title: Dritan Abazović

text: On 3 March 2022, President Đukanović asked Abazović to form a new government following a no-confidence vote in early February against Krivokapić. On 28 April, Montenegro's parliament approved a new government composed of a broad coalition of both pro-European and pro-Serb parties, with Abazović as Prime Minister. Abazović told lawmakers the new government's main focus will be the reforms required by the EU so that Montenegro can ask to speed up its accession process in the light of the new situation created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He added that government priorities will be the fight against corruption, more sustainable investments and development, protection of the environment and better care for children and youth.


title: Dritan Abazović

text: On 20 August 2022, the Parliament of Montenegro passed a motion of no confidence against Abazović's government, which ended his premiership. He remained in power as a caretaker prime minister pending the formation of a new government.


title: Dritan Abazović

text: Abazović is an ethnic Albanian and a Muslim. He is fluent in Serbo-Croatian, as he studied in Bosnia and Hercegovina, Albanian, and English. In 2017, he signed the Declaration on the Common Language of the Montenegrins, Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks.


title: Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness

text: Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (stylized as RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness) is an American Japanese horror-action CGI original net animation miniseries based on the video game series "Resident Evil" by Capcom. The series stars "Resident Evil 2" protagonists Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield.


title: Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness

text: Produced by TMS Entertainment and animated by Quebico, "Infinite Darkness" was released on July 8, 2021, on Netflix.


title: Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness

text: Set between the events of "Resident Evil 4" and "Resident Evil 5", the series takes place in 2006 after a hacking incident is uncovered at the White House. Leon S. Kennedy is ordered to investigate the incident, but he encounters zombies when the White House is targeted in a mysterious attack. He later meets Claire Redfield, who has been investigating a strange drawing made by a child refugee while working on a TerraSave-led mission to oversee construction of a welfare facility.


title: Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness

text: Prior to its proper unveiling, Netflix Portugal tweeted out a teaser trailer on Twitter alongside the claim that it would be a "CGI movie", but shortly deleted the tweet afterward. "Infinite Darkness" was officially announced at the virtual 2020 Tokyo Game Show as a CGI series by the show's executive producer, Hiroyuki Kobayashi. At the virtual "Biohazard Showcase" event in April 2021, it was revealed that Eiichirō Hasumi will serve as the series' director and Yugo Kanno as composer.


title: Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the show has an approval rating of 50% with an average rating of 5.4/10, based on 22 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, ""Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness"s superb animation captures the visceral thrills of its terrifying source material–if only the story were as gripping as the moments of terror.


title: Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness

text: Austin Jones of Paste Magazine gave the show 5 out of 10 stars, writing that ""Infinite Darkness" has a barrier to entry due to its heavy reliance on a preexisting investment in the greater "Resident Evil" series." Jonathon Wilson of Ready Steady Cut gave the show 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote: ""Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness" has some pleasures for long-time fans, but it's inconsistent in every way and winds up feeling inessential." Grace Randolph of Beyond the Trailer said that "it's interesting to see this kind of animation, but the story here is just too cliche. Not as good as the other adult animated shows already available on Netflix." John Nguyen of Nerd Reactor gave the show 3 out of 5 stars: "Seeing Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy together is always a treat, but "Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness" lacks a gripping story and engrossing supporting characters."


title: Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness

text: Sam Barsanti of The A.V. Club gave the show C+: "Nobody is going to confuse it for high art, certainly, but what didn't really work in video games and what didn't make sense in the Milla Jovovich-led movies surprisingly does work as a CG four-episode TV show." Andrew Webster of The Verge stated that "some tie-ins are meant to lure in new fans, while others are designed to appease existing ones; "Infinite Darkness" is most definitely the latter". Sam Stone of CBR in his review wrote: "Overall, the anime is a fun side story that offers a chance for Leon to jump back into the spotlight while evoking a past era for the franchise, deviating from horror to deliver global action." Kate Sánchez of But Why Tho? A Geek Community gave the show 7.5 out of 10 stars: ""Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness" is far more about geopolitical intrigue, corporate espionage, and surviving war than it is about killing zombies." Taylor Lyles of IGN gave the show 7 out of 10: "Despite predictability on who would serve as an antagonist, the bad performance and animation by certain minor characters, and the imbalance of importance and screen time for our two protagonists, "Infinite Darkness" is a step in the right direction." Tessa Smith of Mama's Geeky gave the show 3 out of 5: "While there are some animation and pacing issues, overall this show is not only action packed, it gives the audience a peek at what Leon & Claire were up to in between games."


title: Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness

text: In October 2020, American distributor company Tokyopop announced a "manga-style" graphic novel based on the series and that it will release alongside the anime. The eventual 5 part miniseries titled "Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness - The Beginning" was supposed to be released on September 7, 2022, but delayed into the collection on March 23, 2023.


title: Tony Evers

text: Anthony Steven Evers (born November 5, 1951) is an American educator and politician serving as the 46th governor of Wisconsin since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Wisconsin's Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2009 to 2019.


title: Tony Evers

text: Born and raised in Plymouth, Wisconsin, Evers was educated at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, eventually receiving a Ph.D. After working as a teacher for several years, he became a school administrator, serving as a principal, until he assumed the office of district superintendent. Evers first ran for Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1993 and again in 2001, losing both elections. Evers was instead appointed deputy superintendent, a position he served in from 2001 to 2009. In 2009, he ran for Superintendent of Public Instruction again, this time winning. He was reelected twice, in 2013 and 2017.


title: Tony Evers

text: On August 23, 2017, Evers announced his candidacy for governor of Wisconsin, challenging two-term Republican incumbent Scott Walker. Walker was seen as a vulnerable incumbent and had been criticized for his education policies. Evers won the Democratic primary in August 2018. Former state representative Mandela Barnes won the primary for the lieutenant governorship, becoming Evers's running mate. The pair defeated the Scott Walker-Rebecca Kleefisch ticket in the general election.


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers was reelected as governor in the November 8, 2022, general election, defeating Republican nominee Tim Michels.


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers was born in 1951 in Plymouth, Wisconsin, the son of Jean (Gorrow) and Raymond Evers, a physician. His first job was "as a kid, scraping mold off of cheese" in Plymouth. As a young adult, Evers worked as a caregiver in a nursing home. He attended Plymouth High School. He earned bachelor's (1973), master's (1976), and doctoral degrees (1986) in educational leadership from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He began his professional career as a teacher and media coordinator in the Tomah school district. From 1979 to 1980 he was principal of Tomah Elementary School, and from 1980 to 1984 he was principal of Tomah High School. From 1984 to 1988 Evers was superintendent of the Oakfield school district, and from 1988 to 1992 he was superintendent of the Verona school district. From 1992 to 2001 he was administrator of the Cooperative Education Service Agency (CESA) in Oshkosh.


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers first ran for state superintendent, a nonpartisan post, in 1993 and was defeated by John Benson. In 2001, he ran again and finished third in the primary to Elizabeth Burmaster. After her election, Burmaster appointed Evers deputy superintendent, a position he held until Burmaster was appointed president of Nicolet College. Evers served as president of the Council of Chief State School Officers and from 2001 to 2009 was Wisconsin's Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction.


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers then ran again in 2009, this time winning. He defeated Rose Fernandez in the general election. In April 2013 Evers defeated Don Pridemore and won reelection. In 2017 Evers defeated Republican candidate Lowell Holtz, a former Beloit superintendent, with about 70% of the vote.


title: Tony Evers

text: In 2009 Evers used government email accounts for fundraising purposes. He and another government employee were fined $250 each for soliciting campaign donations during work hours.


title: Tony Evers

text: In October 2018, a divided federal appeals court found that Evers had violated neither the U.S. Constitution's Free Exercise Clause nor its Establishment Clause when he denied busing to an independent Catholic school because there was a nearby archdiocesan school.


title: Tony Evers

text: In March 2016, the United States Department of Education announced that Evers had been selected to serve on the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for Title 1, Part A, of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The committee was charged with drafting proposed regulations for two areas of ESSA.


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers proposed the "Fair Funding for Our Future" school finance reform plan. The plan sought to address some of the challenges with the Wisconsin school funding system and proposed changes to ensure equity and transparency in the quality of Wisconsin schools. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker never included Evers's plan in his proposed state budgets, citing the cost.


title: Tony Evers

text: As superintendent, Evers worked with the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council and federally recognized tribal nations in Wisconsin to begin an MOU process with each tribal nation to outline the working partnership the state seeks to establish and grow with each sovereign nation.


title: Tony Evers

text: Sparsity aid was enacted in Wisconsin based on recommendations from Evers's Rural Schools Advisory Council. The council stressed that declining enrollment and escalating fixed costs put added pressure on small, sparsely populated districts. Since it was implemented, hundreds of school districts have benefitted from sparsity aid.


title: Tony Evers

text: In 2017, Evers secured increased state investment in order to increase the number of trained professionals in schools and more funding for mental health training and cross-sector collaboration.


title: Tony Evers

text: On August 23, 2017, Evers announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for governor of Wisconsin in 2018. He cited his 2017 reelection as state superintendent with over 70% of the vote, as well as his criticism of Governor Walker, as key reasons for deciding to run. Evers launched his first campaign advertisement against Walker on August 28, 2017. Evers won the eight-candidate Democratic primary on August 14, 2018. On November 6, 2018, Evers narrowly defeated Walker in the general election.


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers sought reelection in 2022. His 2018 running mate, Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, instead chose to run for U.S. Senate. In the August 2022 Democratic primary, Evers was unopposed and Brookfield-area state representative Sara Rodriguez was nominated as his running mate. Evers and Rodriguez prevailed in the general election, defeating the Republican ticket of Tim Michels and Roger Roth.


title: Tony Evers

text: After the 2018 election, the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature met in a lame-duck session and, three weeks before Evers took office, passed legislation to reduce the powers of the incoming governor and attorney general. The legislature also enacted legislation to restrict voting rights, including limits on early voting in Wisconsin and restrictions on the use of student identification cards as acceptable identification for voters. Walker signed all the legislation into law, over Evers's strong objections. The move was "widely criticized as a power play" and challenged as unconstitutional in four lawsuits variously filed by Evers, other Wisconsin Democrats, and labor unions. The changes to Wisconsin voting laws were struck down by a federal court.


title: Tony Evers

text: In February 2019, Evers withdrew Wisconsin National Guard forces from the border with Mexico, where President Donald Trump had called for a "national emergency". Evers said, "There is simply not ample evidence to support the president's contention that there exists a national security crisis at our Southwestern border. Therefore, there is no justification for the ongoing presence of Wisconsin National Guard personnel at the border."


title: Tony Evers

text: In February 2019, Evers's administration prepared a budget proposal that included proposals to legalize the medical use of marijuana for patients with certain conditions, upon the recommendation from a physician or practitioner. Evers also proposed to decriminalize the possession or distribution of 25 grams or less of marijuana in Wisconsin and to repeal the requirement that users of cannabidiol obtain a physician's certification every year. Evers's marijuana proposals were opposed by Republican leaders in the Legislature.


title: Tony Evers

text: In March 2019, Evers replaced 82 appointments that Walker made in December 2018 (during the lame-duck legislative session) after a Wisconsin judge ruled that the confirmation of those appointees during the lame-duck legislative session violated the Wisconsin constitution.


title: Tony Evers

text: On March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Evers declared a public health emergency in the state. The next day, he ordered all schools in the state to close by March 18, with no possibility of reopening until at least April 6. On March 17, Evers instituted a statewide ban on public gatherings of more than 10 people, following an advisory from the federal government. This was expanded to a statewide "safer at home" on March 25, originally set to expire on April 25, with people allowed to leave their homes only for essential business and exercise. A poll conducted between March 24 and 29 gave Evers an approval rating of 65%, up 14% in one month, and also showed that 76% of voters approved of his handling of the pandemic.


title: Tony Evers

text: On April 6, Evers issued an executive order to delay the state's April 7 presidential primary, as well as other coinciding elections. The move came in response to inaction by legislative Republicans to delay or otherwise modify the in-person election despite the widely perceived risk of worsening the spread of the virus if the election went ahead as planned. Evers had said on April 2 that he had no legal authority to issue such an order, and Republican leaders in the legislature used his own words against him when challenging the order in court. A conservative majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court blocked the executive order just hours after it was issued on April 6, and the election took place as scheduled on April 7.


title: Tony Evers

text: On April 16, Evers ordered an extension of the statewide lockdown to May 26, and mandated all schools in the state to remain closed through the end of the academic year. The legislature promptly sued to block the order, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court's conservative majority ultimately struck it down on May 13, following the expiration of Evers's initial state of emergency. Evers responded to the suit by accusing legislative Republicans of a "power grab", and said they cared more about political power than people's lives. Republicans have called the extension an "abuse of power".


title: Tony Evers

text: On April 20, Evers announced a recovery plan called the "Badger Bounce Back", laying out details of his plan for reopening Wisconsin's economy gradually as the pandemic subsides. The plan called for daily death tolls from the virus to drop for 14 continuous days before "phase one" could be initiated.


title: Tony Evers

text: On July 30, Evers issued a statewide mask mandate in a new attempt to curb the increasing spread of the virus, declaring a new state of emergency in order to do so. As with prior actions Evers took to tackle the pandemic, Republicans promptly sued, arguing that he had overstepped his power. This was despite the fact that Republicans in the legislature had the power to simply terminate the new state of emergency by a majority vote. No attempt was made at this until February 2021, when Evers countered by issuing another state of emergency.


title: Tony Evers

text: On August 24, 2020, Evers deployed the Wisconsin National Guard to Kenosha following riots that occurred in the aftermath of the shooting of Jacob Blake. Looting, damage and destruction to vehicles, businesses and public facilities such as some local schools, the Dinosaur Discovery Museum and a public library were reported in Kenosha during the unrest. He also issued a statement denouncing the excessive use of force by police and invoking the names of African Americans killed by law enforcement. Evers said, "While we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first Black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country."


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers also responded to the shooting by calling Wisconsin state lawmakers into a special session to pass legislation addressing police brutality.


title: Tony Evers

text: On March 31, 2021, the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down Evers's mask mandate in a 4–3 ruling, split along conservative-liberal ideological lines, with the court ruling against Evers's argument that the changing nature of the pandemic justified multiple states of emergency.


title: Tony Evers

text: On April 30, 2021, Evers sought $1.6 billion in federal funds to expanded access to Wisconsin's Medicaid program. He also proposed legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, as well as increasing the minimum wage and granting public workers collective bargaining rights. Republicans in the state legislature blocked all the proposals.


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers has said his top priorities are improving the Wisconsin public school system, making health care more affordable and fixing Wisconsin's roads and bridges.


title: Tony Evers

text: In December 2021, as the United States Supreme Court heard oral argument in "Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization", a case that overturned "Roe v. Wade", Evers vetoed five bills that would have restricted access to reproductive healthcare in Wisconsin, saying "as long as I'm governor, I will veto any legislation that turns back the clock on reproductive rights in this state—and that's a promise."


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers supports directing more funding towards K-12 education and would like to work with Republicans to do more to help underperforming schools. He would like to expand Pre-K education to all students and continue the freeze of the in-state tuition price for higher education.


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers has criticized Wisconsin's legislative maps as "some of the most gerrymandered, extreme maps in the United States," citing as evidence the fact that the state legislature has opposed policies such as legalizing marijuana and expanding Medicaid despite polls showing that a majority of Wisconsinites support both. In January 2020, he created a nonpartisan redistricting commission by executive order with the intent of drawing an alternative map proposal for post-2020 census redistricting to counter the proposal the Republican-controlled legislature has said it will put forward if the issue ends up in the state's court system, as it has under past periods of divided government in Wisconsin.


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers strongly supports universal background checks for gun purchases. He has also supported an extreme risk protection order act, commonly known as a "red flag law", which would permit loved ones or police to petition to have an individual's guns taken away if a judge deems them a risk to themselves or others.


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers has said that Scott Walker's decisions regarding health care in Wisconsin led to higher insurance premiums for residents. He has pointed out that Minnesota accepted a Medicaid expansion and has been more proactive about healthcare overall, resulting in 47% lower insurance premiums than Wisconsin's. Evers supports legislation that would protect residents from being charged higher costs for health insurance due to old age or preexisting conditions. He also supports allowing children to stay on their parents' health insurance plans until the age of 26. He plans to remove Wisconsin from a national lawsuit that seeks to overturn the Affordable Care Act.


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers supports permitting undocumented immigrants living in Wisconsin to obtain driver's licenses, and has called this position "common sense".


title: Tony Evers

text: In December 2019, in response to Trump's executive order requiring states' consent for refugee resettlement, Evers sent the administration a letter stating that Wisconsin would accept refugees, calling them "part of the fabric of [the] state", and criticizing Trump's refugee policies as "overly cumbersome and inappropriate". In February 2020, Evers sent U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a letter to asking him to halt negotiations with the government of Laos regarding deportations of Wisconsin's Hmong refugee population, who had previously been protected from deportation due to a long record of human rights violations in Laos.


title: Tony Evers

text: During the 2018 campaign, Evers proposed to cut income tax by 10% for Wisconsin residents who earn less than $100,000 per year. He also pledged not to raise taxes, saying, "I'm planning to raise no taxes." But Evers's first budget proposal in 2019 increased taxes by $1.3 billion, an amount he called "small." PolitiFact rated this change of position a "full flop." His second budget proposed a $1 billion tax increase. Evers fulfilled his proposal to cut income taxes by 10%, which was funded by raising taxes on manufacturers and farmers with a turnover of over $300,000 per year.


title: Tony Evers

text: In June 2019, Evers issued an executive order to fly the rainbow flag at Wisconsin's Capitol Building for Pride month, making it the first time the rainbow flag had ever flown above the capitol.


title: Tony Evers

text: Having campaigned on his support of cannabis in Wisconsin, Evers announced in January 2019 the inclusion of medical marijuana in his state budget as a "first step" toward legalization. On February 7, he announced he would propose legalizing recreational marijuana in his 2021-2023 biennial budget.


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers has cited studies showing that Wisconsin has some of the nation's worst roads. He ran for governor on a promise to focus on improving roads and bridges, and has said he is open to imposing a gas tax to fund the projects.


title: Tony Evers

text: Evers is married to his high-school sweetheart, Kathy. They have three adult children and nine grandchildren. Evers had esophageal cancer before undergoing intensive surgery in 2008.


title: Undead

text: The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly-alive humans, such as mummies, vampires, and zombies, who have been reanimated by supernatural means, technology, or disease. In some cases (for example in Dungeons & Dragons) the term also includes incorporeal forms of the dead, such as ghosts.


title: Undead

text: The undead are featured in the belief systems of most cultures, and appear in many works of fantasy and horror fiction. The term is also occasionally used for real-life attempts to resurrect the dead with science and technology, from early experiments like Robert E. Cornish's to future sciences such as "chemical brain preservation" and "cryonics."


title: Undead

text: Bram Stoker considered using the title, "The Un-Dead", for his novel "Dracula" (1897), and use of the term in the novel is mostly responsible for the modern sense of the word. The word does appear in English before Stoker but with the more literal sense of "alive" or "not dead", for which citations can be found in the "Oxford English Dictionary". In one passage of "Dracula", "Nosferatu" is given as an "Eastern European" synonym for "un-dead".


title: Undead

text: Stoker's use of the term "undead" refers only to vampires; the extension to other types of supernatural beings arose later. Most commonly, it is now taken to refer to supernatural beings who had at one point been alive and continue to display some aspects of life after death, but the usage is highly variable.


title: Undead

text: Reanimation or the creation of zombies through non-supernatural means has become a trope since at least the 19th century. "Frankenstein" (1818) used unspecified technological means, the influential "I Am Legend" (1954) blamed a germ, "The Return of the Living Dead" (1985) depicted a toxic gas, and "Resident Evil" (2002) featured a bioweapon.


title: Undead

text: The undead have become popular adversaries in fantasy and horror settings, featuring prominently in many role-playing games, role-playing video games, MMORPGs and strategy games.


title: Undead

text: Other notable 19th-century stories about the avenging undead included Ambrose Bierce's "The Death of Halpin Frayser", and various Gothic Romanticism tales by Edgar Allan Poe. Though their works could not be properly considered zombie fiction, the supernatural tales of Bierce and Poe would prove influential on later writers such as H. P. Lovecraft, by Lovecraft's own admission. In Russia, the undead was the theme of Alexander Belyaev's novel "Professor Dowell's Head" (1925), in which a mad scientist performs experimental head transplants on bodies stolen from the morgue, and reanimates the corpses.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Opie and Anthony was an American radio show hosted by Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that aired from March 1995 to July 2014, with comedian Jim Norton serving as third mic from 2001. The show originated in 1994 when Cumia took part in a song parody contest on Hughes' nighttime show on WBAB on Long Island, New York. After subsequent appearances, Cumia decided to pursue a radio career and teamed with Hughes to host their own show.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: The show began with a three-year stint in afternoons at WAAF in Boston. In 1998, after an April Fools' Day prank led to their firing, Hughes and Cumia relocated to afternoons at WNEW in New York City. They gradually reduced the amount of music and adopted a talk format, incorporating "shock jock" humor and regular appearances by stand-up comedians. The show became the highest rated afternoon show in New York City, and was nationally syndicated from 2001 to a peak of 17 stations. In August 2002, the show was cancelled for a controversial incident during their annual Sex for Sam contest. Infinity Broadcasting kept the hosts off the air for two years, preventing them from being hired elsewhere.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: In October 2004, "Opie and Anthony" returned to the air in mornings on the uncensored subscription-based XM Satellite Radio from New York City. From April 2006 to March 2009, the first half of the show was simulcast on as many as 24 terrestrial radio stations owned by CBS Radio and Citadel Broadcasting. On July 3, 2014, the show abruptly ended after SiriusXM fired Cumia for posting "racially-charged and hate-filled remarks" on social media. Cumia started his own show, "The Anthony Cumia Show", and Hughes and Norton remained at SiriusXM and hosted "Opie with Jim Norton" until 2016, when the pair split pursue their own shows. In 2017, Hughes was fired from SiriusXM for filming an employee as he used the toilet.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: In mid-1994, Gregg "Opie" Hughes was the host of "The Nighttime Attitude", a late night music radio show on WBAB on Long Island, New York. In an effort to capitalize on the extensive media coverage of the murder trial of O. J. Simpson, Hughes held a song parody contest for listeners to submit entries based on the trial. Among the thirty or so submissions that he received, one of them was "Gonna Electric Shock O. J." to the tune of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding, performed by Rotgut, a local band featuring Anthony Cumia, a construction worker, on vocals and his brother Joe. The latter travelled to the station while Hughes was doing his show to submit a cassette tape of the parody, and only allowed Hughes to take it. The parody became a hit with the audience, who asked for the song to be played each night. As a result, Hughes invited the Cumias to perform the song live in the studio in September 1994. Recalled Hughes, "Ant and I instantly had each other the rest of the show. I was like, 'Holy shit, dude. That went pretty well. Why don't you come in next week?' Slowly but surely, he started coming in every week". Using the little funds available at the radio station, Hughes secured a small budget for Cumia to be paid for his appearances, though to Cumia, the money was not an issue as he "just wanted to get a foot in the door" in radio.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: After Cumia made several more appearances on Hughes' show, the two entered discussions to become a full-time radio team. Hughes had wished to evolve his show to "more than just me on the radio", and knew it could be achieved with Cumia's on-air personality. Cumia accepted, and Hughes pitched the idea to WBAB management with the intent of moving to the morning or afternoon slot, but it was declined. During this time Ron Valeri, the program director at rock station WAAF in Boston, Massachusetts, went to Long Island to visit family and heard the two on the air. He called Hughes and offered them a spot on WAAF. Hughes then assembled an aircheck from tapes of their first shows together, and sent them to WAAF and another station in Dallas, Texas. Both stations wished to hire the duo, which led to their departure at WBAB. WAAF general manager Bruce Mittman recalled that he "almost drove off the road laughing" from listening to them, and subsequently hired them to take over afternoons from Liz Wilde. Before they left WBAB, the station offered Cumia to take over Hughes' night shift, which the two later saw as "a scumbag move" as their bits (excerpts) were being played on the morning show without their permission. Hughes was cautious about moving as he felt unsure if the show's success would translate to a new radio market. Cumia ended his manual labor job, and threw his tools out of his car window while driving in hope of never returning to it.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Hughes and Cumia launched their new weekday afternoon show, "Opie and Anthony", at WAAF in March 1995. To their surprise, Valeri left the station soon after their arrival, and the duo came to disagreements over their show with the new program director, Dave Douglas. Cumia recalled the desire to ignore the rules and advice from management and began to play less music and talk more, which changed the dynamic of the show "within months". One of their most notable stunts during their time at WAAF was 100 Grand, a staged giveaway of $100,000 which was hyped on the air for several weeks. When it was time for the duo to give away the prize, the "winning" caller instead received a 100 Grand chocolate bar instead of the money. It was at WAAF where the show started its long running Whip 'em Out Wednesday segment that involves women flashing their breasts to drivers with a "WOW" sticker on their car. In June 1997, nine weeks into the promotion, the show was suspended for two weeks after Hughes and Cumia read out a confidential memo written by the station's management about the campaign on the air. Mittman put an end to the promotion after police contacted him over public safety surrounding it, but claimed the suspension was unrelated and over an "internal matter". In addition to their radio show, Hughes and Cumia hosted the television show "Real Rock TV" on WABU and released "Demented World", a compilation album of their radio bits which was released in October 1997 and sold 40,000 copies. A late 1997 broadcast where Hughes threatened to punch WBCN personality Nik Carter and encouraged listeners to harass Carter was subject to a complaint and reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), but no action was taken.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: In April 1998, Hughes and Cumia were fired from WAAF following their April Fool's Day prank whereby Hughes and Cumia announced that Boston Mayor Thomas Menino had been killed in a car accident in Florida in the company of a Haitian female prostitute. The prank included reports from a fake police officer and news reporter, the latter a friend of Hughes. The stunt and firing received national attention from the press, and many listeners believed the story as Menino was on a flight during the prank, so he was out of contact while the event unfolded. Menino was made aware of the prank upon his arrival and responded with a letter of complaint to the FCC, pointing out the commission's broadcast regulations prohibit the broadcast of knowingly false information if it causes public harm. The FCC took no action against WAAF or Hughes and Cumia over the prank. The station's management suggested the duo have pies thrown at them in a stunt held at the city's square, but the idea was dismissed by the Mayor's office. After WAAF faced the possibility of its broadcasting license challenged for removal, the station fired Hughes and Cumia within a week after the prank, and suspended Mittman for one month and Douglas for one week.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Shortly after their firing, Hughes called the prank "a stupid bit", but both later admitted that the prank was done on purpose so they could leave the station after management offered them a disappointing raise in their salaries. In addition, the pair had hired Robert Eatman as their new agent and entered secret negotiations to move to New York City, the country's largest radio market, before going ahead with the prank. Hughes maintained he never intended to leave Boston, citing the city's growth as a radio market, the show's rise in the ratings, and plans to release a second radio album and enter a national syndication deal. The pair also had an offer to work at a station in Atlanta, Georgia which included a visit to the station, but they declined the offer.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: After their firing from WAAF, Hughes recalled that he and Cumia became "a wanted commodity" as they received offers from one station in Atlanta, Georgia, and WXRK and WNEW in New York City. As WXRK was already the flagship station of the popular syndicated morning program "The Howard Stern Show", they chose WNEW to make it easier for them to build an audience. They entered a deal with the station's newly hired program director Garry Wall, who wanted them for their talent and ability to attract ratings, which required a meeting with management Infinity Broadcasting, the owner of WNEW, in Washington, D.C.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On June 17, 1998, Hughes and Cumia had signed a three-year contract with Infinity Broadcasting, and "Opie and Anthony" began in afternoons from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. later that month with Rick Del Gado assigned as their new producer. The show grew in popularity over the next two years to become a top-10 rated show. In June 1999, the hosts received a "Radio and Records" Achievement Award for Rock Air Personality of the Year. When WNEW switched radio formats from classic rock to talk in September 1999, the show held an on-air mock funeral to bury the records the station no longer played. The show then changed its starting times from 3:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: December 1999 saw the show's first annual Homeless Shopping Spree, a segment that involved homeless people going on a shopping spree in a mall with money donated by listeners. The event was stopped by security, who had the twelve contestants removed from the building. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino declared the segment degraded and humiliated the contestants, and that it was immoral to hold such an event on the same day the city was to do a census count of the homeless townspeople. The 2008 edition of the spree was planned, but was shelved by lawyers who argued it could only take place if a mall gave permission.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: "Opie and Anthony" continued to grow in 2000, receiving increased industry exposure and became a top rated show in the 18–34 male demographic. In January 2000, WNEW began to air a four-hour best of program, "The Worst of Opie and Anthony", on Saturday mornings. Also that month, the show won an award for Best Evening Show at the annual Achievement in Radio Awards held in the New York City area. In November 2000, the show won a Radio Music Award for Air Personality of the Year Award in the alternative rock category.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: It was at WNEW when Hughes and Cumia started to have stand-up comedians sit in on a regular basis, something that later became a defining feature of the show. They had tried it several times before, but found some comics tried to force their act on the air and not "hang out and talk". In 2000, comedian Jim Norton appeared on the show with Andrew Dice Clay, who had Norton open for him on his comedy tours. Norton had a good rapport with the hosts and the audience, and he soon began to sit in for three or four days a week before he was hired as third-mic full time. He helped bring in future regulars on the show, including comedians Rich Vos, Patrice O'Neal, Robert Kelly, and Keith Robinson. Norton credits the radio show with boosting his career: "They already have a great show without me. I know that. I'm not like a third partner or anything, I just fire some lines in here and there". On November 30, 2000, fifteen people, including Norton, Del Gado, and comedian Lewis Black, were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct during an on-air segment on board the Voyeur Bus, a glass-enclosed bus that transported topless women around New York City.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: In July 2000, Howard Stern, the morning host at Infinity's WXRK, got the company to issue a gag order on their other personalities, preventing them, including Hughes and Cumia, from talking about Stern or other Infinity hosts. Three months earlier, Stern threatened management with his resignation if they did not go through with his request, after Hughes and Cumia blew the news of a surprise rock concert that Stern was to announce the following morning. Stern called Hughes and Cumia "imitators" who were "dying to get some attention from me". In 2004, Hughes revealed a stipulation in their Infinity contract that fined Cumia and himself $100,000 if they talked about other Infinity radio personalities. In 2006, Stern admitted to the gag order: "When I'm in business with a company and they hire Howard Stern imitators to go on in the afternoon... I don't want anyone knocking me ... I turned to Mel Karmazin ... 'Your two boys that you hired, who sound identical to me ... they're gonna go insane. Watch.'" Hughes and Cumia claim the feud was started by Stern, adding that he "saw there was potential for 'The Opie & Anthony Show' to get an audience and perceived it as some kind of threat."


title: Opie and Anthony

text: In February 2001, Hughes and Cumia began to host "XFL Gameday", the pre-game show for Vince McMahon's startup American football league, the XFL, produced by NBC and aired in New York City. The show, taped weekly at the WWF restaurant in Times Square, featured analysis by sportscaster Bruce Beck and football coach Rusty Tillman and risque content; one such segment featured Hughes and Cumia as chefs inserting a cucumber in between two melons. The show was cancelled after four weeks; McMahon stated that he had no creative control, adding: "I heard it was horrible. Had I seen it, I would have shut it down."


title: Opie and Anthony

text: By mid-2001, "Opie and Anthony" ranked first place in New York City in the 18-plus demographic. Among their success came the announcement in June 2001, following what Hughes described as a "tug of war" period of discussions with Infinity and competing radio network Greater Media, that he and Cumia had renewed their contracts with Infinity to continue on WNEW. "Broadcasting & Cable" reported the pair were paid a total of $30 million for three years. As part of their new deal, Infinity agreed to have the show nationally syndicated via Westwood One to as many as 22 of its stations. By the end of July 2001, the show was broadcast to nine cities, and returned to Boston in August on WBCN, a long time rival of their former station WAAF. By mid-August 2002, the number of affiliates had risen to 17. Infinity took the show and the afternoon drive team of "Don & Mike" from WJFK-FM in Washington, D.C., off the air for two days in May 2002 following comments from both shows about their feud.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: In June 2002, the FCC issued a $21,000 fine to Infinity broadcasting for the broadcast of content from "Opie and Anthony" it deemed in breach of its indecency regulations, following listener complaints. The cited segments included the November 15, 2000 airing of "Teen Week", a song that detailed incestual sex between a father and daughter, a November 16, 2000 segment of "Guess What's in My Pants" which involved a sexual discussion with a seventeen-year-old female, and a song parody played on January 8, 2001, titled "I'm Horny for Little Girls".


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On July 13, 2002, Hughes, Cumia and Norton hosted the T&A with O&A beach party in Angola, New York attended by an estimated 5,000 people. The event featured stripping contests, a volleyball tournament among nightclub dancers, which developed into "a rowdy event combining full nudity and lewd acts with foreign objects". The event was investigated by the police, who arrested drunk drivers and attendees for disorderly conduct.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On August 22, 2002, the show was suspended following its third annual Sex for Sam contest held on August 15 that encouraged listeners to have sex in risky places for prizes while a witness reported from the location. Its name derived from the Boston Beer Company, producer of Samuel Adams beer that sponsored the contest and prize. In the segment, comedian Paul Mecurio, on a cellphone, described Brian Florence and Loretta Harper, a Virginia couple visiting Manhattan, having simulated sex in a vestibule at St. Patrick's Cathedral, several feet away from a Mass service. The couple were arrested for public lewdness, and Mecurio for acting in concert. The incident received widespread media attention, causing WNEW to issue an apology the following day, but it was rejected by the Catholic League that wrote to the FCC demanding Hughes and Cumia be fined and the removal of WNEW's license. The Boston Beer Company also apologized. The show aired live on the following day, but the hosts could not address the incident for legal reasons. WNEW aired a week of reruns while Infinity kept Hughes and Cumia off the air while the matter was reviewed. They were fired on August 22, in addition to WNEW's general manager and program director the day before. Florence died from a heart attack in September 2003 and Harper and Mecurio pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in 2003.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: The incident attracted 523 e-mail complaints sent to the FCC which launched an investigation. In October 2003, Infinity received a $357,500 fine which marked the first time a fine was totalled by issuing $27,500 for each station that aired the offending content and not the station cited in a complaint. As a result, the Catholic League dropped its bid to rescind WNEW's license. Infinity appealed both fines issued in 2002 until Viacom, its parent company, agreed to a $3.5 million settlement in 2004 which cancelled all pending indecency violations against the broadcaster.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Following their firing, Infinity competitor Clear Channel Communications wished to hire Hughes and Cumia to host mornings on one of their stations. However, rather than release the pair from their contract, Infinity continued to pay them until their deals expired in June 2004 to prevent them broadcasting on another network. Despite their efforts to get out of their contracts, Hughes and Cumia remained off the air for two years, remaining largely out of the public eye apart from odd appearances. Both found the hiatus frustrating as they wished to broadcast and comment on the news and current events but had no outlet or an audience. In January 2003, the show's remaining support staff were fired from WNEW, and the station switched formats from talk to music. In June, Hughes and Cumia were spotted visiting the offices of Sirius Satellite Radio for a meeting with their agent. Hughes later claimed the WNEW years as the show's "golden age".


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On August 5, 2004, Hughes and Cumia announced the signing of their contracts to broadcast on XM Satellite Radio, a subscription-based satellite radio service exempt from the broadcasting regulations imposed by the FCC. The show began on October 4 from 6:00 a.m. on weekdays from a studio in the Steinway Building in New York City. The pair had wished to return to mornings at WNEW, but they were prevented from doing so as management did not want them competing with Stern. They later claimed that XM CEO Hugh Panero had signed them despite openly admitting his dislike for them in a meeting, but he understood they could attract subscribers. Before their start on XM, Hughes, Cumia and Norton completed a media tour, visiting several radio markets to promote their return to the air. Initially, the show was offered to XM subscribers on High Voltage, a premium channel at an additional $1.99 a month. From April 2, 2005, the channel became a part of the standard XM subscription. In August 2005, the show became available on-line through a subscription to Audible.com.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Shortly into their tenure at XM, they held Assault on the Media promotions led by the Pests, a group of fans of the show that helped to give the show additional exposure. One such incident took place on May 19, 2005, when show intern Nathaniel disrupted a news report by Arthur Chi'en on live television, making risque gestures while holding an "Opie and Anthony" sign, which caused Chi'en to shout "What the fuck is your problem, man?" on the air. Chi'en made a live apology, but was fired a few hours later. The incident brought the show nationwide press. Hughes and Cumia announced the campaign's end in December 2005, after a fan disrupted a live report by Anthony Johnson with an air horn and a show sign. The two claimed the campaign had gone too far, and had run its course.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On April 17, 2006, DirecTV ceased airing the High Voltage channel, citing its decision to steer its XM channels towards more commercial free music. However, the channel returned to the service on April 26 due to popular demand from listeners. In November 2006, the High Voltage channel was renamed The ViRus as per Hughes and Cumia's long time request to have it changed.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On May 15, 2007, XM suspended "Opie and Anthony" for thirty days in response to a May 9 broadcast featuring a homeless man, dubbed "Homeless Charlie", who talked about raping Condoleezza Rice, Laura Bush and Queen Elizabeth II. The one-minute segment went unnoticed until "Drudge Report" posted the audio online. Hughes and Cumia issued an apology at the start of the following broadcast. During the May 14 show, the hosts discussed the incident further which led to XM ordering their suspension. The show continued to air on terrestrial radio. Early reports that the hosts may have been fired caused some listeners to cancel their XM subscriptions, and XM responded by offering a free month of service to those who complained about the suspension. Some of the show's sponsors pulled their advertising in protest. The show returned to XM on June 15, 2007. The hosts later believed that the developing merger between XM and Sirius Satellite Radio at the time played a role, as management were trying to get government officials on their side and needed to show some responsibility.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Later in 2007, XM used revenue generated from the show to renovate the studio, which Hughes and Cumia helped to design. The new facility was split into two areas, one being a large roundtable with a typical console and the other had sofas and chairs for a lounge atmosphere. The desk was equipped with 12 flat screen televisions and six webcams for listeners to watch the show live on Paltalk.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On April 24, 2006, Hughes and Cumia announced their deal with CBS Radio, formerly Infinity Broadcasting, to have part of their show simulcast on seven CBS terrestrial radio stations nationwide from April 26. The decision came after "The David Lee Roth Show" was cancelled four months after its launch as it failed to attract an audience for CBS following Stern's departure from WXRK for Sirius Satellite Radio. CBS agreed to pay XM a license fee to carry the program and allowed XM's advertisements to air on its stations. From 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., the show aired on WFNY, formerly WXRK, that was compliant with FCC regulations but uncensored for XM listeners. From 9:00 a.m. Hughes and Cumia continued the show from XM. As XM and CBS could not agree to have the show broadcast from a single studio, the hosts had to walk two blocks during breaks in the program to continue broadcasting. For a period they also had microphones to broadcast live during the walk which became known as "The Walkover". As part of their deal, CBS allowed the duo to own their old WNEW broadcasts.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: The show's initial ratings were promising; in May 2006, "Opie and Anthony" gained a 4.2% market share in the 18–34 demographic in New York City, about one-third of what Stern drew in the same market and demographic prior to his departure. In Philadelphia and Boston, the show attracted shares of 7.7% and 6.7% in the same demographic, respectively, although their share of total listening audience was lower. In July 2006, Citadel Broadcasting announced it would simulcast the show on nine terrestrial radio stations nationwide, increasing the number of affiliates to 20. In September 2006, the number of stations rose to 24.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: In October 2007, their share of the 18–34 demographic in New York City slipped, ranking second in the mornings overall with a 2.1% share. In the same month, following insufficient ratings, WYSP in Philadelphia dropped the show in favor of a rock music format. Following the introduction of the portable people meter ratings system in 2008, "Opie and Anthony" failed to reach top 10 in morning drive in New York City, with WXRK ranked 20th out of 24 stations overall and fell outside the top 10 in the coveted 25–54 demographic. On December 1, 2008, the show was dropped on WBCN in Boston and WKRK-FM in Cleveland. Following the broadcast on March 9, 2009, the show was dropped from WXRK and the station switched to a Top 40 format. The producer for the FM portion, Mike "Stuntbrain" Opelka, was fired the following day.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: In April 2009, the show relocated from the Steinway building to the SiriusXM studios at the McGraw-Hill Building.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: In the first week of October 2010, Hughes and Cumia renewed their contract with SiriusXM to continue their radio show for an additional two years. They expressed disappointment with their new deal; Hughes described it as "mediocre", noting the company "got all their points, we got nothing". On October 13, 2011, The ViRUS was relaunched as The Opie and Anthony Channel. The pair renewed their contracts in October 2012. In April 2014, Hughes, Cumia, and Norton celebrated the show's twentieth anniversary with a special live edition of Ron Bennington's radio show "Unmasked", at Carolines on Broadway comedy club.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On July 3, 2014, two days after the show started a vacation, SiriusXM fired Cumia for posting "racially-charged and hate-filled remarks" on Twitter. It followed an incident with a black woman on the street, whereby Cumia was allegedly punched by her after he attempted to take a picture in Times Square. He referred to her as, among other things, a "savage, violent animal". Cumia refused to apologize for his tweets, and gave his blessing for Hughes and Norton to continue broadcasting as their contracts with Sirius remained intact. Cumia deleted the tweets after being fired. On July 14, Hughes and Norton returned to the air under a new title, "Opie with Jim Norton", and channel was renamed SiriusXM Talk. In October 2014, Hughes and Norton renewed their contracts for two more years, and the channel was re-branded once more to Opie Radio.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: In 2015, Hughes and Cumia were involved in a public feud on Twitter regarding their growing strained relationship over the years. The two expressed a wish to never work together again. In October 2016, growing differences between Hughes and Norton led to Hughes hosting afternoons with "The Opie Radio Show" and Norton staying in mornings on "Jim Norton & Sam Roberts" with former "Opie and Anthony" producer Sam Roberts. On Hughes' first day in afternoons, he and Cumia spoke for the first time in over two years in a phone call that aired live during their respective shows. Several additional on-air calls followed. On July 6, 2017, Hughes was fired from SiriusXM over an alleged incident where he filmed a colleague using the bathroom.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: The original host and founder of the show. Leads topics and discussions and often will get upset when the topic strays too far from what he wants to talk about. Will commonly say "hold on, hold on" in an attempt to get the show back on topic again. When the show ended, this later became a catch phrase used by Jim's character to poke fun at Opie. Jim never liked that Opie didn't fight harder to keep Anthony on the show when he got fired.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: The other main host who joined the show by request of Opie. At night he would frequently podcast his own shows from his house that he calls "The Compound". Often jokes about race and his love for alcohol. He was never scared about having unpopular opinions and would often argue with Opie about it. On air Opie and Anthony said they were friends and it didn't bother them, but after the show ended it was revealed that the two of them stopped being friends a long time before that and would only talk when the mics were on.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: 3rd mic who later became secondary host to Opie when Anthony left the show (Opie and Jim). He's a standup comic who often performs nightly at clubs and will be tired the next day on air. He's a recovering alcoholic who stopped drinking as a teen and has been sober since. He also has a love for trans and will openly discuss his sexual exploits on-air to the dismay of his parents.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Another standup comic and friend of Jim who was referred to Opie as being "loud". He would often joke about sex and women resulting in female callers calling in to give their thoughts. Patrice and Anthony would often go back and forth on race topics, not always seeing eye to eye. Patrice left the show due to a sudden stroke, resulting in death. For several years after his death the show would have a yearly fundraiser to generate money for his family.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Producer of the show and "intern wrangler". Started in radio as a teen and declared Opie as his "hero" (even ranked him higher than his own dad). Continuously got made of for being fat (despite the show admitting that he's really not fat). The star of many famous show bits, include Cinco De Mayo, Tequila and Donuts day. Sometimes referred to as Hawk, his character that would pester other live news broadcasts.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Started the show as an intern but left to go work on Scorch's show. After a short stint, he returned to the show as an executive producer. His love for Scorch never ended and would often bring audio clips to play on air. He was known as being smarmy and relentless at teasing staff and interns. His favorite target was E-Rock, often laughing the loudest whenever a joke about weight was made. He is a self proclaimed wrestling expert having taped every wrestling event on VHS. He would later host the After Show, with help from E-Rock and Travis.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Senior producer of the show alongside E-Rock and Sam. Often got teased by the staff for having a girly figure and timid. Was famous for having a dog that nobody on the staff liked.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: The show's most famous intern. Was often teased by the staff for being Jewish and his love of everything Jewish. Would go on to host Kosher Sports and bit where he talked about sports with lots of Hebrew phrases. Was famous for getting a happy-endings massage on-air. Would later separate himself from the show completely and cut off all communication after his parents go upset about his on-air antics.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: "Opie and Anthony" combined humor with commentary on American sociopolitical and popular culture. Some categorized them as shock jocks, despite their disagreement with the term.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Friends and regular guests on the show included Jim Florentine, Dan Soder, Joe Rogan, Patton Oswalt, Dave Attell, Joe DeRosa, Louis C.K., Bill Burr, Brian Regan, Jay Mohr, Stephen Lynch, Doug Stanhope, Robert Kelly, Otto & George, Marc Maron, Bob Saget, Gallagher, Penn Jillette, Ricky Gervais, Tom Papa, Amy Schumer, Kevin Smith, Jim Jefferies, Bonnie McFarlane, George Carlin, Rich Vos, Colin Quinn, Nick DiPaolo Greg Giraldo and Patrice O'Neal, many of whom substituted for Norton when he was absent due to stand-up or acting commitments.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: The duo released a compilation of segments from the show that aired on WAAF on a CD entitled "Demented World" in November 1997.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: The Traveling Virus was a comedy tour headlined by Hughes and Cumia, as well as friends of the show, that began in 2006. In its first year, it spanned several locations in the eastern United States during the summer. In 2007, it visited eight cities through the spring and summer. It was an event they had discussed for many years, but were never able to bring it to fruition until they made their 2006 deal with CBS radio. The 2008 tour was cancelled in favor of one show, held at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey on August 2.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On the morning of March 26, 2008, Opie and Anthony revealed they had taped a pilot for Comedy Central. The show was titled "Search & Destroy" and features teams of comedians performing various tasks throughout New York City. Opie and Anthony believe that it may have been too graphic even for cable television. Although Opie and Anthony considered the pilot a success, Comedy Central did not pick the show up.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Through the show's friendship with Lazlow Jones, the hosts as well as show staff have appeared in several Rockstar Games releases including "" and "Red Dead Redemption".


title: Opie and Anthony

text: The "Opie and Anthony Show" Pests, also known as "The O&A Army", were names used to describe fans and listeners of the show who took a proactive approach to the show's content and promotion. As opposed to just casually listening, these fans were involved in listener events, promoting the show, on-air segments, and listener stunts/pranks. They are jokingly known by the hosts as a collection of "computer nerds" and "failures", with the implicit recognition that these devotees relate well to the hosts themselves. Forbes Magazine has recognized "The Pests" as a major source of viral marketing for the show, facetiously suggesting that Anthony Cumia be nominated as CMO of XM Satellite Radio for his role in encouraging and leading the Pests.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: While "Opie and Anthony" had a strong fan base during their early days on WAAF-FM in Boston, there is little, if any, knowledge of such avid activities until O&A's arrival to 102.7 WNEW-FM in New York in 1998. To counter critics and other radio jocks, Opie and Anthony turned to their more enthusiastic fans, nicknaming them "The O&A Army" (or "Pests"). The late 1990s saw the rise of the internet, allowing for good coordination of the Pests, who would often take over rival chat rooms and message boards, while disruptively calling in to rival radio station's shows. In the beginning, there wasn't a structure of power. The fans took their orders mainly from O&A, but would independently promote the show in a grassroots viral marketing effort, an approach they continue to use today.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: It was not until O&A's 2004 debut on XM Satellite Radio that the O&A Pests took their efforts to another level, with some fans assigning themselves titles like "General" to coordinate their efforts, and adopting tactics reminiscent of flash mobs.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: An outgrowth of O&A's response to the reputed fearmongering mentality of today's American media was the Assault on the Media campaign, whose main premise was not to physically assault anyone, but to pester a live broadcast in some way to promote "The Opie and Anthony Show". The campaign's methods typically involved the use of large signs emblazoned with the show's logo, with Pests shouting "Opie and Anthony, XM Satellite Radio!", or a show phrase, typically "O&A Party Rock!" The initial AOTMs led to coinage of the term "Pest", as it was "the only way to describe [the participants] in a way that really fit", as


title: Opie and Anthony

text: The AOTM campaign "unofficially" began in the summer of 2000 when a young woman named Suzie flashed the camera live on NBC's "Today Show" for Opie and Anthony. Over time, more fans inserted themselves into live shots, and in July 2005, O&A officially began an AOTM contest. Every month, they would provide prizes for the best "Assault on the Media".


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On May 19, 2005, WCBS-TV reporter Arthur Chi'en was doing a remote when O&A intern Nathaniel Bryan approached him, holding up a poster for the show. Bryan and another man, later identified as Crazy Cabbie who happened to be nearby, made gestures at the camera and repeated the show's name. When Chi'en finished his introduction, he promptly turned around and loudly asked Bryan, "What the fuck is your problem, man?" Chi'en may have thought that his director at the station had already cut off his broadcast to start playing the recorded report, but this was not the case, and the audio went out live over the air. Chi'en apologized after the report, but was fired by the station later that day, as WCBS-TV has a zero-tolerance policy for obscenity. The utterance that got Chi'en fired became a popular saying on the show, and is repeated frequently, usually with a juvenile emphasis on the word "man." Chi'en resurfaced on WPIX-TV in August 2005 and remained a field reporter.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On the morning of December 6, 2005, a fan attempting an AOTM sounded an air horn during a New York City television station's live news remote report in New Jersey. Ocean Township police questioned the man, whom they would not identify, but no charges were filed; however, the man did face a possible assault charge if the WABC-TV reporter, Anthony Johnson, suffered hearing damage. Johnson filed a lawsuit in December 2007, alleging that his hearing had been permanently damaged in the incident, listing the air horn wielder, the two radio hosts, and XM Satellite Radio, which broadcasts the show, in his claim.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Following the harassment, Acting Governor Richard J. Codey issued the following statement: "Encouraging fans to intervene in live news shots is inappropriate and dangerous. Today a fan sounded an air horn in a reporter's ear and this action may result in permanent hearing damage for the reporter who was harassed. Reporters are professionals who provide a great service to the public by delivering news. They should be treated with respect and not antagonized as part of a radio show gag. I won't tolerate anything less in our state. The person who committed this act should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I wish Mr. Johnson a speedy and healthy recovery."


title: Opie and Anthony

text: In the wake of the incident (and a personal request from WABC meteorologist Bill Evans, said to have feared for his and his family's safety should a fan "go too far"), O&A officially ended the AOTM contest.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: One of the most successful Pest attacks occurred on Jim Philips of "The Philips Phile" in July 2005. Philips attempted to steal and take credit for the Assault on the Media bit and boasted that he had "the #1 talk show of its kind on XM." O&A responded by calling for an attack on his show. For days, the phone lines to Philips' show were jammed, with the flow of his show noticeably disrupted. Talk of O&A dominated Philips' show for several days as he brazenly attempted to retaliate, poking fun at O&A's names and physical attributes. He even interviewed a fictitious XM executive named "Derick Foinster" to echo Philips' claims of success on XM, and to feign a homosexual attraction to "Mr. Cumia". Fans of O&A interpreted Philips' response as so arrogant that it motivated them to continue the attack.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: After several days of constant calls from Pests, Philips started taking fewer calls, and quizzed callers before allowing them to speak, claiming his fans were "smarter" than O&A's fans. The quizzing backfired, since the Philips' questions were so difficult that no one, Philips fans or O&A fans alike, could answer them. Philips threatened legal action, saying "My lawyers are better than yours." His efforts did not deter the attack, so Philips eventually stopped taking calls, ceased all mention of "Mr. Hughes" and "Mr. Cumia", and no longer claimed that his talk show was the most successful on XM.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Eventually, O&A stopped mentioning Philips and the attack ceased shortly thereafter. Several weeks later, O&A fans raised enough money to purchase a billboard on his projected route to and from his radio station that read, "Mr. Philips, The Pests Win. You Lose. Good Day, Sir! - The Opie and Anthony Army, Commemorating the Pat Battle of O-Town."


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On November 18, 2004, shortly after announcing his move to Sirius Satellite Radio, Howard Stern organized a rally in Union Square, New York City to distribute free Sirius units to his fans. O&A sent a contingency of Pests holding large O&A signs to infiltrate the crowd.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: A year later, on November 17, 2005, the Pests coordinated an attack on Stern's appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman", holding up large O&A signs and banners, while shouting O&A chants upon Stern's arrival.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On December 16, 2005, the Pests organized 'The Million Pest March' in order to "protest" Howard Stern's rally celebrating his final day on terrestrial radio. They arrived holding large Opie & Anthony signs but were denied entry to the cordoned-off rally area by the NYPD. A handful of Pests did make it through, but were promptly removed from the crowd upon revealing their O&A signs and banners.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Denied access to the rally, the Pests marched the streets surrounding the rally, chanting O&A references and harassing Stern fans. After the rally, the Pests followed Stern's bus to the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, where Stern was holding a luncheon for a small group of fans. The Pests continued to march outside the Hard Rock Cafe and performed a "funeral dirge" for Howard's career, carrying a makeshift coffin made of cardboard through the Stern crowd.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On January 9, 2006 'war' was officially declared by O&A in order to compete with Howard Stern due to his arrival on Sirius XM. The show was opened with a live feed of rival Stern's first show on Sirius Satellite Radio. On March 14, 2006, when Stern was arriving for a Letterman appearance, a group of Pests shouted "O&A Party Rock!", and chased after his limousine.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: As part of XM's deal with DirecTV, many XM channels are simulcast on DirecTV channels, including Opie and Anthony's High Voltage. On April 17, 2006, O&A's High Voltage channel was removed from DirecTV's lineup. DirecTV claimed the reason for removing High Voltage from their lineup was customer feedback favoring more music channels over talk and sports channels. A major campaign was organized, consisting of phone calls, e-mails, voice mails and other such petitions to get O&A back on the lineup. In less than one week, the show had reappeared. DirecTV and XM Radio have since parted ways.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Scott Ferrall was a friend of Opie & Anthony at WNEW. He was fired for supporting them after the "Sex for Sam" debacle. In February 2006, Ferrall was on Stern's show promoting his own spot on Howard 101 from 8 pm to 11 pm EST. "The Pests" soon took over Ferrall's show after receiving reports of him badmouthing Opie and Anthony, and he did his last Sirius show on February 17, 2006, indicating that he was very busy with other projects, but promised to be back on Sirius soon. On March 28, 2006 Ferrall was hired to fill the 8-12 spot on Howard 101.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: On July 31, 2006, Whoopi Goldberg's new radio show "Wake up with Whoopi" debuted on KTU-FM in New York opposite O&A's show. The Pests were called in to "attack" Whoopi's show. The attack was not prompted by anything Whoopi had said about them, but O&A have expressed disgust in the recent trend of radio stations hiring celebrities to host shows in a form of "radio stunt casting", rather than hiring experienced radio personalities. O&A have remarked that the general public perceives radio as an "easy job", so they targeted her show to prove to newcomer Whoopi the difficulties of hosting a radio talk show.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: At least four Pest calls got through to the show, with Whoopi vowing to "screen [calls] better." She also mentioned she was a good friend of Howard Stern and that "those other guys aren't worth the dust he [Howard] walks on." On August 3, 2006 Whoopi surprised Opie & Anthony with a drop-in visit to their studio during a show, which earned her respect from the show and a truce in the Pest onslaught.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Former supermodel and current talk show host Tyra Banks became an Opie & Anthony target, often criticizing her for what they deem her self-centered demeanor on her show. When Banks publicly responded to tabloid photos and allegations that she had gained weight, O&A condemned her angry response, suggesting that were it not for her insecurity, she would not have responded so strongly to the paparazzi photos and allegations.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: O&A challenged their listeners to find ways of getting Tyra's attention in order to "let her know how we feel." On February 3, 2007, Pest mainstay No Filter Paul infiltrated the background of SNY's news program, holding up a sign that read "Tyra is a Big Fat Pig." Two days later on February 4, 2007, Jewish Monkey of the P.O.W.'s ("Pests Out West" or "Pests of the West") hung a large banner reading "Opie & Anthony P.O.W.'s, Tyra Banks is a Fatty Pig Fatty" outside the CBS Television City studio where Banks' show is taped.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: After the fallout from the firing of fellow broadcasters Don Imus and JV & Elvis, as well as XM's suspension of Opie and Anthony due to racist remarks, several Pests formed the group People Against Censorship to defend the right of free speech in broadcast media. The group's primary leader, Debbie Wolf, has been interviewed on various cable news outlets and other radio shows. People Against Censorship has organized rallies to protest O&A's suspension and the firings of Imus and JV & Elvis, and have also successfully lobbied advertisers on XM, such as Nashville Coffee, to cease their advertising in response to XM's censure of Opie and Anthony.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Moreover, the organization spearheaded a subscription cancellation campaign that purportedly resulted in the ending of an unknown number of XM subscriptions in the wake of O&A's May 15 suspension. XM has not released any cancellation figures, so an exact number is unknown. Some fans even went so far as to smash their XM radios (and post videos of the destruction) on YouTube.


title: Opie and Anthony

text: Joseph Cumia (brother of Anthony Cumia) appeared on an episode of "The People's Court", where he unsolicitedly mentioned accusations by the Pests of him being a pedophile. In this same episode, Cumia referred to the Pests as "online terrorists."


title: Cornelius Vanderbilt II

text: He was the favorite grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who bequeathed him $5 million, and the eldest son of William Henry "Billy" Vanderbilt (who bequeathed him about $70 million) and Maria Louisa Kissam. In his turn, he succeeded them as the chairman and the president of the New York Central and related railroad lines in 1885.


title: Cornelius Vanderbilt II

text: Cornelius Vanderbilt II was born on November 27, 1843, on Staten Island, New York to William Henry Vanderbilt (1821–1885) and Maria Louisa Kissam.


title: Cornelius Vanderbilt II

text: Vanderbilt established a reputation for a strong work ethic while clerking at the Shoe and Leather Bank in New York City. This endeared him to his grandfather, the 'Commodore,' who was a strong believer in personal industry.


title: Cornelius Vanderbilt II

text: Vanderbilt was active in numerous organizations, including the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York, YMCA, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Trinity Church, St. Bartholomew's Church, Sunday Breakfast Association, and the Newport Country Club.


title: Cornelius Vanderbilt II

text: On February 4, 1867, he married Alice Claypoole Gwynne (1845–1934), daughter of Abraham Evan Gwynne and Rachel Moore Flagg. The two met at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church where both taught Sunday School.


title: Cornelius Vanderbilt II

text: A stroke in 1896 compelled him to reduce his active business involvement. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage shortly after 6 a.m. on September 12, 1899, at his home on West Fifty-seventh Street in Manhattan, New York City.


title: Cornelius Vanderbilt II

text: Upon his death, family leadership passed to his first brother, William Kissam Vanderbilt. His philanthropy had been such that he did not increase the wealth that had been left to him. His estate at the time of his death was appraised at $72,999,867, $20 million of which was real estate. $73 million is equivalent to $ in dollars.


title: Cornelius Vanderbilt II

text: Through his son, Reginald, he was the grandfather of Gloria Laura Vanderbilt, the socialite and fashion designer, and the great-grandfather of news anchor Anderson Hays Cooper.


title: Cornelius Vanderbilt II

text: Through his son, Alfred, he was the grandfather of William Henry Vanderbilt III, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr., and George Washington Vanderbilt III.


title: Cornelius Vanderbilt II

text: His 70-room summer residence, The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island still stands as a memory of his lifestyle is today operated as a historic house museum.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: SmackDown is a brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE that was established on March 25, 2002. Brands are divisions of WWE's roster where wrestlers are assigned to perform on a weekly basis when a brand extension is in effect. Wrestlers assigned to SmackDown primarily appear on the brand's weekly television program, "Friday Night SmackDown", also referred to simply as "SmackDown". It is one of WWE's two main brands, along with Raw, collectively referred to as WWE's main roster. The brand was discontinued for a period between August 2011 and July 2016.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: In addition to the television program, SmackDown wrestlers also perform on the branded and co-branded pay-per-view and livestreaming events. During the first brand split (2002–2011), SmackDown wrestlers also competed on an exclusive supplementary show, "Velocity", and on "ECW" under a talent exchange program with the former ECW brand, while during the second brand split (2016–present), the brand's wrestlers have appeared in the interbrand "Mixed Match Challenge", "Worlds Collide" and annual "Tribute to the Troops" events.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: In its conception, according to Bruce Prichard in his "Something to Wrestle" podcast released in October 2018, the then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) originally planned to make "SmackDown!" an all-women's brand but ultimately decided against it because of the lack of talent.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: In March 2002, WWF underwent the "brand extension", a process in which WWE divided itself into two branches with separate rosters, storylines and authority figures. The two divisions, hosted by and named after "Raw" and "SmackDown!", would compete against each other. The split resulted from WWE purchasing its two biggest competitors, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW); and the subsequent doubling of its roster and championships. The brand extension was made public during a telecast of "Raw" on March 18, initiated with the first draft a week later on the March 25 episode of "Raw" and became official on the April 1 episode of "Raw".


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: Wrestlers began to wrestle exclusively for their specific show. At the time, this excluded the WWE Undisputed Championship and WWE Women's Championship as those WWE titles would be defended on both shows. In August 2002, then WWE Undisputed Champion, Brock Lesnar, refused to defend the title on "Raw", in effect causing his title to become exclusive to "SmackDown!". The following week on "Raw", Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff awarded a newly instated World Heavyweight Championship to Raw's designated number one contender Triple H. Accordingly, Lesnar's championship was no longer deemed "undisputed". Following this, the WWE Women's Championship soon became a Raw exclusive as well. As a result of the brand extension, an annual "draft lottery" was instituted to exchange members of each roster and generally refresh the lineups.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: SmackDown! was the home brand for many top WWE stars including Eddie Guerrero, Batista, Big Show, John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), Kurt Angle, Edge, The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, John Cena, and Torrie Wilson. Guerrero would go on to become the WWE Champion as part of the show, thus becoming the main feature of "SmackDown!" throughout 2004 and the most popular wrestler of that year. The biggest star of the next decade, John Cena, started his WWE career on this brand and rose to stardom as "Doctor of Thuganomics" on the show, eventually winning his first WWE Championship during his tenure on the brand.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: On June 6, then WWE Champion John Cena switched brands from SmackDown! to Raw as part of the month-long 2005 draft lottery. This effectively left SmackDown! without a world title. On the June 23 episode of "SmackDown!", SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long scheduled a six-man elimination match between Booker T, Chris Benoit, Christian (replacing Big Show, who was picked by Raw in the lottery), John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Muhammad Hassan and The Undertaker to crown the first SmackDown! Champion. On the June 30 episode of "SmackDown!", JBL won the match, but Long appeared afterward and stated that even though he had won the match SmackDown! did not need a championship anymore, instead revealing that JBL was the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, at which point Batista, then World Heavyweight Champion, entered the ring as SmackDown!'s final draft lottery pick.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: At the "SmackDown!" taping on January 10, 2006, that aired January 13, Batista had to forfeit the World Heavyweight Championship because of a legitimate triceps injury suffered at the hands of Mark Henry the previous week. Long decreed a battle royal for the vacant title, which was won by Kurt Angle, who was on the Raw brand, but switched to the SmackDown! brand for the duration of his reign as champion. On the April 7 episode of "SmackDown!" (which was taped on April 4), Long revived the King of the Ring tournament after a four-year hiatus as a SmackDown! exclusive tournament. The tournament ended at Judgment Day with Booker T as the winner, defeating Bobby Lashley in the final.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: On October 16, 2007, the SmackDown! and ECW brands began a talent exchange, allowing their respective talent to appear and compete on either brand, as "ECW" was broadcast live from the same arena where "SmackDown!" was taped.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: During the 2008 WWE draft, WWE Champion Triple H was drafted to SmackDown, resulting in two world championships appearing on the brand – Edge was the World Heavyweight Champion at the time – and leaving Raw without a world title. However, Edge was attacked by Batista on the June 30 episode of "Raw" and immediately afterwards CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to become World Heavyweight Champion, bringing the World Heavyweight Championship back to Raw for the first time since 2005. Also that year, for the first time in the brand's history a women's exclusive championship was introduced, the Divas Championship, a counterpart to the Women's Championship that had been the only active championship competed for by Divas, but which was exclusive to Raw, meaning that the Divas on SmackDown had no championship to compete for. Michelle McCool became the inaugural champion by defeating Natalya on July 20 at The Great American Bash.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: On February 15, 2009, at No Way Out, Edge won the World Heavyweight Championship in Raw's Elimination Chamber match, thus making it a SmackDown exclusive title and giving SmackDown two top tier championships. As a result of the 2009 WWE draft in April, then WWE Champion Triple H was drafted to Raw while the World Heavyweight Championship also moved to the Raw brand after Edge lost the title to Cena at WrestleMania 25, once again leaving SmackDown without a world title. SmackDown regained the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash when Edge invoked his WrestleMania rematch clause and defeated Cena in a Last Man Standing match to win the championship back. In addition, Raw and SmackDown exchanged both women-exclusive championships with Raw gaining the Divas Championship and SmackDown gaining the Women's Championship. This marked the first time in history that the Women's Championship had ever been exclusive to SmackDown. Raw and SmackDown also exchanged the United States Championship (which became exclusive to Raw) and the Intercontinental Championship (subsequently exclusive to SmackDown) for the first time since August 25, 2002.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: On the August 29, 2011, episode of "Raw", it was announced that performers from Raw and SmackDown were no longer exclusive to their respective brand. Subsequently, championships previously exclusive to one show or the other were available for wrestlers from any show to compete for—this would mark the end of the brand extension as all programming and live events featured the full WWE roster. In a 2013 interview with "Advertising Age", Stephanie McMahon explained that WWE's decision to end the brand extension was due to wanting their content to flow across television and online platforms.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: On May 25, 2016, it was revealed that the brand split would return in July. The 2016 WWE draft took place on the live premiere episode of "SmackDown" on July 19 to determine the rosters between both brands. On the July 11 episode of "Raw", Vince McMahon named Shane McMahon the commissioner of "SmackDown". Then next week on "Raw", Daniel Bryan was revealed as the new SmackDown General Manager. Due to "Raw" being a three-hour show and "SmackDown" being a two-hour show, Raw received three picks each round and SmackDown received two. WWE Champion Dean Ambrose was SmackDown's first pick.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: After the return of the brand split, most pay-per-views became exclusive to one brand, (with SmackDown producing Backlash (2016 and 2017), No Mercy (2016), , Elimination Chamber (2017), Money in the Bank (2017), Battleground (2017), Hell in a Cell (2017), Clash of Champions (2017) and Fastlane (2018)). From WrestleMania 34 onwards, all pay-per-views became dual-branded again.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: On the November 7, 2017, episode of "SmackDown", AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship. On April 10, 2018, SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon announced that Daniel Bryan was back as a full-time WWE Superstar for the roster after his in-ring return at WrestleMania 34, therefore "graciously accepted Daniel's resignation as SmackDown General Manager". McMahon then named Paige, who had retired from in-ring competition due to injury the night before on Raw, as the new SmackDown General Manager.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: When SmackDown moved to FOX beginning with the October 4, 2019, episode, it eventually replaced Raw as the "A" Show. As a result, SmackDown became the home for the WWE's top stars such as Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre and the Usos.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: Initially, the Undisputed WWE Championship and the original WWE Women's Championship were available to both brands. The other championships were exclusive to the brand the champion was a part of. When the brand extension began, SmackDown became the exclusive home for the World Tag Team Championship and the original Cruiserweight Championship.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: In September 2002, the Undisputed Championship became the WWE Championship again and was moved to SmackDown, prompting Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff to create the World Heavyweight Championship for Raw.<ref name="WWE/World"></ref> SmackDown created the WWE Tag Team Championship and they revived the United States Championship. Over the course of the first brand extension, these championships switched between brands, usually due to the result of the annual draft. However, the Cruiserweight title was the only championship to never switch brands, staying on SmackDown from 2002 until the championship's retirement on September 28, 2007.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: In October 2007, SmackDown and ECW began a talent exchange agreement, which meant that SmackDown talent could appear on "ECW" and vice versa. This allowed the United States Championship and WWE Tag Team Championship to be shared between the two brands. In July 2008, the Divas Championship was created for SmackDown, allowing the SmackDown Divas to compete for a title.


title: SmackDown (WWE brand)

text: With the brand extension ending in 2011, all Raw and SmackDown titles were merged. After five years, a new brand extension was introduced on July 19, 2016. SmackDown drafted the WWE Champion and the Intercontinental Champion. As SmackDown was lacking a tag team championship and a women's championship, Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan introduced the SmackDown Tag Team Championship and SmackDown Women's Championship. In the 2017 Superstar Shake-Up, the Intercontinental Championship was moved to Raw and in exchange, the United States Championship moved back to SmackDown. The following year during the 2018 Superstar Shake-Up, the United States Championship was moved to Raw, but returned to SmackDown the next night. At Crown Jewel on October 31, 2019, SmackDown wrestler "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt won the Universal Championship, thus bringing the title to SmackDown. On the next night's episode of "SmackDown", WWE Champion Brock Lesnar quit SmackDown and went to Raw, taking the title with him.


title: West Ukrainian People's Republic

text: The West Ukrainian People's Republic (WUPR) or West Ukrainian National Republic (WUNR), known for part of its existence as the Western Oblast of the Ukrainian People's Republic, was a short-lived polity that controlled most of Eastern Galicia from November 1918 to July 1919. It included the cities of Lviv, Ternopil, Kolomyia, Drohobych, Boryslav, Stanislaviv (now Ivano-Frankivsk) and right-bank Przemyśl, and claimed parts of Bukovina and Carpathian Ruthenia. Politically, the Ukrainian National Democratic Party (the precursor of the interwar Ukrainian National Democratic Alliance) dominated the legislative assembly, guided by varying degrees of Greek Catholic, liberal and socialist ideology. Other parties represented included the Ukrainian Radical Party and the Christian Social Party.


title: West Ukrainian People's Republic

text: The WUPR emerged as a breakaway state amid the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, and in January 1919 nominally united with the Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) as its autonomous Western Oblast. Poland had also claimed this territory, and by July occupied most of it and forced the West Ukrainian government into exile. When the UPR decided late the same year that it would trade the territory for an alliance with Poland against Soviet Russia, the exiled West Ukrainian government broke with the UPR. The exiled government continued its claim until it dissolved in 1923.


title: West Ukrainian People's Republic

text: The coat of arms of the WUPR was azure, a golden lion rampant. The colours of the flag were blue and yellow.


title: West Ukrainian People's Republic

text: According to the 1910 census of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the territory claimed by the West Ukrainian People's Republic had about 5.3 million people. Of these, 3,132,233 (58,9%) were Ukrainians and 2,114,792 (39.8%) were Poles, and the rest included Jews, Rusyns, Germans, Hungarians, Romanians, Czechs, Slovaks, Romani, Armenians and others. However, up to 12 % of the population were Jewish - they predominantly spoke Polish and identified as Poles, such as Stanisław Lem. The cities and towns of this largely rural region were mostly populated by Poles and Jews, while the Ukrainians dominated the countryside. This would prove problematic for the Ukrainians, because the largest city, Lviv (, ), had a majority Polish population and was considered to be one of the most important Polish cities.


title: West Ukrainian People's Republic

text: The oil reserves near Lviv at Drohobych and Boryslav in the upper Dniester River were among the largest in Europe. Rail connections to Russian-ruled Ukraine or Romania were few: Brody on a line from Lviv to the upper Styr River, Pidvolochysk (Podwoloczyska) on a line from Ternopil to Proskurov (now Khmelnytskyi) in Podolia, and a line along the Prut from Kolomyia (Kolomca) to Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) in Bukovina.


title: West Ukrainian People's Republic

text: The West Ukrainian People's Republic was proclaimed on 1 November 1918. The Ukrainian National Rada (a council consisting of all Ukrainian representatives from both houses of the Austrian parliament and from the provincial diets in Galicia and Bukovina) had planned to declare the West Ukrainian People's Republic on 3 November 1918 but moved the date forward to 1 November due to reports that the Polish Liquidation Committee was to transfer from Kraków to Lviv. Shortly after the republic proclaimed independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire a popular uprising took place in Lviv, where most residents were Polish and did not want to be part of a non-Polish state. A few weeks later Lviv's rebellious Poles received support from Poland. On 9 November Polish forces attempted to seize the Drohobych oil fields by surprise but were driven back, outnumbered by the Ukrainians. The resulting stalemate saw the Poles retaining control over Lviv and a narrow strip of land around a railway linking the city to Poland, while the rest of eastern Galicia remained under the control of the West Ukrainian National Republic. During the Polish-Ukrainian War, the West Ukrainian army was able to hold off Poland for approximately nine months, but by July 1919, Polish forces had taken over most of the territory claimed by the Western Oblast.


title: West Ukrainian People's Republic

text: The Polish population, which comprised around 40 % of Eastern Galician population at the time, was highly hostile to the newly formed West Ukrainian state and considered it a rule ‘by bayonet, cudgel, and axe’ while awaiting the arrival of the Polish army. Polish officials resigned en masse, which undermined the Republic's ability to lead an effective administration. Poles dominated the urban areas and started an uprising against the Ukrainian rule not only in Lviv, but also in Drohobych, Przemyśl, Sambir and Jarosław. This made the West Ukrainian government unable to exert control over the western half of its territory, and made the Polish offensive possible.


title: West Ukrainian People's Republic

text: Meanwhile, two smaller states immediately west of the West Ukrainian People's Republic also declared independence as result of the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.


title: West Ukrainian People's Republic

text: An agreement to unite western Ukraine with the rest of Ukraine was made as early as 1 December 1918. The government of the West Ukrainian People's Republic officially united with the Ukrainian People's Republic on 22 January 1919, after which the former was known as the Western Oblast of the Ukrainian People's Republic. This was mostly a symbolic act, however.


title: West Ukrainian People's Republic

text: Since western Ukraine had a different tradition in its legal, social and political norms, it was to be autonomous within a united Ukraine. Furthermore, western Ukrainians retained their own Ukrainian Galician Army and government structure. Despite the formal union, the Western Ukrainian Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic fought in separate wars. The former was preoccupied with a conflict with Poland, while the latter struggled with Soviet and Russian forces.


title: West Ukrainian People's Republic

text: Relations between the western Ukrainian polity and the Kyiv-based Ukrainian People's Republic were somewhat strained. The leadership of the former tended to be more conservative in orientation. Well-versed in the culture of the Austrian parliamentary system and an orderly approach to government, they looked upon the socialist revolutionary attitude of their Kyiv-based peers with some dismay and with the concern that the social unrest in the East would spread to Galicia. Likewise, the West Ukrainian troops were more disciplined while those of Kyiv's Ukrainian People's Army were more chaotic and prone to committing pogroms, something actively opposed by the western Ukrainians. The poor discipline in Kyiv's army and the insubordination of its officers shocked the Galician delegates sent to Kyiv.


title: West Ukrainian People's Republic

text: The national movement in western Ukraine was as strong as in other eastern European countries, and the Ukrainian government was able to mobilize over 100,000 men, 40,000 of whom were battle-ready. Ludwik Mroczka writes that despite the strength of the Ukrainian nationalist forces, they received little support and enthusiasm from the local Ukrainian population; in general, the attitude was often that of indifference, and the male Ukrainian population often tried to avoid service in its military


title: West Ukrainian People's Republic

text: Part of the defeated army found refuge in Czechoslovakia and became known there under the name "Ukrajinská brigáda" (Czech). On 16 July 1919, the remaining army consisting of about 50,000 soldiers, crossed into the territory of the Ukrainian People's Republic and continued the struggle for Ukrainian independence there.