Atlas DaBone
Encyclopedia
Richard "Rich" Young is an American
professional wrestler
and former professional football player best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment
performing under the ring name Ricky Ortiz.
Young spent time in the XFL
, the Canadian Football League
(CFL), the Arena Football League (AFL), and the National Football League
(NFL).
as a transfer student after two years at Glendale Community College
and was a two year letter winner. He played 22 career games and was credited with 177 tackles as a linebacker
.
with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs
, and was on the team's practice squad during the season. After the year, he went to the Canadian Football League
(CFL) and played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders
. He spent the 2000 and 2001 seasons in the Arena Football League with the Milwaukee Mustangs
. In the AFL, Young played both fullback
and linebacker
. Following the AFL, Young joined the short-lived XFL
with the Orlando Rage
. After the league folded, Young attempted to make the Jacksonville Jaguars
roster, but was waived during training camp. He rejoined the AFL, this time with the Indiana Firebirds
, in 2002. He would spend the next two years in Indiana before joining the Colorado Crush
in 2004. In 2003, he led all AFL middle linebackers with 4.0 sacks.
in late 2006 as "Atlas DaBone". DaBone was billed as one of the most charismatic superstars in OVW. DaBone was expected to be called up to the main roster soon after with Ashley Massaro
as his valet
. On January 12, 2008, DaBone became the number one contender to the OVW title after beating Mike Kruel
in a best of 3 series. On March 3, 2008 it was reported that DaBone suffered a torn ligament in his knee, but returned to action in Florida Championship Wrestling
on April 17.
, winning his first match against Armando Estrada. The next week on ECW, Tazz
and Mike Adamle
referred to him as "Ricky Ortiz". He acknowledged the name change in an interview segment on the same show; Lena Yada
called him Atlas and he responded by saying, "My friends call me Ricky". On the July 15 edition of ECW, he used the nickname, "The Latin Assassin". Ortiz defeated Chavo Guerrero
by disqualification on the July 29 edition of ECW. The next week he beat Guerrero and Bam Neely in a tag team match with Evan Bourne.
Although enjoying a streak of 5-0, on October 7, Ortiz would team with Kofi Kingston
, CM Punk
, and Evan Bourne against John Morrison, The Miz
, Cody Rhodes, and Ted DiBiase
in an 8 man tag match losing effort. After a distraction from Manu
, Morrison would then perform a Moonlight Drive on Punk and pin him for the victory. This would be Young's first televised loss since debuting on ECW, although he was still undefeated in singles competition. On the December 2 episode of ECW, he suffered his first pinfall loss at the hands of Jack Swagger
, who was also undefeated at the time.
, losing to Jeff Hardy
. His last match for WWE was the August 7 episode of SmackDown when he was squashed by The Great Khali. He was released from his WWE contract on August 8, 2009.
show, using the name 'Ricky Ortiz' and challenging Shane Sewell
for the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship
. He failed to win, and attacked Sewell after the match. In early 2010, Ortiz appeared for the Combat Championship Wrestling promotion, wrestling against Shawn Spears and Sinn Bodhi
. He then began competing for Florida-based promotions, including I Believe in Wrestling and WWA. On November 7, 2010 Young appeared at Vintage Pro Wrestling with Scott Hall using the Wolfpac theme.
In 2011, it was revealed that Ortiz would take part in a new hiphop/pro wrestling collaboration, the Urban Wrestling Federation, with taping of the first event "First Blood" taking place on June 3.
as a hunter. Young also trains at Team 3D Academy of Professional Wrestling.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
and former professional football player best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
performing under the ring name Ricky Ortiz.
Young spent time in the XFL
XFL
The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
, the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
(CFL), the Arena Football League (AFL), and the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL).
College
Young attended the University of TulsaUniversity of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
as a transfer student after two years at Glendale Community College
Glendale Community College (California)
Glendale Community College is a community college in Glendale, California, USA. It was founded to serve the needs of the people in the Glendale Union High School District which at the time included La Crescenta, Glendale, and Tujunga...
and was a two year letter winner. He played 22 career games and was credited with 177 tackles as a linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
.
Professional football
After college, Young spent training camp of the 1998 season1998 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 1998 Kansas City Chiefs season began with high hopes of the team avenging its loss in the 1998 playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, but instead the Chiefs failed to succeed in the highly competitive AFC West. The team finished with a 7–9 record and 4th place in the AFC...
with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, and was on the team's practice squad during the season. After the year, he went to the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
(CFL) and played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
. He spent the 2000 and 2001 seasons in the Arena Football League with the Milwaukee Mustangs
Milwaukee Mustangs
The Milwaukee Mustangs were an Arena Football League team. They played from 1994 to 2001 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin's Bradley Center.-History:The team was founded in 1994 amidst rumors that the Green Bay Packers would soon stop playing games in Milwaukee, something they'd been doing since 1936...
. In the AFL, Young played both fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
and linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
. Following the AFL, Young joined the short-lived XFL
XFL
The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
with the Orlando Rage
Orlando Rage
-Statistical leaders:* Rushing yards: 387, Derrick Clark* Receiving yards: 659, Dialleo Burks* Passing yards: 998, Brian Kuklick-Awards:-Honors:...
. After the league folded, Young attempted to make the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
roster, but was waived during training camp. He rejoined the AFL, this time with the Indiana Firebirds
Indiana Firebirds
The Indiana Firebirds were a team in the Arena Football League.The team was based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Home games were played at the Conseco Fieldhouse, also the home of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball...
, in 2002. He would spend the next two years in Indiana before joining the Colorado Crush
Colorado Crush
Colorado Crush were an Arena Football League team that began play as a 2003 expansion team. The Crush played in the Central Division of the American Conference until the Arena Football League suspended operations in 2009...
in 2004. In 2003, he led all AFL middle linebackers with 4.0 sacks.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2008-2009)
Young made his professional wrestling debut with Ohio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
in late 2006 as "Atlas DaBone". DaBone was billed as one of the most charismatic superstars in OVW. DaBone was expected to be called up to the main roster soon after with Ashley Massaro
Ashley Massaro
Ashley Marie Massaro is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to World Independent Ladies Division Wrestling. She is best known for her work with World Wrestling Entertainment and her appearance on Survivor: China....
as his valet
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
. On January 12, 2008, DaBone became the number one contender to the OVW title after beating Mike Kruel
Mike Kruel
Michael "Mike" Mayo, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Mike Kruel. He began his career in the independent circuit, wrestling in Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, East Coast Wrestling Association and USA Pro Wrestling, while occasionally making...
in a best of 3 series. On March 3, 2008 it was reported that DaBone suffered a torn ligament in his knee, but returned to action in Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
on April 17.
ECW (2008-2009)
On July 1, 2008, Young made his WWE debut as a face under the name "Atlas Ortiz" on the ECW brandWWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
, winning his first match against Armando Estrada. The next week on ECW, Tazz
Tazz
Peter Senerchia is a retired American professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz...
and Mike Adamle
Mike Adamle
Michael David "Mike" Adamle is a sports personality and former National Football League player. He is best known as the co-host of American Gladiators series for seven years....
referred to him as "Ricky Ortiz". He acknowledged the name change in an interview segment on the same show; Lena Yada
Lena Yada
Lena Yada is a Japanese-American model, actress, professional tandem surfer, and professional wrestler, who is known for working for World Wrestling Entertainment as a backstage interviewer, valet and WWE Diva on its ECW Brand....
called him Atlas and he responded by saying, "My friends call me Ricky". On the July 15 edition of ECW, he used the nickname, "The Latin Assassin". Ortiz defeated Chavo Guerrero
Chavo Guerrero, Jr.
Salvador "Chavo" Guerrero IV also known as Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero, Jr., is a third generation Mexican-American professional wrestler and member of the famed Guerrero wrestling family who was well known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling...
by disqualification on the July 29 edition of ECW. The next week he beat Guerrero and Bam Neely in a tag team match with Evan Bourne.
Although enjoying a streak of 5-0, on October 7, Ortiz would team with Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
, CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
, and Evan Bourne against John Morrison, The Miz
Mike Mizanin
Michael "Mike" Gregory Mizanin is an American professional wrestler and reality television personality better known by his nickname and ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand...
, Cody Rhodes, and Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand...
in an 8 man tag match losing effort. After a distraction from Manu
Afa Anoa'i, Jr.
Afa Anoa'i, Jr. is an American professional wrestler of Samoan descent. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he competed on its Raw brand under the ring name Manu.-World Xtreme Wrestling:...
, Morrison would then perform a Moonlight Drive on Punk and pin him for the victory. This would be Young's first televised loss since debuting on ECW, although he was still undefeated in singles competition. On the December 2 episode of ECW, he suffered his first pinfall loss at the hands of Jack Swagger
Jake Hager
Jacob "Jake" Hager, Jr. is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he works under the ring name Jack Swagger on the Raw brand....
, who was also undefeated at the time.
SmackDown (2009)
On April 15, 2009, Ortiz was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft. On the May 15 episode of SmackDown, Ortiz made his debut for the brand as a heelHeel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
, losing to Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
. His last match for WWE was the August 7 episode of SmackDown when he was squashed by The Great Khali. He was released from his WWE contract on August 8, 2009.
Independent circuit
A week after his WWE release, on August 15, 2009, Young appeared at a World Wrestling CouncilWorld Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....
show, using the name 'Ricky Ortiz' and challenging Shane Sewell
Shane Sewell
Shane Sewell is a Canadian professional wrestler and referee. He is perhaps best known for his stint in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as both a referee and wrestler.-International Wrestling Association:...
for the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship
WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship
The WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship is a secondary professional wrestling championship that is defended in the World Wrestling Council based in Puerto Rico. The title was created in January 1974 and, as its name suggests, is defended exclusively within Puerto Rico.-Title history:...
. He failed to win, and attacked Sewell after the match. In early 2010, Ortiz appeared for the Combat Championship Wrestling promotion, wrestling against Shawn Spears and Sinn Bodhi
Nick Cvjetkovich
Nicholas "Nick" Cvjetkovich is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he worked on its SmackDown brand as Kizarny.-Training and beginning:...
. He then began competing for Florida-based promotions, including I Believe in Wrestling and WWA. On November 7, 2010 Young appeared at Vintage Pro Wrestling with Scott Hall using the Wolfpac theme.
In 2011, it was revealed that Ortiz would take part in a new hiphop/pro wrestling collaboration, the Urban Wrestling Federation, with taping of the first event "First Blood" taking place on June 3.
Other media
Young appeared on the November 25, 2008 episode of Cha$eCha$e
Cha$e is a reality television show aired on Syfy in the United States around the same time as Estate of Panic. It is based on the successful Japanese show "" which began airing on Fuji Television in June 2004...
as a hunter. Young also trains at Team 3D Academy of Professional Wrestling.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Big O (Running jumping splash, with theatrics)
- Signature moves
- DropkickDropkickA dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as he or she jumps so that when the feet connect with the opponent one foot is raised higher than...
- Sitout side powerslam
- Dropkick
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- "The Latin Assassin"
- "Ricky O"