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Chris Sabin
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Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Sabin. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and also makes appearances for the Japan based Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX promotion, and in the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion. He currently holds the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship with Alex Shelley, with whom he teams with in TNA as The Motor City Machineguns.
After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 for Border City Wrestling, and quickly began competing for numerous other independent promotions.
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Encyclopedia
Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Sabin. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and also makes appearances for the Japan based Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX promotion, and in the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion. He currently holds the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship with Alex Shelley, with whom he teams with in TNA as The Motor City Machineguns.
After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 for Border City Wrestling, and quickly began competing for numerous other independent promotions. In 2003, Sabin joined TNA, and quickly won the TNA X Division Championship, which he later unified with the WWA International Cruiserweight Championship. In 2004, he also wrestled for Ring of Honor. Throughout the next few years, Sabin competed mainly in TNA's X Division, until forming the Motor City Machineguns with Alex Shelley in mid-2007.
Throughout his career, Sabin has held numerous championships, and was the last WWA International Cruiserweight Championship. He was also held titles in Border City Wrestling and Maryland Championship Wrestling. In Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max, he held the ZERO-1 MAX International Lightweight Tag Team Championship, and in TNA he is a former four-time X Division Champion. In 2007, Sabin won the All Japan Pro Wrestling Junior League Tournament, and also won the TNA Super X Cup in 2003. He was a member of the winning team in the TNA X Cup Tournaments in 2004, and 2006.
Career
Harter began training as a wrestler in Michigan at the NWA Great Lakes Pro Wrestling School. After the school began experiencing difficulties, he travelled to Windsor, Ontario and completed his training under Scott D'Amore and "Amazing" N8 Mattson at the Can-Am Wrestling School. He debuted in 2000 after four months training as "Chris Sabin", and began working for D'Amore's Border City Wrestling promotion and for independent promotions in Michigan.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003-present)
Sabin joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2003 as a heel and won the TNA X Division Championship. His reign ended after three months when he lost to Michael Shane in the first ever Ultimate X match on August 20.
On September 3 of that year, Sabin, now a face, won the 2003 Super X Cup, thus becoming the number one contender to the X Division Championship. He regained the X Division Championship on January 7, 2004, defeating Shane, Christopher Daniels and Low Ki in the second Ultimate X match. He was stripped of the title on March 26, 2004 after a knee injury left him unable to defend it.
After returning from injury, Sabin took part in the World X Cup in May 2004, forming Team USA with Jerry Lynn, Christopher Daniels and Elix Skipper. On May 26, Team USA defeated Team Mexico, Team Canada and Team Japan in a two hour pay-per-view event which saw the teams fight one another in a variety of matches. The finals saw Sabin wrestle the Canadian Petey Williams and the Mexican Héctor Garza in an Ultimate X match, which Sabin won when he retrieved a large red "X" which had been suspended above the ring on steel cables.
For the remainder of 2004, Sabin contended for the X Division Championship. He won another Ultimate X match on November 9 to win a title shot at Petey Williams. At Turning Point 2004 on December 5, however, Williams was able to secure a victory with the help of a pair of brass knuckles. Sabin got another shot at the title at Final Resolution on January 16, 2005, in an Ultimate X match with Williams and A.J. Styles, but the match and title were won by Styles.
Throughout 2005, Sabin feuded with Michael Shane, by now wrestling as Matt Bentley. In September 2005 he began a feud with Shocker that was killed when Shocker was unable to return from Mexico for their scheduled match at Unbreakable on September 11.
In 2006, Sabin mostly teamed up with Sonjay Dutt, to great effect, beating Team Canada in a number one contenders tag team tournament on TNA Impact!. At the Against All Odds pay-per-view event Sabin and Dutt were beaten by Chris Harris and James Storm (America's Most Wanted) in a bout for the NWA World Tag Team Championships. On March 11, Chris Sabin defeated Alex Shelley and Sonjay Dutt in a 3-way match to represent both the USA in the "International X Division Showcase" at Destination X 2006 as well as joining Jay Lethal on Team TNA in the upcoming World X Cup Tournament. Later that month, Sabin was hospitalized with a severe concussion after taking four blows to the head during a show for the Northeast Wrestling (NEW) promotion on March 25 in Bristol, Connecticut. He was released after undergoing a CAT scan. Sabin acted as the captain of Team USA at World X Cup 2006, defeating Puma of Team Mexico, earning 3 points, and on May 18, defeating Petey Williams in a sudden death tiebreaker singles match, winning the World X Cup for Team USA.
On the June 1, 2006 edition of TNA Impact!, Sabin rushed to the ring to clear out Alex Shelley and Kevin Nash, who were attacking Jay Lethal in another of Nash's X Division beatdowns. Nash would avoid a physical confrontation with Sabin, only to be challenged to a match by Sabin at Slammiversary 2006 which Nash was able to win.
Sabin later became the number one contender for the TNA X Division Championship by defeating Alex Shelley at TNA Hard Justice 2006. Sabin would enter into an angle with fellow X-Division wrestlers to promote the Jackass: Number Two movie by imitating stunts performed on the film to display the lighter side of the X-Division, something then champion Senshi dissaproved of. Since then, Sabin would attempt to take Senshi's title on several occasions. On October 22, 2006, Sabin defeated Senshi after using an inside cradle to become a 3 time X-Division Champion at Bound for Glory 2006. On the November 2, 2006 edition of TNA Impact!, he lost the title to A.J. Styles in the Fight for the Right tournament.
Prior to the match, Sabin showed signs of turning heel when he expressed his disdain for X-Division pioneer, and face, Jerry Lynn for doubting his focus in an interview with Christy Hemme. Sabin completed his heel turn two weeks later when he refused to help fellow X-Division star Sonjay Dutt from an assault from Samoa Joe. Sabin went on to challenge Christoher Daniels at Genesis for the X-division championship but failed. After winning a triple-threat match against former allies Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal for a number one contender's match, he once again challenged Daniels at Turning Point but lost.
At Final Resolution 2007, Sabin won the X Division Championship from then champion Christopher Daniels in a triple threat match which also involved Jerry Lynn. Sabin went on to feud with Lynn over the title; defeating him at Against All Odds 2007 by using the ring ropes for leverage. At Destination X, Sabin defeated Lynn is a two out of three falls match to retain the X Division Championship. After the match, however, a masked man, who was later revealed to be Christopher Daniels, attacked both Sabin and Lynn. At Lockdown Sabin retained his title against Alex Shelley, Sonjay Dutt, Jay Lethal, and Shark Boy in a Six Sides of Steel Xscape match. At Sacrifice he retained his title against Sonjay Dutt, and Jay Lethal, by pinning Dutt. Sabin lost his title at Slammiversary, however, to Lethal. Sabin received a rematch on Impact! against Lethal and Samoa Joe, but didn't win.
In the summer of 2007 Sabin formed a tag team with Alex Shelley, known as the Motor City Machineguns. The two had been teaming in several independent promotions prior to their formation as a team in TNA. Sabin and Shelley started a feud with Team 3D, turning face, which stemmed from Team 3D constantly attacking the X division every week. They defeated 3D at Genesis 2007. He competed in TNA's World X Cup as a part of Team USA/TNA along with Alex Shelley and went undefeated as a tag team throughout winning two tag team matches and the 12 man elimination tag team match.
Sabin and Shelley turned heel, when, after a match with B.G. James and Eric Young, Sabin slapped James in the face. Sabin and Shelley lost a TNA World Tag Team Championship match at Turning Point to Beer Money, Inc.
Sabin and Shelley turned face then joined the frontline team. During December 2008 Sabin qualified for the finals in the X Division title tournament after defeating Sonjay Dutt and Kiyoshi. On January 11, 2009, at the Genesis pay-per-view, Sabin was defeated by his tag team partner Alex Shelley for the X Division title.
Japanese promtions (2006-2009)
On August 25, 2006 at Korauken Hall's ZERO-1 MAX show, Sabin and Alex Shelley became ZERO-1 MAX International Lightweight Tag Team Champions, when they defeated former champions, Ikuto Hidaka and Minoru Fujita. They held the titles for nearly two years, before dropping them to Minoru Fujita, and his new tag team partner, Takuya Sugawara, on April 6, 2008. They also worked for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and challenged for the PWG World Tag Team Championship, although they never won.
On January 4, 2009, Sabin and Shelley defeated No Limit (Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro) at New Japan Pro Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom III to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
Personal life
Harter was inspired by Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart as a child. Harter used the money he earned from working at Subway to pay to attend a wrestling school, but also took classes at a community college.
His ring name is derived from the character Sabin Rene Figaro from the video game Final Fantasy VI (originally released in America as Final Fantasy III). In 2008, Sabin, along with Alex Shelley, appeared in an episode of MTV MADE, teaching a school boy the basics of professional wrestling.
In wrestling
- Finishing and signature moves
Championships and accomplishments
- Blue Water Championship Wrestling
- BWCW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
- FIW American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Great Lakes All-Pro Wrestling
- GLAPW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- International Wrestling Cartel
- IWC Super Indy Championship (1 time)
- IWC Super Indy Tournament winner (2004)
- MXPW Cruiserweight Championship (2 times)
- MXPW Television Championship (1 time)
- Michigan Wrestling League
- MWL Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup (2005)
- Ontario Championship Wrestling
- Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Alex Shelley
- Xtreme Intense Championship Wrestling
- XICW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Truth Martini
External links
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