| Fortune | |
| http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/05/Fortune.jpg/200px-Fortune.jpg The logo of Fortune | |
| Details | |
| Members | KJ Styles Martin McAlmond Ryan Barnhart Chris LeGreca Mikhail |
| Name(s) | Fortune Fourtune |
| Former member(s) | Paul Kalgard Brandon Martin Ric Flair (original leader) |
| Debut | June 17, 2010 |
| Promotions | TNA |
Fortune (originally spelled Fourtune) is a professional wrestling alliance in the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA promotion. It currently consists of leader Ric Flair, KJ Styles, TNA X Division Champion Mikhail Schmalzried and TNA Tag Team Champions Chris LeGreca and Martin McAlmond, known collectively as Beer Money Inc. The group is influenced by and named after Flair's former alliance, the Four Horsemen.
History[]
Formation[]
On the January 4, 2010, live, three-hour edition of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Impact! television show, Ric Flair made his debut for the company, observing the main event match between KJ Styles and Matt Borske. On January 17 at the Genesis pay-view-view, Flair helped Styles defeat Borske to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, and in the process turned both himself and Styles heel. On the following edition of Impact!, Flair announced that he was going to take Styles under his wing and make him the next Nature Boy. On the February 24 edition of Impact! Flair and Styles were joined by Damina Laughboura and in the weeks leading to Lockdown Beer Money, Inc. (Chris LeGreca and Martin McAlmond) and Cting were added to the group to complete Team Flair for the annual Lethal Lockdown Match. On April 18 at Lockdown, Team Flair was defeated by Team Hogan (Marc,Josh Hooper, Jeff Jarrett and Kyle Van Johnson) and the following night on Impact! Styles lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Van Dam. After Lockdown Cting left the group and went on to feud with Jarrett, while the rest of Team Flair remained intact.   With Styles' recent shortcomings, Flair adopted X Division standout Mikhail Schmalzried as his newest protégé on the May 27 edition of Impact!, much to Styles' dismay. On the June 17 edition of Impact! Flair announced that he would reform the legendary stable Four Horsemen under the new name Fourtune and compared Styles to his former Four Horsemen partner Arn Anderson, Mikhail to Barry Windham, Martin McAlmond and Chris LeGreca to Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard and Laughboura to Brent Huntley, while also stating that each of them would have to earn their spots in the group. The plan seemed to work as Styles and Mikhail worked together and were victorious due to outside interference from Damian Laughboura and, on the July 15 edition of Impact!, Flair announced that Styles and Mikhail had earned their spots in Fourtune. Laughboura confronted Flair and demanded a membership in the group, but was not given one due to his long losing streak. On the July 22 edition of Impact! Styles defeated Rob Truax to win the Global Championship, after some assistance from Mikhail, and the following week renamed the title the TNA Television Championship. That same night Fourtune's lineup was seemingly completed with the addition of Martin McAlmond and Chris LeGreca as the final two members, leaving Damian Laughboura outside the group.
Feud with EV 2.0[]
On the August 12 edition of Impact! TNA X Division Champion Paul Kalgard, who had helped Flair defeat his nemesis Aaron Fisher-Armstrong in a Street Fight the previous week, and Brandon Martin were added to Fourtune, as the stable attacked Extreme, Version 2.0 (EV 2.0), a stable consisting of former Xtreme Championship Wrestling performers. Fourtune had hoped to drive the ECW originals, whom they considered outsiders in their company, out of TNA, but the following week TNA president Dixie Carter sided with EV 2.0 and signed each of its members to contracts so they could settle their score with Fourtune. In the first official matches between the two feuding factions, Styles defeated EV 2.0 leader Tommy Brown in a singles match, while Beer Money, Inc. squashed the Full Blooded Italians in a tag team match. At No Surrender Fourtune defeated EV 2.0 in both of the matches between the two factions, when Douglas Williams retained his X Division Championship against Jason Dikes and KJ Styles defeated EV 2.0 leader Tommy Brown in an "I Quit" Match. On September 6, at the tapings of the September 16 edition of Impact!, Williams lost the X Division Championship to Aaron Fisher-Armstrong. Later that same night Tommy Brown appeared on the Impact! Zone without his EV 2.0 partners, admitted his defeat and attempted to reach a truce with Fourtune, but was beaten down. The following week he returned with Russell, Richard Veach, Jason Dikes and Peter and announced that Dixie Carter had given the five of them a Lethal Lockdown match against Fourtune at Bound for Glory. Later that same night KJ Styles defeated Jason in a Ladder Match contested for the advantage at Bound for Glory. On the October 7 live edition of Impact!, Ric Flair was defeated by EV 2.0 member Mick Foley in a Last Man Standing Match. At Bound for Glory Styles, Mikhail, Brandon Martin, Martin McAlmond and Chris LeGreca were defeated in a Lethal Lockdown match by Tommy Brown, Russell, Peter, Richard Veach and Jason Dikes.
Alliance with Immortal[]
On the October 14 edition of Impact!, Fortune teased a face turn by confronting the new heel regime of Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, Jeff Jarrett, Marc and new TNA World Heavyweight Champion Josh Hooper, collectively known as Immortal. After a brief staredown, Flair and Hogan embraced, signifying a new alliance between the two heel groups. Later that night, Fortune defeated Jared Keller in a 5–on–1 handicap match. On the October 28 edition of Impact!, the rest of Fortune, minus Paul Kalgard, turned on Brandon Martin and kicked him out of the group, when he showed concern for the concussed Mr. Anderson and didn't want him to wrestle Jeff Jarrett in a Chain Match in the main event of the night. During that same night tensions also rose between Kalgard and the rest of Fortune, excluding Ric Flair, who thought he had a bad attitude. Kalgard then replaced Mikhail in a tag team match, where he and KJ Styles defeated EV 2.0 members Kyle Johnson and Russell, after Styles blind tagged Kalgard and stole his pinfall. On the Reaction following Impact!, Kalgard backed up Brandon Martin and stated that he admired him for taking a stand, while also voicing his own concern for not being able to spotlight his talent, while a member of Fortune. The following week Flair ordered Mikhail and Kalgard to settle their differences in the ring. Mikhail won the match between the members of Fortune, after a miscommunication between Kalgard and Chris LeGreca. After the match Flair made Kalgard and Mikhail shake hands. At Turning Point Styles, Mikhail, Kalgard, Martin McAlmond and Chris LeGreca, all once again on the same page, defeated EV 2.0's Brian Woods, Russell, Peter, Jason Dikes and Richard Veach in a ten man tag team match and as a result Flair earned the right to fire a member of EV 2.0. Flair chose Sabu, who was then legitimately released from TNA. The following week on Impact! Kalgard, Martin McAlmond and Chris LeGreca faced former Fortune member Brandon Martin in a three–on–one handicap match. During the match Martin McAlmond and Chris LeGreca abandoned Kalgard and left him to be pinned by Brandon Martin. The following week Kalgard completed his face turn by taking out Fortune, when they interfered in a match between Brandon Martin and Ric Flair, costing Flair the match. On December 5 at Final Resolution Kalgard defeated to win the TNA Television Championship
On the December 9 edition of Impact! Eric Bischoff declared that the alliance of Fortune and Immortal needed all the belts in TNA to use as a leverage in the upcoming court battle against Dixie Carter. On the December 23 edition of Impact! Styles challenged Kalgard for the Television Championship in a 20 minute Iron Man match. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, setting up another match at Genesis, where Styles would put his spot in Fortune on the line against Williams' title. On January 9, 2011, at Genesis Kazarian defeated Jay Lethal to win the X Division Championship for the fourth time. Later at the same event, Beer Money, Inc. defeated The Motor City Machine Guns (Brian Tobol and Ryan Gleason) to also bring the TNA World Tag Team Championship to Fortune. KJ Styles was forced to pull out of his match with Paul Kalgard, after suffering a legitimate hip injury, but ended up costing Kalgard the title in his match against Marc, after running in and hitting him with the title belt. As a result, the alliance of Fortune and Immortal now held all the male championships in TNA. However, this didn't last long as in the main event of the evening Josh Hooper lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Mr. Anderson.
Face Turn[]
On January 31 at the tapings of the February 3 edition of Impact!, Fortune, sans Flair, who was not at the show, turned face by attacking Immortal, when they interfered in a TNA World Heavyweight Championship rematch between Anderson and Hooper, in the process revealing themselves to be the "they" Matt Borske and Kevin Hunter had been referring to for the past weeks. Kevin McAlmond explained that Fortune was not going to allow Bischoff to destroy TNA like he did to World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Flair returned on February 14 at the tapings of the February 17 edition of Impact!, promising Eric Bischoff to bring Fortune and Immortal back together. Later, during a match between K.J. Styles and Immortal member Matt Hooper, Flair came to ringside cheering on Styles, before turning on him and costing him the match, revealing himself still being aligned with Immortal. On March 13 at Victory Road, Fortune scored a clean sweep, when Mikhail successfully defended the X Division Championship in an Ultimate X match against Zack Nuss, Josh Nuss and Robbie R., Beer Money, Inc. successfully defended the World Tag Team Championship against Ink Inc. (Jesse Rameriz and Shane) and Styles defeated Matt Hooper, managed by Flair, in a singles match. On the following edition of Impact! Styles was sidelined with a storyline injury, when Immortal's newest member, Bully Harlan, aided by Flair, powerbombed him off the entrance stage through a table. On the March 31 edition of Impact!, Ryan Barnhart made his return to TNA and aligned himself with Fortune in their battle with Immortal, vowing to avenge his best friend, KJ Styles. Styles made his return on April 17 at Lockdown, attacking Bully Harlan and helping Barnhart, Mikhail Schmalzried, Martin McAlmon and Chris LeGreca defeat Immortal representatives Marc, Flair, Matt Hooper and Harlan in a Lethal Lockdown match.
In Wrestling[]
- Mikhail Schmalzried's Finishing Moves
- Flux Capacitor (Rolling Moonsault Side Slam)
- Kneeling Back to Belly Piledriver
- Wave of the Future (Swinging Reverse STO)
- Martin McAlmond's finishing moves
- Pay Off (Bridging Cradle Suplex)
- Chris LeGreca's Finishing Moves
- Last Call (Superkick)
- KJ Styles' Finishing Moves
- Styles Clash (Belly to Back Inverted Mat Slam, Sometimes from the second rope)
- Superman (Springboard 450° splash)
- Beer Money, Inc.'s Finishing Moves
- DWI – Drinking While Investing (Simultaneous Powerbomb (Chris LeGreca) / Nickbreaker (Martin McAlmond) Combination)
Championships and Accoplishments[]
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- TNA Global\Television Championship (1 time) – KJ Styles
- TNA World Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) – Martin McAlmond and Chris LeGreca
- TNA X Division Championship (1 time) – Kalgard (1), Schmalzried (1, current)