The World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Hardcore Championship was a title in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The title was defended in Hardcore matches, in which there were few rules and restrictions and weapons were allowed. Eventually, the rules were changed so that matches began in the backstage area but would only end by pinfall in the ring , but later were changed back to 'Falls Count Anywhere' rules. The belt was created in response to the growing popularity of hardcore wrestling in North America .
65-650: The WCW Hardcore Title was a continuation from the WCW Hardcore Trophy that Fit Finlay won in the Junkyard Battle Royal that took place at the 1999 Bash at the Beach pay-per-view. Shortly after the PPV, the trophy was seized by Eric Bischoff and removed from television. Afterwards Norman Smiley was crowned first official WCW hardcore champion. The title lasted from 1999 to 2001. During Bash at
130-478: A Belfast Brawl rematch a few weeks later. Finlay and Hornswoggle briefly separated when Hornswoggle was stripped of the Cruiserweight title, and briefly moving to Raw with his " illegitimate father", Mr. McMahon . Finlay then feuded with Rey Mysterio by attacking him during a confrontational interview with JBL. At No Mercy , Finlay faked an injury after taking a bump to the outside. Once placed on
195-718: A Winner Takes All triple threat match against Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair . On 16 April 2020, Finlay was among the several WWE employees who were furloughed as part of the COVID-19 budget cuts but returned to work in November of the same year. In November, he was re-hired as a trainer and assistant coach at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida . Finlay has received praise from fellow professional wrestlers and peers. He reportedly assisted in
260-498: A legitimate eye injury, sidelining him temporarily. He returned on 16 June, attacking ECW World Heavyweight Champion Tommy Dreamer , Christian , and Jack Swagger. At The Bash , he participated in a Championship Scramble match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, which also included Christian, Swagger and Henry, but Dreamer retained the title. Finlay did not return to ECW after that. He
325-575: A 15-man battle royal . He failed to win as the match was won by former rival Rey Mysterio. Between June and October, Finlay worked in house shows. In October 2010, Finlay retired from WWE and became a backstage producer. Finlay was released by WWE in March 2011 after authorising the interruption of the US national anthem by The Miz during a house show, which offended many, including National Guard members who were in attendance. Finlay stated that his intention
390-465: A Junkyard Invitational involving Ciclope , Jerry Flynn , Johnny Grunge , Hak , Horace Hogan , Brian Knobbs , Hugh Morrus , La Parka , Steve Regal, Rocco Rock , Silver King , Dave Taylor, and Mikey Whipwreck , winning what was initially announced to be for the " WCW Hardcore Championship ", although the actual lineage would not begin until Mayhem (1999) , thus leaving Finlay with a trophy instead of an actual championship. He legitimately suffered
455-645: A badly lacerated nerve in his leg during a hardcore match at a house show in Jackson, Mississippi on 25 July 1999, which nearly cost him use of the leg. As he was wrestling Knobbs, he was thrown into a table in the corner of the ring, causing it to shatter and the shards to cut into his leg. He managed to regain use of the limb and would return to WCW at Starrcade by assisting Knobbs in interfering in Norman Smiley 's Hardcore Championship title defense against Meng . Finlay unsuccessfully challenged Smiley for
520-568: A comeback on March 21, 2004, wrestling in a match defeating Jamie Noble at a house show in Glasgow and losing to Heidenreich in a house show in Belfast on October 8, 2004. Promos began airing for his impending in-ring return on 30 December 2005. His gimmick was that of a proud native Irishman who loved to fight. At the age of 47, Finlay made his televised debut on the 20 January 2006 edition of SmackDown! against Matt Hardy , which ended in
585-642: A disqualification after he refused to break a five-count while pummelling Hardy against the ropes. After the match, Finlay stomped Hardy's face into the ring steps, establishing himself as a villain . This earned him the nickname "The Fighting Irish Bastard". Finlay continued to establish himself on the SmackDown! roster. During February and March 2006, he feuded with Bobby Lashley that began after he cost Lashley his unbeaten streak by interfering in Lashley's match with JBL at No Way Out . This feud would see
650-510: A hardcore match on the 1 March episode of Thunder . They feuded with Vampiro , leading to a falls count anywhere match between Finlay and Vampiro at Uncensored , which Finlay lost. Finlay left wrestling in the summer of 2000 and accepted the position of a backstage road agent for WCW. His final match in WCW was at Millennium Final , where he competed twice, firstly in a battle royal and secondly in an Octoberfest Hardcore match against Smiley in
715-470: A live event. He made his televised return on the 25 October episode of Saturday Night as Fit Finlay, sporting a new look of short bleached-blond hair and no mustache. He defeated Barry Houston in his televised return match. He participated in the World War 3 battle royal at the namesake event on 23 November for a future WCW World Heavyweight Championship title shot, but failed to win the match. He
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#1732797985144780-784: A losing effort. Finlay remained in the company as a road agent until WCW was bought by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 2001. When WCW was purchased by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF; now WWE), Finlay began working for the company as a trainer for new wrestlers. He trained future WWE champions John Cena and Randy Orton and was eventually put in charge of training the WWE Divas for their matches. In May 2001, he wrestled three matches in Germany and England. Finlay began working on
845-588: A match against The Great Khali, turning both Finlay and Hornswoggle faces . At Armageddon , Finlay was placed in a match with Khali. Finlay scored an upset win after Hornswoggle interfered by hitting Khali in the groin with a shillelagh . Still battling Khali and his translator, Ranjin Singh, with Hornswoggle, he qualified for the Royal Rumble . He drew number 27, but was immediately disqualified when he entered before his time to save Hornswoggle. Hornswoggle, who
910-579: A rematch on the 29 October episode of Thunder . Finlay would then team with WCW colleague Jerry Flynn to participate in New Japan Pro-Wrestling 's Super Grade Tag League , with their team losing all of their matches in the tournament and coming in last place. He returned from the tour of NJPW in December and then teamed with Flynn against Brian Adams and Scott Norton in a losing effort at Starrcade . After defeating Van Hammer at
975-496: A steel cage match, JBL revealed that Finlay, and not McMahon, was Hornswoggle's father. A week after, on 3 March, Finlay admitted to this fact. At WrestleMania XXIV he was defeated by JBL in a Belfast Brawl, where Hornswoggle also reappeared. As part of the 2008 WWE supplemental draft , Finlay was drafted to the ECW brand . He and Hornswoggle challenged John Morrison and the Miz for
1040-442: A stint on the independent circuit and a year after the house show incident, Finlay returned to WWE on 11 July 2012 as a backstage producer. The two sides had been negotiating since WrestleMania XXVIII , but there were situations that delayed the deal being finalised. During the following years, Finlay made some cameo appearances, usually separating brawling wrestlers. He was also one of four wrestlers who presented Tyler Bate with
1105-715: A storyline where he renamed singles titles that he had won, Lance Storm won the Hardcore Championship and, as he had done with the Cruiserweight and U.S. titles (renaming them the 100 Kilos and Under and Canadian championships), changed the name of the title to the Saskatchewan Hardcore International Title (or S.H.I.T for short). The final hardcore champion in WCW was Meng , who defeated Crowbar and reigning champ Terry Funk at WCW Sin on January 14, 2001. It
1170-482: A stretcher, Finlay suddenly rose and attacked Mysterio, forcing Rey to be carried out on the stretcher. The feud continued at Cyber Sunday , where fans voted for the two to face-off in a Stretcher match . Mysterio came out on top, but Finlay retaliated with a victory on the edition of 9 November of SmackDown! . The feud ended when the two faced on opposite teams at Survivor Series , which Finlay's team lost. Finlay reunited with Hornswoggle by coming to rescue him in
1235-660: A visit to France in August 1980 Finlay made his television debut, teaming with Ian Gilmour as " Scotsmen " to lose to Guy Mercier (father of Marc Mercier ) and Alan Mitchells. Around this time, he began working for various companies under the Joint Promotions banner. Finlay defeated Alan Kilby on 9 June 1982 to win his first title, the Joint Promotions British Heavy Middleweight Championship . He also formed
1300-543: Is a Northern Irish retired professional wrestler . He is signed to WWE as a trainer and assistant coach at the Performance Center , as well as a producer . He is best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1996 to 2000 under the ring name Fit Finlay , and in WWE from 2005 to 2010 under the mononymous name Finlay . Finlay debuted in 1974, and has held over 20 championships around
1365-522: Is a former wrestler and wrestling coach and was appointed MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours "For Services to Olympic Wrestling in Northern Ireland". His grandfather was a professional wrestler, and his sister was a referee . His uncle, Albert, was a goalkeeper for Glentoran F.C. in the 1960s and 1970s. Finlay was previously married to his former manager, Princess Paula. He is currently married to Melanie "Mel" Duffin and has three children,
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#17327979851441430-648: Is now displayed in WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut . Norman Smiley held the record for the longest official reign at 51 days. The shortest reign was that of Carl Ouellet , who was awarded the title after Lance Storm gave it up but lost it 38 minutes later to Norman Smiley. Brian Knobbs and Funk hold the record for most reigns with three each and Smiley holds the record for most cumulative days as champion. Fit Finlay David John Finlay ( Irish : Daithi Eoin Fionnalaigh , born 31 January 1958)
1495-470: The 2011 Battle of Los Angeles tournament . He was eliminated from the tournament in the first round by PWG World Champion Kevin Steen . On 28 October 2011, Finlay's debut for Yoshihiro Tajiri 's Smash promotion was announced, when he was revealed as the mysterious "King of Terror", Michael Kovac had promised to bring to the promotion and named first ever Smash Champion StarBuck 's first challenger for
1560-788: The British Heavy Middleweight Championship , but later lost it to Danny Collins. In 1990 he became a champion at the top of the weight range when he won All Star's British Heavyweight Championship . Finlay often competed on ITV 's World of Sport programme as Dave "Fit" Finlay on which he had many matches against Jones, Collins, Big Daddy (whom he fought on TV during coverage of the 1984 and 1986 FA Cup Final matches) and "The American Dream" Steve Adonis, as well as on Williams' Welsh language wrestling show, Reslo , for S4C . During this time, Finlay also began to wrestle in Japan, then in Germany and Austria for
1625-400: The COVID-19 pandemic , and was signed to WWE in December 2023, where he currently performs under the ring name Uriah Connors. List of professional wrestling terms#N Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from
1690-624: The ECW World Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort. On the 13 March episode of SmackDown , Finlay defeated The Brian Kendrick to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 25 . At the event, Finlay failed to win the match as it was won by CM Punk . In the 2009 Supplemental Draft , Finlay and Hornswoggle were separated when Hornswoggle was drafted to Raw. In late May 2009, Finlay suffered
1755-561: The Raw and SmackDown! brands in a Money in the Bank ladder match , which also included Lashley, who won a last chance battle royal. This match was eventually won by Rob Van Dam . Finlay next entered the King of the Ring tournament on SmackDown! , defeating his first round opponent Chris Benoit , before being beaten by his rival Lashley, who advanced to the finals at Judgment Day . Finlay helped
1820-536: The Souled Out pay-per-view on 17 January 1999, Finlay was randomly paired with Dave Taylor to participate in a tournament for the vacant World Tag Team Championship , where they lost to The Faces of Fear in a lumberjack match in the opening round, thus moving to the Losers' Bracket, where they defeated Billy Kidman and Chavo Guerrero Jr. in the opening round but lost to Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko in
1885-552: The WWE Tag Team Championship at Night of Champions , but lost. Throughout the rest of 2008, Finlay challenged for the ECW Championship . He, along with Matt Hardy , Chavo Guerrero , The Miz and ECW Champion Mark Henry participated in the first ever Championship Scramble match at Unforgiven , which was won by Hardy won. He defeated Mark Henry on an episode of ECW to earn an opportunity for
1950-644: The WWE UK Championship after Bate won the related tournament in January 2017. After Lana was unable to compete in the 2019 women's Royal Rumble match following an attack by Nia Jax during her entrance, Finlay gave fellow Irish wrestler Becky Lynch permission to replace Lana; Lynch would go on to win the match and subsequently headline WrestleMania 35 , where she would win both the Raw Women's Championship and SmackDown Women's Championship in
2015-770: The Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23 ; however, Mr. Kennedy won the match . Following this loss, he would feud with Kennedy, after an attack on Little Bastard (now renamed " Hornswoggle ") during the Money in the Bank match, and Jamie Noble for assaulting Hornswoggle after he won the Cruiserweight Championship . Finlay's feud, however, would quickly redirect to Kane after Finlay accidentally spilled coffee on him. The two also became involved with Batista and The Great Khali . At Saturday Night's Main Event XXXV , he and Khali lost to Batista and Kane. Kane beat him at SummerSlam . Finlay defeated Kane in
WCW Hardcore Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue
2080-488: The Beach (1999) , Fit Finlay won a "junkyard invitational" to be crowned "WCW Hardcore Champion". However, this would end up being a trophy and thus unrecognized in the lineage of the championship. The first recognized WCW Hardcore champion was Norman Smiley , who defeated Brian Knobs in Toronto , Ontario , at the WCW pay-per-view Mayhem on November 21, 1999. Other notable champions are: 3 Count , who won and defended
2145-571: The Bruiser and Regal's stablemates The Blue Bloods ( Squire David Taylor and Earl Robert Eaton ) interfered in each other's matches. The Bruiser won a stiff encounter with Regal by disqualification at Uncensored when the Blue Bloods again rushed the ring and assaulted him after Regal suffered a broken nose during the match. The following night on Nitro , Bruiser suffered his first loss in WCW against Randy Savage . After Regal pinned
2210-609: The Bruiser in a parking lot brawl on 29 April episode of Nitro , the feud died down thereafter. The injuries sustained from the match would lead to Bruiser being removed from his scheduled tag team match with Regal at Slamboree . Finlay would then take a hiatus off WCW television for a stint in Catch Wrestling Association, while abandoning the Belfast Bruiser persona in the process. Finlay returned to WCW on 1 October 1997 by defeating Dave Taylor at
2275-423: The ECW World Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated by Hardy. Then he started a feud with Henry, and the feud ended when Finlay defeated Henry in a Belfast Brawl match at Armageddon . Finlay entered his third Royal Rumble match at the eponymous pay-per-view on 25 January 2009, where he entered at number 14 and lasted 30 minutes before being eliminated by Kane. At No Way Out , Finlay faced Jack Swagger for
2340-721: The European promotion Catch Wrestling Association . While holding the British Heavyweight championship, he teamed with former rival Marty Jones to win the CWA tag title from Tony St. Clair and Mile Zrno . After losing the British championship to Dave Taylor , Finlay began to focus more on the CWA, winning many of their championships. Finlay teamed with Mark Rocco and Murphy in a 1989 WWF dark match in London, defeating
2405-445: The Hardcore Championship on the 23 December episode of Thunder . In his continued pursuit of the Hardcore Championship, Finlay began regularly teaming with Knobbs as well. At the 2000 Souled Out event, Finlay unsuccessfully challenged Knobbs for the Hardcore Championship in a four-way match, also involving Smiley and Meng. Shortly after, Finlay formed a trio of the "Hardcore Army" with Knobbs and The Dog as they defeated 3 Count in
2470-534: The King, and Finlay briefly used the name Sir Finlay . During his time as part of the court, Finlay picked up a win against World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio in a non-title match before defeating the court's main foe Bobby Lashley to take Lashley's United States Championship . Finlay defended the championship on several occasions, often with help from Little Bastard, and even defended it against Regal, his fellow court member, at The Great American Bash . He lost
2535-474: The Riot Squad tag team with Skull Murphy (Peter Northey), together winning the 1982 World of Sport Top Tag Team Tournament. At this time, Finlay's then-wife, "Princess" Paula Valdez, became his manager . Dressed in a Native American headdress , she would frequently admonish her husband for mistakes in the ring. He then won a tournament to crown a new British Light Heavyweight champion and fill
2600-506: The belt as a trio; Brian Knobbs, who held the belt a record three times and was the one to defeat 3 Count at Uncensored 2000 ; and Terry Funk, a three-time champion who also held the title for a period of almost two months, from April to June 2000, when he was defeated by Eric Bischoff at a WCW Monday Nitro in Atlanta, Georgia. Bischoff later awarded the title to Big Vito as a reward for helping him take it from Funk. In 2000, as part of
2665-490: The best in them". WWE Wrestler Batista has credited Finlay as "the unsung hero who changed the direction of his career" and personally requested Finlay to induct him in the Hall of Fame ceremony. Former WWE wrestler and trainer Lance Storm and former AEW wrestler/executive and current WWE wrestler Cody Rhodes have also praised Finlay's mentoring skills and for putting new talents over. Finlay's father, Dave Finlay Sr. ,
WCW Hardcore Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue
2730-530: The eldest of whom, David , was born in Germany. His children have been involved in wrestling, either at the amateur or professional level. His eldest son. David, has wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling since 2015. His daughter, Alanna, won the Georgia state championship during her youth. His youngest son, Brogan , trained for a brief time at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling dojo before
2795-539: The follow-up promotion to Smash, defeating Akira in the main event. Two days later, Finlay defeated Zeus in the main event of another WNC event. Finlay's first tour of WNC concluded on 27 May, when he, Akira and Syuri defeated Kana , Mikey Whipwreck and Tajiri in a six-person main event. On 24 June at ROH's Best in the World 2012: Hostage Crisis iPPV, Finlay was defeated by Michael Elgin . Finlay returned to WNC on 20 September, when he defeated Ray Mendoza Jr. in
2860-570: The industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence of fans so as not to reveal the worked nature of the business. Into the 21st century, widespread discussion on the Internet has popularized these terms. Many of the terms refer to the financial aspects of professional wrestling in addition to in-ring terms. Also road agent , producer and coach . Also juicing , gigging , getting color , and running
2925-633: The main event at Korakuen Hall . Following the match, Finlay announced that he was done with WNC for the time being due to re-signing with WWE. Despite no longer scheduled to make appearances for WNC, Finlay was named the head of the WNC Championship Committee. Finlay wrestled his retirement match on 22 December 2012 at Hangover No.5 in Hanover , Germany, teaming with his son David Finlay Jr. to defeat Robbie Brookside and "Dirty" Dan Collins in an Irish street fight. Following
2990-778: The main event of a Stampede Wrestling show in Barrie, Ontario in a losing effort against Harry Smith . On 21 January 2012, Fit Finlay returned to DOA Pro Wrestling in Portland, Oregon to face Ethan H. D. for the DOA Heavyweight Championship. On 12 May 2012, at Border Wars , Finlay made his debut for Ring of Honor (ROH), unsuccessfully challenging Roderick Strong for the ROH World Television Championship . On 24 May, Finlay made his debut for Wrestling New Classic (WNC),
3055-490: The only means of identification at the time. He then cut a promo to the camera in which he introduced himself and declared that Regal was an "English pig" who was "paying for 400 years " of English-Irish conflict. This marked the beginning of a lengthy feud between the Bruiser and Regal. Bruiser won his first match in WCW on 10 February episode of Saturday Night by defeating enhancement talent Mike Marcello. The feud played out over subsequent Saturday Night episodes in which
3120-435: The other finalist, Booker T , defeat Lashley in the King of the Ring finals. At the same pay-per-view, Finlay lost to Benoit. Beginning on the 26 May episode of SmackDown! , Finlay was joined by Little Bastard , who came out from under the ring to attack Finlay's opponents. Finlay then joined forces with William Regal as loyal subjects of the newly renamed King Booker and his Court . Both men were later " knighted " by
3185-402: The pair brawl on many occasions, including a parking lot segment in which Lashley tried to overturn a car onto Finlay. Later, the pair competed in a Money in the Bank qualifier lumberjack match that Finlay won. During this time, Finlay began to wield a shillelagh as a weapon. On 2 April, Finlay competed at his first WrestleMania , WrestleMania 22 . He faced five other WWE superstars from both
3250-439: The razor . Also booker and booking . Also going broadway . Also bury and buried . Also championship advantage . Also forbidden door . Also getting the heat . Also lackey or heavy Also babyface , blue-eye (England), or técnico (Mexico). Also playing Ricky Morton . Also hope spot . Also cross-promotion . Also persona . Also jobber to
3315-499: The second round. On the 10 June episode of Thunder , Finlay unsuccessfully challenged Rick Steiner for the World Television Championship. In the summer of 1999, Finlay resumed his alliance with Taylor, which also expanded to include former rival Steven Regal , but the trio did not achieve much success. During that time, Finlay began competing in the emerging hardcore division. At Bash at the Beach , he won
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#17327979851443380-506: The team of Al Perez , Dusty Wolfe and Tim Horner . Finlay made his American wrestling debut in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1996, going by the ring name of The Belfast Bruiser . Finlay made his WCW debut on 27 January episode of Saturday Night by emerging from the stands to viciously attack Lord Steven Regal , with Tony Schiavone stating "It says Northern Ireland on the back of his jacket", as
3445-415: The title against Chris Jericho on the 17 October episode of Saturday Night but the match ended in a time limit draw. Shortly after his title loss, Finlay began feuding with Alex Wright , who was angry at Finlay for having ended the wrestling career of his father, Steve Wright, which led to a match between the two at Halloween Havoc , where Finlay was pinned by Wright. However, Finlay defeated Wright in
3510-403: The title on weekly WCW television against the likes of Chavo Guerrero Jr. , Kaos , The Renegade , Brad Armstrong , Jim Neidhart , Norman Smiley and Psychosis , before losing the World Television Championship back to Booker T at The Great American Bash . Finlay unsuccessfully challenged Booker for the title in a rematch on the 2 July episode of Thunder . He received another title shot for
3575-421: The title to Mr. Kennedy on the 1 September edition of SmackDown! in a Triple Threat match that also involved Bobby Lashley. After the title loss, Finlay continued to attack and wrestle threats to court leader King Booker and his newly won World Heavyweight Championship, including Lashley and Batista . Finlay defeated King Booker in a non-title singles match and lost in a fatal four-way match at No Mercy for
3640-457: The title. After leaving the court, Finlay continued to feud with Batista. At Armageddon , Finlay and King Booker faced Batista and his partner, WWE Champion John Cena from Raw but were defeated. Shortly after the Royal Rumble , Finlay began a feud with The Boogeyman . At No Way Out , he and Little Bastard defeated The Boogeyman and The Little Boogeyman. Finlay earned a place in the Money in
3705-479: The title. On 24 November at Smash.23 , Finlay defeated StarBuck to become the new Smash Champion. On 19 February, Finlay made his first successful defence of the Smash Championship, defeating Tajiri. Prior to the event, Smash had announced that it would cease its operations on 14 March, which led to Finlay vacating the Smash Championship after the title defence. On 6 November 2011, Finlay wrestled in
3770-922: The transition of WWE's presentation of the WWE Divas from bra and panties matches to more respectful traditional wrestling. Former WWE Diva Victoria attested: "He made us and molded us. He got to know what made us tick, exposed that, and there was nothing we couldn't do. Today, the girls pick and choose what moves they want to do. If Fit Finlay wasn't around, that wouldn't happen. We worked stiff. We made contact." Other women wrestlers such as Torrie Wilson , Lita , Jazz , Stacy Keibler , Molly Holly , The Bella Twins , Beth Phoenix , Natalya , Trish Stratus , Ruby Riott , Liv Morgan , Sarah Logan , Sasha Banks , Charlotte Flair , Becky Lynch , Lana , Bayley , and Ronda Rousey have credited Finlay for helping them hone their wrestling abilities and find their identities. They described Finlay as "an incredible wrestler and patient coach who treats everyone equally and brings out
3835-615: The vacant position, defeating Ringo Rigby in the finals. Finlay soon lost the championship, but later pinned Marty Jones to win the World Mid-Heavyweight Championship. He traded it back and forth with Jones for over two years before losing it a final time to Jones via disqualification. He defeated Jones to win Joint Promotions' British Light Heavyweight Championship. In the second half of the 1980s, he defeated Frank "Chic" Cullen on television for
3900-883: The world throughout his career, including the WCW World Television Championship and the WWE United States Championship . Finlay's first match was for his father 's promotion in Glynn in 1974, when he filled in for a wrestler who no-showed . He began wrestling on a full-time basis in Carrickfergus and throughout Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland for the next four years before moving to England in 1978. In England, he wrestled for independent promoters such as Jackie Pallo , Orig Williams and Brian Dixon . On
3965-544: Was also a competitor in the Rumble, was disqualified as well. Finlay fought in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out , ultimately being pinned after a chokeslam on the steel floor by The Undertaker . Finlay then began making occasional appearances on Raw to protect Hornswoggle from Mr. McMahon, who had been showing him "tough love". After Hornswoggle was injured by JBL in
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#17327979851444030-483: Was given a push upon his return, winning the majority of his matches in the mid-card. This culminated in him pinning Booker T to win the World Television Championship on the 4 May 1998 episode of Nitro , thus setting off a three-way feud with Booker and Chris Benoit , who was also vying for the title. Finlay retained the title against Benoit at Slamboree . Finlay also regularly defended
4095-449: Was largely abandoned after Meng left the company to return to the WWF. Meng presented the championship to Barbarian as a gift at an independent wrestling event on January 21, 2001. The belt was not defended again nor was it featured on the final episode of Nitro which was also known as "Night of Champions". The title belt was handed over formally to the WWF upon the purchase of WCW. The title
4160-577: Was to intensify the audience's dislike of the Miz in preparation for the latter's WrestleMania XXVII main event appearance, but accepted full responsibility for his dismissal. After being released from WWE, Finlay was contacted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) several times, but was unable to agree upon contractual terms. He began to wrestle again on the independent circuit , making his first appearance on 26 July 2011, defeating Sami Callihan at Evolve 9 . On 20 August 2011, Finlay made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), taking part in
4225-552: Was traded to the SmackDown brand on 29 June 2009. He went on to form part of John Morrison 's team at Survivor Series , but was eliminated by Sheamus , and his team eventually lost. In late 2009, he began pursuing the Intercontinental Championship by feuding with Drew McIntyre , which he failed to win. His final televised match in WWE was on the 4 June 2010 episode of SmackDown , where he competed in
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