Danny Limelight

Last updated
Danny Limelight
Birth nameDaniel Luis Rivera
Born (1991-09-02) September 2, 1991 (age 32)
Brooklyn, New York, United States [1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Danny Limelight
Danny Rivera
Rivera
Billed height172 cm (5 ft 8 in) [2]
Billed weight79 kg (174 lb) [2]
Billed fromBrooklyn, New York [3] [4]
Trained by
[5]
DebutOctober 11, 2014 [2]
Military service
Service/branch USMC logo.svg United States Marines Corps
Years of service2009–2019
Rank USMC-E6.svg Staff Sergeant

Daniel Luis Rivera [6] (born September 2, 1991), better known by his ring names Danny Limelight, Danny Rivera and Rivera, is a Puerto Rican-American professional wrestler, currently performing for United Wrestling Network's Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, where he is the current UWN World Champion. He also performs on the independent circuit and makes sporadic appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Limelight has also had notable runs in Major League Wrestling, and All Elite Wrestling.

Contents

Early life

Rivera was a fan of the then World Wrestling Federation's Attitude Era, specifically of The Rock, the D-Generation X stable, and the Hell in a Cell match from Badd Blood: In Your House in 1997. [7]

In 2009, Rivera entered the United States Marines Corps at the age of 17. He achieved the rank of Staff sergeant and worked as a Drill instructor before retiring in 2019. [8]

Professional wrestling career

Early career

Rivera was inspired to be a wrestler after speaking with Joe Gamble, a wrestler and acquaintance from Rivera's time in the Marines at a WWE live event in San Diego. [7] After initial training with and competing in matches for SoCal Pro Wrestling, Rivera would start wrestling for promotions in Southern California and Tijuana specifically for Championship Wrestling from Hollywood and The Crash Lucha Libre. [7] Rivera would be in the Los Primos Rivera tag team with Gino Rivera in 2016.

Championship Wrestling From Hollywood (2019–present)

In 2019, Limelight would begin to feature more prominently on Championship Wrestling from Hollywood. He would be on the losing end against Royce Isaacs for the UWN Television Championship [9] [10] and compete in a Fatal Four-Way match with Brandon Cutler, Adrian Quest, and Fidel Bravo at the 2019 Coastline Clash. [11] Limelight was one of a group of wrestlers from Championship Wrestling to compete at Impact Wrestling's Unbreakable event in 2019.

In 2020, Limelight would begin teaming with Papo Esco to form the tag team, the Bodega, [12] becoming UWN Tag Team Champions. [13] In 2021, Limelight and Esco would add Slice Boogie to their group. [14] Together, the trio invoked Freebird Rule to defend the titles until their defeat against the Midnight Heat. [15]

In 2022, Limelight focused more on singles competition. After defeating Willie Mack and Tyler Bateman in the finals of the Golden Opportunity Tournament, Limelight would go on to defeat Jordan Clearwater for the UWN World Championship. [16] [17] Before Championship Wrestling went on hiatus due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA sticks in 2023, Danny Limelight had successfully defended the World Championship against Clark Connors, Zicky Dice, Tom Lawlor, and Moose. In another defense, he fought Eddie Kingston to a no contest. [18]

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020–present)

Main article: Team Filthy

Danny Limelight debuted at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Lion's Break Collision event and was one of the first mainstays on NJPW Strong . Limelight was an entrant in Strong's Lion's Break Crown tournament where he defeated Barrett Brown in the first round and Blake Christian in the semi-finals. Limelight would lose in the finals of the tournament to Clark Connors. [19] Not long after his loss, Limelight would attack Rocky Romero after his match with Rust Taylor and align with Team Filthy. [20] Limelight would feud on and off with Romero, often being on the opposite side of him in tag team matches. Limelight would also face Homicide at Detonation 2022.

All Elite Wrestling (2020–2021)

On October 21, 2020, Danny Limelight made his All Elite Wrestling debut on AEW Dark on the losing end of a six-man tag team match with Steve Gibki & Tony Vincita against Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, and Marko Stunt). [21] During his time in the promotion, he would be a main stay on Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation, obtaining victories over Fuego Del Sol, Sean Maluta, and Baron Black in singles matches. [22] [23] [24] His fist and only televised AEW match came on the January 6, 2021 edition of AEW Dynamite as he and the Varsity Blondes (Griff Garrison and Brian Pillman Jr.) faced Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers. [25]

Major League Wrestling (2021–2022)

Main article: Latin American Xchange

On July 10, 2021, Danny Rivera, Slice Boogie, and Julius Smokes were introduced by Konnan as members of LAX at Major League Wrestling's Battle Riot III. Eventually, the team would be known as 5150. Rivera and Boogie defeated Myron Reed and Jordan Oliver of Injustice. [26] After fueding with L.A. Park Jr. and El Hijo de L.A. Park, Rivera and Boogie defeated them for the MLW World Tag Team Championships on November 6, 2021. [27] 5150 would defeated for the MLW tag titles against E. J. Nduka and Calvin Tankman (Hustle and Power). [28] Rivera and Boogie would feud with Marshall and Ross Von Erich around this time. Once Hernandez joined 5150, he and Rivera would compete against Hustle and Power and the Von Erichs for the MLW tag titles. Hustle and Power would retain with Rivera taking the pin. [29]

International Wrestling Association (2022)

As part of an agreement with MLW, Danny Rivera wrestled for International Wrestling Association during their Christmas in PR 2021. Teaming up with Savio Vega, Rivera faced The Owners of Time (Nick Mercer & Leinord White) to a no contest. On January 15, 2022, Rivera and Slice Boogie defeated Mercer and Manny Freno (replacing White) for the IWA World Tag Team Championships in a match where the MLW tag team titles were on the line. [30] 5150 would hold the titles until February 26, 2022, when they would be defeated by Lightning & Mr. Big.

Filmography

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2022 NCIS [31] SRT #2"Pledge of Allegiance"
2024 The Brothers Sun [31] SWAT Cop"Gymkata"

Championships and accomplishments

Professional wrestling

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Romero</span> American professional wrestler

John Raymond Rivera, better known by his ring name Rocky Romero, is a Cuban-American professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where is a Vice President in both comapnies. He is a member of Chaos. He also makes appearances for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), and Major League Wrestling. Also known by his nickname "Azúcar ", he is best known for his accomplishments as a tag team wrestler. He was member of tag teams like The Havana Pitbulls/Los Cubanitos, Forever Hooligans, and Roppongi Vice. His tenure as the fourth incarnation of Black Tiger was also met with praise and recognition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Lawlor</span> American mixed martial arts fighter

Thomas Joseph Lawlor is an American professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and podcast host. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was the inaugural and longest reigning NJPW Strong Openweight Champion, and Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is the current MLW World Tag Team Champion in his first reign, a former one-time MLW World Heavyweight Champion and the winner of the first-ever Battle Riot in 2018 and the 2020 Opera Cup tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Fish</span> American professional wrestler

Robert "Bobby" Anthony Fish is an American professional wrestler currently performing for Major League Wrestling (MLW). He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand and was a member of The Undisputed Era. In WWE, he is a former 2-time NXT Tag Team Champion alongside his tag team partner Kyle O'Reilly. He is also known for his time with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) from 2021 to 2022 and Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2013 to 2017, where he wrestled as one-half of the tag team reDRagon and held the ROH World Tag Team Championship three times and the ROH World Television Championship once. He is also known for his appearances in Japan both for Pro Wrestling Noah and for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship twice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swerve Strickland</span> American professional wrestler (born 1990)

Stephon Strickland is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Swerve Strickland and is the leader of Mogul Embassy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hikuleo (wrestler)</span> Tongan professional wrestler

Tautuiaki Taula Koloamatangi is an American professional wrestler of Tongan descent. He is currently wrestling for the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and the American promotion Impact Wrestling under the ring name Hikuleo, he is a former Strong Openweight Champion and is a part of the Guerrillas of Destiny stable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MLW World Tag Team Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

The MLW World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship which is owned by the Major League Wrestling (MLW) promotion. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute scripted finishes rather than contend in direct competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brody King</span> American professional wrestler

Nathan Troy Blauvelt, better known by his ring name Brody King, is an American professional wrestler, singer, and actor. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the House of Black and is a former one-time AEW World Trios Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Fatu</span> American professional wrestler

Jacob Samuel Fatu is an American professional wrestler currently a free agent. He is best known for his time in Major League Wrestling where he is a former MLW National Openweight Champion and a former one-time MLW World Heavyweight Champion, the latter being the longest reign in the title's history at 819 days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shota Umino</span> Japanese professional wrestler

Shota Umino is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).

Alex Coughlin is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a member of Bullet Club and a former Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion, alongside Bullet Club stablemate Gabe Kidd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Team Filthy</span> Professional wrestling stable

Team Filthy was a professional wrestling stable that performed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Major League Wrestling (MLW) and on the independent circuit. The group was formed on October 5, 2017, during MLW's One Shot event by Tom Lawlor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Oliver (professional wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler (born 1999)

Jordan Oliver Jr. is an American professional wrestler currently performing on the independent circuit and for Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), where he is a former JCW World Champion. He is best known for his work with Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), where he was a one-time CZW Wired Champion.

Kings of Colosseum (2022) was a professional wrestling supercard event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW), which took place on May 13, 2022, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheeler Yuta</span> American professional wrestler (born 1996)

Paul Gruber is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Wheeler Yuta and is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club. He also makes appearances for AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is the current ROH Pure Champion with his record-setting third reign, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a member of the Chaos stable.

Connor Deutsch, better known by his ring name Clark Connors, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the Bullet Club stable and is one-half of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions alongside Drilla Moloney, in their second reign. Also in NJPW, Connors was the winner of the 2020 Lion's Break Crown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Davis (wrestler)</span> Professional wrestler

Davis Passfield, better known by his in-ring name Mark Davis, is an Australian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also appears in its sister company Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former one-time ROH World Tag Team Champion. He also appears for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former IWGP Tag Team Champion, and record-setting and inaugural two-time Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion and Revolution Pro Wrestling, where he is a former two-time Undisputed British Tag Team Champion.

J. R. Kratos is an American professional wrestler, currently appearing for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is a former NWA United States Tag Team Champion and a former NWA World Tag Team Champion. He also makes sporadic appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Isaac Hull is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Royce Isaacs. He is currently appearing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling and a former member of Team Filthy. From 2019 until 2020, Hull worked with the National Wrestling Alliance where he was a former NWA World Tag Team Champion. He also is known for his work in GCW Bloodsport, DDT Pro-Wrestling, and Championship Wrestling from Hollywood.

Jorel Nelson is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a member of Team Filthy. He also makes appearances on the independent circuit. He was named after the character Jor-El from DC Comics' Superman franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The DKC</span> American professional wrestler

Dylan Barrales, better known by his ring name DKC is an American professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling, mainly appearing into the NJPW Strong brand.

References

  1. ↑ "Meet Daniel Rivera of Danny Limelight – Buzz Magazine". www.buzzla.com. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  2. 1 2 3 NJPW. "Danny Limelight- Team Filthy | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  3. ↑ Brian Cage vs Danny Limelight | AEW Dark 12/8/20 , retrieved 2024-01-07
  4. ↑ Danny Limelight (c) vs Filthy Tom Lawlor | CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING , retrieved 2024-01-07
  5. ↑ Interview with Danny Limelight , retrieved 2024-01-07
  6. ↑ "Daniel L. Rivera – Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  7. 1 2 3 Danny Limelight Talks NJPW Run, How It Happened And His Start In Wrestling | Full Interview , retrieved 2024-01-13
  8. ↑ Stories, Local (2020-09-17). "Meet Daniel Rivera of Danny Limelight in North Hollywood – Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". voyagela.com. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  9. ↑ "Limelight TV Title". Cagematch. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  10. ↑ Royce Isaacs and Jamie Iovine are ready for Danny Limelight , retrieved 2024-01-13
  11. ↑ Championship Wrestling presented by Pro Shingle Episode #10 – COASTLINE CLASH P2 , retrieved 2024-01-13
  12. ↑ CWFH – Airdate Sept 26, 2020 , retrieved 2024-01-13
  13. ↑ Championship Wrestling from Hollywood – Airdate Dec 12, 2020 , retrieved 2024-01-13
  14. ↑ Slice Boogie explains his affiliation with The Bodega , retrieved 2024-01-13
  15. ↑ CWFH MATCH | The Bodega (c) vs Midnight Heat , retrieved 2024-01-13
  16. ↑ Championship Wrestling presented by Car Shield | 8.28.22 , retrieved 2024-01-14
  17. ↑ Jordan Clearwater (c) vs Danny Limelight | UWN World Title Match , retrieved 2024-01-14
  18. ↑ "Limelight title defenses". Cagematch. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  19. ↑ "NJPW Strong results: Lion's Break Crown finals". 10 October 2020.
  20. ↑ "Team Filthy grow STRONGER, KENTA stays STRONGest! |Finish STRONG - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  21. ↑ AEW DARK EPISODE 58 | 10/27/20 , retrieved 2024-01-15
  22. ↑ AEW Dark Episode 69 | 1/5/21 , retrieved 2024-01-15
  23. ↑ It's the FIRST-EVER WALK OFF on #AEWDark between 'Pretty' Peter Avalon & Lee Johnson , retrieved 2024-01-15
  24. ↑ Huge Triple Main Event + Red Velvet will be featured on Rising Star | AEW Dark: Elevation 2, 3/22/21 , retrieved 2024-01-15
  25. ↑ Nason, Josh (2021-01-13). "Good Brothers make their AEW in-ring debut on Dynamite". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, AEW News, AEW results. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  26. ↑ Reichlin, Michael (July 11, 2021). "*Spoiler* Popular Faction Debuts At MLW Battle Riot III". sescoops.com. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Exclusive: Danny Limelight Talks About the New LAX 5150 & Why This Past Year Was the Best of His Life". November 10, 2021.
  28. ↑ MLW Fusion #139: 5150 vs. Nduka & ? | Octagon Jr., Puma King & ? vs. Strange Sangre & Gino , retrieved 2024-01-15
  29. ↑ MLW Fusion #149: Taya Valkyrie vs. Holidead for Women's World Featherweight Championship , retrieved 2024-01-15
  30. ↑ "5150 become double champs". MLW.com. 2022-01-16. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  31. 1 2 "Daniel L. Rivera | Actor, Stunts, Writer". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  32. ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2023 - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.profightdb.com. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.