Shane Sewell (born September 5, 1972) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
professional wrestler and
referee
A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other tit ...
. He has worked for the
World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...
, the
International Wrestling Association and
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
as both a referee and wrestler. Shane Sewell is a fourteen-time World Heavyweight Champion, having won the
IWA Undisputed World Unified Heavyweight Championship ten times, the
WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship three times, and the
WWL World Heavyweight Championship one time. By winning the IWA, WWC, and WWL World Heavyweight Championships, Sewell won the three world titles from three top promotions in Puerto Rico.
Professional wrestling career
World Wrestling Council (1995 - 2000)
During the mid 1990s Sewell formed a tag team with
Glamour Boy Sean they were known as the Canadian Glamour Boys. Together they won the
WWC World Tag Team Championships twice before going their own way. Sewell also became a three time
WWC Television Champion on separate occasions. After two years out of the tag team division Sewell won the vacant WWC World Tag Team Championships for a third time teaming with
Ricky Santana.
International Wrestling Association (2000 - 2005)
Sewell debuted in the IWA days after leaving WWC in a run-in to help
Savio Vega
Juan Rivera (born August 10, 1964) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is known for his work in the World Wrestling Council, where he won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Champion ...
as he was being double-teamed by
Miguel Perez and Jesus Castillo in
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina (; ) is a city and municipality located on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. It lies immediately east of the capital San Juan and Trujillo Alto; north of Gurabo and Juncos; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over ...
. He became the company's first
World Heavyweight Champion on October 28, 2000 in
Bayamon, Puerto Rico. He started a notable feud in December 2001 when Vega returned and unified with Starr Corporation and attacked both Sewell and
Ricky Banderas forming Los Hermanos en Dolor (Brothers in Pain). In December 2004, Sewell turned
heel with Vega after he won the Heavyweight title from Ray Gonzalez at
Christmas in Puerto Rico. He lost the title to
Chicano
Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity for many Mexican Americans in the United States. The label ''Chicano'' is sometimes used interchangeably with ''Mexican American'', although the terms have different meanings. While Mexican-American ident ...
at Juicio Final on April 2, 2005 in
Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founde ...
and after that teamed with
Jean-Pierre Lafitte part-time. Sewell returned to the
IWA in 2008 with former
TNA 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 ...
stars
Ricky Vega and
The Naturals as well as veteran stalwart
Big Vito. Sewell tagged with Vega for a time before Vega turned
heel and became undisputed IWA heavyweight champion. The two former partners would meet several times after, with Sewell falling short of the title he helped make famous.
Time split between WWC and IWA (2005 - 2006)
Sewell wrestled part-time in then-new Puerto Rican federation New Wrestling Stars. During his time in the company, as part of a talent exchange with the WWC, he won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship title from "La Amenaza" Bryan in
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez (, ) is a city and the eighth-largest municipality in Puerto Rico. It was founded as Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Mayagüez, and is also known as ''La Sultana del Oeste'' (The Sultaness of the West), ''Ciudad de las Aguas Pura ...
on November 5, 2005, which made Sewell the first wrestler to win both the top titles in both IWA and WWC in a calendar year. He lost the Universal title to Bryan on February 12, 2006 and split his time with both companies. Sewell later feuded with
Tim Arson over the NWS Heavyweight title until June 3, 2006 when he lost a Title vs. Leave The Company match.
When the New Wrestling Stars promotion folded, he made his IWA return on ''Impacto Total'' on August 19, 2006 in an angle with Miguel Perez Jr. in his office saying the Glamour Boy is ready to return. Later that night in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Sewell, under the masked gimmick Mr. GPR ran in and helped Perez Jr., Ray Gonzalez,
Thunder and Lightning clear of the ring of Savio Vega's La Compania before Sewell unmasked himself. Sewell won the Heavyweight title in a three-way match from Gonzalez and Lightning at
IWA Christmas in Puerto Rico on December 9, 2006 for a record ninth time. He has been making part-time appearances for WWC since 2008.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2008-2009)
Sewell began working for
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
to help develop and train upcoming wrestlers while (at the time) also appearing as a referee on ''
Impact!''. He first made a mark in TNA by defending himself after
Sheik Abdul Bashir took exception to being defeated after a restart in a match against
Consequences Creed. Sewell quickly clotheslined Bashir over the top rope to the floor and had to be calmed down by referee
Earl Hebner. Since the altercation, he had a number of brawls with wrestlers who shoved him while he was working as a referee.
On the November 13 episode of ''Impact!'' during an
X Division Championship match between
Eric Young and champion Sheik Abdul Bashir, Sewell stopped a three-count in noticing an illegal action on the part of Bashir, then asking the audience if Bashir had done so. Bashir then shoved Sewell to the mat, causing him to remove his referee shirt and begin attacking Bashir. As a result, Young hit a
Death Valley Driver on Bashir and won the match, becoming the new X Division Champion. However, the decision was reversed one week later by
Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author and podcaster who has previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, promoter, trainer, and occasional prof ...
due to Sewell's interference. A similar incident occurred at
Final Resolution, where Bashir shoved Sewell and he retaliated by kicking Bashir's feet off the top rope, thus causing him to be pinned by Young. Bashir then attacked Sewell and busted him open in the process.
On January 8, 2009, Sewell was (
kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged. ...
) fired as an official after another confrontation with Bashir. However, as part of the confrontation, Cornette announced that Sewell would be hired as a wrestler and face Bashir at TNA's
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...
event
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book o ...
, which Sewell won.
[ Sewell apparently was allowed to officiate matches again, as on the ''Impact!'' following Genesis, he officiated Hernandez's disqualification loss against Sting. After having a number of confrontations with ]Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to
* Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century
** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T."
* Booker T. Jones (born 1944 ...
, Cornette announced that at Against All Odds, Booker would defend his Legends Championship against Sewell. At Against All Odds, Sewell was defeated in his first and only championship match in TNA. On the March 26 episode of ''Impact!'', Sewell took part in a Captain's Gauntlet match, but was quickly eliminated by Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Actio ...
. On May 22, 2009, it was confirmed that Sewell had been released from the company.
Return to WWC
After being released from TNA, Sewell worked the June 25 tapings of Florida Championship Wrestling, before returning to WWC. Soon after returning, Sewell competed in several matches for the Puerto Rico Heavyweight and Universal Heavyweight Championships, but was unable to win either title.[ On August 8, Sewell defeated ]Idol Stevens
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 unde ...
for the Puerto Rico Title.[ After two successful title defenses, Sewell lost the title to Orlando Colón on September 29.][ On September 27, Sewell defeated Noriega, BJ and Orlando Colón to win the Unified Universal Title for the third time. Sewell continued his ]feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one pa ...
with Colón by defeating him in a match for the Universal Title on October 17.[ He would go on to lose the title to Noriega on November 28, 2009. Sewell returned to the promotion thirteen months later, interfering in a match between Carly Colón and Ricky Banderas, costing Colón the Universal Heavyweight Championship and reforming ''Los Hermanos en Dolor''.
]
Various promotions
Shane Sewell returned to the IWA for their Christmas in PR event, but left after Juicio Final to appear in the PRWA (Puerto Rico Wrestling Association) in April 2010. On October 18, 2014, at WWL Insurrection, Sewell defeated Monster Pain to win the WWL World Heavyweight Championship. He lost the title to Alberto el Patron
José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a c ...
in January 2015 at WWL's Three Kings Day holiday event in a three-way match that also included Ricky Banderas.
Personal life
Sewell owns and operates a wrestling school in Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founde ...
.[
]
Championships and accomplishment
* International Wrestling Association
** IWA Hardcore Championship ( 7 times)
**IWA Intercontinental Championship
The IWA Intercontinental Championship is a secondary professional wrestling title defended in Puerto Rico. It was originally defended in the original International Wrestling Association, later being reintroduced in the World Wrestling League (WW ...
(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. Outsid ...
)
** IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship ( 10 times)
** IWA World Tag Team Championship (4 times
"4 Times" (stylized as "4 TIMES") is the 50th single by pop/ R&B singer Koda Kumi. It was released on August 17, 2011 and debuted at No. 6, remaining on the Oricon charts for nine consecutive weeks. In commemoration of it being the fiftieth singl ...
) – with D'Lo Brown (1), Ricky Banderas (1), KC James (1) and Abyss (1)
*Pro Wrestling Illustrated
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...
**PWI ranked him #224 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011
*World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...
** WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (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. Outsid ...
)
** WWC Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship (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. Outsid ...
)
** WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship ( 3 times)
** WWC Television Championship ( 7 times)
** WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship ( 3 times)
** WWC World Tag Team Championship ( 3 times) – with Glamour Boy Sean (2) and Ricky Santana (1)
* World Wrestling League
** WWL World Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time)
Notes
External links
Slam! Wrestling's Hall of Fame Entry on Shane Sewell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sewell, Shane
Canadian male professional wrestlers
Living people
1976 births
Professional wrestlers from Toronto
Professional wrestling referees
Professional wrestling trainers
20th-century professional wrestlers
21st-century professional wrestlers
WWC Universal Heavyweight Champions
WWC Puerto Rico Champions
WWC Television Champions