Tommy Drake

Last updated

Tommy Drake
TheDrake.jpg
Birth nameCory R. Carey
Born (1979-08-21) August 21, 1979 (age 45)
Des Moines, Iowa
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Tommy Blaze
Tommy Drake
Billed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Billed weight275 lb (125 kg)
Billed fromDes Moines, Iowa
Phoenix, Arizona
Trained by Michael Modest [1]
Donovan Morgan [1]
Rick Thompson
DebutDecember 12, 2000

Cory R. Carey (born August 21, 1979) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Tommy Drake. He is best known for his appearances with Pro Wrestling Noah [1] in Japan and various independent promotions in the United States. Drake wrestled dark matches for World Wrestling Entertainment, and made regular appearances on Monday Night Raw and SmackDown.

Contents

Career

Carey grew up in rural Iowa, and began wrestling at age 5. Carey attended Canby High School in Oregon, graduating in 1997 at age seventeen. Working odd jobs after high school, Carey moved to Hayward, California, [2] at the request of Ed "Moondog" Moretti, and attended the All Pro Wrestling (APW) Boot Camp. There he was trained by Michael Modest, Donovan Morgan, and Ric Thompson. He debuted in APW on December 12, 2000 in Vallejo, California as Tommy Blaze, scoring a victory over Kid Chrome.

Soon after his debut Drake began feuding with various APW wrestlers. In 2000, Drake and Donovan Morgan began the training of The Great Khali. Khali lived with Drake in a small apartment in Hayward, until Khali left for Japan and eventually the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

After a falling out with APW, Drake jumped ship to Pro Wrestling Iron, started by Morgan and Mike Modest. Drake became an assistant trainer, and would train PWI's students when not in Japan. In 2001 he helped further the training of Tough Enough winner John Morrison, who went on to become the ECW Champion.

Drake's first tour of Japan came in 2001. Drake tag teamed with Scorpio and Bison Smith, and faced such opponents as Jun Akiyama, Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, and Yoshihiro Takayama.

Drake wrestled his last match for WWE on March 27, 2003 in San Jose. He faced Sean O'Haire on SmackDown. Drake was upset with O'Haire after dropping him on his head twice during the match. Drake felt that the companies in the United States were about hiring wrestlers with great looks but lacking talent. Drake did not work for WWE any further.

Pro Wrestling Iron, held its first show on May 31, 2002 in Ukiah, California. [1] PWI negotiated a talent swap agreement with Noah that saw Japanese wrestlers such as Mitsuharu Misawa, Naoya Ogawa, and Takao Omori appear on PWI shows. Drake teamed up with Bison Smith to face Danny Dominion and Ace Steel. Drake and Bison scored a victory, with the match lasting for 50 minutes.

Current Independent & Other Work

In 2003 Drake moved to Phoenix, Arizona, and began wrestling for Impact Zone Wrestling. [1] Drake wrestles for IZW and AZWO in Arizona from time to time, but has yet to make a full comeback. Drake was the main event in 2006 when he faced TNA Impact star Relic at Wild West Championship Wrestling's inaugural show. The show was held at a boxing sport arena in Phoenix, Arizona. In October 2007 Drake starred in the reality show Casting Call, filming for Big Sky Motion Pictures [1] in New Orleans. The show was set to air in conjunction with writer/director Mars Callahan's movie, Spring Break '83. Drake joined the CWFA in 2010 and is the current World Champion. Drake won the championship in September 2013, beating The Hawaiian Lion, Graves, and Alexander Hammerstone in a fatal 4 way match.

Championships and accomplishments

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brent Albright</span> American professional wrestler

Brent Albright is an American retired professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment, during which he appeared on SmackDown! as Gunner Scott. Aside from WWE, Albright is a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, having won the title while performing for Ring of Honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Great Khali</span> Indian-American professional wrestler (born 1972)

Dalip Singh Rana is an Indian-born American retired professional wrestler and wrestling promoter better known by his ring name The Great Khali. He is best known for his tenure in WWE where he became the first Indian-born World Heavyweight Champion in history. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenta Kobashi</span> Japanese professional wrestler

Kenta Kobashi is a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired professional wrestler. He started his career in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in 1988, where he became one of the promotion's top stars, holding the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship three times, and winning the Champion Carnival in 2000. Kobashi left All Japan in June 2000, taking part in a mass exodus led by Mitsuharu Misawa, which led to the formation of Pro Wrestling Noah.

Michael K. Cariglio is an American professional wrestler, better known by his stage name, Michael Modest. Modest ran the promotion Pro Wrestling IRON with tag partner Donovan Morgan and Frank Murdoch until its closure in 2005. Modest has also wrestled in Japan for Pro Wrestling Noah, winning the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship after defeating Yoshinobu Kanemaru. He has also wrestled in Canada, Mexico and Ireland. He is perhaps best known for his appearances in the wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat, the film Ready to Rumble, and the TV special Exposed! Pro Wrestling's Greatest Secrets.

Andrew Vassos is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Donovan Morgan. Best known for his near five-year run as a Pro Wrestling NOAH mainstay in Japan and Ring of Honor in the United States, Morgan received TV work with World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation in between 1997 and 2001. Morgan also received an invite to wrestle in ECW in 1999 but turned it down as Morgan had other commitments.

Akira Taue is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is also a former All Japan Pro Wrestling Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, a former GHC Heavyweight Champion and has had fifteen 5 Star Matches as awarded by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Yoshinari Ogawa is a Japanese former professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah. He has earned the nickname of "Rat Boy" from the English-speaking Puroresu fanbase due to his sneaky, clever in-ring tactics and baiting his opponents into quick pins, as well as the disheveled, greasy appearance he cultivated during the late-90's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toshiaki Kawada</span> Japanese professional wrestler

Toshiaki Kawada is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), whom he worked for from his debut in 1982 up until 2008. In All Japan Pro Wrestling, he was a 5 time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, a 9 time World Tag Team Champion, three-time winner of the Real World Tag League and a two-time winner of the Champion Carnival. He was also recognised as the ace of the promotion from 2000 to 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jumbo Tsuruta</span> Japanese professional wrestler

Tomomi "Tommy" Tsuruta, better known by his ring name Jumbo Tsuruta, was a Japanese professional wrestler who wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) for most of his career, and is well known for being the first ever Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, having won the PWF Heavyweight Championship, the NWA United National Championship, and the NWA International Heavyweight Championship, and unifying the three titles. He is also known for being one-half of the first World Tag Team Champions with Yoshiaki Yatsu, having won the NWA International Tag Team Championship and the PWF Tag Team Championship, and unifying the two titles.

Akitoshi Saito is a Japanese professional wrestler primarily known for his tenures with Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) where he is a former five-time GHC Tag Team Champion and a former two-time Global Tag League winner in 2008 and 2011. Saito is also known for a seven-year stint with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takeshi Morishima</span> Japanese former professional wrestler (born 1978)

Takeshi Morishima is a Japanese former professional wrestler.

Satoshi Yoneyama, better known by his ring name Muhammad Yone, is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a multi-time GHC Tag Team Champion, a one time GHC Openweight Hardcore Champion and winner of the Global Tag League in 2012 with Naomichi Marufuji. He is known for his trademark afro hairstyle, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Afro".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masanobu Fuchi</span> Japanese professional wrestler

Masanobu Fuchi is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is also a director and the co-head booker. Fuchi has exclusively worked for All Japan since his debut in 1974, and holds the record for the longest World Junior Heavyweight Championship reign at 1,309 days. Fuchi became a freelancer in 2009, but officially re-signed with AJPW in 2013 as both a director and wrestler, making him the longest tenured member of the All Japan roster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Jones (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler (1971–2024)

Anthony Jones was an American professional wrestler who competed in North American independent promotions, specifically California-based All Pro Wrestling, Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Xtreme Pro Wrestling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kafu</span> Brazilian retired professional wrestler

Victor Ceron is a Brazilian retired professional wrestler, currently a wrestling trainer for independent companies in San Jose, California promotions. Better known under his ring name Kafu, he has worked for All Pro Wrestling (APW), Inoki Dojo, International Wrestling Association, Big Time Wrestling, LLX (Mexico) World 1, PCW, NWA Pro, Portugal Wrestling, and the WWE development territory Florida Championship Wrestling. He has wrestled many well-known wrestlers, including Steve Corino, Jim Neidhart, Raven, Daniel Bryan, Savio Vega and The Sandman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drake Wuertz</span> American professional wrestler

Drake Wuertz is an American professional wrestling referee and professional wrestler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bison Smith</span> American professional wrestler

Mark Thomas Smith was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Bison Smith. He was best known for his appearances with Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan; and World Wrestling Council and International Wrestling Association in Puerto Rico. In January 2009, he joined the American promotion Ring of Honor.

Richard Aslinger is a retired American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Richard Slinger. Slinger was a long-time mainstay of All Japan Pro Wrestling and later Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was one of two gaijin heels to compete in the promotion. He is also one of several Noah wrestlers to be featured in the Japanese video game King of Colosseum II.

The Holy Demon Army (HDA) was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue. The HDA competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s and is considered the most successful and dominant team in the history of All Japan as they held the World Tag Team Championship a record six times, as well as having won the World's Strongest Tag Determination League on two occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Fatu</span> American professional wrestler (born 1992)

Jacob Samuel Fatu is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand as a member of The Bloodline stable. He is also known for his time in Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he was a one-time MLW National Openweight Champion and a one-time MLW World Heavyweight Champion, holding the record for the longest reign in the latter title's history at 819 days.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Donovan Morgan". PuroresuFan.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
  2. ↑ Saalbach, Axel. "PWI @ Hayward (2003-02-01) - Results @ Wrestlingdata.com". wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved January 1, 2024.

1. "Tommy Drake". ImpactZoneWrestling.com Superstars Page. Retrieved on September 26, 2008

2. "Tommy Drake". Hot August Fights. Retrieved on September 26, 2008

3. "Tommy Drake". UlitimateProwrestling.com Retrieved on September 26, 2008

4. "Tommy Drake". WormwoodChronicles.com Retrieved on September 26, 2008

5. "Tommy Drake". WrestlingObserver.com Retrieved on September 26, 2008

6. "Tommy Drake". InTheRotation.com Retrieved on September 26, 2008

7. "Tommy Drake". ProWrestlingFans.com Retrieved on September 26, 2008

8. "Cory Carey". Bigskymotionpictures.com Retrieved on September 24, 2008

9. "Tommy Drake". OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com Retrieved on September 27, 2008

10. "Tommy Drake". 1wrestling.com Retrieved on September 27, 2008

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.