Justin LaRouche
Encyclopedia
Justin Bruce Rocheleau (born June 18, 1975) is an American professional wrestler
, who worked on World Wrestling Entertainment
's (WWE) ECW brand
under the name Bam Neely (a take off of retired
professional ice hockey
player Cam Neely
's nickname). He debuted by attacking then-ECW Champion Kane.
known as the "Hellraisers". He wrestled under the name "Hellraiser Gutz" and was trained and mentored by his uncle Richard Martin, who wrestled as "Hellraiser Blood". They traveled across the United States, winning several tag team championships from the numerous independent promotions around the country and were the main event draw in almost every city that they appeared in for nearly a decade. However, Rocheleau struck out as singles wrestler due to Martin suffering a career-ending illness. He began wrestling as "Magnus Maximus" in Ed Hellier's Steel Domain Wrestling in 2002.
, Colt Cabana, Shawn Daivari
, CM Punk
, and Lenny Lane
before signing with WWE's former developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling
under the name Justin "The Ox" LaRouche, where he won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
s with Charles "The Hammer" Evans. They would lose the titles to the Major Brothers, who ironically became members of La Familia
(as the Rated-R Entourage of Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
), the stable which he would join upon making his WWE debut.
television debut on the ECW brand
on April 8, 2008 when after Kane and Chavo Guerrero
signed the contract for their ECW Championship rematch at Backlash
, LaRouche stormed the ring, aiding Guerrero (as well as Hawkins and Ryder) in beating down Kane and putting him through a table.
Rocheleau's character was then revealed to be "Bam Neely", a former border guard
who was hired as a bodyguard by Guerrero to help him win back the ECW Championship as well as provide backup for La Familia
.
He won his ECW in-ring debut by defeating then ECW Champion Kane in a handicap match teaming with Guerrero. He had his first singles match on the June 20 edition of SmackDown in a losing effort against Matt Hardy
.
On the August 8 edition of SmackDown, Neely along with the rest of La Familia were all betrayed by Edge, and on the August 12 edition of ECW, Neely lost to Evan Bourne, with whom Guerrero and Neely had begun a minor feud
.
On the October 24 edition of SmackDown during a non-title tag team match against the reigning WWE Tag Team Champions Primo Colon
and Carlito
, Guerrero and Neely had some miscommunication which resulted in Guerrero slapping Neely and Neely throwing (and missing) a punch at Guerrero which distracted Neely long enough for Carlito to hit the Backstabber for the victory. This, in addition to earlier storyline issues fostered by inability to beat R-Truth
, caused the team to disband.
The following week, on the October 28 episode of ECW, the duo would team one last time, as they and Mark Henry
defeated then ECW Champion Matt Hardy
, Evan Bourne, and Finlay
. Afterwards Neely only appeared on television once, losing to Hardy on the November 4 episode of ECW, before he was officially released from WWE on January 9, 2009.
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 worked on 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 (WWE) ECW brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
under the name Bam Neely (a take off of retired
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player Cam Neely
Cam Neely
Cameron Michael Neely is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played right wing for the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League from 1983 to 1996. He currently serves as the president of the Boston Bruins.-Playing career:Cam Neely was born in Comox,...
's nickname). He debuted by attacking then-ECW Champion Kane.
Independents
Rocheleau started his career wrestling in the tag teamTag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
known as the "Hellraisers". He wrestled under the name "Hellraiser Gutz" and was trained and mentored by his uncle Richard Martin, who wrestled as "Hellraiser Blood". They traveled across the United States, winning several tag team championships from the numerous independent promotions around the country and were the main event draw in almost every city that they appeared in for nearly a decade. However, Rocheleau struck out as singles wrestler due to Martin suffering a career-ending illness. He began wrestling as "Magnus Maximus" in Ed Hellier's Steel Domain Wrestling in 2002.
Developmental territories
He entered the business alongside such names as Ken Anderson, Austin AriesAustin Aries
Daniel Healy "Dan" Solwold, Jr. better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is the current X Division Champion...
, Colt Cabana, Shawn Daivari
Shawn Daivari
Dara Daivari is an Iranian American professional wrestler, currently performing on the American independent circuit as Shawn Daivari. He is best known for his work with World Wrestling Entertainment as simply Daivari and with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Sheik Abdul Bashir.-Career:Daivari...
, CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
, and Lenny Lane
Lenny Lane
Leonard "Lenny" Carlson is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Lenny Lane. During his time tenure in WCW, he was a one time Cruiserweight Champion....
before signing with WWE's former developmental territory 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...
under the name Justin "The Ox" LaRouche, where he won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
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...
s with Charles "The Hammer" Evans. They would lose the titles to the Major Brothers, who ironically became members of La Familia
La Familia (professional wrestling)
La Familia was a villainous alliance in the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment that existed from the end of 2007 until the middle of 2009. The group consisted Edge, Vickie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryder and Bam Neely...
(as the Rated-R Entourage of Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
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....
), the stable which he would join upon making his WWE debut.
ECW
Rocheleau made his WWEWorld 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...
television debut on the ECW brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
on April 8, 2008 when after Kane and Chavo Guerrero
Chavo Guerrero, Jr.
Salvador "Chavo" Guerrero IV also known as Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero, Jr., is a third generation Mexican-American professional wrestler and member of the famed Guerrero wrestling family who was well known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling...
signed the contract for their ECW Championship rematch at Backlash
Backlash (2008)
Backlash was the tenth annual Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 27, 2008 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland...
, LaRouche stormed the ring, aiding Guerrero (as well as Hawkins and Ryder) in beating down Kane and putting him through a table.
Rocheleau's character was then revealed to be "Bam Neely", a former border guard
Border guard
The border guard, frontier guard, border patrol, border police, or frontier police of a country is a national security agency that performs border control, i.e., enforces the security of the country's national borders....
who was hired as a bodyguard by Guerrero to help him win back the ECW Championship as well as provide backup for La Familia
La Familia (professional wrestling)
La Familia was a villainous alliance in the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment that existed from the end of 2007 until the middle of 2009. The group consisted Edge, Vickie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryder and Bam Neely...
.
He won his ECW in-ring debut by defeating then ECW Champion Kane in a handicap match teaming with Guerrero. He had his first singles match on the June 20 edition of SmackDown in a losing effort against Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
.
On the August 8 edition of SmackDown, Neely along with the rest of La Familia were all betrayed by Edge, and on the August 12 edition of ECW, Neely lost to Evan Bourne, with whom Guerrero and Neely had begun a minor feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
.
On the October 24 edition of SmackDown during a non-title tag team match against the reigning WWE Tag Team Champions Primo Colon
Eddie Colon
Edwin "Eddie" Carlos Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its Raw brand as Primo. He is the son of Carlos Colón, Sr. and the younger brother of wrestlers Stacy and Carly Colón, better known as Carlito in WWE...
and Carlito
Carly Colon
Carlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Entertainment , but was released from his contract on May 21, 2010. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both...
, Guerrero and Neely had some miscommunication which resulted in Guerrero slapping Neely and Neely throwing (and missing) a punch at Guerrero which distracted Neely long enough for Carlito to hit the Backstabber for the victory. This, in addition to earlier storyline issues fostered by inability to beat R-Truth
Ron Killings
Ronald Aaron "Ron" Killings is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand. Since working for the company, he has been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik...
, caused the team to disband.
The following week, on the October 28 episode of ECW, the duo would team one last time, as they and Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
defeated then ECW Champion Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, Evan Bourne, and Finlay
Dave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...
. Afterwards Neely only appeared on television once, losing to Hardy on the November 4 episode of ECW, before he was officially released from WWE on January 9, 2009.
Championships and accomplishments
- Steel Domain Wrestling
- SDW World Heavyweight Championship (3 times, current)
- SDW Television Championship (1 time)
- 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 Southern Tag Team ChampionshipOVW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipThe 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...
(1 time) - with Charles Evans
- OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
- 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 #296 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2008