Prince Nana
Encyclopedia
Prince Nana Osei Bandoh is an American
professional wrestler
of Ghana
ian extraction, better known by his ring name
, Prince Nana. He has stated that he is an Ashanti prince
.
. When Nana was three, his family relocated to Ghana for five years, returning so that Nana could be educated in America. As a teenager, he relocated to New York City
in America
as an exchange student
. In 1992, at the age of fifteen, Nana watched WrestleMania VIII
, and was inspired by the WWF Championship
match between "Macho Man" Randy Savage
and Ric Flair
to become a wrestler. A year later, he wrote to the World Wrestling Federation
and asked their advice as to which professional wrestling school he should attend. The WWF recommended that he train under Larry Sharpe, but Nana felt that Sharpe's school (in Westville, New Jersey
) was too far away. Instead, Nana became a photographer
for Johnny Rodz, who operated Gleason's Gym in New York. Nana worked for Rodz until he turned eighteen, when Rodz began training him as a wrestler. He debuted in 1996, wrestling Big Vito in a church in Spanish Harlem
.
Nana worked regularly for the East Coast Wrestling Association
in Delaware
and USA Pro Wrestling in New York, as well as making appearances with the WWF and with Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX in Japan
.
Nana was mentioned by name by color commentator Matt Striker on the May 7, 2010, edition of WWE SmackDown, during a match between his fellow Ghanaian Kofi Kingston
and Dolph Ziggler
.
promotion
, where in 2004 he formed a heel
stable known as The Embassy. In storylines, Nana used his wealth gained from the taxes of people of Ghana
to hire wrestlers to wrestle his opponents and rivals. Under his management John Walters
defended his ROH Pure Championship
and Jimmy Rave
, Alex Shelley
and Abyss
won the Trios Tournament in 2006. He remained with Ring of Honor until September 2006, when he gave his notice.
On October 24, 2008, in Danbury, Connecticut
, Nana made a surprise return to Ring of Honor, saying he has no more riches, no more crown, and just wants a job before he was dragged away by security. The next night, Nana made an appearance at Ring of Honor's Edison, New Jersey
show and did the same thing. Again, he was dragged away by security. The next time ROH was in Edison on January 17, 2009, Nana again appeared, only to be dragged away by security. He has since been featured in segments on the ROH Video Wire. In a March edition of the ROH Video Wire, Nana revealed that he had regained his riches due to President Obama's
stimulus package, and has been directing Bison Smith's
attacks on ROH wrestlers.
On March 20, at the ROH show in Elizabeth, PA, Nana declared that he had officially reformed the Embassy, with himself, Bison Smith and Ernie Osiris. The next day in New York City they were joined by the returning Jimmy Rave. Other members of the stable came to include Claudio Castagnoli
, Joey Ryan, Erick Stevens
, Shawn Daivari
and Necro Butcher
, but by October 2010 all of them, except Osiris, had left the group. On January 22, 2011, Nana debuted the latest version of the Embassy, consisting of Ernesto Osiris, Mia Yim, Robert Evans, and Tommaso Ciampa
, who would take over Jimmy Rave's former role as Nana's number one wrestler. The following April and June, both Dave Taylor and Rhino made appearances representing the Embassy.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian extraction, better 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:...
, Prince Nana. He has stated that he is an Ashanti prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
.
Professional wrestling career
Although Nana was born in the United States, he states that he is the son of an Ashanti tribe member with royal heritage and the heir to the throne of Ashanti in GhanaGhana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. When Nana was three, his family relocated to Ghana for five years, returning so that Nana could be educated in America. As a teenager, he relocated to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as an exchange student
Student exchange program
A student exchange program generally could be defined as a program where students from secondary school or university choose to study abroad in partner institutions...
. In 1992, at the age of fifteen, Nana watched WrestleMania VIII
WrestleMania VIII
WrestleMania VIII was the eighth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on April 5, 1992 at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana...
, and was inspired by the WWF Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
match between "Macho Man" Randy Savage
Randy Savage
Randall Mario Poffo , better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling .Savage held twenty championships during his professional wrestling career and was a...
and 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....
to become a wrestler. A year later, he wrote to the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
and asked their advice as to which professional wrestling school he should attend. The WWF recommended that he train under Larry Sharpe, but Nana felt that Sharpe's school (in Westville, New Jersey
Westville, New Jersey
Westville is a Borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 4,501. The Borough of Westville is known as "The Gateway to South Jersey."...
) was too far away. Instead, Nana became a photographer
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
for Johnny Rodz, who operated Gleason's Gym in New York. Nana worked for Rodz until he turned eighteen, when Rodz began training him as a wrestler. He debuted in 1996, wrestling Big Vito in a church in Spanish Harlem
Spanish Harlem
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem and El Barrio, is a section of Harlem in the northeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. East Harlem is one of the largest predominantly Latino communities in New York City. It includes the area formerly known as Italian Harlem, in which...
.
Nana worked regularly for the East Coast Wrestling Association
East Coast Wrestling Association
East Coast Wrestling Association is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded by promoter Jim Kettner in 1967. It is home to the annual Super 8 Tournament, one of the longest-running independent wrestling tournaments in the country...
in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
and USA Pro Wrestling in New York, as well as making appearances with the WWF and with Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX 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...
.
Nana was mentioned by name by color commentator Matt Striker on the May 7, 2010, edition of WWE SmackDown, during a match between his fellow Ghanaian Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
and Dolph Ziggler
Nick Nemeth
Nicholas Theodore "Nick" Nemeth is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Dolph Ziggler. He is the reigning WWE United States Champion...
.
Ring of Honor
In 2002, he joined the upstart 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...
promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
, where in 2004 he formed a heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
stable known as The Embassy. In storylines, Nana used his wealth gained from the taxes of people of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
to hire wrestlers to wrestle his opponents and rivals. Under his management John Walters
John Stagikas
John Stagikas is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Hurricane" John Walters and in Lucha Libre USA as RJ Brewer, the kayfabe son of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer...
defended his 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...
and 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...
, 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 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...
won the Trios Tournament in 2006. He remained with Ring of Honor until September 2006, when he gave his notice.
On October 24, 2008, in Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
, Nana made a surprise return to Ring of Honor, saying he has no more riches, no more crown, and just wants a job before he was dragged away by security. The next night, Nana made an appearance at Ring of Honor's Edison, New Jersey
Edison, New Jersey
Edison Township is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey. What is now Edison Township was originally incorporated as Raritan Township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1870, from portions of both Piscataway Township and Woodbridge Township...
show and did the same thing. Again, he was dragged away by security. The next time ROH was in Edison on January 17, 2009, Nana again appeared, only to be dragged away by security. He has since been featured in segments on the ROH Video Wire. In a March edition of the ROH Video Wire, Nana revealed that he had regained his riches due to President Obama's
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
stimulus package, and has been directing Bison Smith's
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...
attacks on ROH wrestlers.
On March 20, at the ROH show in Elizabeth, PA, Nana declared that he had officially reformed the Embassy, with himself, Bison Smith and Ernie Osiris. The next day in New York City they were joined by the returning Jimmy Rave. Other members of the stable came to include 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...
, Joey Ryan, Erick Stevens
Erick Stevens
Erick Stevens is an American professional wrestler. Stevens wrestles for many independent promotions, most notably Ring of Honor and Full Impact Pro where he is a former 2 time World Heavyweight Champion.-NWA Florida:...
, Shawn Daivari
Shawn Daivari
Dara Daivari is an Iranian American professional wrestler, currently performing on the American independent circuit as Shawn Daivari. He is best known for his work with World Wrestling Entertainment as simply Daivari and with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Sheik Abdul Bashir.-Career:Daivari...
and Necro Butcher
Necro Butcher
Dylan Keith Summers is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Necro Butcher. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Beyond Wrestling, Firestormpro, Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA-Mid South, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Big Japan Pro Wrestling,...
, but by October 2010 all of them, except Osiris, had left the group. On January 22, 2011, Nana debuted the latest version of the Embassy, consisting of Ernesto Osiris, Mia Yim, Robert Evans, and Tommaso Ciampa
Tommaso Ciampa
Tommasso Whitney is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Tommaso Ciampa. He is currently signed to Ring of Honor, while also competing for several independent promotions, including Chaotic Wrestling, Top Rope Promotions, East Coast Wrestling Association and Northeast...
, who would take over Jimmy Rave's former role as Nana's number one wrestler. The following April and June, both Dave Taylor and Rhino made appearances representing the Embassy.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Double underhook suplex
- Signature moves
- Body avalanche
- Double underhook DDT
- Running hip attack to a cornered opponent
- 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...
- E.S. Easton
- Ernie Osiris
- Simply Luscious
- Vanessa HardingVanessa HardingLeslie Culton better known by her ring name Vanessa Harding, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and manager who has competed in North American independent promotions throughout the early 2000s including Full Impact Pro, Future of Wrestling, the Heartland Wrestling Association, Ohio...
- Wrestlers managed
-
- AbyssChris ParksChristopher J. "Chris" Parks , better known by his ring name "The Monster" Abyss, is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
- Alex ShelleyAlex ShelleyPatrick 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...
- Angel Williams
- Bison SmithBison SmithMark 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...
- Christopher DanielsChristopher DanielsDaniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is also known for performing under the ring name Curry Man. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , while also...
- Claudio CastagnoliClaudio CastagnoliClaudio 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...
- Daizee HazeDaizee HazeDaizee Haze is an American professional wrestler. Whilst wrestling for many companies Daizee Haze is also the head trainer for the Shimmer Women Athletes promotion.-Training and Gateway Championship Wrestling:...
- Dave Taylor
- Ernie Osiris/Ernesto Osiris
- Excess 69
- Diablo Santiago
- "Fast" Eddie Vegas
- Erick StevensErick StevensErick Stevens is an American professional wrestler. Stevens wrestles for many independent promotions, most notably Ring of Honor and Full Impact Pro where he is a former 2 time World Heavyweight Champion.-NWA Florida:...
- Jade ChungJade ChungJade Chung is a Canadian professional wrestler and wrestling manager who has appeared in Border City Wrestling, IWA Mid-South, the National Wrestling Alliance, Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla...
- Jimmy RaveJimmy RaveJames 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...
- Joey Ryan
- Abyss
-
- John WaltersJohn StagikasJohn Stagikas is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Hurricane" John Walters and in Lucha Libre USA as RJ Brewer, the kayfabe son of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer...
- Josh Daniels
- Mia Yim
- Killer KruelMike KruelMichael "Mike" Mayo, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Mike Kruel. He began his career in the independent circuit, wrestling in Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, East Coast Wrestling Association and USA Pro Wrestling, while occasionally making...
- Masato YoshinoMasato YoshinoMasato Yoshino is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Dragon Gate wrestling promotion.-Toryumon:...
- Necro ButcherNecro ButcherDylan Keith Summers is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Necro Butcher. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Beyond Wrestling, Firestormpro, Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA-Mid South, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Big Japan Pro Wrestling,...
- Oman Tortuga
- Petey WilliamsPetey WilliamsPeter "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...
- Pinky Sanchez
- Rhino
- Ricky MortonRicky MortonRichard Wendell "Ricky" Morton is an American professional wrestler who has worked for such wrestling organizations as Jim Crockett Promotions, the American Wrestling Association, Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and Total Nonstop Action...
- Sal RinauroSal RinauroSalvatore "Sal" Rinauro is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Ring of Honor and Full Impact Pro in addition to being a member of The Embassy.-Ring of Honor:...
- Shawn DaivariShawn DaivariDara Daivari is an Iranian American professional wrestler, currently performing on the American independent circuit as Shawn Daivari. He is best known for his work with World Wrestling Entertainment as simply Daivari and with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Sheik Abdul Bashir.-Career:Daivari...
- Tommaso CiampaTommaso CiampaTommasso Whitney is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Tommaso Ciampa. He is currently signed to Ring of Honor, while also competing for several independent promotions, including Chaotic Wrestling, Top Rope Promotions, East Coast Wrestling Association and Northeast...
- Vanessa HardingVanessa HardingLeslie Culton better known by her ring name Vanessa Harding, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and manager who has competed in North American independent promotions throughout the early 2000s including Full Impact Pro, Future of Wrestling, the Heartland Wrestling Association, Ohio...
- XavierJohn JirusJohn Jirus is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Ring of Honor between 2002 and 2004 as Xavier. He is a former ROH Champion.-Professional wrestling career:Jirus trained under Tony DeVito before debuting in 1997...
- John Walters
Championships and accomplishments
- CyberSpace Wrestling Federation
- CSWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Sonjay DuttSonjay DuttRetesh Bhalla is an American professional wrestler of Indian Punjabi descent, better known by his ring name, Sonjay Dutt. He is best known working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and is also known for his stints with Combat Zone Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, and other various independent...
- CSWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Sonjay Dutt
- East Coast Wrestling AssociationEast Coast Wrestling AssociationEast Coast Wrestling Association is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded by promoter Jim Kettner in 1967. It is home to the annual Super 8 Tournament, one of the longest-running independent wrestling tournaments in the country...
- ECWA Heavyweight ChampionshipECWA Heavyweight ChampionshipECWA Heavyweight Championship is the top title contested in the independent professional wrestling promotion East Coast Wrestling Association.-References:...
(1 time) - ECWA Mid Atlantic ChampionshipECWA Mid Atlantic ChampionshipECWA Mid Atlantic Championship is the secondary championship contested in the independent professional wrestling promotion, East Coast Wrestling Association.-Title history:-References:...
(2 times)
- ECWA Heavyweight Championship
- New York Wrestling Connection
- NYWC Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with MEGA
- 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 #311 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010
- USA Pro Wrestling
- USA Pro New York State Championship (2 times)