Rycklon Stephens
(born April 22, 1978)
is a Guyanese-American retired
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
and bodybuilder. He is best known for his time with
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
under the
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
Ezekiel Jackson, where he was the final
ECW Champion under the WWE brand
of the same name, and a former
Intercontinental Champion
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
.
Stephens made his professional wrestling debut for the California based promotion
Ultimate Pro Wrestling
Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) was a California-based independent pro wrestling company owned and operated by Rick Bassman, that operated from 1999 to 2007.
The company had working relationships with Pro Wrestling Zero1 and World Wrestling Entertai ...
in 2007 under the ring name Big Ryck Hytz. He was then signed by the WWE in 2007 and sent to
Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...
under the new ring name Rycklon which was later changed to Ezekiel Jackson after his main-roster debut in 2008. During his time in WWE, Jackson was the final man to win the
ECW Championship
The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...
making him the third African-American to hold the championship, the sixth
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
world champion
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
(after
The Rock,
Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to
* Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century
** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T."
* Booker T. Jones (born 1944) ...
,
Bobby Lashley
Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and bodybuilder. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is an eight-time world champion, having been a two-t ...
,
Ron Simmons
Ronald Nasir Simmons (born May 15, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler and football player. He performed for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under his real name, and in the World Wres ...
and
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry (born June 12, 1971) is an American former powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator/analyst, coach, and talent scout. He is b ...
) and the only South American-born world champion in WWE history, he later joined
The Corre
The Corre was a multinational villainous stable that wrestled on World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE's SmackDown brand in 2011. The group was a spinoff of British wrestler Wade Barrett's previous stable, The Nexus.
The stable was formed after Ame ...
but was kicked out, thus starting a feud with the stable's leader
Wade Barrett
Stuart Alexander Bennett (born 10 August 1980) is an English-American professional wrestling commentator, actor, and former professional wrestler who holds both British and American citizenship. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is a colo ...
and he would go on to win the
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster ...
. Jackson would leave WWE in 2014 and briefly wrestle for
TNA in the same year. He also competed in one season of
Lucha Underground
Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists Media Group. Partly owned by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured c ...
as Big Ryck from 2014-2015. Ryck would wrestle his last match for
Westside Xtreme Wrestling
Westside Xtreme Wrestling, commonly shortened to wXw, is a German professional wrestling promotion based in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. wXw has been one of the leading professional wrestling promotions in Germany, and most of its event ...
(wxw) in October, 2015. He is the owner of the
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California's Bay Area, approximately south of San Francisco, and northwest of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people to being a ...
-based
professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...
and
school
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...
Bryckhouse Pro Wrestling. In total, Jackson was a one-time world champion in professional wrestling.
Early life
Stephens attended the
University at Buffalo
The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...
.
Professional wrestling career
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
Florida Championship Wrestling (2007–2008)
Stephens signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment in March 2007 and debuted in
Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...
(FCW) in late June.
In his debut match on June 27, he teamed with
Keith Walker to defeat
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kofi Kingston. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-hal ...
and
Eric Pérez
Eric Alexander Pérez (born December 18, 1979) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler who currently performs under the ring name "Escobar". In 2005, Pérez signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he worke ...
.
He continued to compete in the
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
in both tag team and singles matches. On February 8, 2008 he competed in a match with tag partner
Bryan Kelly
Bryan George Kelly (born January 3, 1934) is an English composer, conductor, and pianist from Oxford. He was a choir boy at Worcester College and attended Southfield Grammar School. After lessons with Harold Spicer, the long-serving organist and ...
in a losing effort against
Steve Lewington and
Heath Miller
Earl Heath Miller Jr. (born October 22, 1982) is a former American football tight end who played professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons from 2005 to 2015. Miller played college football fo ...
in a mini-tournament to face the
WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz.
On May 6, 2008, Stephens wrestled his final match in FCW before being called up to WWE's main roster.
The Brian Kendrick's bodyguard (2008–2009)
![Brian Kendrick and Ezekiel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Brian_Kendrick_and_Ezekiel.jpg)
After being trained in FCW, Stephens debuted on the July 18, 2008 episode of ''
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
'' under the name Ezekiel, as
The Brian Kendrick
Brian David Kendrick (born May 29, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE. Kendrick is also known for his appearances with Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), New Japan Pro-Wrestl ...
's
bodyguard
A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...
. On the August 8, 2008 edition of ''SmackDown'', his ring name was tweaked to Ezekiel Jackson, and he was revealed as being Kendrick's "advisor". He then began interfering in Kendrick's matches against
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...
,
Finlay
Finlay is a masculine given name, and also a surname. The given name is represented in Scottish Gaelic as Fionnlagh.
Given name Finlay
* Finlay Mickel, Scottish skier
*Finlay Currie (1878–1968), Scottish actor
* Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby pl ...
, and
WWE Champion
The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDow ...
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as on ...
. On the October 17 episode of ''SmackDown'', Jackson made his official in-ring debut by
quickly defeating Super Crazy
Francisco Islas Rueda (born December 3, 1973), better known by his ring name Super Crazy, is a Mexican ''luchador'' (or professional wrestler). In Mexico, Islas has worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and made appearances f ...
, after replacing a supposedly sick Kendrick. In late 2008, Jackson began
teaming with Kendrick and both began
feuding with the
WWE Tag Team Champions The Colóns (
Carlito and
Primo), although Kendrick and Jackson failed to win the championship. He suffered his first defeat on the February 13, 2009 episode of ''SmackDown'', when he lost a singles match to
R-Truth
Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand under the ring name R-Truth.
Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WW ...
. Jackson made his final appearance on the SmackDown brand in a losing effort against
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...
on the April 3, 2009 episode.
The Ruthless Roundtable and ECW Champion (2009–2010)
On April 15, 2009, Jackson was drafted to the
ECW ECW may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* Extreme Championship Wrestling (originally Eastern Championship Wrestling), a professional wrestling promotion that operated from 1992 to 2001
* The Alliance (professional wrestling) (originally the WCW/E ...
brand as part of the
2009 Supplemental Draft, therefore breaking up the team of himself and Kendrick. He made his ECW debut defeating Jack Meridol on the July 9, 2009 episode.
Jackson then began an angle with
Vladimir Kozlov
Oleg Aleksandrovich Prudius (russian: Олег Александрович Прудиус; uk, Олег Олександрович Прудіус, ''Oleh Oleksandrovych Prudius''; born April 27, 1979) better known by his ring name Vladimir Koz ...
in which, week after week, after one of them had squashed a local competitor, the other would come out and hit their finishing move on the fallen opponent in a game of
one-upmanship. On the August 18 episode of ''ECW'', Jackson formed an
alliance
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
with Kozlov and
William Regal
Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is known for his over 20 years spent in WWE, as both a performer and an on-screen authority, and for his ti ...
after
betraying the
ECW Champion,
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, during a tag team match to side with them, and attacking Christian at Regal's request. Kozlov and Jackson aided Regal in his feud with Christian over the ECW Championship, but Regal was unable to capture the title.
![Ezekiel Jackson 2010 Tribute to the Troops](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Ezekiel_Jackson_2010_Tribute_to_the_Troops.jpg)
On the November 24 episode of ''ECW'', Jackson attacked both Regal and Kozlov after Kozlov accused Jackson of costing Regal a match. The following week, Jackson once again betrayed Kozlov and Regal by walking out on Kozlov during a tag team match against Christian and
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under his real name.
He is also known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wres ...
. Jackson, however, realigned himself with Regal, when he was aided by Regal in defeating Kozlov on an episode of ''ECW''. On the January 12, 2010 episode of ''ECW'', Jackson won the ECW Homecoming battle royal to earn a match for the ECW Championship. He faced Christian for the ECW championship at the
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
pay-per-view but was unsuccessful.
On the final episode of ''ECW'' on February 16, Jackson defeated Christian to win the ECW Championship in an
Extreme Rules match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
.
Upon winning the title, WWE credits Jackson as the final ECW Champion.
The Corre and Intercontinental Champion (2010–2011)
On the February 19 episode of ''SmackDown'', a video package aired, promoting Jackson's return to the brand. He made his return on the March 5 episode of ''SmackDown'' without Regal, who instead joined ''
Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
'', and defeated
Jimmy Wang Yang
James Carson Yun (born May 13, 1981) is an American professional wrestler and actor of Korean and German descent. He is also best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Ente ...
. On April 10, 2010 at a house show in Glasgow, Scotland, Jackson suffered a tear in his right
quadriceps muscle
The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...
during a match against
Kane, and was expected to be inactive for approximately six months. During his injury, Jackson was drafted to the Raw brand as part of the
2010 WWE Supplemental Draft.
Jackson made his return to the ring on September 13, 2010, defeating
Zack Ryder
Matthew Brett Cardona (born May 14, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Zack Ryd ...
in a
dark match
Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...
prior to the ''Raw'' tapings. He returned to television on the October 18 episode of ''Raw'', where he was revealed as a member of Team Raw for the
Bragging Rights
Boasting or bragging is speaking with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities.
Boasting occurs when someone feels a sense of satisfaction or when someone feels that whatever occurred proves thei ...
pay-per-view. At Bragging Rights, Jackson was one of the final two remaining members of Team Raw, but they lost to Team SmackDown. On the November 22 episode of ''Raw'', Jackson qualified for the
2010 edition of the
King of the Ring
King of the Ring was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The PPV event was held annually in June and was established in 1993 when the promotio ...
tournament by defeating
Alex Riley
Kevin Robert Kiley Jr. (born April 28, 1981) is an American professional wrestler and commentator best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Alex Riley. He was a participant in the second season of ''NXT''.
Professional wrestling ...
, who replaced Jackson's original opponent
The Miz
Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz.
Mizanin first gained fame a ...
. He faced
Drew McIntyre
Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre.
McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion, one-time WWE Int ...
in the quarter-finals, but the match ended in a double countout, so neither advanced.
In December 2010, Jackson was traded back to the SmackDown brand.
On the January 11, 2011, taping of the January 14 edition of ''SmackDown'', Jackson joined
Wade Barrett
Stuart Alexander Bennett (born 10 August 1980) is an English-American professional wrestling commentator, actor, and former professional wrestler who holds both British and American citizenship. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is a colo ...
,
Justin Gabriel
Phillip Paul Lloyd (born 3 March 1981) is a South African-American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, under the ring name Justin Gabriel. He is currently wrestling under the ring name P. J. Black.
A second-generation ...
and
Heath Slater
Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he performs mononymously as Heath, and is also active on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in W ...
in assaulting The
Big Show
Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
, appearing to form an alliance with the three. The following week the group was named
The Corre
The Corre was a multinational villainous stable that wrestled on World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE's SmackDown brand in 2011. The group was a spinoff of British wrestler Wade Barrett's previous stable, The Nexus.
The stable was formed after Ame ...
. On the May 6 episode of ''SmackDown'', Jackson defeated Big Show in a singles match, but refused to celebrate with the other members of The Corre afterward. Backstage, the other members of The Corre attacked him in retaliation, turning Jackson face.
Jackson went on to face Barrett for the
Intercontinental Championship at
Over the Limit, and won by disqualification, which meant that Barrett retained the championship. Jackson continued to feud with the other members of The Corre, winning against Barrett by disqualification and countout respectively.
![Ezekiel Jackson Torture Rack](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Ezekiel_Jackson_Torture_Rack.jpg)
On June 19, at the
Capitol Punishment pay-per-view, Jackson defeated Barrett to win the Intercontinental Championship for the first time.
Jackson successfully retained the championship in a rematch against Barrett on the following episode of ''SmackDown'' and also successfully defended it against
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin DiBiase Sr. (born January 18, 1954) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE working in their Legends program. DiBiase achieved championship ...
on the July 15 episode. On August 12 episode of ''SmackDown'', Jackson lost the Intercontinental Championship to
Cody Rhodes
Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (''né'' Runnels; born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Rhodes is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
, ending his Intercontinental Championship reign at 51 days. He went on to feud with both Rhodes and DiBiase. On the August 19 episode of ''SmackDown'', he lost a rematch for the championship to Rhodes. Jackson was part of a ten-man battle royal for the Intercontinental Championship, but was eliminated by Rhodes.
Final feuds and departure (2012–2014)
On January 29, 2012 at the
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
pay-per-view, Jackson entered the Royal Rumble match as the thirteenth entrant, but he was eliminated by the returning
Great Khali. Jackson started a losing streak losing to the likes of
Jinder Mahal
Yuvraj Singh Dhesi (born July 19, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand, under the ring name Jinder Mahal.
Having started his career on the independent circuit, Mahal joine ...
,
Drew McIntyre
Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre.
McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion, one-time WWE Int ...
, and
David Otunga
David Daniel Otunga''Lawyer ' (born April 7, 1980) is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Otunga is best known for his time working with WWE. He was the runner-up on the first season of ''NXT''. He is also an original member of ...
. Jackson finally ended his losing streak by teaming with The Great Khali to defeat the team of Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks on the May 16 episode of ''
NXT
NXT may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010
** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory
* ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
''. However, he lost to the Big Show on the May 26 episode and May 27 episode of Smackdown.
Around mid–2012, Jackson suffered an upper body injury and was inactive for many months. After almost a year of inactivity due to his injury, Jackson returned at a live event for
WrestleMania Axxess
WrestleMania Axxess is a professional wrestling fan convention held by WWE during the week of WrestleMania. The event typically runs for four days—from Thursday to WrestleMania Sunday—and features WWE talent and alumni autograph signings, inte ...
on April 4, 2013 by teaming up with
Yoshi Tatsu
Yoshi is a fictional dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Yoshi debuted in ''Super Mario World'' (1990) on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario and Luigi's sidekick. Yoshi is the title character of the List of Y ...
to defeat the team of
Hunico and
Camacho Camacho is a surname of Spanish, Portuguese or French origin.
Notable people with the surname include:
* Camacho (wrestler), one of the stage names of Tevita Fifita (born 1983), Tongan-American professional wrestler
* Alejandro Camacho (born 1954) ...
. On January 4, 2014, Jackson announced he was undergoing another surgery. As a result of this, on April 6, 2014, Jackson reported that he had officially parted ways with the WWE.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2014)
He made his debut, along with
Gene Snitsky
Eugene Alan Snisky (born January 14, 1970) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Gene Snitsky, who is best known for his time spent with World Wrestling Entertainment. He played college football at ...
, in
TNA on the June 25 taping of ''Impact Wrestling'' (which aired on July 24) using the ringname Rycklon as a
heel
The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg.
Structure
To distribute the compressive for ...
; attacking
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...
,
Bully Ray and
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
, and aligning himself with
Dixie Carter
Dixie Virginia Carter (May 25, 1939 – April 10, 2010) was an American actress. She starred as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom ''Designing Women'' (1986–1993) and as Randi King on the drama series ''Family Law (American TV series), Family La ...
. It also marked the very first time that the final champion of the original and the new ECW were in the ring at exactly the same time (Rhino and Rycklon) Rycklon and Snitsky were fired by Dixie Carter on the August 7 edition of ''Impact Wrestling''. Earlier on the show they had competed in an Eight-Man Hardcore War between Team EC3 (
EC3,
Rhino
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
, Rycklon and Snitsky) in a losing effort against Team Bully (Bully Ray, Devon,
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...
and
Al Snow
Allen Ray Sarven (born July 18, 1963) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Al Snow. He is best known as a wrestler for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Sn ...
).
Lucha Underground (2014–2015)
In September 2014, Stephens worked at
Lucha Underground
Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists Media Group. Partly owned by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured c ...
under the ring name Big Ryck, where he was forming a heel trio named The Crenshaw Crew with Cisco,
Bael Bael may refer to:
*''Aegle marmelos'', commonly known as the Bael tree
*Bael (demon)
* Bael (wrestler)
See also
* Baal (disambiguation)
* Bail (disambiguation)
Bail is the conditional release of an arrested person prior to their trial, or the mo ...
and
Cortez Castro.
Ryck feuded with Johnny Mundo and Prince Puma. Their feud concluded in a three-way ladder match, which was won by Mundo. On the October 5, 2014 taping, Ryck participated in an Aztec Warfare Battle Royal to crown the first Lucha Underground Champion but was eliminated. On January 21, 2015, Cisco, Castro and Bael attacked Ryck and burned his eye with a cigar, turning face in the process. Ryck returned to action on February 25, 2015, distracting The Crew in a match against Sexy Star, Mascarita Sagrada, and Pimpinela Escarlata. On March 4, 2015, Ryck defeated Star to earn a match against The Crew. Ryck defeated The Crew in a one-on-three handicap match. On February 8, 2015, Ryck, along with
Killshot and
Willie Mack
Willie McClinton Jr. (born January 5, 1987) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Willie Mack, currently appearing in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. He is best known for his tenure with Impact Wrestling, where he is a ...
participated in a tournament for the Lucha Underground Trios Championship, but they were defeated in the finals by the eventual winners Angélico, Son of Havoc and Ivelisse. After their loss, Ryck left Mack and Killshot and was hired by
DelAvar Daivari, attacking Texano on May 20, 2015, turning heel in the process. At Ultima Lucha, Daivari ran out and distracted Ryck by firing him, hinting at a face turn. However, nothing came of this due to Stephens departing Lucha Underground in 2015 due to traveling conflicts. It was revealed that Big Ryck was one of five missing people on the April 20 episode of Lucha Underground. In the four issue mini series following that, it explaining what had happened after Ultima Lucha and before season two. It was revealed that Ryck was "killed" by The Disciples of Death, officially writing his character off the show.
International promotions and retirement (2015)
On October 17, 2015, Stephens, as Big Ryck, made his debut for the German
Westside Xtreme Wrestling
Westside Xtreme Wrestling, commonly shortened to wXw, is a German professional wrestling promotion based in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. wXw has been one of the leading professional wrestling promotions in Germany, and most of its event ...
(wXw) promotion, in what was also his last match. He unsuccessfully challenged Karsten Beck for the
wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship
The wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship, contested in the German professional wrestling promotion, Westside Xtreme Wrestling. The championship was established in 2001 as the wXw Wo ...
. Stephens retired from professional wrestling on October 18, 2015, and is now working as a trainer as of 2016.
Personal life
Stephens has been married to his wife Jenn Stephens since 2004. Stephens is a devout
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
.
Championships and accomplishments
* ''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...
''
** PWI ranked him No. 78 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the
PWI 500
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishi ...
in 2011
*
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
**
ECW Championship
The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...
(
1 time, final)
**
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster ...
(
1 time)
**
ECW Homecoming Tournament (2010)
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Ezekiel
1978 births
Afro-Guyanese people
American male professional wrestlers
ECW Heavyweight Champions/ECW World Heavyweight Champions
Guyanese professional wrestlers
Living people
University at Buffalo alumni
WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions
Guyanese Christians
People from Linden, Guyana
21st-century professional wrestlers