Johnny Punch
Encyclopedia
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
. He is best known however as a longtime mainstay of Ohio Valley Wrestling
, a former World Wrestling Entertainment
developmental territory, and one half of Gothic Mayhem with Pat Buck
.
, Demers began watching professional wrestling at 7 or 8 years old. A fan of André the Giant
and Hulk Hogan
after watching WrestleMania III
, he also became a fan of The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels
during the Attitude Era as well as Extreme Championship Wrestling
.
In the summer of 2004, Demers attended Monday Night Raw
being held in Manchester, New Hampshire
and afterwards when to a local bar were he met Ric Flair
. Sitting next to Flair, it was while listening to his road stories that he decided to become a professional wrestler. Considering several wrestling schools in the New England-area, he eventually decided on Ohio Valley Wrestling
and moved to Louisville, Kentucky
two months later. He received the majority of his training from Mike Mondo and Rip Rogers
although Al Snow
and Robert Gibson were also involved. Demers, who was a fan of Gibson and Ricky Morton
, often suggested a match between The Rock 'n' Roll Express and Gothic Mayhem but nothing came of these plans.
in a dark match at an OVW television taping. At OVW's Six Flags Show on August 11, he participated in an 18-man battle royal
including Jack Bull, Shad Gaspard
, Elijah Burke
, Lennox Lightfoot, Ranger Milton, Rod Steele, Eddie Craven III, Mike Kruel
, Jon Bolen
, The Neighborhoodie
, Shawn Osborne, Seth Skyfire
, Pat Buck, Los Locos and The Untouchables. Weeks later, he was introduced as the tag team partner of Pat Buck
, and together they formed Gothic Mayhem. Portraying heavy metal
-punk rock
ers, their entourage included valets Melody
and Roni Jonah
who followed the team as groupies. Initially successful, the team debuted against Los Locos defeating them at an August 16 television taping at the Davis Arena. They soon hit a slump with losses against Bad Company (Eddie Craven and Mike Kruel
) and High Dosage (Jon Bolen
and Ryan Reeves
). On September 27, he teamed with Rob Roy McCoy and Devin Driscoll
in a 3-on-1 handicap match against Oleg Prudius
. He also had single matches against Ryan Reeves and The Neighborhoodie.
On October 28, he and Buck took on OVW Southern Tag Team Champions
Cody Runnels and Shawn Spears
but failed to win the titles. During the next three months, Johnny Punch wrestled in single matches losing to Chris Rombola
, Boris Alexiev and Steve Lewington
. He also teamed with Chad Wicks
against Damian Adams and Rob Roy McCoy on December 14, 2006.
Although sometimes accompanied by Buck, Melody and Roni Jonah, it was not until early the next year when he and Buck would wrestle as a tag team. On January 10, 2007, he and Buck lost to Terminal Velocity (Chet the Jet and Steve Lewington) in a four-way match with Los Locos and The Untouchables. Later that month, they became involved in a feud with Chris Rombola, a regular opponent of Johnny Punch during the previous year. Defeating Rombola and Jake Hager
on January 31, they also attacked him during a mock "Battle of the Bands" segment on OVW television the following month when Pat Buck smashed an electric guitar
over Rombola's head.
Although dominating their feud with Rombola, they continued losing matches against Kofi Nahaje Kingston
and Harry Smith
and Chet the Jet and Steve Lewington. On March 7, they also lost to Charles "The Hammer" Evans
and Justin "The Ox" LaRouche
in a four-way match with Chet the Jett and Steve Lewington and The Belgian Brawler and Nicholas Sinn
to decide the number one contenders for the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship.
On April 25, Gothic Mayhem teamed with Tony Braddock to beat TJ Dalton and Jamin Olivencia and Mike Hutter in a 6-man tag team match. Facing Loc Locos and Terminal Velocity, they also feuded with The Major Brothers
during the summer. At the June 1 OVW Six Flags Show, Punch teamed with Ramon Loco against The Daltons
(Jesse
and Justice Dalton
). He also wrestled single matches against Steve Lewington, Chet The Jett, Colt Cabana, Atlas DaBone, Idol Stevens
and Jamin Olivencia in dark matches on OVW television. On August 10, he lost to Christian York
at OVW's Six Flags Show and, in house shows, he also lost to Ace Steele in Hillview, Kentucky
and Chris Cage
in Cincinnati, Ohio
.
On October 10, Gothic Mayhem lost to Los Locos in a qualifying match to enter the championship tournament for the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship. He also feuded with Ted "The Trailer" McNailer and, with Melody, faced him in a mixed tag team match with Serena Deeb on October 20. He and Buck would make their last tag team appearance losing to The Major Brothers on November 7.
In January 2008, he lost to Kassidy James
, Jay Bradley
, Matt Classic, Justin LaRouche, Charles Evans and Lupe Viscara. By the time had had scored his first major singles victory against Drew McIntyre on February 28, ending his 123rd match losing streak, he had become an established babyface
. His match took place at the final WWE-affiliated OVW television show. On April 19, he and Damien Adams lost to The Insurgency (Ali and Omar Akbar).
During the summer of 2008, he returned to New England as part of Eastern Pro Wrestling's United We Slam tour. On July 12, He pinned Ray Kejimura in a special challenge match on NECW's Red, White & Bruised supercard held at the National Guard Armory in Quincy, Massachusetts
. This match would later air on NECW TV
in early August. A week later, he and Owen Graichen wrestled EPW Tag Team Champions "Egomaniac" Jonny Idol and "Nightmare" Nick Steel at the American Legion Hall in White River Junction, Vermont
. The event was a fundraiser for the American Legion
. He also teamed with Alex Arion
in several tag team matches including against Doink the Clown
and The Turtle at the Bank Street Armory in Fall River, Massachusetts
on August 1.
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:...
Johnny Punch, is an American
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...
, who competed in North American independent promotions including Derby City Wrestling, New England Championship Wrestling
New England Championship Wrestling
New England Championship Wrestling was an independent professional wrestling promotion based in the Northeastern United States and has promoted events since 2000...
and Top Rope Promotions
Top Rope Promotions
Top Rope Promotions, formerly known as Yankee Pro Wrestling, is a Northeastern independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Bedford, Massachusetts and is the largest promotion in the southern New England-area rivaling other Northeastern promotions including Chaotic Wrestling, the...
. He is best known however as a longtime mainstay of 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...
, a former 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...
developmental territory, and one half of Gothic Mayhem with 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...
.
Early life and career
Growing up in Lebanon, New HampshireLebanon, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,568 people, 5,500 households, and 3,178 families residing in the city. The population density was 311.4 people per square mile . There were 5,707 housing units at an average density of 141.4 per square mile...
, Demers began watching professional wrestling at 7 or 8 years old. A fan of André the Giant
André the Giant
André René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride...
and Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
after watching WrestleMania III
WrestleMania III
WrestleMania III was the third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . The event was held on March 29, 1987 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan....
, he also became a fan of The Undertaker and 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...
during the Attitude Era as well as Extreme Championship Wrestling
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...
.
In the summer of 2004, Demers attended Monday Night Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
being held in Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
and afterwards when to a local bar were he met Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
. Sitting next to Flair, it was while listening to his road stories that he decided to become a professional wrestler. Considering several wrestling schools in the New England-area, he eventually decided on 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...
and moved to Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
two months later. He received the majority of his training from Mike Mondo and Rip Rogers
Rip Rogers
Mark Sciarra whose professional name is Rip Rogers is a former professional wrestler and trainer for Ohio Valley Wrestling. He is currently a trainer for Derby City Wrestling in Louisville, Kentucky.-Career:...
although 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...
and Robert Gibson were also involved. Demers, who was a fan of Gibson and Ricky Morton
Ricky Morton
Richard Wendell "Ricky" Morton is an American professional wrestler who has worked for such wrestling organizations as Jim Crockett Promotions, the American Wrestling Association, Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and Total Nonstop Action...
, often suggested a match between The Rock 'n' Roll Express and Gothic Mayhem but nothing came of these plans.
Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006)
On August 2, 2006, Demers made his wrestling debut against Jack BullGregg Groothuis
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...
in a dark match at an OVW television taping. At OVW's Six Flags Show on August 11, he participated in an 18-man battle royal
Battle royal (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
including Jack Bull, 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...
, 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...
, Lennox Lightfoot, Ranger Milton, Rod Steele, 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...
, 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...
, The Neighborhoodie
Jayson Paul
Jayson Anthony Paul is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name JTG...
, Shawn Osborne, 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:...
, Pat Buck, Los Locos and The Untouchables. Weeks later, he was introduced as the tag team partner of 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...
, and together they formed Gothic Mayhem. Portraying heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
-punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
ers, their entourage included valets Melody
Melody (wrestler)
Melody Dawn Medeiros is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is best known for her time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, where she is a one time Women's Champion.-Independent circuit :...
and 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 :...
who followed the team as groupies. Initially successful, the team debuted against Los Locos defeating them at an August 16 television taping at the Davis Arena. They soon hit a slump with losses against Bad Company (Eddie Craven and 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...
) and High Dosage (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 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...
). On September 27, he teamed with Rob Roy McCoy and Devin Driscoll
Devin Driscoll
Devin Drisoll is an American former professional wrestler, known by his ringname Devon Driscoll. He is best known for his stint in Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he is a one time Television Champion.-Professional wrestling career:...
in a 3-on-1 handicap match against Oleg Prudius
Oleg Prudius
Oleg Aleksandrovich Prudius is a Ukrainian American professional wrestler, also known by his ring name Vladimir Kozlov . Since competing for WWE, he won the WWE Tag Team Championships with Santino Marella on one occasion...
. He also had single matches against Ryan Reeves and The Neighborhoodie.
On October 28, he and Buck took on OVW Southern Tag Team Champions
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
The OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. As of 2011, the current champions are Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver, known as The Elite in their fourth reign...
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...
but failed to win the titles. During the next three months, Johnny Punch wrestled in single matches losing to Chris Rombola
Christopher Rombola
Christopher "Chris" Rombola is an American professional wrestler who, in January 2006, was the first to be selected in the nationwide tryouts held by the World Wrestling Entertainment...
, Boris Alexiev 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 :...
. He also teamed with Chad Wicks
Chad Wicks
Charles "Chad" Wicks is an American professional wrestler best known for his time with the World Wrestling Entertainment...
against Damian Adams and Rob Roy McCoy on December 14, 2006.
Although sometimes accompanied by Buck, Melody and Roni Jonah, it was not until early the next year when he and Buck would wrestle as a tag team. On January 10, 2007, he and Buck lost to Terminal Velocity (Chet the Jet and Steve Lewington) in a four-way match with Los Locos and The Untouchables. Later that month, they became involved in a feud with Chris Rombola, a regular opponent of Johnny Punch during the previous year. Defeating Rombola and Jake Hager
Jake Hager
Jacob "Jake" Hager, Jr. is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he works under the ring name Jack Swagger on the Raw brand....
on January 31, they also attacked him during a mock "Battle of the Bands" segment on OVW television the following month when Pat Buck smashed an electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
over Rombola's head.
Although dominating their feud with Rombola, they continued losing matches against Kofi Nahaje Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
and Harry Smith
Harry Smith (wrestler)
Harry Smith is a Canadian professional wrestler of English descent. He is currently working for Inoki Genome Federation and is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he won the Unified Tag Team Championship along with Tyson Kidd before being released from his contract on August 5, 2011...
and Chet the Jet and Steve Lewington. On March 7, they also lost to Charles "The Hammer" Evans
Charles Evans
Sir Robert Charles Evans M.D., DSc, , was a British mountaineer, surgeon, and educator.Born in Liverpool, he was raised in Wales and became a fluent Welsh language speaker. Educated at Shrewsbury School and Oxford University, where he studied medicine, he qualified as a doctor in 1942 and joined...
and Justin "The Ox" LaRouche
Justin LaRouche
Justin Bruce Rocheleau is an American professional wrestler, who worked on World Wrestling Entertainment's ECW brand under the name Bam Neely...
in a four-way match with Chet the Jett and Steve Lewington and The Belgian Brawler and Nicholas Sinn
Nick Cvjetkovich
Nicholas "Nick" Cvjetkovich is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he worked on its SmackDown brand as Kizarny.-Training and beginning:...
to decide the number one contenders for the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship.
On April 25, Gothic Mayhem teamed with Tony Braddock to beat TJ Dalton and Jamin Olivencia and Mike Hutter in a 6-man tag team match. Facing Loc Locos and Terminal Velocity, they also feuded with The Major Brothers
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder were a American professional wrestling tag team who appeared on the independent circuit and WWE under a variety of evolving names....
during the summer. At the June 1 OVW Six Flags Show, Punch teamed with Ramon Loco against The Daltons
Jesse and Festus
Jesse and Festus, also once known as The Dalton Boys, were an American professional wrestling tag team made up of Ray Gordy and Drew Hankinson . As of April 22, 2010, Ray Gordy was released by World Wrestling Entertainment...
(Jesse
Ray Gordy
Terry Ray Gordy, Jr. is an American professional wrestler best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment appearing on its SmackDown brand under the ring names Jesse and Slam Master J...
and Justice Dalton
Drew Hankinson
Andrew "Drew" Hankinson is an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment , where he appeared under the ring names Festus and Luke Gallows...
). He also wrestled single matches against Steve Lewington, Chet The Jett, Colt Cabana, Atlas DaBone, Idol 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...
and Jamin Olivencia in dark matches on OVW television. On August 10, he lost to Christian York
Christian York
Jason Spence is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Christian York.-York and Matthews:...
at OVW's Six Flags Show and, in house shows, he also lost to Ace Steele in Hillview, Kentucky
Hillview, Kentucky
In the city the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 5.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males...
and Chris Cage
Chris Pavone
Kris Pavone is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment , where he wrestled under the ring name Caylen Croft. He was one half of the Dude Busters tag team with Trent Barreta. He currently wrestles on the independent circuit.Pavone debuted in...
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
.
On October 10, Gothic Mayhem lost to Los Locos in a qualifying match to enter the championship tournament for the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship. He also feuded with Ted "The Trailer" McNailer and, with Melody, faced him in a mixed tag team match with Serena Deeb on October 20. He and Buck would make their last tag team appearance losing to The Major Brothers on November 7.
Recent years
Demers continued to lose matches throughout late-2007. He began to gain a small following by this time in matches against Matt Sydal, Dre Blitz, Totally Awesome, Antoni Polaski, Ace Steel, Big Sal and, in an intergender match, against his former valet Melody. On December 19, 2007, he lost to OVW announcer Timmy Baltimore in his 100th consecutive loss.Cassidy O'Reilly
Cassidy Riley is an American professional wrestler, also known as Cassidy Reilly and Cassidy O'Riley best known for work with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment....
, Jay Bradley
Brad Bradley
Brad Bradley is an American professional wrestler, best known for working for World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Ryan Braddock.-Early career:...
, Matt Classic, Justin LaRouche, Charles Evans and Lupe Viscara. By the time had had scored his first major singles victory against Drew McIntyre on February 28, ending his 123rd match losing streak, he had become an established babyface
Face (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...
. His match took place at the final WWE-affiliated OVW television show. On April 19, he and Damien Adams lost to The Insurgency (Ali and Omar Akbar).
During the summer of 2008, he returned to New England as part of Eastern Pro Wrestling's United We Slam tour. On July 12, He pinned Ray Kejimura in a special challenge match on NECW's Red, White & Bruised supercard held at the National Guard Armory in Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
. This match would later air on NECW TV
New England Championship Wrestling
New England Championship Wrestling was an independent professional wrestling promotion based in the Northeastern United States and has promoted events since 2000...
in early August. A week later, he and Owen Graichen wrestled EPW Tag Team Champions "Egomaniac" Jonny Idol and "Nightmare" Nick Steel at the American Legion Hall in White River Junction, Vermont
White River Junction, Vermont
White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States...
. The event was a fundraiser for the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
. He also teamed with Alex Arion
Alex Arion
Alex Pliakos is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "The Golden Greek" Alex Arion. He competes in Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic independent promotions including Chaotic Wrestling, the East Coast Wrestling Alliance, Eastern Pro Wrestling, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, New...
in several tag team matches including against Doink the Clown
Doink the Clown
Doink the Clown is a professional wrestling gimmick, originally used by Matt Osborne in the World Wrestling Federation from 1993 to 1995. Since Osborne's departure from the WWF, the character has been played by several wrestlers, primarily on the independent circuit, as well as in sporadic special...
and The Turtle at the Bank Street Armory in Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
on August 1.
Return to OVW (September 2008-May 2009)
Demers made his return to OVW on September 2008 in a promo, encouraging fans to support him to get more attention in the wrestling company. They did, and thus he made his re-debut match in early October that met with success. His success would continue into the ongoing weeks. He then formed a tag team with fellow OVW wrestler Rudy Switchblade. On January 17, 2009, he won the OVW Television Championship. He lost the championship on February 4, 2009 to Mike Mondo. The tag team of Switchblade and Demers became known as "Knuckles & Knives". During May 2009 they both left OVW.PT Wrestling (May 2009-Present)
Demers and Switchblade made their debut as a tag team on May 2009 as a part of the PT Wrestling roster. It was at this time that they captured the PT Wrestling Tag Team Championships.In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Rock and Roll Slam (Tilt-a-whirl slam)
- Signature moves
- Discus back elbow
- Diving double knee drop
- European uppercut
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Roni JonahRoni JonahRoni Jonah is a Canadian professional wrestler and actress. She has worked for both Ohio Valley Wrestling and Women's Extreme Wrestling.-Ohio Valley Wrestling :...
- Pat BuckPat BuckPatrick 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...
- MelodyMelody (wrestler)Melody Dawn Medeiros is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is best known for her time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, where she is a one time Women's Champion.-Independent circuit :...
Championships and accomplishments
- Ohio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley WrestlingOhio 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...
- OVW Television ChampionshipOVW Television ChampionshipThe 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...
(1 time)
- PT Wrestling
- PT Wrestling Tag Team Championships (1 time, current) - with Rudy Switchblade