Shane Sewell (born September 5, 1972) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
professional wrestler and
referee
A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...
. He has worked for the
World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...
, the
International Wrestling Association and
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
as both a referee and wrestler. Shane Sewell is a fourteen-time World Heavyweight Champion, having won the
IWA Undisputed World Unified Heavyweight Championship
The IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships, world heavyweight championship that is contested in the International Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico), In ...
ten times, the
WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship
The WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the top title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council. The championship was establi ...
three times, and the
WWL World Heavyweight Championship
The WWL World Heavyweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial Peso Completo de la WWL'' in Spanish) was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship promoted by the World Wrestling League (WWL) promotion in Puerto Rico. The first champio ...
one time. By winning the IWA, WWC, and WWL World Heavyweight Championships, Sewell won the three world titles from three top promotions in Puerto Rico.
Professional wrestling career
World Wrestling Council (1995 - 2000)
During the mid 1990s Sewell formed a tag team with
Glamour Boy Sean they were known as the Canadian Glamour Boys. Together they won the
WWC World Tag Team Championship
The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council.
History Abroad (2017)
On February 11, 2017, Thunder and Lightning defended the WWC World T ...
s twice before going their own way. Sewell also became a three time
WWC Television Champion on separate occasions. After two years out of the tag team division Sewell won the vacant WWC World Tag Team Championships for a third time teaming with
Ricky Santana
Ricardo Santana Ortiz (born November 21, 1958), better known as Ricky Santana, is a professional wrestler of Cuban descent who has worked for World Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation, World Wrestling Council and the National Wrestl ...
.
International Wrestling Association (2000 - 2005)
Sewell debuted in the IWA days after leaving WWC in a run-in to help
Savio Vega
Juan Rivera (born August 10, 1964) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is known for his work in the World Wrestling Council, where he won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Champion ...
as he was being double-teamed by
Miguel Perez and Jesus Castillo in
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina (; ) is a city and municipality located on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. It lies immediately east of the capital San Juan and Trujillo Alto; north of Gurabo and Juncos; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread ove ...
. He became the company's first
World Heavyweight Champion
At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, tho ...
on October 28, 2000 in
Bayamon, Puerto Rico. He started a notable feud in December 2001 when Vega returned and unified with Starr Corporation and attacked both Sewell and
Ricky Banderas
Gilbert Cosme Ramírez (born May 25, 1972) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler, better known by his ring names El Mesías, Mil Muertes, Ricky Banderas and King Muertes. He began his career in the International Wrestling Association based in ...
forming Los Hermanos en Dolor (Brothers in Pain). In December 2004, Sewell turned
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 ...
with Vega after he won the Heavyweight title from Ray Gonzalez at
Christmas in Puerto Rico. He lost the title to
Chicano
Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity for many Mexican Americans in the United States. The label ''Chicano'' is sometimes used interchangeably with ''Mexican American'', although the terms have different meanings. While Mexican-American ident ...
at Juicio Final on April 2, 2005 in
Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founded ...
and after that teamed with
Jean-Pierre Lafitte part-time. Sewell returned to the
IWA IWA may refer to:
Organizations International
* International Water Association
* International Webmasters Association
* International Woodworkers of America, United States and Canada
* International Workers Association, an anarcho-syndicalist fed ...
in 2008 with former
TNA stars
Ricky Vega
Ephraim Vega (born December 2, 1976) is a Puerto Rican American professional wrestler and is best known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, under the ring name Machete, and Internationally under the name Ricky Vega. Vega was a standou ...
and
The Naturals
The Naturals were a professional wrestling tag team made up of Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens. They are best known for their work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where they are former three-time NWA World Tag Team Champions.
History ...
as well as veteran stalwart
Big Vito
Vito Joseph LoGrasso (born June 18, 1964) is an American actor and professional wrestler, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling as Big Vito and more recently World Wrestling Entertainment and working for their " developmental te ...
. Sewell tagged with Vega for a time before Vega turned
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 ...
and became undisputed IWA heavyweight champion. The two former partners would meet several times after, with Sewell falling short of the title he helped make famous.
Time split between WWC and IWA (2005 - 2006)
Sewell wrestled part-time in then-new Puerto Rican federation New Wrestling Stars. During his time in the company, as part of a talent exchange with the WWC, he won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship title from "La Amenaza" Bryan in
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez (, ) is a city and the eighth-largest municipality in Puerto Rico. It was founded as Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Mayagüez, and is also known as ''La Sultana del Oeste'' (The Sultaness of the West), ''Ciudad de las Aguas Pura ...
on November 5, 2005, which made Sewell the first wrestler to win both the top titles in both IWA and WWC in a calendar year. He lost the Universal title to Bryan on February 12, 2006 and split his time with both companies. Sewell later feuded with
Tim Arson over the NWS Heavyweight title until June 3, 2006 when he lost a Title vs. Leave The Company match.
When the New Wrestling Stars promotion folded, he made his IWA return on ''Impacto Total'' on August 19, 2006 in an angle with Miguel Perez Jr. in his office saying the Glamour Boy is ready to return. Later that night in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Sewell, under the masked gimmick Mr. GPR ran in and helped Perez Jr., Ray Gonzalez,
Thunder and Lightning clear of the ring of Savio Vega's La Compania before Sewell unmasked himself. Sewell won the Heavyweight title in a three-way match from Gonzalez and Lightning at
IWA Christmas in Puerto Rico
Christmas in PR is an annual wrestling event promoted in Puerto Rico by the International Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico), International Wrestling Association (IWA-PR). It was also briefly held by the World Wrestling League (WWL) during the f ...
on December 9, 2006 for a record ninth time. He has been making part-time appearances for WWC since 2008.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2008-2009)
Sewell began working for
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
to help develop and train upcoming wrestlers while (at the time) also appearing as a referee on ''
Impact!''. He first made a mark in TNA by defending himself after
Sheik Abdul Bashir took exception to being defeated after a restart in a match against
Consequences Creed
Austin Watson (born September 4, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Xavier Woods. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-half of the current NXT Tag ...
. Sewell quickly clotheslined Bashir over the top rope to the floor and had to be calmed down by referee
Earl Hebner
Earl William Hebner (born May 17, 1949) is an American retired professional wrestling referee who last officiated for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time as senior referee for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) from 1 ...
. Since the altercation, he had a number of brawls with wrestlers who shoved him while he was working as a referee.
On the November 13 episode of ''Impact!'' during an
X Division Championship
The Impact X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of then-TNA's second weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The current champion is Trey ...
match between
Eric Young and champion Sheik Abdul Bashir, Sewell stopped a three-count in noticing an illegal action on the part of Bashir, then asking the audience if Bashir had done so. Bashir then shoved Sewell to the mat, causing him to remove his referee shirt and begin attacking Bashir. As a result, Young hit a
Death Valley Driver
Professional wrestling throws are the application of professional wrestling techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming them down. They are sometimes also called "power" maneuvers, as they are meant to emphasize a wrest ...
on Bashir and won the match, becoming the new X Division Champion. However, the decision was reversed one week later by
Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author and podcaster who has previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, promoter, trainer, and occasional prof ...
due to Sewell's interference. A similar incident occurred at
Final Resolution
Final Resolution is a professional wrestling Impact Plus event held by Impact Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to Decem ...
, where Bashir shoved Sewell and he retaliated by kicking Bashir's feet off the top rope, thus causing him to be pinned by Young. Bashir then attacked Sewell and busted him open in the process.
On January 8, 2009, Sewell was (
kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged. ...
) fired as an official after another confrontation with Bashir. However, as part of the confrontation, Cornette announced that Sewell would be hired as a wrestler and face Bashir at TNA's
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
event
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
, which Sewell won.
[ Sewell apparently was allowed to officiate matches again, as on the ''Impact!'' following Genesis, he officiated Hernandez's disqualification loss against Sting. After having a number of confrontations with ]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) ...
, Cornette announced that at Against All Odds, Booker would defend his Legends Championship against Sewell. At Against All Odds, Sewell was defeated in his first and only championship match in TNA. On the March 26 episode of ''Impact!'', Sewell took part in a Captain's Gauntlet match, but was quickly eliminated by Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...
. On May 22, 2009, it was confirmed that Sewell had been released from the company.
Return to WWC
After being released from TNA, Sewell worked the June 25 tapings of 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 ...
, before returning to WWC. Soon after returning, Sewell competed in several matches for the Puerto Rico Heavyweight and Universal Heavyweight Championships, but was unable to win either title.[ On August 8, Sewell defeated Idol Stevens for the Puerto Rico Title.][ After two successful title defenses, Sewell lost the title to Orlando Colón on September 29.][ On September 27, Sewell defeated Noriega, BJ and Orlando Colón to win the Unified Universal Title for the third time. Sewell continued his ]feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...
with Colón by defeating him in a match for the Universal Title on October 17.[ He would go on to lose the title to Noriega on November 28, 2009. Sewell returned to the promotion thirteen months later, interfering in a match between ]Carly Colón
Carlos Edwin Colón Jr. (born February 21, 1979) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE, under the ring name Carlito. He is currently making appearances for multiple promotions, including Qatar Pro Wrestlin ...
and Ricky Banderas, costing Colón the Universal Heavyweight Championship and reforming ''Los Hermanos en Dolor''.
Various promotions
Shane Sewell returned to the IWA for their Christmas in PR event, but left after Juicio Final to appear in the PRWA (Puerto Rico Wrestling Association) in April 2010. On October 18, 2014, at WWL Insurrection, Sewell defeated Monster Pain to win the WWL World Heavyweight Championship. He lost the title to Alberto el Patron
José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a ...
in January 2015 at WWL's Three Kings Day holiday event in a three-way match that also included Ricky Banderas.
Personal life
Sewell owns and operates a wrestling school
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 ...
in Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founded ...
.[
]
Championships and accomplishment
* International Wrestling Association
**IWA Hardcore Championship IWA Hardcore Championship was a title contested under Hardcore wrestling rules (with the application of the 24/7 rules) in the International Wrestling Association in Puerto Rico. On October 4, 2008, the title was unified with the IWA Puerto Rico H ...
( 7 times)
**IWA Intercontinental Championship
The IWA Intercontinental Championship is a secondary professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), title defended in Puerto Rico. It was originally defended in the original International Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico), Intern ...
(2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)
**IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship
The IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships, world heavyweight championship that is contested in the International Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico), In ...
( 10 times)
**IWA World Tag Team Championship
IWA World Tag Team Championship is a Tag Team Championship defended in Puerto Rico.The titles were first introduced in the first incarnation of the International Wrestling Association, where they are defended. They also made a brief appearance i ...
( 4 times) – with D'Lo Brown
Accie Julius Connor (born October 22, 1970), better known by his ring name D'Lo Brown (also formatted as D-Lo Brown), is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling and WWE. Brown is also known for h ...
(1), Ricky Banderas
Gilbert Cosme Ramírez (born May 25, 1972) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler, better known by his ring names El Mesías, Mil Muertes, Ricky Banderas and King Muertes. He began his career in the International Wrestling Association based in ...
(1), KC James (1) and Abyss
Abyss may refer to:
* Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld
Film and television
* ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film starring Asta Nielsen
* ''The Abyss'' (1988 film) (''L'Œuvre au noir''), a French- ...
(1)
*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 #224 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 Council
The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...
**WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship
The WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship is a secondary title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council (WWC).
The title has been in use since 1975. Prior to being defended in the WWC, it wa ...
(2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)
**WWC Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship
The WWC Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship was a title that was defended in the World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in ...
(2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)
**WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship
The WWC Puerto Rico Championship is the secondary professional wrestling championship that is defended in the World Wrestling Council based in Puerto Rico. The title was created in January 1974 and, as its name suggests, is defended exclusively wi ...
( 3 times)
**WWC Television Championship
The WWC Television Championship is a tertiary championship that is currently defended in the World Wrestling Council. The title was initially created in 1986 and used until 2003, then from February 3, 2007 until July 11, 2008. The title was brought ...
( 7 times)
**WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship
The WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the top title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council. The championship was establi ...
( 3 times)
**WWC World Tag Team Championship
The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council.
History Abroad (2017)
On February 11, 2017, Thunder and Lightning defended the WWC World T ...
( 3 times) – with Glamour Boy Sean (2) and Ricky Santana
Ricardo Santana Ortiz (born November 21, 1958), better known as Ricky Santana, is a professional wrestler of Cuban descent who has worked for World Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation, World Wrestling Council and the National Wrestl ...
(1)
*World Wrestling League
La Liga Wrestling (formerly World Wrestling League or Liga Mundial de Lucha), was a wrestling promotion company based out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2012 by businessman Richard Negrín with the cooperation of established wrestling figur ...
**WWL World Heavyweight Championship
The WWL World Heavyweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial Peso Completo de la WWL'' in Spanish) was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship promoted by the World Wrestling League (WWL) promotion in Puerto Rico. The first champio ...
( 1 time)
Notes
External links
Slam! Wrestling's Hall of Fame Entry on Shane Sewell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sewell, Shane
Canadian male professional wrestlers
Living people
1976 births
Professional wrestlers from Toronto
Professional wrestling referees
Professional wrestling trainers
20th-century professional wrestlers
21st-century professional wrestlers
WWC Universal Heavyweight Champions
WWC Puerto Rico Champions
WWC Television Champions