Mandrake (wrestler)
Encyclopedia
Garth Kidd is a professional wrestler
from Newry
, County Down
, Northern Ireland
, more prominently known by his ring name
Mandrake. Mandrake wrestles mostly for Irish Whip Wrestling
where he is a former IWW International Heavyweight Champion and IWW Zero-Gravity Champion. Mandrake has also worked in several promotions in the UK including 1pw. He is also an accomplished martial artist who holds a 2nd degree black belt in taekwondo
and is a qualified instructor in it. In 2002 he won the won 1st place in the world taekwon championship in Miami, Florida. He is also the longest reigning Irish Whip Wrestling Champion in history and has defeated 9 former WWE superstars throughout his wrestling career.
in the FWA
Academy, where he attended a 3 week training camp. From there he progressed to Irish Whip Wrestling where he trained under Bingo Ballance
, The Ballymun Bruiser and Bam Katraz. After several months of training Mandrake debuted at IWW Gym wars 12 in a losing effort against Bam Katraz. At the next Gym Wars he wrestled one of the biggest stars in the company at the time in Mad Man Manson. Mad Man Manson got the victory. From there found himself entered in the 2006 King Of The Gym Tournament. He smashed through Space Cadet in the quarter finals, Ryan Regan in the semi-finals before ultimately losing to Wayne Daly in the finals in October 2006. A few months later, Mandrake would again wrestle and lose to Wayne Daly in Neilstown in November of that year. Mandrake shook Daly's hand afterwards. Mandrake closed out with a loss to Vic Viper in Lucan in December.
Mandrake finally avenged his previous losses to Wayne Daly with a pinfall victory over the Mullingar
native. At the next major event Global Impact Mandrake faced the first great challenge of his career. On that night he stepped into the ring with former GHC Heavyweight Champion Takeshi Rikio
and former WWE superstar Kid Kash in triple threat match. The match was won by Kid Kash after he hit his Money Maker piledriver in Mandrake. In September 2007 Mandake received his first title opportunity against IWW International Heavyweight Champion Vic Viper. Mandrake won the match by DQ. Mandrake received several more title opportunity throughout the rest of the year most notably in Mandrake's hometown of Newry
. That match took place during IWW 5th anniversary tour in October 2007.
On June 14, Mandrake defeated former WWE and TNA
wrestler Sheik Abdul Bashir in the main event of IWW's biggest ever event which was held at ESB National Basketball Arena
in Tallaght
, Dublin. From there, Mandrake engaged in a series of matches against Former WWE Superstar Doug Basham
through June and July. Basham took Mandrake to the limit in these matches and on few occasions it looked like Basham would walk away champion. But Mandrake persevered and came out the winner on each occasion. Also during them months Mandrake pinned ECW
Icon Balls Mahoney
.
On August 15 Mandrake won the 1st Danno Mahony Memorial Tournament. He defeated The Ballymun Bruiser in the semi-finals and La Warren in the finals to raise the trophy. Mandrake continued his winning ways for the rest of 2008 defending the title against all comers including former champion Vic Viper,La Warren,Conor Hurley and Pro Wrestling NOAH star Bobby Fish.
Then in March, he resumed his feud with Doug Basham mostly in 2 out 3 fall matches with Mandrake coming out victorious. During April Mandrake faced a new challenge in the form of rising UK star Joel Redman. They engaged in a series of Ireland Vs England matches for the title with Mandrake coming out the better man every time.
Around mid-May 2009 Mandrake achieved a milestone in his by becoming the longest reigning International Heavyweight Champion in the history of Irish Whip Wrestling. However Mandrake had little time to celebrate this as the next challenger to his crown came in the form of the monstrous Kevin Thorn. Despite the size difference, Mandrake held his own and pinned the former New Breed member in matches all around the country. Throughout July, rising star The Supermodel took the fight to Mandrake in championship matches. Even though he used every dirty trick in the book, The Supermodel failed to dethroning Mandrake.
In October 2009, Mandrake wrestled on IWW's 4 day tour of Dublin. On the tour he successfully defended his IWW Championship against Angus J. Rotanda and The Supermodel.
In December 2009 in Blancherstown, Mandrake retained the IWW Championship against the formidable challenge of the UK's T-Bone
for sporting achievements. In 2002, Mandrake starred in Martial Arts Short Film Match. In 2004, Mandrake auditioned for and received a part on the Sky One reality TV show Fight School. The show however was cancelled due to the SARS outbreak.
Fighting (Armagh City, Northern Ireland)
1996 1st Place Northern Ireland Taekwon Do Championships Free
Fighting (Armagh City, Northern Ireland)
1996 1st Place Northern Ireland Taekwon Do Championships Traditional
Forms (Armagh City, Northern Ireland)
1996 3rd Place British Taekwondo Council Championships Free
Fighting (Kettering England)
1996 3rd Place British Taekwondo Council Championships Traditional
Forms (Kettering, England)
1997 2nd Place Northern Ireland Taekwon Do Championships Free Fighting
(Armagh City, Northern Ireland)
1997 1st Place Northern Ireland Taekwon Do Championships Free
Fighting (Armagh City, Northern Ireland)
1997 2nd Place Best Of The Best Open Martial Arts Competition Free
Fighting (Dublin, Republic Of Ireland)
1997 1st Place Best Of The Best Open Martial Arts Competition Traditional Forms (Dublin, Republic Of Ireland)
1997 3rd British Taekwondo Championships Free Fighting (Birmingham,
England)
1998 1st Place Northern Ireland Taekwon Do Championships Free
Fighting (Newry City, Northern Ireland)
1998 1st Place Northern Ireland Taekwon Do Championships Traditional
Forms (Newry City, Northern Ireland)
1998 1st Place Scottish Taekwondo Championships Free Fighting (Glasgow, Scotland)
1998 2nd Place Scottish Taekwondo Championships Traditional Forms (Glasgow
Scotland)
1998 1st Place Best Of The Best Open Martial Arts Competition Traditional
Forms (Dublin, Republic Of Ireland)
1998 1st Place Best Of The Best Open Martial Arts Competition Free
Fighting (Dublin, Republic Of Ireland)
1999 Represented Northern Ireland At The World Open Taekwon Do
Championships (Birmingham England)
1999 Represented Northern Ireland At The International Five Nations Teams
Competition (Cork, Republic Of Ireland)
1999 2nd European Open Taekwondo Championships (Düsseldorf Germany)
2000 1st Welsh Taekwon Do Championships Free Fighting (Wales)
2000 1st British Taekwon Do Championships Free Fighting (Kettering England)
2001 2nd Place World Open Taekwon Do Championships Forms (Holland)
2001 Quarter Finalist World Open Taekwon Do Championships Free
Fighting (Holland)
2001 Represented Northern Ireland In Team Event At World Open Taekwondo
Championships (Holland)
2002 1st Place European Taekwon Do Championships (Düsseldorf Germany)
2002 1st Place World Taekwon Do Championships Free Fighting (Miami
Florida USA)
2002 2nd Place World Taekwon Do Championships Forms (Miami Florida USA)
2003 Coached And Competited In Inter Club Martial Arts League In Northern Ireland Team Finished 2nd
Mandrake has also cross-trained in Judo, Kung Fu, and Kickboxing.
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...
from Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, more prominently known by his ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Mandrake. Mandrake wrestles mostly for Irish Whip Wrestling
Irish Whip Wrestling
Irish Whip Wrestling is an Irish owned independent professional wrestling promotion established in 2002. The company was named in tribute to Irish professional wrestler Danno O'Mahony, who is credited as the inventor of the "Irish Whip" wrestling maneuver. IWW runs shows throughout the whole of...
where he is a former IWW International Heavyweight Champion and IWW Zero-Gravity Champion. Mandrake has also worked in several promotions in the UK including 1pw. He is also an accomplished martial artist who holds a 2nd degree black belt in taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
and is a qualified instructor in it. In 2002 he won the won 1st place in the world taekwon championship in Miami, Florida. He is also the longest reigning Irish Whip Wrestling Champion in history and has defeated 9 former WWE superstars throughout his wrestling career.
2006
Mandrake initially began his wrestling training with Alex ShaneAlex Shane
Alexander Daniel Spilling is a British professional wrestler who is best known by his ring name "The Ascension" Alex Shane. Spilling also works as a promoter and wrestling teacher.-Early career:...
in the FWA
FWA
FWA may refer to:* Fair Work Australia* Favourite Website Awards* Fixed Wireless Access, see Wireless local loop* Fluorescent whitening agent, see under optical brightener* Free Wales Army* Football Writers' Association* Fort Wayne International Airport...
Academy, where he attended a 3 week training camp. From there he progressed to Irish Whip Wrestling where he trained under Bingo Ballance
Bingo Ballance
Gary Ballance BCL is a professional wrestler from Dublin, Ireland, who is better known by his ring name Bingo Ballance. Ballance lives and competes in Ireland, and is perhaps most well known for his four year stint with Irish Whip Wrestling...
, The Ballymun Bruiser and Bam Katraz. After several months of training Mandrake debuted at IWW Gym wars 12 in a losing effort against Bam Katraz. At the next Gym Wars he wrestled one of the biggest stars in the company at the time in Mad Man Manson. Mad Man Manson got the victory. From there found himself entered in the 2006 King Of The Gym Tournament. He smashed through Space Cadet in the quarter finals, Ryan Regan in the semi-finals before ultimately losing to Wayne Daly in the finals in October 2006. A few months later, Mandrake would again wrestle and lose to Wayne Daly in Neilstown in November of that year. Mandrake shook Daly's hand afterwards. Mandrake closed out with a loss to Vic Viper in Lucan in December.
2007
At the IWW 2007 Supershow in DonnycarneyDonnycarney
Donnycarney or Donnycarny is a Northside suburb in the city of Dublin, Ireland. It is bordered by Beaumont, Artane, Killester and Marino, and lies in the postal districts of Dublin 9 and 5....
Mandrake finally avenged his previous losses to Wayne Daly with a pinfall victory over the Mullingar
Mullingar
Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act of 1542, proclaimed Westmeath a county, separating it from Meath. Mullingar became the administrative centre for County Westmeath...
native. At the next major event Global Impact Mandrake faced the first great challenge of his career. On that night he stepped into the ring with former GHC Heavyweight Champion Takeshi Rikio
Takeshi Rikio
Takeshi Inoue, known by his stage name , born December 20, 1972, is a Japanese professional wrestler, who works for Pro Wrestling Noah. He is also a former sumo wrestler.- Sumo career :...
and former WWE superstar Kid Kash in triple threat match. The match was won by Kid Kash after he hit his Money Maker piledriver in Mandrake. In September 2007 Mandake received his first title opportunity against IWW International Heavyweight Champion Vic Viper. Mandrake won the match by DQ. Mandrake received several more title opportunity throughout the rest of the year most notably in Mandrake's hometown of Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
. That match took place during IWW 5th anniversary tour in October 2007.
2008
In 2008, Mandrake continued chasing the IWW International Heavyweight Championship. On March 14, 2008 Mandrake finally won the championship by winning a triple threat match against IWW International Heavyweight Championship Vic Viper and former WWE superstar Eugene. Following the match former WWE Tag Team Champion Rene Dupree hit the ring and demanded the first title shot from Mandrake. Later that night Mandrake successfully defeated Rene Dupree. Over the next few months Mandrake defended the against some of the top guys on the Irish wrestling scene such as La Warren, Bingo Ballance.On June 14, Mandrake defeated former WWE and TNA
TNA
TNA may refer to:*Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka*The National Archives, in the United Kingdom*The New Amsterdams, a band*Threose nucleic acid, an analog of the nucleic acid DNA*Tonga Nurses' Association...
wrestler Sheik Abdul Bashir in the main event of IWW's biggest ever event which was held at ESB National Basketball Arena
National Basketball Arena
National Basketball Arena, also known as Tallaght Arena or the ESB Arena, is an indoor sporting arena located in Tallaght, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is used mainly for basketball events...
in Tallaght
Tallaght
Tallaght is the largest town, and county town, of South Dublin County, Ireland. The village area, dating from at least the 17th century, held one of the earliest settlements known in the southern part of the island, and one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres.Up to the 1960s...
, Dublin. From there, Mandrake engaged in a series of matches against Former WWE Superstar Doug Basham
Doug Basham
This article is about the wrestler, for the talk show host see Doug Basham Lyle Douglas "Doug" Basham, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, He is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment between 2002 and 2007, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name...
through June and July. Basham took Mandrake to the limit in these matches and on few occasions it looked like Basham would walk away champion. But Mandrake persevered and came out the winner on each occasion. Also during them months Mandrake pinned ECW
ECW
ECW may refer to:Professional wrestling* Extreme Championship Wrestling, a professional wrestling promotion that operated from 1992 to 2001...
Icon Balls Mahoney
Balls Mahoney
Jonathan Rechner better known by his ring name Balls Mahoney , is an American professional wrestler...
.
On August 15 Mandrake won the 1st Danno Mahony Memorial Tournament. He defeated The Ballymun Bruiser in the semi-finals and La Warren in the finals to raise the trophy. Mandrake continued his winning ways for the rest of 2008 defending the title against all comers including former champion Vic Viper,La Warren,Conor Hurley and Pro Wrestling NOAH star Bobby Fish.
2009
After knocking back the challenge of Conor Hurley again in January 2009, Mandrake rekindled his feud with Doug Basham which they then put aside when the duo of La Warren and Conor Hurley interfered in their Last Man Standing Match in Lucan in February. Doug and Mandrake gained a measure of revenge later that night when they beat Warren and Hurley in a tag match. Also in February Mandrake defeated another former WWE superstar in the form of former WCW Hardcore Champion Big Vito.Then in March, he resumed his feud with Doug Basham mostly in 2 out 3 fall matches with Mandrake coming out victorious. During April Mandrake faced a new challenge in the form of rising UK star Joel Redman. They engaged in a series of Ireland Vs England matches for the title with Mandrake coming out the better man every time.
Around mid-May 2009 Mandrake achieved a milestone in his by becoming the longest reigning International Heavyweight Champion in the history of Irish Whip Wrestling. However Mandrake had little time to celebrate this as the next challenger to his crown came in the form of the monstrous Kevin Thorn. Despite the size difference, Mandrake held his own and pinned the former New Breed member in matches all around the country. Throughout July, rising star The Supermodel took the fight to Mandrake in championship matches. Even though he used every dirty trick in the book, The Supermodel failed to dethroning Mandrake.
In October 2009, Mandrake wrestled on IWW's 4 day tour of Dublin. On the tour he successfully defended his IWW Championship against Angus J. Rotanda and The Supermodel.
In December 2009 in Blancherstown, Mandrake retained the IWW Championship against the formidable challenge of the UK's T-Bone
2010
On February 5 Mandrake defeated Angus J. Rotanda to win the IWW Zero Gravity Championship in the "Black Heart Warrior's" hometown of Newry. On February 9 he won The Thomas Doyle Tournament in Limerick defeating UK Stars T-Bone and Angus J. Rotanda in the 3 way final. On March 6 and 7 he retained his championship against The Supermodel in a pair of 2 out of 3 falls matches.1pw
On June 20, 2008, Mandrake made his 1pw debut at their Underground X show. He lost to Gary Player on the show in a non-title match.Celtic Wrestling
On Friday March 28, 2008, Mandrake made his debut for Celtic Wrestling in Wales. On the show he successfully defended the IWW International Heavyweight Championship against Andy Boy Simmonz. Mandrake later returned to Wales in July 2009 to wrestle for former Celtic Wrestling's alumni Matt Vaughn's new promotion. Mandrake lost to Big Red Jenkins on the night.TV and Film
In 2001, Mandrake appeared on Television Station UTVUTV
UTV is a television channel based in the UK region of Northern Ireland. The channel is the Channel 3 or Independent Television licensee for Northern Ireland and is operated by UTV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media.- Terrestrial :* Analogue: Normally tuned to 3 * Freeview : 3...
for sporting achievements. In 2002, Mandrake starred in Martial Arts Short Film Match. In 2004, Mandrake auditioned for and received a part on the Sky One reality TV show Fight School. The show however was cancelled due to the SARS outbreak.
Martial Arts accomplishments
1995 2nd Place Northern Ireland Taekwon Do Championships FreeFighting (Armagh City, Northern Ireland)
1996 1st Place Northern Ireland Taekwon Do Championships Free
Fighting (Armagh City, Northern Ireland)
1996 1st Place Northern Ireland Taekwon Do Championships Traditional
Forms (Armagh City, Northern Ireland)
1996 3rd Place British Taekwondo Council Championships Free
Fighting (Kettering England)
1996 3rd Place British Taekwondo Council Championships Traditional
Forms (Kettering, England)
1997 2nd Place Northern Ireland Taekwon Do Championships Free Fighting
(Armagh City, Northern Ireland)
1997 1st Place Northern Ireland Taekwon Do Championships Free
Fighting (Armagh City, Northern Ireland)
1997 2nd Place Best Of The Best Open Martial Arts Competition Free
Fighting (Dublin, Republic Of Ireland)
1997 1st Place Best Of The Best Open Martial Arts Competition Traditional Forms (Dublin, Republic Of Ireland)
1997 3rd British Taekwondo Championships Free Fighting (Birmingham,
England)
1998 1st Place Northern Ireland Taekwon Do Championships Free
Fighting (Newry City, Northern Ireland)
1998 1st Place Northern Ireland Taekwon Do Championships Traditional
Forms (Newry City, Northern Ireland)
1998 1st Place Scottish Taekwondo Championships Free Fighting (Glasgow, Scotland)
1998 2nd Place Scottish Taekwondo Championships Traditional Forms (Glasgow
Scotland)
1998 1st Place Best Of The Best Open Martial Arts Competition Traditional
Forms (Dublin, Republic Of Ireland)
1998 1st Place Best Of The Best Open Martial Arts Competition Free
Fighting (Dublin, Republic Of Ireland)
1999 Represented Northern Ireland At The World Open Taekwon Do
Championships (Birmingham England)
1999 Represented Northern Ireland At The International Five Nations Teams
Competition (Cork, Republic Of Ireland)
1999 2nd European Open Taekwondo Championships (Düsseldorf Germany)
2000 1st Welsh Taekwon Do Championships Free Fighting (Wales)
2000 1st British Taekwon Do Championships Free Fighting (Kettering England)
2001 2nd Place World Open Taekwon Do Championships Forms (Holland)
2001 Quarter Finalist World Open Taekwon Do Championships Free
Fighting (Holland)
2001 Represented Northern Ireland In Team Event At World Open Taekwondo
Championships (Holland)
2002 1st Place European Taekwon Do Championships (Düsseldorf Germany)
2002 1st Place World Taekwon Do Championships Free Fighting (Miami
Florida USA)
2002 2nd Place World Taekwon Do Championships Forms (Miami Florida USA)
2003 Coached And Competited In Inter Club Martial Arts League In Northern Ireland Team Finished 2nd
Mandrake has also cross-trained in Judo, Kung Fu, and Kickboxing.
In wrestling
- Finishing Moves
- The Devil Driver
- Spear
- Signature Moves
- Standing moonsault
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- "The Black Heart Warrior"
- "The Sultan Of Suffering"
- "The Prince Of Pain"
- "The Mesiah Of Misery"
Championships and accomplishments
AIWF European Champion (current)- Irish Whip WrestlingIrish Whip WrestlingIrish Whip Wrestling is an Irish owned independent professional wrestling promotion established in 2002. The company was named in tribute to Irish professional wrestler Danno O'Mahony, who is credited as the inventor of the "Irish Whip" wrestling maneuver. IWW runs shows throughout the whole of...
- Irish Whip Wrestling International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Irish Whip Wrestling Zero Gravity Championship (2 time)
- 2008 Dan O'Mahony Memorial Tournament Winner
- 2006 King Of The Gym Finalist
- Thomas Doyle Tournament Winner