Name: Shark Boy
Height: 5'10
Weight: 180 lbs.
Finishing Move: DSD (Dead Sea Drop)
Wrestling Style: High Flying, Mat work
Rising from the depths of the ocean and appearing in professional wrestling rings across the land, Shark Boy quickly became nothing short of an independent grappling phenomenon.
Long before he first set foot in a WWE, NWA-TNA, or WCW ring, the masked performer was creating a loyal underground (or is that underwater?) following consisting of "fin followers" and "shark marks" of all ages. Under the tutelage of veteran wrestling trainer Les Thatcher, the shark developed a solid wrestling background that, combined with his unique look and charismatic antics, made for one entertaining package. Fans of Thatcher's Heartland Wrestling Association in Cincinnati and Ian Rotten's IWA Mid-South in Louisville were the first to show their support for the young grappler from "20,000 leagues under the sea" in 1997 by placing their hands to their heads like a shark fin and giving the "shark salute" whenever he would appear. His 1998 feud with Terik the Great over the HWA Cruiserweight Title (a title that would elude him for quite some time) provided fans with action and excitement that in some ways raised the bar for independent wrestling in the midwest.
Pro wrestling insiders really began talking about the appeal of the finned gladiator after his performance at the second annual HWA Brian Pillman Memorial Event (Pillman '99) at the Cincinnati Gardens in May of 1999. On a card featuring stars from both WCW and the WWF, Shark Boy pinned three different HWA cruiserweights in one night to be crowned the Pillman '99 Cruiserweight Champion. After relying on his patented finishing maneuver, the Dead Sea Drop (or DSD), to lead him to victory in his first two matches, the exhausted fish was barely able to slip over on Chip Fairway in the finals with a backslide, winning by the skin of his "teeth." The Cincinnati crowd, who had steadily supported Shark Boy throughout the night, erupted at the conclusion when Mankind, Al Snow, and D-lo Brown (pictured left), along with Konnan and "Road Dog" Jesse James, all appeared in the ring to congratulate the battered but victorious shark. It was a moment that landed Shark Boy in the pages of several wrestling magazines and got people in the offices of WCW talking about this popular masked enigma.
One week after Pillman '99, Shark Boy finally captured the HWA Cruiserweight Title from Bobby Casanova and, during his title reign, was approached by WCW for a try-out match in Cleveland at a July Monday Nitro taping. Shark Boy was forced to vacate the HWA title after only two months when WCW signed him to a developmental contract that required the flesh-eating fish to move to Atlanta and train at the WCW Power Plant under men like Paul Orndorff and Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker. ABC's 20/20 even made Shark Boy one of their primary characters in doing a story on professional wrestling that aired in December of 1999.
Shark Boy with Sting at a WWA Pay-Per-View event.
However, the WCW deal didn't last more than six months. Despite being released from his WCW contract before the year's end, Shark Boy found himself being featured on WCW Saturday Night starting in February, 2000, when he wrestled Norman Smiley in Massachusetts. Week after week, more and more fans were shown on camera sporting their Shark Boy masks and T-shirts with hands raised to foreheads for the "shark salute." Shark Boy had now become a national wrestling phenomenon. With unfinished business remaining in Cincinnati, the finned warrior soon returned to the HWA and recaptured the Cruiserweight Title and in February, 2001, he became the HWA Heavyweight Champion. 2002 saw Shark Boy make his pay-per-view debut for the World Wrestling All-Stars, as well as appearing for the group overseas in Europe, and it was also the year that saw Shark Boy debut for NWA-TNA. In 2003, the finned one continues to appear on NWA-TNA pay-per-views and in April he finally made his WWE debut! He is currently competing in independent promotions across the country (maybe even where you live) and his popularity has never been greater.
This is a tale that has yet to be completed. This is the tale of Shark Boy.
