Dan Lopez
Encyclopedia
Dan Lopez is an American
professional wrestler
, better known by his ring name
, Dan "Danny" Maff. He retired in March 2005 following an as yet undisclosed incident involving his trainer, Homicide, and remained inactive until returning in June 2008.
shows as a fan, and enrolled in the JAPW training school when it opened in the late 1990s. After training for several months in the JAPW school, Lopez began attending Homicide's training school, The Doghouse, in New York City
after impressing Homicide with his work ethic. When his training was completed in 1999, Lopez adopted the name "Mafia" and formed a tag team
with another Doghouse graduate who he resembled, Monsta Mack.
independent circuit
. They won tag team title in JAPW in 1999 and in Jersey Championship Wrestling in 2000. In 2001, Da Hit Squad won titles in World Xtreme Wrestling and USA Pro Wrestling. At one stage they held a total of six titles between them.
After Mack injured his leg, he was unable to defend his half of the JAPW Tag Team Championship in a scheduled match on January 25, 2003 against the Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz. Lopez unsuccessfully defended the title singlehandedly in a handicap match.
by leaving Mack, who he defeated in a match for USA Pro Wrestling on March 8.
Following a successful title defence against Slyk Wagner Brown
, Lopez announced his retirement from professional wrestling, much to the dismay of the JAPW fans. That same evening, Lopez reverted to being a heel
by renaming himself "Dan Maff" and forming a stable with the Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz known as "La Familia".
Lopez's title reign came to an end on August 1, 2003, when he was defeated by Al Snow
, a WWE
employee brought into JAPW as an outside challenger. He won the title for a second time on December 13, 2003, defeating Jerry Lawler
in Secaucus, New Jersey
.
On February 28, 2004, Lopez defended the JAPW Heavyweight Championship against his former partner, Monsta Mack. Lopez retained the title, and embraced Mack after the match in a show of respect and camaraderie. The Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz were disgusted by the show of sportsmanship, and attacked Lopez as he tried to leave the ring. Mack returned to the ring, but, instead of helping his former partner, assisted the Soundrelz with their assault on Lopez. Mack then formed a new version of La Familia with the Soundrelz, and enlisted a number of heels to try to take the title away from Lopez.
Lopez fought off a number of challengers, including ECW
alumnus Mike Awesome. He eventually turned heel once again, and engaged in a lengthy feud for the JAPW Heavyweight Championship with the number one contender, Jay Lethal.
To this day, Lopez remains the longest reigning JAPW Champion of all time.
event, on February 23, 2002, attacking the Christopher Street Connection
. They feuded
with the CSC for several weeks before beginning a series of hardcore
matches with The Carnage Crew
, H.C. Loc
and DeVito
. In 2003, Da Hit Squad formed a loose alliance with Homicide.
Lopez turned heel by betraying Mack on April 12, 2003, at Epic Encounter. Later that evening, Lopez went to the ring immediately after a match between Homicide and Christopher Daniels
and indicated that he had joined forces with Daniels and his stable, "The Prophecy". Lopez was renamed "Dan Maff" and designated "the assassin
of The Prophecy".
Lopez's singles career in ROH began on May 31 at Do Or Die, where he defeated B.J. Whitmer
with the assistance of Allison Danger
, the valet
of The Prophecy. Following his victory, Lopez was confronted by two of Homicide's former students, Julius Smokes
and Low-Ki, who accused him of "forgetting his roots".
On June 14 at Night of the Grudges, The Prophecy (Lopez, Daniels and Donovan Morgan
) defeated rival faction The Group, with Lopez pinning ROH World Champion
Samoa Joe
. This led to a title match at WrestleRave '03 on June 28, where Joe defeated Lopez to retain. It was announced before the match that Lopez's father had died the previous night, which meant that Lopez, nominally a heel, enjoyed the support of the audience for the duration of the match.
Lopez and the rest of The Prophecy continued to feud with Homicide and his supporters, leading to a match between Lopez and Low-Ki at Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies on August 16. The match was halted when Lopez was legitimately knocked unconscious
following a poorly timed kick by the notoriously stiff Low-Ki.
In late-2003, Lopez competed in the annual Field Of Honor event, but was eliminated by B.J. Whitmer. Whitmer joined The Prophecy on December 22 at Final Battle 2003, and confessed that he had been behind a career-ending attack on Lucy, the valet of CM Punk
, earlier that year. This infuriated Lopez, who had been disgusted by the brutal attack, and had sworn on his father's grave to Punk that The Prophecy had nothing to do with the attack. Lopez called Whitmer a "scumbag" but was admonished by Daniels, who claimed that the attack was part of his plan to destroy ROH. Lopez and Whitmer began teaming together in 2004 after Daniels left ROH, and, along with Allison Danger, continued their feud with CM Punk and the Second City Saints
. They defeated the Saints in a match for the ROH Tag Team Championship
s on May 15, 2004 in Lexington, MA at Round Robin Challenge III, but lost the title to the Briscoe Brothers
that same evening.
On June 12, 2004, at World Title Classic, Lopez and Whitmer defeated three other teams in a thirty five minute long Ultimate Endurance Match in which they earned the respect of the ROH fans. After the match, Lopez convinced Whitmer to discard both the Prophecy name and the managerial services of Allison Danger, claiming that they no longer needed a leader or a manager and could now win matches on their own merits. Danger was furious, and placed a bounty
on the heads of Lopez and Whitmer. They spent several months feuding with teams sent after them by Danger, including Slash Venom and Chicano and The Carnage Crew. On December 26 at Final Battle 2004 they defeated the Carnage Crew in a "fight without honor" and shook hands with their opponents after the match. Whitmer and Lopez captured the ROH Tag Team Championship for a second time at the third ROH anniversary show on February 19, 2005 in Elizabeth, New Jersey
, defeating the Havana Pitbulls
.
ed from dozens of promotions and thus retired from professional wrestling. The titles, which he held at the time, were vacated although he kept both of the physical belts themselves. JAPW openly acknowledged the situation between Lopez and Homicide.
for the IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship in Levittown
.
In February 2009, Lopez arrived at American Championship Entertainment in Union City, NJ after multiple cryptic videos and comments on the ACE message board, in the ring, face to face, Lopez was challenging the current champion for the belt during the next show "Destined For Greatness". On March 21, 2009, Lopez defeated Hollywood Joe Hardway for the Heavyweight Championship.
Lopez made his return to professional wrestling as a surprise guest at Jersey All Pro Wrestling's June 28 event in Jersey City New Jersey. Having a special guest being hyped for weeks as a former JAPW World Heavyweight Champion, Maff made his return after the World Heavyweight Title bout between Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega and New Jersey State Champion, The Grim Reefer.
Lopez has been wrestling exclusively for Jersey All Pro Wrestling since his return to the ring. Homicide has also been competing in JAPW since Maff's return, but it's unknown if the two have had any meetings. Lopez and Homicide did appear at a show at the Elks Lodge in Queens on July 12, 2010, but they did not have much interaction in the locker room. They will appear on the same card on September 17 again at the Elks Lodge in Queens, NY.
On June 27, 2009, Lopez defeated Jay Lethal
to win the JAPW Heavyweight Title for the third time.
On March 19, 2010, Lopez defeated Rob Fury, El Shoes and Xavier
at the ICW return show "Reborn" at the Elks Lodge in Queens, NY.
Lopez also works for other Independent Wrestling Circuits such as Pro Wrestling Syndicate (PWS)
On May 13, 2011, New Japan Pro Wrestling
, with help from JAPW, held their first ever show in the United States. During the event, held in Rahway, New Jersey
, Maff made his debut for the Japanese promotion, losing to Toru Yano
via low blow in the first round of a tournament to determine the first IWGP Intercontinental Champion
. At the following day's event in New York City, Maff teamed with Jushin Liger
and Tiger Mask IV
in a six man tag team match, where they defeated CHAOS
(Shinsuke Nakamura
, Gedo and Jado). On the final day of the tour in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Maff teamed with Satoshi Kojima
in a match, where they were defeated by the IWGP Tag Team Champions, Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson
).
On August 19, 2011, Maff became Impact Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Champion after winning one-day tournament. He defeated Azrieal in 1st round, Devon Moore in semifinal and Danny Demanto in final.
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
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:...
, Dan "Danny" Maff. He retired in March 2005 following an as yet undisclosed incident involving his trainer, Homicide, and remained inactive until returning in June 2008.
Career
Lopez attended Jersey All Pro WrestlingJersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey.-1997:Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia on April 19, 1997. This promotion was born out of a dream of "Fat" Frank. He wanted to take the promotion...
shows as a fan, and enrolled in the JAPW training school when it opened in the late 1990s. After training for several months in the JAPW school, Lopez began attending Homicide's training school, The Doghouse, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
after impressing Homicide with his work ethic. When his training was completed in 1999, Lopez adopted the name "Mafia" and formed a 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...
with another Doghouse graduate who he resembled, Monsta Mack.
Da Hit Squad
Mafia and Mack, collectively known as Da Hit Squad, began wrestling on the northeasternNortheastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
independent circuit
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
. They won tag team title in JAPW in 1999 and in Jersey Championship Wrestling in 2000. In 2001, Da Hit Squad won titles in World Xtreme Wrestling and USA Pro Wrestling. At one stage they held a total of six titles between them.
After Mack injured his leg, he was unable to defend his half of the JAPW Tag Team Championship in a scheduled match on January 25, 2003 against the Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz. Lopez unsuccessfully defended the title singlehandedly in a handicap match.
Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Lopez won his first singles Heavyweight Championship on February 22, 2003 in Woodbridge, New Jersey, defeating his trainer, Homicide. Inspired by his victory, Lopez turned faceFace (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
by leaving Mack, who he defeated in a match for USA Pro Wrestling on March 8.
Following a successful title defence against Slyk Wagner Brown
Wagner Brown
Wagner Brown is a professional wrestler better known by his ring name of Slyck Wagner Brown. He currently wrestles in the independent circuit in the Northeastern United States....
, Lopez announced his retirement from professional wrestling, much to the dismay of the JAPW fans. That same evening, Lopez reverted to being a heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
by renaming himself "Dan Maff" and forming a stable with the Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz known as "La Familia".
Lopez's title reign came to an end on August 1, 2003, when he was defeated by Al Snow
Al Snow
Allen Ray Sarven is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name of Al Snow. He is best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment and currently works for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a road agent.-Early career:Sarven...
, a WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
employee brought into JAPW as an outside challenger. He won the title for a second time on December 13, 2003, defeating Jerry Lawler
Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...
in Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...
.
On February 28, 2004, Lopez defended the JAPW Heavyweight Championship against his former partner, Monsta Mack. Lopez retained the title, and embraced Mack after the match in a show of respect and camaraderie. The Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz were disgusted by the show of sportsmanship, and attacked Lopez as he tried to leave the ring. Mack returned to the ring, but, instead of helping his former partner, assisted the Soundrelz with their assault on Lopez. Mack then formed a new version of La Familia with the Soundrelz, and enlisted a number of heels to try to take the title away from Lopez.
Lopez fought off a number of challengers, including ECW
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
alumnus Mike Awesome. He eventually turned heel once again, and engaged in a lengthy feud for the JAPW Heavyweight Championship with the number one contender, Jay Lethal.
To this day, Lopez remains the longest reigning JAPW Champion of all time.
Ring of Honor
Lopez (as "Mafia") and Mack appeared on The Era of Honor Begins, the inaugural 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...
event, on February 23, 2002, attacking the Christopher Street Connection
Christopher Street Connection
The Christopher Street Connection are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Buff E and Mace Mendoza. They primarily compete in Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic independent promotions, most notably, World-1 South, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Frank Goodman's United States...
. They feuded
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 the CSC for several weeks before beginning a series of hardcore
Hardcore wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted...
matches with The Carnage Crew
The Carnage Crew
-History:The Carnage Crew of Loc and DeVito had their first ROH match together at Night of Appreciation defeating The Ring Crew Express. They were very hard hitting and used many high impact moves. At the time, there were two other similar teams in ROH: Da Hit Squad and the Natural Born Sinners...
, H.C. Loc
Matt Knowles
Matthew "Matt" Knowles is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, HC Loc. He is perhaps best known for his tenure in Ring of Honor, where he is a one time World Tag Team Champion with Tony DeVito as a part of The Carnage Crew.-Early career:After watching a television...
and DeVito
Tony DeVito
Anthony "Tony" DeVito is an American professional wrestler, best known for working in Extreme Championship Wrestling and Ring of Honor...
. In 2003, Da Hit Squad formed a loose alliance with Homicide.
Lopez turned heel by betraying Mack on April 12, 2003, at Epic Encounter. Later that evening, Lopez went to the ring immediately after a match between Homicide and Christopher Daniels
Christopher Daniels
Daniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is also known for performing under the ring name Curry Man. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , while also...
and indicated that he had joined forces with Daniels and his stable, "The Prophecy". Lopez was renamed "Dan Maff" and designated "the assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of The Prophecy".
Lopez's singles career in ROH began on May 31 at Do Or Die, where he 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...
with the assistance of Allison Danger
Cathy Corino
Cathy Allison Corino is a Canadian professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager, better known by her ring name, Allison Danger.-Career:...
, the valet
Manager (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...
of The Prophecy. Following his victory, Lopez was confronted by two of Homicide's former students, Julius Smokes
Julius Smokes
Julius Smokes is an American professional wrestling manager, known most notably from his work in Ring of Honor. He has also appeared in Major League Wrestling and Jersey All Pro Wrestling, among others...
and Low-Ki, who accused him of "forgetting his roots".
On June 14 at Night of the Grudges, The Prophecy (Lopez, Daniels and Donovan Morgan
Donovan Morgan
Andrew Vassos is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Donovan Morgan. Best known for his appearances with Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan and Ring of Honor in the United States, Morgan received tryouts with World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation in...
) defeated rival faction The Group, with Lopez pinning ROH World Champion
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...
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....
. This led to a title match at WrestleRave '03 on June 28, where Joe defeated Lopez to retain. It was announced before the match that Lopez's father had died the previous night, which meant that Lopez, nominally a heel, enjoyed the support of the audience for the duration of the match.
Lopez and the rest of The Prophecy continued to feud with Homicide and his supporters, leading to a match between Lopez and Low-Ki at Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies on August 16. The match was halted when Lopez was legitimately knocked unconscious
Unconsciousness
Unconsciousness is the condition of being not conscious—in a mental state that involves complete or near-complete lack of responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli. Being in a comatose state or coma is a type of unconsciousness. Fainting due to a drop in blood pressure and a...
following a poorly timed kick by the notoriously stiff Low-Ki.
In late-2003, Lopez competed in the annual Field Of Honor event, but was eliminated by B.J. Whitmer. Whitmer joined The Prophecy on December 22 at Final Battle 2003, and confessed that he had been behind a career-ending attack on Lucy, the valet of CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
, earlier that year. This infuriated Lopez, who had been disgusted by the brutal attack, and had sworn on his father's grave to Punk that The Prophecy had nothing to do with the attack. Lopez called Whitmer a "scumbag" but was admonished by Daniels, who claimed that the attack was part of his plan to destroy ROH. Lopez and Whitmer began teaming together in 2004 after Daniels left ROH, and, along with Allison Danger, continued their feud with CM Punk and the Second City Saints
Second City Saints
The Second City Saints was an American professional wrestling stable in Ring of Honor, consisting of CM Punk, Colt Cabana and Ace Steel. They were also managed sporadically by Lucy and Traci Brooks....
. They defeated the Saints in a match for the ROH Tag Team Championship
ROH World Tag Team Championship
The Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute...
s on May 15, 2004 in Lexington, MA at Round Robin Challenge III, but lost the title to the Briscoe Brothers
Briscoe Brothers
The Briscoe Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of Jay and Mark Briscoe. They are currently wrestling for the American promotions Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling, as well as occasionally for the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah.Their wrestling careers have...
that same evening.
On June 12, 2004, at World Title Classic, Lopez and Whitmer defeated three other teams in a thirty five minute long Ultimate Endurance Match in which they earned the respect of the ROH fans. After the match, Lopez convinced Whitmer to discard both the Prophecy name and the managerial services of Allison Danger, claiming that they no longer needed a leader or a manager and could now win matches on their own merits. Danger was furious, and placed a bounty
Bounty (reward)
A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. Bounties are most commonly issued for the capture or retrieval of a person or object. They are typically in the form of money...
on the heads of Lopez and Whitmer. They spent several months feuding with teams sent after them by Danger, including Slash Venom and Chicano and The Carnage Crew. On December 26 at Final Battle 2004 they defeated the Carnage Crew in a "fight without honor" and shook hands with their opponents after the match. Whitmer and Lopez captured the ROH Tag Team Championship for a second time at the third ROH anniversary show on February 19, 2005 in Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
, defeating the Havana Pitbulls
Havana Pitbulls
The Havana Pitbulls were a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Rocky Romero and Ricky Reyes. Working most notably for Ring of Honor as a member of The Rottweilers, they have also worked for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Empire Wrestling Federation, Ultimate Pro Wrestling, and Liberty States...
.
Retirement
In March 2005, Homicide issued a number of statements accusing Lopez of "betraying" him and announcing that he would not work for any company which hired Lopez in the future. As a result, Lopez was essentially blacklistBlacklist
A blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...
ed from dozens of promotions and thus retired from professional wrestling. The titles, which he held at the time, were vacated although he kept both of the physical belts themselves. JAPW openly acknowledged the situation between Lopez and Homicide.
Return to the ring
Lopez broke his retirement on October 8, 2005, unsuccessfully challenging El ChicanoCarlos Cotto
Carlos Omar Cotto Cruz is an Puerto Rican professional wrestler, also known by his ring names, El Chicano and El Ilegal.-Personal life:...
for the IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship in Levittown
Levittown, Puerto Rico
Levittown, Puerto Rico, a suburb of the San Juan MSA and part of the municipality of Toa Baja, is one of the largest planned communities in Puerto Rico. It was developed by Levitt and Sons in 1963....
.
In February 2009, Lopez arrived at American Championship Entertainment in Union City, NJ after multiple cryptic videos and comments on the ACE message board, in the ring, face to face, Lopez was challenging the current champion for the belt during the next show "Destined For Greatness". On March 21, 2009, Lopez defeated Hollywood Joe Hardway for the Heavyweight Championship.
Lopez made his return to professional wrestling as a surprise guest at Jersey All Pro Wrestling's June 28 event in Jersey City New Jersey. Having a special guest being hyped for weeks as a former JAPW World Heavyweight Champion, Maff made his return after the World Heavyweight Title bout between Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega and New Jersey State Champion, The Grim Reefer.
Lopez has been wrestling exclusively for Jersey All Pro Wrestling since his return to the ring. Homicide has also been competing in JAPW since Maff's return, but it's unknown if the two have had any meetings. Lopez and Homicide did appear at a show at the Elks Lodge in Queens on July 12, 2010, but they did not have much interaction in the locker room. They will appear on the same card on September 17 again at the Elks Lodge in Queens, NY.
On June 27, 2009, Lopez defeated 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...
to win the JAPW Heavyweight Title for the third time.
On March 19, 2010, Lopez defeated Rob Fury, El Shoes and Xavier
John Jirus
John Jirus is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Ring of Honor between 2002 and 2004 as Xavier. He is a former ROH Champion.-Professional wrestling career:Jirus trained under Tony DeVito before debuting in 1997...
at the ICW return show "Reborn" at the Elks Lodge in Queens, NY.
Lopez also works for other Independent Wrestling Circuits such as Pro Wrestling Syndicate (PWS)
On May 13, 2011, New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
, with help from JAPW, held their first ever show in the United States. During the event, held in Rahway, New Jersey
Rahway, New Jersey
Rahway is a city in southern Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, being 15 miles southwest of Manhattan and five miles west of Staten Island...
, Maff made his debut for the Japanese promotion, losing to Toru Yano
Toru Yano
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling , where he is a former IWGP Tag Team Champion.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
via low blow in the first round of a tournament to determine the first IWGP Intercontinental Champion
IWGP Intercontinental Championship
-Title history:-External links:*...
. At the following day's event in New York City, Maff teamed with Jushin Liger
Jushin Liger
, better known as and later, is a Japanese professional wrestler who primarily works for New Japan Pro Wrestling.He has wrestled and beaten many of the top smaller wrestlers in both Japan and the United States, and is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most revolutionary junior...
and Tiger Mask IV
Tiger Mask IV
Yoshihiro Yamazaki , best known by his ring name Tiger Mask , is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Yamazaki is the fourth wrestler to portray the Tiger Mask image / persona; having used it since 1995...
in a six man tag team match, where they defeated CHAOS
Chaos (professional wrestling)
CHAOS is a Japanese professional wrestling stable formed by Shinsuke Nakamura and Toru Yano in New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Formation:In April 2009, Toru Yano turned on Togi Makabe, costing Makabe the match against Shinsuke Nakamura. As Nakamura continued the attack on Makabe, Tomoaki Honma tried to...
(Shinsuke Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion.-Super Rookie :...
, Gedo and Jado). On the final day of the tour in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Maff teamed with Satoshi Kojima
Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling. As a singles wrestler, he was the first wrestler to hold NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship and All Japan Pro Wrestling's Triple Crown Championship simultaneously...
in a match, where they were defeated by the IWGP Tag Team Champions, Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson
Karl Anderson
Chad Allegra is an American professional wrestler better known by his stage name Karl "Machine Gun" Anderson currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is currently one half of the IWGP and GHC Tag Team Champions with partner Giant Bernard.-Personal life:Allegra grew up in Asheville,...
).
On August 19, 2011, Maff became Impact Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Champion after winning one-day tournament. He defeated Azrieal in 1st round, Devon Moore in semifinal and Danny Demanto in final.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Inverted Death Valley driver
- Signature moves
- Bicycle kick
- Cannonball senton
- Diving headbutt
- Elbow smash
- European uppercut
- Giant swing
- Multiple suplexSuplexA suplex is an offensive move used in professional sport wrestling . The move consists of one wrestler picking up his or her opponent off the ground and then using a large portion of his or her own body weight to drive the opponent down on the mat. Nearly all suplexes have the attacker going down...
variations- Delayed vertical
- Half nelson
- Northern lights
- Rolling fireman's carry slam
- Three–quarter headlock
Championships and accomplishments
- American Championship Entertainment (ACE)
- ACE Heavyweight Championship (2 time)
- Defiant Wrestling Alliance
- DWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Impact Championship Wrestling
- ICW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Monsta Mack
- ICW Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)
- Jersey All Pro WrestlingJersey All Pro WrestlingJersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey.-1997:Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia on April 19, 1997. This promotion was born out of a dream of "Fat" Frank. He wanted to take the promotion...
- JAPW Heavyweight ChampionshipJAPW Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Jersey All Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship in the American independent professional wrestling promotion Jersey All Pro Wrestling. Being a professional wrestling championship, it is not won via direct competition; it is instead won via a...
(3 times) - JAPW Tag Team ChampionshipJAPW Tag Team ChampionshipThe JAPW Tag Team Championship is a championship in the Jersey All Pro Wrestling promotion. Being a professional wrestling championship, it is not won via direct competition; it is instead won via a predetermined ending to a match or awarded to a wrestler because of a wrestling angle...
(6 times) – with Monsta Mack
- Jersey Championship Wrestling
- JCW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Low KiLow KiBrandon Silvestry is an American professional wrestler. He is best known under his ring names Low Ki, Senshi in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and Kaval in World Wrestling Entertainment. He is a former one-time PWG World Champion and a former ROH Champion...
(1) and Monsta Mack (1)
- New Blood Wrestling
- NBW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Alliance
- PWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Eddie Thomas
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him #260 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2003
- 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...
- ROH Tag Team ChampionshipROH World Tag Team ChampionshipThe Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute...
(2 times) – with B.J. WhitmerB.J. WhitmerBenjamin 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...
- South Jersey Championship Wrestling
- SJCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dizzie
- USA Pro Wrestling
- USA Pro Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Monsta Mack
- World Xtreme WrestlingWorld Xtreme WrestlingWorld Xtreme Wrestling is a Northeastern-based independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and have toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American Samoa and Guam....
- WXW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Monsta Mack