Samuel Robert Shaw (born January 17, 1984) is an 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 currently signed to

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 ...

, where he performs on the

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Dexter Lumis. He is also known for his time 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 ...

(TNA), where he performed as Sam Shaw and Samuel Shaw from 2010 to 2015. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Shaw started his professional wrestling career in 2007 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 2010, he signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he won the

TNA Gut Check In professional wrestling, the TNA Gut Check (also known as Impact Wrestling Gut Check) was a tryout program turned Indy wrestling rookies reality series by the American professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), no ...

challenge in 2012 before spending a stint in its then-developmental territory

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 ...

, later returning in 2013. Upon departing TNA in 2015, Shaw returned to the independent wrestling scene for the next five years until signing with WWE in 2019. He was released in April 2022, and returned once more to the independent circuit before returning to WWE in August 2022.

Early life

Shaw was born on January 1984, in Jacksonville, Florida. He attended

Allen D. Nease High School Allen D. Nease High School is a high school in the St. Johns County School District, located in the Nocatee census-designated place - Compare with school zone maps. (with a Ponte Vedra, Florida postal address), in St. Johns County, Florida. It ...

in St. Augustine, Florida and graduated from the

Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Unit ...

in 2006. Shaw made his way to

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

to work as an illustrator for Universal Studios, after which his returned to his hometown of Jacksonville and began working for the Riverside Arts Market drawing caricatures, with a side business creating "pet ornaments," drawing pictures of people's pets on Christmas ornaments.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (2007–2012)

After training with

Curtis Hughes Curtis Hughes (born December 7, 1964) is an American professional wrestler, also known by the ring name Mr. Hughes. He is best known for his stints in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation. He also worked for the America ...

at the WWA4 Wrestling School, Shaw made his professional wrestling debut on September 21, 2007, at

World League Wrestling Harley Race's Wrestling Academy is a professional wrestling school located in Troy, Missouri. It was established in 1999 by former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Harley Race. Students of the school are incorporated into the professional wrestli ...

, where he teamed up with Tookie Tucker to defeat Marco Cordova and Otis Idol in a tag team match. Shaw lost to Bruce Santee on August 3, 2009, at

Full Impact Pro Full Impact Pro (FIP) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is currently part of the World Wrestling Network (WWN) along with Shine Wrestling. Sal Hamaoui founded the company and serves as the President while Trevin Adams is the ...

. On August 21, 2010, he took on VSK at Victory Pro Wrestling in a match for VPW New York State Championship. Shaw was also part of a Gold Rush Rumble. He lost both matches. On May 18 Shaw teamed up with

Q. T. Marshall Michael Cuellari (born July 16, 1985), better known by the ring name Q. T. Marshall, is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a performer and producer. He is a co-owner and trainer of The Nightmare Factory (form ...

in a losing effort to The

Briscoe Brothers The Briscoe Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Jay Briscoe (Jamin "Jay" Pugh) and Mark Briscoe (Mark Pugh). They are known for their 19-year tenure with the American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). and ...

for

Ring of Honor Wrestling ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', often shortened as ''ROH Wrestling TV'' or ''ROH TV'', is an American professional wrestling television series produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). The series featured professional wrestlers competing in matches and condu ...

. He has also wrestled sporadically for Pro Wrestling Extreme. On April 18, 2009, Shaw debuted for Vintage Wrestling defeating Nooie Lee on his debut. Just over a month later on May 30, Shaw defeated

Glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

to become the first Vintage Heavyweight Champion. Over the months, Shaw would defend his championship on multiple occasions against the likes of Tyson Tomko and

Jesse Neal Jesse Neal (born April 10, 1980)
Profightdb.com. Retrieved on August 5, 2010. is an American

On April 17, Shaw would become a second-time champion after winning the vacant Vintage Heavyweight Championship and would lose it to Jesse Neal on September 11. In 2011, Shaw participated in the King Of The State tournament and reached the finals before losing to Francisco Ciatso. On May 14, Shaw would win his third Vintage Heavyweight Championship by defeating Aaron Epic. On September 3, Shaw was part of a title vs title match where the Vintage Heavyweight Championship and the Vintage Internet Championship were on the line, Shaw won the match after Simon Sez was disqualified which also meant the championship would not change hands. He lost the Vintage Heavyweight Championship to Francisco Ciatso on June 6, 2012. His last match for the company took place a month later in a fatal four-way match for the Vintage Heavyweight Championship which Milo Beasley won. On August 8, 2011, in his debut match for Florida Underground Wrestling, he took on Romeo Razel and Sideshow in a three-way match and won, this would lead to a shot at the FUW Heavyweight Champion, Bruce Santee, which Shaw lost. On June 28, 2012, he took on Wes Brisco FUW Cuban Heavyweight Championship, where he lost. His last match for FUW came in the form of a win on June 30 against James Alexander.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010–2015)

Gut Check (2010–2013)

Shaw's first appearance for

(TNA) was on August 8, 2010, in

Hardcore Justice Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, is an annual professional wrestling Impact Plus event produced by Impact Wrestling. It was originally introduced as a pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 200 ...

as Lupus, Shaw attacked

Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...

in his match against

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...

before he was attacked by special referee

Mick Foley Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American actor, author, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE under the company's Legends program, acting as a company ambassador. Foley worked for m ...

with a Mandible Claw. Shaw's first match for TNA came on August 9, 2010, in a dark match against Jesse Neal which he lost. On the December 30 episode of ''

TNA Impact! ''Impact!'' (stylized as ''IMPACT!''), also known as ''IMPACT! on AXS TV'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling (formerly known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)) tha ...

'', Shaw accompanied

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 ...

to the ring as part of his entourage in his $100,000 Double J MMA Challenge against Little Red. In 2012, Shaw was a participant in the monthly Gut Check on ''IMPACT''. Although his chances were nearly ruined after he was attacked by

Aces & Eights Aces & Eights are an American Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable in the Professional wrestling promotion, promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), initially consisting of a group of Wrestling mask, masked wrestlers bef ...

, Shaw got a second chance the following week and was defeated by Doug Williams in his Gut Check match. The Gut Check judges were impressed and awarded Shaw a contract and a spot on the TNA roster. In actuality, Shaw was signed to a developmental contract. Shaw returned to ''Impact Wrestling'' on November 22, defeating fellow Gut Check winner Alex Silva. On January 12, 2013, Shaw appeared at TNA X-Travaganza, wrestling in a seven-man

Xscape 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 was won by

Christian York Jason Spence (born April 13, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Christian York. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling and Impact Wrestling. C ...

, that aired on April 5, 2013. On March 17, 2013, Shaw appeared at TNA Hardcore Justice 2 where he was part of a nine-man Hardcore Gauntlet Battle Royal, which was won by

Shark Boy Dean Matthew Roll (born January 28, 1975) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Shark Boy. Prior to his appearances in TNA, Roll competed on the independen ...

, that aired on July 5, 2013. Shaw returned on the May 23 edition of ''Impact Wrestling'' defeating Alex Silva (by decision since Aces & Eights attacked Silva) to advance into the finals of the Bound for Glory Series tournament to face

Jay Bradley Bradley Thomas Jay (born November 17, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in Impact Wrestling under the ring names of Jay Bradley and Aiden O'Shea, and WWE as Ryan Braddock. Professional wrestling career Early ...

Slammiversary Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling. It is one of Impact's “Big Four” PPV events (along with Hard to Kill, Rebellion, and Bound for Glory), and celebrates ...

. Shaw lost to Bradley at Slammiversary.

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2012–2013)

Shaw was then assigned to TNA'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 ...

(OVW), making his televised debut on October 13, 2012. He then began teaming with Alex Silva, forming a regular tag team over the coming weeks. On December 1, Shaw and Silva defeated

Jessie Godderz Jessie Godderz (born April 23, 1986), also known as Mr. PEC-Tacular, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He currently competes for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) where he is a former one-time OVW National Heavyweight Champion, one-time ...

and Rudy Switchblade to win the

OVW Southern Tag Team Championship The OVW Tag Team Championship formerly known as the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. There have been 177 reigns shared b ...

. They lost the title to Crimson and Jason Wayne on January 16, 2013. But regained the titles having their second reign on February 27, 2013. However, they lost the titles to The Coalition on April 3, 2013. The following week, Shaw was attacked backstage by the Coalition. Shaw would return to OVW TV on May 4 after revealing that he had been under the mask of the Coalition's Gillyman for several weeks and was put in a one-on-one match against Jason Wayne at the May 11 Saturday Night Special. He would have his in-ring return the following week one-on-one against Godderz. Shaw would continue his war with the Coalition in a victory over Jason Wayne at the May 11 Saturday Night Special and a victory over

Crimson Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, ''Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red colo ...

on the May 18 episode of OVW TV.

Samuel Shaw (2013–2015)

On November 21 during '' Impact Wrestling: Turning Point'', Shaw appeared in an at home interview with

Christy Hemme Christina Lee Hemme ( ; born October 28, 1980) is an American former professional wrestler, singer and model. She is best known for her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (now known as Impact Wrestling) as a ring announcer and one of the or ...

. During the interview, he asked to be called "Samuel Shaw" and also portrayed a character similar to

Patrick Bateman Patrick Bateman is a fictional character created by novelist Bret Easton Ellis. He is the villain protagonist and narrator of Ellis' 1991 novel '' American Psycho'' and is portrayed by Christian Bale in the 2000 film adaptation.Guardian Unlimi ...

of the

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and book ''

American Psycho ''American Psycho'' is a novel by Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first person by Patrick Bateman, a serial killer and Manhattan investment banker. Alison Kelly of ''The Observer'' notes that while "some countr ...

'', as well as a ring attire similar to the clothes worn by

Dexter Morgan {{More citations needed, date=August 2016 {{Infobox character , color = red , name = Dexter Morgan , series = Dexter , image = Dexter Morgan.jpg , image_size = 200px , caption = Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan , first = Novels:''Darkly Dr ...

. On the January 2, 2014 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Shaw made his debut as a

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 ...

by defeating Norv Fernum via submission, during which he made continuous glares at Hemme who was at ringside. Shaw later became an obsessed fan of Hemme, and started asking her on dates, including one in his house where it was shown how Shaw had a room full of posters and pictures of Hemme. On the February 6 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hemme confronted Shaw about the mannequin and the room full of posters. On the February 20 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Shaw attacked Mr. Anderson in a rage after watching Hemme and Anderson converse for several minutes. Shaw then carried Hemme away after she was accidentally caught up in the ruckus and injured. On the February 27 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Shaw would confront Hemme in an attempt to explain himself. After failing and being interrupted by Mr. Anderson, Shaw would solidify himself as a heel after using Hemme as a shield to fend off Mr. Anderson who was attempting to exact revenge for the previous week. Shaw would use his ''

kata gatame is one of the seven mat holds, Osaekomi-waza, of Kodokan Judo.Mifune, Kyuzo: ''The Canon of Judo'', Kodansha International Ltd. (Tokyo) 2004, , p. It is also one of the 25 techniques of Danzan Ryu's constriction arts, Shimete, list. In grappl ...

'' finishing move to choke out Mr. Anderson. On the March 6 edition of ''Impact Wrestling,'' Shaw faced off against Eric Young with Mr. Anderson replacing Hemme as the ring announcer for the match. Anderson's presence at ringside ultimately cost Shaw the match as he would be disqualified due to Anderson's distraction. After the match, Shaw would choke out Anderson like last week then claim he was "going to claim what was rightfully his," heading for the backstage area where Hemme had been watching via a ring monitor. Three days later, at

Lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...

, Shaw defeated Mr. Anderson after escaping the cage following the use of Christy Hemme as a distraction by pulling Hemme through the camera cut-out of the steel cage, Anderson successfully rescued Hemme but was caught in Shaw's kata gatame. The previously unconscious referee only saw Shaw escape the cage thus declaring him the winner. Shaw lost a rematch against Anderson on the following ''Impact Wrestling'' bringing a mannequin dressed as Christy Hemme to the ring. On the April 3 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Shaw defeated Mr. Anderson in a

Straitjacket A straitjacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with long sleeves that surpass the tips of the wearer's fingers. Its most typical use is restraining people who may cause harm to themselves or others. Once the wearer slides their arms into the ...

match after rendering him unconscious following two kata gatame attempts. At

Sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...

, Anderson defeated Shaw in a Committed match, whereby he put Shaw into a van heading for a psychiatric facility for intervention. The next time Shaw appeared on TV was on the May 22 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'' at the psychiatric facility. A man walked in and said that Shaw had a visitor who was later revealed to be Gunner. Gunner said he was going to help him with his obsession with Hemme and with his insanity. Over the weeks following, segments were shown in which Gunner tried to help Shaw in various ways by explaining to Shaw why he understood what Shaw was going through and participating in various activities like going through Shaw's drawings & playing Go Fish with Shaw, which eventually led to Shaw being released under Gunner's supervision on June 26 episode of ''Impact''. On July 3, he returned and apologized to Christy Hemme as well as to Mr. Anderson, who gave Samuel Shaw another chance to be friends with him as long as he followed Gunner's supervision, seemingly turning

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 ...

. On October 22, 2014, episode on Impact, Shaw reverted to a villain after he hit Gunner with a steel chair and aligned with

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

. The alliance between Shaw and Brittany ended after she did not re-sign with TNA. His final TNA match took place on June 19, 2015, against

TNA Xplosion ''Xplosion'' was a professional wrestling television program that was produced by the Impact Wrestling promotion. Launched in 2002, the show featured highlights from Impact's flagship television program, exclusive taped matches, and other conte ...

. During the Christy Hemme storyline, he was dubbed as the 'creepy bastard'. On June 21, 2015, Shaw officially announced his departure from the company.

Independent circuit (2015–2019)

In May 2015, Shaw returned to Vintage Wrestling. In his first match back, on May 16, 2015, Shaw defeated Nick Fame and the next day on May 17, 2015, Shaw, BeastMode (Biff Slater & Don Maximo), Leo Gold and Mike Cruz faced The

Dark City Fight Club The Dark City Fight Club are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Jon Davis (wrestler), Jon Davis and Kory Chavis. History In March 2008, Jon Davis (wrestler), Jon Davis teamed with up Kory Chavis as The Dark City Fight Club (DCFC) in ...

( Jon Davis and

Kory Chavis Kory Chavis is a professional wrestler, also known by the ring name Rainman. He works for several independent promotions, including Dragon Gate USA, Full Impact Pro, and Evolve. Chavis wrestled with tag team partner Jon Davis as The Dark City F ...

), Francisco Ciatso, Simon Sez & The Afro Boy in a losing effort. In September 2016, Shaw debuted for Full Throttle Pro Wrestling. In his first match on September 17, 2016, Shaw defeated

Shannon Moore Shannon Moore (born July 27, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for several years in the 2000s. H ...

. On June 23, 2018, Shaw defeated M.V.P. and Papadon to win the vacant FTPW Championship. He would lose the title on October 20, 2018, against Barrington Hughes in a match that also included Shannon Moore. On March 18, 2017, at Tried N True/

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 ...

The Art Of War II, Shaw defeated Crimson to become the inaugural TNT Champion. Shaw held the title 658 days until he lost it to

Crazzy Steve Steven Scott (born March 4, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler, currently signed with Impact Wrestling, under the ring name Crazzy Steve, where he is a former Impact World Tag Team Champion. He also wrestles on the independent circuit fo ...

at the

NWA Pop-Up Event NWA Pop-Up Event is a series of professional wrestling supercard events scripted and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in conjunction with various independent professional wrestling promotions. NWA President William Patrick Corg ...

on January 5, 2019. On October 21, 2018, at the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

NWA 70th Anniversary Show The NWA 70th Anniversary Show was a professional wrestling supercard that took place on October 21, 2018 at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. It was the first event produced under the NWA banner since William Patrick ...

, Shaw defeated

Colt Cabana Scott Colton (born May 6, 1980), better known by the ring name Colt Cabana, is an American professional wrestler, color commentator, and podcaster. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and as a coach, and he performs the same d ...

Sammy Guevara Samuel George Guevara (born July 28, 1993) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society. He is a record tying three-time former AEW TNT Champion. He also appea ...

and

Scorpio Sky Schuyler Andrews (born April 2, 1983), better known by the ring name Scorpio Sky, is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Andrews is also known for his appearances with Ring of ...

in a fatal four-way elimination to go on to a match for the vacant

NWA National Championship The NWA National Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the U.S.-based, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The current champion is Cyon, who is in his first reign. The championship was established in January ...

later that night. However, he was defeated by

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 ...

in the finals. On December 9, Shaw was defeated in a championship rematch by Mack at

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 ...

WWE (2019–2022)

On February 11, 2019, it was announced that Shaw had signed a contract with

and that he would report to the

WWE Performance Center The WWE Performance Center is the official professional wrestling school system of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The promotion currently operates two Performance Center locations, which serve as training facilities for WWE wre ...

. He made his debut at an

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- ...

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

on March 16, losing to

Fabian Aichner Fabian Aichner (born 21 July 1990) is an Italian professional wrestler signed to WWE where he performs on SmackDown brand under the ring name Giovanni Vinci. He is a member of Imperium. Aichner previously worked on the U.S. independent circuit ...

. After debuting under his real name, his ring name was changed to "Dexter Lumis" in June. In the same month, it was announced that Lumis would compete in a tournament named the NXT Breakout Tournament. On the July 17 episode of ''NXT'', Lumis lost in the first round of the tournament to

Bronson Reed Jermaine Haley (born 25 August 1988) is an Australian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Bronson Reed. He is a former NXT North American Champion. Professional wrestling c ...

. On the March 25, 2020 episode of ''NXT'', a

vignette Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...

aired promoting Lumis' return. The following week, he defeated

Jake Atlas Kenny Sanchez Marquez (born October 5, 1994), known by his ring name Jake Atlas, is an American professional wrestler known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and WWE. Professional wrestling career As a native resident of Los Angeles, San ...

. On the April 22 episode of ''NXT'', he assisted

Velveteen Dream Patrick Clark Jr. (born August 19, 1995) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE where he performed under the ring name Velveteen Dream. Clark began his professional wrestling career in 2014, when he debuted in ...

in defeating

The Undisputed Era The Undisputed Era was a professional wrestling stable from WWE's NXT brand. It formed on August 19, 2017 at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III shortly after Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O'Reilly signed with WWE, although Fish and O'Reilly had alrea ...

in a tag team match after Dream's partner, Keith Lee, was taken out by

Damian Priest Luis Martínez (born September 26, 1982) is an American professional wrestler of Puerto Rican descent. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Damian Priest, and is a member of the stable The Judgme ...

, establishing himself as a face. On the May 6 episode of ''NXT'', Lumis once again attempted to assist Dream in his NXT Championship match against

Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Adam Cole. He is also known for his tenures with WWE and Ring of Honor (ROH). Col ...

, but accidentally knocked out the referee, thus costing Dream the match and the title. On the June 3 episode of ''NXT'', Lumis debuted a new artist element of his gimmick as he brought out an art easel and drew a sketch depicting himself driving a car with the Undisputed Era trapped in the rear deck. This led to the "Tortured Artist" becoming a nickname for Lumis. At TakeOver: In Your House, Lumis would interfere in the Backlot Brawl match between Cole and Dream as he attacked

Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due to ...

and

Bobby Fish Robert Anthony Fish (born October 27, 1976) is an American professional wrestler currently appearing on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand and was a member of The Undisputed Era ...

, throwing them in the rear deck of a car and driving off with them. On the June 10 episode of ''NXT'', Lumis lost to Cole in a non-title match after a distraction by Strong and Fish. After the match, Lumis attacked Strong and chased him to the back. On the July 1 episode of NXT: Great American Bash, Lumis defeated Strong in a

strap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. So ...

. On the July 29 episode of ''NXT'', Lumis defeated

Timothy Thatcher {{Infobox professional wrestler , name = Timothy Thatcher , image = ThatcherMLW2019.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Thatcher at MLW Saturday Night SuperFight , birth_name = Timothy Andrew Moura{{cite web, ur ...

and

Finn Bálor Fergal Devitt (born 25 July 1981) is an Irish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Finn Bálor (), and is a member of The Judgment Day. Devitt is widely known for his ten ...

to qualify for a

NXT North American Championship The NXT North American Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is primarily defended as the secondary men's championship of the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental ...

opportunity at

NXT TakeOver XXX NXT TakeOver XXX (originally NXT TakeOver: Boston) was the 30th NXT TakeOver professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event took place on A ...

. However, he sustained an ankle injury, removing him from the match. Lumis made his TV return on the September 30 episode of ''NXT'', appearing in a backstage segment with

Cameron Grimes :not to be confused with actress Camryn Grimes who voices Mrs. Claus in Mickey Saves Christmas Trevor Lee Caddell (born September 30, 1993) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ...

. He defeated

Austin Theory Austin White (born August 2, 1997) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Bodybuilding, bodybuilder. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring ...

in the following week but was attacked by Grimes after the match. On the October 14 episode of ''NXT'', Lumis challenged Damian Priest for the

but lost after Grimes came out and stomped him on the apron while the referee was checking on Priest. Lumis went on to defeat Grimes in a Haunted House of Terror match at NXT: Halloween Havoc. On the November 11 episode of ''NXT'', Lumis faced Timothy Thatcher in a match after the latter threw August Grey into a

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

that was painted by Lumis backstage. Lumis would lose that match after Grimes interfered again with a distraction. Grimes subsequently wrapped Lumis's head in a

burlap sack A burlap sack or gunny sack, also known as a gunny shoe, hessian sack or tow sack, is an inexpensive bag, traditionally made of fibres which are also known as "tow," such as hessian fabric (burlap) formed from jute, hemp or other natural fibre ...

and attacked him. The following week, they faced off in a

blindfold 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 ended in an apparent

no contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal Trial (law), trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the def ...

after Grimes unknowingly knocked the referee unconscious and eventually ran off. Lumis then defeated Grimes in a

on December 6 at NXT TakeOver: WarGames. On January 6, 2021, Lumis hosted NXT: New Year's Evil. On the following week's ''NXT'', he lost to

Johnny Gargano John Anthony Nicholas Gargano (born August 14, 1987) is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Johnny Gargano. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is best known for his time in NXT, wh ...

in a non-title match after interference from Austin Theory. During NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day, Lumis abducted Theory from The Way before Gargano's North American title match. On the February 24 episode of ''NXT'', Lumis defeated Gargano in a non-title bout where Theory hesitated to hit him with a chair, and

Indi Hartwell Samantha De Martin (born 17 August 1996) is an Australian professional wrestler, best known by the ring name Indi Hartwell. She is signed to WWE, performing on the NXT brand, and was a member of The Way. She is a former NXT Women's Tag Team Cha ...

starts to develop an attraction towards him. On April 7, during Night 1 of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, he took part in a six-man Gauntlet Eliminator match where the winner gets to challenge for the North American Championship on Night 2, but was eliminated second by

L. A. Knight Shaun Ricker (born November 1, 1982) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Smackdown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name LA Knight. ...

. On the following week's ''NXT'', Lumis teamed with Bronson Reed and the

NXT Women's Tag Team Champion The NXT Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling women's tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. The current cha ...

Shotzi Blackheart Ashley Louise Urbanski (born March 14, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and singer. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Shotzi (shortened from her previous ring name Shotzi Black ...

and

Ember Moon Adrienne Reese (born August 31, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Athena. She also appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the current ROH Wom ...

in an eight-person mixed tag team match against The Way, where he carried a falsely unconscious Hartwell away from the ring. On August 17, 2021,

proposed to Lumis after the pair won a match on NXT, and Lumis accepted. Lumis and Hartwell had their wedding on the September 14 edition of NXT. During the ceremony Lumis choked out the priest allowing a recently ordained

Beth Phoenix Elizabeth Copeland ( Kociański; born November 24, 1980), known professionally as Beth Phoenix, is an American professional wrestler. She is a former WWE Divas Champion and a three-time WWE Women's Champion. Kociański had a successful amateur ...

to take over. Lumis also spoke his very first words in WWE by saying "I do". On the December 7 episode on NXT, The Way disbanded after Johnny Gargano opted to leave when his contract expired. On April 29, 2022, Shaw was initially released from his WWE contract.

Return to the independent circuit (2022)

Shaw made his first appearance since leaving WWE on June 11, 2022, at the

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...

Alwayz Ready Alwayz Ready was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance. It took place on June 11, 2022 at the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Thirteen matches were contested at the ...

. He competed in a

fatal four-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 ...

for the vacant

NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is in ...

against

Trevor Murdoch William Theodore Mueller (born September 10, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Trevor Murdoch. He is currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance where he is a former two-time NWA Worlds Heavyweight ...

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 ...

, and

Thom Latimer Thomas Raymond Latimer (born 6 August 1986) is an English Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He currently competes for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) as a member of Strictly Business (professional wrestling), Strict ...

; the bout was won by Murdoch. Two days later he defeated Mercurio on an episode of ''

NWA USA ''NWA USA'' is a professional wrestling streaming television program produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) that premiered on January 8, 2022 on YouTube. The show primarily revolves around the NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship, the N ...

''. On June 26, 2022, Shaw appeared with USA Pro Wrestling, defeating Ryzin at the "USA Pro Wrestle War 2022" event. On July 23, 2022, he appeared with

MCW Pro Wrestling MCW Pro Wrestling (formerly known as Maryland Championship Wrestling) is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Joppa, Maryland. It has regularly run events in the Mid-Atlantic region since the late 1990s. History Maryland Champions ...

at the 21st Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup; substituting for Pat Brink, he teamed with Alec Odin to unsuccessfully challenge the Trade (Eric Martin and Robert Locke) for the

MCW Tag Team Championship The MCW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the MCW Pro Wrestling promotion. The title was created and debuted on August 18, 1998, at a MCW live event. The inaugural champions were The Headbangers (Mo ...

Return to WWE (2022–present)

Three months later, Shaw made his unannounced return to WWE on the August 8, 2022 episode of ''

'' reprising his Dexter Lumis character and was called up to the

brand. It was preceded by subtle references such as a car wreck during a backstage segment as well as cops running to the source of trouble. He was seen in the crowd at the end of the main event between

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 ...

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 ...

in a

No Disqualification 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 ...

, where he was arrested. On the August 22 episode of ''Raw'', Lumis kidnapped The Miz during a tag team match. The following night, on the August 23 edition of ''

'', Lumis would reunite with his

kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged. ...

wife

to briefly reform InDex before being arrested by police. On the September 5 episode of ''Raw,'' Lumis distracted Miz during a

steel cage 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 ...

against

Bobby Lashley Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and bodybuilder. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is an eight-time world champion, having been a two-t ...

for the United States Championship, costing Miz the match and the title. Lumis came out and put Miz to sleep after the show went off the air. Lumis showed up at Miz's residence the following week when he conducted an interview over last week's incident. On the October 17 episode of ''Raw,'' Lumis was attacked by Miz before their match which then did not take place. On the October 31 episode of ''Raw,''

was interviewed backstage and showed footage of a conversation between The Miz and Lumis where, Miz paid Lumis to stage attacks on him, and now Lumis was coming to get the money that is owed to him. On the November 29 episode of ''Raw'', Lumis defeated Miz in an

Anything Goes 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 ...

, earning himself a WWE contract and the money Miz owed him. On the December 19 episode of ''Raw,'' Lumis put his money on the line against Miz in a

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

, which he lost after interference from the returning

Championships and accomplishments

*Full Throttle Pro Wrestling **FTPW Championship (1 time) *

(

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 ...

) – with Alex Silva *''

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 ...

'' ** Ranked No. 142 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 2021 *

winner *Tried-N-True Pro **TNT Championship (1 time, inaugural) **TNT Championship Tournament (2017) *United States Wrestling Alliance **USWA Championship (1 time) *Vintage Wrestling **Vintage Heavyweight Championship (3 times)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lumis, Dexter American male professional wrestlers 1984 births 20th-century American people 21st-century American people Living people People from Jacksonville Beach, Florida Professional wrestlers from Florida TNA Gut Check contestants