Richard Young (born May 12, 1975) is an American retired

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

and former

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

. He is best known for his work with

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

performing under the ring name Ricky Ortiz. Young spent time in the

XFL XFL may refer to: Sports * XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001 * XFL (2020), a professional American football league Vehicles * Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...

, the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL), the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

(AFL), and the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL).

Football career

College

Young spent two years at Glendale Community College in

Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located approximately northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 248,325. History In the la ...

. He then transferred to the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin to ...

and played for the

Tulsa Golden Hurricane The Golden Hurricane are the athletic teams that represent the University of Tulsa. These teams are referred to as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (or variously as TU or Tulsa). Before adopting the name Golden Hurricane in 1922, the University of T ...

. He was a two-year

letter winner In sports or activities in the United States, a letterman is a high school or college student who has met a specified level of participation or performance on a varsity team. Overview The term comes from the practice of awarding each such parti ...

. He played 22 career games and was credited with 177 tackles as a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

Professional football

After college, Young spent

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

of the 1998 season with the NFL's

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

, and was on the team's

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

during the season. After the year, he went to the

(CFL) and played for the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

. He spent the 2000 and 2001 seasons in the

with the Milwaukee Mustangs. In the AFL, Young played both fullback and

. Following the AFL, Young joined the short-lived

with the

Orlando Rage The Orlando Rage was an American football team based in Orlando, Florida as part of the XFL, begun by Vince McMahon of the World Wrestling Federation and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. History The team's colors were sc ...

. After the league folded, Young attempted to make the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

roster, but was waived during training camp. He rejoined the AFL, this time with the

Indiana Firebirds The Indiana Firebirds were a team in the Arena Football League. The team was based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Home games were played at the Conseco Fieldhouse, also the home of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and Indiana ...

, in 2002. He would spend the next two years in Indiana before joining the

Colorado Crush The Colorado Crush were an arena football team based in Denver, Colorado. They began play as a 2003 Arena Football League expansion team. The Crush played in the Central Division of the American Conference until the Arena Football League suspen ...

in 2004. In 2003, he led all AFL middle linebackers with 4.0 sacks.

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Entertainment (2006–2009)

Young made his professional wrestling debut with

Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg. O ...

in late 2006 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 ...

Atlas DaBone. On January 12, 2008, DaBone became the number one contender to the

OVW Heavyweight Championship The OVW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned by the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) promotion. The original championship was designed and created in 1997 by Reggie Parks. The title was introduced on Augu ...

after beating Mike Kruel in a best of 3 series. On July 1, 2008, Young made his WWE debut under the name Atlas Ortiz on the

ECW ECW may refer to: Professional wrestling * Extreme Championship Wrestling (originally Eastern Championship Wrestling), a professional wrestling promotion that operated from 1992 to 2001 * The Alliance (professional wrestling) (originally the WCW/E ...

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

, winning his first match against Armando Estrada. The next week on ''ECW'',

Tazz Peter Senerchia (born October 11, 1967), better known by the ring name Taz (also spelled Tazz) is an American radio personality, color commentator, and retired professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator and manage ...

and Mike Adamle referred to him as "Ricky Ortiz". He acknowledged the name change in an interview segment on the same show;

Lena Yada Lena Yada-Draiman (born November 12, 1978) is an American former model, actress, professional tandem surfer, valet and professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Modeling and surfing Yada wa ...

called him Atlas and he responded by saying, "My friends call me Ricky". On the July 15 episode of ''ECW'', he used the nickname, "The Latin Assassin". Ortiz defeated

Chavo Guerrero Salvador Guerrero IV (born October 20, 1970) better known by his ring names Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero Jr., is an American professional wrestler. He has previously worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Federati ...

by disqualification on July 29. The next week he beat Guerrero and Bam Neely in a tag team match with

Evan Bourne Matthew Joseph Korklan (born March 19, 1983), better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Prior to signing with AEW, Sydal wrestled in WWE as Evan Bourne, and was ...

. Although enjoying a streak of 5–0, on October 7, Ortiz would team with

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 ...

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 Evan Bourne against John Morrison,

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 ...

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 (AE ...

, and

Ted DiBiase Theodore Marvin DiBiase Sr. (born January 18, 1954) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE working in their Legends program. DiBiase achieved championship ...

in an 8-man tag match losing effort. After a distraction from

Manu Manu may refer to: Geography * Manú Province, a province of Peru, in the Madre de Dios Region **Manú National Park, Peru ** Manú River, in southeastern Peru * Manu River (Tripura), which originates in India and flows into Bangladesh *Manu Tem ...

, Morrison would then perform a

Moonlight Drive "Moonlight Drive" is a song by American rock band the Doors, released in 1967 on their second album '' Strange Days''. It was edited to a 2:16 length for the 45 rpm single B-side of " Love Me Two Times". Though a conventional blues arrangement, t ...

on Punk and pin him for the victory. This would be Young's first televised loss since debuting on ECW, although he was still undefeated in singles competition. On the December 2 episode of ''ECW'', he suffered his first pinfall loss at the hands of

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 ...

, who was also undefeated at the time. On April 15, 2009, Ortiz was drafted to the

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 ...

brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft. On the May 15 episode of ''SmackDown'', Ortiz made his debut for the brand, losing to

Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...

. His last match for WWE was the August 7 episode of ''SmackDown'', where he was squashed by

The Great Khali Dalip Singh Rana (born 27 August 1972) is an Indian professional wrestler and wrestling promoter better known by his ring name The Great Khali. He is best known for his tenure in WWE where he became the first Indian-born WWE World Heavywe ...

. He was released from his WWE contract on August 8, 2009.

Independent circuit and retirement (2009-present)

A week after his WWE release, on August 15, 2009, Young appeared at a

World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...

show, using the name 'Ricky Ortiz' and challenging

Shane Sewell Shane Sewell (born September 5, 1972) is a Canadian professional wrestler and referee. He has worked for the World Wrestling Council, the International Wrestling Association and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as both a referee and wrestler. Shan ...

for the

WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship The WWC Puerto Rico Championship is the secondary professional wrestling championship that is defended in the World Wrestling Council based in Puerto Rico. The title was created in January 1974 and, as its name suggests, is defended exclusively wi ...

. He failed to win, and attacked Sewell after the match. In early 2010, Ortiz appeared for the Combat Championship Wrestling promotion, wrestling against

Shawn Spears Ronnie William Arneill (born February 19, 1981) is a Canadian professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Shawn Spears, where he is a current member of The Pinnac ...

and

Sinn Bodhi Nicholas Cvjetkovich (; born August 29, 1973) is a Serbo-Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE), where he worked on its SmackDown brand as Kizarny. He currently works the independents a ...

. He then began competing for Florida-based promotions, including I Believe in Wrestling and WWA. On January 14, 2011 Young appeared at Vintage Pro Wrestling's Wrestlebrawl 2 event with Scott Hall, using the NWO Wolfpac theme for his entrance, to face Kennedy Kendrick. Despite originally winning the match, Young would lose when the referee reversed his decision and disqualified him due to refusing to release a hold. In May 2011, it was revealed that Ortiz would take part in a new hiphop/pro wrestling collaboration, the Urban Wrestling Federation, with taping of the first event "First Blood" taking place on June 3. On December 28, 2013, Ortiz debuted in

Extreme Rising Extreme Rising (formerly Extreme Reunion) was an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 2012. Meant to fill the void of hardcore wrestling left behind by the defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Extreme Rising ...

, defeating Homicide. Subsequently, Ortiz would retire from professional wrestling, so that he could concentrate more on his personal life with fellow wrestler,

Layla El Layla El (born 25 June 1977) is an English real estate agent and retired professional wrestler, dancer and model. She is best known for her tenure with WWE from 2006 to 2015, where she performed under the mononymous ring name Layla. She dance ...

. Even though he is retired, Ortiz works as a producer for various independent promotions.

Other media

Young appeared on the November 25, 2008 episode of ''

Cha$e ''Chase'' (stylized as ''Cha$e'') is a reality competition show. It aired on Sci Fi in the United States around the same time as '' Estate of Panic''. It is based on the successful Japanese show ' ( ja, run for money 逃走中) which began air ...

'' as a hunter. Young also appeared on Scott Hall's web show ''Last Call with Scott Hall''.

Personal life

In July 2015, Young got engaged to

, and the two were married on November 27.

Championships and accomplishments

*IWA Florida **IWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rico Suave

References

External links

Just Sports Stats

Arena Fan profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortiz, Ricky 1975 births 21st-century professional wrestlers American football fullbacks American football linebackers American players of Canadian football American male professional wrestlers Canadian football linebackers Colorado Crush players Glendale Vaqueros football players Indiana Firebirds players Kansas City Chiefs players Living people Milwaukee Mustangs (1994–2001) players Orlando Rage players Players of American football from Phoenix, Arizona Professional wrestlers from Arizona Sportspeople from Phoenix, Arizona Saskatchewan Roughriders players Tulsa Golden Hurricane football players