The Diamonds in the Rough
Encyclopedia
The Diamonds in the Rough was a 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...

 stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...

, led by the eponymous Simon Diamond
Pat Kenney
Patrick Joseph Michael "Pat" Kenney , known also by his ring name, Simon Diamond, is a retired American professional wrestler, currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a road agent...

 and consisting primarily of lower- to mid-card wrestlers. Their name is derived from the expression "a diamond in the rough" (meaning a valuable find in an unexpected location), as the members of the stable are wrestlers who Diamond regards as having unlocked potential. Though Simon Diamond constantly claimed that he would lead the Diamonds to success, they had a poor win / loss ratio.

History

The Diamonds were formed at TNA Slammiversary on June 19, 2005 when Simon Diamond returned to TNA after a several month absence, introducing Trytan
Ryan Wilson
Ryan Wilson is an American professional wrestler who formerly worked for World Wrestling Entertainment in the Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental promotion as Jacob Duncan where he was a former OVW Heavyweight Champion...

 as his "insurance policy
Insurance contract
In insurance, the insurance policy is a contract between the insurer and the insured, known as the policyholder, which determines the claims which the insurer is legally required to pay. In exchange for payment, known as the premium, the insurer pays for damages to the insured which are caused by...

". Diamond and Trytan then defeated Apolo
Germán Figueroa
Germán Figueroa is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler, better known as Nuevo Gran Apolo, or simply Apolo. Figueroa began performing in Puerto Rico's independent circuit, before entering the International Wrestling Association and World Wrestling Council...

 and Sonny Siaki
Sonny Siaki
Sonny Siaki is a retired American professional wrestler. Unlike many Samoans in professional wrestling, he is not part of the large Anoa'i or Fatu family.-Early life:...

 in a tag match. The Diamonds next appeared on the July 1 episode of TNA Impact!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...

, where Diamond boasted that, as he had recruited a "wrecking machine", he had "all of the answers". Diamond and Trytan lost to America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted (professional wrestling)
America's Most Wanted was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of "Wildcat" Chris Harris and "Tennessee Cowboy" James Storm, who competed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...

 after they were outmaneuvered by the veteran tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...

. On July 15 they defeated Apolo and Siaki in a Slammiversary rematch.

Trytan left TNA in July 2005 after he could not agree on a new contract with TNA, and at TNA No Surrender 2005 on July 17, Diamond introduced his new protégé, David Young. Citing Young's ability to "bench press
Bench press
The bench press is an exercise of the upper body. For bodybuilding purposes, it is used to stimulate the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. While on his or her back, the person performing the bench press lowers a weight to the level of the chest, then pushes it back up until the arm is straight...

 400 pounds (181.4 kg)", Diamond insisted that Young's two year losing streak was due to a lack of direction and leadership, which Diamond would provide. This is where the name of the stable originated, as Diamond hailed David Young as a "diamond in the rough". Diamond and Young then faced Apolo and Sonny Siaki in a near-rematch from Slammiversary, with Young losing to Apolo following a TKO.

In the main event of the August 5 episode of Impact!, Diamond and Young faced NWA World Heavyweight Champion
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...

 Raven
Scott Levy
Scott Anthony Levy , better known by his ring name Raven, is an American professional wrestler, wrestling producer, wrestling writer, and occasional author and actor currently working for Juggalo Championship Wrestling , where he is co-holder of the JCW Tag Team Championship, as well as other...

 and Sabu. Young was pinned after receiving a Raven Effect DDT
DDT (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock, and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat...

 from Raven and a splash from Sabu, while Diamond watched from outside the ring, disgruntled at Young's inability to kick out. The Diamonds faced America's Most Wanted once more on August 12, and defeated them after Team Canada
Team Canada (TNA)
Team Canada was a heel professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, which was active from 2004 to 2006.-2004 X-Cups:In 2004, wrestling promoter and personality "Coach" Scott D'Amore brought together fellow Canadians to form his own incarnation of Team Canada in Total Nonstop...

 interfered.

At the outset of TNA Sacrifice on August 10, Diamond came to the ring and talked about the career of Elix Skipper
Elix Skipper
Elix Skipper is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, where he was a one-time Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time Cruiserweight Tag Team Champion, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a four-time NWA World Tag Team...

, claiming that he had been "a star" as one-third of Triple X
Triple X (professional wrestling)
Triple X was a wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The team consisted of Christopher Daniels, Elix Skipper, and Low Ki . The team was originally formed in late 2002 as part of Vince Russo's Sports Entertainment Xtreme superstable...

, but that he had been "a lost soul" since XXX disbanded. Diamond then promised to make Skipper "a star again". Diamond, Young and Skipper then faced 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...

, Sonjay Dutt
Sonjay Dutt
Retesh Bhalla is an American professional wrestler of Indian Punjabi descent, better known by his ring name, Sonjay Dutt. He is best known working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and is also known for his stints with Combat Zone Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, and other various independent...

 and Shark Boy
Shark Boy
Dean Mathew Roll is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Shark Boy and his experience in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .-Early career:...

 in a six man tag match. The Diamonds lost after Skipper was rolled-up by Sabin, and Diamond berated his team as a result.

Diamond teamed with Mikey Batts on the August 19 episode of Impact!, facing Shocker
José Luis Jair Soria
José Luis Jair Soria is a Mexican professional wrestler, who wrestles under the name Shocker. He has in the past branched out into the United States, working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.-Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre :...

 and Chris Sabin in the first round of the Chris Candido Cup. During the match, commentators Mike Tenay
Mike Tenay
Michael William "Mike" Tenay is a professional wrestling play-by-play announcer currently employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Prior to signing with TNA in 2002, he had a notable tenure with World Championship Wrestling from 1994-2001...

 and Don West
Don West (sportscaster)
Donald "Don" West is an American pitchman, television personality and wrestling broadcaster currently working as an on-screen talent for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and also as a pitchman for WildWestDeals.com, an internet marketing website...

 speculated that Batts was "auditioning" for membership in the Diamonds in the Rough. Diamond and Batts lost the match after Sabin pinned Batts, and he did not join the Diamonds. On the August 26 episode of Impact!, Diamond and Young defeated the regular tag team of Mikey Batts
Michael Altieri
Michael Altieri is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Mikey Batts. He is currently working for World Wrestling Entertainment as a referee.-Professional wrestling career:...

 and Jerrelle Clark
Vincent Clark
Vincent Jerrelle Clark is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.-Early life:...

, with Young pinning Clark following a spinebuster. Later in the program, Diamond accompanied Skipper to ringside, and watched in disappointment as his protégé lost to Apolo. On the September 9 episode of Impact!, Skipper defeated Sonjay Dutt following interference from Young.

At TNA Unbreakable
TNA Unbreakable
Unbreakable was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, which took place on September 11, 2005 from the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...

 on September 11, the Diamonds lost to the 3Live Kru
3Live Kru
The 3Live Kru was a professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . The 3Live Kru debuted in July 2003, and was initially a trio of wrestlers, consisting of Ron Killings, Konnan and B.G. James. The gimmick of the 3Live Kru was that each member of the group exemplified a racial...

 in a six man tag team match. The stable was inactive throughout the remainder of September and early October as Diamond toured India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 to promote the debut of Impact! on ESPN Star Sports
ESPN Star Sports
ESPN Star Sports is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and News Corporation...

, but reconvened on October 23 at TNA Bound for Glory, where they defeated Siaki, Apolo and Shark Boy. On a special two hour episode of Impact! on November 3, the Diamonds lost to Sabu, Lance Hoyt
Lance Hoyt
Lance Hoyt is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling as Lance Archer. He is best known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a two time NWA World Tag Team Champion with Kid Kash while the title was under the TNA banner...

 and Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...

 in a six man tag team match. At TNA Genesis on November 13 they defeated Hoyt and The Naturals
The Naturals
The Naturals were a professional wrestling tag team made up of Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens. They are best known for their work in TNA, where they are multi-time former tag team champions.- History :...

, with Skipper pinning Chase Stevens
Chase Stevens
Chase Stevens is an American professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he was a member of The Naturals alongside his tag team partner Andy Douglas.-Career:...

.

On the December 4 episode of Impact!, all three members of the Diamonds were announced as Raven's
Scott Levy
Scott Anthony Levy , better known by his ring name Raven, is an American professional wrestler, wrestling producer, wrestling writer, and occasional author and actor currently working for Juggalo Championship Wrestling , where he is co-holder of the JCW Tag Team Championship, as well as other...

 opponents in a handicap Raven's House of Fun match booked by Director of Authority Larry Zbyszko
Larry Zbyszko
Lawrence "Larry" Whistler is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Larry Zbyszko. Zbyszko is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino during the early 1980s....

 to encourage Raven to resign from TNA. Despite interference on his behalf by Cassidy Riley
Cassidy O'Reilly
Cassidy Riley is an American professional wrestler, also known as Cassidy Reilly and Cassidy O'Riley best known for work with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment....

, Raven was decisively beaten after the Diamonds drove him through a table and then pinned him.

On a prime time episode of Impact! on December 8, 2005, the Diamonds interrupted a ceremony in which Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

 catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...

 A.J. Pierzynski and strength trainer Dale Torborg
Dale Torborg
Dale Christian Torborg is an American baseball trainer and former professional wrestler. He is the son of former Major League Baseball manager Jeff Torborg. He is currently the conditioning coordinator for the Chicago White Sox....

 presented TNA wrestlers 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...

, 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 Sonjay Dutt
Sonjay Dutt
Retesh Bhalla is an American professional wrestler of Indian Punjabi descent, better known by his ring name, Sonjay Dutt. He is best known working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and is also known for his stints with Combat Zone Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, and other various independent...

 with memorabilia from the 2005 World Series
2005 World Series
The 2005 World Series, the 101st Major League Baseball championship series, saw the American League champion Chicago White Sox sweep the National League champion Houston Astros four games to none in the best-of-seven-games series, winning their third championship and first since 1917.Home-field...

. Diamond, himself a former baseball player, mocked Pierzynski's .256 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

, telling him that he needed a designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...

. Diamond then slapped Torborg, leading to a brawl. As a result, Torborg, Sabin and Dutt, with Pierzynski in their corner, faced the Diamonds at TNA Turning Point 2005 on December 11. The Diamonds lost following interference from then-Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...

 Johnny Damon
Johnny Damon
Johnny David Damon is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. From 2000–2008, he was third among active players in runs and seventh in hits and stolen bases . He is currently second among active leaders in triples , five behind Carl Crawford...

. In the main event of the December 17 episode of Impact!, Young and Skipper were defeated by Team 3D
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...

. At TNA Final Resolution 2006 on January 15 they were defeated by The James Gang
New Age Outlaws
The New Age Outlaws, later known as the James Gang and the Voodoo Kin Mafia, were a professional wrestling tag team in World Wrestling Federation, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , Jersey All Pro Wrestling, and Maryland Championship Wrestling consisting of B.G...

.

At TNA Against All Odds 2006 on February 12, 2006, Skipper and Young teamed with Shannon Moore
Shannon Moore
Shannon Moore is an American professional wrestler, who is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment for several years in the 2000s.Moore befriended Matt and Jeff Hardy...

, losing to Lance Hoyt, Cassidy Riley and Shark Boy in a six man tag team match. At TNA Destination X 2006 on March 12, 2006, Skipper and Young defeated Norman Smiley
Norman Smiley
Norman Anthony Smiley is a British professional wrestler best known for his appearances in World Championship Wrestling...

 and Shark Boy
Shark Boy
Dean Mathew Roll is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Shark Boy and his experience in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .-Early career:...

.

On the March 11, 2006 episode of Impact!, Diamond, providing commentary during an eight man tag team bout featuring Skipper and Young, complained about Pierzynski having been presented with a replica belt by TNA. One week later, Diamond, accompanied by Alex Shelley
Alex Shelley
Patrick Martin , is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Alex Shelley. He wrestles for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he currently teams with Chris Sabin as The Motor City Machine Guns. He previously gained fame on the independent circuit, working most notably for...

 and his "ShelleyCam
Camcorder
A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...

", attended the White Sox spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...

 in order to confront Pierzynski. Pierzynski challenged Diamond to a fight, but he was struck from behind with a chair by manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...

 Ozzie Guillén
Ozzie Guillén
Oswaldo José "Ozzie" Guillén Barrios is a Venezuelan-American former Major League Baseball player and current manager of the Miami Marlins. He managed the Chicago White Sox from 2004 to 2011 before asking for his release at the end of the 2011 season....

 before he could give his response. On April 23, 2006 at TNA Lockdown 2006
Lockdown (2006)
Lockdown was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on April 23, 2006 from the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the second annual event under the Lockdown chronology. Eight professional wrestling matches were featured...

, Skipper took part in a six man "Xscape" match that was won by 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...

. On July 16, 2006 at TNA Victory Road 2006, the team returned to action (after a month-long hiatus from TNA) losing to The Naturals
The Naturals
The Naturals were a professional wrestling tag team made up of Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens. They are best known for their work in TNA, where they are multi-time former tag team champions.- History :...

 in a tag match.

In late February 2007, David Young and "Primetime" Elix Skipper were both released from their TNA Contracts. Simon Diamond remained with the company as a road agent until his release on November 2, 2008. Young went on to revive the Diamonds in the Rough team name in 2010, while teaming with Sigmon on the Midwest 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...

.

In wrestling

  • Double-team finishing moves
    • Catapult by Skipper into a spinning spinebuster by Young

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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