Kevin Steen
Encyclopedia
Kevin Steen is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 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...

, currently performing for various promotions on the independent circuit
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...

, most notably California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

-based Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is a professional wrestling promotion that is run by wrestlers themselves as it was created by Southern California wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Super Dragon, and Top Gun Talwar...

 and Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...

.

Professional wrestling career

Steen first developed an interest in professional wrestling
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...

 after watching a match between Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...

 and Diesel
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...

 at Wrestlemania XI
WrestleMania XI
WrestleMania XI was the eleventh annual WrestleMania pay-per-view event held by the World Wrestling Federation at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut on April 2, 1995...

 at the age of 11. Three years later, his parents allowed him to start training with Serge Jodoin, a wrestler based in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

. The following year, he began training with Jacques Rougeau
Jacques Rougeau
Jacques Rougeau Jr. is a retired French-Canadian professional wrestler from Saint-Sulpice, Quebec, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s with the World Wrestling Federation under his own name, and as The Mountie. Rougeau has held fifteen championships during his career...

. Steen had his first match on his sixteenth birthday in L'Assomption, Quebec
L'Assomption, Quebec
L'Assomption is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the L'Assomption River. It is the seat of the Regional County Municipality of L'Assomption. It is located on the outer fringes of the Montreal urban area....

 on May 7, 2000. Steen trained with Rougeau and wrestled for Rougeau's promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...

 for four years, before beginning to wrestle with several other Canadian promotions, including the International Wrestling Syndicate
International Wrestling Syndicate
International Wrestling Syndicate was a professional wrestling promotion based out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.It was formerly known as the Internet Wrestling Syndicate and before that as World Wrestling Syndicate. It was also home base to many independent wrestlers, such as Kevin Steen, El...

.

Combat Zone Wrestling (2004–2006, 2008)

Steen made his Combat Zone Wrestling
Combat Zone Wrestling
Combat Zone Wrestling is a independent wrestling promotion. In 1999, John Zandig and four of his students, Ric Blade, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain began to run backyard wrestling shows in New Jersey and Delaware, showcasing a brand of hardcore wrestling dubbed as "ultraviolence"...

 (CZW) debut on September 10, 2004 at the High Stakes event. He lost in a fatal four-way match featuring El Generico
El Generico
Rami Sebei is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name El Generico. Sebei uses the gimmick of a luchador from Mexico...

, Excess, and SeXXXy Eddy
Eddy Dorozowsky
Eddy Dorozowsky is a Canadian professional wrestler and former promoter, best known by his ring name SeXXXy Eddy. He has competed several in North American independent promotions including Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling, IWA Mid-South, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Northern Championship Wrestling, Pro...

, the latter of which was victorious in that match. He continued to make appearances with CZW and soon began teaming with El Generico against Super Dragon
Super Dragon
Daniel Lyon , better known by his ring name Super Dragon, is an American professional wrestler. Beginning his career in 1997, he has competed in companies such as All Pro Wrestling, Revolution Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor...

 and Excalibur
Excalibur (wrestler)
Marc Letzmann is a former American professional wrestler, best known under his ring name Excalibur. Letzmann is one of the six founders of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, where he continues to work as the company's "Liaison to the Board of Directors"...

.

On May 14, 2005, Steen took part in the "CZW Best of the Best tournament" and he advanced to the finals after defeating Kenny The Bastard in the first round and Chris Hero
Chris Hero
Chris Spradlin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Hero. He is a mainstay of many independent wrestling promotions, including Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well as Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...

 in the second round. He was unable to clench the trophy, however, as he lost in the finals, which was a fatal four-way match involving B-Boy, Super Dragon
Super Dragon
Daniel Lyon , better known by his ring name Super Dragon, is an American professional wrestler. Beginning his career in 1997, he has competed in companies such as All Pro Wrestling, Revolution Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor...

, and Mike Quackenbush. Quackenbush won the match.

A few months later in August, Steen won his first championship in CZW. He pinned Franky The Mobster
Franky The Mobster
Marc-Andre Boulanger is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Franky The Mobster .He currently wrestles for Montreal's Northern Championship Wrestling , the Ontario-based Blood Sweat and Ears promotion, as well as on the US independent circuit. He also has made occasional...

 to win the CZW Iron Man Championship
CZW Iron Man Championship
The CZW Iron Man Championship was a professional wrestling title in the Philadelphia-based promotion Combat Zone Wrestling . It was established in 1999 at CZW's first show, Opening Night with Derek Domino as the first champion. Despite the name, the Iron Man title is not exclusively defended in...

. He went on to defend the championship in individual matches against Nate Webb
Nate Webb
Nathan "Nate" Webb is an American professional wrestler and semi-pro football player, best known for his appearances in Combat Zone Wrestling, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, Ring of Honor and MTV's Wrestling Society X. On April 22, 2008, Webb was notified that he had made the roster...

, El Generico, Chris Sabin
Chris Sabin
Joshua Harter is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Sabin. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he currently teams with Alex Shelley as The Motor City Machine Guns.After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 for...

, and Super Dragon
Super Dragon
Daniel Lyon , better known by his ring name Super Dragon, is an American professional wrestler. Beginning his career in 1997, he has competed in companies such as All Pro Wrestling, Revolution Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor...

. He also defended it in a match involving Necro Butcher
Necro Butcher
Dylan Keith Summers is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Necro Butcher. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Beyond Wrestling, Firestormpro, Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA-Mid South, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Big Japan Pro Wrestling,...

, D.J. Hyde, B.J. Whitmer
B.J. Whitmer
Benjamin Whitmer is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, B.J. Whitmer. He is best known for his appearances with Ring of Honor between January 2003 and March 2008...

, and The Messiah
William Welch
William C. Welch is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name The Messiah.-Professional wrestling career:...

.

In a cage match held at CZW Trapped involving The Canadians, The Blackout, The Forefathers of CZW, and Eddie Kingston
Eddie Kingston
Edward "Eddie" Moore is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Eddie Kingston. He is best known for competing in Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South and Ring of Honor...

, Steen lost the Ironman Championship to female wrestler LuFisto. He lost the championship one day shy of having a year long reign. He then departed for a tour with Dragon Gate
Dragon Gate
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion formerly known as Toryumon Japan. Most of Dragon Gate's wrestlers are graduates from Último Dragón's Toryumon Gym, and thus the promotion is based on a Junior Heavyweight style with varying emphasis on high flying maneuvers, flashy technical grappling,...

, and didn't return to CZW until February 2008 when he made a one–time appearance and fought Vordell Walker
Vordell Walker
"Eddie" Walker is an American professional wrestler, currently wrestling under the ring name Vordell Walker. He is perhaps best known for his work in Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action.-Professional wrestling career:...

 to a no contest.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2005–present)

While wrestling in CZW, Steen also began competing for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is a professional wrestling promotion that is run by wrestlers themselves as it was created by Southern California wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Super Dragon, and Top Gun Talwar...

 (PWG). On May 13, 2005, at Jason Takes PWG, Steen was entered into his first feud in PWG, when he helped Excalibur defeat Super Dragon in a Guerrilla Warfare match, in the process revealing himself as the fake Super Dragon, who had been attacking the real one the past few months. On August 6, 2005, Steen won the PWG Championship
PWG World Championship
The PWG World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla professional wrestling promotion. It was first introduced in 2003 as the PWG Championship...

 after defeating A.J. Styles
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...

 at Zombies [Shouldn't Run]. Steen would hold the title for nearly four months before losing the championship to Joey Ryan at Chanukah Chaos (The C's Are Silent), following interference from Super Dragon. Steen's feud with Super Dragon ended on December 16, 2005, at Astonishing X-Mas, where he was defeated in a Guerrilla Warfare match.

In 2006, Steen began teaming with El Generico and they began to pursue the PWG World Tag Team Championship
PWG World Tag Team Championship
The PWG World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the tag team division of the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla promotion...

. On July 29, 2007, at Giant Size Annual #4, Steen and Generico defeated the reigning champions PAC and Roderick Strong
Roderick Strong
Chris Lindsey is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Roderick Strong. Strong currently competes in several independent promotions, most notably Ring of Honor , Full Impact Pro , and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla .He initially debuted as The Jester on the Floridian...

 to become the PWG World Tag Team Champions. They successfully defended the belts for almost three months before ultimately losing them to the team of Davey Richards
Davey Richards
Wesley David Richards is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Davey Richards.Richards is currently under contract with Ring of Honor, where he is the current ROH World Champion, but also wrestles for several companies on the independent circuit, including Pro Wrestling...

 and Super Dragon on October 27 in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 as part of PWG's "European Vacation II" tour. The next night, Steen teamed with PAC in an attempt to regain the belts from Dragon and Richards, announcing before the match that if he lost, he'd leave the company indefinitely. Steen and PAC lost, leading to Steen leaving PWG.

However, Steen returned to PWG and, along with El Generico, won the titles for a second time, this time from The Dynasty (Joey Ryan and Scott Lost) on March 21, 2008 in an impromptu match. Steen and Generico became the first team in PWG history to be a part of the annual "Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament" to defend the belts in each match they had. In the tournament finals, they lost the titles to Jack Evans
Jack Evans
Jack Edward Miller is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jack Evans. He currently performs for the Mexican-based promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, where he is the current World Cruiserweight Champion and a former World Tag Team Champion. He is the cousin...

 and Roderick Strong, thus ending their second reign.

On December 11, 2010, Steen wrestled Akira Tozawa
Akira Tozawa
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, mainly performing for Dragon Gate, where he is currently one half of the Open the Twin Gate Champions...

 for his first PWG win in two years. He has since returned to a more prominent role in the company after a few sporadic years (having only made five appearances between 2009 and 2010). On January 29, 2011, Steen was defeated by Chris Hero at PWG's annual WrestleReunion-sponsored event. Later that evening, after a four-way tag team match to determine which of four teams would enter the 2011 DDT4 tournament, Steen ran out to attack the eventual winners, the RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime and Johnny Yuma), before declaring his intention of winning the DDT4 tournament. On February 2, 2011, it was announced that Steen would be teaming with Akira Tozawa for the tournament, which took place on March 4. In their first round match, Steen and Tozawa, known collectively as the Nightmare Violence Connection, scored an upset victory over the Briscoe Brothers
Briscoe Brothers
The Briscoe Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of Jay and Mark Briscoe. They are currently wrestling for the American promotions Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling, as well as occasionally for the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah.Their wrestling careers have...

 (Jay and Mark Briscoe). After another upset victory over the ROH World Tag Team Champions
ROH World Tag Team Championship
The Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute...

, The Kings of Wrestling
Kings of Wrestling
The Kings of Wrestling is a professional wrestling stable that wrestles on the independent circuit, formed in Chikara, but also appearing in other promotions. It originally included Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Larry Sweeney, Arik Cannon, Mitch Ryder, Max Boyer, Chuck Taylor, Icarus, Gran Akuma...

 (Chris Hero
Chris Hero
Chris Spradlin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Hero. He is a mainstay of many independent wrestling promotions, including Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well as Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...

 and Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, working in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling under the ring name Antonio Cesaro...

), Steen and Tozawa made it to the finals of the tournament, where they were, however, defeated by The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks is an American professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real life brothers Matt and Nick Massie from Southern California...

 (Matt and Nick Jackson). On July 23 at PWG's eighth anniversary show, Steen first defeated PAC in a singles match, before teaming with CIMA
Nobuhiko Oshima
, better known by his ring name Cima , is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently wrestles for Dragon Gate and its international expansion Dragon Gate USA...

 to defeat PWG World Tag Team Champions, The Young Bucks, in a non-title match. After Claudio Castagnoli had defeated Chris Hero in the main event of the evening to retain the PWG World Championship, Steen challenged him to a match and, in his third match of the night, defeated him to win the PWG World Championship for the second time. At the following event on August 20, Steen entered the 2011 Battle of Los Angeles, defeating Dave Finlay
Dave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...

 and Eddie Edwards
Eddie Edwards (wrestler)
Eddie Edwards is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling with Ring of Honor , where he is a former ROH World Champion. He also had previous reigns as a former ROH World Tag Team Champion with his partner Davey Richards as The American Wolves and as the inaugural ROH World...

 in his first round and semifinal matches. Later that same night, Steen was defeated in the finals by old rival El Generico. On September 10, Steen made his first PWG World Championship defense, defeating former champion Davey Richards. On October 22, Steen lost the PWG World Championship to El Generico in a ladder match
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...

, following interference from The Young Bucks. After the match Super Dragon made his first appearance in over three years by saving Steen with the two accepting The Young Bucks' challenge for a Guerrilla Warfare match.

Ring of Honor (2007–present)

On February 17, 2007, Steen returned to Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...

, teaming with El Generico in a losing effort to the Briscoe Brothers. On April 14, Mark Briscoe returned in the middle of a match between Steen and Generico and his brother Jay and Erick Stevens
Erick Stevens
Erick Stevens is an American professional wrestler. Stevens wrestles for many independent promotions, most notably Ring of Honor and Full Impact Pro where he is a former 2 time World Heavyweight Champion.-NWA Florida:...

. Mark was attacked by the duo, however, and was pinned by Steen after a package piledriver. On May 11, Steen (as a heel) and Generico (as a face) defeated Jason Blade and Eddie Edwards. At Respect is Earned
ROH Respect is Earned
Respect is Earned was a professional wrestling pay-per-view promoted by Ring of Honor. It was the promotion's first PPV. It took place on May 12, 2007 from the Manhattan Center in New York, New York, and first aired on PPV on July 1.-Results:...

, Steen and El Generico defeated Irish Airborne (Jake and Dave Crist), Pelle Primeau and Mitch Franklin, and Jimmy Rave
Jimmy Rave
James Guffey is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Jimmy Rave. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...

 and Adam Pearce
Adam Pearce
Adam Pearce is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is the current NWA World Heavyweight Champion in his fourth reign and the NWA British Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He is also a former PWG Champion....

 in a Tag Team Scramble dark match. That same night, Steen and El Generico brawled with the Briscoe Brothers, ending with Mark Briscoe suffering a mild concussion from a steel chair shot. At Driven
ROH Driven
Driven was a professional wrestling pay-per-view promoted by Ring of Honor. It took place on June 23, 2007 at the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, Illinois, and first aired on September 21.-Results:-External links:*...

, the Briscoe Brothers defeated Steen and El Generico to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship
ROH World Tag Team Championship
The Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute...

. Steen and Generico then suffered three consecutive losses to the Briscoes at Caged Rage in a Steel Cage match, Manhattan Mayhem II in a two out of three falls match, and Man Up
ROH Man Up
Man Up was a professional wrestling pay-per-view promoted by Ring of Honor. It took place on September 15, 2007 at the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, Illinois, the site of the second Pay-per-view taping Driven, and first aired on November 30...

 in a ladder match. Their only tag team win over the Briscoes was at Death Before Dishonor V Night 1 in a non–title Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

 Street Fight.
On June 6, 2008, Steen and Generico participated in a one night tournament to crown new ROH World Tag Team Champions. They defeated Go Shiozaki
Go Shiozaki
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is the current GHC Heavyweight Champion. In addition to Noah, he has previously worked in the American-based promotion Ring of Honor and its former sister promotion Full Impact Pro, where he won the latter's...

 and ROH World Champion
ROH World Championship
The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...

 Nigel McGuiness in the first round and Chris Hero and Adam Pearce
Adam Pearce
Adam Pearce is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is the current NWA World Heavyweight Champion in his fourth reign and the NWA British Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He is also a former PWG Champion....

 in the second round before losing to Jimmy Jacobs
Jimmy Jacobs
Chris Scobille is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jimmy Jacobs. He is best known for his time in Ring of Honor , where he is a four-time World Tag Team Champion...

 and Tyler Black
Tyler Black
Colby Lopez is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tyler Black. He is signed to a contract with WWE, where he competes in their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Seth Rollins. He is a former FCW 15 Champion and FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with...

 in the finals.

On June 27 in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...

, Steen and Generico defeated The Age of the Fall
The Age of the Fall
The Age of the Fall was a professional wrestling stable, primarily in Ring of Honor and its sister promotion Full Impact Pro, but also in other independent promotions such as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.-2007:...

's Tyler Black and Joey Matthews
Adam Birch
Adam Birch is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment , and training in WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling, as Joey Mercury...

 when Steen pinned Matthews following the package piledriver. The next day in Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Chicago Ridge is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 14,127 at the 2000 census.-History:Chicago Ridge takes its name from ridges left behind when trainloads of dirt were brought out by the Wabash Railroad during construction of the Columbian Exposition of...

, Steen and Generico were defeated by AOTF members Black and Necro Butcher
Necro Butcher
Dylan Keith Summers is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Necro Butcher. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Beyond Wrestling, Firestormpro, Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA-Mid South, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Big Japan Pro Wrestling,...

 when Butcher pinned Steen following a roll up and a chair shot to the face from Black. On July 25, Steen faced off against ROH World Champion
ROH World Championship
The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...

 Nigel McGuinness
Nigel McGuinness
Steven Haworth is an English professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Desmond Wolfe and Nigel McGuinness. As McGuinness he first gained notoriety working for Ring of Honor in the United States and Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...

 in a title match for the company's debut show in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, but Steen lost the match.

At a pay-per-view taping in Boston on September 19, Steen and Generico beat The Age of the Fall to finally win the ROH World Tag Team Championship
ROH World Tag Team Championship
The Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute...

. This also fulfilled Steen's promise of winning a title in ROH before the November 21 Dayton show. They lost the championship to The American Wolves
The American Wolves
The American Wolves are the professional wrestling tag team of Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards. They are currently wrestling for the American promotions Ring of Honor and Squared Circle Wrestling , where they have won the Tag Team Championships of both companies.The two started out as members of...

 (Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards) at a television taping on April 10, 2009.

On December 19, 2009, at Final Battle 2009
Final Battle 2009
Final Battle 2009 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor , which was only available online. It took place on December 19, 2009 from the Manhattan Center in New York City...

, ROH's first live pay-per-view, after a loss to The Young Bucks, Steen turned heel by attacking his tag team partner El Generico. Steen has since found a new partner in Steve Corino
Steve Corino
Steven Eugene "Steve" Corino is a Canadian professional wrestler, who currently works for Pro Wrestling Zero1, Ring of Honor and numerous other independent promotions. Corino is a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion and ECW World Heavyweight Champion.-Early years :Corino began wrestling in 1994...

. At the following pay-per-view, The Big Bang!
ROH The Big Bang!
The Big Bang! was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor , which was only available online. It took place on April 3, 2010 from the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, North Carolina...

, Generico and Cabana defeated Steen and Corino via disqualification, when Steen used a chair on his former partner. On June 19 at Death Before Dishonor VIII
Death Before Dishonor VIII
Death Before Dishonor VIII was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor , which was only available online. There had been seven events entitled Death Before Dishonor in the past with this being the event's first time on pay per view...

, Steen defeated El Generico in a singles match. On September 11 at Glory By Honor IX
Glory By Honor IX
Glory By Honor IX was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor , which was only available online. It took place on September 11, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City...

 Generico and Cabana defeated Steen and Corino in a Double Chain match, when Cabana forced Corino to tap out. After the match Steen attacked El Generico and unmasked him. On December 18 at Final Battle 2010
Final Battle 2010
Final Battle 2010 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor. It took place on December 18, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City. It was the eighth annual event in the Final Battle chronology, with the first taking place in 2002, but only the second to be...

 Steen and Generico ended their year–long feud in an unsanctioned
Hardcore wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted...

 Fight Without Honor, where Steen put his ROH career on the line against Generico's mask. In the end El Generico won the match and thus forced Steen out of ROH. Prior to the outcome, on November 4, 2010, Kevin Steen's contract agreement with Ring of Honor ended due to financial budget concerns, which ultimately played a role within the stipulations of the match.

Steen returned to Ring of Honor on June 26, 2011, at Best in the World 2011
Best in the World 2011
Best in the World 2011 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view by Ring of Honor that took place on June 26, 2011. It was an afternoon show that began at 4pm and marked the return of ROH to the Hammerstein Ballroom for the first time since 2009...

, being introduced by Corino, who had turned face shortly after Steen's departure from the promotion and claimed that he needed redemption as well. However, ROH officials forced him to leave the arena before he could show that he was a changed man. After Corino was defeated by Michael Elgin, Steen ran in to save him from a beatdown at the hands of the House of Truth, but ended up turning on him and his sponsor Jimmy Jacobs. Afterwards, Steen was dragged out of the arena, while Jim Cornette
Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling...

 swore that he would never again wrestle for ROH. The storyline continued on July 22, when Steen invaded ROH's official message board, writing posts praising Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. On September 15 ROH's message board was "hacked" to redirect to a video, where Steen announced his intention of attending ROH's Death Before Dishonor IX
Death Before Dishonor IX
Death Before Dishonor IX was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor . It took place on September 17, 2011 at the Grand Ballroom of the Manhattan Center in New York, New York.-Matches:-External links:*...

 the following weekend. At the pay-per-view on September 17, Steen interrupted a match between El Generico and Jimmy Jacobs and called out Steve Corino, who was at the time wrestling in Japan, before powerbombing Jacobs on the ring apron. Steen was then confronted by Jim Cornette and ROH president Cary Silkin, whom he tried to Package Piledrive, before being ushered out of the arena by the security. On the November 5 edition of Ring of Honor Wrestling, Steen reappeared with Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio 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...

 talent Christian Mascagni as his legal adviser, threating Jim Cornette and Ring of Honor with legal action unless he was reinstated within three weeks. At the November 5 tapings of Ring of Honor Wrestling, Steen was granted a match with Steve Corino at Final Battle, with his ROH future on the line.

Personal life

Growing up in Quebec, Canada, Steen participated in a lot of sports such as hockey, polo, soccer and baseball. Never considered to develop a career out of any of those sports, especially soccer after suffering an injury at age 11, he considered becoming a professional wrestler after watching a VHS tape of WrestleMania XI
WrestleMania XI
WrestleMania XI was the eleventh annual WrestleMania pay-per-view event held by the World Wrestling Federation at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut on April 2, 1995...

 with his father.

Steen is married and has a son. In May 2008 at the end of the event DDT4 Night One, his then–six month old son recorded his first professional wrestling victory by pinning Excalibur
Excalibur (wrestler)
Marc Letzmann is a former American professional wrestler, best known under his ring name Excalibur. Letzmann is one of the six founders of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, where he continues to work as the company's "Liaison to the Board of Directors"...

. Steen delivered three package piledrivers in a row and then placed his infant son on top of Excalibur and a three count was made.

In wrestling

  • Finishing moves
    • Crossface – ROH
      Ring of Honor
      Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...

      ; 2010
    • Package piledriver
    • Sharpshooter
      Sharpshooter (professional wrestling)
      The Sharpshooter, originally named Sasori-gatame, Scorpion Hold in English, is a professional wrestling submission hold. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock...

    • Steenalizer (Throwing package powerbomb)

  • Signature moves
    • 450° splash
    • Fisherman buster onto the knee
    • Go Home Driver (Scoop lift spun into an over the shoulder belly to back piledriver)
    • High-angle senton bomb
    • Moonsault
      Moonsault
      A moonsault, moonsault press, or back flip splash is a professional wrestling aerial technique. Much of its popularity in American wrestling is attributed to The Great Muta, despite it being used in North America by "Leaping" Lanny Poffo years before Muta came from Japan.In a standard moonsault,...

    • No-handed enzuigiri
    • Sidewinder Suplex (Spinning leg hook belly to back suplex)
    • Sitout scoop slam piledriver
    • Somersault leg drop
    • Steen Breaker (Head and arm suplex flipped and dropped into a side slam backbreaker)
    • Superkick

  • Nickname
    Nickname
    A 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
    • "Mr. Wrestling"

  • Theme Songs
    • "Tear Away
      Tear Away
      "Tear Away" is the second single by nu metal band Drowning Pool off their debut album, Sinner, in 2001.A music video was produced for "Tear Away" which features the band performing in a room surrounded in mirrors...

      " by Drowning Pool
      Drowning Pool
      Drowning Pool is a four-piece alternative metal band from Dallas, Texas.-Early days :Drowning Pool rose to fame while playing along with Ozzy Osbourne during an Ozzfest tour. Their 2001 debut album, Sinner was certified platinum within six weeks...

    • "Unsettling Differences" by Blue Smock Nancy

Championships and accomplishments

  • Capital City Championship Combat
    • C*4 Championship (1 time)
    • C*4 Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Mike Bailey

  • Combat Zone Wrestling
    Combat Zone Wrestling
    Combat Zone Wrestling is a independent wrestling promotion. In 1999, John Zandig and four of his students, Ric Blade, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain began to run backyard wrestling shows in New Jersey and Delaware, showcasing a brand of hardcore wrestling dubbed as "ultraviolence"...

    • CZW Iron Man Championship
      CZW Iron Man Championship
      The CZW Iron Man Championship was a professional wrestling title in the Philadelphia-based promotion Combat Zone Wrestling . It was established in 1999 at CZW's first show, Opening Night with Derek Domino as the first champion. Despite the name, the Iron Man title is not exclusively defended in...

       (1 time)

  • Elite Wrestling Revolution
    • EWR Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
    • Elite 8 Tournament (2005)

  • International Wrestling Syndicate
    International Wrestling Syndicate
    International Wrestling Syndicate was a professional wrestling promotion based out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.It was formerly known as the Internet Wrestling Syndicate and before that as World Wrestling Syndicate. It was also home base to many independent wrestlers, such as Kevin Steen, El...

    • IWS Canadian Championship (1 time)
    • IWS World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)

  • North Shore Pro Wrestling
    • NSPW Championship (1 time, current)

  • Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
    Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
    Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is a professional wrestling promotion that is run by wrestlers themselves as it was created by Southern California wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Super Dragon, and Top Gun Talwar...

    • PWG World Championship
      PWG World Championship
      The PWG World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla professional wrestling promotion. It was first introduced in 2003 as the PWG Championship...

       (2 times)
    • PWG World Tag Team Championship
      PWG World Tag Team Championship
      The PWG World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the tag team division of the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla promotion...

       (2 times) – with El Generico
      El Generico
      Rami Sebei is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name El Generico. Sebei uses the gimmick of a luchador from Mexico...


  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    Pro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...

    • PWI ranked him #54 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010

  • Ring of Honor
    Ring of Honor
    Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...

    • ROH World Tag Team Championship
      ROH World Tag Team Championship
      The Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute...

       (1 time) – with El Generico

  • SoCal Uncensored
    • Wrestler of the Year (2005)


Lucha de Apuesta record

Wager Winner Loser Location Date Notes
Career El Generico
El Generico
Rami Sebei is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name El Generico. Sebei uses the gimmick of a luchador from Mexico...

 
Kevin Steen New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 
Mask vs. Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...

 Career match at Final Battle 2010
Final Battle 2010
Final Battle 2010 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor. It took place on December 18, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City. It was the eighth annual event in the Final Battle chronology, with the first taking place in 2002, but only the second to be...


External links

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