Nigel McGuinness
Encyclopedia
Steven Haworth is an English
professional wrestler
, better known by the ring name
s Desmond Wolfe and Nigel McGuinness. As McGuinness he first gained notoriety working for Ring of Honor
(ROH) in the United States
and Pro Wrestling Noah
in Japan
. He was the longest reigning ROH Pure Champion
, holding the title for 350 days, while also being a former ROH World Champion
, holding the championship for 545 days. In October 2009 Haworth signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
(TNA), where he worked as Desmond Wolfe until June 2011. The following August, Haworth, once again working as Nigel McGuinness, returned to ROH to work as a color commentator
.
, grew up in Staplehurst
, Kent
, where he attended Maidstone Grammar School
. Haworth was a wrestling fan from the age of twelve, particularly enjoying The Hart Foundation
and The British Bulldogs
, and attended SummerSlam 1992
while wearing Ultimate Warrior
face paint. After attending Les University, Haworth relocated to America in the 1990s in order to attend Kent State University
, and graduated in 1997 with a degree
in chemistry
.
In September 1998 Haworth began training under Les Thatcher in the Heartland Wrestling Association
(HWA) in Cincinnati, Ohio, incurring large debt
s in the process. After debuting in September 1999, working under the ring name
Nigel McGuinness and defeating GQ Masters III in a match that was featured on ABC's
20/20, he spent a year wrestling in the mid west
. Haworth returned to England where he worked two full time jobs to earn enough money to be able to return to the U.S. to wrestle, and wrestled for All Star promotions between September
and December 2001, where he learned from wrestlers such as Robbie Brookside
.
character which he described as "a punk rock
soccer hooligan
... Billy Idol
meets Johnny Saint
."
On July 10, 2001, McGuinness defeated Dean Jablonski in a singles match with the HWA Tag Team Championship on the line (the co-holder of the title, Chet Jablonski, was indisposed), claiming the title for himself and his partner, The Human Time Bomb. McGuinness and The Bomb held the title until August 7, when the Jablonski brothers regained the title. McGuinness and The Bomb would become champions for a second time on July 23, 2002, defeating the Jablonski brothers once more. They lost the title to Southern Breeze later that year.
In 2003 McGuinness introduced the HWA European Championship to HWA. He held the title until September 30, 2003, when he lost to Hoss. He regained the title on November 4 and promptly retired it.
McGuinness won the HWA Heavyweight Championship on September 6, 2003 in Batavia, Ohio
, defeating Chad Collyer
, He held the title until January 3, 2004, when he lost the title to Hoss. McGuinness defeated Hoss to begin a second heavyweight title reign on January 6, and held the title until March 17, 2004, when he lost to El Temor.
(ROH) on August 9, 2003, defeating Chet Jablonski. He wrestled for ROH throughout 2004, but had limited success. In March 2005, McGuinness and Colt Cabana teamed
together to challenge for the ROH Tag Team Championship
, but lost to the incumbents, Dan Maff
and B.J. Whitmer
. Cabana and McGuinness then began fighting one another, with McGuinness defeating Cabana on May 7, 2005, with an accidental low blow for a shot at the ROH Pure Championship
. He challenged the champion, Samoa Joe
, on June 12, 2005, but was defeated. He faced Joe once more on August 27, and defeated him to win the Pure Championship.
After becoming champion, McGuinness turned heel and for several months was engaged in a feud with Claudio Castagnoli
, instigated by a non-title match on October 14 where Claudio was able to use his knowledge of Nigel's European wrestling style to score a pinfall on the champion. This led to a series of matches for the title, with Nigel using underhanded tactics to avoid losing the belt. On March 25, 2006, Nigel defeated Claudio in a match billed as Claudio's last chance to win the belt as long as Nigel was champion.
During his Pure Championship run, McGuinness regularly carried an iron
(decorated with the Union Jack
) to ringside. When asked, the typical story given was that a group of men once broke into his home to attack him, but he was able to defend himself with the iron. In reality, he began carrying the iron after a girlfriend's mother asked him why some wrestlers carried weapons to ringside, and then inquired as to whether anyone had ever carried an iron before. He would often use the iron as a weapon to win his matches.
McGuinness also had a malapropistic
gimmick in ROH of mispronouncing words. An example would be at Survival of the Fittest 2005 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, when he said the fans appreciated him as much as "their beloved Boston Red Stockings
".
During the rest of 2006 McGuinness was mostly uninvolved in the war between ROH and Combat Zone Wrestling
, instead developing a new gimmick where he would win his matches by countout by using (often unfair) methods of preventing opponents from returning to the ring. McGuinness received a shot at the ROH World Championship
against Bryan Danielson
with his own Pure Championship on the line and contested under pure wrestling rules on April 29. McGuinness again won by countout, by which only the Pure Title could be won but not Danielson's World Title. The victory was enough to earn a rematch under regular rules on July 29, in which Danielson narrowly managed to retain his title. A month later in Liverpool
, England
ROH arranged a unification match
between the two titles and guaranteed there would be a winner, with both titles able to change hands due to count-out or disqualification under pure wrestling rules. McGuinness lost the match on August 12 and the Pure Championship was unified and retired. McGuinness reign of 350 days is the longest in the two year history of the Pure Championship. After the match Danielson offered McGuinness one more shot at the unified ROH World Championship and on August 25 the two of them wrestled a two out of three falls match to a 60 minute time limit and as a result McGuinness could no longer challenge for the title as long as Danielson was the champion. After the match Danielson recognized McGuinness' efforts and gave him the now retired Pure Championship belt as a trophy.
, challenged for Pro Wrestling Noah
's GHC Heavyweight Championship
on September 16, 2006, at ROH's Glory by Honor V - Night 2, but was defeated by the defending champion Naomichi Marufuji
. The rest of the year McGuinness would feud with Jimmy Rave
, who, using his new submission maneuver, the Heel Hook, forced him to tap out on two separate occasions, first on December 8, 2006, at The Chicago Spectacular Night 1 and then on December 23, 2006, at Final Battle 2006. Rave followed that up with another victory over McGuinness on January 27, 2007, this time in an "I Quit" match, which he won via referee stoppage. In February McGuinness began acting as a representative of Pro Wrestling Noah and as a spokesperson and tag team partner of Noah talent Takeshi Morishima
, upon his arrival to the company. On March 4 in Liverpool McGuinness ended his feud with Jimmy Rave by defeating him with a Rebound Lariat, which in storyline resulted in Rave suffering a broken jaw and earned the move the new name of Jawbreaker Lariat, when in reality Rave had broken his jaw a month earlier. McGuinness' next feud would be with Chris Hero
, who had dubbed himself the best pure wrestler in the World. During this feud McGuinness also received two shots at the ROH World Championship
, on April 14 and July 16, but was both times defeated by champion Takeshi Morishima. On June 23 McGuinness defeated Hero in a 30 minute time limit match, but Hero came back on August 10 and defeated McGuinness with help from his agent Larry Sweeney
and the Sweet 'n' Sour Inc. in a match contested under pure wrestling rules.
On September 15, 2007, at Man Up
, ROH's third pay-per-view
, McGuinness defeated Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli and Naomichi Marufuji in a four-way match to earn one more shot at Takeshi Morishima's ROH World Championship. At the following PPV, Undeniable
on October 6, 2007, McGuinness defeated Morishima to win the ROH World Championship.
In late 2007, ROH confirmed that McGuinness had suffered a torn biceps and would be out of action until Final Battle 2007, however he would not be stripped of the ROH World Championship. On November 2, the first night of ROH's Glory by Honor VI event in Philadelphia, Chris Hero and his agent Larry Sweeney complained of McGuinness' injury, calling him a fluke champion. Sweeney felt that Hero's victory of the Survival of the Fittest in Las Vegas earned him a title shot any time he wanted. McGuinness, in street clothes, accepted the challenge. He successfully retained the title against Hero, despite first losing the match due to the referee failing to notice McGuinness' foot on the rope while Hero made him tap out to submission.
On December 29, 2007, McGuinness returned to the ring full-time at ROH fifth pay-per-view, Rising Above. During his defense of the ROH World Championship against Austin Aries
, however, McGuinness injured his head when Aries dove from the ring onto him, which resulted in him hitting his head on the metal guard rail. The impact gave McGuinness a concussion, broke his nose, opened his eyebrow, and required 14 stitches.
On January 25, 2008, McGuinness wrapped up his feud with Chris Hero by successfully defending his title against him in a steel cage match. On February at ROH's Sixth Anniversary Show McGuinness turned heel during his successful title defense against Bryan Danielson by breaking an earlier agreement and targeting his head, injured earlier at the hands of Morishima. Throughout the rest of the year McGuinness successfully defended his title against the likes of Tyler Black
, Austin Aries, Kevin Steen
, Claudio Castagnoli, Go Shiozaki
, Jerry Lynn
, Roderick Strong
, El Generico
and on November 22, 2008, at Rising Above
in a grudge match against Bryan Danielson.
On March 20, 2009, McGuinness sustained an arm injury competing in a tag team match. However, despite the injury reportedly requiring surgery, he still wrestled at the Seventh Anniversary Show the next night and defeated KENTA
to retain his title. Finally, on April 3, 2009, at Supercard of Honor IV McGuinness lost the ROH World Championship to Jerry Lynn, ending his reign at 545 days.
(WWE), but confirmed that he would continue to wrestle for ROH until the end of September. McGuinness wrestled his last ROH match on September 26 at Glory by Honor VIII: The Final Countdown, losing to Bryan Danielson, who was also making his final appearance for the company.
, New Era Pro Wrestling, Italian Championship Wrestling, and American All-Star Wrestling, as well as tours in various countries.
McGuinness would also make appearances for some major promotions. On August 11, 2004, McGuinness appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
(TNA), debuting in a 22-man Gauntlet for the Gold
for the TNA X Division Championship
, which was won by Petey Williams
. On August 31, 2005, McGuinness competed in Ohio Valley Wrestling
, WWE's developmental territory, on episode of its OVW TV, losing to Elijah Burke
. He would go on to wrestle Danny Basham on the September 11, 2005, episode of WWE Sunday Night Heat
, taped prior to WWE Raw
on September 5, losing after Basham hit an inverted DDT.
On November 13, 2005, McGuinness returned to TNA Wrestling at the preshow prior to the Genesis PPV in a losing effort to Shark Boy
, before leaving America to tour Japan
with Pro Wrestling Noah in November and December 2005. He wrestled nine matches in total, seven of which he won, and teamed with fellow gaijin
Doug Williams
, 2 Cold Scorpio
and Bison Smith
. During his tour of Japan, Nigel was supposed to compete in TNA's 2006 World X Cup Tournament
, but Team UK
was replaced by Team Canada
, after McGuinness and Williams could not appear because both were booked in Japan.
In 2007, McGuinness represented Ring of Honor in the King of Europe Cup
. He made his way through to the final and, in his home country, defeated fellow Brit and tag-team partner Doug Williams to win the 2007 tournament final.
In June 2007 McGuinness participated in the annual Australian supershow International Assault, where he faced Bryan Danielson for the World Series Wrestling title in a match at the UNSW roundhouse in Sydney and then wrestled in two other events in Melbourne and Newcastle.
On October 14, 2007, McGuiness wrestled James Tighe
in the first round of the British National Championship
held by International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom
, however McGuiness was disqualified for the use of brass knuckles and eliminated from the tournament.
McGuinness won the 1PW Openweight Championship
, his first title in a British promotion, on 19 April 2009, by defeating Johnny Moss.
by attacking Kurt Angle
. The following week Wolfe defeated Angle in a street fight via referee stoppage, following a lariat. On November 12 Wolfe won a third exchange with Angle as he laid him out with a DDT
. At Turning Point
Angle defeated Wolfe via submission. The following month at Final Resolution
Wolfe faced Angle in a "Three Degrees of Pain" two out of three falls match. Wolfe managed to gain the first fall by pinning Angle following the Tower of London, but tapped out to the ankle lock in the second fall to make it even. In the final fall, which could only be won by escaping the Six Sides of Steel, Angle managed to escape first and won the match and the feud.
, who defeated him on the January 4, 2010, three hour, Monday night edition of Impact!. At Genesis
Wolfe debuted a new valet, who was later named Chelsea, and defeated Dinero in a rematch. At Against All Odds
Wolfe entered the 8 Card Stud Tournament to crown a new number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
, but was defeated in the first round by the evantual winner of the whole tournament, Dinero. On the February 25 edition of Impact! Wolfe aligned himself with Ric Flair
and the TNA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles
in their battle with Hulk Hogan
, Abyss
and D'Angelo Dinero. On the March 4 edition of Impact! Wolfe received his first shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, held by Styles, in a four-way match, which also included Dinero and Abyss. In the end Styles was able to retain his title by defeating Dinero via referee stoppage. The following week Wolfe and Dinero were scheduled to once again face each other, but the match was cancelled after Wolfe attacked Dinero during an interview and re-injured his ankle. Wolfe and Dinero finally had their fourth singles match together on the March 29 edition of Impact! and this time Wolfe was able to pin the number one contender, after hitting him with a chain, while Chelsea was distracting the referee. The following week Dinero defeated Wolfe in a rematch in just two minutes. At Lockdown
Wolfe, along with Sting, Robert Roode and James Storm
, represented Team Flair in the annual Lethal Lockdown match, where they were defeated by Team Hogan (Abyss
, Jeff Jarrett
, Rob Van Dam
and Jeff Hardy
), when Abyss pinned Wolfe. On April 26 TNA introduced a new Championship Ranking system, where fans were allowed to vote on the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Surprisingly Wolfe led the first poll from start to finish, ahead of the likes of Jeff Hardy, Mr. Anderson, Sting, A.J. Styles, Kurt Angle, D'Angelo Dinero and Abyss, and on the May 3 edition of Impact!, was granted a shot at the title, held by Rob Van Dam. Wolfe was, however, defeated in the title match. At Sacrifice
Wolfe was defeated by Abyss, who as a result won Chelsea's services for 30 days. On the following edition of Impact! Chelsea started showing sympathy towards Abyss, when he was being brutalized by Wolfe. The following month at Slammiversary VIII
Wolfe was defeated by Abyss in a Monster's Ball match
, when Chelsea turned on him and helped Abyss pick up the victory. On the following edition of Impact! Ric Flair, who had aligned himself with Wolfe, Styles, Roode, Storm and Kazarian
, announced that he would reform the Four Horsemen
under the new name Fourtune, stating that each of them would have to earn their spots in the group and that in order for Wolfe to earn his spot, he needed to become the Lex Luger
of the group. Later in the night Chelsea reluctantly returned to Wolfe after her 30 days with Abyss were up. Wolfe gave her a chance to redeem herself, but her behaviour outside the ring provided a distraction, which cost Wolfe his match against Flair's nemesis Jay Lethal
. After a series of losses, Wolfe attempted to get back in good graces with Flair by helping Styles and Kazarian defeat Samoa Joe and Rob Terry
at Victory Road
to earn their spots in Fourtune, only to get a Muscle Buster from Joe after the match. On the following edition of Impact! Wolfe confronted Flair, when he inducted Styles and Kazarian into Fourtune, demanding to be included in the stable. Two weeks later Flair revealed Robert Roode and James Storm as the final two members of Fourtune, leaving Wolfe out of the stable.
and together the two not only ended Wolfe's losing streak, but also started a winning streak, defeating teams like Amazing Red
and Suicide
, Hernandez
and Rob Terry and Ink Inc.
(Jesse Neal
and Shannon Moore
) on episodes of Xplosion
, and in the process earned themselves the right to challenge for the TNA World Tag Team Championship
. On the August 26 edition of Impact! the team was named London Brawling. They were scheduled to receive their shot at The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley
and Chris Sabin
) and the TNA World Tag Team Championship at No Surrender
, but were at the last minute pulled from the event, with TNA citing a "personal issue" as the reason. It was later reported that Wolfe was pulled from the event due to an undisclosed medical situation that would sideline him for the next few months. On–screen his absence was explained by Magnus, who claimed that in an attempt to become a dual athlete, Wolfe had travelled to London to try out for Chelsea F.C.
On November 21, 2010, TNA president Dixie Carter announced that Wolfe was close to a comeback. On the December 16 edition of Impact! Magnus met his former tag team partner Douglas Williams and informed him that Wolfe was now done with football and would be coming back soon, while also telling him that they had gotten rid of Chelsea. Wolfe finally made his return in a non–televised segment on December 10, 2010, at the tapings of the January 6, 2011, edition of Impact!, when he and Magnus saved Douglas Williams from Fortune members A.J. Styles and Rob Terry.
and Taz
. However, on June 17 it was reported that Wolfe had been released from his TNA contract.
banner, working as the color commentator
beside Kevin Kelly
. The tapings concluded with McGuinness saving Eddie Edwards
from the House of Truth.
After a fourteen month break from in-ring competition, it was announced on October 24, that McGuinness would be making his return to the ring on November 11 at a Squared Circle Wrestling (2CW) event in Watertown, New York
, starting a two month long string of shows billed as the "Nigel McGuinness Retirement Tour". In his return match McGuinness faced Eddie Edwards in a losing effort. The following day, McGuinness was defeated by Chad Collyer at a Heartland Wrestling Association event in Hamilton, Ohio
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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...
, better known by the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
s Desmond Wolfe and Nigel McGuinness. As McGuinness he first gained notoriety working for Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
(ROH) in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Pro Wrestling Noah
Pro Wrestling Noah
is a major Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling ace Mitsuharu Misawa. NOAH is broadcast weekly in Japan...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He was the longest reigning ROH Pure Champion
ROH Pure Championship
The Ring of Honor Pure Championship was a professional wrestling championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor...
, holding the title for 350 days, while also being a former ROH World Champion
ROH World Championship
The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...
, holding the championship for 545 days. In October 2009 Haworth signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA), where he worked as Desmond Wolfe until June 2011. The following August, Haworth, once again working as Nigel McGuinness, returned to ROH to work as a color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
.
Career
Haworth, born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, grew up in Staplehurst
Staplehurst
Staplehurst can mean:* Staplehurst in England* RAF Staplehurst, a World War II airfield in England* Staplehurst railway station* Staplehurst rail crash, a railway accident in 1865* Staplehurst, Nebraska, a small village in the United States...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, where he attended Maidstone Grammar School
Maidstone Grammar School
Maidstone Grammar School is a grammar school located in Maidstone, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1549.-Admissions:The school takes boys at the age of 11 and over by examination and boys and girls at 16+ on their GCSE results. The school currently has almost 1200 students and approximately 120...
. Haworth was a wrestling fan from the age of twelve, particularly enjoying The Hart Foundation
The Hart Foundation
The Hart Foundation referred to several teams or stables in the World Wrestling Federation , usually consisted of members or close friends of the Hart wrestling family from Canada....
and The British Bulldogs
British Bulldogs
The British Bulldogs were the team of cousins Davey Boy Smith and Tom Billington , professional wrestlers who competed through most of the 1980s in both North America, England, and Japan and is by many considered one of the top tag-teams in history.-Early years :In the 1970s, Dynamite Kid and Davey...
, and attended SummerSlam 1992
SummerSlam (1992)
SummerSlam was the fifth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 29, 1992 at Wembley Stadium, London, England but was aired in the United States on August 31...
while wearing Ultimate Warrior
Warrior (wrestler)
Also see Warrior .Warrior is an American retired professional wrestler who notably performed under the ring names The Ultimate Warrior and Warrior...
face paint. After attending Les University, Haworth relocated to America in the 1990s in order to attend Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
, and graduated in 1997 with a degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
.
In September 1998 Haworth began training under Les Thatcher in the Heartland Wrestling Association
Heartland Wrestling Association
The Heartland Wrestling Association is a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, it was listed as one of the top independent...
(HWA) in Cincinnati, Ohio, incurring large debt
Debt
A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
s in the process. After debuting in September 1999, working under the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Nigel McGuinness and defeating GQ Masters III in a match that was featured on ABC's
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
20/20, he spent a year wrestling in the mid west
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. Haworth returned to England where he worked two full time jobs to earn enough money to be able to return to the U.S. to wrestle, and wrestled for All Star promotions between September
September 2001
September 2001: January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December-----September 1, 2001:...
and December 2001, where he learned from wrestlers such as Robbie Brookside
Robbie Brookside
Robert Edward Brooks , better known by his ring name Robbie Brookside, is a British professional wrestler. He has toured all over the world during his career including such countries as the United States, Japan, Germany, and Mexico...
.
Heartland Wrestling Association
McGuinness developed a heelHeel (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...
character which he described as "a 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...
soccer hooligan
Hooliganism
Hooliganism refers to unruly, destructive, aggressive and bullying behaviour. Such behaviour is commonly associated with sports fans. The term can also apply to general rowdy behaviour and vandalism, often under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs....
... Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
meets Johnny Saint
Johnny Saint
John Miller is a semi-retired English professional wrestler better known by his ring name Johnny Saint, who worked around the United Kingdom during the World of Sport era.-Career:...
."
On July 10, 2001, McGuinness defeated Dean Jablonski in a singles match with the HWA Tag Team Championship on the line (the co-holder of the title, Chet Jablonski, was indisposed), claiming the title for himself and his partner, The Human Time Bomb. McGuinness and The Bomb held the title until August 7, when the Jablonski brothers regained the title. McGuinness and The Bomb would become champions for a second time on July 23, 2002, defeating the Jablonski brothers once more. They lost the title to Southern Breeze later that year.
In 2003 McGuinness introduced the HWA European Championship to HWA. He held the title until September 30, 2003, when he lost to Hoss. He regained the title on November 4 and promptly retired it.
McGuinness won the HWA Heavyweight Championship on September 6, 2003 in Batavia, Ohio
Batavia, Ohio
Batavia is a village in and the county seat of Clermont County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,617 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Batavia is located at ....
, defeating Chad Collyer
Chad Collyer
Chad Collyer is an American professional wrestler. A Heartland Wrestling Association mainstay, Collyer is perhaps best known for his appearances with Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.-Career:...
, He held the title until January 3, 2004, when he lost the title to Hoss. McGuinness defeated Hoss to begin a second heavyweight title reign on January 6, and held the title until March 17, 2004, when he lost to El Temor.
Debut; Pure Champion (2003–2006)
McGuinness debuted in Ring of HonorRing of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
(ROH) on August 9, 2003, defeating Chet Jablonski. He wrestled for ROH throughout 2004, but had limited success. In March 2005, McGuinness and Colt Cabana teamed
Tag 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...
together to challenge for the ROH Tag Team Championship
ROH World Tag Team Championship
The Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute...
, but lost to the incumbents, Dan Maff
Dan Lopez
Dan Lopez is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Dan "Danny" Maff. He retired in March 2005 following an as yet undisclosed incident involving his trainer, Homicide, and remained inactive until returning in June 2008....
and B.J. Whitmer
B.J. Whitmer
Benjamin Whitmer is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, B.J. Whitmer. He is best known for his appearances with Ring of Honor between January 2003 and March 2008...
. Cabana and McGuinness then began fighting one another, with McGuinness defeating Cabana on May 7, 2005, with an accidental low blow for a shot at the ROH Pure Championship
ROH Pure Championship
The Ring of Honor Pure Championship was a professional wrestling championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor...
. He challenged the champion, Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe
Nuufolau Joel "Joe" Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
, on June 12, 2005, but was defeated. He faced Joe once more on August 27, and defeated him to win the Pure Championship.
After becoming champion, McGuinness turned heel and for several months was engaged in a feud with Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, working in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling under the ring name Antonio Cesaro...
, instigated by a non-title match on October 14 where Claudio was able to use his knowledge of Nigel's European wrestling style to score a pinfall on the champion. This led to a series of matches for the title, with Nigel using underhanded tactics to avoid losing the belt. On March 25, 2006, Nigel defeated Claudio in a match billed as Claudio's last chance to win the belt as long as Nigel was champion.
During his Pure Championship run, McGuinness regularly carried an iron
Ironing
Ironing is the use of a heated tool to remove wrinkles from fabric. The heating is commonly done to a temperature of 180-220 °Celsius, depending on the fabric. Ironing works by loosening the bonds between the long-chain polymer molecules in the fibers of the material...
(decorated with the Union Jack
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
) to ringside. When asked, the typical story given was that a group of men once broke into his home to attack him, but he was able to defend himself with the iron. In reality, he began carrying the iron after a girlfriend's mother asked him why some wrestlers carried weapons to ringside, and then inquired as to whether anyone had ever carried an iron before. He would often use the iron as a weapon to win his matches.
McGuinness also had a malapropistic
Malapropism
A malapropism is an act of misusing or the habitual misuse of similar sounding words, especially with humorous results. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".-Etymology:...
gimmick in ROH of mispronouncing words. An example would be at Survival of the Fittest 2005 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, when he said the fans appreciated him as much as "their beloved Boston Red Stockings
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
".
During the rest of 2006 McGuinness was mostly uninvolved in the war between ROH and Combat Zone Wrestling
Combat Zone Wrestling
Combat Zone Wrestling is a independent wrestling promotion. In 1999, John Zandig and four of his students, Ric Blade, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain began to run backyard wrestling shows in New Jersey and Delaware, showcasing a brand of hardcore wrestling dubbed as "ultraviolence"...
, instead developing a new gimmick where he would win his matches by countout by using (often unfair) methods of preventing opponents from returning to the ring. McGuinness received a shot at the ROH World Championship
ROH World Championship
The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...
against Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand as Daniel Bryan, and currently holds the SmackDown Money in the Bank briefcase, which enables him to have a World Heavyweight Championship match at any time of his choosing...
with his own Pure Championship on the line and contested under pure wrestling rules on April 29. McGuinness again won by countout, by which only the Pure Title could be won but not Danielson's World Title. The victory was enough to earn a rematch under regular rules on July 29, in which Danielson narrowly managed to retain his title. A month later in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
ROH arranged a unification match
Championship unification
Championship unification is the act of combining two or more separate professional wrestling championships into a single title.-History:In professional wrestling, championships may be unified to consolidate the number of championships in a given promotion, or to add legitimacy and prestige to a...
between the two titles and guaranteed there would be a winner, with both titles able to change hands due to count-out or disqualification under pure wrestling rules. McGuinness lost the match on August 12 and the Pure Championship was unified and retired. McGuinness reign of 350 days is the longest in the two year history of the Pure Championship. After the match Danielson offered McGuinness one more shot at the unified ROH World Championship and on August 25 the two of them wrestled a two out of three falls match to a 60 minute time limit and as a result McGuinness could no longer challenge for the title as long as Danielson was the champion. After the match Danielson recognized McGuinness' efforts and gave him the now retired Pure Championship belt as a trophy.
Feuds with Jimmy Rave and Chris Hero (2006–2007)
After losing the Pure Championship, McGuinness, now a faceFace (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...
, challenged for Pro Wrestling Noah
Pro Wrestling Noah
is a major Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling ace Mitsuharu Misawa. NOAH is broadcast weekly in Japan...
's GHC Heavyweight Championship
GHC Heavyweight Championship
The Global Honored Crown Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah. It was created on April 15, 2001 when Mitsuharu Misawa defeated Yoshihiro Takayama in a 16-man tournament final...
on September 16, 2006, at ROH's Glory by Honor V - Night 2, but was defeated by the defending champion Naomichi Marufuji
Naomichi Marufuji
is a Japanese professional wrestler who competes for Pro Wrestling Noah, with occasional appearances in other professional wrestling promotions like Ring of Honor, All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling, among others. Marufuji is the first of only two Grand Slam Champion in Pro...
. The rest of the year McGuinness would feud with Jimmy Rave
Jimmy Rave
James Guffey is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Jimmy Rave. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, who, using his new submission maneuver, the Heel Hook, forced him to tap out on two separate occasions, first on December 8, 2006, at The Chicago Spectacular Night 1 and then on December 23, 2006, at Final Battle 2006. Rave followed that up with another victory over McGuinness on January 27, 2007, this time in an "I Quit" match, which he won via referee stoppage. In February McGuinness began acting as a representative of Pro Wrestling Noah and as a spokesperson and tag team partner of Noah talent Takeshi Morishima
Takeshi Morishima
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently performing for Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan and has performed for Ring of Honor in the United States in the past. He is a former Ring of Honor World champion...
, upon his arrival to the company. On March 4 in Liverpool McGuinness ended his feud with Jimmy Rave by defeating him with a Rebound Lariat, which in storyline resulted in Rave suffering a broken jaw and earned the move the new name of Jawbreaker Lariat, when in reality Rave had broken his jaw a month earlier. McGuinness' next feud would be with Chris Hero
Chris Hero
Chris Spradlin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Hero. He is a mainstay of many independent wrestling promotions, including Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well as Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...
, who had dubbed himself the best pure wrestler in the World. During this feud McGuinness also received two shots at the ROH World Championship
ROH World Championship
The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...
, on April 14 and July 16, but was both times defeated by champion Takeshi Morishima. On June 23 McGuinness defeated Hero in a 30 minute time limit match, but Hero came back on August 10 and defeated McGuinness with help from his agent Larry Sweeney
Larry Sweeney
Alexander K. Whybrow was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name Larry Sweeney...
and the Sweet 'n' Sour Inc. in a match contested under pure wrestling rules.
ROH World Champion (2007–2009)
ROH Man Up
Man Up was a professional wrestling pay-per-view promoted by Ring of Honor. It took place on September 15, 2007 at the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, Illinois, the site of the second Pay-per-view taping Driven, and first aired on November 30...
, ROH's third pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
, McGuinness defeated Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli and Naomichi Marufuji in a four-way match to earn one more shot at Takeshi Morishima's ROH World Championship. At the following PPV, Undeniable
ROH Undeniable
Undeniable was a professional wrestling pay-per-view promoted by Ring of Honor. It took place on October 6, 2007 from the Inman Sports Club in Edison, New Jersey and aired on PPV on January 18, 2008.-Results:-References:*-External links:**...
on October 6, 2007, McGuinness defeated Morishima to win the ROH World Championship.
In late 2007, ROH confirmed that McGuinness had suffered a torn biceps and would be out of action until Final Battle 2007, however he would not be stripped of the ROH World Championship. On November 2, the first night of ROH's Glory by Honor VI event in Philadelphia, Chris Hero and his agent Larry Sweeney complained of McGuinness' injury, calling him a fluke champion. Sweeney felt that Hero's victory of the Survival of the Fittest in Las Vegas earned him a title shot any time he wanted. McGuinness, in street clothes, accepted the challenge. He successfully retained the title against Hero, despite first losing the match due to the referee failing to notice McGuinness' foot on the rope while Hero made him tap out to submission.
On December 29, 2007, McGuinness returned to the ring full-time at ROH fifth pay-per-view, Rising Above. During his defense of the ROH World Championship against Austin Aries
Austin 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...
, however, McGuinness injured his head when Aries dove from the ring onto him, which resulted in him hitting his head on the metal guard rail. The impact gave McGuinness a concussion, broke his nose, opened his eyebrow, and required 14 stitches.
On January 25, 2008, McGuinness wrapped up his feud with Chris Hero by successfully defending his title against him in a steel cage match. On February at ROH's Sixth Anniversary Show McGuinness turned heel during his successful title defense against Bryan Danielson by breaking an earlier agreement and targeting his head, injured earlier at the hands of Morishima. Throughout the rest of the year McGuinness successfully defended his title against the likes of Tyler Black
Tyler Black
Colby Lopez is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tyler Black. He is signed to a contract with WWE, where he competes in their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Seth Rollins. He is a former FCW 15 Champion and FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with...
, Austin Aries, Kevin Steen
Kevin Steen
Kevin Steen is a Canadian professional wrestler, currently performing for various promotions on the independent circuit, most notably California-based Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Ring of Honor.-Professional wrestling career:...
, Claudio Castagnoli, Go Shiozaki
Go Shiozaki
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is the current GHC Heavyweight Champion. In addition to Noah, he has previously worked in the American-based promotion Ring of Honor and its former sister promotion Full Impact Pro, where he won the latter's...
, Jerry Lynn
Jerry Lynn
Jeremy "Jerry" Lynn is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, Roderick Strong
Roderick Strong
Chris Lindsey is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Roderick Strong. Strong currently competes in several independent promotions, most notably Ring of Honor , Full Impact Pro , and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla .He initially debuted as The Jester on the Floridian...
, El Generico
El Generico
Rami Sebei is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name El Generico. Sebei uses the gimmick of a luchador from Mexico...
and on November 22, 2008, at Rising Above
Rising Above (2008)
Rising Above was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor. It took place on November 22, 2008 from the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, Illinois. It aired on January 16, 2009....
in a grudge match against Bryan Danielson.
On March 20, 2009, McGuinness sustained an arm injury competing in a tag team match. However, despite the injury reportedly requiring surgery, he still wrestled at the Seventh Anniversary Show the next night and defeated KENTA
Kenta Kobayashi
, also known by his ring name KENTA, is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a former three-time Global Honored Crown Junior Heavyweight Champion...
to retain his title. Finally, on April 3, 2009, at Supercard of Honor IV McGuinness lost the ROH World Championship to Jerry Lynn, ending his reign at 545 days.
Departure (2009)
After a hiatus to recover from the injury, McGuinness returned to wrestling a few months later. On July 24, McGuinness suffered a minor injury during a four-way match after his "spine got compacted taking a piledriver", and was unable to wrestle the following night. On September 4, ROH announced that McGuinness had "in principle" agreed to a contract with World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld 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...
(WWE), but confirmed that he would continue to wrestle for ROH until the end of September. McGuinness wrestled his last ROH match on September 26 at Glory by Honor VIII: The Final Countdown, losing to Bryan Danielson, who was also making his final appearance for the company.
Independent circuit (2004–2009)
While still in ROH, McGuinness continued to compete in various other independent promotions like IWA Mid-SouthIndependent Wrestling Association Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky.- History :...
, New Era Pro Wrestling, Italian Championship Wrestling, and American All-Star Wrestling, as well as tours in various countries.
McGuinness would also make appearances for some major promotions. On August 11, 2004, McGuinness appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA), debuting in a 22-man Gauntlet for the Gold
Gauntlet for the Gold
The Gauntlet match as defined by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, is a battle royal-style match. When it involves title implications, such as a title on the line or contendership for a title, it is called a Gauntlet for the Gold...
for the TNA X Division Championship
TNA X Division Championship
The TNA X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily defended in TNA's X Division—a style based on a fast-paced, daredevil type of wrestling...
, which was won by Petey Williams
Petey Williams
Peter "Petey" Williams III is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a two time X Division Champion and a former captain of Team Canada. Williams Currently Wrestles for Lucha Libre USA...
. On August 31, 2005, McGuinness competed in 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...
, WWE's developmental territory, on episode of its OVW TV, losing to 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...
. He would go on to wrestle Danny Basham on the September 11, 2005, episode of WWE Sunday Night Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
, taped prior to WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
on September 5, losing after Basham hit an inverted DDT.
On November 13, 2005, McGuinness returned to TNA Wrestling at the preshow prior to the Genesis PPV in a losing effort to Shark Boy
Shark Boy
Dean Mathew Roll is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Shark Boy and his experience in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .-Early career:...
, before leaving America to tour Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with Pro Wrestling Noah in November and December 2005. He wrestled nine matches in total, seven of which he won, and teamed with fellow gaijin
Gaijin
is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien". This word is a short form of gaikokujin , which literally means "person from outside of the country". The word is composed of two kanji: , meaning "outside"; and , meaning "person". Thus, the word technically means "outsider"...
Doug Williams
Doug Williams (wrestler)
Douglas Clayton Durdle is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Doug Williams. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Douglas Williams...
, 2 Cold Scorpio
2 Cold Scorpio
Charles Scaggs is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name 2 Cold Scorpio . Scaggs has competed in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment and Pro Wrestling Noah...
and Bison Smith
Bison Smith
Mark Smith was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Bison Smith. He best known for his appearances with Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan and International Wrestling Association in Puerto Rico...
. During his tour of Japan, Nigel was supposed to compete in TNA's 2006 World X Cup Tournament
TNA 2006 World X Cup Tournament
The TNA 2006 World X Cup Tournament was a professional wrestling X Cup Tournament staged by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in April and May 2006...
, but Team UK
Team Britain
Team Britain, or Team UK, was a professional wrestling stable brought together to compete in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's 2004 America's X-Cup Tournament.-2004:...
was replaced by Team Canada
Team Canada (TNA)
Team Canada was a heel professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, which was active from 2004 to 2006.-2004 X-Cups:In 2004, wrestling promoter and personality "Coach" Scott D'Amore brought together fellow Canadians to form his own incarnation of Team Canada in Total Nonstop...
, after McGuinness and Williams could not appear because both were booked in Japan.
In 2007, McGuinness represented Ring of Honor in the King of Europe Cup
King of Europe Cup
The King of Europe Cup is a European professional wrestling tournament in the style of the "King of Indies" and "Super 8" tournaments of the United States....
. He made his way through to the final and, in his home country, defeated fellow Brit and tag-team partner Doug Williams to win the 2007 tournament final.
In June 2007 McGuinness participated in the annual Australian supershow International Assault, where he faced Bryan Danielson for the World Series Wrestling title in a match at the UNSW roundhouse in Sydney and then wrestled in two other events in Melbourne and Newcastle.
On October 14, 2007, McGuiness wrestled James Tighe
James Tighe
James Tighe is a British professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with Frontier Wrestling Alliance. He currently competes around the United Kingdom.-Professional wrestling career:...
in the first round of the British National Championship
British National Championship
The British National Championship was a year long professional wrestling tournament, organised by International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom, that started in September 2007, with the final being held at The Great Hall in Bromley on October 26, 2008....
held by International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom
International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom
International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom is a British professional wrestling promotion. Daniel Edler is the majority owner, chairman and founder of the company. The company was established in 2004 and since their foundation they have held monthly shows in Orpington, Kent...
, however McGuiness was disqualified for the use of brass knuckles and eliminated from the tournament.
McGuinness won the 1PW Openweight Championship
1PW Openweight Championship
The 1PW Openweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the One Pro Wrestling promotion. The title was established in 2006 and was the lowest ranked championship in the company....
, his first title in a British promotion, on 19 April 2009, by defeating Johnny Moss.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Debut; feud with Kurt Angle (2009)
On September 4, 2009 ROH announced that Haworth had agreed to a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment "in principle". On October 20, 2009 it was reported that Haworth's deal with the WWE had fallen through due to him failing a pre-screening physical test and that he had decided to sign with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) instead. He officially made his TNA return as a heel under the ring name Desmond Wolfe on the October 22 episode of Impact!TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
by attacking Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
. The following week Wolfe defeated Angle in a street fight via referee stoppage, following a lariat. On November 12 Wolfe won a third exchange with Angle as he laid him out with a DDT
DDT (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock, and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat...
. At Turning Point
Turning Point (2009)
Turning Point was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on November 15, 2009 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
Angle defeated Wolfe via submission. The following month at Final Resolution
Final Resolution (2009)
Final Resolution was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on December 20, 2009 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
Wolfe faced Angle in a "Three Degrees of Pain" two out of three falls match. Wolfe managed to gain the first fall by pinning Angle following the Tower of London, but tapped out to the ankle lock in the second fall to make it even. In the final fall, which could only be won by escaping the Six Sides of Steel, Angle managed to escape first and won the match and the feud.
Fourtune (2010)
Following the loss to Angle, Wolfe moved on to feuding with D'Angelo DineroElijah 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...
, who defeated him on the January 4, 2010, three hour, Monday night edition of Impact!. At Genesis
Genesis (2010)
Genesis was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on January 17, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the fifth event under the Genesis chronology and the first event of the 2010 TNA PPV schedule...
Wolfe debuted a new valet, who was later named Chelsea, and defeated Dinero in a rematch. At Against All Odds
Against All Odds (2010)
-See also:*TNA Against All Odds*List of TNA pay-per-view events-External links:**...
Wolfe entered the 8 Card Stud Tournament to crown a new number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
The TNA World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is currently the highest ranked championship in TNA and is primarily defended in TNA's heavyweight division...
, but was defeated in the first round by the evantual winner of the whole tournament, Dinero. On the February 25 edition of Impact! Wolfe aligned himself with 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....
and the TNA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
in their battle with 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 ....
, Abyss
Chris Parks
Christopher J. "Chris" Parks , better known by his ring name "The Monster" Abyss, is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
and D'Angelo Dinero. On the March 4 edition of Impact! Wolfe received his first shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, held by Styles, in a four-way match, which also included Dinero and Abyss. In the end Styles was able to retain his title by defeating Dinero via referee stoppage. The following week Wolfe and Dinero were scheduled to once again face each other, but the match was cancelled after Wolfe attacked Dinero during an interview and re-injured his ankle. Wolfe and Dinero finally had their fourth singles match together on the March 29 edition of Impact! and this time Wolfe was able to pin the number one contender, after hitting him with a chain, while Chelsea was distracting the referee. The following week Dinero defeated Wolfe in a rematch in just two minutes. At Lockdown
Lockdown (2010)
Lockdown was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on April 18, 2010 at the Family Arena in Saint Charles, Missouri. It was the sixth event under the Lockdown chronology and the fourth event of the 2010 TNA PPV...
Wolfe, along with Sting, Robert Roode and James Storm
James Storm
James Allen Cox is an American professional wrestler who competes under the ring name "The Cowboy" James Storm. Since 2002, Storm has been employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he, along with A.J...
, represented Team Flair in the annual Lethal Lockdown match, where they were defeated by Team Hogan (Abyss
Chris Parks
Christopher J. "Chris" Parks , better known by his ring name "The Monster" Abyss, is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
, Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
), when Abyss pinned Wolfe. On April 26 TNA introduced a new Championship Ranking system, where fans were allowed to vote on the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Surprisingly Wolfe led the first poll from start to finish, ahead of the likes of Jeff Hardy, Mr. Anderson, Sting, A.J. Styles, Kurt Angle, D'Angelo Dinero and Abyss, and on the May 3 edition of Impact!, was granted a shot at the title, held by Rob Van Dam. Wolfe was, however, defeated in the title match. At Sacrifice
Sacrifice (2010)
Sacrifice was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on May 16, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
Wolfe was defeated by Abyss, who as a result won Chelsea's services for 30 days. On the following edition of Impact! Chelsea started showing sympathy towards Abyss, when he was being brutalized by Wolfe. The following month at Slammiversary VIII
Slammiversary VIII
Slammiversary VIII was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on June 13, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. Despite the Roman numeral eight used in promotional material, it was the sixth event under the Slammiversary...
Wolfe was defeated by Abyss in a Monster's Ball match
Monster's Ball match
A Monster's Ball match is a professional wrestling, hardcore match staged by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The name is derived from the 2001 film Monster's Ball....
, when Chelsea turned on him and helped Abyss pick up the victory. On the following edition of Impact! Ric Flair, who had aligned himself with Wolfe, Styles, Roode, Storm and Kazarian
Frankie Kazarian
Frank B. Gerdelman is an Armenian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Frankie Kazarian or simply Kazarian. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, announced that he would reform the Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)
The Four Horsemen were a professional wrestling stable in the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling that was disbanded in 1999. The original group featured Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard...
under the new name Fourtune, stating that each of them would have to earn their spots in the group and that in order for Wolfe to earn his spot, he needed to become the Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
of the group. Later in the night Chelsea reluctantly returned to Wolfe after her 30 days with Abyss were up. Wolfe gave her a chance to redeem herself, but her behaviour outside the ring provided a distraction, which cost Wolfe his match against Flair's nemesis Jay Lethal
Jay Lethal
Jamar "Jay" Shipman better known by his ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Ring of Honor , where he is the ROH World Television Champion...
. After a series of losses, Wolfe attempted to get back in good graces with Flair by helping Styles and Kazarian defeat Samoa Joe and Rob Terry
Rob Terry
Robert "Rob" Terry is a Welsh professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Before signing with TNA, he was under contract with World Wrestling Entertainment and competed in the company's developmental territory, Florida Championship...
at Victory Road
Victory Road (2010)
Victory Road was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on July 11, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
to earn their spots in Fourtune, only to get a Muscle Buster from Joe after the match. On the following edition of Impact! Wolfe confronted Flair, when he inducted Styles and Kazarian into Fourtune, demanding to be included in the stable. Two weeks later Flair revealed Robert Roode and James Storm as the final two members of Fourtune, leaving Wolfe out of the stable.
London Brawling (2010)
After failing to make it into Fourtune, Wolfe went on to form a tag team with fellow Briton MagnusNick Aldis
Nicholas Harry "Nick" Aldis is an English professional wrestler and actor. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Magnus, where he is a one time World Tag Team Champion with Doug Williams...
and together the two not only ended Wolfe's losing streak, but also started a winning streak, defeating teams like Amazing Red
Amazing Red
Jonathan Figueroa is a professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Amazing Red, or simply Red for short. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former three-time X Division Champion, while also working on the American independent circuit...
and Suicide
Suicide (character)
Suicide is a fictional character from TNA Impact! the video game. In December 2008, the Suicide character was introduced on television as a real-life wrestler in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, Hernandez
Shawn Hernandez
Shawn Hernandez is an American professional wrestler of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring names, "Hotstuff Hernandez" and "Hernandez"....
and Rob Terry and Ink Inc.
Ink Inc.
Ink Inc. is a professional wrestling stable, consisting of Jesse Neal, Shannon Moore and their valet Toxxin, in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .-Total Nonstop Action Wrestling :...
(Jesse Neal
Jesse Neal
Jesse Neal is an American professional wrestler and a former member of the U.S. military. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is one half of the tag team Ink Inc., with his partner Shannon Moore....
and Shannon Moore
Shannon Moore
Shannon Moore is an American professional wrestler, who is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment for several years in the 2000s.Moore befriended Matt and Jeff Hardy...
) on episodes of Xplosion
TNA Xplosion
TNA Xplosion is a television program produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , featuring both highlights from Impact Wrestling and exclusive taped matches. It is now produced only for international markets, no longer airing in the United States...
, and in the process earned themselves the right to challenge for the TNA World Tag Team Championship
TNA World Tag Team Championship
The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily contested within TNA's tag team division. It was created and debuted on May 14, 2007 at the taping of TNA's primary television program,...
. On the August 26 edition of Impact! the team was named London Brawling. They were scheduled to receive their shot at The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley
Alex Shelley
Patrick Martin , is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Alex Shelley. He wrestles for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he currently teams with Chris Sabin as The Motor City Machine Guns. He previously gained fame on the independent circuit, working most notably for...
and Chris Sabin
Chris Sabin
Joshua Harter is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Sabin. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he currently teams with Alex Shelley as The Motor City Machine Guns.After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 for...
) and the TNA World Tag Team Championship at No Surrender
No Surrender (2010)
No Surrender was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on September 5, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
, but were at the last minute pulled from the event, with TNA citing a "personal issue" as the reason. It was later reported that Wolfe was pulled from the event due to an undisclosed medical situation that would sideline him for the next few months. On–screen his absence was explained by Magnus, who claimed that in an attempt to become a dual athlete, Wolfe had travelled to London to try out for Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
On November 21, 2010, TNA president Dixie Carter announced that Wolfe was close to a comeback. On the December 16 edition of Impact! Magnus met his former tag team partner Douglas Williams and informed him that Wolfe was now done with football and would be coming back soon, while also telling him that they had gotten rid of Chelsea. Wolfe finally made his return in a non–televised segment on December 10, 2010, at the tapings of the January 6, 2011, edition of Impact!, when he and Magnus saved Douglas Williams from Fortune members A.J. Styles and Rob Terry.
Xplosion Commissioner (2011)
On May 16, 2011, Wolfe made his return to TNA, when he was announced as the new commissioner of Xplosion, turning face in the process. During his time as the commissioner, Wolfe also served as the third member of the Xplosion announcing team, working beside Jeremy BorashJeremy Borash
Jeremy Borash , is an American professional wrestling play-by-play commentator, announcer, ring announcer, booker, interviewer, producer and website designer...
and Taz
Tazz
Peter Senerchia is a retired American professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz...
. However, on June 17 it was reported that Wolfe had been released from his TNA contract.
Return to ROH; retirement tour (2011)
On August 13, 2011, Haworth, returning to his Nigel McGuinness ring name, returned to ROH at the promotion's first Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings under the Sinclair Broadcast GroupSinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
banner, working as the color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
beside Kevin Kelly
Kevin Kelly (announcer)
Kevin Foote is an American professional wrestling manager, pundit, sportscaster and ring announcer, better known by his ring name, Kevin Kelly...
. The tapings concluded with McGuinness saving Eddie Edwards
Eddie Edwards (wrestler)
Eddie Edwards is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling with Ring of Honor , where he is a former ROH World Champion. He also had previous reigns as a former ROH World Tag Team Champion with his partner Davey Richards as The American Wolves and as the inaugural ROH World...
from the House of Truth.
After a fourteen month break from in-ring competition, it was announced on October 24, that McGuinness would be making his return to the ring on November 11 at a Squared Circle Wrestling (2CW) event in Watertown, New York
Watertown (city), New York
Watertown is a city in the state of New York and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is situated approximately south of the Thousand Islands. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 27,023, an increase of 1.2% since 2000. The U.S...
, starting a two month long string of shows billed as the "Nigel McGuinness Retirement Tour". In his return match McGuinness faced Eddie Edwards in a losing effort. The following day, McGuinness was defeated by Chad Collyer at a Heartland Wrestling Association event in Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....
.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Jawbreaker Lariat / Rebound Lariat (Pendulum short-range lariat)
- London Dungeon / Thames Barrier (Grounded top wrist-lock, sometimes with a leg grapevine)
- Tower of London (Rope hung cutter)
- Signature moves
- Arm drag
- Arm wringer
- Artful Dodger (Roll-up, as a counter to an oncoming opponent)
- Bridging scissored armbar
- Cobra clutch, sometimes twisted into a short-range lariat
- Cross chop to the opponent's throat
- Diving lariat to an opponent seated on the top rope
- Flowing snap DDT
- Front powerslam, sometimes while applying a hammerlock
- Multiple hammerlock variations
- Divorce Court (into a single arm DDT)
- Guvnor's Crumpet (into a kneeling facebuster)
- into a DDTDDT (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock, and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat...
- into a Northern Lights suplex
- into an STO
- Headbutt
- Shoot kick to the back of a cornered opponent followed up with a downward lariat to the neck
- Standing or a running European uppercut, sometimes to a cornered opponent
- Standing or a running lariat
- Top rope handstandHandstandA handstand is the act of supporting the body in a stable, inverted vertical position by balancing on the hands. In a basic handstand the body is held straight with arms and legs fully extended, with hands spaced approximately shoulder-width apart...
evasion followed into a double foot mule kick
- With MagnusNick AldisNicholas Harry "Nick" Aldis is an English professional wrestler and actor. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Magnus, where he is a one time World Tag Team Champion with Doug Williams...
- Finishing moves
- Double Decker (Assisted Tower of London)
- Running knee lift (Wolfe) / Swinging sidewalk slam (Magnus) combination
- Finishing moves
- 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...
- Ricky SteamboatRicky SteamboatRichard Henry Blood , better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career...
- Bobby HeenanBobby HeenanRaymond Louis "Ray" Heenan , better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan , is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation...
- Dave PrazakDave PrazakDave Prazak is a professional wrestling manager and commentator. He works for many independent wrestling promotions in America. He is the founder of the all female wrestling promotion Shimmer Women Athletes.-Managing:...
- Chelsea
- Ric FlairRic FlairRichard 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....
- Ricky Steamboat
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "I Fought the LawI Fought the Law"I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets and became popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, which went on to become a top-ten hit for the band in 1966 and was also recorded by The Clash in 1979...
" by The ClashThe ClashThe Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
(ROHRing of HonorRing of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
) - "Fuckin' in the Bushes" by OasisOasis (band)Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
(ROH) - "Menacing" by Dale OliverDale OliverDale Byron Oliver is an American music composer who works for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Formerly a guitarist in BackHawk , Oliver serves mainly as a composer of theme music used in professional wrestling.-Music composer for TNA:Since 2003, Oliver writes, records, and produces music under...
(TNATotal Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
)
- "I Fought the Law
Championships and accomplishments
- Heartland Wrestling AssociationHeartland Wrestling AssociationThe Heartland Wrestling Association is a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, it was listed as one of the top independent...
- HWA European Championship (2 times)
- HWA Heavyweight ChampionshipHWA Heavyweight ChampionshipThe HWA Heavyweight Championship is the heavyweight title contested in the Heartland Wrestling Association.- Title history :...
(2 times) - HWA Tag Team ChampionshipHWA Tag Team ChampionshipThe HWA Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles contested for in the Heartland Wrestling Association. It was established in 1996 when the Head Bangers became the first champions.-Title history:...
(2 times) – with the Human Time Bomb
- New Breed Wrestling Association
- New Breed Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- One Pro WrestlingOne Pro WrestlingOne Pro Wrestling was a British professional wrestling promotion. 1PW was founded in 2005 by Steven Gauntley until the promotion went into liquidation in 2007; it was restarted within the same year..It ended in August 2011....
- 1PW Openweight Championship1PW Openweight ChampionshipThe 1PW Openweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the One Pro Wrestling promotion. The title was established in 2006 and was the lowest ranked championship in the company....
(1 time)
- 1PW Openweight 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 #6 of the best 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2009
- Ring of HonorRing of HonorRing of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
- ROH Pure ChampionshipROH Pure ChampionshipThe Ring of Honor Pure Championship was a professional wrestling championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor...
(1 time) - ROH World ChampionshipROH World ChampionshipThe Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...
(1 time)
- ROH Pure Championship
- Other titles
- King of Europe CupKing of Europe CupThe King of Europe Cup is a European professional wrestling tournament in the style of the "King of Indies" and "Super 8" tournaments of the United States....
(2007)
- King of Europe Cup