Charlie Haas
A technically brilliant wrestler who formed one of the most cohesive and respected tag teams in WWE history with his real-life friend Shelton Benjamin.
Born 1972 (age 54)·American professional wrestler and collegiate wrestler·Birthday: March 27·Generation X
Biography
Charlie Haas entered professional wrestling with a formidable amateur background that gave his in-ring style unique credibility. His career is defined by partnership. Teaming with fellow amateur standout Shelton Benjamin, first under Kurt Angle's Team Angle and then as the self-proclaimed World's Greatest Tag Team, Haas found his perfect match. They delivered crisp, chain-wrestling excellence that stood out in the sports entertainment landscape of the early 2000s. His singles runs never reached the same heights. Haas remains known as one half of a duo whose technical synergy and genuine chemistry made them a purist's favorite. After his WWE tenure, he stayed a respected figure on the independent circuit, often reuniting with Benjamin to the delight of longtime fans.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Charlie was born in 1972, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Charlie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1972
#1 Movie
The Godfather
Best Picture
The Godfather
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Charlie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1972Born
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1977Started school
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1985Became a teenager
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Could drive
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1990Could vote
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Turned 21
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2002Turned 30
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 40
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 50
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 54 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the WWE Tag Team Championship twice alongside Shelton Benjamin as The World's Greatest Tag Team.
- Was a key member of the highly influential faction 'Team Angle' led by Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle.
- Earned a reputation as one of the most technically sound and consistent tag team wrestlers of his era.
- Had a successful collegiate wrestling career at Seton Hall University before transitioning to the professional ranks.
Did You Know?
He and Shelton Benjamin were both standout collegiate wrestlers and were real-life friends and roommates before their WWE careers.
Following his wrestling career, he worked as a mortgage loan officer in Texas.
He made a surprise return to WWE for the 2013 Royal Rumble match, entering at number 18.
His twin brother, Russ Haas, was also a professional wrestler who passed away in 2001.
“It's not amateur hour; this is how you execute a real suplex.”
