Nathan Boyce Jones (born 21 August 1970) is an
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n
actorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
,
powerliftingPowerlifting is a strength sport. It resembles the sport of Olympic weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting weights in three attempts. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as 'odd lifts' which followed the same three attempt format but used a wide variety of events akin to Strongman...
champion,
strongmanStrongman or Strong Man can mean:* Strongman * Strongman * Strongman * High striker, a physical strength carnival attraction* Strongman , a Marvel Comics character...
, and retired
professional wrestlerProfessional 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...
. Jones held the
WWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe World Wrestling All-Stars World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Wrestling All-Stars. It was the primary championship in the WWA. The title was sanctioned by WWA as their world title and defended in multiple countries...
once during his stint in
World Wrestling All-StarsThe World Wrestling All-Stars was a professional wrestling promotion founded by Australian concert promoter Andrew McManus in 2001. The promotion was operated by McManus' International Touring Company. WWA was one of several promotions to come into existence shortly after the closings of Extreme...
.
Pre-wrestling
Before his career as a wrestler, Jones was sentenced to 16 years in
Boggo Road GaolBoggo Road Gaol was a notorious Australian prison located on Annerley Road in Dutton Park, an inner southern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The site is the only surviving intact gaol in Queensland that reflects penological principles of the 19th century...
for eight armed robberies between 1985–1987, two of which occurred in
TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. During the robberies, he became one of Australia's most wanted and ended up serving seven years in a maximum-security prison and one year on work release. While in prison, he was introduced to the sport of
powerliftingPowerlifting is a strength sport. It resembles the sport of Olympic weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting weights in three attempts. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as 'odd lifts' which followed the same three attempt format but used a wide variety of events akin to Strongman...
. Within a short space of time, he became the National Powerlifting Champion of Australia.
Jones also began competing in
strongmanIn the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...
contests and during this time, he was dubbed "The Megaman" for his imposing physique. As the reigning Australia's Strongest Man, he entered the World Strength Championship at
CallanderCallander is a burgh in the region of Stirling, Scotland, situated on the River Teith. The town is located in the former county of Perthshire and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands....
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
from 29–30 July 1995. He took first place, topping a field that included 1993
World's Strongest ManThe World's Strongest Man is a well recognised event in strength athletics and has been described by a number of highly respected authorities in the sport as the premier event in strongman. Organized by TWI, an IMG Media company, it is broadcast around the end of December each year...
Gary TaylorGary Taylor is a former strongman competitor, Olympic Weightlifter, powerlifter and bodybuilder from Wales.-Strength sports:...
. The following weekend, he competed in the
World Muscle Power ClassicThe World Muscle Power Classic was one of the most enduring annual strongmen competitions, running for twenty years and in that time attaining the position of the second most prestigious strongman contest in the world, after the World's Strongest Man...
held at Mintlaw,
AberdeenshireAberdeenshire or the County of Aberdeen is a registration county of Scotland. This area is also a lieutenancy area.Until 1975 Aberdeenshire was one of the counties of Scotland, governed by a county council from 1890...
, Scotland. That contest was won by
Magnús Ver MagnússonMagnús Ver Magnússon is a former powerlifter and strongman competitor from Egilsstaðir, Iceland. Magnus won the title of World's Strongest Man four times ....
, with Nathan finishing fifth in a field of twelve competitors.
Jones next took part in the 1995
World's Strongest ManThe World's Strongest Man is a well recognised event in strength athletics and has been described by a number of highly respected authorities in the sport as the premier event in strongman. Organized by TWI, an IMG Media company, it is broadcast around the end of December each year...
contest. After quickly defeating Phil Martin twice in the
arm wrestlingArm wrestling is a sport with two participants. Each participant places one arm on a surface with their elbows bent and touching the surface, and they grip each other's hand...
event in the qualifying heat, Jones was then matched against
Magnus SamuelssonMagnus Samuelsson , is a Swedish strongman and winner of the 1998 World's Strongest Man contest in Morocco...
, who had been
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's arm wrestling champion for several years and who would become the World's Strongest Man in 1998. Samuelsson won the first round. In the second round Jones refused to go down and pulled with his opposite arm, twisting his body. This resulted in breaking the arm he was using to wrestle (a spiral fracture of the
humerusThe humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
), and he subsequently was out of the competition. Jones returned to Strongman competition in 1996 winning the
World Strongman ChallengeThe World Strongman Challenge was one of the most enduring annual strongmen competitions, running in various guises for twenty years, with only two years break. In that time it attained the position of one of the most prestigious strongman contest in the world, after the World's Strongest Man and...
, and placed third in a World's Strongest Man qualifying heat behind
Magnús Ver MagnússonMagnús Ver Magnússon is a former powerlifter and strongman competitor from Egilsstaðir, Iceland. Magnus won the title of World's Strongest Man four times ....
and Jorma Ojanaho.
He also participated in a
mixed martial artsMixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
match at KRS-Pride's debut event
Pride 1Pride 1 was the first mixed martial arts event held by KRS-Pride . It took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on October 11, 1997 and attracted a crowd of 47,860 spectators....
in October 1997, submitting to Japanese
professional wrestlerProfessional 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
sumo wrestleris a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
Koji KitaoKōji Kitao is a former sumo wrestler and professional wrestler, born in Mie, Japan. He was sumo's 60th Yokozuna, and the only yokozuna in sumo history not to win a top division tournament championship...
in his only match.
World Wrestling All-Stars and Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX (2001–2002)
After working as a
bodyguardA bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
for
multimillionaireA millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account...
Rene RivkinRene Rivkin was an Australian entrepreneur, investor, investment adviser, and stockbroker. He was a well-known stockbroker in Australia for many years until his death in 2005.-Early life:...
, Jones began a career in wrestling during this time. Jones first gained fame working in
World Wrestling All-StarsThe World Wrestling All-Stars was a professional wrestling promotion founded by Australian concert promoter Andrew McManus in 2001. The promotion was operated by McManus' International Touring Company. WWA was one of several promotions to come into existence shortly after the closings of Extreme...
, making a large impression at the first WWA
pay-per-viewPay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
"Inception", where he was accompanied to the ring by
Rove McManusJohn Henry Michael "Rove" McManus is an Australian comedian, television presenter, producer and media personality. He was the host of the self-titled variety show Rove, and is the owner of the production company Roving Enterprises...
. However he was defeated after Rove was smashed with
Jeff JarrettJeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
's guitar and Jones was hit with the Stroke.
During his time in the WWA, Nathan won the
WWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe World Wrestling All-Stars World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Wrestling All-Stars. It was the primary championship in the WWA. The title was sanctioned by WWA as their world title and defended in multiple countries...
on 7 April 2002 before losing the belt to
Scott SteinerScott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order...
only 5 days later. After the title loss, Jones began performing for Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX in June. On 20 October, Jones and
Jon HeidenreichJon Heidenreich is an American professional wrestler, better known simply as Heidenreich. He is best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one time WWE Tag Team Champion with Road Warrior Animal as a part of the Road Warriors.-Early career:Prior to professional...
defeated
Masato TanakaMasato Tanaka is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling in Japan and in Extreme Championship Wrestling in the United States where he was a one-time world champion, having won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once...
and Shinjiro Otani to win the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship. On 25 October, Jones and Heidenreich successfully retained the title against Jimmy Snuka, Jr. and
The PredatorSylvester Terkay is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist best known for his run in World Wrestling Entertainment ....
before losing the title the next day to
Naoya OgawaNaoya Ogawa is a Japanese former world judo champion, Olympic silver medalist, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist...
and
Shinya Hashimoto, was a Japanese professional wrestler. Along with Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh, Hashimoto was dubbed one of the "Three Musketeers" that began competing in New Japan Pro Wrestling in the mid 1980s and dominated the promotion in the 1990s....
.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2002–2003)
In late 2002 and early 2003, Jones began performing in dark matches for
World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld 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...
. On the 8 April episode of
SmackDown!, Jones made his televised WWE debut and defeated
Bill DeMottWilliam Charles "Bill" DeMott II is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment as Hugh Morrus and Bill DeMott respectively and as Crash The Terminator in Extreme Championship Wrestling and Japan...
. Upon debuting, Jones' was put into an angle with The Undertaker as he became Undertaker's
storylineIn professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
protégé in order to feud with A-Train and
The Big ShowPaul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
, Undertaker's enemies at the time. At
WrestleMania XIXWrestleMania XIX was the nineteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on March 30, 2003 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington. The event was the first WrestleMania held in the state of Washington, and the first...
, Jones and Undertaker were scheduled to face Big Show and A-Train in a tag team match, but Jones was attacked pre-match and left injured. Near the closing moments of the match, Jones reappeared and attacked Big Show, enabling Undertaker to pin A-Train for the victory.
After winning a match on
SmackDown! by disqualification, the
Full Blooded ItaliansThe Full Blooded Italians is a professional wrestling stable and tag team that wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s and for World Wrestling Entertainment during the mid-2000s.-Extreme Championship Wrestling:...
attacked Jones and, in storyline, shattered his ankle with the ring steps. In reality, Jones was to sent to
Ohio Valley WrestlingOhio 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...
to improve his skills.
Jones was then absent from television for several months until returning as a
villainIn 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...
known by the nickname "The Colossus of Boggo Road", a title referring to his time spent in
Boggo Road GaolBoggo Road Gaol was a notorious Australian prison located on Annerley Road in Dutton Park, an inner southern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The site is the only surviving intact gaol in Queensland that reflects penological principles of the 19th century...
. Upon returning, he was immediately placed into
Brock LesnarBrock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
's
Survivor SeriesSurvivor Series was the seventeenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
team, which also included A-Train, Big Show, and Matt Morgan in order to compete against Lesnar's rival
Kurt AngleKurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
and his team. At Survivor Series, Team Lesnar was defeated by Team Angle and Jones was then relegated to interfere in Lesnar's matches along with the other members of Team Lesnar. He was also placed in matches by either Lesnar or Heyman to aid them.
On 6 December 2003, Jones quit the company due to the rigor of WWE's heavy travel schedules while on the WWE Passport to
SmackDown! Tour in
Perth, AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
.
Post-WWE and retirement
After leaving WWE, Jones was scheduled to make his pro wrestling return in 2004 at the Australian Wrestling Supershow III, booked against Mark Mercedes. Jones did not appear as advertised and a
battle royalBattle royal traditionally refers to a fight involving three or more combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing. In recent times the term has been used in a more general sense to refer to any fight involving large numbers of people that are not organized into factions...
was held following an angry
shootA shoot in professional wrestling is a term that refers to any unplanned, unscripted or real-life occurrence within a wrestling event. Contrary to popular belief, the name does not originate from "shooting in" for a takedown, as in amateur wrestling - rather it is a carny term shortened from...
promo on Jones by Mercedes and promoter Andy Raymond.
In 2005, he wrestled three matches for World Series Wrestling. On 5 October, he defeated Lee Star and on 7 October and 8 October, he defeated Mark Hilton. After his last match with Hilton, Jones immediately retired from wrestling.
Acting career
- Police Story 4: First Strike
Police Story 4: First Strike , , is a 1996 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film made in the typical humorous style of Jackie Chan....
(1996) as Hitman
- Doom Runners
Doom Runners is an Australian science fiction television children's film.The story concerns a group of children in a post-apocalyptic world searching for the last unpolluted place on Earth, New Eden. However, the Doom Troopers , led by Dr. Kao , want to get there first and will do anything to stop...
(1997) as Vike
- Troy
Troy is a 2004 epic war film written by David Benioff and directed by Wolfgang Petersen based on the events of the Trojan War. Its cast includes Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector.It was nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design.-Plot:...
(2004) as Boagrius
- Tom-Yum-Goong
Tom-Yum-Goong Tom-Yum-Goong Tom-Yum-Goong (Thai: ต้มยำกุ้ง, is a 2005 Thai Martial arts Action film starring Tony Jaa. The film was directed by Prachya Pinkaew, who also directed Jaa's prior breakout film Ong-Bak. As with Ong-Bak, the fights were choreographed by Jaa and his mentor, Panna Rittikrai...
aka The Protector, aka The Warrior King (2005) as T.K.
- Fearless
Fearless, known in Chinese as Huo Yuanjia and Jet Li's Fearless in the United Kingdom and the United States, is a 2006 film directed by Ronny Yu and starring Jet Li...
(2006) as Hercules O'Brien
- The Condemned
The Condemned is a 2007 action film, co-written and directed by Scott Wiper, and starring "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Vinnie Jones, Robert Mammone, Madeleine West and Rick Hoffman....
(2007) as Petr Raudsep
- Somtum AKA Muay thai Giant (2008) as Barney Emerald
- Asterix at the Olympic Games
Asterix at the Olympic Games is a French film, adapted from René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo's Astérix comic series. It was filmed essentially in Spain in the course of the year 2006. Its €78 million budget makes it one of the most expensive European movies ever...
(2008) as Humungus
- Conan the Barbarian (2011) – as Akhun
Mixed martial arts record
|-
|Loss
|0–1
|
KitaoKōji KitaoKōji Kitao is a former sumo wrestler and professional wrestler, born in Mie, Japan. He was sumo's 60th Yokozuna, and the only yokozuna in sumo history not to win a top division tournament championship...
| Submission (keylock)
|
PRIDE 1Pride 1 was the first mixed martial arts event held by KRS-Pride . It took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on October 11, 1997 and attracted a crowd of 47,860 spectators....
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|2:14
|
Tokyo, Japan
|
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Backbreaker rack
- Chokeslam
A chokeslam refers to a type of body slam in professional wrestling in which the wrestler grasps their opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerful on camera...
- Gutwrench suplex
- Signature moves
- Big boot
- Giant swing
- Military press slam
- Scoop lift dropped into an inverted DDT
- Sidewalk slam
- Slingshot lariat
- Spin kick
- Tilt-a-whirl slam
- Managers
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...
- Rove McManus
John Henry Michael "Rove" McManus is an Australian comedian, television presenter, producer and media personality. He was the host of the self-titled variety show Rove, and is the owner of the production company Roving Enterprises...
- Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, commentator and journalist. He is also an occasional actor in film....
- Ashley Henning
- 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
- "The Front Row" (WWA)
- "The Colossus of Boggo Road" (WWE)
Championships and accomplishments
- 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 #137 of the Top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2003
- Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX
- NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jon Heidenreich
Jon Heidenreich is an American professional wrestler, better known simply as Heidenreich. He is best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one time WWE Tag Team Champion with Road Warrior Animal as a part of the Road Warriors.-Early career:Prior to professional...
- World Wrestling All-Stars
The World Wrestling All-Stars was a professional wrestling promotion founded by Australian concert promoter Andrew McManus in 2001. The promotion was operated by McManus' International Touring Company. WWA was one of several promotions to come into existence shortly after the closings of Extreme...
- WWA World Heavyweight Championship
The World Wrestling All-Stars World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Wrestling All-Stars. It was the primary championship in the WWA. The title was sanctioned by WWA as their world title and defended in multiple countries...
(1 time)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Most Embarrassing Wrestler (2003)
External links