Tyrone Evans
Encyclopedia
Tyrone Evans is an American professional wrestler
. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment
, where he performed on the Raw
brand
under the name Michael Tarver as a member of The Nexus
. He also participated in the first season of WWE NXT
in early 2010.
's promotion Price of Glory Wrestling, where he participated in an elimination match won by N8 Mattson.
Evans also wrestled for several Cleveland, Ohio
-based promotions
. In March 2006, Evans debuted for the Main Event Wrestling League in Ohio, teaming with Kato to defeated Chris Kole in a handicap match. In December, Evans challenged Robby Starr for the MEWL Championship, but lost the match by disqualification. A rematch in March 2007, saw Starr defeat Evans again. At MEWL's Honky Tonk Saturday Night show the following month, however, Evans defeated Starr and won the MEWL Heavyweight Championship. In July 2006, Evans beat Savage at an Absolute Intense Wrestling show. He returned to AIW in May 2007, losing to Thrillbilly, and in September 2007, where he defeated Eddie Kingston
by submission in the third round of their 'Strong Style' Challenge match. In April 2007, Evans challenged Jason Bane for the Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling Television Championship, but was unsuccessful. On May 6, at May Meltdown, The B.E.T. (Evans and Josh Emmanuel) defeated Jeff Brooks and Kid Hybrid in a tag team match
, and the following month at A Hot Summer's Night The B.E.T. defeated The Clash (Ernie Ballz and Brian Bender).
Evans also wrestled for Pro Wrestling Unplugged, making his debut on October 27, 2007 at Dark Night, where he introduced himself as "The Panther" Tyrone Evans before losing to The Sandman by disqualification. In December, Evans lost once again to The Sandman, before he changed his nickname
to "Black Panther" in February 2008 at Last Chance: Do or Die.
, their developmental territory. In FCW, he began wrestling under the ring name
Tyrone Jones. In May, he feuded
with Atlas DaBone. Throughout June and July, he faced wrestlers including Kevin Kiley, Jr. and TJ Wilson, and on July 21, he lost a dark match to Jamie Noble
on July 21 prior to Raw
. In September he gained Byron Saxton as a manager
, and changed his ring name to Tyson Tarver. He became part of The Saxton Conglomerate, a faction composed of Tarver, Black Pain, Stu Sanders
and led by Byron Saxton. Tarver had his first match with the Conglomerate on October 30, where he, Pain and Sanders lost to Johnny Prime, Kafu
and Sinn Bowdee
. Prime soon began feuding with the Conglomerate, and on November 20, Tarver lost to him in a singles match. On December 18, Tarver and Sanders lost to Prime and Kaleb O'Neal. At the December 9 FCW television tapings, Tarver returned from his injury and defeated Donny Marlow.
In 2009, Evans changed his ring name to 'Michael Tarver'. He continued competing in FCW throughout the remainder of 2009, facing wrestlers including Wes Brisco and Skip Sheffield, with whom he feuded in November 2009. In December, Tarver became associated with Heath Slater, interfering in Slater's matches and accompanying him to the ring. The following month, Tarver began a feud with Titus O'Neil
. After twice interrupting O'Neil, Tarver defeated him in a singles match on February 18.
show, with Carlito
as his storyline mentor. On the inaugural episode of NXT on February 23, Tarver and Carlito were defeated by Christian and Heath Slater in a tag team match. After six more losses and being ranked second to last in the first Pro's Poll, Tarver picked up his first victory on the May 4 episode of NXT by defeating Daniel Bryan
. Tarver also neglected to perform any of the rookie challenges in NXT stating that he was not there to perform menial tasks. On May 11, Tarver was eliminated during the first elimination round of NXT alongside Daniel Bryan as they lacked the confidence to continue in the competition.
The week after the NXT season finale, Tarver and the rest of the season one NXT rookies interfered in the main event match between John Cena
and CM Punk on Raw, attacking Cena, Punk, the announce team, and the ring announcer
Justin Roberts
, before dismantling the ring area and surrounding equipment. On the June 14 edition of Raw the rookies (excluding Daniel Bryan) attacked General Manager Bret Hart
, when he refused to give them contracts. The following week on Raw, Vince McMahon
fired Hart and announced the hiring of a new General Manager, who had signed the seven season one NXT rookies to contracts. The following week the group was named The Nexus
. On the July 12 episode of Raw, The Nexus competed in their first match together, without Darren Young, defeating John Cena in a six–on–one handicap match. The Nexus continued to feud with Cena and the Raw roster, resulting in a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match at SummerSlam
which saw the return of former Nexus member Daniel Bryan
, who aligned himself with team WWE. Tarver was the second person eliminated from the match when he was pinned by John Morrison, and The Nexus went on to lose the match. On the October 4 episode of Raw, Tarver was attacked by Cena, with Barrett later stating that he would have thrown Tarver out of The Nexus anyway. This storyline was put in place due to Tarver sustaining a groin injury.
In January 2011, Tarver began mysteriously appearing in the background of backstage segments on both Raw and SmackDown!. During these instances, he often wore a suit jacket, typed
on his phone, and quietly smirked at the ongoing situations much to the curiosity of the commentators. Tarver would also be the focus in some segments, being introduced to Alberto Del Rio and watching a tag team match on a TV screen. However, nothing would ultimately come of this, and on June 13, 2011, it was announced that Tarver had been released from his contract.
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...
. He is best known for his time in 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...
, where he performed on the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
under the name Michael Tarver as a member of The Nexus
Nexus (professional wrestling)
The Nexus was a villainous professional wrestling stable in the professional wrestling promotion, WWE, that competed on its Raw brand. The group originally consisted of all eight rookies of NXT season one and shifted their roster several times throughout their existence...
. He also participated in the first season of WWE NXT
WWE NXT
WWE NXT is a sports entertainment television program produced by WWE that debuted on February 23, 2010. Described as a hybrid between reality television and WWE's scripted live event shows, the premise of the show follows select talent contracted to WWE's developmental territory Florida...
in early 2010.
Early career (2005–2008)
Evans defeated Brandon X in a match at an NWA East event on February 19, 2005. Evans defeated Daron Smythe for the Pro Wrestling Express (PWX) Brass Knuckles Championship on April 2, 2005. On June 11, Venom defeated Evans for the Brass Knuckles Championship. After the title loss, Evans challenged Brandon K for the territory's Heavyweight Championship on September 8, 2006, and was unsuccessful. Later that year, he wrestled for Dan SevernDan Severn
Daniel DeWayne Severn is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, notable for his success in the early years of Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. Severn has fought and wrestled for many mixed martial arts and professional wrestling promotions, including King of the...
's promotion Price of Glory Wrestling, where he participated in an elimination match won by N8 Mattson.
Evans also wrestled for several Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
-based promotions
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...
. In March 2006, Evans debuted for the Main Event Wrestling League in Ohio, teaming with Kato to defeated Chris Kole in a handicap match. In December, Evans challenged Robby Starr for the MEWL Championship, but lost the match by disqualification. A rematch in March 2007, saw Starr defeat Evans again. At MEWL's Honky Tonk Saturday Night show the following month, however, Evans defeated Starr and won the MEWL Heavyweight Championship. In July 2006, Evans beat Savage at an Absolute Intense Wrestling show. He returned to AIW in May 2007, losing to Thrillbilly, and in September 2007, where he defeated Eddie Kingston
Eddie Kingston
Edward "Eddie" Moore is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Eddie Kingston. He is best known for competing in Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South and Ring of Honor...
by submission in the third round of their 'Strong Style' Challenge match. In April 2007, Evans challenged Jason Bane for the Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling Television Championship, but was unsuccessful. On May 6, at May Meltdown, The B.E.T. (Evans and Josh Emmanuel) defeated Jeff Brooks and Kid Hybrid in a tag team match
Professional wrestling tag team match types
Much like singles matches, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace...
, and the following month at A Hot Summer's Night The B.E.T. defeated The Clash (Ernie Ballz and Brian Bender).
Evans also wrestled for Pro Wrestling Unplugged, making his debut on October 27, 2007 at Dark Night, where he introduced himself as "The Panther" Tyrone Evans before losing to The Sandman by disqualification. In December, Evans lost once again to The Sandman, before he changed his nickname
Nickname
A 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....
to "Black Panther" in February 2008 at Last Chance: Do or Die.
Florida Championship Wrestling (2008-2010)
In 2008, Evans signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment and was assigned to 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...
, their developmental territory. In FCW, he began wrestling 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:...
Tyrone Jones. In May, he feuded
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 Atlas DaBone. Throughout June and July, he faced wrestlers including Kevin Kiley, Jr. and TJ Wilson, and on July 21, he lost a dark match to Jamie Noble
Jamie Noble
James Howard Gibson better known by his WWE ring name Jamie Noble, is an American former professional wrestler currently working for WWE as a trainer. He is best known for his work from 2002 to 2009 when a severe back injury forced him to retire from competition...
on July 21 prior to Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
. In September he gained Byron Saxton as a manager
Manager (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...
, and changed his ring name to Tyson Tarver. He became part of The Saxton Conglomerate, a faction composed of Tarver, Black Pain, Stu Sanders
Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett is a retired American soccer player. He is currently an assistant coach at Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo-College:...
and led by Byron Saxton. Tarver had his first match with the Conglomerate on October 30, where he, Pain and Sanders lost to Johnny Prime, Kafu
Kafu
Victor Ceron is a Brazilian professional wrestler, better known under his ring name, Kafu. Kafu has worked for All Pro Wrestling , Inoki Dojo, International Wrestling Association, Big Time Wrestling, LLX World 1, PCW, NWA Pro, Portugal Wrestling, and the WWE development territory Florida...
and Sinn Bowdee
Nick Cvjetkovich
Nicholas "Nick" Cvjetkovich is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he worked on its SmackDown brand as Kizarny.-Training and beginning:...
. Prime soon began feuding with the Conglomerate, and on November 20, Tarver lost to him in a singles match. On December 18, Tarver and Sanders lost to Prime and Kaleb O'Neal. At the December 9 FCW television tapings, Tarver returned from his injury and defeated Donny Marlow.
In 2009, Evans changed his ring name to 'Michael Tarver'. He continued competing in FCW throughout the remainder of 2009, facing wrestlers including Wes Brisco and Skip Sheffield, with whom he feuded in November 2009. In December, Tarver became associated with Heath Slater, interfering in Slater's matches and accompanying him to the ring. The following month, Tarver began a feud with Titus O'Neil
Thaddeus Bullard
Thaddeus Michael Bullard is an American professional wrestler and former college and professional football player. Bullard played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally in the Arena Football League. Bullard is a professional wrestler, and is signed...
. After twice interrupting O'Neil, Tarver defeated him in a singles match on February 18.
NXT, The Nexus and departure (2010-2011)
On February 16, 2010, it was announced that Tarver was one of the eight FCW wrestlers that would be competing on the first season of the WWE NXTWWE NXT
WWE NXT is a sports entertainment television program produced by WWE that debuted on February 23, 2010. Described as a hybrid between reality television and WWE's scripted live event shows, the premise of the show follows select talent contracted to WWE's developmental territory Florida...
show, with Carlito
Carly Colon
Carlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Entertainment , but was released from his contract on May 21, 2010. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both...
as his storyline mentor. On the inaugural episode of NXT on February 23, Tarver and Carlito were defeated by Christian and Heath Slater in a tag team match. After six more losses and being ranked second to last in the first Pro's Poll, Tarver picked up his first victory on the May 4 episode of NXT by defeating Daniel Bryan
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...
. Tarver also neglected to perform any of the rookie challenges in NXT stating that he was not there to perform menial tasks. On May 11, Tarver was eliminated during the first elimination round of NXT alongside Daniel Bryan as they lacked the confidence to continue in the competition.
The week after the NXT season finale, Tarver and the rest of the season one NXT rookies interfered in the main event match between John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
and CM Punk on Raw, attacking Cena, Punk, the announce team, and the ring announcer
Ring announcer
A ring announcer is a paid in-ring employee for a boxing, professional wrestling, or mixed martial arts event or promotion...
Justin Roberts
Justin Roberts
Justin Jason Roberts is an American professional wrestling ring announcer, currently working for WWE appearing on its Raw brand.-Career:...
, before dismantling the ring area and surrounding equipment. On the June 14 edition of Raw the rookies (excluding Daniel Bryan) attacked General Manager Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
, when he refused to give them contracts. The following week on Raw, Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
fired Hart and announced the hiring of a new General Manager, who had signed the seven season one NXT rookies to contracts. The following week the group was named The Nexus
Nexus (professional wrestling)
The Nexus was a villainous professional wrestling stable in the professional wrestling promotion, WWE, that competed on its Raw brand. The group originally consisted of all eight rookies of NXT season one and shifted their roster several times throughout their existence...
. On the July 12 episode of Raw, The Nexus competed in their first match together, without Darren Young, defeating John Cena in a six–on–one handicap match. The Nexus continued to feud with Cena and the Raw roster, resulting in a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2010)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , that took place on August 15, 2010 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California for the second consecutive year...
which saw the return of former Nexus member Daniel Bryan
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...
, who aligned himself with team WWE. Tarver was the second person eliminated from the match when he was pinned by John Morrison, and The Nexus went on to lose the match. On the October 4 episode of Raw, Tarver was attacked by Cena, with Barrett later stating that he would have thrown Tarver out of The Nexus anyway. This storyline was put in place due to Tarver sustaining a groin injury.
In January 2011, Tarver began mysteriously appearing in the background of backstage segments on both Raw and SmackDown!. During these instances, he often wore a suit jacket, typed
Text messaging
Text messaging, or texting, refers to the exchange of brief written text messages between fixed-line phone or mobile phone and fixed or portable devices over a network...
on his phone, and quietly smirked at the ongoing situations much to the curiosity of the commentators. Tarver would also be the focus in some segments, being introduced to Alberto Del Rio and watching a tag team match on a TV screen. However, nothing would ultimately come of this, and on June 13, 2011, it was announced that Tarver had been released from his contract.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Kill Shot (Knockout punch)
- Tarver's Lightning (Reverse thrown scoop powerslam)
- Signature moves
- Multiple jabJabA jab is a type of punch used in the martial arts.Several variations of the jab exist, but every jab shares these characteristics: while in a fighting stance, the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended...
s - Overhead belly-to-belly suplex
- Multiple jab
- 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...
- Byron Saxton
- 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- "Black Panther"
- "Iron"
- "The New Danger"
- "The Panther"
- "The Upgrade"
- "Mr. 1.9"
- 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...
- "We Are OneThe Only Easy Day Was YesterdayThe Only Easy Day Was Yesterday is an EP from the American rock band 12 Stones. It was released on July 20, 2010 by Wind-up Records and debuted at #103 on the Billboard 200....
" by 12 Stones12 Stones12 Stones is a rock band that was formed in 2000 in Mandeville, Louisiana. They have collectively sold more than 2 million records.-History:The four band members met in Mandeville, Louisiana, a small suburb north of New Orleans, and within 15 months were signed to a record deal with Wind-up Records...
(WWE;June 7 2010-October 4 2010;Used while a part of the NexusNexus (professional wrestling)The Nexus was a villainous professional wrestling stable in the professional wrestling promotion, WWE, that competed on its Raw brand. The group originally consisted of all eight rookies of NXT season one and shifted their roster several times throughout their existence...
)
- "We Are One
Championships and accomplishments
- Main Event Wrestling League
- MEWL Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Xpress
- PWX Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)
- 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 Feud of the Year (2010) –
- PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2010) –
- PWI ranked him #132 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- Slammy Award for Shocker of the Year (2010) –