Phillip Theis (born June 25, 1958) is an American former

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 ...

. He is best known for his appearances in the

World Wrestling Federation 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 ...

(WWF) between 1992 and 1993 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 ...

Damien Demento. As Damien Demento, Theis wrestled in the main event of the first episode of ''

WWF Monday Night Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...

'' on January 11, 1993, losing to

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majority ...

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1987–1992)

After training under

Johnny Rodz John Rodriguez (born May 16, 1941) is an American former professional wrestler. He has previously worked as a professional wrestler under the ring name Johnny Rodz. Professional wrestling career World Wide Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling ...

, Theis made his debut on the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...

in 1987 under the ring name "Jonn Reinhart". He later renamed himself "Mondo Kleen". In 1990 he worked for Tri-State Wrestling Alliance. In September 1992, he wrestled a tryout match with

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...

as "Mando Phil".

World Wrestling Federation (1992–1993)

After The Bushwhackers helped forward a tape of Theis performing an

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

, the

signed him to a contract. Theis, performing under his Mondo Kleen ring name, debuted in WWF at a live event on October 2, 1992, wrestling Jeff Jarrett in a losing effort. Ten days later, on the October 12 episode of ''

Superstars of Wrestling ''Superstars of Wrestling'' is a Broadcast syndication, nationally syndicated professional wrestling list of professional wrestling television series, television program that aired throughout the United States from 1986 to 1992. Created and produc ...

'', Theis made his televised debut under the repackaged ring name and gimmick of "Damien Demento", a villainous

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

who hailed from "The Outer Reaches of Your Mind" and showed mentally disturbed behavior such as talking to himself. He then proceeded to defeat Steve May in his televised debut match. On the October 28 episode of ''

Wrestling Challenge ''WWF Wrestling Challenge'' is a professional wrestling television show that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE). It was syndicated weekly and aired from 1986 to 1995. The show became simply known as ''WWF Cha ...

'', he defeated Jim Brunzell. He mostly remained a mid-card performer. Demento was notable for his appearance in the

main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

of the debut episode of ''

Monday Night Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...

'' on January 11, 1993, where he was defeated by

. He made his only pay-per-view appearance at Royal Rumble as a participant in the 1993 Royal Rumble match. Demento lasted over twelve minutes before being eliminated by

Carlos Colón Carlos Edwin Colón González Sr. (born July 18, 1948) is a Puerto Rican wrestling promoter and former professional wrestler, better known as Carlitos Colón or simply Carlos Colón. He is, along with Victor Jovica, an owner of the Puerto Rican ...

. He also appeared at UK Rampage '93, where he lost to

Bob Backlund Robert Louis Backlund (born August 14, 1949) is an American retired amateur and professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation from 1976 to 1984 and in the 1990s, wher ...

. After this, Demento competed almost solely on

house show A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...

s before leaving the WWF in October 1993.

Independent circuit (1993–1994; 2008, 2011, 2014)

After a stint on the

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, Theis retired from wrestling in 1994. Under his Damien Demento ring name, he made a short return to wrestling on November 8, 2008, where he defeated The Musketeer in a match for the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

-based World of Unpredictable Wrestling. A month later they had a rematch in which Demento was on the losing end. He made another return to the squared circle in September 24, 2011. This time wrestling as "Mondo Kleen", he defeated Steven Person in a steel cage match at a show that WUW promoted for the Dumbo Arts Festival. On October 29, 2011, Damien Demento defeated long time WUW Trophy Champion "Izzy" Israel Joffe at the WUW October show at Gleason's gym to win the WUW Trophy Championship. On December 10, 2011, Israel Joffe defeated Damien Demento at the WUW December show at Gleason's gym. In 2014, Demento made a few appearances for World Wrestling Organization.

Filmography

*'' Die Hard with a Vengeance'' (1995) - Erik

Personal life

Theis originally wanted to become a

football player A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

, he majored in art at

Wagner College Wagner College is a private liberal arts college in Staten Island, New York City. Founded in 1883 and with an enrollment of approximately 2,200 students, Wagner is known for its academic program, The Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts. It ...

while on a football scholarship and later on had a tryout with the Jets but did not make the team. Theis instead began training for a career in professional wrestling. He cites King Curtis Iaukea as his inspiration for becoming a wrestler. After retiring from professional wrestling, he began working as an artist and a

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Championships and accomplishments

*International Wrestling Federation **IWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

International World Class Championship Wrestling International World Class Championship Wrestling (IWCCW, originally known as International Championship Wrestling) was an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was promoted by Angelo Savoldi and his son ...

**IWCCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *World of Unpredictable Wrestling **WUW Trophy Championship (1 time) * Pro Wrestling Illustrated **PWI ranked him #216 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1992

References

External links

Phil Theis Presents : Art on GFQ
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Demento, Damien 1958 births American male professional wrestlers Living people People from Long Island Professional wrestlers from New York (state) 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from New York City