Dennis Knight (born December 26, 1968) is an American chef and retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling between 1992 and 1994 under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

Tex Slazenger and with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) between 1996 and 2001 under the ring names Phineas I. Godwinn and Mideon, as well as his real name.

Early life

Knight grew up in the Tampa Bay Area, in the city of

Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, northwest of Tampa and St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census, the city had a populat ...

. He attended Salem University in Salem, West Virginia, where he played American football for the Tigers. After suffering a severe shoulder injury, Knight left Salem College and returned to Florida, where he worked as a bouncer.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1989–1992)

While working as a bouncer in

, Knight was introduced to

Steve Keirn Stephen Paul Keirn (born September 10, 1951) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in multiple National Wrestling Alliance territories as Steve Keirn as one-half of the tag team The Fabulous Ones, as we ...

, who trained him as a professional wrestler. He debuted in 1989 under the ring name "Tex Slazenger", facing his stepfather,

Ron Slinker David Ronald Slinker (October 30, 1945 – March 28, 2008), better known by his ring name, Ron Slinker, was an American professional wrestler and martial artist who competed in several North American promotions. Early life Slinker began studyi ...

, in his first match. Knight went on to wrestle on the

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

in the

Carolinas The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Combining Nort ...

. In 1991, Knight joined the Memphis, Tennessee-based United States Wrestling Association, where he adopted the ring name "Leatherface" and a

gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...

based on the character from the 1974 film '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'', complete with "bloodstained" apron, leather mask and chainsaw (without the chain). He was pushed as a "monster" in a feud with Jerry Lawler. During one infamous match between the two, Knight was set on fire. After dropping the Leatherface gimmick, Tex teamed up with Mark Canterbury who wrestled as the masked "Master Blaster". After leaving the USWA, Knight wrestled in Florida, Puerto Rico and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

before receiving a tryout with World Championship Wrestling in 1992.

World Championship Wrestling (1992–1994)

In 1992, Knight was hired by World Championship Wrestling, where he was renamed "Tex Slazenger" and given the character of an "ornery Texas outlaw". Knight formed a tag team with Shanghai Pierce. Knight and Pierce left WCW in 1994.

United States Wrestling Association (1995–1996)

When both men left WCW, Canterbury signed with the World Wrestling Federation under the

"Henry Godwinn" while Slazenger returned to the USWA. In the USWA, Slazenger captured the USWA Southern Title on two occasions, defeating Brian Christopher both times.

World Wrestling Federation (1996–2001)

The Godwinns and Southern Justice (1996–1998)

In 1996, Knight signed with the WWF and was therefore reunited with Canterbury and renamed "Phineas I. Godwinn" (abbreviated to P.I.G.). The duo were portrayed as being cousins and were collectively known as The Godwinns. Phineas made his in-ring debut on the January 29 episode of '' Monday Night Raw'' in a tag team victory for Godwinns over

The Bodydonnas The Bodydonnas were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the mid-1990s, consisting of Chris Candido as Skip, Candido's real-life girlfriend Tammy Lynn Sytch as Sunny, and Tom Prichard as Skip's kayfabe cousi ...

and began a feud with Bodydonnas over their manager Sunny. They soon entered a tournament for the vacant Tag Team Championship and defeated The New Rockers and Owen Hart and British Bulldog to qualify for the finals on the March 31 episode of '' Free for All'', where they lost to Bodydonnas. They failed to win the titles from Bodydonnas in a rematch for the titles at In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies. On May 19, Godwinns defeated Bodydonnas to win the Tag Team Championship at a live event in

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

. As a result, they gained Bodydonnas' valet Sunny as their manager on the May 26 episode of ''Free for All'', where they lost their newly won titles to The Smoking Gunns. In 1998, in a match between The Godwinns and the Legion of Doom, Canterbury suffered a cracked C7 vertebra when the Legion of Doom botched a Doomsday Device. He was advised by doctors to rest for 15 weeks, but returned to the ring in less than eight weeks. In early 1998, the Godwinns dropped their pig farmer gimmicks and became "Southern Justice", the bodyguards of Tennessee Lee, using their real names. Six months later, Canterbury herniated his C7 vertebra and pinched a spinal nerve, necessitating spinal fusion surgery. This came as a result of him returning to the ring too early after his neck injury. He eventually left the WWF and retired, due to the neck injury suffered in 1998 leaving Knight without a partner.

The Ministry of Darkness (1998–1999)

In late 1998, Knight returned to the WWF after a brief hiatus, and in a short time, was kidnapped by the

Acolytes An acolyte is an assistant or follower assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession. In many Christian denominations, an acolyte is anyone performing ceremonial duties such as lighting altar candles. In others, the term is used f ...

and brainwashed into joining the Ministry of Darkness, a heel

Satanic Satanic may refer to: * Satan * Satanism * ''Satanic'' (2006 film), a 2006 American horror film * ''Satanic'' (2016 film), a 2016 American horror film * Operation Satanic, when the DGSE bombed the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour See also * ...

-themed

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

led by The Undertaker, who rechristened him as the deranged

soothsayer Soothsayer may refer to: * One practicing divination, including: ** Fortune-telling ** Haruspex ** Oracle ** Prophet ** Precognition Music * Soothsayers (band), a London-based Afrobeat and reggae group * ''The Soothsayer'', an album by Wayne ...

"Midian" (spelling later changed to "Mideon"). Throughout 1999, The Ministry feuded with Stone Cold Steve Austin, with Mideon often teaming up with Viscera. Mideon "won" the WWF European Championship in this time when he found it in Shane McMahon's bag. Mideon held the belt for over a month until losing it to D'Lo Brown at Fully Loaded. When The Undertaker was injured in late 1999, the Ministry disbanded, however, Mideon continued the gimmick and union with Viscera, including doing The Undertaker's biddings in matches well after The Ministry had dissolved, although no clear stable was ever established again.

Various storylines (2000–2001)

In early 2000, Knight appeared briefly as a Mankind imitator. Knight returned in-ring a limited capacity in mid-2000 as "Naked Mideon", a persona who ran around arenas wearing only a fanny pack, a pair of

boot A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is cle ...

s and a thong. At No Mercy 2000 he tried to reclaim the European Championship from William Regal, but was defeated. At Armageddon 2000, Knight briefly interfered in the match between Chris Jericho and Kane. Knight then wrestled in a few

dark matches 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 ...

under his previous

moniker A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

Tex Slazenger, but was released in January 2001.

Later career and retirement (2001–present)

Following his run with the WWF, Knight returned to his home in Tampa, Florida and spent time training students at Steve Keirn's Pro Wrestling school. During this time he also continued to wrestle for several Florida independent promotions such as IPW and the FSPW, as well as touring Europe. From 2003 to 2004, Knight returned for several dark matches for World Wrestling Entertainment under his own name. Knight appeared at the NWA Total Nonstop Action event TNA Destination X 2005 on March 13, 2005 during the scheduled match between Monty Brown and Trytan. In the course of the match, the lights went off and Trytan vanished from the ring. When the lights came on, a masked Knight was in his place and was quickly pinned by Brown. TNA never revealed on air who was under the mask and released Knight the following day. Knight retired from professional wrestling in 2006. He wrestled several matches for Great Lakes Championship Wrestling in 2011 in 2012. On November 22, 2020, Knight returned to WWE together with

Henry O. Godwinn Mark Canterbury (born March 16, 1964) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in the mid to late 1990s under the ring name Henry O. Godwinn. He is also ...

as The Godwinns, to take part in The Undertaker's retirement ceremony at Survivor Series. Several other members of the

Bone Street Krew In professional wrestling, the Bone Street Krew (BSK) was a backstage group of wrestlers in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) during the 1990s. History The Bone Street Krew was founded by Yokozuna, who coined the name of the group, and The U ...

also appeared to pay tribute.

Personal life

After retiring from professional wrestling, Knight began working as a chef in

. Knight has an

eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...

ball tattooed on the back of his head and a tattoo of

Doc Holliday John Henry Holliday (August 14, 1851 – November 8, 1887), better known as Doc Holliday, was an American gambler, gunfighter, and dentist. A close friend and associate of lawman Wyatt Earp, Holliday is best known for his role in the event ...

on his left arm.

Championships and accomplishments

* Championship Wrestling from Florida ** CWF Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) - with Jumbo Baretta *Independent Professional Wrestling **IPW Hardcore Championship (1 time) *Future Stars of Pro Wrestling **FSPW Hardcore Championship (1 time) *Professional Wrestling Federation **PWF Tag Team Championships (1 time) - with Jumbo Baretta * United States Wrestling Association **

USWA Heavyweight Championship The AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship was a major professional wrestling title in the Continental Wrestling Association during the 1970s and 1980s. The title is part of a long lineage that was started when the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight ...

(

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 ...

) * World Wrestling Federation ** WWF European Championship ( 1 time) ** WWF Tag Team Championship (

) – with

*'' Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' ** Worst Tag Team (1996, 1997, 1999) – with Henry Godwinn & Viscera

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mideon 1968 births 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers Living people People from Clearwater, Florida Professional wrestlers from Florida Salem Tigers football players WWF European Champions NWA Florida Tag Team Champions