Paul Lloyd Jr.
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Phillip Paul Lloyd (born 3 March 1981) is a South African-American
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 time in
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 Justin Gabriel. He is currently wrestling under the ring name P. J. Black. A second-generation wrestler, Lloyd was initially trained by his father. Debuting in 1997 at the age of 16, where he competed in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
and was the inaugural winner of the
WWP World Cruiserweight Championship The WWP World Cruiserweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship in the South African Professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Professionals, contested exclusively among Cruiserweight (<) wrestlers. It was created on Nove ...
in
World Wrestling Professionals Champions Pro Wrestling (formerly World Wrestling Professionals) is a South African professional wrestling promotion created in 2002. The promotion was televised in South Africa from 2004 to 2009 and internationally in 2009. CPW is owned by Mar ...
as P. J. Black. In 2008, Lloyd signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, and was assigned 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 ...
(FCW), WWE's
developmental territory In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
, where he won the
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship The FCW Florida Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling, (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It was contested for in their tag team division. The ch ...
, with
Kris Logan Brian Christopher Button
, and the
FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship The FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It is contested for in their heavyweight division ...
. In February 2010, he competed in the first season 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- ...
'', finishing third, before being called to the main roster in June 2010 joining The Nexus. He 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 ...
in 2011. Teaming regularly with
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 ...
, the duo won the
WWE Tag Team Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
three times in 2010 and 2011, which was the apex of Gabriel's success with WWE. He also won the
TNA King of the Mountain Championship TNA may refer to: Organisations * Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka * The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya * The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body * Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...
during his brief GFW crossover appearances with
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 ...
in 2015.


Professional wrestling career


Early career (1997–2000)

Lloyd was originally trained by his father, a promoter and wrestler in South Africa, who was also known by his
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 ...
The Pink Panther. His grandfather was a professional boxer and amateur wrestler. Lloyd grew up watching his father wrestle and in the early part of his training he used to practice in the backyard of his home, in which two rings were positioned. He made his
professional wrestling 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 o ...
debut at the age of 16. Using the ring name "P. J. Black", he formed a regular
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
with Ray Leppan called Pure Juice. His father was shot and killed in front of him during Lloyd's final year in high school, and a year later he moved to the United Kingdom for five years.


United Kingdom and South Africa (2000–2008)

Lloyd spent five years in the United Kingdom, where he trained with
Frontier Wrestling Alliance Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) was a professional wrestling promotion in Britain. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted ...
. He was trained by
Alex Shane Alexander Daniel Spilling (born 15 November 1979) is a British professional wrestler and professional wrestling commentator who is best known by his ring name "The Showstealer" Alex Shane. Spilling also works as a promoter, wrestling coach and ...
and Mark Sloan. In 2003 he made his FWA debut. He also made an appearance in International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. He debuted for the South African promotion World Wrestling Professionals (WWP) in 2005. In 2006, he returned to South Africa full-time, and returned to WWP. His most notable feuds during his tenure in WWP were against
Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
, Dameon Duke, Mikey Whiplash, and
Joe E. Legend Joseph Edward Hitchen (born September 2, 1969) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler and trainer, known under his ring name Joe E. Legend. He also wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 2000 to 2001 under the ring name Just J ...
. On 1 November 2007, Black became the promotion's inaugural World Cruiserweight Champion, by defeating The Playa in a match to determine the inaugural champion. After holding the championship for 13 days, he lost it to Lizzard on 14 November. He then declared his intentions to compete in WWP's heavyweight division. Lloyd challenged unsuccessfully for the WWP World Heavyweight Championship against Joe E Legend on a ''WWP Thunderstrike'' episode that aired on 10 January 2009. During the match he suffered minor burns to the face after a fireball spot did not go as originally planned, and he had to be treated in hospital. His final match in South Africa took place on 8 November 2008 at WWP's bi-annual Carnival City Casino show, where he was defeated by Terri Middoux in front of a record attendance.


World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE


Florida Championship Wrestling (2008–2010)

In 2008, Lloyd signed a three-year developmental deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), becoming the first South African person to do so. He was assigned 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 ...
(FCW), WWE's
developmental territory In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
, where he made his debut under the name Paul Lloyd on 5 February, in a loss to
Kawal Kawal may refer to: Places * Kawal, Uttar Pradesh, a village in India * Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary, in Telangana, India People * Kawal Rhode, English biomedical engineer * Kawal Sharma Kawal Sharma is an Indian film director and Film produc ...
. His first win in FCW came the following week, when he teamed with
Caylen Croft Kris Pavone (born May 2, 1980) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he wrestled under the ring name Caylen Croft. He was one half of the DudeBusters tag team w ...
and
Trent Barreta Gregory "Greg" Marasciulo (born March 30, 1987), better known by the ring name Trent Beretta or Trent?, is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his time with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ring ...
to defeat
Tyler Reks Gabbi Alon Tuft (born November 1, 1978) is an American retired professional wrestler. Tuft is best known for her time with WWE under the ring name Tyler Reks. Tuft also competed in WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FC ...
,
Johnny Curtis Curtis Jonathan Hussey (born July 22, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) under the ring name Dirty Dango. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring nam ...
, and DJ Gabriel in a
six-man tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...
. The following month, he changed his ring name to 'Justin Angel'. He went on to wrestle against DH Smith, Barreta, Yoshitatsu, and
Lance Hoyt Lance Hoyt (born February 28, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Lance Archer. He also makes sporadic appearance for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is also known for ...
over the next few months. In June, he formed a tag team with Kris Logan, with the pair defeating DJ Gabriel and Vic Adams in their debut match as a team. They quickly began to feud with The Dude Busters of Barreta and Croft, losing to them in several championship matches over the next month. At the 23 July 2009 tapings of FCW's television show, Angel and Logan defeated Barreta and Croft to become the Florida Tag Team Champions. They lost the championship on the same night to The Rotundos ( Bo and
Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
). Following the loss of the championship, Angel and Logan dissolved as a tag team, with Angel returning to singles competition. He went on a winning streak throughout August, 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 c ...
, Vance Archer, and
Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on the European indep ...
. Angel won the
Florida Heavyweight Championship The FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It is contested for in their heavyweight divisio ...
from Heath Slater in a
two out of three falls 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 ...
at the 24 September 2009 television tapings. He successfully defended the championship against
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 ...
, Eric Escobar, Slater, and
Curt Hawkins Brian Myers (born April 20, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is a former Impact Digital Media Champion. He is best known for his tenures in WWE from 2006–2014 and 2016–2020 unde ...
throughout late 2009. In February 2010, he changed his ring name to 'Justin Gabriel' to coincide with his appearances on ''NXT''. Further successful championship defenses occurred in early 2010, against competitors including Hawkins, Barreta, and
Kaval The kaval is a chromatic end-blown flute traditionally played throughout the Balkans (in Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Southern Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Northern Greece, and elsewhere) and Anatolia (including Turkey and Armenia). The ka ...
. After a near six-month reign, Gabriel lost the championship at the 18 March television tapings, when Alex Riley won a
three-way 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 ...
, which also included
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 ...
. Gabriel lost a rematch to Riley on 31 March and again on 20 May. In May, he started a feud with fellow South African
Leo Kruger Leo Kruger may refer to: * Leo Kruger (rugby union), South African rugby union player * Leo Kruger, South African wrestler also known as Adam Rose Raymond John Leppan (born 20 July 1979) is a South African retired professional wrestler. He is ...
over who was the better wrestler. On 10 June, Gabriel beat Kruger, but Kruger reversed the result in a rematch at the 1 July television tapings, which was Gabriel's final appearance in FCW.


The Nexus and the Corre (2010–2011)

On 16 February 2010, it was announced that Angel was going to be competing on the first season 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- ...
'' under the name Justin Gabriel, with
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team d ...
as his storyline mentor. He made his in-ring debut on the 2 March 2010 episode of ''NXT'' in a tag team match with his mentor Hardy, against the team of
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 ...
and Skip Sheffield. Gabriel and Hardy won the match when Gabriel pinned Regal, making him the first rookie to pin a pro on the show. He went on to defeat Wade Barrett the following week, before suffering his first defeat on the 16 March 2010 episode of ''NXT,'' when he and Hardy were defeated by
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...
and
Darren Young Frederick Douglas Rosser III (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current Strong Openweight Champion in his first reign. He is best known for his ...
. On 30 March, in the first Pros Poll, Gabriel was ranked third behind Daniel Bryan (first) and Wade Barrett (second). Before the first elimination, Gabriel won the Rookie Challenge earning immunity from elimination in the following Pros Poll. In that Poll, Gabriel remained in third place behind Wade Barrett (who was moved to first) 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 ...
(second). In the season finale on 1 June, Gabriel was the first eliminated, finishing in third place overall in the competition. On the 7 June 2010 episode of ''
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 ...
,'' Gabriel and the other season one ''NXT'' rookies 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 ...
(villainous) by interfering in the Viewer's Choice main event match between
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied w ...
and CM Punk, attacking both competitors, the announcing team and
Justin Roberts Justin Jason Roberts (born December 29, 1979) is an American professional ring announcer currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Roberts regularly announced for its pay-per- ...
, the
ring announcer A ring announcer is an in-ring (and sometimes on-camera) employee or contractor for a boxing, professional wrestling or mixed martial arts event or promotion, who introduces the competitors to the audience. In boxing and mixed martial arts bouts, ...
before dismantling the ring area and surrounding equipment. The following week on ''Raw,'' the rookies (excluding Daniel Bryan who had been released) attacked General Manager
Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...
, when he refused to give them contracts. At the
Fatal 4-Way WWE Fatal 4-Way was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on June 20, 2010, at the ...
pay-per-view, the seven rookies interfered in the
WWE Championship 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 SmackDown' ...
match and cost Cena the championship. The following week on ''Raw,''
Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...
fired Hart and announced the hiring of a new General Manager, who had signed the seven season one ''NXT'' rookies to contracts. The following week, the group was named The Nexus. On the 12 July episode of ''Raw'', The Nexus competed in their first match together, without Darren Young, a six–on–one handicap match against John Cena, which they won when Gabriel pinned Cena. The Nexus continued to feud with Cena and the Raw roster, resulting in a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
. Gabriel was one of the final two Nexus members in the match, but Cena's team won when Cena eliminated Gabriel and then Barrett to win the match. On 3 October 2010, Cena was forced to join The Nexus as a result of losing to Barrett at
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a five-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link fenci ...
and at the following pay-per-view
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 ...
, Cena and Otunga won the
WWE Tag Team Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
. On the 25 October 2010 episode of ''Raw,'' Barrett made a tag team match, with Gabriel and Heath Slater facing Otunga and Cena for the championship. Gabriel and Slater won when Barrett ordered Otunga to allow Slater to pin him, becoming the new Tag Team Champions. Gabriel and Slater held the championship for nearly two months before losing it to
Santino Marella Anthony Carelli (born March 14, 1974) is a Canadian judoka and semi-retired professional wrestler. He is known for his 11-year tenure with WWE where he wrestled under the ring name Santino Marella. He is the founder of and instructor at Battle Art ...
and
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 a four-way elimination match, also involving
The Usos The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are ...
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 Yoshi Tatsu on 6 December. Gabriel and Slater received a rematch for the championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on 19 December, but lost by disqualification when Nexus member Michael McGillicutty interfered. On the 10 January 2011 episode of ''Raw,'' Gabriel and Slater refused to take part in new Nexus leader CM Punk's initiation and walked away from the group. The following day, at the tapings of the 14 January 2011 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 ...
,'' Gabriel and Slater helped former leader Barrett and
Ezekiel Jackson Rycklon Stephens (born April 22, 1978) is a Guyanese-American retired professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He is best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Ezekiel Jackson, where he was the final ECW Champion under the WWE brand of t ...
attack
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 ...
. The following week, Gabriel, Slater, Barrett, and Jackson announced they had formed
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 ...
, and later that night Gabriel defeated
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 ...
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
in a non-title match, following interference from the other members of The Corre. After winning a non-title match against the champions Kozlov and Marella on 4 February episode of ''SmackDown'', Gabriel and Slater received a match for the WWE Tag Team Championship two weeks later, but lost via disqualification when the other members of The Corre interfered. They received a rematch at the
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel st ...
pay-per-view on 20 February and defeated Marella and Kozlov to win the WWE Tag Team Championship for the second time. The following night on ''Raw'', Gabriel and Slater lost the championship to John Cena and
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 ...
, but won the championship back minutes later after Barrett invoked The Corre's rematch clause, and The Miz turned on Cena. During this time, The Corre had continued to feud with The Big Show, and at
WrestleMania XXVII WrestleMania XXVII (also written as WrestleMania 27) was the 27th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown ...
in April the team of The Big Show, Kane, Santino Marella, and
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 ...
defeated The Corre. At the 19 April taping of ''SmackDown'', the duo of Gabriel and Slater lost the Tag Team Championship to the team of Kane and The Big Show. In a backstage segment following the match, Gabriel was attacked by Slater, who thought Gabriel blamed him for their loss. On the 6 May episode of ''SmackDown'', Gabriel, Barrett, and Slater attacked Jackson, removing him from the group. The three remaining members of The Corre feuded with Jackson until the 10 June episode of ''SmackDown'', when Barrett walked out on Gabriel and Slater during a six-man tag team match against Jackson and the Usos, causing Gabriel and Slater to proclaim the end of The Corre. Gabriel continued to ally himself with Slater despite the dissolution of The Corre, and the duo began a feud with The Usos. On the 17 June episode of ''SmackDown'', Gabriel and Slater were defeated by The Usos, but defeated them in a rematch the following week. They were again defeated by The Usos on the 8 July episode of ''SmackDown'', resulting in the pair arguing in the ring. The following week, their team was ended when they faced off in a match won by Gabriel and Gabriel transitioned to a
face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
(fan favourite) character.


Championship pursuits (2011–2013)

At Money in the Bank, Gabriel participated in the SmackDown
Money in the Bank ladder match The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First contested at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate Money in the Bank pay-per-view was established ...
, which was won by Daniel Bryan. For the rest of 2011, Gabriel scored many wins on '' Superstars'' over wrestlers like
Tyson Kidd Theodore James "TJ" Wilson (born July 11, 1980) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name Tyson Kidd. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works as a producer. The final graduate of the Hart Dungeon, Wilson w ...
,
JTG Jayson Anthony Paul (born December 10, 1984) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance. He is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name JTG. Paul began his professional wrestling career in ...
and
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 ...
, but was not as successful on other shows. On ''Raw'', he failed to win a battle royal for 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 ...
on 26 September 2011; while on ''SmackDown'', he lost singles matches to Wade Barrett, Hunico and
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 ...
. In January 2012, Gabriel began an alliance of sorts with
Hornswoggle Dylan Mark Postl (born May 29, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name Hornswoggle. He debuted in WWE in 2006, allied with Finlay. Hornswoggle won the Cruiserweight Championship in it ...
, saving him from Slater and Cody Rhodes, leading to matches with both which he won and lost respectively. At
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel st ...
, Gabriel unsuccessfully challenged
Jack Swagger Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Jake Hager, where he is a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society st ...
for the
WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships, championship promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, currently de ...
. Following a series of matches in early 2012, Gabriel and
Tyson Kidd Theodore James "TJ" Wilson (born July 11, 1980) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name Tyson Kidd. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works as a producer. The final graduate of the Hart Dungeon, Wilson w ...
showed mutual respect for each other, and decided to team up and form a tag team to challenge
Primo & Epico Primo and Epico Colón are a Puerto Rican professional wrestling tag team. The team, composed of real-life cousins, are former WWE Tag Team Champions, with the title won during their first run as Primo and Epico from 2011 to 2013. They also for ...
for the WWE Tag Team Championship. In a dark match at
WrestleMania XXVIII WrestleMania XXVIII (also written as WrestleMania 28) was the 28th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 1, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is the hig ...
on 1 April, also involving the Usos, they attempted to win the championship but were unsuccessful. During the match, Gabriel suffered a
hyperextended Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relative ...
and twisted elbow, rendering him inactive for several weeks. He returned on the 30 May episode of ''NXT'', scoring the win for himself,
Derrick Bateman Michael Hutter (born March 18, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Ethan Carter III (or simply EC3). EC3 is a co-founder of Control Your Narrative. He also performs on the independent circuit. He ...
and
Percy Watson Nicholas Christopher McNeil (born August 19, 1981), better known by his ring name Percy Watson, is an American professional wrestler, commentator, and former professional football player. He is best known for his time with WWE as a commentato ...
over the team of JTG, Johnny Curtis and Michael McGillicutty. Gabriel reunited with Kidd on 6 June, when they defeated Johnny Curtis and Heath Slater on ''NXT Redemption''. At the No Way Out pay-per-view, Gabriel and Kidd were defeated by
The Prime Time Players The Prime Time Players were an American professional wrestling tag team performing in the WWE, composed of Darren Young and Titus O'Neil. The two initially competed on ''WWE NXT'', debuting as a team in January 2012 and were later promoted to the ...
(
Titus O'Neil Thaddeus Michael Bullard Sr. (born April 29, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former arena football player. He is the Global Ambassador of WWE and also performs for the promotion as a wrestler under the ri ...
and Darren Young) in a number one contender four-way tag team match, also involving Primo and Epico and The Usos. When
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- ...
merged with WWE's developmental territory FCW in August, Gabriel participated in a tournament to determine the inaugural
NXT Champion The NXT Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. It is defended as the top championship of the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. In ...
, but was eliminated by Michael McGillicutty. On the 31 August episode of ''SmackDown'', Kidd and Gabriel suffered their first loss as a team against the Prime Time Players. On the debut episode of ''
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 ...
'' on 3 October, the pair, now unofficially called International Airstrike, lost to Santino Marella and
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 Ryde ...
in the quarter-finals of a tournament to decide the number one contenders. The following month, they were named part of a team for
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
, and were on the winning side of a precursor match on 12 November when they,
Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest profes ...
, and
Sin Cara In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...
defeated the Prime Time Players, Primo, and Epico with Gabriel pinning Young. At Survivor Series, Gabriel and Kidd were part of the victorious team in a five-on-five elimination tag team match, alongside Mysterio, Sin Cara, and
Brodus Clay George Murdoch (born February 21, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and cable news personality known by his ring/stage name Tyrus. As a wrestler, he is signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is the reigning NWA World ...
. In January 2013, Kidd had suffered a torn knee meniscus, placing their partnership on hold. On the 17 April 2013 episode of ''Main Event'', Gabriel won a battle royal to earn a recognition for the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship. His match against former ally Wade Barrett was later that night, but Gabriel was unsuccessful as Barrett pinned Gabriel after a devastating bull hammer elbow the finishing move of Barrett.


Final years (2013–2015)

Gabriel did not perform on pay-per-view for 2013; from May, he largely wrestled singles matches on ''Main Event'' and ''Superstars'', with wins over Curt Hawkins and Darren Young, but lost to other wrestlers including
Antonio Cesaro Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club stable. Castagnoli also performs for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor ...
,
Big E Langston Ettore Ewen (born March 1, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former powerlifter. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Big E, but is currently inactive due to a broken neck. In ...
,
Damien Sandow Aron Steven Haddad (born August 3, 1982) is an American professional wrestler best known for wrestling with WWE under the ring name Damien Sandow. He is also known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and the independent circuit under t ...
, and
Fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating from Portugal and Spain, usually in triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has ...
. He was involved in a storyline in September; after weeks of authority figure
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 ...
emasculating the WWE roster, Gabriel and several other babyfaces finally saved Daniel Bryan from a beatdown by
the Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt poli ...
and
Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. H ...
on the 16 September episode of ''Raw''. In response, Triple H arranged for Gabriel and Zack Ryder to face
Luke Harper Jonathan Huber (December 16, 1979 – December 26, 2020) was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Luke Harper (later simply Harper) from 2012 to 2019, and in All E ...
and
Erick Rowan Joseph Ruud (born November 28, 1981) is an American professional wrestler performing as Erick Redbeard. Having previously wrestled in Japan, where he trained and performed for Pro Wrestling Noah, Ruud signed a contract with WWE in 2011. He was s ...
of
The Wyatt Family The Wyatt Family was an American professional wrestling stable in WWE originally composed of Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, and Luke Harper. The Wyatt Family debuted in WWE's then developmental branch NXT in November 2012, with Harper and Rowan going ...
on the next ''SmackDown'', where Gabriel's team lost. On the next episode of ''Raw'', Bryan, Gabriel and the other babyfaces faced the Shield in an 11-on-3 handicap elimination match; Gabriel was eliminated by
Roman Reigns Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoa'i (born May 25, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former American football, football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WW ...
, but his team eventually won the match last eliminating
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...
. In January 2014, the ''Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter'' released a ranking of WWE's roster; Gabriel was ranked as a lower-tier babyface. He wrestled one match on pay-per-view for 2014, that being the
André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by exce ...
Memorial battle royal at
WrestleMania XXX WrestleMania XXX was the 30th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event produced by WWE. It took place on April 6, 2014, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome ...
, which Gabriel failed to win. In mid-2014, Gabriel began competing more on ''NXT'', which was now the show for WWE's rebranded developmental branch, but even there, Gabriel lost all of his televised singles matches, including to
Adrian Neville Benjamin Satterley (born 22 August 1986), better known by his ring name Pac, is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he was the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Champion. He is one-third of the ...
,
Tyler Breeze Matthew Clement (born January 19, 1988) is a Canadian professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer. He is currently signed to WWE under the ring name Tyler Breeze as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. From 2010 to 2012, he per ...
and
Hideo Itami is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he performs under the mononymous ring name Kenta (stylised in all capital letters), and is a member of the Bullet Club stable. He also makes occasional appea ...
. After losing to
Sami Zayn Rami Sebei ( ar, رامي سبعي; born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sami Zayn, and is a member of The Bloodline. Prior to join ...
on the 3 July 2014 episode of ''NXT'', Gabriel turned heel for the second time since 2011 by joining his former partner Tyson Kidd in a post-match assault on Zayn. The following week on ''NXT'', Gabriel and Kidd's reunion was initially successful as they defeated Neville and Zayn in a tag match, but Zayn got revenge when he and
Adam Rose Raymond John Leppan (born 20 July 1979) is a South African retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name Adam Rose. Making his debut on the South African independent circuit in 1995, Leppan signed with ...
eliminated Gabriel and Kidd in a tournament to determine the number one contenders to the
NXT Tag Team Championship The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on January 23 ...
on the 7 August episode of ''NXT''. Gabriel's last televised victory was on the 11 September 2014 episode of ''Superstars'' against
Sin Cara In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...
. His last title opportunity came on the 28 November 2014 episode of ''SmackDown'', when he was the first eliminated from a battle royal for the United States Championship. Toward the end of his run, Gabriel was primarily used as a
job Work or labor (or labour in British English) is intentional activity people perform to support the needs and wants of themselves, others, or a wider community. In the context of economics, work can be viewed as the human activity that contr ...
ber. His last televised match was a loss to Rusev on the 14 January 2015 episode of ''Main Event''. The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' reported on 24 January 2015 that Gabriel had quit WWE, one day before the 2015 Royal Rumble in which he was scheduled to compete. WWE officially confirmed his release on 25 January 2015. In March 2015, he did an interview with
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...
on the podcast ''Talk is Jericho'', where he revealed that he was the popular bunny character of
Adam Rose Raymond John Leppan (born 20 July 1979) is a South African retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name Adam Rose. Making his debut on the South African independent circuit in 1995, Leppan signed with ...
's Exotic Express and that the Adam Rose character was intended for him. He also mentioned that
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 ...
did not approve of his ideas for a
wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...
-themed daredevil persona he had written his own promos for.


Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2015)

On 12 August, Black took part in a TNA angle where GFW invaded
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 ...
(TNA). During that day's ''
Impact 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 ...
'' tapings, Black defeated Lashley,
Chris Mordetzky Christopher Todd Mordetzky (born January 8, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) under the ring name Chris Adonis as a member of Strictly Business. He is a former two-time National ...
, Eric Young and
Robbie E Robert Strauss (born October 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and manager. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand as a manager under the ring name Mr. Stone. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Ac ...
in a
King of the Mountain match The King of the Mountain match (Queen of the Mountain when female wrestlers are involved) is a professional wrestling match exclusive to Impact Wrestling (formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling). Match format The five competitors in the match st ...
to win the vacant
TNA King of the Mountain Championship TNA may refer to: Organisations * Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka * The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya * The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body * Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...
and on the 19 August episode of Impact, Black got a shot at the
TNA World Heavyweight Championship The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result o ...
against
Ethan Carter III Michael Hutter (born March 18, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Ethan Carter III (or simply EC3). EC3 is a co-founder of Control Your Narrative. He also performs on the independent circuit. He ...
but lost the match. On the 2 September episode of Impact, Black lost the King of the Mountain Championship to
Bobby Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery. Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonstop ...
. After Team TNA members Drew Galloway, Lashley,
Bram Bram may refer to: People * Bram (given name) * Bram (surname) * Bram (wrestler) (born 1986), ring name of professional wrestler Thomas Raymond Latimer * Bram Tchaikovsky (born 1950), stage name of British musician Peter Bramall * Bram Stoker Iris ...
and The Wolves (
Davey Richards Wesley David Richards (born March 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), under the ring name Davey Richards, and is the current MLW National Openweight Champion in his first reign. ...
and Eddie Edwards) defeated Team GFW members
Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also serves as Director of Business Development. Beginning his career in his father J ...
, Chris Mordetzky,
Brian Myers Brian Myers (born April 20, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is a former Impact Digital Media Champion. He is best known for his tenures in WWE from 2006–2014 and 2016–2020 und ...
,
Sonjay Dutt Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer and manager. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop ActionImpact Wrestling under the ring name Sonja ...
and Eric Young in a
Lethal Lockdown match A Lethal Lockdown match is a professional wrestling match used in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). This match has become a staple of TNA's Lockdown pay-per-view event, but has also made appearances at other TNA pay-per-views, and during Impac ...
for Jeff Jarrett's share of the company, the invasion angle ended.


Independent circuit (2015–present)

On 25 January 2015, it was announced that Lloyd would be making his first post-WWE appearance for Pro Wrestling Syndicate (PWS) on 31 January as "The Darewolf" P. J. Black, resuming his previous ring name along with a new moniker. At the EVOLVE 38 iPPV event held on 8 March, Black defeated Caleb Konley following a springboard 450 splash. On 6 May 2015,
Global Force Wrestling Global Force Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by Jeff Jarrett, the co-founder and former President of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (now known as Impact Wrestling), and his wife Karen Jarrett. It is ow ...
(GFW) announced Black as part of their roster On 24 July 2015, Black entered the GFW NEX*GEN Championship Tournament to crown the inaugural champion, he defeated
Seiya Sanada , better known by his ring name Sanada (stylized as SANADA), is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a member of the stable ''Los Ingobernables de Japón''. As part of NJPW, Sanada is mostly ...
in the first round of the tournament. On 23 October 2015 Black defeated
Jigsaw Jigsaw may refer to: * Jigsaw (tool), a tool used for cutting arbitrary curves * Jigsaw puzzle, a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of interlocking pieces Arts and media Comics * Jigsaw (Marvel Comics), a supervillain and arch-enemy of ...
,
T. J. Perkins Theodore James Perkins (born September 3, 1984) is an American professional wrestler of Filipino descent, better known by the ring name T. J. Perkins (or simply TJP) currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling where he is a member of the Unite ...
and Virgil Flynn in a four way. match to become the first ever GFW NEX*GEN Champion. On 27 November 2015, Black lost the NEX*GEN Championship to
Sonjay Dutt Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer and manager. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop ActionImpact Wrestling under the ring name Sonja ...
. It was later announced that Black dropped the title because he was departing to
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 ...
. On 9 May 2015, Black (with manager Jonny Ferrari) lost to
Mr. 450 John Jesús Yurnet (born June 21, 1987), better known by his ring name Mecha Wolf 450, is a Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Glossary of professional wrestling terms#school, professional wrestling ...
at RONIN 6 in Pembroke Pines, Florida, after his manager turned on him and sided with Mr. 450, costing him the match.Results RONIN 6 May 9 2015 Match 8: Mr. 450 def. PJ Black, when PJ's manager Jonny Ferrari turned on him and sided with 450
/ref> On 29 May 2015, Black lost to
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion The is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The championship was created on March 1, 2021 by the unification of the ...
AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
(with manager Jonny Ferrari) at
House of Glory House of Glory (HOG) is an American professional wrestling school and promotion created by Amazing Red and is now owned by Master P. House of Glory was featured in an MTV news article. The promotion has run shows in New York and Toronto. Curr ...
High Intensity 4 in Jamaica, New York, after he had destroyed Ferrari's megaphone at the beginning of the match.AJ Styles Vs. PJ Black Full Match Managed AJ Styles
/ref> On 26 March, Black unsuccessfully challenged
Drew Galloway 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 ...
for the
Evolve Championship The Evolve Championship was a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned by the Evolve (professional wrestling), Evolve professional wrestling promotion, promotion. The inaugural champion was crowned on April ...
. On 2 July 2016, Black defeated Ivan Kiev at ''GWF Summer Smash'' to become the GWF Berlin Champion. On 5 February 2017, Black teamed with
Nixon Newell Steffanie Rhiannon Newell (born 15 November 1994) is a Welsh professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Tegan Nox. Newell previously wrestled on the British independent circuit under ...
defeated Guilty By Habit (Damian Dunne and Robbie X) to become the SWE Tag Team Championships. On 12 March 2017, they lost the titles back to Guilty By Habit in a rematch. After seven months on inactivity for his jumping injury, Black returned in a Wrestlecade show teaming with Willie Mack and Jason Kincaid but were defeated by Juventud Guerrerra,
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 ...
and Caleb Konley. On 2 March 2018 it was announced that former WWE Superstars and members of The Nexus faction Darren Young, Michael Tarver and Black will be competing at this year’s Chikara:
King of Trios King of Trios was a three-night tournament promoted by the Chikara professional wrestling promotion. The tournament was a different take on the Tag World Grand Prix event that the promotion was known for annually promoting; in King of Trios, ins ...
tournament. At the event, the team won their first-round match but lost in the quarter finals. On 26 October 2018, Black unsuccessfully challenged for the PCW Ultra Championship against
Pentagon Jr. In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be sim ...
In 2018 Black was one of the mainstays of Joey Ryan's Bar Wrestling promotion, making seven appearances in total.


Lucha Underground (2015–2019)

On 14 November 2015, at the first set of Lucha Underground tapings for their second season, Black made his lucha debut for the organization and lost his first match against
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 ...
. On 24 February 2016, Black lost his second match to Jack Evans. On the 25 May episode of ''Lucha Underground'', Black and Evans were scheduled to compete for the
Lucha Underground Trios Championship } The Lucha Underground Trios Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship promoted by Lucha Underground. In contrast to usual tag team championships for two wrestlers, it is exclusively for three-man tag teams, also know ...
alongside Fénix, but Fénix was attacked by
Johnny Mundo John Randall Hennigan (born October 3, 1979) is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name John Morrison. He is best known for his time in WWE, Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground. Hennigan currently makes ap ...
. As Mundo revealed himself as Fénix's replacement, Black and Evans allied with Mundo and his valet Taya. Black, Evans, and Mundo, now known as Worldwide Underground, defeated
Rey Mysterio Jr. Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest profe ...
,
Prince Puma Trevor Dean Mann (born October 11, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Ricochet. Before signing with WWE, Mann is best known for his tenure with ...
and Dragon Azteca Jr. to win the Lucha Underground Trios Championship, the first championship for each in ''Lucha Underground''. They lost their titles to
Aero Star Aero Star (real name unrevealed; born October 22, 1984) is a Mexican luchador, which is a masked professional wrestler currently signed to Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). Aero Star won the 2008 ''Alas de Oro'' tournament and is known for his hig ...
, Drago and Fénix at the third and final part Ultima Lucha Dos, which aired on 20 July. On the 7 December episode of ''Lucha Underground'', Black lost to
Sexy Star Dulce Maria García Rivas (born September 20, 1982) is a Mexican ''luchadora'' '' enmascarada'', or masked female professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and professional boxer who is better known by the ring name Sexy Star. She is best kno ...
in which if Sexy Star won, she would face Worldwide Underground leader Johnny Mundo for the
Lucha Underground Championship The Lucha Underground Championship was a professional wrestling world championship owned by the Lucha Underground. The championship is the top championship of the promotion and is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which p ...
. Black participated in the Battle of the Bulls tournament for a number one contender spot for the Lucha Underground Championship. He lasted until the finals where he failed to win a fatal-four way elimination match also involving
Cage A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayin ...
, Jeremiah Crane and The Mack, the latter of which last eliminating Black to win the match.


NWA (2018–2019)

Sporting a new biker-look that included a beard, black vest and shoulder-length hair, Black wrestled
NWA NWA or Nwa most commonly refers to: * N.W.A ("Niggaz Wit Attitudes"), a hip hop group from Compton, California, US * National Wrestling Alliance, a professional wrestling organization NWA or Nwa may refer to: Music * New Weird America, a subgenr ...
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, ...
Nick Aldis Nicholas Aldis (born 6 November 1986) is an English professional wrestler best known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He is also known for his time in Impact Wrestling under the ring name Magnus. Aldis made his debut on t ...
to a five minute time limit draw at the 29 April 2018
Championship Wrestling from Hollywood Championship Wrestling from Hollywood (CWFH) is an American professional wrestling promotion and television program that airs on KDOC-TV Los Angeles and carried in first-run syndication in the United States. The television series premiered on ...
TV taping, thereby earning a future opportunity at Aldis' title. Aldis had issued an open challenge offering to give any competitor lasting five minutes in the ring with him a future title opportunity. Black wrestled the champion after he had handily defeated two local competitors in singles matches. Black was scheduled to face Nick Aldis for the NWA Heavyweight Championship, the date and venue were set, but according to Aldis on NWA's Ten Pounds of Gold, Black "pulled out". After Black begun appearing for
Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
(ROH), the match was booked again. It happened during ROH's television taping on January 12, 2019. At the event he lost the match to Aldis.


Ring of Honor (2018–2021)

Black made his debut for
Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
(ROH) at the
Survival of the Fittest (2018) Survival of the Fittest (2018) was a professional wrestling event produced by the American wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. This was the 12th Survival of the Fittest tournament, and it took place on November 4, 2018, at the Express Live! in Colu ...
tournament, Black defeated
Luchasaurus Austin Matelson (born March 10, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and television personality currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Luchasaurus, where he is a former AEW World Tag Team Cha ...
in the qualifying match. However he lost the final match in a six-man mayhem match, the winner being
Marty Scurll Martin Scurll (born 26 July 1988) is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Ring of Honor (ROH) as the leader of the stable Villain Enterprises, where he was a one-time ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship and a on ...
. Black would go on to suffer a loss to Nick Aldis in a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the 12 January 2019 ROH television tapings. After being approached by
Impact 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 ...
and
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 ...
, he would sign a one-year contract with Ring of Honor. At
ROH Honor Reigns Supreme 2019 Honor Reigns Supreme 2019 was a professional wrestling event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH), that took place on January 13, 2019, at the Cabarrus Arena in Concord, North Carolina. The event was shown live on ROH's Honor Club online streaming s ...
, Black was defeated by Bandido. On 2 February, Black revealed he had signed an exclusive deal with ROH, stating his first official date with them being 16 March 2019. At Best In The World, Black joined Lifeblood's
Mark Haskins Mark Haskins (born 25 June 1988), is an English professional wrestler currently signed with Ring of Honor. He is known internationally for his time in Impact Wrestling, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, as well as his appearances in Progress Wre ...
and Traci Williams to unsuccessfully challenge
Villain Enterprises Villain Enterprises was a Heel (professional wrestling), villainous professional wrestling Professional wrestling stable, stable consisting of Marty Scurll, Brody King, Pierre Carl Ouellet, PCO, and Flip Gordon. The stable performed in Ring of Ho ...
for the
ROH World Six Man Tag Team Championship The ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won as a result of a match with a predetermined outcome. ...
. At Manhattan Mayhem, Black once again joined Lifeblood to defeat Villain Enterprises. At
Summer Supercard Summer Supercard was a multi-promotional professional wrestling supershow produced by Ring of Honor (ROH) also featuring wrestlers from Mexico's Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Japan's New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotions and t ...
, Black was defeated by Villain Enterprise's leader
Marty Scurll Martin Scurll (born 26 July 1988) is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Ring of Honor (ROH) as the leader of the stable Villain Enterprises, where he was a one-time ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship and a on ...
.


Return to Impact Wrestling (2022-present)

On 20 October, 2022 episode of ''Impact!'', Black was announced as one of the participants in the tournament for the vacated
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 ...
.


Modeling career

Lloyd has competed in numerous modeling contests. He placed first in the Male Fitness Model Search held by FAME SA, sixth in the 2008 Mr Body Classic contest held by Mr & Ms Body Beautiful SA, eighth in the 2007 Men's Model Search held by Mr & Ms Fitness SA, and reached the top five in the Mr Physique Division in the 2008 Men's Model Search.


Other media

Lloyd appeared on
Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...
's ''Shark After Dark'' television program in August 2013. In September 2013, he was featured on an episode of ''
Total Divas ''Total Divas'' is an American reality television series that aired from July 28, 2013, to December 10, 2019, on E!. The series gave viewers an inside look into the lives of female WWE wrestlers from their work within WWE to their persona ...
'' as a love interest for JoJo. Gabriel made his
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
debut in ''
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 ''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011'' (also shortened to ''WWE SvR 2011'' or ''SVR 11'') is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for PlayStation 2 (PS2), PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation Portable (PSP), Xbox 360 ...
'' and had later appeared in ''
WWE '12 ''WWE '12'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. It was released on November 22, 2011, in North America, November 25 in Europe, and on January 26, 2012, in Japan. ...
'', ''
WWE '13 ''WWE '13'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. It was released on October 30, 2012, in North America and November 2, 2012, in United Kingdom. It is the fourteenth ...
'' and ''
WWE 2K14 ''WWE 2K14'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K Sports for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released on October 29, 2013, in North America, October 30, 2013, in Japan, October 31, 2013, in Austr ...
''. He also appears in '' WWE 2K15'' as Justin Gabriel and The Bunny (NPC, only appears in
Adam Rose Raymond John Leppan (born 20 July 1979) is a South African retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name Adam Rose. Making his debut on the South African independent circuit in 1995, Leppan signed with ...
's entrance.)


Personal life

Lloyd attended Marais Viljoen High School in Johannesburg, South Africa where he excelled in rugby alongside junior rugby stars like Hendrik van Nieuwenhuizen. Upon graduation, he moved to the United Kingdom where he obtained a doctorate degree in
sports science Sports science is a discipline that studies how the healthy human body works during exercise, and how sport and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body perspectives. The study of sports science traditionally inc ...
and Nutrition. Although he was born in South Africa, he resides in
Pierre Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
. He obtained US Citizenship in April 2016 but maintains his South African citizenship. Lloyd has suffered through two BASE jumping accidents. The latest of which occurred in the summer of 2017 and resulted in Lloyd losing the part of a finger which was later reattached.


Championships and accomplishments

*Cornish Pro Wrestling **LEP Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Destiny World Wrestling **DWW Championship (1 time) *
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 Florida Heavyweight Championship The FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It is contested for in their heavyweight division ...
( 1 time) **
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship The FCW Florida Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling, (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It was contested for in their tag team division. The ch ...
( 1 time) – with
Kris Logan Brian Christopher Button
*
German Wrestling Federation German Wrestling Federation (GWF) is a professional wrestling promotion which has been founded and is based in Berlin, Germany. While the promotion has toured through Germany and has held events in Bochum, Rostock, Lübeck, Hennigsdorf and Hamb ...
**GWF Berlin Championship (1 time) *
Global Force Wrestling Global Force Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by Jeff Jarrett, the co-founder and former President of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (now known as Impact Wrestling), and his wife Karen Jarrett. It is ow ...
** GFW NEX*GEN Championship (1 time) **GFW NEX*GEN Championship Tournament (2015) *
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 ...
**
Lucha Underground Trios Championship } The Lucha Underground Trios Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship promoted by Lucha Underground. In contrast to usual tag team championships for two wrestlers, it is exclusively for three-man tag teams, also know ...
( 1 time) – with Jack Evans and
Johnny Mundo John Randall Hennigan (born October 3, 1979) is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name John Morrison. He is best known for his time in WWE, Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground. Hennigan currently makes ap ...
* ''
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 ...
'' ** Feud of the Year (2010) ** Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2010) ** PWI ranked him #61 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 * Rogue Wrestling **WWEDM Championship (1 time) **WWEDM Title Tournament (2018) *Slamforce Africa **SFA World Championship (1 time, current) * Southside Wrestling Entertainment **SWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with
Nixon Newell Steffanie Rhiannon Newell (born 15 November 1994) is a Welsh professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Tegan Nox. Newell previously wrestled on the British independent circuit under ...
*
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 ...
**
TNA King of the Mountain Championship TNA may refer to: Organisations * Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka * The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya * The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body * Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...
( 1 time) ** King of the Mountain (
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
) * World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE **
WWE Tag Team Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
( 3 times) – with
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 ...
**
Slammy Award The Slammy Awards is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy and Grammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers and other individuals within WWE, such as commentators and managers. Introduced in 1986, there have been 13 edi ...
(2 times) *** Shocker of the Year (
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
) *** Animal of the Year (
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
) – as The Bunny *
World Wrestling Professionals Champions Pro Wrestling (formerly World Wrestling Professionals) is a South African professional wrestling promotion created in 2002. The promotion was televised in South Africa from 2004 to 2009 and internationally in 2009. CPW is owned by Mar ...
**
WWP World Cruiserweight Championship The WWP World Cruiserweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship in the South African Professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Professionals, contested exclusively among Cruiserweight (<) wrestlers. It was created on Nove ...
( 1 time)


References


External links

* *
WWP Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Black, P. J. 1981 births 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers Living people Sportspeople from Cape Town South African disabled sportspeople South African male professional wrestlers White South African people South African expatriates in the United States Expatriate professional wrestlers TNA Legends/Global/Television/King of the Mountain Champions Lucha Underground Trios Champions FCW Florida Heavyweight Champions FCW Florida Tag Team Champions