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 the professional wrestling world with the distinct advantage of a formidable amateur background, a foundation that gave his in-ring style a unique and credible physicality. His career, however, is defined by partnership. Teaming with fellow amateur standout Shelton Benjamin, first under the banner of Kurt Angle's Team Angle and then as the self-proclaimed World's Greatest Tag Team, Haas found his perfect match. Together, they delivered a brand of crisp, chain-wrestling excellence that stood out in the sports entertainment landscape of the early 2000s. While his singles runs never reached the same heights, his legacy is cemented as one half of a duo whose technical synergy and genuine chemistry made them a purist's favorite. After his WWE tenure, he remained 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.”
