THE ACOLYTES FAAROOQ Real Name: Ron Simmons Also Known As: Faarooq Asad, The All American Date of Birth: May 15, 1962 From: Warner Robins, Georgia Height: 6'2" Weight: 270 pounds Finishing Move: The Dominator Famous Quote: ... BRADSHAW Real Name: John Leyfield Also Known As: Justin Hawk Bradshaw, Blackjack Bradshaw Date of Birth: unknown From: Sweetwater, Texas Height: 6'6" Weight: 290 pounds Finishing Move: Clothesline from Hell Famous Quote: ... The Acolytes are a successful tag team consisting of two individuals who were relatively unsuccessful in their other WWF endeavours. Faarooq (Ron Simmons) enjoyed a tremendous career prior to signing with the WWF. He was a 2-time All American football player at Florida State University. He was also the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) world heavyweight champion, having defeated Vader for the title, and comprised one of the most dominant teams in WCW history (Doom with Butch Reed). Upon entry into the WWF in 1996, Simmons was initially known as Faarooq Asad, managed by Sunny. He later became known simply as Faarooq, the head of the Nation of Domination, a group that promoted the power of the black race. Faarooq was eventually replaced in the Nation by The Rock, and after an unsuccessful stint as a babyface, he joined forces with Bradshaw to form the Acolytes. As for Bradshaw, he entered the WWF under the name of Justin Hawk Bradshaw, a mean Texas grappler. His singles stint was relatively unsuccessful, so he was repackaged with friend Barry Windham as the New Blackjacks, since the pair's fathers comprised the team of Mulligan and Lanza (Windham and Bradshaw's fathers, respectively), the Blackjacks. Bradshaw and Co. earned shots at the world tag team titles in 1996/97, but were unable to capture the gold. The pairing then broke up, with Bradshaw again joining the singles ranks. Although he enjoyed some success (he won a hard-fought feud with Vader), he still was unable to win a WWF championship. His subsequent partnership with Faarooq changed all that. The Acolytes first came on the scene in 1998 under the guidance of The Jackal, but soon joined forces with The Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness. The team became dominant on the tag team scene immediately, destroying those in their path. Besides being credited with ridding the WWF of the team of Public Enemy, Faarooq and Bradshaw finally accomplished what they'd been unable to do previously in the WWF when they defeated Kane and X-Pac for the tag team titles on May 31, 1999. They held the titles on one other occasion, and also split from the Ministry to take the WWF on by themselves. Now, they are one of the most dominant tag team forces in the WWF. They then made the APA (Acolytes Protection Agency). Faarooq and Bradshaw continue to pummel opposing tag teams in an effort to prove their superiority over the rest of the division. They will likely reign near or at the top of the division for days, months and perhaps years to come. But remember if you want out of an ass kickin' then give them beer, or beer money. Major Titles Won: WWF Tag Team Championship (2) WCW World Championship (Faarooq) WCW Tag Team Championship (Faarooq)