Ronnie Arniell
Encyclopedia
Ronnie William Arneill is a Canadian
professional wrestler
, better known by his ring name as Shawn Spears. He is perhaps best known for his stint with World Wrestling Entertainment
on its ECW brand, where he briefly performed under the ring name Gavin Spears.
, and Mr. Perfect
.
at the WrestlePlex school before receiving further training from Derek Wylde and Cody Deaner
. Upon wrestling his debut match in March 2002 as Shawn Spears, he began wrestling for some of the biggest independent wrestling promotions throughout Ontario and the United States, including Border City Wrestling
, World Xtreme Wrestling
, and Blood Sweat and Ears
. In February 2005, Arneill made an appearance on an edition of WWE Heat
in a tag team match against Rosey and The Hurricane.
After sending a tape to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) officials, Arneill was called for a try-out in Buffalo, New York
. He was signed to a developmental contract by WWE following the tryout, on January 21, 2006.
(OVW). He made his OVW television debut as "The Canadian Sensation" Shawn Spears, where he defeated then-SmackDown! superstar Simon Dean
. After his victory, Dean attacked Spears until Spears was saved by Al Snow
, who fended off Dean with a chair. After his debut, Spears quickly made an impact in OVW with a short undefeated streak that was soon ended by Aaron "The Idol" Stevens
when Stevens made Spears submit. After this, Spears formed a tag team with Cody Runnels and they feuded with The Throwbacks
for the Southern Tag Team Championship
. On December 15, 2006, Spears and Runnels won the title from The Throwbacks.
On March 17, 2007, Spears won the Television Championship
from Boris Alexiev, his first singles title in OVW. Soon after winning the title, he became more focused on championships and even began trying to steal Runnels' Heavyweight Championship
opportunity. Spears' greediness peaked after the team lost the Tag Team Title, leaving Spears with only the Television Title. During Runnels' Heavyweight Title match, Spears interfered and performed a piledriver
to Runnels, preventing him from winning the Heavyweight Championship and thus solidifying his heel
turn. Spears then began feuding
with Runnels and eventually lost the Television Championship to him on July 6, 2007 before winning it back one week later. He once again lost the title on September 19 to the debuting Ted "Manbeast" McNailer. Spears later regained the TV Title, only to lose it to Colt Cabana. Spears then began feuding with Cabana and the pair would go on to win the vacant Tag Team Title with on November 7 after defeating Paul Burchill
and Stu Sanders
. On December 19, Cabana and Spears' feud culminated in a ladder match
in which the winner would claim the Tag Team titles for themselves and choose a new partner. Spears lost to Cabana, who then chose Charles "The Hammer" Evans as his new tag team partner.
and teamed up with Nic Nemeth
to defeat The Puerto Rican Nightmares
for the Florida Tag Team Championship
on August 16.> Nearly a month later, Nemeth and Spears lost the title to Joe Hennig
and Heath Miller on September 11.
's "New Superstar Initiative" in a losing effort to Ricky Ortiz. After his ECW debut, Spears began splitting time between ECW and FCW. On the September 2 edition of ECW, Spears was defeated by Super Crazy
. After a three month absence due to competing in FCW, Spears returned to television on the December 16 episode of ECW, where he lost to Finlay
in what turned out to be his final match for the company. On January 19, 2009, Arneill was released from his contract.
in a tryout dark match for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
at their Impact! television tapings. On June 12, Arneill wrestled at a Ring of Honor
show, where he defeated Alex Payne. On August 15, he teamed up with Idol Stevens
to capture the WWC World Tag Team Championship
after defeating Thunder and Lighting
. On October 31, Spears and Stevens lost the World Tag Team Title back to Thunder and Lightning.
On May 16, 2010, Arneill, under his Gavin Spears ring name, teamed up with El Hijo de L.A. Park
in a losing effort to Dr. Wagner III and Gigante Extassis on an Extreme Air Wrestle show in Mexico, marking his first tour of Mexico. On May 28 and 29, Arneill made appearances at the 2010 Anime North
convention.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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 his ring name as Shawn Spears. He is perhaps best known for his stint with World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
on its ECW brand, where he briefly performed under the ring name Gavin Spears.
Early life
Born and raised in St. Catharines, Ontario, Arneill was an avid hockey fan during his childhood but eventually chose wrestling over hockey at the age of five. During his childhood, he was a fan of Rick Rude, Rick MartelRick Martel
Richard Vigneault is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation between 1980 and 1995 under the ring name Rick Martel...
, and Mr. Perfect
Curt Hennig
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World...
.
Professional wrestling career
Arniell trained with Eric YoungEric Young (wrestler)
Jeremy Fritz is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known under his ring name Eric Young. He currently performs for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he has gained popularity using a variety of comic relief gimmicks....
at the WrestlePlex school before receiving further training from Derek Wylde and Cody Deaner
Cody Deaner
Chris Grey , better known by his ring name Cody Deaner, is a Canadian professional wrestler, who worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.-Independent wrestling :...
. Upon wrestling his debut match in March 2002 as Shawn Spears, he began wrestling for some of the biggest independent wrestling promotions throughout Ontario and the United States, including Border City Wrestling
Border City Wrestling
Border City Wrestling was an independent professional wrestling promotion once based in Windsor, Ontario. It was the base promotion for several Total Nonstop Action Wrestling wrestlers, including all of the former Team Canada, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley. Many BCW employees were trained by Scott...
, World Xtreme Wrestling
World Xtreme Wrestling
World Xtreme Wrestling is a Northeastern-based independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and have toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American Samoa and Guam....
, and Blood Sweat and Ears
Blood Sweat and Ears
BSE Pro is a former Canadian independent professional wrestling organization, founded in 2005. It held 10-12 events a year in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as quarterly tours to Northern Ontario cities such as Timmins, Sudbury, Iroquois Falls, Kirkland Lake and North Bay...
. In February 2005, Arneill made an appearance on an edition of WWE Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
in a tag team match against Rosey and The Hurricane.
After sending a tape to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) officials, Arneill was called for a try-out in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. He was signed to a developmental contract by WWE following the tryout, on January 21, 2006.
Ohio Valley Wrestling
After signing his WWE contract, Arneill was assigned to the company's developmental territory, Ohio Valley WrestlingOhio 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...
(OVW). He made his OVW television debut as "The Canadian Sensation" Shawn Spears, where he defeated then-SmackDown! superstar Simon Dean
Mike Bucci
Michael "Mike" Bucci is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. Bucci is probably best known for his appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling as Nova, Super Nova, and "Hollywood" Nova and World Wrestling Entertainment as Simon Dean...
. After his victory, Dean attacked Spears until Spears was saved by Al Snow
Al Snow
Allen Ray Sarven is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name of Al Snow. He is best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment and currently works for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a road agent.-Early career:Sarven...
, who fended off Dean with a chair. After his debut, Spears quickly made an impact in OVW with a short undefeated streak that was soon ended by Aaron "The Idol" Stevens
Aaron Stevens (wrestler)
Aaron Haddad is an American professional wrestler. He is contracted to WWE, and appears in Florida Championship Wrestling , a WWE developmental territory, as Damien Sandow. He is the current FCW 15 Champion...
when Stevens made Spears submit. After this, Spears formed a tag team with Cody Runnels and they feuded with The Throwbacks
Deuce 'n Domino
Deuce 'n Domino was the name of a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Deuce Shade and Dice Domino, who were managed for the majority of their run by Cherry Pie and briefly by Maryse. The pair teamed together in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling from 2006 through 2008...
for the Southern Tag Team Championship
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
The OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. As of 2011, the current champions are Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver, known as The Elite in their fourth reign...
. On December 15, 2006, Spears and Runnels won the title from The Throwbacks.
On March 17, 2007, Spears won the Television Championship
OVW Television Championship
The OVW Television Championship is the secondary championship of Ohio Valley Wrestling started on January 5, 2005. When the title was originally conceived, the champion defended against randomly selected opponents, with the winner receiving a check for $1000...
from Boris Alexiev, his first singles title in OVW. Soon after winning the title, he became more focused on championships and even began trying to steal Runnels' Heavyweight Championship
OVW Heavyweight Championship
The OVW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned by the Ohio Valley Wrestling promotion. The title was introduced on August 17, 1997 at an OVW live event, then known as the NWA-OVW Heavyweight Championship due to OVW's relationship with the National...
opportunity. Spears' greediness peaked after the team lost the Tag Team Title, leaving Spears with only the Television Title. During Runnels' Heavyweight Title match, Spears interfered and performed a piledriver
Piledriver (professional wrestling)
A piledriver is a professional wrestling driver move in which the wrestler grabs his opponent, turns him upside-down, and drops into a sitting or kneeling position, driving the opponent head-first into the mat. The most common piledrivers are the basic belly-to-back, or Texas piledriver, and the...
to Runnels, preventing him from winning the Heavyweight Championship and thus solidifying his 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...
turn. Spears then began feuding
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Runnels and eventually lost the Television Championship to him on July 6, 2007 before winning it back one week later. He once again lost the title on September 19 to the debuting Ted "Manbeast" McNailer. Spears later regained the TV Title, only to lose it to Colt Cabana. Spears then began feuding with Cabana and the pair would go on to win the vacant Tag Team Title with on November 7 after defeating Paul Burchill
Paul Burchill
Paul Birchill , better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment , where he signed after training and debuting for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance in his home country.-Frontier Wrestling Alliance...
and Stu Sanders
Stu Sanders
Stuart Alexander "Stu" Bennett is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Wade Barrett...
. On December 19, Cabana and Spears' feud culminated in a ladder match
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
in which the winner would claim the Tag Team titles for themselves and choose a new partner. Spears lost to Cabana, who then chose Charles "The Hammer" Evans as his new tag team partner.
Florida Championship Wrestling
After OVW split with WWE, Spears debuted in WWE's new development territory Florida Championship WrestlingFlorida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
and teamed up with Nic Nemeth
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...
to defeat The Puerto Rican Nightmares
The Puerto Rican Nightmares
The Puerto Rican Nightmares were a professional tag team. The team consisted of Eddie Colón and Eric Pérez. -Florida Championship Wrestling :...
for the Florida Tag Team Championship
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship
The Florida Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling , the developmental territory of WWE. It is contested for in their tag team division...
on August 16.> Nearly a month later, Nemeth and Spears lost the title to Joe Hennig
Joe Hennig
Joseph "Joe" Hennig is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE and working on the Raw brand, under the ring name Michael McGillicutty. He previously wrestled at their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling...
and Heath Miller on September 11.
ECW and departure
On the August 19 episode of ECW, Spears made his WWE television debut as a heel under the name Gavin Spears as part of Theodore LongTheodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
's "New Superstar Initiative" in a losing effort to Ricky Ortiz. After his ECW debut, Spears began splitting time between ECW and FCW. On the September 2 edition of ECW, Spears was defeated by Super Crazy
Super Crazy
Francisco Islas Rueda is a Mexican professional wrestler, or Luchador, best known by his ring name Super Crazy. Islas is most known for his three year run in the original ECW...
. After a three month absence due to competing in FCW, Spears returned to television on the December 16 episode of ECW, where he lost to Finlay
Dave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...
in what turned out to be his final match for the company. On January 19, 2009, Arneill was released from his contract.
Independent circuit (2009–present)
The day before he had been released from WWE, Arneill had broken his hand, and was unable to wrestle for 12 weeks following his release as a result. On May 27, 2009, Spears wrestled and lost to fellow WWE alumnus Elijah BurkeElijah 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...
in a tryout dark match for 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...
at their Impact! television tapings. On June 12, Arneill wrestled at a 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...
show, where he defeated Alex Payne. On August 15, he teamed up with Idol Stevens
Aaron Stevens (wrestler)
Aaron Haddad is an American professional wrestler. He is contracted to WWE, and appears in Florida Championship Wrestling , a WWE developmental territory, as Damien Sandow. He is the current FCW 15 Champion...
to capture the WWC World Tag Team Championship
WWC World Tag Team Championship
The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council.-Title history:-External links:***...
after defeating Thunder and Lighting
Thunder and Lightning (professional wrestling)
Thunder and Lightning is a Puerto Rican professional wrestling tag team consisting of masked wrestlers Reynaldo Rodriguez and Alex Cruz under the ring names Thunder and Lightning respectively.- World Wrestling Council :Both members trained in various small independent Puerto Rico wrestling...
. On October 31, Spears and Stevens lost the World Tag Team Title back to Thunder and Lightning.
On May 16, 2010, Arneill, under his Gavin Spears ring name, teamed up with El Hijo de L.A. Park
El Hijo de L.A. Park
El Hijo de L.A. Park is a Mexican Luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler. As his name indicates he is the son of Adolfo Tapia, the original "La Parka", who currently wrestles as "L.A. Park". Originally he wrestled under the name "Black Spirit", keeping the family relation to L.A....
in a losing effort to Dr. Wagner III and Gigante Extassis on an Extreme Air Wrestle show in Mexico, marking his first tour of Mexico. On May 28 and 29, Arneill made appearances at the 2010 Anime North
Anime North
Anime North is a non-profit, fan-run anime convention, held every year in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its major attractions, activities and events include a Masquerade, a Dealers Room, an Artists Alley, Guest of Honor presentations, Gaming , Panel Discussions, Video Presentations, Contests, and Dances...
convention.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Running Death Valley Driver
- Signature moves
- Belly to belly suplex
- Frog splash
- Hangman's neckbreaker
- Lariat
- PowerbombPowerbombA powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
- SharpshooterSharpshooter (professional wrestling)The Sharpshooter, originally named Sasori-gatame, Scorpion Hold in English, is a professional wrestling submission hold. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock...
- Spinning backbreaker
- Superplex
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- "The Canadian Bad Boy"
- "The Canadian Sensation"
Championships and accomplishments
- Adrenaline Live Wrestling
- ALW Georgian Bay Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- American Combat Wrestling
- ACW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Canadian Independent Wrestling Alliance
- CIWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Florida Championship WrestlingFlorida Championship WrestlingChampionship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
- FCW Florida Tag Team ChampionshipFCW Florida Tag Team ChampionshipThe Florida Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling , the developmental territory of WWE. It is contested for in their tag team division...
(1 time) – with Nic NemethNick NemethNicholas 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...
- FCW Florida Tag Team Championship
- Ground Breaking Pro Wrestling
- GBPW Championship (1 time, current)
- Great Lakes Championship Wrestling
- GLCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Flexx Falcone
- Neo Spirit Pro Wrestling
- NSPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with J.T. Playa
- Ohio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
- OVW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipOVW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipThe OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. As of 2011, the current champions are Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver, known as The Elite in their fourth reign...
(3 times) – with Cody Runnels (2) and Colt Cabana (1) - OVW Television ChampionshipOVW Television ChampionshipThe OVW Television Championship is the secondary championship of Ohio Valley Wrestling started on January 5, 2005. When the title was originally conceived, the champion defended against randomly selected opponents, with the winner receiving a check for $1000...
(3 times)
- OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him #221 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010
- Pure Wrestling Association
- PWA Pure Wrestling Championship (1 time)
- World Wrestling CouncilWorld Wrestling CouncilThe World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....
- WWC World Tag Team ChampionshipWWC World Tag Team ChampionshipThe WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council.-Title history:-External links:***...
(1 time) – with Idol StevensAaron Stevens (wrestler)Aaron Haddad is an American professional wrestler. He is contracted to WWE, and appears in Florida Championship Wrestling , a WWE developmental territory, as Damien Sandow. He is the current FCW 15 Champion...
- WWC World Tag Team Championship