Of all the political developments in 2016, perhaps the most surprising came when Rhyno announced his entry into the Michigan State Representative race.
This may seem like a strange career choice for a Superstar who was most recently seen rumbling with The Wyatt Family in an Extreme Rules Match on Raw. However, The Man Beast’s passion for his city and his country has run long and deep.
Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Rhino currently signed with WWE and competes in their developmental territory NXT. In addition to his appearances with WWE, Rhino is also known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1999 to 2001, with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling from 2005 to 2010 and with Ring of Honor from 2011 to 2013.
The Man Beast from Detroit has had more than a few crash tests in the squared circle. Now, Rhyno is in WWE NXT to show he can hang with the future of WWE.
where he became close friends with future ring allies Christian and WWE Hall of Famer Edge, but he first rose to national prominence in the original incarnation of Extreme Championship Wrestling. Debuting in mid-1999, the powerhouse took the renegade company by storm as he destroyed Extreme icons like Raven, Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman. Soon, even the highly passionate hardcore fanbase began to take notice of the devastating and impactful "GORE!"
He ended them barreling through his rivals like a full-steam ahead locomotive. At CyberSlam 2000, he defeated Yoshihiro Tajiri for the ECW Television Championship. Over the ensuing months, Rhyno defended his title against all-comers including Jerry Lynn, Raven, Mikey Whipwreck, New Jack, Spike Dudley and even Rob Van Dam who had vacated the title after a 23-month reign but all were unable to topple The Man Beast.
Immediately after The Sandman had won the ECW Championship in a grueling matchup, The Man Beast appeared in New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom and pinned his rival to win the title in just one minute, becoming the first competitor to simultaneously hold ECW's two singles championships. The company ceased operations later that month.
He rekindled his longtime friendships with Edge and Christian, and helped his allies win the tag titles at WrestleMania X-Seven. The trio joined with Kurt Angle to form Team RECK, and all four members advanced to the semi-finals of 2001's King of the Ring Tournament.
Rhyno won the Hardcore Championship on three occasions early in his WWE tenure, and joined the ECW portion of The Alliance during 2001's Invasion. When Chris Jericho made nasty remarks about Stephanie McMahon, Rhyno fought for the ECW owner's honor, and even Gored Y2J straight through SmackDown's set. He picked up the United States Championship from former ECW rival Tajiri, but was suspended by The Alliance authorities when he lost the title to Kurt Angle.
The Man Beast made a surprise appearance on NXT, flattening Elias Samson with a Gore that brought the NXT Universe to its feet. The Man Beast soon set his sights on Baron Corbin, but was defeated by The Lone Wolf after a fierce battle at TakeOver: Unstoppable. Just a few months later, the two rivals became partners, as they were paired up for the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The unlikely duo proved successful in the tournament, as they defeated The Ascension and Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa to earn a spot in the tournament semifinals.
joining forces with fellow ECW Alumni The Dudley Boyz and Tommy Dreamer to take on The Wyatt Family in an 8-Man Elimination Tables Match at WWE TLC. Despite Rhyno's previous success in hardcore battles, the creepy clan bested the ECW Originals, driving all four of them through tables.
Well, I've followed politics for decades. It's something I've always had a passion for. I love my country, I love my state of Michigan and I love the city I live in. It's something I've thought about doing for a while and something I thought, "Now's the time to give back." I'm 40, I can still wrestle full time, and I can still do this represent people and give them someone they can be proud of.
Getting elected, the thing that will be difficult is asking people for help. I've never been a person to ask for help; asking people to volunteer, help me make calls and knock on doors is difficult for me as a person. I've always been the guy to carry my own bags because God gave me the ability to use all my limbs, and after my neck surgery that might have been taken away. It's just one of those things where I appreciate everything I've been blessed with, and I appreciate all the stuff I'm able to do and accomplish. It's difficult for me to ask for help, but you know what? My goal is to see Michigan move into a better future, so if I need to ask for help? So be it. I'll get over that little hump.
and the people that volunteer and donate to the campaign will know that they're part of something special.
We're setting all that up. [And] I'm running under my real name, Terrance Guido Gerin.
