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The Highlanders (professional wrestling)
Encyclopedia
The Highlanders are a Scottish
professional wrestling
tag team
consisting of storyline
cousin
s Robbie (Derek Graham-Couch) and Rory McAllister (Russell Murray) (born March 28, 1976) who were best known for wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment
on the Raw
brand
.
, Scotland
(where the team is currently billed from) before moving to Cambridge, Ontario
, Canada
in 1988.
Couch first started going to a wrestling school at the behest of co-worker at CAMI Automotive, Inc. where he met future tag team partner Murray. The two were trained by Waldo Von Erich
at the Von Erich/Hart Brothers
School of Wrestling.
which lasted for over 2 years. They also worked dark matches for WWE since 2003 and debuted on Heat
in a losing effort against Tajiri
and Rhyno
. The team's last independent match in PWA was against Andrew Davis and Phil Latio in Cambridge, Ontario.
In Sept 2008 Rory and Robbie returned to the Independent wrestling scene appearing mostly in single matches all over the U.S., Canada as well as Europe.
In April 2010 they became the CWI tag team champs in Ontario Canada. Also in 2010 Robbie became the MPW ontario heavyweight champion by defeating Tyson Dux.
In August 2011 Highlander Robbie appeared on the CWI east coast tour with his hair cut short and beard shaved off and annouced he was no longer Highlander Robbie McAllister and from that point on he was to be known as Robert Graham.
(OVW) where they wrestled for several months.
In June 2006 vignettes began airing on Raw
featuring The Highlanders exploring "the big city" and comparing the differences to their native Scotland in classic Fish Out Of Water style.
's Tag Team Title. When they were granted a match against Spirit Squad members Kenny and Mikey
, The Highlanders were defeated after abundant interference by the other members. Throughout the month of August, The Highlanders continued to battle different tag teams until they won a Triple Threat tag team match over the team of Charlie Haas
and Viscera
and Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, which made them the number one contenders to the Spirit Squad's title on the September 4 edition of Raw. They were unsuccessful in winning the title at Unforgiven
, again because of interference from Spirit Squad members not technically a part of the match.
The Highlanders went on to lose a Texas Tornado match at Cyber Sunday
and a Tag Team Turmoil match at New Year's Revolution
for a future tag tile shot. In-between the pay-per-views, The Highlanders briefly feuded with Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, both teams exchanging wins on Heat
before ending the feud on the December 4 episode of Raw, defeating Cade and Murdoch in a Roddy Piper
tribute match.
In late 2006, they mostly competed on Raw' s sister show
Heat
, occasionally making appearances on Raw, throughout 2007, primarily to job
to other teams or singles wrestlers such as Snitsky
. On the September 24, 2007 episode of Raw, The Highlanders interrupted a match between Paul London and Brian Kendrick
and Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, due to The Highlanders getting tired of being held back from a World Tag Team Championship opportunity, thus the duo turning heel. Nothing came of this turn, however, as they lost a number one contenders match on November 12. They then feuded with London and Kendrick and Jim Duggan
and Super Crazy
, mainly on Heat.
The Highlanders had a Royal Rumble
qualifying match, but lost to the team of Mick Foley
and Hornswoggle
The Highlanders only appeared once on ECW before Rory tore his pectoral muscle and was sidelined for six months on February 2008. They lost to then WWE Tag Team champions John Morrison and The Miz
. Robbie started wrestling on Raw again during this time, mostly on Heat and also formed a brief tag team with Charlie Haas
during this time. Robbie also made an appearance on the 17 march episode of Raw as a part of the Raw roster taking on John Cena
and Randy Orton
. Robbie was the fourth man to be pinned, when Cena pinned him after a flying leg drop.
In their last televised match on August 11, 2008 they were defeated by Cryme Tyme
. Both members of the team were released from WWE on August 15, 2008.
Robbie married Rhonda in 2003, and they have a son named Treyton, born on 27th April 1996.
The Highlanders both have Scottish designed tattoos, of which some represent their families.
On the live, March 27, 2008 edition of TNA Impact!
, Robbie was in attendance at the Impact Zone and was shown on camera (under his real name to prevent a WWE/TNA
lawsuit). This reportedly had a WWE official calling him and ordering that he leave immediately, which he did. The event was mere days prior to WrestleMania
weekend when both companies were in the Orlando area. Robbie lost his $5,000 Wrestlemania paycheck due to the appearance. Robbie later said in an interview that "I was very unhappy in WWE, and in retrospect I think it was kind of my way to get fired."
Scotland
Scotland 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...
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...
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...
consisting of storyline
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...
cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
s Robbie (Derek Graham-Couch) and Rory McAllister (Russell Murray) (born March 28, 1976) who were best known for wrestling for 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...
on the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
.
History
Couch and Murray were both born and raised in ObanOban
Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland 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...
(where the team is currently billed from) before moving to Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1988.
Couch first started going to a wrestling school at the behest of co-worker at CAMI Automotive, Inc. where he met future tag team partner Murray. The two were trained by Waldo Von Erich
Waldo Von Erich
Walter Paul Sieber was a Canadian professional wrestler under the ring name Waldo Von Erich. He was billed as the brother of Fritz Von Erich, but was not actually related to Fritz or the rest of the Von Erich family....
at the Von Erich/Hart Brothers
Stu Hart
Stewart Edward "Stu" Hart, CM was a Canadian amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. Hart founded Stampede Wrestling, a promotion based in Calgary, Alberta, and was the father of famous wrestlers Bret and Owen Hart...
School of Wrestling.
Independent circuit
They debuted in 2001, and the two men began wrestling as the team Highlanders with promotions such as GLCW,PWA and NSPW, which ran shows in Ontario, Canada. They also had longtime feud with another team out of the Ontario indy scene known as the Texas Hell-RazorsTyrant Eric Dawson
Ian Prindible is a Canadian professional wrestler. He was one half of the tag team known as the Texas Hell-Razors as Tyrant Eric Dawson with the Outlaw Scott Chase. The team was managed for over a year by TNA wrestling knockout Angelina Love, who was known at the time as Angel Williams...
which lasted for over 2 years. They also worked dark matches for WWE since 2003 and debuted on Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
in a losing effort against Tajiri
Yoshihiro Tajiri
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently competing in SMASH as TAJIRI.-Early years :...
and Rhyno
Terry Gerin
Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. The team's last independent match in PWA was against Andrew Davis and Phil Latio in Cambridge, Ontario.
In Sept 2008 Rory and Robbie returned to the Independent wrestling scene appearing mostly in single matches all over the U.S., Canada as well as Europe.
In April 2010 they became the CWI tag team champs in Ontario Canada. Also in 2010 Robbie became the MPW ontario heavyweight champion by defeating Tyson Dux.
In August 2011 Highlander Robbie appeared on the CWI east coast tour with his hair cut short and beard shaved off and annouced he was no longer Highlander Robbie McAllister and from that point on he was to be known as Robert Graham.
Ohio Valley Wrestling (2005-2006)
In July 2005, they signed a developmental deal with World Wrestling Entertainment and were assigned to their "farm territory" 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) where they wrestled for several months.
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
featuring The Highlanders exploring "the big city" and comparing the differences to their native Scotland in classic Fish Out Of Water style.
Raw (2006-2008)
The Highlanders made their Raw debut on July 3, with a victory over the duo of Matt Striker and Rob Conway. They followed this victory with another over the same team and were put on the fast track to a match for the Spirit SquadSpirit 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....
's Tag Team Title. When they were granted a match against Spirit Squad members Kenny and Mikey
Michael Brenley
Michael "Mike" S. Brendli is an American professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name Mike Mondo and for his time as Spirit Squad member Mikey in World Wrestling Entertainment ....
, The Highlanders were defeated after abundant interference by the other members. Throughout the month of August, The Highlanders continued to battle different tag teams until they won a Triple Threat tag team match over the team of Charlie Haas
Charlie Haas
Charles "Charlie" Doyle Haas II is an American professional wrestler and former collegiate amateur wrestler. He competes on the independent circuit, and is signed to Ring of Honor , where he is one-half of the reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions with Shelton Benjamin...
and Viscera
Nelson Frazier, Jr.
Nelson Frazier, Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring names Mabel, Viscera, Big Daddy V, and King V. He is best known for his work with World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment...
and Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, which made them the number one contenders to the Spirit Squad's title on the September 4 edition of Raw. They were unsuccessful in winning the title at Unforgiven
Unforgiven (2006)
Unforgiven was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on September 17, 2006 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario. It was the eighth annual Unforgiven event. The show's seven matches showcased prominent WWE wrestlers, who...
, again because of interference from Spirit Squad members not technically a part of the match.
The Highlanders went on to lose a Texas Tornado match at Cyber Sunday
Cyber Sunday (2006)
Cyber Sunday was the first annual Cyber Sunday professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on November 5, 2006 at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, with 7,000 fans attending...
and a Tag Team Turmoil match at New Year's Revolution
New Year's Revolution (2007)
New Year's Revolution was the third annual and final New Year's Revolution professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 7, 2007 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri and featured wrestlers and other talent from WWE's Raw brand...
for a future tag tile shot. In-between the pay-per-views, The Highlanders briefly feuded with Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, both teams exchanging wins on Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
before ending the feud on the December 4 episode of Raw, defeating Cade and Murdoch in a Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
tribute match.
In late 2006, they mostly competed on Raw
Sister show
Sister shows are two or more television shows which exist in the same fictional universe and which may have crossovers. They differ to a degree from spin-offs in that shows may air simultaneously, rather than being derived from, and replacing, another. The popularity of most shows is limited to a...
Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
, occasionally making appearances on Raw, throughout 2007, primarily to job
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...
to other teams or singles wrestlers such as Snitsky
Gene Snitsky
Eugene Alan "Gene" Snisky is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Snitsky, who is best known for his time spent with World Wrestling Entertainment. He had played college football at the University of Missouri and was on the pre-season roster in 1995 for the Birmingham Barracudas...
. On the September 24, 2007 episode of Raw, The Highlanders interrupted a match between Paul London and Brian Kendrick
Paul London and Brian Kendrick
Paul London and Brian Kendrick are a professional wrestling tag team best known for their time together in World Wrestling Entertainment . The team never had an official team name, but were just referred to as "the tag team of London and Kendrick." In 2006 London and Kendrick put the tag team name...
and Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, due to The Highlanders getting tired of being held back from a World Tag Team Championship opportunity, thus the duo turning heel. Nothing came of this turn, however, as they lost a number one contenders match on November 12. They then feuded with London and Kendrick and Jim Duggan
Jim Duggan
James Edward Duggan , better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment in the 1980s, when it was known as World Wrestling Federation , and World Championship Wrestling...
and Super Crazy
Super Crazy
Francisco Islas Rueda is a Mexican professional wrestler, or Luchador, best known by his ring name Super Crazy. Islas is most known for his three year run in the original ECW...
, mainly on Heat.
The Highlanders had a Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every January by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 1988, with its inaugural event taking place on January 24, 1988 at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario...
qualifying match, but lost to the team of Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
and Hornswoggle
Dylan Postl
Dylan Postl is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names Hornswoggle or Little Bastard. He is employed by WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand...
The Highlanders only appeared once on ECW before Rory tore his pectoral muscle and was sidelined for six months on February 2008. They lost to then WWE Tag Team champions John Morrison and The Miz
John Morrison and The Miz
John Morrison and The Miz were a professional wrestling tag team and former WWE Tough Enough contestants. The team worked for World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand, but also appeared on the SmackDown and Raw brands due to ECW's talent exchanges with those brands during their tenure as a team...
. Robbie started wrestling on Raw again during this time, mostly on Heat and also formed a brief tag team with Charlie Haas
Charlie Haas
Charles "Charlie" Doyle Haas II is an American professional wrestler and former collegiate amateur wrestler. He competes on the independent circuit, and is signed to Ring of Honor , where he is one-half of the reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions with Shelton Benjamin...
during this time. Robbie also made an appearance on the 17 march episode of Raw as a part of the Raw roster taking on John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
and Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
. Robbie was the fourth man to be pinned, when Cena pinned him after a flying leg drop.
In their last televised match on August 11, 2008 they were defeated by Cryme Tyme
Cryme Tyme
For animated series named Crime Time, visit Crime TimeCryme Tyme was a professional wrestling tag team that was signed to WWE.The team consisted of JTG and Shad , an over-the-top parody of stereotypical street thugs.-Early lives:Of Haitian and...
. Both members of the team were released from WWE on August 15, 2008.
Personal life
Murray and his fiancee Gina have a son named Ian who was born on February 4, 2008. The pair met in Cincinnati OH, where they both reside. Plans to marry are soon to follow.Robbie married Rhonda in 2003, and they have a son named Treyton, born on 27th April 1996.
The Highlanders both have Scottish designed tattoos, of which some represent their families.
On the live, March 27, 2008 edition 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...
, Robbie was in attendance at the Impact Zone and was shown on camera (under his real name to prevent a WWE/TNA
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...
lawsuit). This reportedly had a WWE official calling him and ordering that he leave immediately, which he did. The event was mere days prior to WrestleMania
WrestleMania XXIV
WrestleMania XXIV was the twenty-fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . The event took place on March 30, 2008, at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida and was the first WrestleMania to be held in the state of Florida...
weekend when both companies were in the Orlando area. Robbie lost his $5,000 Wrestlemania paycheck due to the appearance. Robbie later said in an interview that "I was very unhappy in WWE, and in retrospect I think it was kind of my way to get fired."
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
-
- Double slingshot inverted suplex
- Scot Drop (Double fireman's carry flapjack)
- Signature moves
- Battering ram
- Robbie's finishing moves
-
- Kneeling double underhook piledriver – independent circuit
- Robbie's signature moves
- Double axe handle blow to the chest
- Double underhook powerbomb
- Headbutt
- Placing an opponent's head underneath his kiltKiltThe kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
- Rory's finishing moves
-
- Slingshot inverted suplex
- Rory's signature moves
- Double axe handle blow to the chest
- Headbutt
- Placing an opponent's head underneath his kiltKiltThe kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
- Side slam backbreaker
Championships and accomplishments
- Legend City Wrestling
- LCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) – Robbie
- Maximum Pro WrestlingMaximum Pro WrestlingMaximum Pro Wrestling is a Canadian independent professional wrestling organization, founded in 2010 with the merger of Scott D'Amore's Border City Wrestling out of Windsor, Ontario and BSE Pro Wrestling out of Toronto, Ontario.-History:...
- MaxPro Triple Crown Championship (1 time) – Robbie
- Neo Spirit Pro Wrestling
- NSPW Tag Team Championships (3 times)
- Championship Wrestling International
- CWI Tag Team Championships (1 time)
- 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 Robbie #168 of the best 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2006
- PWI ranked Rory #176 of the best 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2006
- TWA Powerhouse
- TWA Championship (1 time) – Robbie