Luther Reigns
Luther Reigns | |
---|---|
Birth name | Matthew Robert Wiese |
Born | [1] New York City, U.S.[2] | September 22, 1971
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Horshu[1] Inspector Impact[1] Inspector Max Impact[2] Luther Reigns[1] |
Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)[2] |
Billed weight | 286 lb (130 kg)[2] |
Billed from | Phoenix, Arizona[1] |
Trained by | Navajo Warrior[1] Ultimate Pro Wrestling[1] WCW Power Plant[1] |
Debut | 1997[2] |
Retired | September 16, 2006[3] |
Matthew Robert Wiese[3] (born September 22, 1971) is an American retired professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Luther Reigns.
Professional wrestling career
World Championship Wrestling (1997–1998)
After a friend's recommendation, Wiese tried out for the Power Plant, World Championship Wrestling (WCW)'s professional wrestling school.[4] Upon completing his training in the Power Plant, Wiese started his wrestling career as an enhancement talent in WCW in May 1997 using the ring name Horshu. To complement the name, his hair was shaved into a horseshoe pattern and he would try to work the word "shu" into his promos, which most notably spawned his catchphrase "There's no business like 'shu' business, baby!".[1] He was also among six wrestlers who "auditioned" for an anti-New World Order faction called Piper's Family on the March 3, 1997, episode of Monday Nitro, spearheaded by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. After being tested in 30-second impromptu match with Piper, Wiese was quickly defeated via sleeper hold after attempting to use dirty tactics to defeat Piper.[5]
AWA Superstars of Wrestling (1999–2003)
After his stint in WCW, Wiese made his way to Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) for more training. After his finishing up in UPW, Wiese debuted in AWA Superstars of Wrestling under his Horshu ring name. During his time there, he won the World Heavyweight Championship and held the title for a total of nine months. However, he was stripped of the title due to missing mandatory title defenses. Horshu left the promotion shortly afterwards. Wiese also worked in Japan for Pro Wrestling Zero1. After an interview with Vince McMahon, he received a developmental contract from World Wrestling Entertainment in June 2003. He soon signed on and was sent to wrestle in Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE's then-developmental territory, where he competed under the ring name Inspector Max Impact.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2003–2005)
After a few
In September, Reigns and Angle introduced the newly
Following this, the team of Reigns and Jindrak began to have a falling-out. Reigns became upset at Jindrak for tapping out in a "Double Jeopardy" handicap match against the Undertaker on the February 24 edition of SmackDown! when Reigns refused to tag in. After the match, Reigns and Jindrak briefly argued before coming to blows and had to be pulled apart by officials. The following week on the March 3 edition of SmackDown!, Eddie Guerrero and
After this, Reigns resumed his feud with Big Show after saying that Big Show embarrassed the SmackDown! brand at WrestleMania 21 when Show lost to Akebono in a sumo match. Reigns unsuccessfully tried to tip over a Jeep to prove he was stronger than Show, who then successfully tipped the Jeep over. Big Show subsequently defeated Reigns in a singles match on the following edition of SmackDown!.
Reigns then wrestled mainly on
Late career (2005–2006)
Following his departure from WWE, Wiese attempted to become a
Media
Filmography
- The Girl Next Door (2004) as Mule[10]
- True Legend (2009) in an uncredited role[11]
- Spring Break '83 (2010) as Horseshoe[12]
- Let's Be Cops (2014) as Pupa's Rival[13]
Television
- The Jenny Jones Show (2003) in episode "From Geek to Bad Ass Physique"[11]
- My Bare Lady (2006) in episodes "Floodlights and Catfights" and "Cattle Call" as himself[11]
- Heroes (2008) in episodes "Dying of the Light" and "Angles and Monsters" as Milosh[11]
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2009) in episode "Disarmed and Dangerous" as Vinnie Mingus[11]
Personal life
In early 2006, Wiese began working as a
On April 19, 2010, it was reported that Wiese had suffered a stroke in December 2009. Wiese stated that he believed his steroid use, which began during his time at Arizona State University, and the painkiller addiction he developed from wrestling were contributing factors to the cause of the stroke.[3]
On April 10, 2015, several media outlets reported that Wiese, along with Russ McCullough and fellow WWE alumnus Ryan Sakoda, had filed a class action lawsuit against WWE, alleging, among other things, that "the WWE has known for years ... the brutality in the ring has resulted in dementia, Alzheimer's disease and a lot more".[14] The suit was litigated by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE. The lawsuit was dismissed by Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant in March 2016.[15]
Championships and accomplishments
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Horshu's OWOW profile".
- ^ a b c d e "Cagematch profile".
- ^ a b c "Former WWE star Luther Reigns recovering from stroke in Glendale".
- ^ a b "Matt Wiese's MySpace account".
- ^ "This Week in WCW - 3/1/97 - 3/3/97".
- ^ "The Great American Bash report on June 28, 2004".
- ^ "No Way Out 2005 report".
- ^ "Real Reason for Luther Reigns' WWE Release". May 12, 2005.
- ^ a b "More WWE News: Edge/Lita/Matt Angle, Reigns, HBK, More".
- ^ "The Girl Next Door's cast listing". IMDb.
- ^ a b c d e "Wiese's TV and movie appearances". IMDb.
- ^ "Spring Break '83 listing". IMDb.
- ^ "Let's Be Cops". IMDb.
- ^ "Wrestlers sue WWE".
- ^ Bieler, Des (July 19, 2016). "Dozens of wrestlers sue WWE over CTE, effects of traumatic brain injuries". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
- ^ "WSL World Heavyweight Championship history".
- ^ "Awards".
External links
- Luther Reigns's profile at Cagematch.net , Internet Wrestling Database
- Media related to Matt Wiese at Wikimedia Commons