Paul Burchill
Encyclopedia
Paul Birchill better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English
professional wrestler
. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE), where he signed after training and debuting for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance
in his home country.
from Surrey
, but got into professional wrestling in 2001 after walking into the Frontier Wrestling Alliance
's (FWA) Academy and quickly impressing the man running the camp, Mark Sloan.
While training at the Academy under Sloan's guidance, Birchill made his debut in August 2002 using the slightly modified spelling of his name Paul Burchill. In mid-2002, Burchill began to appear in the FWA by interfering in matches or before them, making unscheduled appearances and beating other wrestlers leading to October at Uprising when he took out both members of The New Breed (Ashe and Curve) singlehandedly before their match. He went on interfering in matches, even taking out all four competitors in a four-way match until May when he made his first scheduled appearance at Frontiers of Honour, jointly held between FWA and Ring of Honor
(ROH). Debuting with manager 'Twisted Genius' Dean Ayass
he defeated the tag team of Double Dragon (Raj Jordon and Ross Jordan), in his first sanctioned match by double knockout. Burchill went on an undefeated streak in handicap matches against tag teams for the rest of the year, often running into the Duke of Danger (who he'd taken out in the four way) and Andy Simmons, part of the aristocrat themed group Hampton Court. He cemented this winning streak in a moment voted thirteenth on the FWA's Top 20 Moments when he interrupted the Duke's thrashing of peasants (squashing jobbers) at Hotwired in September and performed a double rolling fireman's carry slam before debuting his C-4 finishing move. By the end of 2003 he was voted Rookie of the Year by both Total Wrestling and 1 Stop Wrestling.
His winning streak would go untarnished until mid 2004 at June's Carpe Diem event where Simmons continued to resist being pinned or submitting to Burchill. Frustrated, Burchill went up the ramp to talk to his manager Ayass but while there veteran Drew McDonald
came from the back and hit him with a steel chair causing Burchill to lose via count out. Burchill gained some level of revenge when he teamed up with Terry Funk
and Paul Travell to take on McDonald, Thunder and his first victim Ghosh at November's British Uprising III, receiving a standing ovation from the 1,800 fans in attendance as news broke that he had signed with American promotion World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE). A fortnight later at FWA's annual Gold Rush event he faced FWA British Heavyweight Champion Alex Shane
in a non-title match, being pinned for the first time since training in the Academy in his last match.
and The Zebra Kid
(Roy Bevis
) in a No Holds Barred three way match to become the International Wrestling Promotions (IWP) Heavyweight Champion. He would hold the title until November 6, when he lost a Falls Count Anywhere match to D'Lo Brown
.
In May 2004, Burchill made two appearances in Athletik Club Wrestling (ACW) in Germany losing in a tag team match to Jerry Lynn
and Michael Kovac. Later that night he took part in a 22-man battle royal losing to fellow Brit Doug Williams. He returned in July for Summer Heat where he took on Patrick Shulz, who he had tagged with at the previous event, and won in a grudge match. Shulz, with his Made In Germany tag team partner Eric Shwarz, gained a return victory later that night over Burchill and Crazy Sexy Mike.
(OVW) in 2005 before his appearance on SmackDown, making it to the second round of a tournament for the OVW Television Championship
. He also feuded briefly with Nick Nemeth
, exchanging victories before winning an OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
shot along with Seth Skyfire
in a battle royal but the hastily assembled pair could not defeat The Blond Bombers (Tank and Chad Toland) in the next match.
In January 2006 he began a feud with Ken Doane
after Doane abandoned Burchill during a tag team match. The following week Burchill defeated Doane despite the presence of the rest of the Spirit Squad
at ringside. He also had a brief angle where he interrupted a match to attack Shelly Martinez
but instead carried her backstage and she was later seen wearing a pirate's wench outfit and chasing him to no avail. She would later attack Cherry Pie
during his win over Deuce Shade
. In September he won a battle royal for a shot at the OVW Heavyweight Championship
but lost the match later that night. He earned another shot at the championship in December by defeating Seth Skyfire
in a Christmas Presents match. A week later Chett the Jet beat Jacob Duncan for the championship at which point Burchill came to the ring and hit Chett with a steel chair, telling Danny Basham, the Troubleshooter, that he was the primary contender for the belt and demanded a match instantly thus ending 2006 with his first OVW Heavyweight Championship.
He defended the belt frequently against both Chett and Duncan in 2007 and earned the nickname "Ripper" by repeatedly defeating them both but lost it on February 17 in his second defence against Cody Runnels. He won it back the next day from Rhodes. After more successful defences Aaron "The Idol" Stevens
won the belt from him on March 14. A rematch on April 18 ended in a double count-out but Burchill would not be appeased, interfering in Runnels' title shot to make the match a no contest and on May 9 he was given another shot at the title and won it for a third time. Two weeks later on May 23, a rematch between Burchill and Stevens went to a draw when both men simultaneously pinned each other leading the title to be held up and vacated. A match for the vacant title was booked between Burchill, Stevens and Jay Bradley
on June 1 with Bradley picking up the win. Burchill regained the belt later that month on June 27 but lost it July 28 to Vladimir Kozlov
.
In August, Burchill pinned Mark Henry
in retaliation for Henry injuring him on SmackDown months prior. In November he defeated Stu Sanders
by the referee's ten count but teamed with him the following week, eventually getting to the finals of a tournament for the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship but losing the last match to Shawn Spears and Colt Cabana. In the first show of 2008 the team beat Cabana and Charles Evans to capture the titles. Around the same time he also began sending presents to Katie "The Kat" Lea
as a secret admirer, eventually revealing himself when he helped her win her second OVW Women's Championship
. His final appearance in OVW, on February 27, was in a four corners tag team match where he and Sanders lost their championship to Los Locos (Ramón and Raúl).
and called up to the main roster by August. He made his WWE debut on the August 27, 2005 episode of WWE Velocity
, when he made a run-in in a match between fellow Englishman William Regal
and Scotty 2 Hotty. Burchill quickly established an alliance with his countryman, helping Regal to beat down Scotty 2 Hotty. A week later he debuted on Friday Night SmackDown teaming with Regal to defeat Hotty and Funaki
, when Scotty tapped out to Burchill's Royal Mutilation submission hold. The next week on SmackDown!, Burchill defeated Scotty 2 Hotty in a singles match in the same manner. After rising through the tag team ranks Regal and Burchill were given a chance at the WWE Tag Team Championship in a Fatal Four Way match facing The Mexicools
, MNM
and champions L.O.D. 2005 (Road Warrior Animal
and Heidenreich
), but lost out to MNM. Regal and Burchill continued tagging together, mainly feuding with The Mexicools on Velocity while Regal often acted as a manager for Burchill during his singles matches. He lost to the debuting Lashley in mid-December, but bounced back with a win on Velocity, debuting his C-4 move in WWE, which aided him in a victory against the jobber
John Xavier
. In January he appeared in a 20 man battle royal for the World Heavyweight Championship but was tossed out with a belly to belly suplex from eventual winner Kurt Angle
.
On the February 3, 2006 edition of SmackDown!, Burchill and Regal told SmackDown! "network representative" Palmer Canon
that they no longer wanted to be a tag team so they could go their separate ways. During this discussion, Burchill informed Canon that his family heritage traces back to the pirate
Blackbeard
and he wanted to do a pirate gimmick on SmackDown!. He followed through on this promise the following week when he appeared backstage dressed as a pirate, with a look similar to that of Johnny Depp
's character from the Pirates of the Caribbean
film series. Regal tried to convince Burchill to return to his former ruthless gimmick, while Burchill refused cementing him as a fan favorite
. Burchill had his first match as a pirate on the March 10, 2006 edition of SmackDown!, making an elaborate entrance by swinging down to the floor on a rope. Burchill defeated Regal using the C-4 which was renamed Walk The Plank to suit the gimmick. After Regal continued to persuade Burchill to return to his former gimmick, the two were booked in a match where the loser would be forced to wear the winner's choice of clothing. Burchill won the match, forcing Regal to dress at his whim until Burchill lost another match, initially dressing him up as a buxom wench, and later in various costumes such as a chicken suit and a gorilla suit. Eventually, he made Regal dress up like a buccaneer
in order to tag with him against Gymini
on April 21. Burchill ended up abandoning Regal during the match, which led to Gymini picking up the victory. In early June, Burchill's popular pirate gimmick came to an end when Mark Henry
, who was going on a storyline rampage, defeated Burchill and then assaulted him afterwards resulting in him being stretchered off SmackDown. He resurfaced on SmackDown in July 2007 as a pirate for a Mardi Gras
party thrown by Edge
, though he was not acknowledged.
This time away from the ring was also used to develop a new gimmick to replace his pirate character on his return. This was done allegedly because Vince McMahon
, who reportedly was not aware of the Pirates of the Caribbean films and Johnny Depp
's pirate character, believed the character should have thought he was a real pirate, acting more like the Carl Ouellet
pirate character from the 1990s, and felt it could not work as a crowd favorite, despite the positive crowd reactions Burchill received.
After appearing on Heat
on several occasions, Burchill made his return to WWE television as a villain
again with fellow FWA
alumnus Katie Lea
playing his on-screen
sister during the February 11 episode of Raw
, defeating Brian Kendrick
in a singles match. Continuing to appear on Heat, Burchill and Katie would occasionally appear on Raw in handicap matches. On May 26, Burchill assaulted Mr. Kennedy because he forced William Regal
to leave Raw which led to a brief feud until Kennedy was drafted to SmackDown. After this, Burchill engaged in a brief feud with then Intercontinental Champion
Kofi Kingston
while Katie Lea feuded with Women's Champion Mickie James
but despite defeating them in a tag team match, neither won their respective titles in singles matches. Following this Burchill had a minimal on-air role, making brief appearances in squash matches to Batista and Jamie Noble
.
Burchill and Katie Lea were later both moved from Raw to the ECW brand on December 30, 2008, where Burchill lost to DJ Gabriel
in his debut match for the brand. The Burchills were defeated in a mixed tag team match against Gabriel and Alicia Fox
on January 13, 2009. On the February 3 edition of ECW, Burchill scored his first win as a member of the ECW brand by defeating Tommy Dreamer
. Burchill competed sporadically for the next few months, failing to win any of his matches, before taking a hiatus in June 2009. He returned on the July 14 episode of ECW, losing to Yoshi Tatsu
. By August, Burchill became embroiled in a rivalry with backstage interviewer Gregory Helms
, who he accused of being masked wrestler The Hurricane (who Helms also portrayed).
After several months of matches and attacks, the two finally agreed to settle the matter in a match on November 17's ECW, which saw Hurricane's mask put up against Burchill's career on the ECW brand. Despite many attempts, Burchill could not secure the pin and subsequently lost the match. Despite being fired, Burchill appeared on the December 3 episode of Superstars under a mask during The Hurricane's match with Zack Ryder
, and subsequently attacked Hurricane, giving him the victory by disqualification. The following week on ECW, Burchill and Katie Lea, now sporting masks and calling themselves The Ripper and The Beautiful Nightmare (likely being 'supervillains' to match Hurricane's superhero gimick), respectively, appeared in a backstage segment with General Manager Tiffany
and asked for a contract, which Tiffany said they would receive if The Ripper could defeat The Hurricane the following week in a match. However, The Ripper was unmasked by Hurricane and subsequently defeated, resulting in Burchill and Katie remaining off ECW. After the closure of the ECW brand, Burchill was formally released by WWE on February 26, 2010.
in a match for Pro Wrestling Syndicate.
On April 22 and April 23, 2011 Paul appeared at Heartland Wrestling Association
and took part in "Heartland Cup 2011". He defeated Jesse Emerson in the first round match, but lost to Jake Crist in quarterfinals who later won the tournament.
on June 19, 2009. Birchill works full-time as a firefighter
.
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...
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...
. He is 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...
(WWE), where he signed after training and debuting for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance
Frontier Wrestling Alliance
Frontier Wrestling Alliance is a British professional wrestling promotion. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted inter-promotional feud with International Pro Wrestling: United...
in his home country.
Frontier Wrestling Alliance (2002–2004)
Birchill is a former primary school teacherTeacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
from Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, but got into professional wrestling in 2001 after walking into the Frontier Wrestling Alliance
Frontier Wrestling Alliance
Frontier Wrestling Alliance is a British professional wrestling promotion. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted inter-promotional feud with International Pro Wrestling: United...
's (FWA) Academy and quickly impressing the man running the camp, Mark Sloan.
While training at the Academy under Sloan's guidance, Birchill made his debut in August 2002 using the slightly modified spelling of his name Paul Burchill. In mid-2002, Burchill began to appear in the FWA by interfering in matches or before them, making unscheduled appearances and beating other wrestlers leading to October at Uprising when he took out both members of The New Breed (Ashe and Curve) singlehandedly before their match. He went on interfering in matches, even taking out all four competitors in a four-way match until May when he made his first scheduled appearance at Frontiers of Honour, jointly held between FWA 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...
(ROH). Debuting with manager 'Twisted Genius' Dean Ayass
Dean Ayass
Dean Ayass is a semi-retired British wrestling manager and commentator.-Early career:Ayass grew up as a wrestling fan: in interviews, he has stated that some of his earliest memories involving watching wrestling on ITV's World of Sport programme with his father...
he defeated the tag team of Double Dragon (Raj Jordon and Ross Jordan), in his first sanctioned match by double knockout. Burchill went on an undefeated streak in handicap matches against tag teams for the rest of the year, often running into the Duke of Danger (who he'd taken out in the four way) and Andy Simmons, part of the aristocrat themed group Hampton Court. He cemented this winning streak in a moment voted thirteenth on the FWA's Top 20 Moments when he interrupted the Duke's thrashing of peasants (squashing jobbers) at Hotwired in September and performed a double rolling fireman's carry slam before debuting his C-4 finishing move. By the end of 2003 he was voted Rookie of the Year by both Total Wrestling and 1 Stop Wrestling.
His winning streak would go untarnished until mid 2004 at June's Carpe Diem event where Simmons continued to resist being pinned or submitting to Burchill. Frustrated, Burchill went up the ramp to talk to his manager Ayass but while there veteran Drew McDonald
Drew McDonald
Drew McDonald changed his name by deed poll to Drew McDonald is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling on the independent circuit in the United Kingdom since the 1980s.-Professional wrestling career:...
came from the back and hit him with a steel chair causing Burchill to lose via count out. Burchill gained some level of revenge when he teamed up with Terry Funk
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
and Paul Travell to take on McDonald, Thunder and his first victim Ghosh at November's British Uprising III, receiving a standing ovation from the 1,800 fans in attendance as news broke that he had signed with American promotion 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...
(WWE). A fortnight later at FWA's annual Gold Rush event he faced FWA British Heavyweight Champion Alex Shane
Alex Shane
Alexander Daniel Spilling is a British professional wrestler who is best known by his ring name "The Ascension" Alex Shane. Spilling also works as a promoter and wrestling teacher.-Early career:...
in a non-title match, being pinned for the first time since training in the Academy in his last match.
Other promotions (2004)
On August 1, 2004, Burchill defeated Doug WilliamsDoug Williams (wrestler)
Douglas Clayton Durdle is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Doug Williams. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Douglas Williams...
and The Zebra Kid
The Zebra Kid
The Zebra Kid is a ring name used by several professional wrestlers, who would often wear zebra print tights and sometimes masks to the ring.Users of the ring name and gimmick include:...
(Roy Bevis
Roy Bevis
Roy Bevis, better known by his ring name Zebra Kid is a British professional wrestler. Bevis is the son of the well-known wrestler-turned-promoter, Ricky Knight...
) in a No Holds Barred three way match to become the International Wrestling Promotions (IWP) Heavyweight Champion. He would hold the title until November 6, when he lost a Falls Count Anywhere match to D'Lo Brown
D'Lo Brown
Accie Julius Connor better known by his ring name D'Lo Brown , is an American professional wrestler. Well known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment, he is currently working as an agent for Impact Wrestling.Connor has held forty-eight championships in various promotions during...
.
In May 2004, Burchill made two appearances in Athletik Club Wrestling (ACW) in Germany losing in a tag team match to Jerry Lynn
Jerry Lynn
Jeremy "Jerry" Lynn is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and Michael Kovac. Later that night he took part in a 22-man battle royal losing to fellow Brit Doug Williams. He returned in July for Summer Heat where he took on Patrick Shulz, who he had tagged with at the previous event, and won in a grudge match. Shulz, with his Made In Germany tag team partner Eric Shwarz, gained a return victory later that night over Burchill and Crazy Sexy Mike.
Ohio Valley Wrestling (2005–2008)
Burchill briefly appeared in 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...
(OVW) in 2005 before his appearance on SmackDown, making it to the second round of a tournament for the OVW Television Championship
OVW Television Championship
The OVW Television Championship is the secondary championship of Ohio Valley Wrestling started on January 5, 2005. When the title was originally conceived, the champion defended against randomly selected opponents, with the winner receiving a check for $1000...
. He also feuded briefly with Nick Nemeth
Nick Nemeth
Nicholas Theodore "Nick" Nemeth is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Dolph Ziggler. He is the reigning WWE United States Champion...
, exchanging victories before winning an OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
The OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. As of 2011, the current champions are Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver, known as The Elite in their fourth reign...
shot along with Seth Skyfire
Seth Skyfire
Steve Adkins is a retired professional wrestler better known by his ring name Seth Skyfire. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment's developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling .-Career:...
in a battle royal but the hastily assembled pair could not defeat The Blond Bombers (Tank and Chad Toland) in the next match.
In January 2006 he began a feud with Ken Doane
Ken Doane
Kenneth George Doane is an American professional wrestler best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled on its Raw and SmackDown brands under the ring names Kenny and Kenny Dykstra....
after Doane abandoned Burchill during a tag team match. The following week Burchill defeated Doane despite the presence of the rest of the Spirit Squad
Spirit Squad
The Spirit Squad was a professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling that consisted of Kenny, Johnny, Mitch, Nicky, and Mikey. The team's ring personas were those of an all-male cheerleading squad....
at ringside. He also had a brief angle where he interrupted a match to attack Shelly Martinez
Shelly Martinez
Shelly Leonor Martinez is a Mexican American model, actress, professional wrestler and valet. She is known for her work with World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand under the ring name Ariel and for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Salinas as valet to The Latin American...
but instead carried her backstage and she was later seen wearing a pirate's wench outfit and chasing him to no avail. She would later attack Cherry Pie
Kara Drew
Kara Elizabeth Drew is a former American professional wrestler and valet, better known by her ring name Cherry. She is best known for working in World Wrestling Entertainment as the manager of former Tag Team Champions, Deuce 'n Domino, and as a performer for its SmackDown brand.After becoming...
during his win over Deuce Shade
Cliff Compton
Clifford "Cliff" Compton is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Domino. He is signed with Ohio Valley Wrestling , where he is a former two–time OVW Heavyweight Champion...
. In September he won a battle royal for a shot at the OVW Heavyweight Championship
OVW Heavyweight Championship
The OVW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned by the Ohio Valley Wrestling promotion. The title was introduced on August 17, 1997 at an OVW live event, then known as the NWA-OVW Heavyweight Championship due to OVW's relationship with the National...
but lost the match later that night. He earned another shot at the championship in December by defeating Seth Skyfire
Seth Skyfire
Steve Adkins is a retired professional wrestler better known by his ring name Seth Skyfire. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment's developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling .-Career:...
in a Christmas Presents match. A week later Chett the Jet beat Jacob Duncan for the championship at which point Burchill came to the ring and hit Chett with a steel chair, telling Danny Basham, the Troubleshooter, that he was the primary contender for the belt and demanded a match instantly thus ending 2006 with his first OVW Heavyweight Championship.
He defended the belt frequently against both Chett and Duncan in 2007 and earned the nickname "Ripper" by repeatedly defeating them both but lost it on February 17 in his second defence against Cody Runnels. He won it back the next day from Rhodes. After more successful defences Aaron "The Idol" Stevens
Aaron Stevens (wrestler)
Aaron Haddad is an American professional wrestler. He is contracted to WWE, and appears in Florida Championship Wrestling , a WWE developmental territory, as Damien Sandow. He is the current FCW 15 Champion...
won the belt from him on March 14. A rematch on April 18 ended in a double count-out but Burchill would not be appeased, interfering in Runnels' title shot to make the match a no contest and on May 9 he was given another shot at the title and won it for a third time. Two weeks later on May 23, a rematch between Burchill and Stevens went to a draw when both men simultaneously pinned each other leading the title to be held up and vacated. A match for the vacant title was booked between Burchill, Stevens and Jay Bradley
Brad Bradley
Brad Bradley is an American professional wrestler, best known for working for World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Ryan Braddock.-Early career:...
on June 1 with Bradley picking up the win. Burchill regained the belt later that month on June 27 but lost it July 28 to Vladimir Kozlov
Oleg Prudius
Oleg Aleksandrovich Prudius is a Ukrainian American professional wrestler, also known by his ring name Vladimir Kozlov . Since competing for WWE, he won the WWE Tag Team Championships with Santino Marella on one occasion...
.
In August, Burchill pinned Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
in retaliation for Henry injuring him on SmackDown months prior. In November he defeated Stu Sanders
Stu Sanders
Stuart Alexander "Stu" Bennett is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Wade Barrett...
by the referee's ten count but teamed with him the following week, eventually getting to the finals of a tournament for the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship but losing the last match to Shawn Spears and Colt Cabana. In the first show of 2008 the team beat Cabana and Charles Evans to capture the titles. Around the same time he also began sending presents to Katie "The Kat" Lea
Katarina Waters
Katarina Leigh Waters is a German-born English professional wrestler and valet, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Winter. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment, performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Katie Lea...
as a secret admirer, eventually revealing himself when he helped her win her second OVW Women's Championship
OVW Women's Championship
The OVW Women's Championship is a championship in Ohio Valley Wrestling . The first holder of the title was ODB, who declared herself champion in August 2006. The belt was defended as any other championship in professional wrestling until Serena Deeb declared she would defend the belt under 24/7...
. His final appearance in OVW, on February 27, was in a four corners tag team match where he and Sanders lost their championship to Los Locos (Ramón and Raúl).
Pirate character (2005–2006)
After arriving in the US, Burchill was scouted by Tommy DreamerTommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
and called up to the main roster by August. He made his WWE debut on the August 27, 2005 episode of WWE Velocity
WWE Velocity
WWE Velocity was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It replaced two syndicated WWE shows, Jakked/Metal. Once a weekly Saturday night show on Spike TV and on Sky Sports 2 in the UK on Sunday mornings, Velocity became a webcast from 2005 to 2006...
, when he made a run-in in a match between fellow Englishman William Regal
Darren Matthews
Darren Kenneth Matthews , is an English professional wrestler, author and color commentator currently signed to WWE and competing on the SmackDown brand under the ring name William Regal. He is also known for his time in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Steven Regal...
and Scotty 2 Hotty. Burchill quickly established an alliance with his countryman, helping Regal to beat down Scotty 2 Hotty. A week later he debuted on Friday Night SmackDown teaming with Regal to defeat Hotty and Funaki
Shoichi Funaki
is a Japanese/American professional wrestler best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one-time Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time Hardcore Champion.-Early years :...
, when Scotty tapped out to Burchill's Royal Mutilation submission hold. The next week on SmackDown!, Burchill defeated Scotty 2 Hotty in a singles match in the same manner. After rising through the tag team ranks Regal and Burchill were given a chance at the WWE Tag Team Championship in a Fatal Four Way match facing The Mexicools
The Mexicools
The Mexicools were a professional wrestling stable and tag team, that were signed to World Wrestling Entertainment's SmackDown! brand. The team consisted of three well-known Mexican wrestlers of the late 1990s: Super Crazy, Psicosis and Juventud...
, MNM
MNM
MNM was a villainous professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling that consisted of Joey Mercury , Johnny Nitro, and their manager Melina Perez....
and champions L.O.D. 2005 (Road Warrior Animal
Road Warrior Animal
Joseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior...
and Heidenreich
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...
), but lost out to MNM. Regal and Burchill continued tagging together, mainly feuding with The Mexicools on Velocity while Regal often acted as a manager for Burchill during his singles matches. He lost to the debuting Lashley in mid-December, but bounced back with a win on Velocity, debuting his C-4 move in WWE, which aided him in a victory against the jobber
Job (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling slang, the term job describes a losing performance in a wrestling match. It is derived from the euphemism "doing one's job", which was employed to protect kayfabe. As professional wrestling is scripted, inevitably a wrestler will be required to lose to an opponent.The term...
John Xavier
John Jirus
John Jirus is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Ring of Honor between 2002 and 2004 as Xavier. He is a former ROH Champion.-Professional wrestling career:Jirus trained under Tony DeVito before debuting in 1997...
. In January he appeared in a 20 man battle royal for the World Heavyweight Championship but was tossed out with a belly to belly suplex from eventual winner Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt 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...
.
On the February 3, 2006 edition of SmackDown!, Burchill and Regal told SmackDown! "network representative" Palmer Canon
Brian Mailhot
Brian Mailhot is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial arts fighter, better known for his short stint in World Wrestling Entertainment's SmackDown! brand under the ring name of Palmer Canon.-Early career:...
that they no longer wanted to be a tag team so they could go their separate ways. During this discussion, Burchill informed Canon that his family heritage traces back to the pirate
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
Blackbeard
Blackbeard
Edward Teach , better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies....
and he wanted to do a pirate gimmick on SmackDown!. He followed through on this promise the following week when he appeared backstage dressed as a pirate, with a look similar to that of Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
's character from the Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)
Pirates of the Caribbean is a series of fantasy-adventure films directed by Gore Verbinski and Rob Marshall , written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
film series. Regal tried to convince Burchill to return to his former ruthless gimmick, while Burchill refused cementing him as a fan favorite
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
. Burchill had his first match as a pirate on the March 10, 2006 edition of SmackDown!, making an elaborate entrance by swinging down to the floor on a rope. Burchill defeated Regal using the C-4 which was renamed Walk The Plank to suit the gimmick. After Regal continued to persuade Burchill to return to his former gimmick, the two were booked in a match where the loser would be forced to wear the winner's choice of clothing. Burchill won the match, forcing Regal to dress at his whim until Burchill lost another match, initially dressing him up as a buxom wench, and later in various costumes such as a chicken suit and a gorilla suit. Eventually, he made Regal dress up like a buccaneer
Buccaneer
The buccaneers were privateers who attacked Spanish shipping in the Caribbean Sea during the late 17th century.The term buccaneer is now used generally as a synonym for pirate...
in order to tag with him against Gymini
Shane Twins
The Shane Twins are a professional wrestling tag team that consist of twin brothers Mike and Todd Shane. They were best known for their appearances in World Wrestling Entertainment as Gymini.-History:The Shane Twins debuted in the Florida based Independent Pro Wrestling promotion in 1998...
on April 21. Burchill ended up abandoning Regal during the match, which led to Gymini picking up the victory. In early June, Burchill's popular pirate gimmick came to an end when Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
, who was going on a storyline rampage, defeated Burchill and then assaulted him afterwards resulting in him being stretchered off SmackDown. He resurfaced on SmackDown in July 2007 as a pirate for a Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
party thrown by Edge
Adam Copeland
Adam Joseph Copeland is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract....
, though he was not acknowledged.
This time away from the ring was also used to develop a new gimmick to replace his pirate character on his return. This was done allegedly because Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
, who reportedly was not aware of the Pirates of the Caribbean films and Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
's pirate character, believed the character should have thought he was a real pirate, acting more like the Carl Ouellet
Carl Ouellet
Carl Joseph Yvon Ouellet is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. He has worked for, among other promotions, the World Wrestling Federation, World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.-Beginnings:Carl Ouellet debuted in 1987...
pirate character from the 1990s, and felt it could not work as a crowd favorite, despite the positive crowd reactions Burchill received.
Burchill siblings (2008–2010)
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
on several occasions, Burchill made his return to WWE television as a villain
Heel (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...
again with fellow FWA
Frontier Wrestling Alliance
Frontier Wrestling Alliance is a British professional wrestling promotion. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted inter-promotional feud with International Pro Wrestling: United...
alumnus Katie Lea
Katarina Waters
Katarina Leigh Waters is a German-born English professional wrestler and valet, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Winter. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment, performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Katie Lea...
playing his on-screen
Kayfabe
In 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...
sister during the February 11 episode of Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, defeating Brian Kendrick
Brian Kendrick
Brian David Kendrick is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under his real name. Before joining TNA he spent several years wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment, where he wrestled under his name, as Spanky, and finally as "The" Brian Kendrick...
in a singles match. Continuing to appear on Heat, Burchill and Katie would occasionally appear on Raw in handicap matches. On May 26, Burchill assaulted Mr. Kennedy because he forced William Regal
Darren Matthews
Darren Kenneth Matthews , is an English professional wrestler, author and color commentator currently signed to WWE and competing on the SmackDown brand under the ring name William Regal. He is also known for his time in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Steven Regal...
to leave Raw which led to a brief feud until Kennedy was drafted to SmackDown. After this, Burchill engaged in a brief feud with then Intercontinental Champion
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
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...
while Katie Lea feuded with Women's Champion Mickie James
Mickie James
Mickie Laree James , better known simply as Mickie James, is an American professional wrestler and singer of mixed Native American-Caucasian descent, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is a former two-time TNA Women's Knockout Champion.James began her professional...
but despite defeating them in a tag team match, neither won their respective titles in singles matches. Following this Burchill had a minimal on-air role, making brief appearances in squash matches to Batista and Jamie Noble
Jamie Noble
James Howard Gibson better known by his WWE ring name Jamie Noble, is an American former professional wrestler currently working for WWE as a trainer. He is best known for his work from 2002 to 2009 when a severe back injury forced him to retire from competition...
.
Burchill and Katie Lea were later both moved from Raw to the ECW brand on December 30, 2008, where Burchill lost to DJ Gabriel
Steven Lewington
Steven Paul Lewington is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment where he competed as DJ Gabriel.- All Star Promotions and Ohio Valley Wrestling :...
in his debut match for the brand. The Burchills were defeated in a mixed tag team match against Gabriel and Alicia Fox
Victoria Crawford
Victoria Elizabeth Crawford is an American model and professional wrestler best known by her ring name Alicia Fox. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand....
on January 13, 2009. On the February 3 edition of ECW, Burchill scored his first win as a member of the ECW brand by defeating Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
. Burchill competed sporadically for the next few months, failing to win any of his matches, before taking a hiatus in June 2009. He returned on the July 14 episode of ECW, losing to Yoshi Tatsu
Naofumi Yamamoto
is a Japanese professional wrestler and former boxer, who is currently signed to WWE, performing on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Yoshi Tatsu.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
. By August, Burchill became embroiled in a rivalry with backstage interviewer Gregory Helms
Gregory Helms
Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms...
, who he accused of being masked wrestler The Hurricane (who Helms also portrayed).
After several months of matches and attacks, the two finally agreed to settle the matter in a match on November 17's ECW, which saw Hurricane's mask put up against Burchill's career on the ECW brand. Despite many attempts, Burchill could not secure the pin and subsequently lost the match. Despite being fired, Burchill appeared on the December 3 episode of Superstars under a mask during The Hurricane's match with Zack Ryder
Zack Ryder
Matthew Joseph Cardona, Jr. better known by his ring name Zack Ryder, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE and works on the Raw brand as a wrestler and the SmackDown brand as an assistant to SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long.Cardona wrestled mostly with his tag...
, and subsequently attacked Hurricane, giving him the victory by disqualification. The following week on ECW, Burchill and Katie Lea, now sporting masks and calling themselves The Ripper and The Beautiful Nightmare (likely being 'supervillains' to match Hurricane's superhero gimick), respectively, appeared in a backstage segment with General Manager Tiffany
Taryn Terrell
Taryn Nicole Terrell , better known by her ring name Tiffany is an American model, professional wrestler and former general manager. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment . She also trained at WWE's developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling...
and asked for a contract, which Tiffany said they would receive if The Ripper could defeat The Hurricane the following week in a match. However, The Ripper was unmasked by Hurricane and subsequently defeated, resulting in Burchill and Katie remaining off ECW. After the closure of the ECW brand, Burchill was formally released by WWE on February 26, 2010.
Independent circuit (2010)
On 8 May 2010, Burchill lost to A.J. StylesA.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...
in a match for Pro Wrestling Syndicate.
On April 22 and April 23, 2011 Paul appeared at Heartland Wrestling Association
Heartland Wrestling Association
The Heartland Wrestling Association is a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, it was listed as one of the top independent...
and took part in "Heartland Cup 2011". He defeated Jesse Emerson in the first round match, but lost to Jake Crist in quarterfinals who later won the tournament.
Personal life
Birchill is married and has two sons. Birchill's brother, Major Sean Birchill, was killed in AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
on June 19, 2009. Birchill works full-time as a firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
-
- C-4 (Independent circuitIndependent circuitIn 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...
) / Walking the Plank (WWEWorld 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...
) (Standing moonsault side slam) – 2003–2006 - Curb Stomp (Hair-pull head stomp or a standing surfboard followed into a head stomp) – 2008
- Dangerous Buster (Vertical suplex powerslam pin) – 2009–present; used as a regular move from 2002–2004
- Rolling cutter – 2008
- Royal Mutilation (High-angle Fujiwara armbar) – 2005
- Twisted Sister (Jumping neckbreaker) – 2008
- C-4 (Independent circuit
- Signature moves
-
- BrainbusterBrainbusterA brainbuster is a professional wrestling throw in which a wrestler puts his/her opponent in a front facelock, hooks his/her pants, and lifts him/her up as if he/she was executing a vertical suplex. The wrestler then falls onto his/her back so that the opponent lands on his/her head while remaining...
- Diving knee drop
- Inverted Death Valley driver
- MoonsaultMoonsaultA 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,...
, sometimes while standing - Northern Lights suplex
- No-handed suicide dive
- Over the shoulder back to belly piledriver
- Pumphandle sidewalk slam
- Rolling fireman's carry slam
- Saito suplex
- Standing shooting star press
- Brainbuster
- ManagersManager (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...
- "Twisted Genius" Dean AyassDean AyassDean Ayass is a semi-retired British wrestling manager and commentator.-Early career:Ayass grew up as a wrestling fan: in interviews, he has stated that some of his earliest memories involving watching wrestling on ITV's World of Sport programme with his father...
- Katie Lea Burchill / The Beautiful NightmareKatarina WatersKatarina Leigh Waters is a German-born English professional wrestler and valet, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Winter. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment, performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Katie Lea...
- "Twisted Genius" Dean Ayass
- 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" Paul Burchill
- "The Ripper" Paul Burchill
Championships and accomplishments
- International Wrestling Promotions
- IWP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Ohio Valley WrestlingOhio 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...
- OVW Heavyweight ChampionshipOVW Heavyweight ChampionshipThe OVW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned by the Ohio Valley Wrestling promotion. The title was introduced on August 17, 1997 at an OVW live event, then known as the NWA-OVW Heavyweight Championship due to OVW's relationship with the National...
(4 times) - OVW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipOVW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipThe OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. As of 2011, the current champions are Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver, known as The Elite in their fourth reign...
(1 time) – with Stu SandersStu SandersStuart Alexander "Stu" Bennett is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Wade Barrett...
- OVW Heavyweight Championship
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro 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 #123 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2009
Lucha de Apuesta record
| Wager | Winner | Loser | Location | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mask/Career | The Hurricane Gregory Helms Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms... |
Paul Burchill | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,... |
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