Jack Rea (born 8 August 1990) is an English

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

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- ...

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 ...

Rip Fowler. He is also known for his work as Zack Gibson on the UK

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 ...

. He formed the tag team

Grizzled Young Veterans The Dyad is a British professional wrestling tag team consisting of Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler, currently performing in WWE on the NXT brand. They are members of The Schism stable alongside Joe Gacy and Ava Raine. Reid and Fowler were previously ...

with James Drake (now known as Jagger Reid) in 2017, becoming the inaugural

NXT UK Tag Team Champions The NXT UK Tag Team Championship was a men's professional wrestling tag team championship that was created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It was defended on the NXT UK brand division, a sister brand of WWE's developmental territory ...

and three-time

Progress Tag Team Champions Progress Wrestling (stylized as PROGRESS) is a British professional wrestling promotion that was established in 2011 by comedian Jim Smallman, events and comedy promoter Jon Briley, and later, actor Glen Robinson (professionally known as Glen ...

Early life

Rea was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

on 8 August 1990. He grew up in nearby

Maghull Maghull ( ) is a town and civil parish in Sefton, Merseyside (historically a part of Lancashire). The town is north of Liverpool and west of Kirkby. The area also contains Ashworth Hospital. Maghull had a population of 20,444 at the 2011 Cens ...

, where he attended

Deyes High School Deyes High School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form situated in Maghull on the outskirts of Liverpool, England. History The school was opened in March 1939 by Sir Peter Meadon, Lancashire's director of education at a cost of � ...

. He graduated with a degree in accounting and finance from

Liverpool John Moores University , mottoeng = Fortune favours the bold , established = 1823 – Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts1992 – Liverpool John Moores University , type = Public , endowment = , coor ...

in 2011. Before wrestling, he played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (2009–2019)

After being trained by

Alex Shane Alexander Daniel Spilling (born 15 November 1979) is a British professional wrestler and professional wrestling commentator who is best known by his ring name "The Showstealer" Alex Shane. Spilling also works as a promoter, wrestling coach and ...

, Rea made his pro-wrestling debut in 2009 for English promotion, FutureShock Wrestling as Zack Diamond. In March 2010, Rea started using the ring name of Zack Gibson. Gibson entered the FutureShock Trophy Tournament 2011 making it to the finals only to lose to CJ Banks. In 2010, Rea made his debut for

Grand Pro Wrestling Grand Pro Wrestling (formerly Garage Pro Wrestling) or GPW is a British professional wrestling promotion based in the North West of England. The promotion was founded in February 2003 by former British wrestler "The Middleman" Lee Butler. Th ...

as Zack Diamond losing to Jack Gallagher. Diamond became GPW British Champion after defeating former champion CJ Banks, Gallagher and Martin Kirby in a four-way scramble match. A year later after his GPW debut, Diamond teamed with Xander Cooper,

Mikey Whiplash Michael John Gilbert (born 16 July 1980) is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Mikey Whiplash. He currently resides in Glasgow, Scotland and wrestles for numerous promotions in the British Independent circuit, most ...

and

Danny Hope Charles Daniel Hope (born January 7, 1959) is an American football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at Eastern Kentucky University from 2003 to 2007, and Purdue University from 2009 to 2012, compiling a career colleg ...

where they defeated Gallagher, Bruce Sheila, William Gaylord and

Noam Dar Noam Dar (; born 28 July 1993) is an Israeli-Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, and is a record setting two-time NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion. He also wrestles for Scottish promotion Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW ...

. At GPW Heroes & Villains, Diamond lost the championship to Jack Gallagher. In 2016, Gibson made his debut for

5 Star Wrestling 5 Star Wrestling (stylised as 5★ Wrestling) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Scotland. The company operated from 2015-2018 and promoted events throughout Great Britain and Ireland. They also produced a television series which was ...

, losing to

Big Damo Damian Mackle (born 20 February 1985) is an Irish professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Killian Dain and since his departure from WWE he has reverted back to his ring name on the indep ...

. In 2018, before the promotion's closure, Gibson made his return to 5 Star losing to

Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest profes ...

by disqualification after hitting Mysterio with a low blow. In March 2017 Gibson made his debut for

WhatCulture WhatCulture Ltd. is an online entertainment news website and magazine which was launched in 2010. The site offers news in the field of professional wrestling, television, films, video games, and board games. History Originally started by Peter ...

Pro Wrestling (later Defiant Wrestling) as part of the Pro Wrestling World Cup - English qualifiers, losing to

Jimmy Havoc James McAhren (born 19 March 1984) is a British former professional wrestler best known under the ring name Jimmy Havoc. He is known for his work with Progress Wrestling, Defiant Wrestling, Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW), Major League Wr ...

in the first round. He began wrestling on Defiant's weekly program ''Loaded'' in late 2017 into 2018. He defeated

Rampage Brown Oliver Biney (born 8 August 1983) is a British professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, performing under the ring name Rampage Brown. He is known for his work throughout the European and British independent wrestling circuit. However, R ...

at the February 18, 2018 event Chain Reaction. His final match for the promotion before leaving for WWE, would be in March 2018, with Gibson losing a Magnificent 7 qualifying match.

Progress Wrestling (2012, 2014–2019)

In 2012, Gibson made his

Progress Wrestling Progress Wrestling (stylized as PROGRESS) is a British professional wrestling promotion that was established in 2011 by comedian Jim Smallman, events and comedy promoter Jon Briley, and later, actor Glen Robinson (professionally known as Glen ...

debut at the debut show for Progress. In 2014, Gibson returned to Progress at Chapter Twelve, defeating

Will Ospreay William Peter Charles Ospreay (born 7 May 1993) is an English professional wrestler who is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion in his first reign and leader of the ...

. In 2017, Gibson and James Drake formed villainous a tag team called

. Grizzled Young Veterans defeated Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos of CCK to become the Progress tag team champions. They successfully defended the titles against

Aussie Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. ...

at Progress Chapter 59. At Chapter 61, Grizzled Young Veterans defeated Moustache Mountain to retain their championships. In 2018, Gibson took part of the Super Strong Style 16 Tournament, defeating Joey Janela in the first round and

Pete Dunne Peter Thomas England (born 9 November 1993) is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Butch. He is a former WWE United Kingdom Champion and also a former NXT ...

by disqualification in the quarter finals before he was eliminated by

Kassius Ohno Cassius may refer to: People * Cassius, an ancient Roman family name, see Cassia gens **Gaius Cassius Longinus (died 42 BC), Roman senator and a leader of Julius Caesar's assassination ** Avidius Cassius (130–175), usurper Roman Emperor * Cassi ...

in the semi-finals.

Insane Championship Wrestling (2015–2017)

Gibson debuted for

Insane Championship Wrestling Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Glasgow, Scotland, founded by Mark Dallas in 2006. It mixes elements of traditional sports entertainment with hardcore wrestling; thus admittance is restricted ...

in 2015 during the Road to Fear and Loathing tour losing an eight-man tag team match to the New Age Kliq. In 2017 at Fear & Loathing X, Gibson and

Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...

were defeated by Lionheart in a three-way elimination match. On 16 June 2017 Gibson defeated Kenny Williams in a falls count anywhere match to win the

ICW Zero-G Championship The ICW Zero-G Championship is a professional wrestling junior heavyweight championship owned by United Kingdom's Insane Championship Wrestling promotion. The title was first established as the Zero Gravity Championship at Fear & Loathing III ...

. Gibson lost the championship back to Williams the following month in a ladder match.

Revolution Pro Wrestling (2017–2018)

Gibson was defeated by

Trent Seven Benjamin Maurice Webb (born 21 August 1981), better known by the ring name Trent Seven, is an English professional wrestler, wrestling promoter, and actor. He was signed to WWE on their NXT UK brand, where he is a former NXT UK Tag Team Champion ...

in his

Revolution Pro Wrestling Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro/RPW) is a British professional wrestling promotion founded on 26 August 2012 by Andy Quildan after separating from International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. Revolution Pro Wrestling currently has partnershi ...

(RevPro) debut match. At RevPro Epic Encounter 2017, Gibson was defeated by

Hirooki Goto is a Japanese professional wrestler. Since his debut, he has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He is also known for being the longest reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with his Chaos stablemates, Tomohiro Ishii and ...

. In June, Gibson defeated

Angélico Adam Bridle (born 7 May 1987), better known by the ring name Angélico (), is a South African professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his work in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide ...

. At Summer Sizzler, Gibson defeated

Dalton Castle Dalton Castle may refer to: *Dalton Castle, Cumbria *Dalton Castle (wrestler) Brett Giehl (born March 4, 1986), better known by the ring name Dalton Castle, is an American professional wrestler who is best known for his tenure in Ring of Honor ...

. Gibson took part of RevPro and

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...

's joint show,

Global Wars UK Global Wars UK is an annual professional wrestling supershow co-produced by the Japanese New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and British Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW) promotions. The two promotions established a partnership in July 2015 as part of NJP ...

losing to

Yuji Nagata is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). A two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, World Heavyweight Champion and a GHC Heavyweight Champion, making him a four-time world champion in major professional ...

on night one and

Toru Yano , is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, trained by and currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the KOPW (New Japan Pro-Wrestling), KOPW 2020 and the provisional KOPW (New Japan Pro-Wrestling), KOPW 2 ...

on night two. Gibson and Josh Bodom defeated Aussie Open to become number one contenders for the RevPro Undisputed British Tag Team Championships. Gibson and Bodom lost to RevPro tag team champions, Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven and

Tyler Bate Tyler Bate (born 7 March 1997) is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand. In 2017, he became the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion (later renamed NXT United Kingdom Championship), ...

WWE

NXT UK (2018–2020)

Gibson was announced for

WrestleMania Axxess WrestleMania Axxess is a professional wrestling fan convention held by WWE during the week of WrestleMania. The event typically runs for four days—from Thursday to WrestleMania Sunday—and features WWE talent and alumni autograph signings, inte ...

during

Wrestlemania 34 WrestleMania 34 was the 34th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on April 8, 2 ...

weekend as part of a

WWE United Kingdom Championship The NXT United Kingdom Championship was a men's professional wrestling championship that was created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It was primarily defended as the top championship of the NXT UK brand division, a sister brand of WWE ...

invitational where he lost to Mark Andrews in the first round. On day four of axxess, Grizzled Young Veterans retained their Progress tag team championships by disqualification against Heavy Machinery. Around this time, it was revealed by

Wrestling Observer The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...

that Gibson was signed to a WWE contract. On 16 May 2018, it was announced that Gibson would be one of the 16 participants in the upcoming

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament was a professional wrestling tournament and WWE Network event produced by WWE, an American-based professional wrestling promotion. The event was established in December 2016, debuting as a WWE Network ...

with the winner of the tournament facing Pete Dunne for the United Kingdom Championship. Gibson defeated Amir Jordan in the opening round. He would go on to defeat

Gentleman Jack Gallagher Oliver Westfield Claffey, better known by the ring name Jack Gallagher, is an English professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed on the NXT and 205 Live brands, mostly under the ring ...

and

Flash Morgan Webster Gavin Watkins (born 13 April 1990) is a Welsh professional wrestler. He is most well known for his time in WWE where he performed under the ring name "Flash" Morgan Webster. Webster was one of the first Welsh Champions in WWE history alongside t ...

in the second round and semi-finals, respectively. He would then defeat

Travis Banks Travis Bligh (born 15 February 1987), better known by his ring name Travis Banks, is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE on their NXT UK brand. He is also known for competing in promotions such as Fight Cl ...

in the finals and would go on to challenge WWE United Kingdom Champion, Pete Dunne, the next night in a losing effort. In 2019, they defeated

Moustache Mountain Moustache Mountain was a British professional wrestling tag team consisting of Trent Seven and Tyler Bate, Bate is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand and Seven worked for WWE until his release in August 2022. They are one-t ...

(

) at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool in the finals of a tournament to become the inaugural

. After some defences, they would lose the titles to Mark Andrews and

at NXT Takeover: Cardiff in a triple-threat tag team also involving Gallus. On 11 September Drake and Gibson unsuccessfully challenged Andrews & Webster in a rematch. They would have another title match at NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool II against the new champions Gallus, Andrews & Webster and Imperium in a ladder match where the champions retained. In parallel to their NXT UK Tag Team Championship pursuit at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II, Drake and Gibson competed in the 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They defeated Kushida and Alex Shelley in the quarterfinals and NXT Tag Team Champions

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 ...

and

Kyle O'Reilly Kyle Edward Greenwood (born March 1, 1987) is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he performs under the ring name Kyle O'Reilly. He is also known for his time in Ring of Hono ...

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 ...

in the semifinals, before losing to The BroserWeights (

Matt Riddle Matthew Fredrick Riddle (born January 14, 1986, in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand, but is currently inactive due t ...

and

) in the finals.

NXT (2020–present)

On the 19 February 2020 episode of ''

'', the Grizzled Young Veterans joined the

brand, defeating

Raul Mendoza Raúl Mendoza (born November 25, 1991) is a Mexican professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the name Cruz Del Toro and is a member of Legado Del Fantasma. Professional wrestling career Ear ...

and

Joaquin Wilde Michael Paris (born October 5, 1986) is a American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Smackdown brand, under the ring name Joaquin Wilde. He is a member of Legado Del Fantasma. Paris began his career in 2004 ...

before announcing their intent to take over NXT's tag team division, establishing themselves as tweeners.

Personal life

Rea is a fan of

Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...

and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. He named his submission hold and finishing move to reference both respectively: a

kimura lock An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...

called the '' Shankly Gates'' and an over-the-shoulder double knee facebreaker called the '' Ticket to Ride''.

Championships and accomplishments

**5 Star: Real World Championship (1 time) *

Attack! Pro Wrestling Attack Pro Wrestling (stylized as ATTACK! Pro Wrestling) is a British professional wrestling promotion owned and operated by wrestler Mark Andrews Although ATTACK was originally established in 2011 by wrestler Pete Dunne and ring announcer Jim ...

**Attack! Pro Wrestling 24/7 Championship (1 time) – with Sam Bailey * Britannia Wrestling Promotions **One Night Tournament winner (1 time) **PWI:BWP World Catchweight Championship (1 time) * FutureShock Wrestling **FSW Championship (3 times) **FSW Trophy Tournament 2015 winner (1 time) **Lotto-Thunder Tournament 2013 winner (1 time) *

**GPW British Championship (2 times) **GPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) – with Sean Daniels, James Drake, Axl Rage, and Dave Rayne **2018 Thunderbrawl Winner *

(1 time) *

New Generation Wrestling New Generation Wrestling (NGW) is a currently active British professional wrestling promotion based in Hull, founded by Luke Ingamells in 2008. Its next show is Eternal Glory at Hull City Hall. NGW is featured regularly on Challenge TV's Wres ...

**NGW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Sam Bailey *

Over the Top Wrestling Over the Top Wrestling, commonly abbreviated to OTT, is an Irish professional wrestling promotion based in Dublin, Ireland, that was founded in 2014. The promotion mixes elements of traditional pro wrestling, comedy and sports entertainment. Over ...

**OTT Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Charlie Sterling and

Sha Samuels Shaaheen Hosseinpour (born 27 February 1985) is an English professional wrestler. He is mostly known for his time in WWE where he performed on the NXT UK brand under the ring name Sha Samuels. Professional wrestling career Insane Championship W ...

*''

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. 207 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 2019 *

** Progress Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with James Drake *

NXT UK Tag Team Championship The NXT UK Tag Team Championship was a men's professional wrestling tag team championship that was created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It was defended on the NXT UK brand division, a sister brand of WWE's developmental territory ...

(1 time, inaugural) – with James Drake ** NXT UK Tag Team Championship Tournament (2019) **

United Kingdom Championship Tournament (2018) The 2018 United Kingdom Championship Tournament was a two-day professional wrestling streaming event and tournament promoted by the American promotion WWE. The tournament aired exclusively on the WWE Network and featured wrestlers from the NXT UK ...

References

External links

*
WWE Tournament Profile
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Zack 1990 births Living people Sportspeople from Liverpool English male professional wrestlers Alumni of Liverpool John Moores University 21st-century professional wrestlers NXT UK Tag Team Champions PROGRESS Tag Team Champions