Brian Woermann
Encyclopedia
Brian Woermann is an American
professional wrestler
, better known by his ring name
, Matt Stryker.
, where he played basketball
and Diving
. After graduating, Woermann obtained a job selling cars while trying to pursue a career in Law Enforcement through one of his brothers with the Village of Terrace Park Police Dept. After various run-ins with the law and some convictions, Brian's Law Enforcement career was abruptly cut short.
In 1998, Woermann began focusing on wrestling and started training under Les Thatcher, proprietor of the Main Event Pro Wrestling Camp in Evendale, Ohio
, much to the chagrin of his mother. He trained under Thatcher for five months, suffering a knee injury in the course of his training. On November 7, 1998, Woermann wrestled his first match, facing "Bad Boy" Bobby Kane. He then chose the ring name
Matt Stryker and began working for Thatcher's Heartland Wrestling Association
.
, the vacant HWA Cruiserweight Championship, on March 16, 2001. He lost the title to Parks on June 26, but regained the title on August 9 at the 2001 Brian Pillman
Memorial Show. Stryker's second reign lasted until September 2, 2001, when he lost to Jamie Knoble
.
In May 2002, Stryker's tag team
partner, Dean Baldwin
, reportedly burnt his eye with a cigar
. Stryker immediately sought revenge, which led to Baldwin suing
him for $
55 million and imposing a restraining order
on him for assault
, stalking
and defamation of character
. After feuding
with Baldwin throughout June 2002, Stryker set his sights on the HWA Heavyweight Championship.
Stryker defeated Cody Hawk for the HWA Heavyweight Championship on July 17, 2002 in Cincinnati, Ohio
. He held the title until November 9, when he lost to Chet Jablonski in Batavia, Ohio
. Stryker dominated the HWA Heavyweight Championship division from that point, winning the title twice more in 2003. He took the title a fourth time in 2005, defeating Shawn Osborne on March 25.
Cody Hawk and Stryker reconciled in 2004 and formed a tag team known as the "HWA Icons". The Icons defeated TJ Dalton and JT Stahr for the HWA Tag Team Championships on April 2, 2004, dropping the titles to Benjamin Kimera and Shawn Osbourne on June 15. They took the titles a second time that year, defeated Foreign Intelligence on October 26. Hawk and Stryker were stripped of the titles later that year.
on January 11, 2003 at Revenge on The Prophecy, losing to fellow HWA wrestler Chad Collyer
. Throughout 2003, Stryker wrestled Collyer on a number of occasions. In November 2003, Stryker and seven other wrestlers entered the inaugural "Field of Honor" tournament. After winning his four man block by amassing more wins than his three rivals, Stryker defeated B.J. Whitmer
in the tournament final on December 27, 2003 at Final Battle 2003.
At the Second Anniversary Show on February 14, 2004, Stryker unsuccessfully entered a tournament for the newly created ROH Pure Wrestling Championship
. After becoming the number one contender to the ROH World Championship
, Stryker lost to the defending champion, Samoa Joe
, at Reborn: Stage Two on April 24, 2004. Following the vacation of the ROH Pure Championship by A.J. Styles
, Stryker once again attempted to win the title, but was thwarted by Alex Shelley
. At Death before Dishonor 2: Part One on July 23, 2004, "Team Steamboat" (Stryker, John Walters
and Jimmy Jacobs
) defeated Shelley's faction, Generation Next
, in a six-man tag team bout.
At Glory by Honor 3 on September 11, 2004, Stryker faced Jay Lethal
in a match with the stipulation that, should he lose, he would no longer be flown in to wrestle at East Coast
Ring of Honor events (a similar stipulation applied to Lethal). The bout was won by Lethal, with Stryker subsequently delivering an interview in which he announced his intent to return to the Midwest
. Stryker subsequently appeared only sporadically with Ring of Honor, losing to Ricky Reyes
in his final match on October 14, 2005 at Enter The Dragon.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, better known by his ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
, Matt Stryker.
Career
Brian Woermann attended Milford High SchoolMilford High School (Ohio)
Milford High School is a public high school in Milford, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Milford Exempted Village School District and the largest of the district's 8 school buildings.-Band Program:...
, where he played basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and Diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
. After graduating, Woermann obtained a job selling cars while trying to pursue a career in Law Enforcement through one of his brothers with the Village of Terrace Park Police Dept. After various run-ins with the law and some convictions, Brian's Law Enforcement career was abruptly cut short.
In 1998, Woermann began focusing on wrestling and started training under Les Thatcher, proprietor of the Main Event Pro Wrestling Camp in Evendale, Ohio
Evendale, Ohio
Evendale is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,090 at the 2000 census.Evendale was the home of John Van Zandt, a participant in the Underground Railroad....
, much to the chagrin of his mother. He trained under Thatcher for five months, suffering a knee injury in the course of his training. On November 7, 1998, Woermann wrestled his first match, facing "Bad Boy" Bobby Kane. He then chose the ring name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Matt Stryker and began working for Thatcher's Heartland Wrestling Association
Heartland Wrestling Association
The Heartland Wrestling Association is a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, it was listed as one of the top independent...
.
Heartland Wrestling Association (1998-2005)
Stryker defeated Pepper Parks for his first titleChampionship (professional wrestling)
A Championship or "title" in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations.Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in scripted rivalries...
, the vacant HWA Cruiserweight Championship, on March 16, 2001. He lost the title to Parks on June 26, but regained the title on August 9 at the 2001 Brian Pillman
Brian Pillman
Brian William Pillman was an American football player and professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling....
Memorial Show. Stryker's second reign lasted until September 2, 2001, when he lost to Jamie Knoble
Jamie Noble
James Howard Gibson better known by his WWE ring name Jamie Noble, is an American former professional wrestler currently working for WWE as a trainer. He is best known for his work from 2002 to 2009 when a severe back injury forced him to retire from competition...
.
In May 2002, Stryker's tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
partner, Dean Baldwin
Shark Boy
Dean Mathew Roll is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Shark Boy and his experience in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .-Early career:...
, reportedly burnt his eye with a cigar
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
. Stryker immediately sought revenge, which led to Baldwin suing
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
him for $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
55 million and imposing a restraining order
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
on him for assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
, stalking
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
and defamation of character
Slander and libel
Defamation—also called calumny, vilification, traducement, slander , and libel —is the communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government, or nation a negative image...
. After feuding
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Baldwin throughout June 2002, Stryker set his sights on the HWA Heavyweight Championship.
Stryker defeated Cody Hawk for the HWA Heavyweight Championship on July 17, 2002 in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. He held the title until November 9, when he lost to Chet Jablonski in Batavia, Ohio
Batavia, Ohio
Batavia is a village in and the county seat of Clermont County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,617 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Batavia is located at ....
. Stryker dominated the HWA Heavyweight Championship division from that point, winning the title twice more in 2003. He took the title a fourth time in 2005, defeating Shawn Osborne on March 25.
Cody Hawk and Stryker reconciled in 2004 and formed a tag team known as the "HWA Icons". The Icons defeated TJ Dalton and JT Stahr for the HWA Tag Team Championships on April 2, 2004, dropping the titles to Benjamin Kimera and Shawn Osbourne on June 15. They took the titles a second time that year, defeated Foreign Intelligence on October 26. Hawk and Stryker were stripped of the titles later that year.
Ring of Honor (2003-2005)
Stryker debuted in Ring of HonorRing of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
on January 11, 2003 at Revenge on The Prophecy, losing to fellow HWA wrestler Chad Collyer
Chad Collyer
Chad Collyer is an American professional wrestler. A Heartland Wrestling Association mainstay, Collyer is perhaps best known for his appearances with Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.-Career:...
. Throughout 2003, Stryker wrestled Collyer on a number of occasions. In November 2003, Stryker and seven other wrestlers entered the inaugural "Field of Honor" tournament. After winning his four man block by amassing more wins than his three rivals, Stryker defeated B.J. Whitmer
B.J. Whitmer
Benjamin Whitmer is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, B.J. Whitmer. He is best known for his appearances with Ring of Honor between January 2003 and March 2008...
in the tournament final on December 27, 2003 at Final Battle 2003.
At the Second Anniversary Show on February 14, 2004, Stryker unsuccessfully entered a tournament for the newly created ROH Pure Wrestling Championship
ROH Pure Championship
The Ring of Honor Pure Championship was a professional wrestling championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor...
. After becoming the number one contender to the ROH World Championship
ROH World Championship
The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...
, Stryker lost to the defending champion, Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe
Nuufolau Joel "Joe" Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
, at Reborn: Stage Two on April 24, 2004. Following the vacation of the ROH Pure Championship by A.J. Styles
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, Stryker once again attempted to win the title, but was thwarted by Alex Shelley
Alex Shelley
Patrick Martin , is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Alex Shelley. He wrestles for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he currently teams with Chris Sabin as The Motor City Machine Guns. He previously gained fame on the independent circuit, working most notably for...
. At Death before Dishonor 2: Part One on July 23, 2004, "Team Steamboat" (Stryker, John Walters
John Stagikas
John Stagikas is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Hurricane" John Walters and in Lucha Libre USA as RJ Brewer, the kayfabe son of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer...
and Jimmy Jacobs
Jimmy Jacobs
Chris Scobille is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jimmy Jacobs. He is best known for his time in Ring of Honor , where he is a four-time World Tag Team Champion...
) defeated Shelley's faction, Generation Next
Generation Next
Generation Next was a professional wrestling stable in the Ring of Honor promotion. Formed in Philadelphia, PA at the event Generation Next, on May 22, 2004, by Alex Shelley, the original Generation Next consisted of Shelley, Austin Aries, Roderick Strong and Jack Evans...
, in a six-man tag team bout.
At Glory by Honor 3 on September 11, 2004, Stryker faced Jay Lethal
Jay Lethal
Jamar "Jay" Shipman better known by his ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Ring of Honor , where he is the ROH World Television Champion...
in a match with the stipulation that, should he lose, he would no longer be flown in to wrestle at East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
Ring of Honor events (a similar stipulation applied to Lethal). The bout was won by Lethal, with Stryker subsequently delivering an interview in which he announced his intent to return to the Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. Stryker subsequently appeared only sporadically with Ring of Honor, losing to Ricky Reyes
Ricky Reyes
Ricky Reyes is a Cuban professional wrestler. Known for his appearances in Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and various other independent promotions, he is currently primarily working for the World Wrestling Council....
in his final match on October 14, 2005 at Enter The Dragon.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Stryker Driver (Death Valley driver)
- Stryker Lock (Reverse figure four leglock)
- Signature moves
- Ankle lock
- Cloverleaf
- Double chickenwing
- Sharpshooter
- Superplex
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Ricky SteamboatRicky SteamboatRichard Henry Blood , better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career...
- Alere Little Feather
- Ricky Steamboat
Championships and accomplishments
- Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling
- CAPW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Heartland Wrestling AssociationHeartland Wrestling AssociationThe Heartland Wrestling Association is a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, it was listed as one of the top independent...
- HWA Cruiserweight ChampionshipHWA Cruiserweight ChampionshipThe HWA Cruiserweight Championship was a title contested in the Heartland Wrestling Association. It was introduced on August 22, 1997 when Tarek The Great became the first champion. On January 6, 2004 it was retired and renamed to the HWA Television Championship. The title was re-activated on...
(2 times) - HWA Heavyweight ChampionshipHWA Heavyweight ChampionshipThe HWA Heavyweight Championship is the heavyweight title contested in the Heartland Wrestling Association.- Title history :...
(4 times) - HWA Tag Team ChampionshipHWA Tag Team ChampionshipThe HWA Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles contested for in the Heartland Wrestling Association. It was established in 1996 when the Head Bangers became the first champions.-Title history:...
(5 times) - with Rory Fox (1), D'Lo BrownD'Lo BrownAccie Julius Connor better known by his ring name D'Lo Brown , is an American professional wrestler. Well known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment, he is currently working as an agent for Impact Wrestling.Connor has held forty-eight championships in various promotions during...
(1), Cody Hawk (2) and Tack (1)
- HWA Cruiserweight Championship
- Mad-Pro Wrestling
- MPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Premiere Wrestling Federation
- PWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Josh Daniels
- Ring of HonorRing of HonorRing of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
- Field of Honor (2003)
- ROH Number One Contender's Trophy