Devon Nicholson
Encyclopedia
Devon Nicholson is a retired Canadian 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...

, who wrestled primarily in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 as Hannibal. He was also known as Kid Nichols or Adam Lust. Some of the companies he wrestled for are WWE, TNA, Great North Wrestling, IWA and WWC Puerto Rico as well as All Star Wrestling in the UK.

He is currently training in amateur wrestling and will be competing in the 2011 Canadian Olympic Trials in Winnipeg in December. He is a former Jr. National Champion, National Team Trial Winner and 2 time provincial (state) champion in Freestyle wrestling. He is also a former Canadian Open and Ontario Championship winner in grappling.

Biography

Nicholson a lot of success in amateur wrestling before turning pro. He won a gold medal at the 2001 Junior National Championships in London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

. A month later, he won a spot on the Canadian Junior National Team after winning the National Team trials in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

. Nicholson won the OFSAA wrestling high school championships in 2000 and also in 2001 without a single point scored against him. He has also held numerous City of Ottawa and Provincial titles in freestyle wrestling. He was named the Amateur Wrestler of the Year by the City of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

 in 2001.

Nicholson started his career wrestling for Ted 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...

 and Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...

's Matrat's promotion. After a stint with Jacques Rougeau, Jr.
Jacques Rougeau
Jacques Rougeau Jr. is a retired French-Canadian professional wrestler from Saint-Sulpice, Quebec, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s with the World Wrestling Federation under his own name, and as The Mountie. Rougeau has held fifteen championships during his career...

's Lutte International 2000 promotion in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, he began training with Bruce Hart
Bruce Hart (wrestler)
Bruce Dennis Luis Hart is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. The second son of Stu Hart, Hart is a member of the large Hart wrestling family.Hart substitute teaches for the Calgary Board of Education.-Career:...

 in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

's Dungeon. He spent most of his early career in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

's Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...

 wrestling as Kid Nichols, regularly training with and wrestling against Ted Hart, Harry Smith (DH Smith) and TJ Wilson (Tyson Kidd).

After leaving Calgary, Nicholson wrestled in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

 and other areas of the caribbean for several years, where he was given the 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:...

 Hannibal by IWA office member Bushwacker Luke Williams. He has also wrestled for World Wrestling Entertainment
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...

's Deep South Wrestling and appeared on their TV show. He has wrestled for many independent companies across Canada.

In June 2005 he wrestled John Heidenreich at Rexall Place in Edmonton in a match that aired on WWE Smackdown.

In Puerto Rico he defeated Ricky Banderas
Ricky Banderas
Gilbert Cosme better known by his ring names El Mesías and Ricky Banderas, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He began his career in the International Wrestling Association based on Puerto Rico...

 for The IWA Intercontinental title in 2005. He also feuded with Thunder and Lightning with his tag team partner Mr. Big. At the end of his IWA run Hannibal became a babyface before switching to WWC. In his first tour with WWC in December 2005 he wrestled James Storm. He participated and a WWE try out in Buffalo New York in late December 2005. He wrestled Gavin Spears in his try out match.

Hannibal returned to WWC in 2006 as a heel. He formed a tag team with Black Pain known as Terror Inc and held the WWC World Tag Team titles in 2006 and 2007. As a singles wrestler in WWC he often wrestled Eddie Colon (Primo Colon) and Orlando Colon (Tito Colon).

In May 2006 he wrestled against Eugene at the Thomas and Mac Center in Las Vegas in a match that aired on WWE Heat. Later that month he had a match at New Japans Dojo in LA.

After helping Bruce and Ross Hart promote some rural Stampede Wrestling events in Alberta in 2006 Nicholson began promoting for himself in 2007. The Bad News Allen Tribute Show in May 2007 was his first event and it drew 1200 fans. Hannibal defeated Abdullah The Butcher in the main event of that show. He also promoted the Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

 Super EX When Legends Collide show in August 2007 that reportedly drew almost 4000 fans. Devon continued to promote events in Alberta and Ontario after that and promoted Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...

's December 2007 Canadian tour.

On August 24, 2007 Hannibal wrestled Kamala in Cornwall ON. On November 30 he defeated Brutus Beefcake in Edmonton and on December 29, 2007 Hannibal wrestled Abyss at a TNA event at the Robert Guertin Arena in Gatineau Quebec.

In 2008 he wrestled in Ontario & Alberta for Wrestling Supershow, which was the name of his wrestling company. He spent March and April 2008 wrestling for All Star Wrestling in Europe where he had a few matches with Doug Williams. He made a brief return to WWC Puerto Rico in May, where he wrestled Orlando Colon (Tito Colon) to a double DQ at a TV taping.

On June 20, 2008 Hannibal defeated Psycho Sid Vicious at the Pembroke Memorial Center in Pembroke ON.

On July 4, 2008 Hannibal defeated Tiger Raj Singh (Jindar Mahal) in Cocharane AB. On July 5 Hannibal teamed with Samoa Joe to defeat Tiger Rag Singh (Jindar Mahal) and Gamma Singh Jr in Calgary AB. On August 8 he defeated Pierre Carl Oulette in Ottawa ON.

In October 2008 Nicholson won the Joslin's Canadian Open
Joslin's Canadian Open
The Joslin's Canadian Open is the largest grappling tournament in Canada. The Canadian Open has been run as an annual event and drew over 700 competitors in 2007. The 2008 event was reported to have close to 1000 competitors...

 Grappling Championship in the Heavyweight Division. He is currently training in MMA.

In May 2009 Nicholson attended a WWE try out camp in Tampa Florida. He was told by WWE agent Pat Patterson that he was the best wrestler in the camp.

On June 18, 2009 he promoted a wrestling event at Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay Ontario that drew over 1500 fans.

In 2009, Nicholson was offered a World Wrestling Entertainment contract, but the offer was rescinded, when a medical examination revealed that he had contracted hepatitis C
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease primarily affecting the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus . The infection is often asymptomatic, but chronic infection can lead to scarring of the liver and ultimately to cirrhosis, which is generally apparent after many years...

, which he later blamed on his matches with Abdullah the Butcher. He also did a try out with TNA Wrestling in October 2010 in Saginaw, Michigan. Despite impressing TNA management they could not hire him because of his Hepatitis C.

In 2010 Nicholson started a new wrestling promotion called Great North Wrestling. The first event was on February 27, 2010 in Renfrew Ontario. The main event was Hannibal vs. Jeremy Prophet in a tables match.

On May 14, 2010 he broke Terry Funk
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...

's eardrum at a Great North Wrestling press conference in Thunder Bay Ontario. The incident made the front page of the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal newspaper the next day as well as all the local TV newscasts that night.

On May 15, 2010 he wrestled Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...

 with Terry Funk
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...

 as the guest referee in the main event at Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay Ontario. There was over 2500 fans in attendance.

On July 31, 2010 Nicholson won the Ontario Provincial Grappling Championships in Ottawa. He won both the heavyweight and absolute divisions in no gui grappling.

Nicholson defeated Lanny Poffo in Florenceville-Bristol NB on September 11, 2010. He defeated Jeremy Prophet, Dru Onyx, Mathieu St-Jacques, Paul Rosenberg and Sylvain Grenier in October 2010 in Montreal to become the CRW Quebec Champion.

On December 11, 2010 he wrestled and defeated Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...

 by submission at the CRW Arena to retain the Quebec Championship. Hannibal was originally supposed to lose the match, but he changed it in the ring and put Tommy Dreamer in an MMA hold for real to make him submit. Due to this, CRW President, Pat Boucher stripped Nicholson of the Quebec Championship. The situation was later revealed to be an elaborate angle put together by Nicholson and Dreamer, who tried to get Devon hired many times while he was working as WWE talent relations.

In March 2011 a YouTube documentary called "Don't Bleed on Me" was released. The documentary centers around Nicholson's claim that he contracted Hepatitis C from Abdullah the Butcher cutting him with a razor blade that Abdullah had used on himself earlier in the match. Nicholson claims are supported in this video by many WWE legends including "Superstar" Billy Graham and The Honky Tonk Man. Hepatitis C is a blood to blood disease spread mainly from the sharing of needles and razor blades. In July 2011, Nicholson filed a $6,5 million lawsuit against Larry "Abdullah the Butcher" Shreve over the Hepatitis C incident, claiming it had caused WWE and TNA to lose interest in him.

On August 26, 2011, Nicholson filed another $6 million lawsuit against the WWE for rescinding his contract offer, claiming they were discriminating against his human rights because of his Hepatitis C, even though the promotion currently has a "No Blood" policy.

In September 2011 Mclean's Magazine. Canada's premier news magazine ran a detailed article that profiled Nicholson and his situation with Abdullah the Butcher entitled "Blood, Sweat, Fears."

On September 30, 2011, Nicholson announced his retirement from professional wrestling, with his final match scheduled for October 8. On October 8, 2011, Nicholson defeated Darko in his retirement match in Renfrew, Ontario
Renfrew, Ontario
Renfrew, Ontario, Canada, is a town on the Bonnechere River in Renfrew County. Located one hour west of Ottawa in Eastern Ontario, Renfrew is the third largest town in the county after Petawawa and Pembroke. The town is a small transportation hub connecting Ontario Highway 60 and Highway 132 with...

.

On November 26th 2011 Global TV, Canada's 3rd National Network aired a half hour documentary on Nicholson as part of their 16:9 weekly news magazine show. The documentary went over Nicholson's career and went in depth into his lawsuits against Abdullah The Butcher and WWE. WWE refused to comment in the documentary and Abdullah The Butcher was interviewed. Abdullah demonstraited how he used blades and denied having Hep C and cutting Nicholson despite the video evidence of him doing show that was also shown. The documentay got into the hardships Devon has had to go through as a result of his Hep C.

In wrestling

  • Managers
    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...

    • Rico Suave
      Julio Estrada (wrestler)
      Julio Estrada , better known as Rico Suave, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known for his 18 year run in the World Wrestling Council promotion.-Career:...


Amateur

  • Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association
    • National Hwt. Champion 2001 (1 time)

  • Joslin's Canadian Open
    Joslin's Canadian Open
    The Joslin's Canadian Open is the largest grappling tournament in Canada. The Canadian Open has been run as an annual event and drew over 700 competitors in 2007. The 2008 event was reported to have close to 1000 competitors...

    • Canadian Hwt. Grappling Champion 2008 (2 time)

  • Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association
    • Provincial Hwt. Champion 2000, 2001 (2 time)

  • Ontario Grappling Association
    • Ontario Grappling Hwt. and Absolute Champion 2010 (1 time)

Professional

  • International Wrestling Association
    International Wrestling Association
    The International Wrestling Association is a wrestling promotion in Puerto Rico, started in Japan in 1994 by promoter Victor Quiñones. The Hispanic division was created in 1999. The company was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance until 2001, but again became a member in 2007...

    • IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship
      IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship
      The IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship is a secondary professional wrestling title defended in the Puerto Rican International Wrestling Association....

       (1 time)

  • World Wrestling Council
    World Wrestling Council
    The World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....

    • WWC World Tag Team Championship
      WWC World Tag Team Championship
      The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council.-Title history:-External links:***...

       (2 times) - with Black Pain

  • Canadian Revolution Wrestling
    • Quebec Champion (1 time)

Entrance themes
Music in professional wrestling
Music in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...

    • Iron Man
      Iron Man (song)
      "Iron Man" is a song by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath from their second studio album Paranoid released in 1970. It was later included on their initial greatest hits compilation We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll , as well as all subsequent greatest hits compilations.-Writing and...

       by Black Sabbath
      Black Sabbath
      Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...

    • How Soon Is Now by The Smiths
      The Smiths
      The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK