document_title: Vanessa Abrams

question_text: who did vanessa end up with in gossip girl

text: Vanessa Abrams

text: Novel series[edit]

text: Described as sullen, with a shaved head and black clothing, Vanessa is a budding filmmaker and Constance student on scholarship. Her dream is to one day attend NYU and major in film. Her hippie artist parents live in Vermont but allowed her to move to Williamsburg, Brooklyn to live with her sister Ruby.

text: In the first books, she stays away from Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen's social scene, resenting the Upper East Side way of life and preferring the company of Dan Humphrey, her best friend, and her sister Ruby. She has had a huge crush on Dan ever since they met on a fire escape when they were both locked out of a party, but Dan had always been too in love with Serena van der Woodsen to realize it. Dan and Vanessa finally get together in the second book, but break up when Dan cheats on her with a writer named Mystery.

text: Vanessa is very fond of making dark films and spends most of her time filming people and objects. She later becomes friends with Blair Waldorf, and they become short-lived roommates. She takes much from her, becoming more open to the Upper East Side way of life and later semi-adapting to Blair's sense of fashion (though she once quipped that she would not be wearing snakeskin Manolos anytime soon) She begins a relationship with Aaron Rose, Blair's stepbrother, only to cheat on him with Dan come graduation.

text: Dan and Vanessa once again become a couple, but with Vanessa taking a job as an assistant for Ken Mogul (and later a babysitter) and Dan cheating on her yet again with a leggy blond named Bree, they break up. Dan has a period of crisis when he thinks that he is gay after kissing a guy at work, but Vanessa stands by him. She agrees to move in with Rufus Humphrey (having been kicked out of her apartment by her sister Ruby and her new fiance Piotr) during the fall when she goes to NYU. Dan turns out to be straight, and they spend the time they have together before college being a real couple. In I Will Aways Love You, it was revealed that Vanessa grew her hair out.

text: Television series[edit]

text: Casting[edit]

text: After a recurring role in the short-lived series What About Brian, Yahoo! stated her "capitalizing on that minor success" and eventually earned the role of "the stunning and unpredictable aspiring filmmaker ensconced in the highly dramatic lives of privileged teenagers on Manhattan's Upper East Side world".[1][2] Szohr began her stint on Gossip Girl in a recurring role until her promotion to regular status in the show's fourteenth episode. Szohr said in Nylon magazine: Producers originally didn’t want to cast her on Gossip Girl because her straight, shiny hair was too preppy. “I told my agent, you send every picture of my hair short, curly, black, blonde, I don’t care.” In Teen Vogue she said the story of how she snagged her breakthrough role on Gossip Girl: "Two of my friends in L.A. invited me to this Labor Day barbecue, but I really just wanted to stay on the couch with my French bulldog," she says. They kept calling, though, so off she went. "I remember hanging out by the pool in an old T-shirt and jean shorts, just talking to people. Three days later, my manager calls to tell me that I'd been with the show's executive producer and one of the creators and they want me to audition." Less than a week after that, Jessica was on her way to New York. "Nuts," she says.

text: Characterization[edit]

text: Szohr's character enters the wealthy world of Manhattan and occasional love interest of her longtime best friend, Dan Humphrey.[3] People magazine cites her television portrayal of her character especially Ziegesar saying that Vanessa on the show "has more of a bohemian hipster look".[4] During an interview for Ocean Drive magazine Szohr commented on her character's noted honesty, stating that "Vanessa doesn't change for other people. She says what she thinks, and that's a hard thing to do in high school[...] she’s just a badass girl from Brooklyn". Szohr finds her character as the most relatable series since Vanessa doesn't have the same lifestyle as most of the other wealthy characters on the show do.[5] During an interview for Vanity Fair, Eric Daman described Vanessa's style as "a breath of fresh air. She’s the Lower East Side, Raising Victor Vargas home-girl." and cited two-time Grammy award-winning artist M.I.A. as an influence.[6]

text: Season 1[edit]

text: Vanessa is officially introduced in the sixth episode of the season, entitled "The Handmaiden's Tale." While talking on the phone with Dan, she appears on his fire escape and the two gladly reunite. She announces that she's decided to move back to the city and live with her sister, Ruby. She also mentions that she missed Dan while she was away and has repeatedly thought about the last words he said to her before she moved to Vermont. Vanessa helps Dan's younger sister, Jenny Humphrey, sneak into a masquerade ball, and she decides to sneak in herself, where she spots Dan and attempts to reconcile their relationship. It is then revealed that Dan's last words to Vanessa were "I love you," but despite this fact, Dan says that he's moved on and is dating Serena. Vanessa gets teary-eyed and abandons the party, however the two friends make up later in Dan's bedroom. They share a snack while Dan fills her in on everything that's changed in his life.

text: In " Victor/Victrola," Vanessa acts as a mentor for Jenny, giving the young blond some advice about parental issues. She seems to express some jealousy when she stumbles in on Dan and Serena about to have sex. However, in the next episode, she and Serena bond over Guitar Hero after Dan explains that Vanessa is his best friend and that the two will always share a special bond from their childhood. Later, Serena and Vanessa engage in conversation and get to know each other better. On Christmas Day, Serena feels a bit jealous when Vanessa gets Dan the perfect present (by publishing his short story in The New Yorker). Vanessa makes a rival out of Blair Waldorf when Blair suspects her of liking Dan as 'more than a friend.' Despite her suspicions, Vanessa helps Serena create the only thing Dan wanted for Christmas – snow.

text: In "School Lies," Vanessa accompanies Dan to a pool party on school property. Someone nearly dies at the party, however, and when Vanessa catches a confidential conversation between Chuck and Blair on camera, it becomes the most sought-after item on the Upper East Side. Chuck tries to bribe Vanessa into giving her the tape, but she tricks him and takes his money anyway. When Blair asks for the tape, Vanessa concedes without any conditions attached. Despite this, Blair pays Vanessa's rent for a year to thank her for giving up the tape, which would have ruined Blair's reputation.

text: When the SATs roll around, Vanessa helps Dan with his studying. This leads to her official introduction to Nate Archibald. The two bicker and banter light-heartedly, but when Vanessa finds a practice essay Nate wrote for the SATs, she sees a more vulnerable side to him. The two spend the day together and Vanessa listens to his problems. Despite their coming from different worlds, they realize they have a lot in common and end the night with a kiss. The next day, Nate takes Vanessa on a 'surprise date' where he tells her she should take the SATs just to ensure that she has options. He pays and registers for her, and after finally giving in, the two enter into a relationship. When she finds out that Georgina Sparks is not who she says she is, Vanessa confronts her and says she knows her real name, as well as her intentions. Despite this fact, Georgina escapes with Dan, who continues to believe the lies she tells him.

text: In the season finale, "Much 'I Do About Nothing" Vanessa prepares for Lily and Bart Bass's wedding. Once she's all dressed up in one of Jenny's designs, Dan tells her that she 'cleans up nice,' before the two proceed to the wedding together. After the ceremony, Nate, burdened by the myriad of problems with his father, tells Vanessa he's not ready to be in a relationship, and the two break up. Later, Vanessa and Dan's friendship grows as they bond over their break-ups.

text: Season 2[edit]

text: Vanessa spends the summer redecorating Rufus's art gallery and turning the extra space into a cafe. Nate confides in her the financial circumstances of his father's debts and although the two seem interested in each other, Nate is continuously too busy to hang out with her. Vanessa pushes him away because of this, but he confesses that he does want a relationship with her. During a citywide blackout, however, the older woman Nate slept with throughout summer, Catherine, threatens to turn Nate's father into the police if Nate ever leaves her. Vanessa sacrifices her relationship with Nate for the Captain's safety and tells Nate she doesn't want to be with him. Later, Vanessa snaps a photo of Catherine when she sees the older woman making out with her stepson, hoping to use it as blackmail. She learns the consequences of her meddling, however, when she realizes that telling Catherine's husband of her affairs left Nate as penniless as ever, whereas Blair was going to gain back the Archibald's riches. Nate becomes upset with Vanessa, not because she made him lose the money, but because she never confided in him.

text: Vanessa helps Jenny convince Rufus to let her do home-schooling. She further displays her charitable side by helping save the Brooklyn Inn from auction and petitioning for landmark status. When Blair refuses to cooperate with the charity, Vanessa blackmails her by using the photo of Catherine and Lord Marcus kissing, which, if exploited, would humiliate Blair. The Queen of Constance is therefore forced to comply, but conspires with Chuck to destroy Vanessa. The two intend to seduce and humiliate her. At Lily's housewarming party, Vanessa witnesses the more vulnerable side of Chuck and the two bond briefly. She's embarrassed, however, when she learns it was all Blair's ploy, and turns her back on them both. During Jenny's guerrilla fashion show, Vanessa spots Nate and Jenny kissing. She feels betrayed by both of them, since she still had feelings for Nate and since she and Jenny were such close friends. In turn, on Thanksgiving, Vanessa hides an important letter from Jenny. This letter was a confession of Nate's feelings for Jenny and his desire to be with her. Not knowing about the letter that was kept from her, Jenny reconciles her friendship with Vanessa.

text: Around Christmastime, Vanessa and Nate repair their relationship, which they try to hide from Jenny. The blond discovers a picture of them kissing on Gossip Girl, however, and embarrasses Vanessa by giving her a see-through dress, which everyone mocks at the Snowflake Ball. A teary-eyed Vanessa runs off, leaving Nate to tell Jenny that he's not the girl he thought she was. He chooses Vanessa and the two speed away in a taxi as a brokenhearted Jenny watches from afar. Vanessa tries not to interfere with Serena and Dan's relationship, and instead celebrates her 2-month anniversary with Nate at the opera, where the two happily kiss and mock the other theater-goers.

text: When the seniors of Constance Billiard and St. Jude's are forced to put on a play, Nate worries that Vanessa is attracted to the play's director, seeing as the two have so much in common. This leads to a heated argument between Vanessa and him, in which the two fight about their differences and insecurities. Later, Vanessa goes to Nate's house and they make up, deciding to watch the Age of Innocence together.

text: Vanessa and Nate make plans to travel Europe together over summer break. Nate feels manipulated by his family to intern at the mayor's office and Vanessa worries that he's being controlled by his grandfather. Eventually, Nate decides he will intern for the mayor, which he announces in a speech. After hearing this, a disappointed Vanessa leaves the party. She goes over to the Humphreys, where she tells Jenny that her relationship with Nate might in fact be over.

text: A week later, Vanessa and Chuck see Blair and Nate hugging. The two then conspire to tear their friendship apart. Vanessa attempts to make Nate jealous by kissing Chuck at Jenny's party, but when Nate and Blair appear unfazed, Vanessa and Chuck really do sleep together. In "Southern Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," Vanessa and Dan play the drinking game I Never, in which she admits to sleeping with Chuck twice and regretting it both times. In the season finale, Vanessa and Nate catch up and become friends at the Constance-St. Jude's Graduation. A week later, Nate tells her that the mayor hit on him, so he quit his internship. He and Vanessa reinstate their summer plans to go backpacking through Europe. The three unknowingly get to know Scott Rosson, the lovechild of Lily and Rufus. Afterwards, Dan receives a suspicious phone call from Georgina who tells both Vanessa and Dan that she'll be seeing them at NYU next year.

text: Season 3[edit]

text: It's revealed that Vanessa did indeed spend her summer backpacking through Europe with Nate and the two had a fling one night, but remain good friends and nothing more. When she returns to New York, she gets to know Scott Ronsson, and develops a crush on him. When she discovers that Dan's been living the high life thanks to the van der Woodsens and has been hiding it from her, she fights with him and eventually tells him that despite his wealth, he needs to be himself in order for her to be friends with him. Scott and Vanessa begin dating and Scott encourages Vanessa to stay friends with Dan. When Vanessa moves into her dorm at NYU, she realizes that she shares the hall with Blair Waldorf and Georgina Sparks. Vanessa and Georgina become friends after Vanessa forgives her for her past behavior, whereas Vanessa and Blair's rivalry deepens. She grows suspicious of Scott and eventually discovers he is not a student at NYU. When she confronts him, he confesses that he's Lily and Rufus' son and she encourages him to tell them. Scott eventually tells Lily and Rufus the truth at their wedding and moves back to Boston, promising to come down and visit the now broken-hearted Vanessa.

text: Famous actress Olivia Burke becomes Vanessa's new roommate, and the two become immediate friends. Olivia and Dan embark on a relationship, but when they have a threesome with Vanessa, the trio become awkward around each other, resulting in Vanessa and Olivia fighting over Dan. Once Olivia realizes that Dan's true feelings lie with Vanessa, she breaks up with him and moves out of NYU to continue pursuing her acting career. Dan finally confessed his love for Vanessa, who becomes confused and tries to brush off the subject. Later, however, she admits that she loves him as well and that although she doesn't want to ruin her friendship with him, she wants to explore these feelings, starting with being "friends with benefits". The two finally begin their relationship.

text: Their relationship becomes problematic when Vanessa secretly applies to NYU's program for writers, Tisch, which Dan has also applied for. Despite their competition, Vanessa is chosen by the program and although this causes further issues between the two, Dan eventually expresses pride in Vanessa. Later, however, their relationship hits another obstacle when Dan discovers that Vanessa has received an offer difficult to reject: to work in Haiti, assisting the disaster aid as well as filming for CNN. When Dan tells Vanessa he knows she's been offered this position, she insists on not going and staying in the city with Dan to work on their relationship. Dan eventually convinces Vanessa to accept the offer, however, when he informs her that it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Thus, Vanessa says a tearful goodbye to Dan and leaves, the couple planning on engaging in a long-distance relationship.

text: In the finale, while Vanessa is still in Haiti, Nate sends her a Gossip Girl blast that includes a picture of Dan and Serena in bed together, implying that Dan has cheated on her.

text: Season 4[edit]

text: Vanessa returns from Haiti to find Dan with Georgina. Suspecting a relationship between the two, Vanessa is shocked to discover that they are raising his son, Milo. Vanessa confronts Dan regarding Milo's paternity and realizes that Dan has kept his son's existence from his immediate family. Before Georgina leaves for an extended vacation, she answers a call from Vanessa, who tells her to pass a message to Dan that she will be there for him when he needs her. After meeting Juliet Sharp, Vanessa gets entangled in one of her schemes to break the love triangle between Dan, Nate and Serena, using Vanessa's feelings for Dan to sway him away from Serena. Vanessa later finds out that Dan does not feel the same way about her after sex but Dan comes forward to her and professes his love. With Dan's struggles in raising Milo increase, Vanessa offers her aid to raise him and moves in with him. Dan accepts but Georgina returns to take Milo from Dan. Vanessa unsuccessfully attempts to comfort Dan on losing his son but only succeeds in driving him towards Serena and avoid facing his problems. Dan lies about his whereabouts until Vanessa finds out that he will be arriving at a party with Serena. Realizing his mistake, Dan and Vanessa reconcile and resume their relationship. With Serena's enrollment in Columbia, Gossip Girl spreads a blast implying that Serena has a sexually transmitted disease, causing Vanessa and Juliet to panic considering that their respective partners have a sexual history with Serena. Hoping to confirm on whether or not Dan had slept with Serena and if he still had residual feelings for her, Vanessa and Juliet steal Serena's phone. Vanessa happily finds out that Dan loves her and discovers that Juliet was responsible for another blast against Serena, one stating that she was soliciting sex for grades. Fearing backlash against her, Juliet frames Vanessa for the blast, causing Vanessa to leave and effectively ending her relationship with Dan. In the aftermath of ruining Blair's 20th birthday, Vanessa listens to Dan's troubles, replying to his conclusion on the contagious scheming of the Upper East side by saying that they need rest and a good dose of Brooklyn.

text: Nate turns to Vanessa when he uncovers one of her lies and she accepts, knowing that helping Nate would clear her name. Distracting Juliet from returning to her apartment, Nate calls off their scheme when he finds out about Juliet's background but Vanessa sneaked in, finding pictures of Serena kissing her college professor, Colin. Vanessa confronts Juliet, hoping to recruit her in vindicating her name and exposing Serena but Juliet declines her offer, unaware that Vanessa took the pictures with her.

text: Following Charlie's mental breakdown at the Constance Billiard alumni party, Vanessa scouts out Dan's apartment to look for her but instead finds a novel that Dan has been working on and reads it. When Dan calls her if she found Charlie, Vanessa pours out her admiration for Dan's work and suggests that he publish it, further concluding that in the five years that he wrote the novel, she deduced Dan's secret desire to be a part of the Upper East side, one that even surpasses Jenny's from years ago. Dan had been reluctant to publish it, fearing backlash against his friends for writing a novel that satirizes them. Vanessa tells him to stop dropping everything for his friends and instead be a great person, stating that he was a better person before he met Serena. Dan angrily shoots back at her, saying that his life was better before she climbed into his fire escape years ago. Vanessa steals his manuscript and has it published. When asked where the money will be directed, Vanessa reveals that she will be living in Spain and that she'll make sure the money goes to the right place.

text: Season 6[edit]

text: Vanessa received an SMS which reveals that Dan was "Gossip Girl". Her cameo was filmed on the set of the Sex and The City prequel, The Carrie Diaries; the producers like to imagine that she was directing an episode.[7]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Originally set for a four or five-episode guest appearance, Yahoo! cites Szohr "who so clicked with viewers that producers eventually added her to series regular status." Szohr's performance even led her to making People magazine's famous yearly list of its "Most Beautiful People" in 2008.[1] Szohr's portrayal of Vanessa in the TV series has drawn criticism from Ziegesar, who claimed Vanessa is "one character they ruined", in response to the show's deviation from the novels where Vanessa is bald and often clothed in black.[4] TV Guide named her one of TV's Worst-Dressed Characters.[8]

text: Isabelle Carreau of TV Squad brushed off initial fans' dislike of the character when reviewing the second-season episode, The Dark Night, stating "I'm glad that, contrary to how most characters on GG react, Vanessa didn't scream, throw things, and pull hair when telling Nate how disappointed in him she is. Vanessa is not my favorite character, but she is slowly growing on me because of the calmness and maturity she can show.".[9]

text: Regarding the direction of her character as the show progressed to its fourth season, Vanessa received negative reviews from critics. Mark O. Estes from Tv Overmind was displeased with her character inconsistency that she displayed on the fourth-season episode, Gaslit, stating "even I can't speak up for her throwing Jenny under the bus the way she did." and further expressed disappointment that the show's writers are catering to fans' negative reception of Vanessa.[10] TV Guide heavily panned the character, describing her direction "from a borderline interesting counterpoint to all the glamour of her surroundings to a sniveling buttinsky with nothing better to do than meddle for the sole sake of spoiling everyone's fun.", laying out the possibility of her character leaving or becoming a villain.[11] On May 9, 2011, it was announced that Taylor Momsen and Jessica Szohr would not be back as series regulars for the fifth season of the show, although both have been invited back as guest stars.[12] Szohr left the show after discussing with producers on the direction of her character, having felt that her portrayal of Vanessa had run its course. "I had so much fun and I made friends I'll have for a lifetime and it was so great to work in the city, but I got the most I could out of Vanessa."[13]


document_title: History of tennis

question_text: which is the first tennis club to be established

root

text: History of tennis

text: Etymology[edit]

text: Some people believe that the word "Tennis" came into use in English in the mid-13th century from Old French, via the Anglo-Norman term Tenez, which can be translated as "hold!", "receive!" or "take!", but there is no reference to this in contemporary literature and so there is no evidence of this derivation. A call from the server to his opponent indicating that he is about to serve.[11] The first known appearance of the word in English literature is by poet John Gower in his poem titled 'In Praise of Peace' dedicated to King Henry IV and composed in 1400; "Of the tenetz to winne or lese a chase, Mai no lif wite er that the bal be ronne". (Whether a chase is won or lost at tennis, Nobody can know until the ball is run).[a][13][14][15][16]

tag: p

text: Origin[edit]

text: Tennis is mentioned in literature as far back as the Middle Ages. In The Second Shepherds' Play (c. 1500) shepherds gave three gifts, including a tennis ball, to the newborn Christ. Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's round table, plays tennis against a group of 17 giants in The Turke and Gowin (c. 1500).[17][18]

text: Real tennis[edit]

text: The Medieval form of tennis is termed as real tennis, a game that evolved over three centuries, from an earlier ball game played around the 12th century in France which involved hitting a ball with a bare hand and later with a glove.[19][20] By the 16th century, the glove had become a racquet, the game had moved to an enclosed playing area, and the rules had stabilized. Real tennis spread in popularity throughout royalty in Europe, reaching its peak in the 16th century.

text: In 1437 at the Blackfriars, Perth, the playing of tennis indirectly led to the death of King James I of Scotland, when the drain outlet, through which he hoped to escape assassins, had been blocked to prevent the loss of tennis balls.[21] James was trapped and killed.[22]

text: Francis I of France (1515–47) was an enthusiastic player and promoter of real tennis, building courts and encouraging play among the courtiers and commoners. His successor Henry II (1547–59) was also an excellent player and continued the royal French tradition. In 1555 an Italian priest, Antonio Scaino da Salothe, wrote the first known book about tennis, Trattato del Giuoco della Palla. Two French kings died from tennis related episodes—Louis X of a severe chill after playing and Charles VIII after hitting his head during a game.[23] King Charles IX granted a constitution to the Corporation of Tennis Professionals in 1571, creating the first pro tennis 'tour', establishing three professional levels: apprentice, associate, and master. A professional named Forbet wrote and published the first codification of the rules in 1599.[24]

text: Royal interest in England began with Henry V (1413–22.) Henry VIII (1509–47) made the biggest impact as a young monarch; playing the game with gusto at Hampton Court on a court he built in 1530. It is believed that his second wife Anne Boleyn was watching a game when she was arrested and that Henry was playing when news of her execution arrived. During the reign of James I (1603–25), London had 14 courts.[25]

text: Real tennis is mentioned in literature by William Shakespeare who mentions "tennis balles" in Henry V (1599), when a basket of them is given to King Henry as a mockery of his youth and playfulness; the incident is also mentioned in some earlier chronicles and ballads.[26] One of the most striking early references appears in a painting by Giambattista Tiepolo entitled The Death of Hyacinth (1752–1753) in which a strung racquet and three tennis balls are depicted. The painting's theme is the mythological story of Apollo and Hyacinth, written by Ovid. Giovanni Andrea dell'Anguillara translated it into Italian in 1561 and replaced the ancient game of discus, in the original text with pallacorda or tennis, which had achieved a high status at the courts in the middle of the 16th century. Tiepolo's painting, displayed at the Museo Thyssen Bornemisza in Madrid, was ordered in 1752 by German count Wilhelm Friedrich Schaumburg Lippe, who was an avid tennis player.

text: The game thrived among the 17th-century nobility in France, Spain, Italy, and in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but suffered under English Puritanism. By the Age of Napoleon, the royal families of Europe were besieged and real tennis was largely abandoned.[27] Real tennis played a minor role in the history of the French Revolution, through the Tennis Court Oath, a pledge signed by French deputies on a real tennis court, which formed a decisive early step in starting the revolution. In England, during the 18th and early 19th centuries as real tennis declined, three other racquet sports emerged: racquets, squash racquets, and lawn tennis (the modern game).

text: Birth of lawn tennis[edit]

text: The modern sport is tied to two separate inventions.

text: Between 1859 and 1865, in Birmingham, England, Major Harry Gem, a solicitor, and his friend Augurio Perera, a Spanish merchant, combined elements of the game of rackets and the Spanish ball game pelota and played it on a croquet lawn in Edgbaston.[28][29] In 1872, both men moved to Leamington Spa and in 1874, with two doctors from the Warneford Hospital, founded the world's first tennis club, the Leamington Tennis Club.[30]

text: In December 1873, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield designed and patented an hourglass-shaped tennis court in order to obtain a patent on his court, as a rectangular court, already in use in other versions of outdoor, lawn tennis, was unpatentable by him, and a temporary patent on his hourglass-shaped court was granted to him in February, 1874, which he never renewed when it expired in 1877. It is commonly believed, mistakenly, that Wingfield obtained a patent on the game he devised to be played on that type of court, but in fact Wingfield never applied for nor received a patent on his game, although he did obtain a copyright — but not a patent — on his rules for playing it. And, after a running series of articles and letters in the British sporting magazine The Field, and a meeting at London's Marylebone Cricket Club, the official rules of lawn tennis were promulgated by that Club in 1875, which preserved none of the aspects of the variations that Wingfield had dreamed up and called Sphairistikè (Greek: σφάίρίστική, that is, "sphere-istic", an ancient Greek adjective meaning "of or pertaining to use of a ball, globe or sphere"), which was soon corrupted to "sticky." Wingfield claimed that he had invented his version of the game for the amusement of his guests at a weekend garden party on his estate of Nantclwyd, in Llanelidan, Wales in 1874, but research has demonstrated that even his game was not likely played during that country weekend in Wales.[31][32] He had likely based his game on both the evolving sport of outdoor tennis and on real tennis. Much of modern tennis terminology also derives from this period, as Wingfield and others borrowed both the name and much of the French vocabulary of real tennis and applied them to their variations of real tennis.[33] Wingfield did patent his hourglass court [34] in 1874 but not his eight-page rule book titled "Sphairistike or Lawn Tennis",[35] but he failed in enforcing his patent.[36] In his version, the game was played on an hourglass shaped court and the net was higher (4 feet 8 inches) than it is in official lawn tennis. The service had to be made from a diamond-shaped box in the middle of one side of the court only, and the service had to bounce beyond the service line instead of in front of it. He adopted the rackets-based system of scoring where games consisted of 15 points (called 'aces').[37] None of these quirks survived the Marylebone Cricket Club's 1875 Rules of Lawn Tennis that have been official, with periodic slight modifications, ever since then. Those rules were adopted by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club for the first Lawn Tennis Championship, at Wimbledon in 1877 (the men who devised those rules were members of both clubs). Wingfield does deserve great credit for popularizing the game of lawn tennis, as he marketed, in one boxed set, all the equipment needed to play his or other versions of it, equipment that had been available previously only at several different outlets. Because of this convenience, versions of the game spread like wildfire in Britain, and by 1875 lawn tennis had virtually supplanted croquet and badminton as outdoor games for both men and women.

text: Mary Ewing Outerbridge played the game in Bermuda at Clermont, a house with a spacious lawn in Paget parish.[38] Innumerable histories claim that in 1874 Mary returned from Bermuda aboard the ship S.S. Canima and introduced lawn tennis to the United States,[39] setting up supposedly the first tennis court in the United States on the grounds of the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club, which was near where the Staten Island Ferry Terminal is today.[40] The club was founded on or about March 22, 1872. She is also mistakenly said to have played the first tennis game in the US against her sister Laura in Staten Island, New York, on an hourglass-shaped court.[40] However, all this would have been impossible, as the tennis equipment she is said to have brought back from Bermuda was not available in Bermuda until 1875, and her next trip to Bermuda, when it was available there, was in 1877. In fact, lawn tennis was first introduced in the United States on a grass court on Col. William Appleton's Estate in Nahant, Massachusetts by Dr. James Dwight ("the Father of American Lawn Tennis"), Henry Slocum, Richard Dudley Sears and Sears' half-brother Fred Sears, in 1874.

text: Terminology[edit]

text: Wingfield borrowed both the name and much of the French vocabulary of real tennis:

text:
Tennis comes from the French tenez, the plural imperative form of the verb tenir, to hold, meaning "hold!", "receive!" or "take!", an interjection used as a call from the server to his opponent to indicate that he is about to serve.[41]
Racket derives from the Arabic rakhat, meaning the palm of the hand.[42]
Deuce comes from à deux le jeu, meaning "to both is the game" (that is, the two players have equal scores).[43]
The origin of the use of Love for zero is disputed. It is possible that it derives from "l'oeuf", the French word for "egg", representing the shape of a zero.[44][45] Another possibility is that it derives from the Dutch expression "iets voor lof doen", which means to do something for praise, implying no monetary stakes.[46]
The reason for the numbering of scores being "15", "30" and "40" is unknown. Historical sources suggest the system was originally 15, 30, 45 with the 45 simplified to 40 over time. Common theories are that it originated from the quarters of a clock, or from gambling stakes.[43]

tag: ul

text: Tournaments and tours of the pre-open era[edit]

text: Amateur Tournaments[edit]

text: The Four Majors[edit]

text: The four majors or Grand Slam tournaments, the four biggest competitions on the tennis circuit, are Wimbledon, the US Open, the French Open, and the Australian Open. Since the mid 1920s they became and have remained the most prestigious events in tennis.[4][47] Winning these four tournaments in the same year is called the Grand Slam (a term borrowed from bridge).[48]

text: 1877: Wimbledon[edit]

text: The Championships, Wimbledon, were founded by the All England Club in 1877 to raise money for the club.[49] The first Championships were contested by 22 men and the winner received a Silver Gilt Cup proclaiming the winner to be "The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Champion of the World".[50] The first Championships culminated a significant debate on how to standardize the rules. The following year it was recognized as the official British Championships, although it was open to international competitors. In 1884 the Ladies Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles Championships were inaugurated, followed by the Ladies and Mixed Doubles in 1913.[51]

text:
Name
1877: The Championships

Surface
1877: Grass

Venue change
1877: Worple Road, Wimbledon
1922: Church Road, Wimbledon

tag: table

text: 1881: U.S. Open[edit]

text: Tennis was first played in the U.S. on a grass court set up on the Estate of Col. William Appleton in Nahant Massachusetts by James Dwight, Richard Dudley Sears and Fred Sears in 1874.[52] In 1881, the desire to play tennis competitively led to the establishment of tennis clubs.[4]

text: The first American National tournament was played in 1880 at the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club in New York. An Englishman named Otway Woodhouse won the singles match. There was also a doubles match which was won by a local pair. There were different rules at each club. The ball in Boston was larger than the one normally used in NY. On May 21, 1881, the United States National Lawn Tennis Association (now the United States Tennis Association) was formed to standardize the rules and organize competitions.[53]

text: The US National Men's Singles Championship, now the US Open, was first held in 1881 at Newport, Rhode Island.[54] The U.S. National Women's Singles Championships were first held in 1887 in Philadelphia.[55]

text: The tournament was made officially one of the tennis 'Majors' from 1924 by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF).

text:
Name change
1881: U.S. National Championship
1968: U.S. Open

Surface change
1881: Grass
1975: Clay Har-Tru
1978: Hard DecoTurf

Venue change (men's championship)
1881: Newport
1915: Forest Hills
1921: Germantown
1924: Forest Hills
1978: Flushing Meadows

text: 1891/1925: French Open[edit]

text: Tennis was predominantly a sport of the English-speaking world, dominated by Great Britain and the United States.[56] It was also popular in France, where the French Open dates to 1891 as the Championat de France International de Tennis. This tournament was not recognised as a Major or Grand Slam tournament until it was opened to all nationalities in 1925.

text:
Name change
1891: Championnat de France
1925: Championnats Internationaux de France
1928: Tournoi de Roland Garros

Surface change
1891: Clay and Sand
1909: Clay

Venue change
1891–1908: shared by Tennis Club de Paris/Ile de Puteaux, Paris/Racing Club de France
1909: Societe Athletique de la Villa Primrose, Bordeaux
1910: Racing Club de France, Paris
1925: Stade Français, Paris
1926: Racing Club de France, Paris
1927: Stade Français, Paris
1928: Stade Roland Garros, Paris

text: 1905: Australian Open[edit]

text: The Australian Open was first played in 1905 as The Australasian (Australia and New Zealand) Championships. Because of its geographic remoteness, historically, the event did not gain attendance from the top tennis players. It became one of the major tennis tournaments starting in 1924 (designated by the ILTF). In 1927, because of New Zealand tennis authorities releasing their commitments to the tournament, it became known as the Australian Championships. For most of the 1970s and the early 1980s, the event lacked participation from top ranked tennis professionals. Since its move to Melbourne Park in 1988, the Australian Open has gained the popularity of the other three majors.

text:
Name change
1905: Australasian Championships
1927: Australian Championships
1969: Australian Open

Surface change
1905: Grass
1988: Hard Rebound Ace
2008: Hard Plexicushion

Venue change
1905: Melbourne
1906: Christchurch and alternated in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. In 1912 at Hastings
1972: Kooyong
1988: Melbourne Park

text: The Davis Cup[edit]

text: In 1898, Dwight F. Davis of the Harvard University tennis team designed a tournament format with the idea of challenging the British to a tennis showdown.[57] The first match, between the United States and Great Britain was held in Boston, Massachusetts in 1900.[58] The American team, of which Dwight Davis was a part, surprised the British by winning the first three matches. By 1905 the tournament had expanded to include Belgium, Austria, France, and Australasia, a combined team from Australia and New Zealand that competed jointly until 1913.

text: The tournament was initially known as the "International Lawn Tennis Challenge". It was renamed the Davis Cup following the death of Dwight Davis in 1945. The tournament has vastly expanded and, on its 100th anniversary in 1999, 130 nations competed.

text: International Tennis Federation[edit]

text: 1913 also saw twelve national tennis associations agree at a Paris conference to form the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF), which was renamed in 1977 as the current International Tennis Federation (ITF).[59] The rules the association promulgated in 1924 have remained remarkably stable in the ensuing ninety years, the one major change being the addition of the tie-break system designed by James Van Alen.[60]

text: That same year, tennis withdrew from the Olympics after the 1924 Games but returned 60 years later as a 21-and-under demonstration event in 1984. This reinstatement was credited by the efforts by the then ITF President Philippe Chatrier, ITF General Secretary David Gray and ITF Vice President Pablo Llorens, and support from IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch. The success of the event was overwhelming and the IOC decided to reintroduce tennis as a full medal sport at Seoul in 1988.

text: The Fed Cup[edit]

text: The idea of a Davis Cup-style tournament for national women's teams is surprisingly old—it was first proposed in 1919 by Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman. After she was turned down, she donated a trophy in 1923 that would be known as the Wightman Cup, awarded in an annual match between the two strongest women's tennis nations of the time, the United States and Great Britain.[61]

text: Wightman's original idea for a worldwide women's team tournament would bear fruit more than 40 years later in 1962, when Nell Hopman persuaded the ITF to begin sponsoring such an event. The first Federation Cup was played in 1963 as part of the ITF's 50th anniversary celebrations; it involved 16 countries and was played over one week. By the 1990s, over 70 nations competed each year, and regional qualifiers were introduced in 1992. In 1995, the ITF introduced a new Davis Cup-style format for the competition and rechristened it the Fed Cup.

text: The Professional circuit[edit]

text: In 1926, promoter C. C. Pyle established the first professional tour with a group of American and French players playing exhibition matches to paying audiences.[4][62] The most notable early professionals were American Vinnie Richards and Frenchwoman Suzanne Lenglen.[4][6] Once a player turned pro he or she could not compete in the major (amateur) tournaments.[4]

text: The leading professional players were under contract with a professional promoter before the Open Era who controlled their appearances. For example, Suzanne Lenglen and Vincent Richards toured North America under contract to Charles C. Pyle. The main events of the professional circuit comprised head-to-head competition and by-invitation Pro Championships, which were the precedents for the Grand Slam tournaments before the Open Era began in 1968.

text: Pro tours[edit]

text: In the years before the open era, male professionals often played more frequently on tours than in tournaments because head-to-head tours between two stars paid much better than tournaments and the number of professional tournaments was small. For example, Fred Perry earned U.S. $91,000 ($1,549,106 today) in a 1937 North American tour against Ellsworth Vines but won only U.S. $450 ($7,823) for his 1938 victory at the U.S. Pro Tennis Championships. Vines probably never entered a tournament in 1937 and 1938. In 1937, Vines played 70 matches on two tours and no tournament matches. Even in the 1950s, some professionals continued to play tour matches. During his first five months as a professional (January through May 1957), Ken Rosewall played 76 matches on a tour against Pancho Gonzales but only 9 tournament matches. Joe McCauley determined that for 1952, only 7 professional tournaments were played by the top international players, and 2 other professional tournaments (the British Pro and the German Pro) were reserved for domestic players. Only during the 1960s did professional tournaments become more significant than tours.

text: Pro Championships (Pro Slams)[edit]

text: In addition to head-to-head events several annual professional tournaments were called championship tournaments. The most prestigious was usually the Wembley Championship, held at the Wembley Arena in England, played between 1934 and 1990. The oldest was the U.S. Pro Tennis Championships, played between 1927 and 1999. Between 1954 and 1962, it was played indoors in Cleveland and was called the World Professional Championships. The third major tournament was the French Pro Championship, played between 1930 and 1968. The British and American championships continued into the Open era but devolved to the status of minor tournaments after the late 1960s.

text: The Tournament of Champions was held between 1956 and 1959, the 1956 edition taking place in Los Angeles and the 1957, 1958 and 1959 editions taking place at Forest Hills. There was also the Wimbledon Pro tournament held in August 1967, the first tournament where professional tennis players were allowed to play at Wimbledon.

text: Open era[edit]

text: The "open era" began in 1968 when Grand Slam tournaments agreed to allow professional players to compete with amateurs.[63] Before 1968, only amateurs were allowed to compete in Grand Slam tournaments and other events organized or sanctioned by the ILTF, including Davis Cup.

text: The move is made because the English are tired of the hypocrisy in the sport, the shamateurism that plagues high-class tennis. It is well known that amateurs bargain for – and receive – exorbitant expenses to compete at many tournaments. "We must take action on our own account to make the game honest", said Derek Penmam of the British association. "For too long now we have been governed by a set of amateur rules that are quite unenforceable."[63]

text: During the first years of the open era, power struggles between the ILTF and the commercial promoters led to boycotts of Grand Slam events. The first open era event was the 1968 British Hard Court Championships held in April at The West Hants Club in Bournemouth, England,[64] while the first open Grand Slam tournament was the 1968 French Open in May.[65] Both tournaments were won by Ken Rosewall. The open era allowed all tennis players the opportunity to make a living by playing tennis.[66]

text: National Tennis League (NTL) and World Championship Tennis (WCT)[edit]

text: In 1968, a few professionals were independent, including Lew Hoad, Mal Anderson, Luis Ayala, and Owen Davidson, but most of the best players were under contract. George McCall operated the National Tennis League (NTL) and managed Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Andrés Gimeno, Pancho Gonzales, Fred Stolle and Roy Emerson. Dave Dixon (later succeeded by Lamar Hunt) ran World Championship Tennis (WCT) and managed the "Handsome Eight": John Newcombe, Tony Roche, Nikola Pilić, Roger Taylor, Pierre Barthès, Earl "Butch" Buchholz, Cliff Drysdale and Dennis Ralston In 1968, the original Handsome Eight WCT players were not allowed to participate in the French Open.[why?] In 1970, NTL players did not play the Australian Open because their organization did not receive a guarantee. In 1970, neither WCT nor NTL players played in the French Open.

text: Grand Prix circuit[edit]

text: In the first two years of the open era, the NTL and WCT promoters began to take control of the game. To outmaneuver them, Jack Kramer, the best player of the late 1940s / early 1950s, and at that time a promoter, conceived the Grand Prix tennis circuit in late 1969. He described it as:

text: . . . a series of tournaments with a money bonus pool that would be split up on the basis of a cumulative point system. This would encourage the best players to compete regularly in the series, so that they could share in the bonus at the end and qualify for a special championship tournament that would climax the year.[67]

text: In 1970, none of the contract players participated in the French Open. The International Lawn Tennis Federation, alarmed by the control of the promoters, approved Kramer's Grand Prix. Twenty seven tournaments including the three Grand Slams, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open were played that year, with Stockholm tournament ending on 1 November. The independent professional players along with a few contract players, entered the Grand Prix circuit. Contract players could play Grand Prix events provided their contracts allowed it, and that they had adequate time apart from their own circuit.

text: Tour rivalries and the creation of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)[edit]

text: The first WCT tournaments were held in February 1968 and the first NTL tournaments in March 1969. In spring 1970, the WCT absorbed the NTL. At the end of 1970, a panel of journalists ranked the players, leading the WCT to send invitations to the 32 top men to play the 1971 WCT circuit: among the 32, Ilie Năstase, Stan Smith, Jan Kodeš, Željko Franulović and Clark Graebner stayed independent. In 1971, the WCT ran 20 tournaments, and concluded the year with the WCT Finals. In 1971, the majority of the best players still mainly played the WCT circuit. Thus, the 1971 Australian Open was a WCT competition whereas the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open were ILTF Grand Prix events.[citation needed]

text: By then, the rivalry between the two groups became so intense that Rosewall, Gimeno, Laver, Emerson and some other WCT players boycotted the 1971 US Open (although Newcombe played and lost in the first round to Kodes). Bill Riordan (the future manager of Jimmy Connors) complicated matters further with a third professional tour, the U.S. Indoor Circuit. In 1972, the conflict between the ILTF and the WCT culminated in the ILTF banning the contract professional players from all ILTF Grand Prix events between January and July, which included the 1972 French Open and 1972 Wimbledon.[citation needed]

text: At the 1972 US Open in September, all the players attended and agreed to form a player syndicate to protect themselves from the promoters and associations, resulting in the creation of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).

text: In 1973, there were four rival professional circuits: the WCT circuit, the Grand Prix circuit, the U.S. Indoor Circuit with Connors and Ilie Năstase and the European Spring Circuit with Năstase as their star. During the year, the ILTF banned Nikola Pilić from 1973 Wimbledon, due to Pilic's alleged refusal to play in Yugoslavia's Davis Cup tie against New Zealand. In retaliation, 81 out of 84 of Pilic's fellow players who were ATP members, boycotted 1973 Wimbledon in response, stating that professional players should have the right of deciding whether to play Davis Cup matches or not. The only ATP players who refused to boycott 1973 Wimbledon were Ilie Năstase, Roger Taylor and Ray Keldie. They were later fined by the ATP for their participation in the tournament.

text: Between 1974 and 1978, any tennis player who participated in World Team Tennis was banned by the French Tennis Federation from playing in the French Open in the same calendar year.[why?]

text: Integration[edit]

text: In 1978 the ILTF Grand Prix and WCT circuits merged. However, In 1982, the WCT circuit separated again and created a more complex WCT ranking, similar to the ATP ranking. The WCT wasn't as successful in the 1980s, and the Grand Prix circuit became the primary circuit. The Grand Prix's governance was led by the 'Men's International Professional Tennis Council (MIPTC)' (also called the Men's Tennis Council (MTC)).[68] The WCT Finals in Dallas continued being held until the end of the 1980s, and then disbanded with the creation of the ATP Tour for 1990.

text: The open era, the global professional circuit, and television helped tennis spread globally and shed its elitist, anglocentric image. In America in the 1970s, courts are a common feature of public recreational facilities. Accordingly, in the 1970s the U.S. Open moved from the posh West Side Tennis Club to a public park (the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows Park) that is accessible to anyone who buys a ticket.[69] About the same time, the ruling body's name changed from the United States Lawn Tennis Association to the United States Tennis Association.[70]

text: ATP Tour[edit]

text: In 1990, the Association of Tennis Professionals, led by Hamilton Jordan, replaced the MTC as the governing body of men's professional tennis. They established the ATP Tour, and packaged the nine most prestigious events as the "Championship Series - Single Tournament Week", and beginning in 1996, as the "Super Nine". Twelve of the Grand Prix which were slightly less prestigious than the first nine events were renamed as the "Championship Series - Double Week" (meaning in most cases, 2 of those tournaments occurred the same week), and commencing in 1996, as International Series Gold, while the remaining (approximately 60) became known as the International Series. Winning a Super Nine tournament was worth roughly half the points (370) of winning a Grand Slam tournament (750), while International Series Gold tournament was worth as much as 360 points depending on the total prize money. The format continued until 2000 at which time the Super Nine were renamed the Masters Series (the winner being awarded 500 points), occupying the rank below the Grand Slams (1000 points for the winner), and the International Series Gold were renamed to simply the Championship Series (worth 250 to 300 points for the winner). In 2000, the Grand Slam tournaments and the Masters Series tournaments became mandatory professional events if a player's ranking qualifies them for the tournament. Players were automatically entered and Masters and Slam events became the baseline for player rankings with up to an additional 5 tournaments also counted (18 in all plus the ATP Finals if they qualify). Before 2000, a players' best 14 tournaments were counted towards the ATP Point Rankings.

text: In 2009, the Masters events were renamed the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 with the Monte-Carlo Masters becoming a non-mandatory event, meaning a player could use his results from a lower-level tournament in place of it. International Series Gold became the ATP World Tour 500 and the remaining events became the ATP World Tour 250. The numbers in the tournament type name indicate the winners' ranking points. By way of comparison, a winner of one of the four Grand Slam tournaments is awarded 2000 points. In 2009, a great emphasis began to be placed on winning the tournament, as the points awarded to the runner-up dropped from 70% of the champion's points to 60% (i.e. from 700 points to 600 points in a Grand Slam event). Points also began to be awarded for Davis Cup singles play.

text: Women's professional tennis[edit]

text: Women's professional tennis began in 1926, when world number one female player Suzanne Lenglen accepted $50,000 for a series of matches against three-time US Champion Mary K. Browne. The series ended in 1927, and the women did not compete as professionals again until 1941 when Alice Marble headlined a tour against Mary Hardwick. World War II hindered most professional competitions and many players were involved with entertaining the troops. In 1947, women professionals were again in action with a short-lived series of exhibition matches between Pauline Betz and Sarah Palfrey Cooke, both U.S. National Champions. In 1950 and 1951, Bobby Riggs signed Betz and Gussie Moran to play a pro tour with Jack Kramer and Pancho Segura, wherein Betz dominated Moran. Althea Gibson turned professional in 1958 and joined with Karol Fageros ("the Golden Goddess") as the opening act for the Harlem Globetrotters for one season.

text: There was virtually no further women's professional tennis until 1967, when promoter George McCall signed Billie Jean King, Ann Jones, Françoise Dürr, and Rosie Casals to join his tour of eight men for two years.[71] The professional women then played as independents as the open era began.

text: In 1970, promoter for the Pacific Southwest Championships in Los Angeles Jack Kramer offered the women only $7,500 in prize money versus the men's total of $50,000. When Kramer refused to match the men's prize money, King and Casals urged the other women to boycott.

text: Gladys Heldman, American publisher of World Tennis magazine, responded with a separate women's tour under the sponsorship of Virginia Slims cigarettes. In 1971 and 1972 the WT Women's Pro Tour offered nearly ten times the prize money of other pro women's tennis events. The USLTA initially would not sanction the tour; however, the two groups determined to give Virginia Slims the individual events, and the USLTA the tour, thus resolving the conflict. In 1973, the U.S. Open made history by offering equal prize money to men and women. Billie Jean King, the most visible advocate for the women's cause, earned over $100,000 in 1971 and 1972.[72]

text: In the famous Battle of the Sexes exhibition match against the vocally sexist Bobby Riggs in September 1973, King brought even more media attention to tennis, and to women professionals in all walks of life by beating Riggs.

text: The Women's Tennis Association, formed in 1973, is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis, organizing the worldwide, professional WTA Tour. From 1984–98, the finals matches of the championship event were best-of-five, uniquely among women's tournaments. In 1999, the finals reverted to best-of-three. The WTA Tour Championships are generally considered to be the women's fifth most prestigious event (after the four Grand Slam tournaments.) Sponsors have included Virginia Slims (1971–78), Avon (1979–82), Virginia Slims again (1983–94), J.P. Morgan Chase (1996–2000), Sanex (2001) Home Depot (2002), and Sony Ericsson (2006).

text: Hall of Fame[edit]

text: In 1954, James Van Alen founded the International Tennis Hall of Fame, a non-profit museum in Newport, Rhode Island.[73] The building contains a large collection of memorabilia as well as honoring prominent players and others. Each year, a grass-court tournament takes place on its grounds, as well as an induction ceremony honoring new members.


document_title: St Michael (brand)

question_text: when did m and s stop using st michael

question_tokens: when did m and s stop using st michael

text: St Michael (brand)

text: History[edit]

text: In 1875, the firm of N. Corah and Sons of Leicester had registered the St Margaret brand for their hosiery products. The name originated because their factory, which became one of the largest hosiery factories in Europe, was in the parish of St Margaret's in Leicester. In 1926 Corahs entered into an agreement to supply Marks and Spencer directly rather than through a wholesaler. This had the potential to bring them into conflict with the Wholesale Textile Association. In order to protect their other distribution channels Corahs sought to develop an alternative brand name for their goods sold through Marks and Spencer. The name agreed by Simon Marks was St Michael, possibly after his father and co-founder of Marks & Spencer, Michael Marks but also because it was clearly linked in the public mind with the St Margaret brand which had a reputation for quality.

text: The name was introduced in 1928 and originally applied only to products produced by Corahs but by 1950 and for the next fifty years, virtually all goods in Marks and Spencers were sold under the St Michael brand. The St Michael name was adopted as a 'quality guarantee' and appeared as the St Michael Quality Promise on the back of food products, on the side of delivery vehicles and on in-store ordering receipts.

text: In 2000, the new Marks & Spencer dropped the St Michael brand, and replaced it with the Marks & Spencer brand.[1] The St Michael Quality Promise was subsequently phased out.


document_title: Hart of Dixie

question_text: who plays lemon's mom in hart of dixie

question_tokens: who plays lemon 's mom in hart of dixie

text: Hart of Dixie

text: Season 1[edit]

text: The first season mostly revolves around Zoe Hart adjusting to life in the small town of Bluebell, Alabama, and struggling to bring in 30% of the patients to her practice (a practice which she inherited from the father she never knew, whom had an affair with Zoe's mother while she was engaged to the man Zoe knew as her dad), a clause she needs to adhere to if she wishes to keep half from Brick Breeland. She finds this difficult, as she is at odds with most of the local residents due to her city persona. Zoe also struggles with her growing feelings towards local attorney George Tucker (feelings of which his fiancée, Lemon Breeland) is fully aware, leading her to make it her mission to ensure Zoe leaves Bluebell. Other storylines include Wade's feelings for Zoe (which may or may not be returned), Zoe's friendship with the mayor, Lavon; and his past with Lemon, and Zoe's unresolved issues regarding her family.

text: Season 2[edit]

text: The season begins with Zoe confused with her feelings for both George and Wade (she slept with Wade the night of George and Lemon's aborted wedding at the end of season one). She later decides that George isn't ready for another relationship and decides to see Wade. Lavon's former high school sweetheart Ruby Jeffries (played by Golden Brooks) returns to Bluebell and reveals she is opposing for mayor. George begins dating again, first seeing newcomer Shelby Sinclair - however he later dumps her and Shelby begins dating Brick Breeland; George later starts a relationship with Wade's ex-wife, Tansy Truitt. As the season progresses, Ruby leaves after Lemon's jealousy destroys her and Lavon. Wade and Zoe continue to date, though they face their share of setbacks; at the end of the season, Zoe is faced with the decision of a summer in New York working at a hospital at her dream job - only to have confess his feelings for her, and she unable to return them. Meanwhile, Annabeth begins having feelings for Lavon, and later the two sleep together, leaving Lemon devastated by her best friend's betrayal.

text: Season 3[edit]

text: The season begins with Zoe returning to Bluebell after a summer in NYC - along with her new boyfriend Joel (played by Josh Cooke). George struggles to rebuild his life following his break up with Tansy, but finds love with Lavon's younger cousin. Lemon finds herself in a scandalous relationship, while Annabeth hopes her relationship with Lavon will grow into something more. Zoe begins to learn more about her family roots in Bluebell, break up with Joel, and reunites with Wade.

text: Season 4[edit]

text: The final season deals with Zoe's pregnancy and her relationship with Wade. George, Lemon, Lavon and Annabeth enter a tumultuous love affair, while Brick has to deal with his past in order to move forward as Lemon and her sister meet their half-sister by their estranged mother who left the family. In the end, George and Annabeth move in together, George changes careers to become a music manager, Zoe and Wade get married (in a rushed ceremony, due to Zoe's inhibitions about marriage and having gone into labor - they recite their vows while rushing towards the delivery room - delivering a baby boy), Lemon and Lavon get married.

text: The final scene shows the town in harmony in the town square, Wade and Zoe with their son - and an old love triangle re-fueled between 3 elderly members of the community; Zoe asks if all small towns are like Bluebell, to which Wade answers that they probably aren't - but he loves their town. Zoe agrees, and they get up to walk their son and join their friends.

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text: Main cast and characters[edit]

text:
Rachel Bilson as Zoe Hart, a medical doctor; Zoe aspired to become a heart surgeon like her father, however after four years of residency at a New York hospital she is refused a position at the hospital and told she needs more experience dealing with patients and their families. Zoe moves to Bluebell, Alabama after learning her biological father was really a respected physician in the small town. She inherits his half of a general medical practice, and constantly butts heads with the co-owner of the practice, Brick Breeland. However, she becomes a regular in helping the town through its never ending dilemmas. In Season 2, she begins dating Wade. However, he ends up cheating on her when he loses Battle of the Bands, and she ends their relationship. In the Season 2 finale, Zoe sleeps with Wade, and she decides to go back to New York to get over everything. In the Season 3 premiere six months have passed and Zoe returns to Bluebell with her new boyfriend Joel, who is a writer and moves with her to Bluebell. For the rest of season 3, she remains in a relationship with Joel until one of his books is made into a movie and he moves to Los Angeles, California to assist with the production of the film. In the season 3 finale, Zoe realizes she is still in love with Wade, and tells him that she is going to do everything she can to win him back. In the Season 4 premiere, Zoe is still trying to prove to Wade that they should be together, and she seduces him, resulting in her getting pregnant. They eventually get back together and get married in the series finale as Zoe is giving birth to their son.
Scott Porter as George Tucker; A local lawyer in Bluebell that starts out engaged to Lemon Breeland (season 1) but calls off their wedding after learning about Lemon's affair with Lavon, combined with his own romantic feelings for Zoe. Zoe turns him down, and George starts to date other women, and ends up with Wade's ex-wife Tansy in Season 2. In Season 3, he begins dating Lavon's cousin Lynly. George goes into partnership with his former fiance, Lemon, by helping her invest in Fancie's Restaurant, but eventually pulls out his part of the restaurant when it burns down. Although he is the town lawyer, George seems to have a lot of time to experience in other opportunities, such as touring for a summer, as a singer with Lily Ann, and becoming the Talent Manager for both The Truitt Brothers and Meatball. George lives on a house boat owned by AnnaBeth, who he finally starts dating during Season 4. George has parents that tend to meddle in his life when they come for the occasional visit.
Jaime King as Lemon Breeland, the daughter of town physician Brick Breeland. She was engaged to George Tucker, but had a relationship with Lavon while George was living in New York. Prideful, conservative and somewhat uptight, Lemon begins a deep rivalry with Zoe when they first meet, because she feels that Zoe is interfering in her "perfect" life, and they often clash, owing to their different ways of thinking. Over the course of seasons 2–4, although she wouldn't admit it to anyone, she does seem to come around to being civil with Zoe. During Season 2, she becomes co-owner of Rammer Jammer with Wade. She later becomes the owner of Fancie's, the town's "best" dinner restaurant. Lemon has a reputation of being persistent and somewhat scheming when it comes to getting what she wants. After her wedding to George is called off, she finds herself without a true profession and a place to live. At one point, in order to move out of her father's house, she accepts the opportunity to live on AnnaBeth's house boat, only to discover she suffers from seasickness. She eventually trades living arrangements with her former fiance, George, trading him living on the house boat, for living in what was once his apartment in town. Throughout the whole series, Lemon has had issues with her mother abandoning her and her sister Magnolia (her very much younger sister, whom she raised like a daughter, rather than a sister), however, in Season 4, she finally confronts her mother, with whom she remains hostile, but she does come around to accept that she has a little maternal half sister, Scarlett, and makes extra efforts to come to know her.
Cress Williams as Lavon Hayes; Mayor of Bluebell and a former linebacker for ten years in the NFL; he has a pet alligator named Burt Reynolds. It is revealed in season 1 that Lavon had an intimate relationship with Lemon, who was engaged to George. Lavon develops a close friendship with Zoe, and often gives her meaningful advice on the town's traits. During Seasons 2–3, he has relationships with his former high school sweetheart, Ruby, and with AnnaBeth, although during each of these, he still has true feelings for Lemon. He has close friendships with Wade and George, although at times his and George's relationship is strained due to his love for George's former fiance, Lemon. Lavon is a big fan of the television personality, Don Todd, and eventually gets to closely know him. The knowing of Don Todd helps him later on when it comes to negotiations with rival Fillmore Mayor, Todd Gainey, Sr.
Wilson Bethel as Wade Kinsella; A bartender and Zoe's neighbor. He has an eccentric personality. Initially, he appears to be an immature, unambitious, womanizing and sarcastic bartender who doesn’t care about anyone but himself. But slowly it is revealed that he cares deeply about the people around him (though he always puts his best efforts into hiding his feelings). He falls deeply in love with Zoe, and tries to change his lifestyle and ambitions for her. For the most of Season 2, he is in a monogamous relationship with Zoe until he is caught cheating on her. Wade has always dreamed of owning his own bar, and eventually gets that chance, by becoming co-owner of the local Rammer Jammer, with Lemon Breeland. During Season 3, he has a serious relationship with Vivian Wilkes, Zoe's cousin, who finally breaks his heart by reconciling and moving away with her estranged husband. At the beginning of Season 4, he sleeps with Zoe, which leads to her becoming pregnant, causing him to finally come around and do his best to mend his "flirtatious" ways and grow up, in preparation of his new role as family man with Zoe. In episode 10 Zoe goes into labor, and at the hospital she and Wade get married before their baby is born. Eventually Zoe gives birth to a baby boy in the series finale.
Tim Matheson as Dr. Bertram "Brick" Breeland (recurring, episodes 1–14; starring, episode 15–present); Magnolia and Lemon's father, who is also a doctor, and shares half of the local Bluebell practice with Zoe. He is often very critical of Zoe's medical diagnoses and inexperience of Southern hospitality. Also, he is portrayed as an antagonist when he attempts to buy out Zoe's share of the business. Brick eventually has a close on again, off again, on again, relationship, with local talent personality, Shelby, who at one time, actually dated his daughter's former fiance, George. One of Brick's main goals is to be voted as "Man of The Year (MOTY), an honor bestowed upon outstanding male town personalities, by the local Fraternal Order of The Owl. Brick is also well known as the repeated winner of the annual town Gumbo competition.
Kaitlyn Black as Annabeth Nass (Seasons 3-4; recurring, seasons 1–2); a member of the Belles and best friends with Lemon. She is occasionally nicknamed "A.B." as an abbreviation of her first name. In season 2, she develops feelings for Lavon, but decides not to pursue a relationship with him because of Lemon. Lemon gives her blessing, so Annabeth and Lavon start dating. She is also a good friend to Zoe. During Season 3, she dates the nephew, of the rival town's mayor, Davis, who proposes to her, but she declines, telling Lemon she did so, because she is still in love with Lavon. During Season 4, she realizes she no longer loves Lavon, and starts dating George Tucker. In Season 3 and the beginning of Season 4, she becomes the receptionist to Brick's and Zoe's medical practice, which eventually leads to her wish to go to nursing school.

text: Development and production[edit]

text: On February 1, 2011, it was announced that The CW had ordered a pilot for Hart of Dixie.[9][10] On May 17, 2011, the network officially picked up Hart of Dixie to series, set to air in fall 2011.[11] The series marks the second time executive producer, Josh Schwartz, and series star, Rachel Bilson, have worked together on television.[11] The first time the duo worked together was on the Fox teen drama The O.C., created by Schwartz.[12] The show's executive producer, Josh Schwartz, compared the show to The WB classics such as Felicity, Everwood, and Gilmore Girls.[13]

text: With the reveal of The CW's fall 2011 schedule, it was announced that Hart of Dixie would air on Monday at 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 pm Central, following Gossip Girl.[14] It premiered on Monday, September 26, 2011.[15] On October 12, 2011 the series was picked up for a full season, which will consist of twenty-two episodes. Along with pick-up for all other CW dramas, Mark Pedowitz said "We believe in the creative strength of these dramas, and by giving them back nine orders we can give our audience the chance to enjoy complete seasons of all three of them."[16] On May 11, 2012, The CW renewed the show for a second season,[17] which premiered on October 2, 2012. The CW renewed the show for a third season on April 26, 2013.[18]

text: Casting[edit]

text: On February 8, 2011, TVLine reported that Rachel Bilson was nearing a deal to star in the series.[19] Her role was later confirmed by The CW in a press release.[20] Soon after, Wilson Bethel joined the cast as Wade Kinsella, Zoe's "gorgeous bad-boy" neighbor.[21] Scott Porter was later cast as good-looking lawyer George Tucker, a potential love-interest for Bilson's character.[22]

text: On May 20, 2011, it was announced that Nancy Travis would not continue with the series due to her commitments with the 20th Century Fox-produced ABC sitcom Last Man Standing.[23] Travis was written out after the first two episodes.[24] Meredith Monroe appeared in one episode as Lemon's estranged mother.[25] JoBeth Williams appeared in three episodes as Candice Hart, the mother of Bilson's character. On July 26, 2013, it was announced that Kaitlyn Black was upgraded to series regular status for season three.[26]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: Hart of Dixie's first season has received mixed reviews, scoring a 43 out of 100 on the review aggregator Metacritic.[27]

text: TVGuide.com described the show as "Southern Exposure"[12] and, in a later review, stated that the actors are better than the "cutesy" material, although Bilson is not convincing as a heart surgeon.[28] Both TVGuide.com and Robert Bianco of USA Today stated that the show is potentially offensive to the South.[28][29] Bianco also wrote that the show is shallow and far-fetched, with Bilson giving an unconvincing performance, such as acting surprised when calling herself a doctor.[29] Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter stated that the series is predictable and superficial, but "surprisingly touching".[30] Goodman and Brian Lowry of Variety stated that Bilson does not look like a doctor, with Goodman writing that she looked too much "like a high-priced call girl"[30] and Lowry writing that she looked like she belonged in "Barbie's medical dream house."[31]

text: Writing for The New York Times, critic Neil Genzlinger wrote, "...the premiere, at least, doesn’t find a convincing way to balance the clashing strands: the city-mouse disorientation, the medical emergencies, the girlfights, the daddy issues, the young-pretty-and-available stuff."[32] Los Angeles Times reviewer Mary McNamara described the show as, "a stack of familiar scenarios stitched together to form a pretty if not terribly substantial quilt."[33] TVLine described the show as "Everwood-esque".[34] TVLine later said: "Beautifully filmed with warm, cozy tones, the Southern setting utterly envelops the glowing Bilson", adding that Porter's appearance "wins us over and makes you forget that clunky intro" and despite the "rom-coms clichés, the pilot is super-efficient at introducing us to those who will be the key players in Zoe’s story, laying the framework for storytelling places to go."[35] Tv Times magazine gave Hart of Dixie its lowest score of 2011–2012: 12 out of 100.

text: Awards and accolades[edit]

text:
Year
Award
Category
Recipients and nominees
Outcome

2011
E! Golden Tater Awards[36]
New Fall Show You're Most Excited For
Hart of Dixie
Nominated

2012
People's Choice Awards[37]
Favorite New TV Drama
Hart of Dixie
Nominated

ASCAP Award[38]
Top Television Series (Composers and Songwriters)
Jeremy Adelman
Won

2013
ASTRA Awards[39]
Favourite Program – International Drama
Hart of Dixie
Nominated

2014
ASTRA Awards[40]
Favourite Program – International Drama
Hart of Dixie
Nominated

Teen Choice Awards[41]
Choice TV Show: Drama
Hart of Dixie
Nominated

Choice TV Actress: Drama
Rachel Bilson
Nominated

text: Ratings[edit]

text:
Season
Timeslot (ET)
No. of
episodes
Premiered
Ended
TV season
Rank
Viewers
(in millions)

Date
Premiere viewers
(in millions)
Date
Finale viewers
(in millions)

1
Monday 9pm
22
September 26, 2011 (2011-09-26)
1.88[42]
May 14, 2012 (2012-05-14)
1.60[43]
2011–2012
#182
1.77[44]

2
Tuesday 8pm
22
October 2, 2012 (2012-10-02)
1.53[45]
May 7, 2013 (2013-05-07)[46]
1.19[45]
2012–2013
#142
1.70[47]

3
Monday 8pm (2013–14)
Friday 9pm (2014)
22
October 7, 2013 (2013-10-07)
1.03 [48]
May 16, 2014 (2014-05-16)[49]
0.88[50]
2013–2014
#166
1.37[51]

4
Monday 8pm (2014)
Friday 8pm (2015)
10
December 15, 2014 (2014-12-15)
1.22 [52]
March 27, 2015 (2015-03-27)[53]
1.33[54]
2014–2015
#175
1.61[55]

text: International broadcasts[edit]

text:
Country
Network(s)
Series premiere
Timeslot
Source(s)

 Australia
Fox8
January 7, 2012
Mondays at 8:30 pm AEDT
[56]

 Canada
CHCH-DT
September 26, 2011
Mondays at 8 pm ET
[57]

 Ireland
TV3
May 13, 2012
Sundays at 6:30 pm
[58]

 New Zealand
TV2
August 5, 2012
Sundays at 5:30 pm
[59]

 Philippines
2nd Avenue
September 29, 2011
Thursdays at 8 pm
[60]

 Thailand
TrueSeries
July 13, 2012
Fridays at 9 pm
[61]

 United Kingdom
Really
April 30, 2012
Mondays at 8 pm
[62]


document_title: List of WWE SmackDown on-air personalities

question_text: who is the general manager of smackdown 2017

text: Authority figures[edit]

text:
Authority figures
Position
Date started
Date finished
Notes

Mr. McMahon
Owner, Chairman, and CEO
August 26, 1999 (1999-08-26)
present
McMahon assigned new General Managers to Raw and to SmackDown after Ric Flair lost his position on Raw. Stacy Keibler served as "Personal Assistant" through McMahon's term.

William Regal
Commissioner
March 8, 2001 (2001-03-08)
October 11, 2001 (2001-10-11)
Fired by Linda McMahon for joining The Alliance

Ric Flair
On-screen co-owner of the company
November 19, 2001 (2001-11-19)
April 2, 2002 (2002-04-02)
Upon the beginning of the brand extension, McMahon was given sole control of SmackDown, while Flair was given control of RAW. Between November 2001 and the brand extension, Flair had as much power over all shows as McMahon.

Stephanie McMahon
General Manager
July 18, 2002 (2002-07-18)
October 19, 2003 (2003-10-19)
Lost her position as per an "I Quit" match stipulation against Mr. McMahon at No Mercy.

Paul Heyman
General Manager
October 23, 2003 (2003-10-23)
March 22, 2004 (2004-03-22)
Resigned after being drafted to Raw.

Kurt Angle
General Manager
March 25, 2004 (2004-03-25)
July 22, 2004 (2004-07-22)
Returned to the active roster when no longer confined to a wheelchair.

Theodore Long
General Manager
July 29, 2004 (2004-07-29)
April 10, 2009 (2009-04-10)
September 21, 2007 (2007-09-21)
April 1, 2012 (2012-04-01)
Left position due to health complications. Served as "Assistant General Manager" from November 2007 to May 2008.
Long was reassigned from ECW to SmackDown. Lost the position to John Laurinaitis as a result of the Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy match at Wrestlemania XXVIII.

Vickie Guerrero
General Manager
September 28, 2007 (2007-09-28)
January 21, 2011 (2011-01-21)
July 19, 2013
April 6, 2009 (2009-04-06)
February 18, 2011 (2011-02-18)
June 23, 2014
Served as "Assistant General Manager" from May to September 2007. Opted to fully take over the position on Raw and resigned as General Manager of SmackDown. Took over in place of the injured Teddy Long. Announced new General Manager of SmackDown on July 19, 2013 by Mr. McMahon; lost position on June 23, 2014 edition of Raw in a match against Stephanie McMahon.

Triple H
Chief Operating Officer
July 25, 2011
December 29, 2014
November 23, 2014
April 3, 2016

John Laurinaitis
General Manager
April 2, 2012 (2012-04-02)
June 17, 2012 (2012-06-17)
Won position, Team Johnny vs Team Teddy at Wrestlemania XXVIII. Fired at No Way Out by Mr. McMahon as per pre-match stipulation when John Cena defeated Big Show in a Steel cage match.

Interim General Managers
Guest GM
June 22, 2012 (2012-06-22)
July 20, 2012 (2012-07-20)
Following Laurinaitis' firing, the Board of Directors invited past GMs and Commissioners to run SmackDown on a weekly basis until a new full-time GM was named, such as Mick Foley, Vickie Guerrero and Zack Ryder.

Booker T
General Manager
August 3, 2012 (2012-08-03)
July 12, 2013
Mr. McMahon announced Booker T as the new General Manager of SmackDown.

Theodore Long
Senior Advisor
August 3, 2012 (2012-08-03)
July 12, 2013
Was named Booker's advisor after he asked for his help. Served as General Manager during Booker's injury.

Eve Torres
Assistant to General Manager
August 17, 2012 (2012-08-17)
January 14, 2013 (2013-01-14)
Won the position in a match against Kaitlyn. Left position after she quit WWE.

Kane
Director of Operations
November 4, 2013 (2013-11-04)
November 23, 2014 (2014-11-23)
Lost position after The Authority lost at Survivor Series.

Shane McMahon
Commissioner
July 11, 2016 (2016-07-11)
present
McMahon assigned a new Commissioner to Raw and to SmackDown. Suspended from September 5th 2017-September 12th 2017

Daniel Bryan
General Manager
July 18, 2016 (2016-07-18)
present
Shane assigned Bryan as his General Manager.

text: Commentators[edit]

text:
Commentators
Dates

Michael Cole and Jim Cornette
April 29, 1999 (1999-04-29) (Pilot)

Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler
August 26, 1999 (1999-08-26) (Network Premiere)

Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler
September 2, 1999 (1999-09-02) – February 22, 2001 (2001-02-22)
November 22, 2001 (2001-11-22) – March 28, 2002 (2002-03-28)
March 31, 2005 (2005-03-31)[1]
October 23, 2009 (2009-10-23)
March 26, 2015 (2015-03-26)[2]

Michael Cole and Michael Hayes[3]
September 23, 1999 (1999-09-23)

Michael Cole and Tazz
February 22, 2001 (2001-02-22) – June 28, 2001 (2001-06-28)
August 2, 2001 (2001-08-02) – October 18, 2001 (2001-10-18)
April 4, 2002 (2002-04-04) – June 9, 2006 (2006-06-09)

Michael Cole and Jim Ross
September 21, 2000 (2000-09-21)
July 5, 2001 (2001-07-05) – August 2, 2001 (2001-08-02)

Jim Ross and Paul Heyman
September 13, 2001 (2001-09-13) (Live 9/11 Tribute Show)

Michael Cole and Paul Heyman
October 25, 2001 (2001-10-25) – November 15, 2001 (2001-11-15)

Michael Cole and Ernest Miller[4]
November 28, 2002 (2002-11-28)

Michael Cole and Jonathan Coachman
January 4, 2008 (2008-01-04) – April 25, 2008 (2008-04-25)

Michael Cole and Mick Foley
May 2, 2008 (2008-05-02) – June 16, 2008 (2008-06-16)

Jim Ross and Mick Foley
June 23, 2008 (2008-06-23) – August 1, 2008 (2008-08-01)

Jim Ross and Tazz
August 8, 2008 (2008-08-08) – April 3, 2009 (2009-04-03)

Jim Ross and Todd Grisham
April 10, 2009 (2009-04-10) – October 9, 2009 (2009-10-09)

Todd Grisham and Michael Cole
October 16, 2009 (2009-10-16)

Todd Grisham and Matt Striker
October 30, 2009 (2009-10-30) – September 24, 2010 (2010-09-24)

Todd Grisham, Michael Cole, and Matt Striker
October 1, 2010 (2010-10-01) – December 3, 2010 (2010-12-03)

Josh Mathews, Michael Cole, and Matt Striker
December 10, 2010 (2010-12-10) – January 28, 2011 (2011-01-28)

Josh Mathews and Matt Striker[5]
March 30, 2012 (2012-03-30)

Michael Cole and Booker T[6]
April 27, 2012 (2012-04-27)

Josh Mathews, Michael Cole, and Booker T
February 4, 2011 (2011-02-04) – November 25, 2011 (2011-11-25)
December 16, 2011 (2011-12-16) – July 27, 2012 (2012-07-27)

Michael Cole and various guest commentators[7]
August 24, 2012 (2012-08-24)

Josh Mathews and Michael Cole
November 29, 2011 (2011-11-29) – December 9, 2011 (2011-12-09)[8]
January 6, 2012 (2012-01-06)[9]
August 3, 2012 (2012-08-03) – August 17, 2012 (2012-08-17)
August 31, 2012 (2012-08-31) – October 5, 2012 (2012-10-05)

Michael Cole, Josh Mathews, and Jerry Lawler
March 1, 2013 (2013-03-01)

Michael Cole, Josh Mathews, and Brad Maddox
March 8, 2013 (2013-03-08) – March 15, 2013 (2013-03-15)

Josh Mathews and Jerry Lawler[10]
April 5, 2013 (2013-04-05)

Michael Cole, Josh Mathews, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield
December 21, 2012 (2012-12-21)
March 22, 2013 (2013-03-22) – May 24, 2013 (2013-05-24)

Michael Cole and Alex Riley[11]
August 2, 2013 (2013-08-02)

Michael Cole, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, and The Miz
January 17, 2014 (2014-01-17)

Josh Mathews and John "Bradshaw" Layfield
October 12, 2012 (2012-10-12) – February 22, 2013 (2013-02-22)
January 24, 2014 (2014-01-24)

Michael Cole and John "Bradshaw" Layfield
June 16, 2006 (2006-06-16) – December 21, 2007 (2007-12-21)
May 31, 2013 (2013-05-31) – August 15, 2014 (2014-08-15)

Tom Phillips and Michael Cole[12]
October 31, 2014 (2014-10-31)

Tom Phillips, Michael Cole, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield[1]
August 22, 2014 (2014-08-22) – January 9, 2015 (2015-01-09)

Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Byron Saxton[2]
January 15, 2015 (2015-01-15) – March 19, 2015 (2015-03-19)
April 16, 2015 (2015-04-16)
February 18, 2016 (2016-02-18)[13]

Tom Phillips, Jerry Lawler, and Byron Saxton
April 2, 2015 (2015-04-02) – April 9, 2015 (2015-04-09)[14]
April 23, 2015 (2015-04-23) – June 18, 2015 (2015-06-18)

Tom Phillips, Jerry Lawler, and Jimmy Uso
June 25, 2015 (2015-06-25) – July 16, 2015 (2015-07-16)[15]
July 30, 2015 (2015-07-30) – August 20, 2015 (2015-08-20)

Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, and Jimmy Uso[16]
July 23, 2015 (2015-07-23)

Rich Brennan, Jerry Lawler, and Jimmy Uso
August 27, 2015 (2015-08-27) – September 3, 2015 (2015-09-03)

Rich Brennan, Jerry Lawler, and Booker T
September 10, 2015 (2015-09-10) – December 31, 2015 (2015-12-31)

Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Booker T
December 22, 2015 (2015-12-22)

Mauro Ranallo and Jerry Lawler[17]
March 31, 2016 (2016-03-31)

Mauro Ranallo, Jerry Lawler, and Byron Saxton[18]
January 7, 2016 (2016-01-07) – July 19, 2016 (2016-07-19)

Mauro Ranallo, Byron Saxton, and David Otunga[19]
June 23, 2016 (2016-06-23) – June 30, 2016 (2016-06-30)

Mauro Ranallo, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Byron Saxton[20]
July 19, 2016 (2016-07-19)

Mauro Ranallo, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, and David Otunga[21]
July 26, 2016 (2016-07-26) – November 1, 2016 (2016-11-01)

Mauro Ranallo, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, David Otunga, and Tom Phillips
November 8, 2016 (2016-11-08) – March 7, 2017 (2017-03-07)

Tom Phillips and John "Bradshaw" Layfield[22]
March 14, 2017 (2017-03-14)

Tom Phillips, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, and David Otunga[23]
March 21, 2017 (2017-03-21) – April 4, 2017 (2017-04-04)

Tom Phillips, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, and Byron Saxton[24]
April 11, 2017 (2017-04-11) – August 29, 2017 (2017-08-29)

Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton[25]
September 5, 2017 (2017-09-05) – present

Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton[26]
October 17, 2017 (2017-10-17) – October 24, 2017 (2017-10-24)

text:
^ Filled in for Jerry Lawler, who was absent at the time.
^ Filled in for Tazz, who was absent at the time.
^ Cole and Booker was absent at the time during WrestleMania week, so both men will be replaced by Striker to call the event.
^ Mathews was absent at the time after being attacked by Brock Lesnar on the April 23, 2012 episode of Raw, so only Cole and Booker called the event.
^ Booker was absent at the time, so only Mathews and Cole called the event.
^ Following the absence of Josh Mathews, Michael Cole was joined by various guest commentators for one night on SmackDown. The following is a list of the guest commentators who joined Michael Cole on the August 24, 2012 episode of SmackDown:

text:
Commentator

Theodore Long

Kaitlyn

Cody Rhodes

The Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil)

Sheamus

text:
^ Cole and JBL was absent due to the live report from WrestleMania Axxess, so both men were replaced by Lawler to call the event.[3]
^ Filled in for JBL, who was absent at the time.
^ JBL was absent at the time, so only Phillips and Cole called the event.
^ Saxton was absent due to a live prediction about the upcoming matches at WrestleMania with Renee Young, so only two men called the event.[4][5]
^ Filled in for Michael Cole, who was recovering from injury after being attacked by Brock Lesnar on the March 30, 2015 episode of Raw.[6]
^ Filled in for Byron Saxton, who joined Raw as a color commentator since June 8, 2015.
^ Replaced Booker T as announced on Raw on January 4, 2016.
^ Ranallo was absent due to suffering from influenza and was filled in by Michael Cole from Monday Night Raw on February 18, 2016.
^ Due to Lawler being suspended, he was filled in by David Otunga from Main Event and Superstars for two weeks.
^ Michael Cole was representing Raw for the 2016 WWE draft.
^ Announced as the new commentary team following the 2016 WWE Draft Lottery.[7]
^ When Ranallo was absent due to suffering from depression, Tom Phillips fills in for him as play-by-play.
^ Saxton temporarily joined the commentary team following the 2017 WWE Superstar Shake-up.
^ When JBL has left the commentary team for charity work and Rugby campaign, he was filled in by Raw's Corey Graves for 8 months.
^ When Tom Phillips was on assignment, he was filled in by Raw's Michael Cole for two weeks.

text: Ring announcers[edit]

text:
Ring announcers
Dates
Notes

Justin Roberts
September 19, 2002 (2002-09-19)
April 23, 2003 (2003-04-23)
December 4, 2003 (2003-12-04)
September 15, 2006 (2006-09-15)
April 6, 2007 (2007-04-06)
September 2007 (2007-09) – October 2009 (2009-10)
Transferred to the Raw brand following Lilian Garcia's retirement from WWE.Made one night appearances on December 10, 2010, March 11, 2011 and September 16, 2011.

Eden Stiles
July 15, 2011 (2011-07-15)
November 11, 2011 (2011-11-11)
October 24, 2014 (2014-10-24) – May 26, 2016 (2016-05-26)
Stiles served as the dual-branded ring announcer for WWE Superstars and substitute ring announcer for both shows until December 22, 2011 when Stiles left WWE. Stiles became the permanent ring announcer after Lilian Garcia returned to Raw on October 20, 2014. On May 24, 2016 during SmackDown tapings, Eden was released by WWE after she requested for her release.

Josh Mathews
January 2, 2003 (2003-01-02)
One night only.

Tony Chimel
April 1999 (1999-04) – August 2007 (2007-08)
October 2009 (2009-10) – December 2, 2011 (2011-12-02)
November 2, 2012 (2012-11-02) – November 30, 2012 (2012-11-30)
April 5, 2013 (2013-04-05)
September 13, 2013 (2013-09-13)
November 15, 2013 (2013-11-15)
November 15, 2016 (2016-11-15)
Transferred to the ECW brand in August 2007. Transferred back to Smackdown following Lilian Garcia's first retirement from WWE. Removed on December 2, 2011. Filled in from November 2, 2012 to November 30, 2012 while Garcia was on medical leave after a car accident. Was ring announcer for one night as Garcia had gone to WrestleMania Axxess, with various other SmackDown workers. Continues to make occasional appearances as Edge's personal ring announcer. Made a one night return on November 15, 2013 to fill in for Garcia, who was unavailable at the time.

Lilian Garcia
December 9, 2011 (2011-12-09) – October 17, 2014 (2014-10-17)
November 5, 2015 (2015-11-05)
Returned to WWE to take over for Tony Chimel. Made a one night appearance on November 5, 2015.

JoJo
April 9, 2015 (2015-04-09) – May 28, 2015 (2015-05-28)
June 18, 2015 (2015-06-18)
July 2, 2015 (2015-07-02) – October 15, 2015 (2015-10-15)
June 2, 2016 (2016-06-02) – June 23, 2016 (2016-06-23)
July 7, 2016 (2016-07-07) – July 19, 2016 (2016-07-19)

Served as interim ring announcer while continuing her role as a duel branded backstage interviewer, but doesn't do the latter on the selected dates she does ring announcing for Smackdown. Replaced Eden Stiles who was released by WWE. Moved to Raw following Lilian Garcia's second departure due to family emergency.

Greg Hamilton
June 30, 2016 (2016-06-30)
July 26, 2016 (2016-07-26) – present
Filled in for JoJo when she worked WWE's tour in Hawaii and when she filled in for Lilian Garcia on Raw during that same week. Promoted to full-time announcer when JoJo was moved to Raw.

text: Recurring segments[edit]

text:
Segments
Hosts
Years
Notes

Piper's Pit
Roddy Piper
2003
2005 – 2006
2010
2012
2014
In-ring interview segment.[8]
Discontinued after Piper's death in 2015.

$1,000,000 Tough Enough
Al Snow
2004
WWE Tough Enough competition segment.

Kurt Angle Invitational
Kurt Angle
2004 – 2005
Three-minute match challenge for Angle's gold medal.
Discontinued after Angle was drafted to Raw.

Cafe de René
René Duprée
2004
In-ring interview segment.

Carlito's Cabana
Carlito
2005
2008 – 2009
In-ring interview segment.
Discontinued after Carlito was drafted to Raw.

Peep Show
Christian
2005
2010 – 2014
In ring interview segment.

Diva Search
The Miz
2006
Diva Search competition segment.

Miz TV
The Miz
2007
2012 – 2017
In-ring interview segment. Discontinued after being drafted to Raw.

Masterlock Challenge
Chris Masters
2007
2010 – 2011
Submission challenge to break Masters' Masterlock hold.
Discontinued after being drafted to Raw.

The Cutting Edge
Edge
2007 – 2011
2013
2016
In-ring interview segment. Discontinued after Edge was forced to retire from professional wrestling.
Occasionally makes a couple appearances.

VIP Lounge
Montel Vontavious Porter
2007 – 2010
In-ring interview segment. Discontinued following MVP's release from WWE.

Khali Kiss Cam
The Great Khali
Ranjin Singh
2011
In-ring fan interaction segment.
Khali kisses a female member of the audience.
First person to keep show after changing brands.[9]

Highlight Reel
Chris Jericho
Kevin Owens
2010
2012
2013
2016
2017 – present

In-ring interview segment.
Discontinued after Jericho was drafted to Raw. Began again when Jericho returned in 2013.
Discontinued again when Jericho was drafted to the Raw brand when WWE re-introduced the brand extension in 2016.
Re-introduced by Kevin Owens in 2017 without Chris Jericho.

Grooming Tips
Cody Rhodes
2010 – 2011
Cody Rhodes gives some vanity tips.
Discontinued after Rhodes' facial injury (*caused by the exposed metal brace of Rey Mysterio).

Str8 Outta Brooklyn With JTG
JTG
2010 – 2011
Backstage shoot segment.
Discontinued after JTG was drafted to Raw.

The Ambrose Asylum
Dean Ambrose
2016 – 2017
In-ring interview segment. Discontinued after being drafted to Raw.

King's Court
Jerry Lawler
2017
In-ring interview segment.

The Fashion Files (later The Fashion X Files, then Fashion Peaks)
Breezango
(Tyler Breeze and Fandango)
2017 – present
Video segment.

Kevin Owens' New Face of America Open Challenge
Kevin Owens
2017
A United States Championship match challenge pitting anyone on the roster against Kevin Owens. It ended when AJ Styles won the United States Championship at a live event on July 7, 2017.

AJ Styles' U.S. Open Challenge
AJ Styles
2017
A United States Championship match open challenge pitting anyone on the roster against AJ Styles. Ended when Baron Corbin won the United States Championship at Hell in a Cell (2017).

Bobby Roode's U.S. Open Challenge
Bobby Roode
2018
A United States Championship match open challenge pitting anyone on the roster against Bobby Roode.