Daryl Bonilla
Encyclopedia
Daryl Bonilla is an actor
, comedian
, professional wrestler and founder of the Hawaii based professional wrestling company Action Zone Wrestling (AZW), where he serves as booker, announcer
and wrestler.
In 1996 Bonilla was cast as Keao in the indie film Beyond Paradise
. Immediately after the film was wrapped, Bonilla started doing local commercials. A 2000 commercial for Bank of Hawai'i
, in which Bonilla coined the phrase "That's My Bank!", became so popular in Hawai'i that the bank brought Bonilla back in 2002 and he's been doing commercials for Bank of Hawai'i ever since even getting a bobblehead created of him as well. The popular Bank of Hawaii campaign starring Bonilla ended Dec. 2006. His other film credits include To End All Wars
, The Sand Island Drive In Anthem, All for Melissa and Beachfront. His TV credits include roles in the short lived series The Byrds of Paradise
and the short lived remake of Fantasy Island
. He has also appeared in commercials (both TV and radio) for Bud Light, Taco Bell, Oceanic Cable, McDonalds to name a few.
He will be appearing in the upcoming Hawaii Five-0 remake airing on CBS starting September 20, 2010. In 2011 he appeared in the films Knots and The Short List
both of which premiered at the Hawaii International Film Festival.
) as the TV host of their weekly show. Bonilla, with his acting/comedy background, was a natural in front of the camera. He soon caught on with the fans and became a manager, donning the name DDB or "Dangerous" Daryl Bonilla (DDB was a nickname
from middle school).
Bonilla left WLW in 1999 to join upstart promotion Super Wrestling Force (SWF). That promotion closed a few months later and was restarted in January 2000 as Third Wave eXplosion (TWX). That promotion also did not last long, closing in the summer of 2000.
Along with local wrestler Lopaka, Bonilla decided to help upstart promoter Parrish Ho officially launch his promotion NWA Hawai'i. So along with "The Rocker" Don Lee and "Hotstuff" Kris Kavanaugh, they "invaded" World League Wrestling in June 2000. It was at this time that Bonilla made his in-ring debut as a wrestler. Bonilla was the booker and Lopaka was the head trainer and together they quickly put NWA Hawaii on the map and the company started to grow and create a buzz among the local fans. After a falling out, Bonilla left NWA Hawai'i in June 2001. Under the new bookers wrestler morale and attendance dropped. He briefly returned in 2002 as a commentator but quickly left again, as he was bored and embarrassed by what had happened to the once-promising promotion.
In January 2003, Linda Bade created Hawai'i Championship Wrestling
and asked Bonilla to join. Bonilla teamed with Ultimate Fighter Caruso as Caruso's manager and tag team partner, and the duo became one of the top fan favorites of the company, despite the fact that they were heels
. In 2004, HCW bookers decided to break up the duo to put Caruso back with his former partner a move that flopped. Around that time, Bonilla left due to acting commitments as well as a lack of interest in HCW, which he felt was beginning to mirror NWA Hawai'i.
In 2005 Bonilla founded Action Zone Wrestling (AZW), which made its debut on June 25, 2005 in Waianae, Hawaii (his hometown) and has attracted talent from mainland US (A.J. Styles
, James Gibson
, Delirious, Larry Sweeney
, Matt Cross
, Jimmy Jacobs
, Teddy Hart
, Super Hentai to name a few) and Japan. AZW has featured several wrestlers from Dragon Gate
and has had a working relationship with the organization since 2007 as Dragon Gate wrestlers CIMA
, Naruki Doi
, Susumu Yokosuka, Dragon Kid
, BxB Hulk
, Masato Yoshino
have competed in AZW. On September 8, 2008 Bonilla participated in Dragon Gate's debut show in Hawaii at the Waikiki Shell teaming with Akua in losing effort against Nebulous & Kaniala, Bobby Bolt & Rocko Shinoda and eventual winners Nijuu Ninkaku & SABAKI. He wrestled for the company until the end of 2008. He lost the AZW Heavyweight Title to Kaniala on September 22 that year, and he and partner Nebulous dropped the tag team title to Nijuu Ninkaku & Sabaki in November. He announced at BattleClash 4 on January 24, 2009 that he is the owner and founder of AZW, a role he always held behind the scenes but never in front of the cameras.
Bonilla also competed against UFC fighter Jason "Mayhem" Miller (an AZW fan)at the event titled "Anything Goes" (an event where the fans pick the matches) on Oct. 2005 in a "Mixed Martial Arts Mayhem" match where he lost via submission due to armbar
Bonilla returned to the ring on June 29, 2009, teaming with Kenryu Takadoki to take on the Polynesian Power Trip (Ativalu & Kaimana) for the AZW Tag Team Championship. During the match DDB got into an altercation with Kenjiro Katahira (a former wrestler and part owner of defunct HCW), which led to Kenryu Takadoki fending for himself and eventually losing.
Bonilla has competed semi-regularly where he feuded with Katahira and Katahira stablemates Nijuu Ninkaku & SABAKI.
AZW celebrates it's 6th anniversary June 27, 2011 where Bonilla will team up with Bobby "The Lightning" Bolt and Hawaii entertainer and radio personality Gregg Hammer in a six man match against Katahira, Ninkaku & SABAKI. The event was main evented with AZW Champion Jeff Cobb defending the title against M-Dogg Matt Cross, who was returning to AZW for first time since 2006.
On Nov. 21st at the event titled FALLOUT, TNA superstar Christopher Daniels
is scheduled to appear and El Generico
is set to debut for AZW on Dec. 19th at their huge year end event "Battleclash VII"
Bonilla is a very popular personality known for his quick wit, entertaining promos and engaging persona.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, professional wrestler and founder of the Hawaii based professional wrestling company Action Zone Wrestling (AZW), where he serves as booker, announcer
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
and wrestler.
Acting
Bonilla began his acting career right out of high school, performing on stage in several local productions.In 1996 Bonilla was cast as Keao in the indie film Beyond Paradise
Beyond Paradise
Beyond Paradise is a 1998 American independent film directed by David L. Cunningham.-Plot:The film is a semi-autobiographical tale of Cunningham's years in Hawai'i. He leaves Los Angeles and moves with his mother to the Big Island and befriends three "locals", Ronnie, Zulu and Keao...
. Immediately after the film was wrapped, Bonilla started doing local commercials. A 2000 commercial for Bank of Hawai'i
Bank of Hawaii
The Bank of Hawaii Corporation is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is Hawaii's second oldest bank and its largest locally owned bank in that majority of the voting stockholders reside within the state...
, in which Bonilla coined the phrase "That's My Bank!", became so popular in Hawai'i that the bank brought Bonilla back in 2002 and he's been doing commercials for Bank of Hawai'i ever since even getting a bobblehead created of him as well. The popular Bank of Hawaii campaign starring Bonilla ended Dec. 2006. His other film credits include To End All Wars
To End All Wars
To End All Wars is a 2001 war film starring Robert Carlyle, Kiefer Sutherland and Sakae Kimura and directed by David L. Cunningham.- Storyline :...
, The Sand Island Drive In Anthem, All for Melissa and Beachfront. His TV credits include roles in the short lived series The Byrds of Paradise
The Byrds of Paradise
The Byrds of Paradise is an American television series that ran during the 1993-94 season on ABC. The hour-long drama centering on a father and his three children, abruptly relocated to Hawaii from New Haven after the sudden death of the children's mother...
and the short lived remake of Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
. He has also appeared in commercials (both TV and radio) for Bud Light, Taco Bell, Oceanic Cable, McDonalds to name a few.
He will be appearing in the upcoming Hawaii Five-0 remake airing on CBS starting September 20, 2010. In 2011 he appeared in the films Knots and The Short List
The Short List
"The Short List" is the 9th episode of The West Wing. The episode introduces recurring characters Roberto Mendoza and Gail the goldfish and a story arc concerning potential congressional investigation of a White House staff members history of substance abuse.-Plot:When a liberal Supreme Court...
both of which premiered at the Hawaii International Film Festival.
Professional wrestling career
In 1997 Bonilla entered the world of professional wrestling when he joined World League Wrestling—Hawai'i (run by former wrestler Lars AndersonLawrence Heinemi
Larry Heinemi is a retired professional wrestler better known by the name of Lars Anderson. His career spans over a decade of performing in National Wrestling Alliance territories as well as American Wrestling Association .-Career:...
) as the TV host of their weekly show. Bonilla, with his acting/comedy background, was a natural in front of the camera. He soon caught on with the fans and became a manager, donning the name DDB or "Dangerous" Daryl Bonilla (DDB was a nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
from middle school).
Bonilla left WLW in 1999 to join upstart promotion Super Wrestling Force (SWF). That promotion closed a few months later and was restarted in January 2000 as Third Wave eXplosion (TWX). That promotion also did not last long, closing in the summer of 2000.
Along with local wrestler Lopaka, Bonilla decided to help upstart promoter Parrish Ho officially launch his promotion NWA Hawai'i. So along with "The Rocker" Don Lee and "Hotstuff" Kris Kavanaugh, they "invaded" World League Wrestling in June 2000. It was at this time that Bonilla made his in-ring debut as a wrestler. Bonilla was the booker and Lopaka was the head trainer and together they quickly put NWA Hawaii on the map and the company started to grow and create a buzz among the local fans. After a falling out, Bonilla left NWA Hawai'i in June 2001. Under the new bookers wrestler morale and attendance dropped. He briefly returned in 2002 as a commentator but quickly left again, as he was bored and embarrassed by what had happened to the once-promising promotion.
In January 2003, Linda Bade created Hawai'i Championship Wrestling
Hawai'i Championship Wrestling
Hawai'i Championship Wrestling , was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2003. It had been associated with both AWA Superstars, and also, the NWA. The company folded in July 2008.-History:...
and asked Bonilla to join. Bonilla teamed with Ultimate Fighter Caruso as Caruso's manager and tag team partner, and the duo became one of the top fan favorites of the company, despite the fact that they were heels
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...
. In 2004, HCW bookers decided to break up the duo to put Caruso back with his former partner a move that flopped. Around that time, Bonilla left due to acting commitments as well as a lack of interest in HCW, which he felt was beginning to mirror NWA Hawai'i.
In 2005 Bonilla founded Action Zone Wrestling (AZW), which made its debut on June 25, 2005 in Waianae, Hawaii (his hometown) and has attracted talent from mainland US (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...
, James Gibson
James Gibson
-In science and academia:*James J. Gibson , American psychologist*James B. Gibson , American astronomer who discovered 2309 Mr...
, Delirious, Larry Sweeney
Larry Sweeney
Alexander K. Whybrow was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name Larry Sweeney...
, Matt Cross
Matt Cross
Matthew "Matt" Capiccioni is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names M-Dogg 20 and Matt Cross. In addition to performing on the independent circuit, Capiccioni has also worked for prominent promotions such as Ring of Honor, Chikara and the short-lived Wrestling Society X...
, 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...
, Teddy Hart
Teddy Hart
Teddy Annis , is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Teddy Hart. He is currently working on the American independent circuit for promotions such as Jersey All Pro Wrestling and Dragon Gate USA...
, Super Hentai to name a few) and Japan. AZW has featured several wrestlers from Dragon Gate
Dragon Gate
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion formerly known as Toryumon Japan. Most of Dragon Gate's wrestlers are graduates from Último Dragón's Toryumon Gym, and thus the promotion is based on a Junior Heavyweight style with varying emphasis on high flying maneuvers, flashy technical grappling,...
and has had a working relationship with the organization since 2007 as Dragon Gate wrestlers CIMA
CIMA
-Acronyms:*Canadian Independent Music Association, formerly the Canadian Independent Record Production Association*Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, Cayman Island's primary financial services regulator...
, Naruki Doi
Naruki Doi
is a Japanese wrestler for Dragon Gate, where he is currently one third of the Open the Triangle Gate Champions. He also wrestled for Ring of Honor, where he is a former World Tag Team Champion with Shingo Takagi, as well as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
, Susumu Yokosuka, Dragon Kid
Dragon Kid
Dragon Kid is a Japanese professional wrestler who wrestles for Dragon Gate.-Professional wrestling career:...
, BxB Hulk
BxB Hulk
, better known by his ring name BxB Hulk , is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Dragon Gate, where he is currently one half of the Open the Twin Gate Champions, and Dragon Gate USA.-Professional wrestling career:...
, Masato Yoshino
Masato Yoshino
Masato Yoshino is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Dragon Gate wrestling promotion.-Toryumon:...
have competed in AZW. On September 8, 2008 Bonilla participated in Dragon Gate's debut show in Hawaii at the Waikiki Shell teaming with Akua in losing effort against Nebulous & Kaniala, Bobby Bolt & Rocko Shinoda and eventual winners Nijuu Ninkaku & SABAKI. He wrestled for the company until the end of 2008. He lost the AZW Heavyweight Title to Kaniala on September 22 that year, and he and partner Nebulous dropped the tag team title to Nijuu Ninkaku & Sabaki in November. He announced at BattleClash 4 on January 24, 2009 that he is the owner and founder of AZW, a role he always held behind the scenes but never in front of the cameras.
Bonilla also competed against UFC fighter Jason "Mayhem" Miller (an AZW fan)at the event titled "Anything Goes" (an event where the fans pick the matches) on Oct. 2005 in a "Mixed Martial Arts Mayhem" match where he lost via submission due to armbar
Bonilla returned to the ring on June 29, 2009, teaming with Kenryu Takadoki to take on the Polynesian Power Trip (Ativalu & Kaimana) for the AZW Tag Team Championship. During the match DDB got into an altercation with Kenjiro Katahira (a former wrestler and part owner of defunct HCW), which led to Kenryu Takadoki fending for himself and eventually losing.
Bonilla has competed semi-regularly where he feuded with Katahira and Katahira stablemates Nijuu Ninkaku & SABAKI.
AZW celebrates it's 6th anniversary June 27, 2011 where Bonilla will team up with Bobby "The Lightning" Bolt and Hawaii entertainer and radio personality Gregg Hammer in a six man match against Katahira, Ninkaku & SABAKI. The event was main evented with AZW Champion Jeff Cobb defending the title against M-Dogg Matt Cross, who was returning to AZW for first time since 2006.
On Nov. 21st at the event titled FALLOUT, TNA superstar 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...
is scheduled to appear and El Generico
El Generico
Rami Sebei is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name El Generico. Sebei uses the gimmick of a luchador from Mexico...
is set to debut for AZW on Dec. 19th at their huge year end event "Battleclash VII"
Bonilla is a very popular personality known for his quick wit, entertaining promos and engaging persona.