Frank Parris (born May 11, 1979) 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 o ...

. He is best known for his stint in

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...

under ring name Air Paris.

Professional wrestling career

Debut

On April 20, 1996, Parris made his professional wrestling debut under ring name Kid Ego, where he and Mark Pain lost to Dusty Dotson and Nasty Critter in a

tag team 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 North Georgia Wrestling Alliance. One week later, Ego made his singles debut in a losing effort to Mike Golden. After losing to Jailhouse Rocker on May 10, he picked up the first win of his career by defeating Kenny D on June 21.

National Wrestling Alliance

NWA Wildside

After a three-year hiatus, Parris returned to wrestling and began competing 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 ...

, most prominently for 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 ...

, as Air Paris. He debuted for the NWA on September 25, 1999, at their 51st anniversary show, and was unable to win a

battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...

to determine the number one contender for the World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Paris appeared at the following year's anniversary show on October 14, 2000, where he and

Cassidy O'Reilly Cassidy James Riley (born November 21, 1976), also known as Kassidy James, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and WWE. Career Early years (1995–2002) O'Reilly became interest ...

lost to Bad Attitude ( David Young and

Rick Michaels Rick Michaels (born September 8, 1974) is a retired American professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career Extreme Championship Wrestling (1992–1993) Michaels debuted for Extreme Championship Wrestling on June 23, 1992, under the gimmic ...

) in a match for the

World Tag Team Championship The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championship (professional wrestling), championships in professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotions, promotions. Nomenclature The name of the promo ...

. After debuting in the NWA territory Wildside in early 1999, he soon won the territory's Junior Heavyweight Championship on May 13. However, he was stripped of the title on October 28 after being unable to defend the title in 30 days due to an injury. Paris regained the title after defeating Andy Anderson on November 4, but was once again stripped of the title in May 2000. Paris would go on to win his first and only Television Championship after defeating

Eddie Golden Harold Edward Cox (born November 4, 1973) is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and trainer better known by his ring name Eddie Golden. He was one of the top junior heavyweights in the Southern United States during the 1990s and won n ...

on January 6, 2001, but lost the title to

A.J. 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 ...

that same night.

Music City Wrestling / NWA Main Event

In addition to Wildside, Paris began competing for Music City Wrestling and Main Event, two other NWA territories. While in MCW, he won the

North American Championship A North American Championship is a top level international sports competition between North American athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships ;Bridge * North American B ...

. Meanwhile, in Main Event, he reformed his

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

with

and together, they won the North American Tag Team Championship on August 14, 1999. They later lost the title on November 27 to New South (Ashley Hudson and Cory Williams).

Chase Stevens Chase Bradley Stevens (born January 17, 1979) is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name of "The Natural" Chase Stevens. He is known primarily for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he was a member ...

later replaced Paris in the tag team due to Paris signing a developmental deal with

in 2000. Despite being contracted to WCW, Paris returned to Main Event and won the North American Tag Team Title for the second time, this time with Big Bully Douglas, on April 14, 2000. They held the title until September of that year before it was vacated due to Paris and Douglas splitting.

World Championship Wrestling (2001)

After being signed to a deal with

in 2000, Parris, under his Air Paris name, debuted for the promotion alongside former NWA Wildside rival

on the February 14, 2001, episode of ''

Thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

'', where they lost to

Evan Karagias Evan Karagias (born November 27, 1973) is an American professional wrestler and actor. Acting career Evan moved to New York City to pursue an acting and modeling career. He also became the spokesmodel for the 1996 Calvin Klein and US Olympic Comm ...

and

Jamie Noble James Gibson (born December 23, 1976) is an American retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name Jamie Noble. He is currently signed to WWE as a producer. In addition to his appearances with WWE, Noble is known for his appeara ...

. Paris and Styles gained their first and only win in WCW when they scored an upset against former World Tag Team Champions The Boogie Knights (

Alex Wright Alexander Wright (born May 17, 1975) is a German former professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He wrestled professionally in Germany and Japan before signing with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994. He remained a pro ...

and

Disco Inferno "Disco Inferno" is a song by American disco band the Trammps from their 1976 fourth studio album of the same name. With two other cuts by the group, it reached No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart in early 1977, but had limit ...

) the following week on ''Thunder''. Paris and Styles made their ''

Nitro Nitro may refer to: Chemistry *Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed: **Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2 **Nitroalkene, ...

'' debut on the March 5 episode, there they lost to

Elix Skipper Elix Skipper (born December 15, 1967) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, where he was a one-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time WCW Cruiserweight Tag ...

and

Kid Romeo Samuel Roman (born 1975) is a Puerto Rican-American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling in 2001 under the ring name Kid Romeo, where he was one half of the first ever Cruiserweight Tag Te ...

. On the final episode of ''

'' on March 21, Styles was renamed to Air Styles and together the team was given the new name Air Raid as they went on to lose to

The Jung Dragons The Jung Dragons were a professional wrestling faction and tag team. Originally formed in World Championship Wrestling, the Dragons consisted of Kaz Hayashi, Yang and Jamie-San, and their manager Leia Meow. The Jung Dragons were notable for the ...

. When WCW was bought out by the

World Wrestling Federation 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 ...

, neither Paris nor Styles had their contracts picked up by the WWF.

Independent circuit

After the closures of both WCW AND NWA Wildside, Paris returned to competing on the

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, and wrestled his final match in the Rings of Glory promotion on December 16, 2005. On May 1, 2008, he returned to wrestling under his Air Paris name and joined the promotion NAWA Ring Champions as a booker and wrestler.

NAWA Ring Champions

Upon debuting, Paris was given a match for any NAWA championship of his choosing by Commissioner Ted Guinness, but was subsequently attacked by The Exotic Ones (Simon Sermon and

), the promotion's Tag Team Champions. On May 15, Paris teamed with Cruiserweight Champion Chris Ganz to face The Exotic Ones for the Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful in winning the title. After the match, Paris turned on Ganz by utilizing the title match he received from Guinness and defeated Ganz to win the Cruiserweight Championship, resulting in Paris becoming a heel in the process. After vacating the Cruiserweight Title, Paris began feuding with Ganz and faced him on June 5 in a tag team match, but was unsuccessful as he and Jason Valentine lost to Ganz and

Tommy Rich Thomas Richardson (born July 26, 1956) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Tommy “Wildfire” Rich. He is a one time former National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion and Smoky Mountain Wrestling ...

. On July 3, their feud culminated when Paris and

Bobby Eaton Bobby Lee Eaton (August 14, 1958 – August 4, 2021) was an American professional wrestler best known as "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton. He was most famous for his work in tag teams, especially as one-half of The Midnight Express. Under the managem ...

were defeated by Ganz and

Ricky Morton Richard Wendell Morton (born September 21, 1956) is an American professional wrestler, currently performing on the independent circuit. He is the current GCW Television Champion, after pinning Matt Cardona at GCW Say You Will. For most of his care ...

Purks International Championship Wrestling

In 2009, Parris left NAWA Ring Champions and joined Purks International Championship Wrestling as a booker and wrestler. He made his in-ring debut for the promotion on December 16 as a heel, where he and Bobby Hayes lost to

The Steiner Brothers The Steiner Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner. The brothers wrestled as amateurs at the University of Michigan. The team ma ...

. After the match, Paris shook hands with the Steiner Brothers, becoming a

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 ...

in the process, but was attacked by Hayes until being saved by the Steiner Brothers. On February 6, 2010, Paris teamed with David Young and

Ron Simmons Ronald Nasir Simmons (born May 15, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler and football player. He performed for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under his real name, and in the World Wres ...

to face Hayes, Terry Lawler and Alexander the Great, but lost after Young turned on Paris by attacking him. On March 6, Paris wrestled against former tag team partner and then-

TNA World Heavyweight Champion The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result o ...

in a non-title match, which ended in a no-contest due to outside interference. Paris then continued his feud with Hayes and Young and defeated them in a tag team match with

Kevin Nash Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his ...

as his partner on April 10. After the match, Hayes piledrove Paris before Young did the same, injuring him in the process. Despite being injured, Paris returned on June 12 during a

triple threat 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 Heavyweight Championship between Hayes, Young and Chris Harris and helped Harris defeat Hayes and Young to win the Heavyweight Title. On February 12, 2011, Paris teamed with Terry Lawler to defeat Hayes and Young in a tag team match.

Other media

In 2013, Parris was announced as being one of the contributors to ''Phenomenal'', the autobiography of former tag team partner

Championships and accomplishments

* Music City Wrestling **

NWA North American Heavyweight Championship The NWA North American Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance in 1994 after World Championship Wrestling withdrew from the NWA. There were various regional versions of the No ...

( 1 time) *NAWA Ring Champions **NAWA Ring Champions Cruiserweight Championship (1 time) * NWA Main Event **

NWA North American Tag Team Championship The NWA North American Tag Team Championship is an inactive professional wrestling tag team championship that was used and defended in various territories throughout the National Wrestling Alliance., prior to its being purchased in 2017 by Billy ...

(

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

(1) and Big Bully Douglas (1) *

NWA Wildside NWA Wildside was an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cornelia, Georgia, with an office in Atlanta, Georgia, operating between September 1999 and April 2005. It was originally formed when National Championship Wrestlin ...

** NWA Wildside Junior Heavyweight Championship (

) **NWA Wildside Television Championship (1 time) *

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 ...

**PWI ranked him number #195 of the 500 best 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 Publi ...

in 2001

References

External links

Solie's title histories
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paris, Air 1977 births American male professional wrestlers Living people Sportspeople from Atlanta NWA Georgia Junior Heavyweight Champions NWA North American Heavyweight Champions