Ophidian (wrestler)

Last updated
Ophidian
OphidianPromo.jpg
Ophidian in a 2010 promo photo
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Ophidian
Ouroboros
Billed height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) [1]
Billed weight165 lb (75 kg) [1]
Billed fromThe Nile River Bed [1]
Trained by Mike Quackenbush [2]
Chris Hero [2]
DebutMay 6, 2007 [2]
RetiredJune 29, 2020

Ophidian is a retired professional wrestler best known for performing with Chikara. He was previously a member of The Osirian Portal stable along with his former partners Amasis and Hieracon. His gimmick is an anthropomorphic Egyptian cobra, which is reflected in his in-ring gear and cobra head mask as well as his mannerisms and speech. Ophidian served as an assistant trainer at The Wrestle Factory, operated by Chikara founder Mike Quackenbush.

Contents

Professional wrestling career

Ophidian trained at the Chikara Wrestle Factory wrestling school. Upon graduation he began teaming with Amasis and the pair adopted their gimmick and their masks to become The Osirian Portal, a team inspired by ancient Egyptian culture. Ophidian became an anthropomorphic King Cobra while Amasis became a break dancing pharaoh. Part of their gimmick involved hypnosis, wherein Amasis would hold Ophidian in a wheelbarrow hold, while the latter places his hands together and waves them in front of their opponents, hypnotizing them. [3]

Chikara

The Osirian Portal (2007–2011)

Amasis and Ophidian made their debut as a tag team on September 22, 2007, at the Chikara show Cibernetico and Robin, defeating ShaneSaw (Shane Storm and Jigsaw) in their first match together. [4] Ophidian had made his debut on June 5 at an XCW Wrestling Mid-West event and had wrestled two matches on his own in Chikara, on July 4 and 21, while for Amasis this was his professional wrestling debut. [5] In early 2008 Amasis and Ophidian entered the King of Trios tournament along with Mecha Mummy forming Team Egypt. Since that time they tag teamed through 2007 until Amasis retired in September 2011 due to a non-wrestling injury, Ophidian turned on Amasis thus ending the Osirian Portal and turning Ophidian into a Rudo (heel).

Rudo turn and singles competition (2011–2020)

Ophidian began using a new look at Chikara shows for the eleventh season, switching to a red snake mask instead of a cobra's head at Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur. Throughout the eleventh season he also began allying himself with The Batiri and Delirious.

On October 31, Ophidian released a hip-hop song, Death To Amasis, about the breakup and "death" of former partner Amasis. Also included were various instrumentals.

Amasis returned to Chikara on December 2, 2012, at Under the Hood, starting a rivalry with Ophidian. The two faced off on June 2, 2013, at Aniversario: Never Compromise, where Amasis defeated Ophidian in a Sarcophagus match. Afterwards, Ophidian and Amasis reunited at a Wrestling is Cool event and once again began teaming together. [6]

In 2017, Ophidian was defeated in a Sarcophagus match by Hallowicked. Afterwards, The Whisper claimed Ophidian's mask to become the new Ophidian, [7] while the original Ophidian adopted a new mask and the ring name Ouroboros. [8] At CHIKARA's Season 19 premiere, Beware The Snowman, Ophidian, stealing the identity of former CHIKARA rudo 17, defeated Ophidian II (The Whisper) by knockout and put his old mask back on, and becoming the original Ophidian again. After the match, Ophidian revealed that he would face Frightmare at National Pro Wrestling Day 2018. In 2019, he would challenge Capitol Wrestling Freestyle Champion GhostShadow, unsuccessfully, for the championship.

After the allegations against Chikara, Ophidian retired from professional wrestling. [9]

Training

Ophidian was a trainer at the Chikara Wrestle Factory and independently ran training seminars in Japan, England, Wales, Canada, Jersey (The Channel Islands), Denmark, and the United States of America before his retirement.

Championships and accomplishments

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Quackenbush</span> American writer and professional wrestler

Michael Spillane is an American podcaster, author, professional wrestling trainer, professional wrestling promoter, and retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Mike Quackenbush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gran Akuma</span> American professional wrestler

Gran Akuma is a retired professional wrestler, best known for his work in Chikara. He has also worked for Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Dragon Gate USA and Full Impact Pro (FIP). In Chikara, he was a member of The Kings of Wrestling stable, while also being a part of Team F.I.S.T. with Icarus and Chuck Taylor. On November 17, 2006, Akuma and Icarus defeated Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli to capture the Campeonatos de Parejas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lince Dorado</span> American professional wrestler of Puerto Rican descent

José Rafael Cordero is an American professional wrestler of Puerto Rican descent currently signed to Major League Wrestling, where he competes under the ring name Lince Dorado, and he was also MLW Middleweight Champion. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he was a member of Lucha House Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Colony (professional wrestling)</span> Professional wrestling stable

The Colony is a professional wrestling stable, best known for performing for Chikara. As their name suggests, their gimmick is that of an ant colony, which is further reinforced with their names being based on particular ants and classes within an ant colony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vin Gerard</span> American former professional wrestler

Vince Gerard Durling is an American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in Chikara, where he was a one time Young Lions Cup Champion. Currently he is the owner/operator of Indiewrestling.tv.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osirian Portal</span> Professional wrestling team

The Osirian Portal is a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Amasis and Ophidian. The team mainly competed in Chikara, where they held the Campeonatos de Parejas, and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). They have also made appearances in Ring of Honor (ROH) and several other independent promotions based in the north eastern part of the United States. The tag team eventually expanded into a stable with the additions of Escorpion Egipcio and Hieracon. Amasis was forced to retire from professional wrestling in June 2011 as a result of a non-wrestling accident, which led to the official dissolution of the team in September. Amasis returned to the ring in early 2013, starting a rivalry between the two former tag team partners. The team reunited in mid-2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stu Grayson</span> Canadian professional wrestler

Marc Dionne, better known by the ring name Stu Grayson, is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Righteous stable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aero Star</span> Mexican professional wrestler

Aero Star is a Mexican luchador, which is a masked professional wrestler currently signed to Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). Aero Star won the 2008 Alas de Oro tournament and is known for his high risk moves off the top rope or off the arena's lighting structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skayde</span> Mexican professional wrestler

Jorge Rivera Soriano is a Mexican luchador who is best known as a trainer. He has been a tecnico throughout his wrestling career. He is currently training wrestlers at Arena Xalapa, different states of Mexico and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruderschaft des Kreuzes</span> Professional wrestling stable

Bruderschaft des Kreuzes was a professional wrestling stable in the Chikara promotion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jigsaw (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler

Edward McGuckin is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jigsaw. He is best known for his work on the independent circuit for promotions such as Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling, Dragon Gate USA, Full Impact Pro, and Ring of Honor and has also made appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he worked under the ring name Rubix. He is currently working most notably in the United Kingdom, where he predominantly appears for HOPE Wrestling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hallowicked</span> American professional wrestler

Robert Goodwin, better known by the ring name Hallowicked, is an American retired professional wrestler. He performed primarily in the Chikara professional wrestling promotion, where he started his career in May 2002. His accomplishments in the promotion include becoming the inaugural Young Lions Cup Champion, a one-time Campeon de Parejas, a two-time Grand Champion and the winner of the 2003 Tag World Grand Prix and 2012 King of Trios tournaments. He served as an assistant trainer at The Wrestle Factory, operated by Chikara founder Mike Quackenbush. Throughout his career he has also worked for promotions such as Combat Zone Wrestling, Dragon Gate USA, Evolve Wrestling, Full Impact Pro, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Ring of Honor. He is known for his ghoulish looks and incoherent speech pattern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Icarus (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler

Ronald Grams is an American professional wrestler. He is known for his 18-year tenure with the Chikara professional wrestling promotion, under the name Icarus since 2002, where he is a former Grand Champion, Campeon de Parejas and King of Trios winner. He has also wrestled for Combat Zone Wrestling, Dragon Gate USA, Evolve Wrestling, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stigma (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler

Stigma is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in the Chikara professional wrestling promotion, where he is a former Young Lions Cup Champion and King of Trios winner. He was previously known as Shane Storm and has also wrestled for other independent promotions such as Combat Zone Wrestling, Full Impact Pro and Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frightmare (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler

Stephen Delicato is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Frightmare. He performed in the Chikara professional wrestling promotion, where he was a former Young Lions Cup Champion. He has also worked for promotions such as Evolve Wrestling, International Wrestling Cartel, IWA East Coast, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, and Synergy Professional Wrestling, where he is a 2-time Synergy Pro Wrestling Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2point0</span> Professional wrestling team

Angelo Parker and Matt Menard, also formerly known as 2.0 and 3.0, and later Ever-Rise in WWE, is a Canadian professional wrestling tag team currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chikara High Noon</span> 2011 Chikara internet pay-per-view

High Noon was a professional wrestling internet pay-per-view (iPPV) event produced by the Chikara promotion, that took place on November 13, 2011, at the Asylum Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event marked Chikara's first ever live pay-per-view and it was headlined by the finals of a tournament to determine the first ever Chikara Grand Champion. The event aired on GoFightLive, with a pre-show airing live on Ustream. The event broke Chikara's attendance record, drawing 864 fans into the Asylum Arena, and drew more than 1,000 buys online, beating Ring of Honor's previous iPPV, Death Before Dishonor IX, which drew 972 buys. The event was released on DVD by Smart Mark Video on November 25, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur</span> 2012 Chikara internet pay-per-view event

Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur was a professional wrestling internet pay-per-view (iPPV) event produced by the Chikara promotion, that took place on June 2, 2012 at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and aired live on GoFightLive, with a pre-show airing live on Ustream. The event marked Chikara's second pay-per-view, following previous November's High Noon. This was the third year in which Chikara promoted a summer event under the Chikarasaurus Rex banner, with the original Chikarasaurus Rex: King of Show having taken place July 25, 2010, and the Chikarasaurus Rex: King of Sequel weekend on July 30 and 31, 2011. The event was released on DVD and downloadable MP4 by Smart Mark Video on June 4, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Under the Hood</span> 2012 Chikara internet pay-per-view event

Under the Hood was a professional wrestling internet pay-per-view (iPPV) event produced by the Chikara promotion, that took place on December 2, 2012 at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event marked Chikara's third iPPV, following November 2011's High Noon and June 2012's Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur. While the two previous iPPV's aired live through GoFightLive, Under the Hood instead aired through Smart Mark Video, Chikara's longtime DVD production and distribution partner. The event was headlined by Eddie Kingston defending the Chikara Grand Championship against the number one contender and 2012 Torneo Cibernetico winner Tim Donst. The event also saw The Young Bucks defending the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas against 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty and "Mr. Touchdown" Mark Angelosetti defending the Chikara Young Lions Cup against A. C. H., making Under the Hood the first ever Chikara event, where all three titles were defended. Other featured matches saw the culmination of two year-long storylines, with UltraMantis Black leading his Spectral Envoy stable to take on a team led by Delirious and a match where two teams, mixed of representatives of both Chikara and the villainous Gekido stable, battled each other. Under the Hood was Chikara's season eleven finale event. The event was attended by 525 fans and drew 1,025 buys online. The event was released on DVD and downloadable MP4 by Smart Mark Video on December 7, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batiri</span> Professional wrestling stable

The Batiri is a professional wrestling alliance in the Chikara promotion. The team includes Kodama and Obariyon, who work under face paint with the wrestling characters of demons, and Kobald, who performs under a goblin mask. Both Kodama's and Obariyon's ring names come from Japanese folklore from the characters of Kodama and Obariyon, while Kobald is named after the German word for goblin. All three men were trained at Chikara's Wrestle Factory by then head trainers Claudio Castagnoli and Mike Quackenbush. They have also made appearances for promotions like Beyond Wrestling, Collective League of Adrenaline Strength and Honor (CLASH), STAR Pro-Wrestling, Wrestling is Fun! (WiF!), and Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW).

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ophidian". Chikara . Retrieved 2015-03-07.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ophidian". Cage Match. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  3. Ophidian, Amasis, Ryan Slater, Joe Gacy (2010). Osirian Portal and The Runaways Dance Off !. YouTube.
  4. ""Cibernetico & Robin" – 9/22/2007". Chikara Fans. Archived from the original on 2010-01-04. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
  5. "Ophidian's profile". TheOsirianPortal.com. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
  6. Namako, Jason (2013-07-22). "Results from this weekend's indy shows (7/19 to 7/21)". WrestleView. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  7. Green, Dave (2017-09-03). "9/1 Chikara "King of Trios 2017: Night Two" in Wolverhampton, England: House Throwbacks vs. House Strong Style, Quackenbush, Pete Dunn, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  8. "New twitter Handle. New twitter look. I Am the #Ouroboros". Twitter. 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  9. "El luchador independiente Ophidian anuncia su retiro". 29 June 2020.
  10. "Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas title history". Chikara. Archived from the original on 2013-04-25. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
  11. CHIKARA King Of Trios 2019 - Tag 3 Cage Match
  12. "Chikara Rey de Voladores". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  13. Johnny Kidd Invitational 2019 Cage Match
  14. Zellner, Kris (2015-07-20). "The Lucha Report". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved 2015-07-20.
  15. "F1PW Roster". force1pro.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
  16. ""PWI 500": 301–400". Pro Wrestling Illustrated . 2011-08-04. Retrieved 2011-08-04.
  17. Meltzer, Dave (2010-12-05). "Sun update: TNA preview, Superstar talks health, Vince overseas, upcoming big events and awards". Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Retrieved 2010-12-06.
  18. "CIW | Channel Islands Wrestling | the only Wrestling Promotion in the Channel Islands". Archived from the original on 2015-08-01. Retrieved 2015-08-16.