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{{short description|American professional wrestler (born 1974)}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2010}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2010}}
{{Infobox professional wrestler
{{Infobox professional wrestler
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'''Joseph Cabibbo'''<ref name="Slam">{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2009/02/02/8234231.html|title=The Sheik still lives ... in Florida|last=Van Der Griend|first=Blaine|work=Slam! Sports|date=2009-02-02|access-date=2011-04-25|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]}}</ref> (born May 21, 1974) is an [[United States|American]] [[professional wrestler]] better known as '''The Shiek II''' or '''The Almighty Sheik'''. He is currently wrestling under the [[ring name]]s '''Josef''' and '''Josef Samael''' on the [[independent circuit]] and in [[Major League Wrestling]] (MLW) as a member of [[Contra Unit]] with [[Jacob Fatu]], [[Simon Gotch]], and [[Ikuro Kwon]]. He is a one-time [[NWA World Heavyweight Championship|NWA World Heavyweight Champion]] and [[World Heavyweight Championship (Zero1)|(Zero1) World Heavyweight Champion]], making him an overall two-time [[Professional wrestling championship#World championships|world champion]] in major [[professional wrestling promotions]].
'''Joseph Cabibbo'''<ref name="Slam">{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2009/02/02/8234231.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130115132104/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2009/02/02/8234231.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=January 15, 2013|title=The Sheik still lives ... in Florida|last=Van Der Griend|first=Blaine|work=Slam! Sports|date=2009-02-02|access-date=2011-04-25|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]}}</ref> (born May 21, 1974) is an American [[professional wrestler]] currently wrestling under the [[ring name]]s '''Josef''' and '''Josef Samael''' on the [[independent circuit]] and in [[Major League Wrestling]] (MLW) as a member of [[Contra Unit]] with [[Jacob Fatu]], [[Simon Gotch]], and Ikuro Kwon. He is a one-time [[NWA World Heavyweight Championship|NWA World Heavyweight Champion]] and [[World Heavyweight Championship (Zero1)|(Zero1) World Heavyweight Champion]].


==Professional wrestling career==
==Professional wrestling career==


===Full Impact Pro Wrestling (2006–2008)===
===Full Impact Pro Wrestling (2006–2008)===
Cabibbo debuted in [[Full Impact Pro]] (FIP) as Joey Machete in February 2006, teaming up with Shawn Murphy and losing to Seth Delay and Chasyn Rance. They won their first match against [[Tony Mamaluke]] and Chad Parham the following day. In April, they won a three way tag team match, featuring the Heartbreak Express and the Y.R.R. They began a streak of victories and beat the Heartbreak Express to become tag team champions. They lost their titles against the Heartbreak Express. They left the promotion on August 2008, after losing a hardcore match against [[The Dark City Fight Club]].
Cabibbo debuted in [[Full Impact Pro]] (FIP) as Joey Machete in February 2006, teaming up with Shawn Murphy and losing to Seth Delay and Chasyn Rance. They won their first match against [[Tony Mamaluke]] and Chad Parham the following day. In April, they won a three-way tag team match, featuring the Heartbreak Express and the Y.R.R. They began a streak of victories and beat the Heartbreak Express to become tag team champions. They lost their titles against the Heartbreak Express. They left the promotion in August 2008, after losing a hardcore match against [[The Dark City Fight Club]].


===Pro Wrestling Fusion (2008–2010)===
===Pro Wrestling Fusion (2008–2010)===
Cabibbo, working under the ring name The Sheik, has made the Florida promotion Pro Wrestling Fusion his home. Originally going by the new Sheik Ali Azzad, Cabibbo shortened the name, after receiving the blessing of [[Sabu (wrestler)|Sabu]], the nephew of the original [[Ed Farhat|Sheik]].<ref name="Slam"/> He won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title by defeating Freedom Ryder on the inaugural show on May 3, 2008 in Ft. Pierce Florida. He also developed a feud with Steve Madison, who defeated the Sheik for the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title on February 2, 2009 inside a steel cage. The Sheik regained the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title from Madison on August 1, 2009.
Cabibbo, working under the ring name The Sheik, has made the Florida promotion Pro Wrestling Fusion his home. Originally going by the new Sheik Ali Azzad, Cabibbo shortened the name, after receiving the blessing of [[Sabu (wrestler)|Sabu]], the nephew of the original [[Ed Farhat|Sheik]].<ref name="Slam"/> He won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title by defeating Freedom Ryder on the inaugural show on May 3, 2008, in Ft. Pierce Florida. He also developed a feud with Steve Madison, who defeated the Sheik for the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title on February 2, 2009, inside a steel cage. The Sheik regained the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title from Madison on August 1, 2009.


===National Wrestling Alliance (2009–2011)===
===National Wrestling Alliance (2009–2011)===
The Sheik debuted in the [[National Wrestling Alliance]]'s NWA Midwest in September 2009, attacking NWA Midwest Heavyweight champion, [[Silas Young]] at a RWF (Rebellious Wrestling Federation) show in Ashton IL. He then defeated Silas to win the championship. He was scheduled for a World Title match against [[Blue Demon, Jr.]] to be held in [[Cicero Stadium]] in [[Chicago Illinois]], but Blue Demon backed out of the match.<ref name="World Title Controversy">{{Cite web|url=http://www.theinsider.com/news/2893428_World_Title_Controversy_The_Jonas_Brothers|title=World Title Controversy|publisher=theinsider.com|access-date=February 6, 2010|date=October 25, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012201431/http://www.theinsider.com/news/2893428_World_Title_Controversy_The_Jonas_Brothers|archive-date=October 12, 2009|url-status=dead}} {{unreliable source?|date=May 2012}}</ref> Silas Young, on the other hand, did sign up to wrestle the Sheik and defeated him in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on December 4, 2009, at ACW Homecoming. Sheik defeated Young to become a two time NWA Midwest Heavyweight Champion on December 5, 2009.
The Sheik debuted in the [[National Wrestling Alliance]]'s NWA Midwest in September 2009, attacking NWA Midwest Heavyweight champion, [[Silas Young]] at a RWF (Rebellious Wrestling Federation) show in Ashton IL. He then defeated Silas to win the championship. He was scheduled for a World Title match against [[Blue Demon, Jr.]] to be held in [[Cicero Stadium]] in [[Chicago Illinois]], but Blue Demon backed out of the match.<ref name="World Title Controversy">{{Cite web|url=http://www.theinsider.com/news/2893428_World_Title_Controversy_The_Jonas_Brothers|title=World Title Controversy|publisher=theinsider.com|access-date=February 6, 2010|date=October 25, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012201431/http://www.theinsider.com/news/2893428_World_Title_Controversy_The_Jonas_Brothers|archive-date=October 12, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=May 2012}} Silas Young, on the other hand, did sign up to wrestle the Sheik and defeated him in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on December 4, 2009, at ACW Homecoming. Sheik defeated Young to become a two-time NWA Midwest Heavyweight Champion on December 5, 2009.


On January 30, 2010, The Sheik defeated [[Germán Figueroa|"El Gran" Apolo]] to become the new NWA North American Heavyweight Champion. On April 23, 2011, he defeated [[Colt Cabana]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida]] to become the 44th officially recognized [[NWA World Heavyweight Championship|NWA World Heavyweight Champion]].<ref name="NWAWorld">{{cite web|url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/Other_News_4/article_49538.shtml|title=NWA News: New NWA World Hvt. champion, ending Cabana's title reign, one wrestler calls it a "terrible mistake"|last=Caldwell|first=James|work=Pro Wrestling Torch|date=2011-04-23|access-date=2011-04-24}}</ref> He was stripped of the title on July 11, 2011. Officially, the NWA announced that Sheik had refused to defend the title on July 31, 2011 in Ohio,<ref name="NWAWorld2">{{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150240737073691|title=Breaking News! NWA World Title Stripped|work=NWA Wrestling on Facebook|date=2011-07-11|access-date=2011-07-11}}</ref> however Sheik's camp says he was never scheduled for the title defense.
On January 30, 2010, The Sheik defeated [[Germán Figueroa|"El Gran" Apollo]] to become the new NWA North American Heavyweight Champion. On April 23, 2011, he defeated [[Colt Cabana]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida]] to become the 44th officially recognized [[NWA World Heavyweight Championship|NWA World Heavyweight Champion]].<ref name="NWAWorld">{{cite web|url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/Other_News_4/article_49538.shtml|title=NWA News: New NWA World Hvt. champion, ending Cabana's title reign, one wrestler calls it a "terrible mistake"|last=Caldwell|first=James|work=Pro Wrestling Torch|date=2011-04-23|access-date=2011-04-24}}</ref> He was stripped of the title on July 11, 2011. Officially, the NWA announced that Sheik had refused to defend the title on July 31, 2011, in Ohio,<ref name="NWAWorld2">{{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150240737073691|title=Breaking News! NWA World Title Stripped|work=NWA Wrestling on Facebook|date=2011-07-11|access-date=2011-07-11}}</ref> however Sheik's camp says he was never scheduled for the title defense.


===Pro Wrestling Zero1 (2011–2012)===
===Pro Wrestling Zero1 (2011–2012)===
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=== Independent circuit (2013–present) ===
=== Independent circuit (2013–present) ===
{{Expand section|date=March 2019}}
{{Expand section|date=March 2019}}
Sheik only wrestled about a dozen matches between 2013 and the end of 2015. Starting in January 2016 he started wrestling frequently for a newly founded Southern California promotion [[PCW Ultra]]. His first matches for the promotion involved a feud between himself and [[Montel Vontavious Porter]]. On January 20, 2017, his newly formed team [[Warbeast (professional wrestling)|Warbeast]], with [[Jacob Fatu]] won the PCW Tag Team Championship. The faction would grow to include [[Brody King]] and they would defend them under [[freebird rule]]s. King has since left the promotion, signing with [[Ring of Honor]] in 2019, but Fatu and Sheik still hold the tag titles to this day.<ref>https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=2233&page=4</ref>
Sheik only wrestled about a dozen matches between 2013 and the end of 2015. Starting in January 2016 he started wrestling frequently for a newly founded Southern California promotion [[PCW Ultra]]. His first matches for the promotion involved a feud between himself and [[Montel Vontavious Porter]]. On January 20, 2017, his newly formed team [[Warbeast (professional wrestling)|Warbeast]], with [[Jacob Fatu]] won the PCW Tag Team Championship. The faction would grow to include [[Brody King]] and they would defend them under [[freebird rule|Freebirds rule]]s. King has since left the promotion, signing with [[Ring of Honor]] in 2019, but Fatu and Sheik still hold the tag titles to this day.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=2233&page=4| title = Reference at www.cagematch.net}}</ref>


=== Major League Wrestling (2019–present) ===
=== Major League Wrestling (2019–present) ===
Sheik debuted for [[Major League Wrestling]] (MLW) under the name '''Josef Samael''', in February 2019 at ''SuperFight'', alongside his frequent tag team partner [[Jacob Fatu]]. However, this match would not be aired on ''[[MLW Fusion]]''. The duo of Fatu and Josef would make their debut appearance on ''Fusion'' on March 2, 2019, forming the heel stable Contra Unit with [[Simon Gotch]]. They debuted by attacking [[MLW World Heavyweight Champion]] [[Tom Lawlor]] following his cage match against [[Low Ki]].<ref>https://www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/mlw-tv-taping-spoilers-intimidation-games-278376</ref> The following week, Contra Unit attacked [[Ace Romero]] during his match with Gotch.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2019/03/10/powells-mlw-fusion-tv-review-simon-gotch-vs-ace-romero-djz-vs-ace-austin-in-a-battle-riot-qualifying-match-alex-hammerstone-vs-isaias-velasquez/ |title=Powell's MLW Fusion TV Review: Simon Gotch vs. Ace Romero, DJZ vs. Ace Austin in a Battle Riot qualifying match, Alex Hammerstone vs. Isaias Velasquez - Pro Wrestling Dot Net |publisher=Prowrestling.net |date=2019-03-10 |access-date=2019-03-15}}</ref>
Sheik debuted for [[Major League Wrestling]] (MLW) under the name '''Josef Samael''', in February 2019 at ''SuperFight'', alongside his frequent tag team partner [[Jacob Fatu]]. However, this match would not be aired on ''[[MLW Fusion]]''. The duo of Fatu and Josef would make their debut appearance on ''Fusion'' on March 2, 2019, forming the heel stable Contra Unit with [[Simon Gotch]]. They debuted by attacking [[MLW World Heavyweight Champion]] [[Tom Lawlor]] following his cage match against [[Low Ki]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-03-03|title=MLW TV taping spoilers: Intimidation Games|url=https://www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/mlw-tv-taping-spoilers-intimidation-games-278376|access-date=2021-01-28|website=WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results|language=en}}</ref> The following week, Contra Unit attacked [[Ace Romero]] during his match with Gotch.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2019/03/10/powells-mlw-fusion-tv-review-simon-gotch-vs-ace-romero-djz-vs-ace-austin-in-a-battle-riot-qualifying-match-alex-hammerstone-vs-isaias-velasquez/ |title=Powell's MLW Fusion TV Review: Simon Gotch vs. Ace Romero, DJZ vs. Ace Austin in a Battle Riot qualifying match, Alex Hammerstone vs. Isaias Velasquez - Pro Wrestling Dot Net |publisher=Prowrestling.net |date=2019-03-10 |access-date=2019-03-15}}</ref>
After that, they had various feuds, but suddenly disappeared before [[War Chamber (2021)|War Chamber]], not witnessing the end of his stable.


==Championships and accomplishments==
==Championships and accomplishments==
*'''[[All Pro Wrestling]]'''
*'''[[All Pro Wrestling]]'''
**[[APW Tag Team Championship]] (1 time, current) - with Jacob Fatu
**[[APW Tag Team Championship]] (1 time) – with [[Jacob Fatu]]
*'''American Wrestling Federation'''
*'''American Wrestling Federation'''
** AWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Shawn Murphy
** AWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shawn Murphy
*'''[[Cauliflower Alley Club]]'''
*'''[[Cauliflower Alley Club]]'''
**Men's Wrestling Award (2015)<ref name="Cauliflower2015">{{cite web|last=Johnson|first=Steve|title=Many years of hard work pay off for Dennis Brent with CAC's historian award|url=http://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2015/04/05/many-years-of-hard-work-pay-off-for-dennis-brent-with-cacs-historian-award/|work=Slam Wrestling|date=April 5, 2015|access-date=September 27, 2020}}</ref>
**Men's Wrestling Award (2015)<ref name="Cauliflower2015">{{cite web|last=Johnson|first=Steve|title=Many years of hard work pay off for Dennis Brent with CAC's historian award|url=http://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2015/04/05/many-years-of-hard-work-pay-off-for-dennis-brent-with-cacs-historian-award/|work=Slam Wrestling|date=April 5, 2015|access-date=September 27, 2020}}</ref>
*'''Coastal Championship Wrestling'''
*'''Coastal Championship Wrestling'''
** CCW South Eastern Championship (1 time)
** CCW South Eastern Championship (1 time)
** CCW Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Shawn Murphy
** CCW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Shawn Murphy
*'''[[DEFY Wrestling]]'''
** DEFY Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jacob Fatu
*'''Florida Alliance Wrestling'''
*'''Florida Alliance Wrestling'''
** FWA Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Shawn Murphy
** FWA Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Shawn Murphy
*'''Four Star Championship Wrestling'''
*'''Four Star Championship Wrestling'''
** FSCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Shawn Murphy
** FSCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shawn Murphy
*'''[[Full Impact Pro]]'''
*'''[[Full Impact Pro]]'''
** [[FIP Tag Team Championship]] ([[FIP Tag Team Championship#title history|1 time]]) - with Shawn Murphy
** [[FIP Tag Team Championship]] ([[FIP Tag Team Championship#title history|1 time]]) – with Shawn Murphy
*'''[[Future of Wrestling]]'''
*'''[[Future of Wrestling]]'''
** [[FOW Tag Team Championship]] ([[FOW Tag Team Championship#title history|3 times]]) - with Shawn Murphy
** [[FOW Tag Team Championship]] ([[FOW Tag Team Championship#title history|3 times]]) – with Shawn Murphy
** [[FOW Heavyweight Championship]] ([[FOW Heavyweight Championship#title history|1 time]])
** [[FOW Heavyweight Championship]] ([[FOW Heavyweight Championship#title history|1 time]])
*'''Intense Florida Wrestling'''
*'''Intense Florida Wrestling'''
** IFW Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Shawn Murphy
** IFW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Shawn Murphy
*'''Maximum Xtreme Pro Wrestling'''
*'''Maximum Xtreme Pro Wrestling'''
** MXPW Television Championship (1 time)
** MXPW Television Championship (1 time)
** MXPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Shawn Murphy
** MXPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shawn Murphy
*'''[[NWA Florida]]'''
*'''[[NWA Florida]]'''
**[[NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship]] ([[NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship#title history|2 times]])
**[[NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship]] ([[NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship#Title history|2 times]])
**[[NWA Florida Tag Team Championship]] ([[NWA Florida Tag Team Championship#title history|1 time]]) - with Christopher Gray
**[[NWA Florida Tag Team Championship]] ([[NWA Florida Tag Team Championship#title history|1 time]]) – with Christopher Gray
*'''[[NWA Midwest]]'''
*'''[[NWA Midwest]]'''
** [[NWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship]] ([[NWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship#title history|2 times]])
** [[NWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship]] ([[NWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship#title history|2 times]])
*'''PCW Ultra '''
*'''[[PCW Ultra]]'''
**PCW Ultra Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) - with Jacob Fatu<ref>http://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=3100</ref>
**PCW Ultra Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) – with Jacob Fatu and [[Brody King]]<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=3100| title = Reference at www.cagematch.net}}</ref>
*'''Pro Wrestling Fusion'''
*'''Pro Wrestling Fusion'''
** [[NWA North American Heavyweight Championship]] ([[NWA North American Heavyweight Championship#title history|1 time]])
** [[NWA North American Heavyweight Championship]] ([[NWA North American Heavyweight Championship#title history|1 time]])
Line 82: Line 86:
** [[NWA World Heavyweight Championship]] ([[List of NWA World Heavyweight Champions|1 time]])<ref name="NWAWorld"/>
** [[NWA World Heavyweight Championship]] ([[List of NWA World Heavyweight Champions|1 time]])<ref name="NWAWorld"/>
*'''Pro Wrestling Zero1 USA'''
*'''Pro Wrestling Zero1 USA'''
**NWA/AWA/Zero1 USA Unified Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
**NWA/AWA/Zero1 USA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*'''United States Xtreme Wrestling'''
*'''United States Xtreme Wrestling'''
** USXW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Shawn Murphy
** USXW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shawn Murphy


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=2233 Cagematch profile]
* [http://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=2233 Cagematch profile]
*{{commonscatinline}}


{{Navboxes|
{{Major League Wrestling personnel}}
|list1=
{{NWA World Heavyweight Championship}}
{{NWA World Heavyweight Championship}}
{{NWA North American Heavyweight Championship}}
{{NWA North American Heavyweight Championship}}
{{World Heavyweight Championship (Zero1)}}
{{World Heavyweight Championship (Zero1)}}
{{FIP World Tag Team Championship}}
}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Samael, Josef}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samael, Josef}}
[[Category:1974 births]]
[[Category:1974 births]]
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:American male professional wrestlers]]
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:NWA World Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:NWA World Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:NWA Florida Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:20th-century male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:21st-century male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:NWA North American Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:Zero1 World Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:FIP World Tag Team Champions]]

Revision as of 01:24, 27 June 2024

Josef Samael
Josef Samael at MLW Saturday Night SuperFight 2019
Birth nameJoseph Cabibbo
Born (1974-05-21) May 21, 1974 (age 50)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)The Almighty Sheik[1]
Joey Machete
Josef
Josef Samael
The Sheik[2]
Sheik Ali Azzad[2]
Billed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Billed weight225 lb (102 kg)[2]
Billed fromNew York City, New York
Damascus, Syria
Trained byThe Blackharts
DebutAugust 1998

Joseph Cabibbo[2] (born May 21, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently wrestling under the ring names Josef and Josef Samael on the independent circuit and in Major League Wrestling (MLW) as a member of Contra Unit with Jacob Fatu, Simon Gotch, and Ikuro Kwon. He is a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and (Zero1) World Heavyweight Champion.

Professional wrestling career

Full Impact Pro Wrestling (2006–2008)

Cabibbo debuted in Full Impact Pro (FIP) as Joey Machete in February 2006, teaming up with Shawn Murphy and losing to Seth Delay and Chasyn Rance. They won their first match against Tony Mamaluke and Chad Parham the following day. In April, they won a three-way tag team match, featuring the Heartbreak Express and the Y.R.R. They began a streak of victories and beat the Heartbreak Express to become tag team champions. They lost their titles against the Heartbreak Express. They left the promotion in August 2008, after losing a hardcore match against The Dark City Fight Club.

Pro Wrestling Fusion (2008–2010)

Cabibbo, working under the ring name The Sheik, has made the Florida promotion Pro Wrestling Fusion his home. Originally going by the new Sheik Ali Azzad, Cabibbo shortened the name, after receiving the blessing of Sabu, the nephew of the original Sheik.[2] He won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title by defeating Freedom Ryder on the inaugural show on May 3, 2008, in Ft. Pierce Florida. He also developed a feud with Steve Madison, who defeated the Sheik for the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title on February 2, 2009, inside a steel cage. The Sheik regained the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title from Madison on August 1, 2009.

National Wrestling Alliance (2009–2011)

The Sheik debuted in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Midwest in September 2009, attacking NWA Midwest Heavyweight champion, Silas Young at a RWF (Rebellious Wrestling Federation) show in Ashton IL. He then defeated Silas to win the championship. He was scheduled for a World Title match against Blue Demon, Jr. to be held in Cicero Stadium in Chicago Illinois, but Blue Demon backed out of the match.[3][unreliable source?] Silas Young, on the other hand, did sign up to wrestle the Sheik and defeated him in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on December 4, 2009, at ACW Homecoming. Sheik defeated Young to become a two-time NWA Midwest Heavyweight Champion on December 5, 2009.

On January 30, 2010, The Sheik defeated "El Gran" Apollo to become the new NWA North American Heavyweight Champion. On April 23, 2011, he defeated Colt Cabana in Jacksonville, Florida to become the 44th officially recognized NWA World Heavyweight Champion.[4] He was stripped of the title on July 11, 2011. Officially, the NWA announced that Sheik had refused to defend the title on July 31, 2011, in Ohio,[5] however Sheik's camp says he was never scheduled for the title defense.

Pro Wrestling Zero1 (2011–2012)

On May 23, 2011, The Sheik made his debut in Japan for Pro Wrestling Zero1. He returned to the promotion on July 3, defeating Ryouji Sai in a match, where both his NWA World Heavyweight Championship and Sai's World Heavyweight Championship were on the line, to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. He would go on to lose the title to Kohei Sato on November 6, 2011.

Independent circuit (2013–present)

Sheik only wrestled about a dozen matches between 2013 and the end of 2015. Starting in January 2016 he started wrestling frequently for a newly founded Southern California promotion PCW Ultra. His first matches for the promotion involved a feud between himself and Montel Vontavious Porter. On January 20, 2017, his newly formed team Warbeast, with Jacob Fatu won the PCW Tag Team Championship. The faction would grow to include Brody King and they would defend them under Freebirds rules. King has since left the promotion, signing with Ring of Honor in 2019, but Fatu and Sheik still hold the tag titles to this day.[6]

Major League Wrestling (2019–present)

Sheik debuted for Major League Wrestling (MLW) under the name Josef Samael, in February 2019 at SuperFight, alongside his frequent tag team partner Jacob Fatu. However, this match would not be aired on MLW Fusion. The duo of Fatu and Josef would make their debut appearance on Fusion on March 2, 2019, forming the heel stable Contra Unit with Simon Gotch. They debuted by attacking MLW World Heavyweight Champion Tom Lawlor following his cage match against Low Ki.[7] The following week, Contra Unit attacked Ace Romero during his match with Gotch.[8] After that, they had various feuds, but suddenly disappeared before War Chamber, not witnessing the end of his stable.

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ Caldwell, James (2012-01-14). "Corgan promotion crowns first Hvt. champion". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2012-01-19.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Van Der Griend, Blaine (2009-02-02). "The Sheik still lives ... in Florida". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved 2011-04-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "World Title Controversy". theinsider.com. October 25, 2009. Archived from the original on October 12, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c Caldwell, James (2011-04-23). "NWA News: New NWA World Hvt. champion, ending Cabana's title reign, one wrestler calls it a "terrible mistake"". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2011-04-24.
  5. ^ "Breaking News! NWA World Title Stripped". NWA Wrestling on Facebook. 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
  6. ^ "Reference at www.cagematch.net".
  7. ^ "MLW TV taping spoilers: Intimidation Games". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. 2019-03-03. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  8. ^ "Powell's MLW Fusion TV Review: Simon Gotch vs. Ace Romero, DJZ vs. Ace Austin in a Battle Riot qualifying match, Alex Hammerstone vs. Isaias Velasquez - Pro Wrestling Dot Net". Prowrestling.net. 2019-03-10. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  9. ^ Johnson, Steve (April 5, 2015). "Many years of hard work pay off for Dennis Brent with CAC's historian award". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  10. ^ "Reference at www.cagematch.net".
  11. ^ ""PWI 500": 101–200". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. 2011-08-08. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
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