Derick Neikirk | |
---|---|
Birth name | Derick Lee Neikirk |
Born | [1] Dayton, Ohio, United States [2] | September 5, 1974
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Derek Neikirk Derick Neikirk |
Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) [1] |
Billed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) [1] |
Trained by | Les Thatcher [2] |
Derick Lee Neikirk [2] (also spelled Derek Neikirk or Derrick Neikirk; born September 5, 1974) [2] [3] is an American professional wrestler and former professional baseball player. He has competed for several promotions, and currently competes for Impact Zone Wrestling (IZW), a territory of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) based in Phoenix, Arizona. He has also wrestled in several other promotions and was signed to a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for several years. Much of his career has been connected with fellow wrestler Mike Knox, as the two have held championships together as a tag team and have feuded on multiple occasions.
Derick Neikirk | |
---|---|
Catcher | |
Born: Dayton, Ohio | September 5, 1974|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
Professional debut | |
Gulf Coast League: 1996, for the Gulf Coast League Tigers | |
California League: 1996, for the Visalia Oaks | |
Last Northern League appearance | |
1999, for the Adirondack Lumberjacks | |
Gulf Coast League statistics | |
Batting average | .211 |
On-base percentage | .348 |
On-base plus slugging | .558 |
California League statistics | |
Batting average | .148 |
On-base percentage | .207 |
On-base plus slugging | .355 |
Northern League statistics | |
Batting average | .263 |
On-base plus slugging | .356 |
Before entering professional wrestling,Neikirk played catcher for the Mesa Community College baseball team in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC). In 1996,he was named to the All-ACCAC Team. [4] That year,he was picked by the Detroit Tigers in the 19th round of the Major League Baseball Draft [5] [6]
At age 21,Neikirk played in Detroit's rookie-class,minor league team,the Gulf Coast League Tigers of the 1996 Gulf Coast League in Lakeland,Florida. [7] He played catcher in 18 games out of a 60-game season. [7] His statistics were as follows:47 plate appearances,38 at bats,8 hits,4 runs,1 run batted in (RBI),5 walks,7 strikeouts,and 8 total bases. [7] Also,Neikirk ground into a double play 4 times,was hit by a pitch 3 times,and made 1 sacrifice hit. [7] He had a batting average of .211,an on-base percentage of .348,a slugging percentage of .211,and an on-base plus slugging (OPS) of .558. [7]
That same year,Neikirk was promoted to the high-A-class,minor-league team,the Visalia Oaks,of the 1996 California League,in Visalia,California. [8] While there,he played catcher in 9 games out of a 140-game season. [8] His statistics were as follows:29 plate appearances,27 at-bats,4 hits,3 runs,2 RBIs,2 walks,9 strikeouts,and 4 total bases. [8] He also had a batting average of .148,an on-base percentage of .207,a slugging percentage of .148,and an OPS of .355. [8]
In 1999,at age 24,Neikirk returned to baseball playing for the independent minor league team,the Adirondack Lumberjacks,of the 1999 Northern League,in Glens Falls,New York. [9] While there,he played catcher in 42 games out of an 86-game season. [9] His statistics were as follows:118 at-bats,31 hits,3 doubles,1 triple,2 home runs,and 42 total bases. [9] He had a batting average of .263 and a slugging percentage of .356. [9]
On a weighted-average,80-point scale,Neikirk's Baseball Cube scouting report is as follows: [5]
Throughout his professional wrestling career,Neikirk has competed primarily in the United States. He was also wrestled in Egypt and has worked for the World Wrestling Alliance in Europe and for Enezma in Mexico. [2] [10] Much of his career has been spent portraying a heel (villain) through an arrogant demeanor and by turning on allies. [3] [11] [12]
Neikirk trained under Les Thatcher for a career in professional wrestling. [2] In 2002,he formed a tag team known as The A Squad with Chet Jablonski. On July 10,2002,The A Squad defeated Ice Cream Man and Cody Hawk to win the HWA Tag Team Championship, [13] although this title reign is not recorded in the company's official history. [14] That year,Neikirk was rated number 481 on Pro Wrestling Illustrated's annual PWI 500 list of the top wrestlers in the world. [15] On August 31,2003,Neikirk wrestled a match on WWE's Sunday Night Heat television program in which he was defeated by Test. [16] In 2003,he improved his PWI 500 ranking and was placed at number 442. [17]
He later wrestled for Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW),where he formed a tag team with Mike Knox. The team was also part of a stable known as The Outlaws. [18] Neikirk and Knox later moved to IZW,where they were known as Team Elite. They defeated Navajo Warrior and Hawaiian Lion on January 18,2005 to win the IZW Tag Team Championship. [11] [ unreliable source? ] They held the title belts until March 15,when they dropped them to California Connection (Peter Goodman and Antonio Mestre). [19] On January 6,2004,Neikirk turned on Knox by superkicking him in the face. He explained this action by saying that he was tired of carrying the team and that Knox had "dropped the ball". [3] [11] That night,Neikirk and Knox faced each other as part of a six-man match,but Neikirk turned on his teammates and left the ring. Neikirk and Knox had a blow off match on May 25. Neikirk won the match,but the referee then reversed his decision and awarded the victory to Knox. [11]
In 2005,he and Knox were signed by World Wrestling Entertainment and was sent to the Deep South Wrestling (DSW),which was a developmental territory for WWE. They resumed wrestling together as Team Elite. [20] Competing as a singles wrestler,Neikirk won the DSW Heavyweight Championship on December 22 that year by defeating Mike Mizanin. He finished the year ranked number 367 in the PWI 500. [21] He held the Heavyweight Championship for six months before dropping it to Roughhouse O'Reilly. [22] On August 3,2006,Team Elite faced High Impact (Mike Taylor and Tony Santarelli) for the DSW Tag Team Championship. Neikirk and Knox lost the match,which led to them splitting up and feuding. [20] They faced each other at several DSW house shows,with Knox winning most of the matches. At the same time,Neikirk also teamed with Roughhouse O'Reilley to wrestle The Full Blooded Italians (Little Guide and Tony Mamaluke) on several house shows promoted by WWE's Extreme Championship Wrestling. [11] In 2006,he achieved his highest ranking on the PWI 500,as he was rated number 310. [23]
In 2007,Team Elite reunited and won the DSW Tag Team Championship on March 8 with a victory over The Major Brothers. They held the title until WWE ended its association with DSW on April 18,2007. [24] Neikirk and Knox were sent to Florida Championship Wrestling,another WWE developmental territory,where they continued to form a tag team. Neikirk also appeared on WWE's Extreme Championship Wrestling program as one of Paul Heyman's bodyguards. [25]
In January 2008,he was suspended by WWE for a violation of the company's Wellness Program. [26] [27] He was released from his WWE contract on January 8. [28]
He then returned to Impact Zone Wrestling,where he won the NWA Arizona Heavyweight Championship on December 30,2008 in a match against G.Q. Gallo. The match ended in controversy,however,because both men's shoulders were on the mat as the referee counted the pinfall. Neikirk raised his shoulder just before the final count and was awarded the victory and the title belt. The title was declared vacant until the two men could face each other again on January 27,2009. This rematch ended in a draw, [29] but Gallo defeated Neikirk to win the vacant title on March 10. [30] Neikirk regained the title,which had been renamed the Arizona Heavyweight Championship,that summer. He held the belt until dropping it to Mike James on August 11. [31] NWA Representative Greg DeMarco then tried to strip James of the belt and return it to Neikirk,but Neikirk refused to accept the title. [32]
After wrestling two matches for Dragon Gate USA as an enhancement talent in 2010,Neikirk returned to WWE and wrestled one dark match in 2011,a loss to Johnny Curtis on SmackDown. He retired shortly after,coming back two nights only in 2016 for the short-lived indie promotion Western States Wrestling.
Lawrence Wendell Pfohl,better known by the ring name Lex Luger,is an American retired professional wrestler,bodybuilder,and football player. He is best known for his work with Jim Crockett Promotions,World Championship Wrestling (WCW),and the World Wrestling Federation.
Rocky Johnson was a Canadian professional wrestler. Among many National Wrestling Alliance titles,he was the first Black Georgia Heavyweight Champion as well as the NWA Television Champion. He won the World Tag Team Championship in 1983,along with his partner Tony Atlas,to become the first black champions in WWE history. He was the father of actor and current WWE wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and the grandfather of Simone Johnson.
Barry Clinton Windham is an American retired professional wrestler. The son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan,he is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
Kerry Gene Adkisson,better known by his ring name Kerry Von Erich,was an American professional wrestler. He was part of the Von Erich family of professional wrestlers. He is best known for his time with his father's promotion World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW),where he spent the first 11 years of his career,and his time in World Wrestling Federation (WWF),under the ring name Texas Tornado. Adkisson held forty championships in various promotions during his career. Among other accolades,he was a one-time NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion,four-time WCWA World Heavyweight Champion,and one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion.
Thomas Prichard is an American retired professional wrestler and author better known by the ring name Dr. Tom Prichard. He is the older brother of Bruce Prichard.
Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. PWI is headquartered in Blue Bell,Pennsylvania,and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The magazine is the longest published English language wrestling magazine still in production. PWI publishes bi-monthly issues and annual special issues such as their "Almanac and Book of Facts". The magazine recognizes various world championships as legitimate,similar to The Ring in boxing.
Floyd Gerald "Jerry" Brisco is an American retired professional wrestler. Brisco is best known for his time in the wrestling promotion WWE,where he was a backstage producer,and,during the 1990s,an on-screen character,working alongside Pat Patterson as the "stooges" for the Mr. McMahon character. He was most recently a WWE talent scout where he focused on exclusively recruiting amateur wrestlers into the company.
Luke Joseph Scarpa was an American professional wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer who was best known by the ring name Chief Jay Strongbow. Much like his contemporary Wahoo McDaniel,he portrayed a Native American wrestler,who wore a war bonnet to the ring and would "go on the warpath" when the fans started cheering him against an opponent. In reality,Scarpa was an Italian-American who much like actor Iron Eyes Cody portrayed an Indian to stand out more. His best accomplishments are in WWF where he was a 4-time World Tag-Team Champion.
Michael Shawn Hettinga is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Mike Knox. He currently performs for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Hettinga is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE),and also performed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Knux.
Terry Ray Gordy Jr. is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) between 2005 and 2010,where he performed on its SmackDown brand under the ring names Jesse and Slam Master J.
Bradley Thomas Jay is an American professional wrestler,best known for his time in Impact Wrestling under the ring names of Jay Bradley and Aiden O'Shea,and WWE as Ryan Braddock.
Robert Anthony is an American professional wrestler,better known by his ring name Egotistico Fantastico,known for his time with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA),where he competed under the ring name Cyon and was a former NWA National Champion. He has worked for All Elite Wrestling (AEW),as well as for various independent promotions,most notably Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) where he is a former CZW World Heavyweight Champion,as well as a former World Junior Heavyweight Champion. He is also a one-time CZW Iron Man Champion,and was the last person to hold the championship.
Colin Matthew Delaney is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE on its ECW brand,All Elite Wrestling (AEW),and has performed extensively on the independent circuit for promotions such as Squared Circle Wrestling,Chikara,NWA Upstate,Combat Zone Wrestling,and the International Wrestling Cartel under the names Colin Olsen and the "Extremely Cute Wrestler" Colin Delaney.
Anthony "Tony" Salantri is a former American professional wrestler,better known by his ring names Tony Santarelli or Tony Stradlin,who competed in North American promotions including Combat Zone Wrestling,the National Wrestling Alliance,as well as New Japan Pro-Wrestling,Pro Wrestling Zero1,Deep South Wrestling,and World Wrestling Entertainment. One half of the tag team High Impact with Mike Taylor,he and Taylor were the first DSW Tag Team Champions.
Keith Walker is an American professional wrestler who competes in North American and international promotions including Ring of Honor,Harley Race's World League Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah.
Ryan Parmeter is an American professional wrestler,currently appearing for Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling,where he performs under the ring name Kon. He is best known for his work in WWE,where he wrestled under the ring name Konnor. He was part of the fourth season of NXT,and earned fourth place on the show's fifth season,NXT Redemption.
Gregg Groothuis is an American professional wrestler,known by his stage name Jack Bull,who competed in North American independent promotions including Impact Zone Wrestling,the National Wrestling Alliance and Ultimate Pro Wrestling as well as Japanese promotions HUSTLE,New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling ZERO1.
Damien Dothard was an American professional wrestler,better known by his ring name Damian Steele.
The Second Annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament,also referred to as the Crocket Cup (1987),was an event held over two nights:April 10 and 11,1987. The tournament included 24 tag teams. The tournament was won by "The Super Powers",who defeated Lex Luger and Tully Blanchard in the finals. Their victory was dedicated to Magnum T. A.,who was forced to retire due to a near-fatal car accident.
Adam Bryniarski was an English professional wrestler,known by his ring name Adam Windsor,who worked in Dory Funk Jr's Funking Conservatory in Florida,World Xtreme Wrestling,and American independent promotions.