Gregg Groothuis
Encyclopedia
Gregg Groothuis is an American professional wrestler, known by his stage name Jack Bull, who competed in North American independent promotions including Impact Zone Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance
and Ultimate Pro Wrestling as well as Japanese promotions HUSTLE, New Japan Pro Wrestling
and Pro Wrestling ZERO1.
In March 2005, Groothuis signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment
. He was initially assigned to Deep South Wrestling and then to Ohio Valley Wrestling
at the end of the year. During his time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, his bitter feud with Joey Mercury
finally ended with a surprise victory in December 2006.
, Gregg Groothuis moved to Venice, Florida
where he spent most of his childhood. He began watching Championship Wrestling from Florida as early as 7 years old and was a fan of Sting, Dusty Rhodes
and The Road Warriors (Hawk
& Animal
). His ring name was inspired by an interview by Dusty Rhodes in which he described looking into a ring full of bull
s "..the head bull was the Jack Bull; the one who stood out from the others".
He excelled at sports during his teenage years, especially, track
, weight lifting and football
, where he was a top recruit from the State of Florida as a tight end
. Graduating with Honors and President of Venice High School, he earned an athletic scholarship
to Marshall University
in Huntington, West Virginia
and graduated with a B.A.
Psychology and then a Masters in Science in Organizational Training and Development. While at Marshall he played college football
where he moved from tight end to Center
due to having two All Conference upper classmen in front of him. This was until a devistating car accident ended his college football career.
He had met Marc Mero
while working out at a local Venice gym. A former wrestler for World Championship Wrestling
, Mero had been involved in running independent shows in Florida at the time and had offered to help him break into professional wrestling. However, already accepted to Marshall College, he instead declined the offer and instead chose to go to school.
While attending grad school, Groothuis was working part-time as a bouncer
for a local bar. The particular bar that he worked at occasionally hosted wrestling events and, at one of these, he was asked to be a last minute replacement for a local wrestler that was unable to show up. He was offered training by the promoter, however he was in the middle of studying for his comps and final exams and turned the offer down. He began training in martial arts
soon after this however, being taught by a prominent Japanese Jiu-Jitsu master in the Huntington
-area, and considered taking part in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
but Gregg couldn't dedicate the time needed to excel while working full time and preparing his Master's Thesis and studying for comps.
After receiving his post-graduate degree, Groothuis moved to Phoenix to help his mother and aunt with expanding their business. By this time, he decided to began training at a wrestling school. He was originally going to train at Shawn Michaels
' Texas Wrestling Academy
in San Antonio, Texas
, but instead chose to study at Bill Anderson's School of Hard Knocks school in San Bernardino, California
after meeting Superstar Billy Graham.
He spent months training under Ricky Reyes and Rocky Romero
with several other students including Pinoy Boy before making his debut in Ultimate Pro Wrestling. Through Ricky Reyes, Groothuis appeared at the promotion's Saturday light shows then held at the LA Boxing Club in Huntington Beach. Among his early opponents included Horshu, John Cena
, John Heydenreich
and Nathan Jones
. He also had a memorable match with future Ultimate Pro and Pro Wrestling ZERO1 star Skulu training with him for over a month before meeting in the ring. UPW "Reunion": Season's Beatings, a dvd
released by the promotion, featured a Four Corner match between himself, Ruckus, Bison and Horshu.
As well as wrestling in various Southwestern independent promotions, he also toured Japan with Pro Wrestling ZERO1, HUSTLE and New Japan Pro Wrestling
. Wrestling as the New Jersey Power Warrior and Russian 54, Groothuis appeared at Hustle 5 losing to Judo O
at the Yokohama Arena
and Hustle 6 where he and The Pirahnian Monster XX lost to Mr. USA
& Katsuhisa Fujii
at the Aichi Prefectural Gym in Nagoya, Japan. Both events were shown live on Japanese PPV. He also had a brief stint in IWA Puerto Rico as well as appearances in dark matches on WWE Velocity
.
On February 5, 2003, Groothuis substituted for one of the IZW Tag Team Champions during a title defense against the Killer Klowns at the Rodeo Nights in Phoenix. Midway through the match however, Groothuis walked out on his partner allowing the Killer Klowns to win the tag team titles. Groothuis later won the IZW Tag Team Championship himself when he and Chris Kole defeated G.Q. Gallo & Lawrence Tyler on February 3, 2004. After they lost the titles, the two engaged in a long running feud which lasted half a year.
His feud with Chris Kole was finally reached its conclusion when he defeated him in a Loser Leaves Town match on August 17, 2004. In October, he beat Kharma
and teamed with Hollywood Yates at an Ultimate Pro Wrestling losing to Rikishi & Skulu at the end of the month. Feuding with Lawrence Tyler during the next few weeks, he lost to Tyler on November 9 but came back to defeat him in a 2/3 falls match to retain the IZW Heavyweight title on November 23.
Defeating Nick DeCarlo on January 4, 2005, he suffered a disqualification loss to Bryan Danielson that same month. On February 1, he beat Cowboy Jack Durango and, two weeks later, teamed with Navajo Warrior & Hawaiian Lion in a 6-man tag team match defeating Lawrence Tyler, Jack Durango & Train on February 15. On March 1, he lost a match against Train for the IZW Heavyweight title. The following day, he signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment
. Other IZW mainstays such as Derrick Neikirk, Antonio Mestre and Lawrence Tyler were also signed to WWE contracts.
On March 15, he defeated The Lynch Mob (Ryan Lynch & Lucha Reigns) in a Handicap match and, the next night, he made his last appearance with Impact Zone Wrestling losing to The Honky Tonk Man
being pinned after the Shake, Rattle and Roll.
. Angel Williams was his valet during their match, however she did not appear with Bull in later matches.
Several days later, he and Ryan "Silverback" Reeves
lost to The Regulators and, on September 15, he lost to Freakin Deacon. He soon began picking up a string of victories during the next weeks with victories over Eric Alexander, Vik Delicious and, accompanied by Daisy Mae, Ryan O'Reilly. On October 20, he wrestled two matches in one night defeating Palmer Cannon and Freakin Deacon by disqualification. In less than 30 seconds into the match, Freakin Deacon attacked Groothuis causing Cannon's disqualification. Both Freakin Deacon and Cannon continued attacking Groothuis, including whipping him into the ring steps, until Nick Patrick
arrived to break it up. When Groothuis faced Freakin Deacon later that night, his head was bandaged. During the match, Freakin Deacon was disqualified after assaulting the referee however he continued to further injure Groothuis until Mac Johnson and High Impact (Tony Santorelli
& Mike Taylor) ran into the ring on his behalf. This was his last DSW appearance before being assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling in December.
on December 3 and, a week later, he and Kasey James
lost to The Riggs Brothers at a house show. Four days later, he appeared in a dark match losing to Deuce Shade. On January 21, 2006, a match between him and Roadkill ended in a double disqualification. Although defeating him the following night, Groothuis would lose matches to Chet The Jet, Elijah Burke
and Roadkill during the next two months.
On March 11, Groothuis defeated Pat Buck
, Discord
, Chuck Evans
, Luis Almodovar and Mikey Batts in a six-way match. Following this victory, he became a villain
with an evangelist
Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmickin-ring persona and sang "Amazing Grace
" before matches. He would lose matches to Chet The Jet and, in a tag team match, he and Vic Devine lost to Ryan Reeves
and Mikey Batts three days later. He also lost to The Miz
on March 26.
On April 15, under the name Generic Bay Bland, he lost to Jason Riggs and, almost a week later, he and Pat Buck lost The Riggs Brothers. On May 3, he lost a no disqualification match to OVW Television Champion
Seth Skyfire
. During the match, The Miz and his former valet Roni Jonah
began taunting Skyfire. Skyfire then left then ring and began fighting with The Miz outside the ring. The referee began counting out Skyfire, but was stopped by Groothuis who challenged him to a no disqualification match. Returning to the ring, Skyfire agreed and called for the bell then pinned him with a rollup seconds later.
Although losing to Cody Runnels and Elijah Burke
on June 3, he won a battle royal to become the number one contender to the OVW Heavyweight Championship
two days later. He and Deuce n' Domino also defeated Runnels, Burke and Mikey Batts in a 6-man tag team match on June 8. During the next two days, he and Burke traded victories against one another. At the July 16th OVW Six Flags show, he teamed with Rahim, Pat Buck and Deuce n' Domino in a 10-man match losing to Roadkill, KC James, Cody Runnels and Mo and Chet the Jet at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
. He and Pat Buck lost to Roadkill and Kasey James on June 17 and, four days later, he lost to Seth Skyfire in a rematch for the OVW Television title. At the OVW Six Flags show on June 30, he faced The Highlanders
(Rory and Robbie McAllistair).
In early-July, Groothuis began a storyline involving his alcoholism
. On July 7, he missed his scheduled match and later showed up at the event intoxicated alongside ODB
. Winning a Gauntlet match to earn a title shot for the OVW Heavyweight title on June 15, he defeated Lennox Lightfoot in a dark match that same week. On July 21, he passed out in the corner during a match. The following night, he teamed with Cody Runnels and Discord to beat Rod Steele, Jon Bolen
and Andy Vein. On July 27, he also teamed with Runnels and Shawn Osborne to defeat Aaron Stevens
, Kasey James and Mike Mondo. The next night at OVW Six Flags show, he won a Rumble match.
On August 2, he defeated Johnny Punch in a dark match. Later that week, he teamed with Cody Runnels and Shawn Spears
to beat Vic DeVine, John Bolen and Steele and won a battle royal at the OVW Six Flags show. Among the participants included John Bolen, Pat Buck, Elijah Burke, Eddie Craven III, Mike Kruel
, Lennox Lightfoot, Ranger Milton, Shawn Osborne, Johnny Punch, Seth Skyfire, Rod Steele, Shad Gaspard
, Neighborhoodie
, Los Locos (Ramón and Raúl) and The Untouchables. Losing to CM Punk on August 16, he defeated Vic D. Vine in several matches later that month. On September 9, he defeated Shawn Osborne and, during the next few weeks, he began appearing with Sosay
as his valet. The following month, he again defeated Vic D.Vine and The Bear, Raul of Los Locos dressed in a bear suit. He also defeated TJ Dalton by countout on November 1.
During the fall, Groothuis began feuding with Joey Mercury
. Losing to Mercury on November 5, he challenged Mercury to a drinking contest
which he won. He also beat him via disqualification in a mixed tag team match teaming with Katie Lea against Mercury and Beth Phoenix
. On November 29, Groothuis attempted an escape artist stunt involving heavy chains. During the stunt, Mercury came out attacking his publicist Sosay and then hit Groothuis with a chair.
Mercury again attacked Groothuis after he had defeated Aaron Stevens at a OVW television taping several days later. However, he and Steve Lewington
defeated Idol Stevens and Joey Mercury on December 9 and, with CM Punk, beat them in a rematch at an OVW television taping. On December 20, also defeated Joey Mercury in a Grudge match.
On January 3, 2007, he defeated The Original Sinn in a dark match and Daniel Rodimer
three days later. On January 10, Groothuis appeared with Sosay to perform a "Feat of Strength" with help from Justin "The Ox" LaRoche and Charles "The Hammer" Evans. LaRoche and Evans turned on Groothuis however and continued attacking him until Idol Stevens intervened and ran them off.
On January 17, he and Atlas Debone (with Sosay) lost to Charles Evans & Justin LaRoche at a OVW television taping. Three days later, Groothuis was one of many wrestlers including Seth Skyfire, Thomas Farra, Tracy Taylor, Mike Taylor and Tony Salantri
who were released from developmental contracts as part of a general cost-saving measure.
on March 3. A month later, he made a surprise appearance at an IZW show interfering in a match against "Hawaiian Lion" John Williams and Jon VonCross. As a result, Williams won via disqualification. Siding with VonCross in his ongoing feud with Williams, Groothuis was in his corner when he faced Williams for the IZW Heavyweight title on May 8. On May 22, Groothuis defeated Mike G. in Tempe, Arizona
. He also made a brief return to OVW appearing at a OVW television taping on June 13 and, two days later, defeating Nickolas Sinn at the OVW Six Flags show. On July 2, Groothuis took on Williams himself but failed to unseat the champion.
On January 2, 2008, Groothuis was scheduled to perform a stunt during an interpromotional supercard between IZW and NWA Arizona, the latter promotion closing and merging with IZW. Held at the Broadway Recreation Center in Mesa, Arizona
, he was stopped by IZW Board of Director's representative Strangler Steve King and then attacked by "The Limited Edition" Tommy Drake. Feuding with Tommy Drake during the next weeks, he defeated Drake on January 29. He and Lil' Nate also defeated Drake & Sexy Sonny Samson in a tag team match on February 12.
On July 1, at an interpromotional event between IZW and NWA Pro, he pinned Dean Radford at The Sets in Tempe, Arizona
. He also appeared in the corner of "Wolf" Hollywood Yates in his match against The Great Ryan Lynch, accompanied by Steve King, on July 17. On August 12, he and Steve King defeated Tyson Tyler and Tommy Drake.
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
and Ultimate Pro Wrestling as well as Japanese promotions HUSTLE, 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...
and Pro Wrestling ZERO1.
In March 2005, Groothuis signed a developmental contract with 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...
. He was initially assigned to Deep South Wrestling and then to Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
at the end of the year. During his time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, his bitter feud with Joey Mercury
Adam Birch
Adam Birch is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment , and training in WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling, as Joey Mercury...
finally ended with a surprise victory in December 2006.
Early life and career
Born in Orange, CaliforniaOrange, California
Southern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...
, Gregg Groothuis moved to Venice, Florida
Venice, Florida
Venice is a city in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 estimates, the city had a population of 21,015. It is noted for its large snowbird population. Its newspaper is the Venice Gondolier Sun...
where he spent most of his childhood. He began watching Championship Wrestling from Florida as early as 7 years old and was a fan of Sting, Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
and The Road Warriors (Hawk
Road Warrior Hawk
Michael James Hegstrand was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as the Road Warriors or The Legion of Doom , with Road Warrior Animal.-Early life:While living in Chicago, Hegstrand met Joe Lauranaitis, who would be later...
& Animal
Road Warrior Animal
Joseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior...
). His ring name was inspired by an interview by Dusty Rhodes in which he described looking into a ring full of bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
s "..the head bull was the Jack Bull; the one who stood out from the others".
He excelled at sports during his teenage years, especially, track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, weight lifting and football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, where he was a top recruit from the State of Florida as a tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
. Graduating with Honors and President of Venice High School, he earned an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to Marshall University
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
in Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
and graduated with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
Psychology and then a Masters in Science in Organizational Training and Development. While at Marshall he played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
where he moved from tight end to Center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
due to having two All Conference upper classmen in front of him. This was until a devistating car accident ended his college football career.
He had met Marc Mero
Marc Mero
Marc Mero is an American retired amateur boxer and professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation as Marc Mero and with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Johnny B. Badd...
while working out at a local Venice gym. A former wrestler for World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
, Mero had been involved in running independent shows in Florida at the time and had offered to help him break into professional wrestling. However, already accepted to Marshall College, he instead declined the offer and instead chose to go to school.
While attending grad school, Groothuis was working part-time as a bouncer
Bouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
for a local bar. The particular bar that he worked at occasionally hosted wrestling events and, at one of these, he was asked to be a last minute replacement for a local wrestler that was unable to show up. He was offered training by the promoter, however he was in the middle of studying for his comps and final exams and turned the offer down. He began training in martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
soon after this however, being taught by a prominent Japanese Jiu-Jitsu master in the Huntington
Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
-area, and considered taking part in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
but Gregg couldn't dedicate the time needed to excel while working full time and preparing his Master's Thesis and studying for comps.
After receiving his post-graduate degree, Groothuis moved to Phoenix to help his mother and aunt with expanding their business. By this time, he decided to began training at a wrestling school. He was originally going to train at Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
' Texas Wrestling Academy
Texas Wrestling Academy
The Texas Wrestling Academy is a professional wrestling training school that was operated by Shawn Michaels and Rudy Boy Gonzalez...
in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, but instead chose to study at Bill Anderson's School of Hard Knocks school in San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
after meeting Superstar Billy Graham.
He spent months training under Ricky Reyes and Rocky Romero
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...
with several other students including Pinoy Boy before making his debut in Ultimate Pro Wrestling. Through Ricky Reyes, Groothuis appeared at the promotion's Saturday light shows then held at the LA Boxing Club in Huntington Beach. Among his early opponents included Horshu, John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
, John Heydenreich
Jon Heidenreich
Jon Heidenreich is an American professional wrestler, better known simply as Heidenreich. He is best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one time WWE Tag Team Champion with Road Warrior Animal as a part of the Road Warriors.-Early career:Prior to professional...
and Nathan Jones
Nathan Jones (wrestler)
Nathan Boyce Jones is an Australian actor, powerlifting champion, strongman, and retired professional wrestler...
. He also had a memorable match with future Ultimate Pro and Pro Wrestling ZERO1 star Skulu training with him for over a month before meeting in the ring. UPW "Reunion": Season's Beatings, a dvd
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
released by the promotion, featured a Four Corner match between himself, Ruckus, Bison and Horshu.
As well as wrestling in various Southwestern independent promotions, he also toured Japan with Pro Wrestling ZERO1, HUSTLE and 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...
. Wrestling as the New Jersey Power Warrior and Russian 54, Groothuis appeared at Hustle 5 losing to Judo O
Naoya Ogawa
Naoya Ogawa is a Japanese former world judo champion, Olympic silver medalist, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist...
at the Yokohama Arena
Yokohama Arena
is an indoor sporting arena located in Yokohama, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 17,000 and was opened in 1989. The arena was modeled after US sports venue Madison Square Garden in New York City. It is a five minute walk from the closest subway station, Shin-Yokohama Station on the JR/Yokohama...
and Hustle 6 where he and The Pirahnian Monster XX lost to Mr. USA
Ryan Wilson
Ryan Wilson is an American professional wrestler who formerly worked for World Wrestling Entertainment in the Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental promotion as Jacob Duncan where he was a former OVW Heavyweight Champion...
& Katsuhisa Fujii
Katsuhisa Fujii
, is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division.-Championships and Accomplishments:*Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling**2000 Pancrase Heavyweight Championship Tournament Runner-up*Ultimate Fighting Championship...
at the Aichi Prefectural Gym in Nagoya, Japan. Both events were shown live on Japanese PPV. He also had a brief stint in IWA Puerto Rico as well as appearances in dark matches on WWE Velocity
WWE Velocity
WWE Velocity was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It replaced two syndicated WWE shows, Jakked/Metal. Once a weekly Saturday night show on Spike TV and on Sky Sports 2 in the UK on Sunday mornings, Velocity became a webcast from 2005 to 2006...
.
Impact Zone Wrestling
Moving back to Phoenix in 2002, Groothuis began training at Navajo Warrior's wrestling school. Later becoming an instructor there, he also began wrestling regularly for his Phoenix-based promotion Impact Zone Wrestling and eventually won the heavyweight title in a championship tournament two years later.On February 5, 2003, Groothuis substituted for one of the IZW Tag Team Champions during a title defense against the Killer Klowns at the Rodeo Nights in Phoenix. Midway through the match however, Groothuis walked out on his partner allowing the Killer Klowns to win the tag team titles. Groothuis later won the IZW Tag Team Championship himself when he and Chris Kole defeated G.Q. Gallo & Lawrence Tyler on February 3, 2004. After they lost the titles, the two engaged in a long running feud which lasted half a year.
His feud with Chris Kole was finally reached its conclusion when he defeated him in a Loser Leaves Town match on August 17, 2004. In October, he beat Kharma
Jennifer Thomas (wrestler)
-Impact Zone Wrestling :After training under both Navajo Warrior and the California-based Ultimate Pro Wrestling in 2003, Thomas made her professional debut that same year under the ring name Karma...
and teamed with Hollywood Yates at an Ultimate Pro Wrestling losing to Rikishi & Skulu at the end of the month. Feuding with Lawrence Tyler during the next few weeks, he lost to Tyler on November 9 but came back to defeat him in a 2/3 falls match to retain the IZW Heavyweight title on November 23.
Defeating Nick DeCarlo on January 4, 2005, he suffered a disqualification loss to Bryan Danielson that same month. On February 1, he beat Cowboy Jack Durango and, two weeks later, teamed with Navajo Warrior & Hawaiian Lion in a 6-man tag team match defeating Lawrence Tyler, Jack Durango & Train on February 15. On March 1, he lost a match against Train for the IZW Heavyweight title. The following day, he signed a developmental contract with 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...
. Other IZW mainstays such as Derrick Neikirk, Antonio Mestre and Lawrence Tyler were also signed to WWE contracts.
On March 15, he defeated The Lynch Mob (Ryan Lynch & Lucha Reigns) in a Handicap match and, the next night, he made his last appearance with Impact Zone Wrestling losing to The Honky Tonk Man
The Honky Tonk Man
Roy Wayne Farris , better known by his ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American professional wrestler. A 1975 graduate from University of Memphis with a B.S. degree in Education. Coached high school football 2 seasons at Munford High School in Munford, Tennessee...
being pinned after the Shake, Rattle and Roll.
Deep South Wrestling
Groothuis was assigned to its developmental territory Deep South Wrestling and, on September 1, he appeared on the promotion's debut show defeating "Irish" Ryan O'ReillyRyan O'Reilly (wrestler)
Ryan Parmeter is an American professional wrestler. He is signed by WWE and competes in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Conor O'Brian...
. Angel Williams was his valet during their match, however she did not appear with Bull in later matches.
Several days later, he and Ryan "Silverback" Reeves
Ryan Reeves
Ryan Reeves is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, but is inactive due to injury. After being one of the eight finalists on WWE Tough Enough 4, he later signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment and wrestled in Deep South Wrestling and Florida...
lost to The Regulators and, on September 15, he lost to Freakin Deacon. He soon began picking up a string of victories during the next weeks with victories over Eric Alexander, Vik Delicious and, accompanied by Daisy Mae, Ryan O'Reilly. On October 20, he wrestled two matches in one night defeating Palmer Cannon and Freakin Deacon by disqualification. In less than 30 seconds into the match, Freakin Deacon attacked Groothuis causing Cannon's disqualification. Both Freakin Deacon and Cannon continued attacking Groothuis, including whipping him into the ring steps, until Nick Patrick
Nick Hamilton
Joseph Nicholas "Nick" Patrick Hamilton Jr. , better known by his ring name Nick Patrick, is a professional wrestling referee. He is a former referee for World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
arrived to break it up. When Groothuis faced Freakin Deacon later that night, his head was bandaged. During the match, Freakin Deacon was disqualified after assaulting the referee however he continued to further injure Groothuis until Mac Johnson and High Impact (Tony Santorelli
Tony Salantri
Anthony "Tony" Salantri is an American Film and television actor and a former American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names Tony Santarelli or Tony Stradlin, who competed in North American independent promotions including Combat Zone Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance and...
& Mike Taylor) ran into the ring on his behalf. This was his last DSW appearance before being assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling in December.
Ohio Valley Wrestling
In his OVW debut, Groothuis lost to CM PunkCM 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....
on December 3 and, a week later, he and Kasey James
Kasey James
Kurt Sellers , better known as K.C. James or James Curtis, is an American professional wrestler who was best known for working in World Wrestling Entertainment.-Early career:...
lost to The Riggs Brothers at a house show. Four days later, he appeared in a dark match losing to Deuce Shade. On January 21, 2006, a match between him and Roadkill ended in a double disqualification. Although defeating him the following night, Groothuis would lose matches to Chet The Jet, Elijah Burke
Elijah Burke
Elijah Samuel Burke is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name of "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero; a gimmick in which he portrays a Harlem street preacher...
and Roadkill during the next two months.
On March 11, Groothuis defeated Pat Buck
Pat Buck
Patrick Buckridge is an American professional wrestler, better know by the name Pat Buck. He competes in Midwestern, New England, and Metropolitan independent promotions including Derby City Wrestling, Ohio Championship Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling, formerly a World Wrestling Entertainment...
, Discord
Johnny Punch
Tom Demers better known by his ring name Johnny Punch, is an American professional wrestler, who competed in North American independent promotions including Derby City Wrestling, New England Championship Wrestling and Top Rope Promotions...
, Chuck Evans
Chuck Evans
Charles "Chuck" Evans was an American football fullback who played for the Minnesota Vikings and the Baltimore Ravens...
, Luis Almodovar and Mikey Batts in a six-way match. Following this victory, he became a villain
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...
with an evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmickin-ring persona and sang "Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
" before matches. He would lose matches to Chet The Jet and, in a tag team match, he and Vic Devine lost to Ryan Reeves
Ryan Reeves
Ryan Reeves is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, but is inactive due to injury. After being one of the eight finalists on WWE Tough Enough 4, he later signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment and wrestled in Deep South Wrestling and Florida...
and Mikey Batts three days later. He also lost to The Miz
Mike Mizanin
Michael "Mike" Gregory Mizanin is an American professional wrestler and reality television personality better known by his nickname and ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand...
on March 26.
On April 15, under the name Generic Bay Bland, he lost to Jason Riggs and, almost a week later, he and Pat Buck lost The Riggs Brothers. On May 3, he lost a no disqualification match to OVW Television Champion
OVW Television Championship
The OVW Television Championship is the secondary championship of Ohio Valley Wrestling started on January 5, 2005. When the title was originally conceived, the champion defended against randomly selected opponents, with the winner receiving a check for $1000...
Seth Skyfire
Seth Skyfire
Steve Adkins is a retired professional wrestler better known by his ring name Seth Skyfire. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment's developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling .-Career:...
. During the match, The Miz and his former valet Roni Jonah
Roni Jonah
Roni Jonah is a Canadian professional wrestler and actress. She has worked for both Ohio Valley Wrestling and Women's Extreme Wrestling.-Ohio Valley Wrestling :...
began taunting Skyfire. Skyfire then left then ring and began fighting with The Miz outside the ring. The referee began counting out Skyfire, but was stopped by Groothuis who challenged him to a no disqualification match. Returning to the ring, Skyfire agreed and called for the bell then pinned him with a rollup seconds later.
Although losing to Cody Runnels and Elijah Burke
Elijah Burke
Elijah Samuel Burke is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name of "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero; a gimmick in which he portrays a Harlem street preacher...
on June 3, he won a battle royal to become the number one contender to the OVW Heavyweight Championship
OVW Heavyweight Championship
The OVW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned by the Ohio Valley Wrestling promotion. The title was introduced on August 17, 1997 at an OVW live event, then known as the NWA-OVW Heavyweight Championship due to OVW's relationship with the National...
two days later. He and Deuce n' Domino also defeated Runnels, Burke and Mikey Batts in a 6-man tag team match on June 8. During the next two days, he and Burke traded victories against one another. At the July 16th OVW Six Flags show, he teamed with Rahim, Pat Buck and Deuce n' Domino in a 10-man match losing to Roadkill, KC James, Cody Runnels and Mo and Chet the Jet at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Kentucky Kingdom is an amusement park located in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The park is located on of land which includes a collection of 27 amusement rides and a water park named Splashwater Kingdom...
. He and Pat Buck lost to Roadkill and Kasey James on June 17 and, four days later, he lost to Seth Skyfire in a rematch for the OVW Television title. At the OVW Six Flags show on June 30, he faced The Highlanders
The Highlanders (professional wrestling)
The Highlanders are a Scottish professional wrestling tag team consisting of storyline cousins Robbie and Rory McAllister who were best known for wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment on the Raw brand.-History:Couch and Murray were both born and raised in Oban, Scotland The Highlanders are...
(Rory and Robbie McAllistair).
In early-July, Groothuis began a storyline involving his alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. On July 7, he missed his scheduled match and later showed up at the event intoxicated alongside ODB
Jessica Kresa
Jessica Kresa is an American professional wrestler and actress better known as ODB , currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where she is a former three–time TNA Women's Knockout Champion....
. Winning a Gauntlet match to earn a title shot for the OVW Heavyweight title on June 15, he defeated Lennox Lightfoot in a dark match that same week. On July 21, he passed out in the corner during a match. The following night, he teamed with Cody Runnels and Discord to beat Rod Steele, Jon Bolen
Jon Bolen
Jon Bolen is an American professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He currently competes on the independent circuit including Maximum Pro Wrestling, the International Wrestling Cartel and the National Wrestling Alliance...
and Andy Vein. On July 27, he also teamed with Runnels and Shawn Osborne to defeat Aaron Stevens
Aaron Stevens (wrestler)
Aaron Haddad is an American professional wrestler. He is contracted to WWE, and appears in Florida Championship Wrestling , a WWE developmental territory, as Damien Sandow. He is the current FCW 15 Champion...
, Kasey James and Mike Mondo. The next night at OVW Six Flags show, he won a Rumble match.
On August 2, he defeated Johnny Punch in a dark match. Later that week, he teamed with Cody Runnels and Shawn Spears
Ronnie Arniell
Ronnie William Arneill is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name as Shawn Spears. He is perhaps best known for his stint with World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand, where he briefly performed under the ring name Gavin Spears.-Early life:Born and raised in St...
to beat Vic DeVine, John Bolen and Steele and won a battle royal at the OVW Six Flags show. Among the participants included John Bolen, Pat Buck, Elijah Burke, Eddie Craven III, Mike Kruel
Mike Kruel
Michael "Mike" Mayo, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Mike Kruel. He began his career in the independent circuit, wrestling in Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, East Coast Wrestling Association and USA Pro Wrestling, while occasionally making...
, Lennox Lightfoot, Ranger Milton, Shawn Osborne, Johnny Punch, Seth Skyfire, Rod Steele, Shad Gaspard
Shad Gaspard
Shad Chad Javier Romane Chittick Gaspard is an American professional wrestler of Haitian and Curaçaon descent, currently signed with Inoki Genome Federation...
, Neighborhoodie
Jayson Paul
Jayson Anthony Paul is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name JTG...
, Los Locos (Ramón and Raúl) and The Untouchables. Losing to CM Punk on August 16, he defeated Vic D. Vine in several matches later that month. On September 9, he defeated Shawn Osborne and, during the next few weeks, he began appearing with Sosay
Sosay
Jennifer Elaine Kaiser is an American actress, model, professional wrestler and artist. She is best known for her tenure in Ohio Valley Wrestling under the ring name Sosay .-Early life:...
as his valet. The following month, he again defeated Vic D.Vine and The Bear, Raul of Los Locos dressed in a bear suit. He also defeated TJ Dalton by countout on November 1.
During the fall, Groothuis began feuding with Joey Mercury
Adam Birch
Adam Birch is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment , and training in WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling, as Joey Mercury...
. Losing to Mercury on November 5, he challenged Mercury to a drinking contest
Binge drinking
Binge drinking or heavy episodic drinking is the modern epithet for drinking alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. It is a kind of purposeful drinking style that is popular in several countries worldwide,...
which he won. He also beat him via disqualification in a mixed tag team match teaming with Katie Lea against Mercury and Beth Phoenix
Beth Phoenix
Elizabeth Kocianski is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE where she wrestles on the Raw brand under the ring name Beth Phoenix, where she is the reigning WWE Divas Champion....
. On November 29, Groothuis attempted an escape artist stunt involving heavy chains. During the stunt, Mercury came out attacking his publicist Sosay and then hit Groothuis with a chair.
Mercury again attacked Groothuis after he had defeated Aaron Stevens at a OVW television taping several days later. However, he and Steve Lewington
Steven Lewington
Steven Paul Lewington is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment where he competed as DJ Gabriel.- All Star Promotions and Ohio Valley Wrestling :...
defeated Idol Stevens and Joey Mercury on December 9 and, with CM Punk, beat them in a rematch at an OVW television taping. On December 20, also defeated Joey Mercury in a Grudge match.
On January 3, 2007, he defeated The Original Sinn in a dark match and Daniel Rodimer
Daniel Rodimer
Daniel Rodimer is an American former professional wrestler better known by the ring name Dan Rodman. He is best known for his work with World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its Raw brand .-Career:Before wrestling, Rodimer played football at the University of South Florida, where he was a...
three days later. On January 10, Groothuis appeared with Sosay to perform a "Feat of Strength" with help from Justin "The Ox" LaRoche and Charles "The Hammer" Evans. LaRoche and Evans turned on Groothuis however and continued attacking him until Idol Stevens intervened and ran them off.
On January 17, he and Atlas Debone (with Sosay) lost to Charles Evans & Justin LaRoche at a OVW television taping. Three days later, Groothuis was one of many wrestlers including Seth Skyfire, Thomas Farra, Tracy Taylor, Mike Taylor and Tony Salantri
Tony Salantri
Anthony "Tony" Salantri is an American Film and television actor and a former American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names Tony Santarelli or Tony Stradlin, who competed in North American independent promotions including Combat Zone Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance and...
who were released from developmental contracts as part of a general cost-saving measure.
Return to the independent circuit
Returning to the independent circuit, Groothuis lost to Tank Toland at a Hoosier Pro Wrestling event in Columbus, IndianaColumbus, Indiana
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 44,061 at the 2010 census, and the current mayor is Fred Armstrong. Located approximately 40 miles south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River, it is the state's 20th largest...
on March 3. A month later, he made a surprise appearance at an IZW show interfering in a match against "Hawaiian Lion" John Williams and Jon VonCross. As a result, Williams won via disqualification. Siding with VonCross in his ongoing feud with Williams, Groothuis was in his corner when he faced Williams for the IZW Heavyweight title on May 8. On May 22, Groothuis defeated Mike G. in Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
. He also made a brief return to OVW appearing at a OVW television taping on June 13 and, two days later, defeating Nickolas Sinn at the OVW Six Flags show. On July 2, Groothuis took on Williams himself but failed to unseat the champion.
On January 2, 2008, Groothuis was scheduled to perform a stunt during an interpromotional supercard between IZW and NWA Arizona, the latter promotion closing and merging with IZW. Held at the Broadway Recreation Center in Mesa, Arizona
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
, he was stopped by IZW Board of Director's representative Strangler Steve King and then attacked by "The Limited Edition" Tommy Drake. Feuding with Tommy Drake during the next weeks, he defeated Drake on January 29. He and Lil' Nate also defeated Drake & Sexy Sonny Samson in a tag team match on February 12.
On July 1, at an interpromotional event between IZW and NWA Pro, he pinned Dean Radford at The Sets in Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
. He also appeared in the corner of "Wolf" Hollywood Yates in his match against The Great Ryan Lynch, accompanied by Steve King, on July 17. On August 12, he and Steve King defeated Tyson Tyler and Tommy Drake.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Bulls' Eye (Elevated powerbomb)
- Crash and Burn (Snap DDT)
- Signature moves
- Front powerslam
Championships and accomplishments
- Impact Zone Wrestling
- IZW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- IZW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Kole
- 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 #384 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 2006