietnam (with the U.S. totally withdrawing in 1975). A societal shift in the roles of women was significantly responsible for the large increase in female paid labor participation during the 1970s, and by 1985 the majority of American women aged 16 and older were employed. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw
11808-612: The most attractive to the population are the most vulnerable. The U.S. is one of 17 megadiverse countries containing large numbers of endemic species : about 17,000 species of vascular plants occur in the contiguous United States and Alaska, and over 1,800 species of flowering plants are found in Hawaii, few of which occur on the mainland. The United States is home to 428 mammal species, 784 birds, 311 reptiles, 295 amphibians , and around 91,000 insect species. There are 63 national parks , and hundreds of other federally managed parks, forests, and wilderness areas , managed by
11931-642: The most violent, the California genocide of thousands of Native inhabitants, lasted into the early 1870s, just as additional western territories and states were created. During the colonial period, slavery had been legal in the American colonies , though the practice began to be significantly questioned during the American Revolution. States in the North enacted abolition laws , though support for slavery strengthened in Southern states , as inventions such as
12054-408: The policy of redlining later adopted by the federal Home Owners' Loan Corporation . An explosion of technological advancement accompanied by the exploitation of cheap immigrant labor led to rapid economic expansion during the late 19th and early 20th centuries , allowing the United States to outpace the economies of England, France, and Germany combined. This fostered the amassing of power by
12177-553: The primary colonial grievances was a denial of their rights as Englishmen , particularly the right to representation in the British government that taxed them . To demonstrate their dissatisfaction and resolve, the First Continental Congress met in 1774 and passed the Continental Association , a colonial boycott of British goods that proved effective. The British attempt to then disarm the colonists resulted in
12300-561: The renamed WWE in 2006 as part of the revived ECW brand . Polaco traveled to Alberta in 1992 to train at the Hart Brothers Training Camp, nominally run by Keith Hart . He was mainly trained by his future tag team partner, Lance Storm , and Chris Jericho , who both graduated the program the year before. After wrestling unpaid as P.J. Walker , and setting up the rings there for a time, he began working for New England –based wrestling promotions . He began wrestling for
12423-565: The rights of African Americans . National infrastructure, including transcontinental telegraph and railroads , spurred growth in the American frontier . From 1865 through 1917 an unprecedented stream of immigrants arrived in the United States, including 24.4 million from Europe. Most came through the port of New York City , and New York City and other large cities on the East Coast became home to large Jewish , Irish , and Italian populations, while many Germans and Central Europeans moved to
12546-596: The rocky Great Basin and Chihuahua , Sonoran , and Mojave deserts. In the northwest corner of Arizona , carved by the Colorado River over millions of years, is the Grand Canyon , a steep-sided canyon and popular tourist destination known for its overwhelming visual size and intricate, colorful landscape. The Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges run close to the Pacific coast . The lowest and highest points in
12669-563: The six service branches, which are made up of the U.S. Army , Marine Corps , Navy , Air Force , and Space Force . The Coast Guard is administered by the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime and can be transferred to the Department of the Navy in wartime. The United States spent $ 916 billion on its military in 2023, which is by far the largest amount of any country , making up 37% of global military spending and accounting for 3.4% of
12792-528: The sole authority of a state government. SDFs are authorized by state and federal law but are under the command of the state's governor . They are distinct from the state's National Guard units in that they cannot become federalized entities. A state's National Guard personnel, however, may be federalized under the National Defense Act Amendments of 1933 , which created the Guard and provides for
12915-543: The states are also represented by local elected governments , which are administrative divisions of the states. States are subdivided into counties or county equivalents , and further divided into municipalities . The District of Columbia is a federal district containing the U.S. capital, Washington, D.C. . The federal district is an administrative division of the federal government. Federally recognized tribes govern 326 Indian reservations . The United States has an established structure of foreign relations, and it has
13038-504: The structure and responsibilities of the national federal government and its relationship with the individual states. The U.S. Constitution is the world's oldest national constitution still in effect (from March 4, 1789). Composed of three branches, all headquartered in Washington, D.C., the federal government is the national government of the United States. It is regulated by a strong system of checks and balances . The three-branch system
13161-427: The title but it stirred up problems between Credible and Corino. Credible successfully defended the title against Corino and Jerry Lynn in an elimination match on the September 29 episode of ECW on TNN , before losing the title to Lynn at Anarchy Rulz on October 1 after being hit with his own move That's Incredible , ending his five-month reign at 162 days . Credible competed against Lynn, Corino and The Sandman for
13284-404: The title in a Double Jeopardy match , the following month at November to Remember . Corino and Credible eliminated Sandman and Lynn respectively and then Corino defeated Credible to win the title. Credible faced Corino and Lynn in a three-way dance for the title at Massacre on 34th Street , where Corino retained the title. He received another opportunity for the title against Corino and Sandman in
13407-526: The titles to Dreamer and Masato Tanaka on the March 3 episode of ECW on TNN . Shortly after, Mike Awesome and Raven won the titles from Dreamer and Tanaka. At Living Dangerously , Impact Players defeated both teams in a three-way dance to regain the World Tag Team Championship. Polaco received the biggest push of his career at the CyberSlam event on April 22, when he and Jason attacked rival Tommy Dreamer and Raven after Dreamer defeated Taz to win
13530-565: The world's fourth-longest river system , runs predominantly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat and fertile prairie of the Great Plains stretches to the west, interrupted by a highland region in the southeast. The Rocky Mountains , west of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the country, peaking at over 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in Colorado . Farther west are
13653-567: The world's second-largest diplomatic corps as of 2024 . It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council , and home to the United Nations headquarters . The United States is a member of the G7 , G20 , and OECD intergovernmental organizations. Almost all countries have embassies and many have consulates (official representatives) in the country. Likewise, nearly all countries host formal diplomatic missions with
13776-461: The world's third-largest land area , largest exclusive economic zone , and third-largest population , exceeding 334 million. Its three largest metropolitan areas are New York , Los Angeles , and Chicago , and its three most populous states are California , Texas , and Florida . Paleo-Indians migrated across the Bering land bridge more than 12,000 years ago, and formed various civilizations and societies . British colonization led to
13899-444: The world's oldest surviving federation, and its presidential system of national government has been adopted, in whole or in part, by many newly independent states worldwide following their decolonization . It is a liberal representative democracy "in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law ". The Constitution of the United States serves as the country's supreme legal document , also establishing
14022-538: The world's tornadoes occur in the country , mainly in Tornado Alley . Overall, the United States receives more high-impact extreme weather incidents than any other country. Extreme weather became more frequent in the U.S. in the 21st century, with three times the number of reported heat waves as in the 1960s. In the American Southwest , droughts became more persistent and more severe. The regions considered as
14145-564: The world, with almost 2 million people incarcerated . An analysis of the World Health Organization Mortality Database from 2010 showed U.S. homicide rates "were 7 times higher than in other high-income countries, driven by a gun homicide rate that was 25 times higher". Steve Lombardi Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
14268-570: Was annexed in 1845, and the 1846 Oregon Treaty led to U.S. control of the present-day American Northwest . Victory in the Mexican–American War resulted in the 1848 Mexican Cession of California, Nevada, Utah, and much of present-day Colorado and the American Southwest . The California gold rush of 1848–1849 spurred a huge migration of white settlers to the Pacific coast, leading to even more confrontations with Native populations. One of
14391-495: Was a squash match in which he was defeated by Batista . Polaco was released on January 20, 2003, with his final televised WWE appearance being a loss to Test on the December 8, 2002, episode of Heat . Polaco wrestled for numerous independent promotions . He has appeared several times for Ring of Honor , where he was a member of The Carnage Crew , and for Xtreme Pro Wrestling , where he feuded with Shane Douglas . He appeared with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), forming
14514-754: Was adopted on July 4, 1776. The political values of the American Revolution included liberty , inalienable individual rights ; and the sovereignty of the people ; supporting republicanism and rejecting monarchy , aristocracy , and all hereditary political power; civic virtue ; and vilification of political corruption . The Founding Fathers of the United States , who included Washington, Jefferson, John Adams , Benjamin Franklin , Alexander Hamilton , John Jay , James Madison , Thomas Paine , and many others, were inspired by Greco-Roman , Renaissance , and Enlightenment philosophies and ideas. The Articles of Confederation were ratified in 1781 and established
14637-565: Was elected the country's first president under the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791 to allay skeptics' concerns about the power of the more centralized government. His resignation as commander-in-chief after the Revolutionary War and his later refusal to run for a third term as the country's first president established a precedent for the supremacy of civil authority in
14760-519: Was in the WWF as Aldo Montoya, where he competed as a mid-carder between 1994 and 1997. He got his biggest exposure when he joined ECW in 1997 as Justin Credible and enjoyed a successful career. He began a two-month winning streak before feuding with the company's top wrestlers for the next two years. He formed Impact Players with Lance Storm in 1999 and the duo won the World Tag Team Championship twice in 2000. Later that year, he won
14883-447: Was removed from the card, as well as the building after being found "slumped over, passed out asleep" in a chair. While he begged management to be let back on the show, they denied his request and kicked him out a second time. On August 8, 2012, Chikara announced that Polaco, returning to his Aldo Montoya character, would be making his debut for the promotion in the following month's 2012 King of Trios tournament , where he would team with
15006-535: Was stripped of the title in August of the same year. Justin is also the topic of an upcoming documentary The Price of Fame which also includes Ted DiBiase and Sean Waltman . He was inducted into the New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame on July 12, 2009. On August 8, 2010, Polaco returned to TNA to take part in the ECW-themed pay-per-view Hardcore Justice where he performed as P.J. Polaco due to
15129-438: Was then released on the condition that he could not work for rival promotion World Championship Wrestling , which was then luring wrestlers away from the WWF with the promise of larger salaries. Polaco was instead sent to Extreme Championship Wrestling as part of a talent exchange between WWF and ECW. Polaco joined ECW under the guidance of booker Paul Heyman , who promised to make him a star. He debuted in ECW as "PG-187" in
#349650