Paul Burchill

Paul Burchill

Burchill at a signing in Belfast, Northern Ireland, 2009.
Birth name Paul Birchall
Born (1979-10-08) 8 October 1979
Guildford, England,
United Kingdom[1]
Residence Jeffersontown, Kentucky
Children 2
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Burchill[2]
Paul Burchill[2]
The Ripper[3]
Billed height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[4]
Billed weight 247 lb (112 kg)[4]
Billed from Chelsea, England[4]
London, England
Guildford, Surrey
Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands
Trained by Frontier Wrestling Alliance[2]
Mark Sloan[2]
Debut 2002[2]
Retired 2014

Paul Birchall[1] (born 8 October 1979), better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is a retired English professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE, where he signed after training and debuting for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance in his home country.

Professional wrestling career

Frontier Wrestling Alliance (2002–2004)

Birchall is a former primary school teacher from Surrey, but got into professional wrestling in 2001 after walking into the Frontier Wrestling Alliance's (FWA) Academy and quickly impressing the man running the camp, Mark Sloan.[2][1]

While training at the Academy under Sloan's guidance, Birchall made his debut in August 2002 using the slightly modified spelling of his name Paul Burchill.[1] In mid-2002, Burchill began to appear in the FWA by interfering in matches or before them, making unscheduled appearances and beating other wrestlers leading to October at Uprising when he took out both members of The New Breed (Ashe and Curve) singlehandedly before their match.[5] He went on interfering in matches, even taking out all four competitors in a four-way match[1] until May when he made his first scheduled appearance at Frontiers of Honour, jointly held between FWA and Ring of Honor (ROH). Debuting with manager 'Twisted Genius' Dean Ayass he defeated the tag team of Double Dragon (Raj Jordon and Ross Jordan), in his first sanctioned match[6] by double knockout.[7] Burchill went on an undefeated streak in handicap matches against tag teams for the rest of the year, often running into the Duke of Danger (who he'd taken out in the four way) and Andy Simmons, part of the aristocrat themed group Hampton Court.[8] He cemented this winning streak in a moment voted thirteenth on the FWA's Top 20 Moments when he interrupted the Duke's thrashing of peasants (squashing jobbers) at Hotwired in September[5] and performed a double rolling fireman's carry slam before debuting his C-4 finishing move.[9] By the end of 2003 he was voted Rookie of the Year by both Total Wrestling and 1 Stop Wrestling.[1]

His winning streak would go untarnished until mid-2004 at June's Carpe Diem event where Simmons continued to resist being pinned or submitting to Burchill. Frustrated, Burchill went up the ramp to talk to his manager Ayass but while there veteran Drew McDonald came from the back and hit him with a steel chair[10] causing Burchill to lose via count out.[11] Burchill gained some level of revenge when he teamed up with Terry Funk and Paul Travell to take on McDonald, Thunder and his first victim Ghosh at November's British Uprising III, receiving a standing ovation from the 1,800 fans in attendance as news broke that he had signed with American promotion World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).[1] A fortnight later at FWA's annual Gold Rush event he faced FWA British Heavyweight Champion Alex Shane in a non-title match, being pinned for the first time since training in the Academy in his last match.[11]

Other promotions (2004)

On 1 August 2004, Burchill defeated Doug Williams and The Zebra Kid (Roy Bevis) in a No Holds Barred three way match to become the International Wrestling Promotions (IWP) Heavyweight Champion. He would hold the title until 6 November, when he lost a Falls Count Anywhere match to D'Lo Brown.[2]

In May 2004, Burchill made two appearances in Athletik Club Wrestling (ACW) in Germany losing in a tag team match to Jerry Lynn and Michael Kovac. Later that night he took part in a 22-man battle royal losing to fellow Brit Doug Williams.[12] He returned in July for Summer Heat where he took on Patrick Shulz, who he had tagged with at the previous event, and won in a grudge match. Shulz, with his Made in Germany tag team partner Eric Shwarz, gained a return victory later that night over Burchill and Crazy Sexy Mike.[13]

World Wrestling Entertainment

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2005–2008)

Burchill briefly appeared in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in 2005 before his appearance on SmackDown, making it to the second round of a tournament for the OVW Television Championship. He also feuded briefly with Nick Nemeth, exchanging victories before winning an OVW Southern Tag Team Championship shot along with Seth Skyfire in a battle royal but the hastily assembled pair could not defeat The Blond Bombers (Tank and Chad Toland) in the next match.[14]

In January 2006 he began a feud with Ken Doane after Doane abandoned Burchill during a tag team match. The following week Burchill defeated Doane despite the presence of the rest of The Spirit Squad at ringside. He also had a brief angle where he interrupted a match to attack Shelly Martinez but instead carried her backstage and she was later seen wearing a pirate's wench outfit and chasing him to no avail. She would later attack Cherry Pie during his win over Deuce Shade. In September he won a battle royal for a shot at the OVW Heavyweight Championship but lost the match later that night. He earned another shot at the championship in December by defeating Seth Skyfire in a Christmas Presents match. A week later Chett the Jet beat Jacob Duncan for the championship at which point Burchill came to the ring and hit Chett with a steel chair, telling Danny Basham, the Troubleshooter, that he was the primary contender for the belt and demanded a match instantly thus ending 2006 with his first OVW Heavyweight Championship.[15][16]

He defended the belt frequently against both Chett and Duncan in 2007 and earned the nickname "Ripper" by repeatedly defeating them both[17] but lost it on 17 February in his second defence against Cody Runnels.[18] He won it back the next day from Rhodes.[16] After more successful defences Aaron "The Idol" Stevens won the belt from him on 14 March.[18] A rematch on 18 April ended in a double count-out but Burchill would not be appeased, interfering in Runnels' title shot to make the match a no contest and on 9 May he was given another shot at the title and won it for a third time.[16] Two weeks later on 23 May, a rematch between Burchill and Stevens went to a draw when both men simultaneously pinned each other leading the title to be held up and vacated.[18] A match for the vacant title was booked between Burchill, Stevens and Jay Bradley on 1 June with Bradley picking up the win.[16] Burchill regained the belt later that month on 27 June but lost it 28 July to Vladimir Kozlov.[18]

In August, Burchill pinned Mark Henry in retaliation for Henry injuring him on SmackDown months prior. In November he defeated Stu Sanders by the referee's ten count but teamed with him the following week, eventually getting to the finals of a tournament for the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship but losing the last match to Shawn Spears and Colt Cabana.[17] In the first show of 2008 the team beat Cabana and Charles Evans to capture the titles.[18] Around the same time he also began sending presents to Katie "The Kat" Lea as a secret admirer, eventually revealing himself when he helped her win her second OVW Women's Championship.[19] His final appearance in OVW, on 27 February, was in a four corners tag team match where he and Sanders lost their championship to Los Locos (Ramón and Raúl).[18]

Debut (2005–2006)

After arriving in the US, Burchill was scouted by Tommy Dreamer and called up to the main roster by August.[20] He made his WWE debut on 27 August 2005 episode of Velocity, when he made a run-in in a match between fellow Englishman William Regal and Scotty 2 Hotty. Burchill quickly established an alliance with his countryman, helping Regal to beat down Scotty 2 Hotty.[1] A week later he debuted on SmackDown!, teaming with Regal to defeat Hotty and Funaki via submission when Scotty tapped out to Burchill's Royal Mutilation.[21] The next week on SmackDown!, Burchill defeated Scotty 2 Hotty in a singles match in the same manner.[22] After rising through the tag team ranks Regal and Burchill were given a chance at the Tag Team Championship in a Fatal Four Way match facing The Mexicools, MNM and then-champions Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Heidenreich), but lost out to MNM.[23] Regal and Burchill continued tagging together, mainly feuding with The Mexicools on Velocity while Regal often acted as a manager for Burchill during his singles matches. He lost to the debuting Bobby Lashley in mid-December,[24] but bounced back with a win on Velocity, debuting his C-4 move in WWE to defeat John Xavier. In January he appeared in a 20-man battle royal for the World Heavyweight Championship, but was eliminated by the eventual winner Kurt Angle.[25]

On SmackDown! on 3 February 2006, Burchill and Regal told SmackDown! "network representative" Palmer Canon that they no longer wanted to be a tag team so they could go their separate ways. During this discussion, Burchill informed Canon that his family heritage traces back to the pirate Blackbeard and he wanted to do a pirate gimmick on SmackDown!.[26] He followed through on this promise the following week when he appeared backstage dressed as a pirate, with a look similar to that of Johnny Depp's character from the Pirates of the Caribbean film series.[27] Regal tried to convince Burchill to return to his former ruthless gimmick, while Burchill refused cementing him as a fan favourite.[28] Burchill had his first match as a pirate on the edition of SmackDown! on 10 March 2006, making an elaborate entrance by swinging down to the floor on a rope. Burchill defeated Regal using the C-4, which was renamed Walking the Plank to suit the gimmick.[29] After Regal continued to persuade Burchill to return to his former gimmick, the two were booked in a match where the loser would be forced to wear the winner's choice of clothing. Burchill won the match, forcing Regal to dress at his whim until Burchill lost another match, initially dressing him up as a buxom wench,[30] and later in various costumes such as a chicken suit and a gorilla suit. Eventually, he made Regal dress up like a buccaneer to tag with him against Gymini on 21 April. Burchill ended up abandoning Regal during the match, which led to Gymini picking up the victory.[31] In early June, Burchill's popular pirate gimmick came to an end when Mark Henry, who was going on a storyline rampage, defeated Burchill and then assaulted him afterwards resulting in him being stretchered off SmackDown.[32] He resurfaced on SmackDown in July 2007 as a pirate for a Mardi Gras party thrown by Edge, though he was not acknowledged.[33]

This time away from the ring was also used to develop a new gimmick to replace his pirate character on his return. This was done allegedly because Vince McMahon, who reportedly was not aware of the Pirates of the Caribbean films and Johnny Depp's pirate character, believed the character should have thought he was a real pirate, acting more like the Carl Ouellet pirate character from the 1990s, and felt it could not work as a crowd favourite, despite the positive crowd reactions Burchill received.

Alliance with Katie Lea and departure (2008–2010)

Burchill with his on-screen sister Katie Lea Burchill.

After appearing on Heat on several occasions, Burchill made his return to WWE television as a villain for the first time since 2005 with fellow FWA alumna Katie Lea playing his on-screen sister during the episode of Raw on 11 February, defeating Brian Kendrick in a singles match.[34][35] Continuing to appear on Heat, Burchill and Katie would occasionally appear on Raw in handicap matches.[36][37] On 26 May, Burchill assaulted Mr. Kennedy because he forced William Regal to leave Raw[38] which led to a brief feud until Kennedy was drafted to SmackDown.[39][40] After this, Burchill engaged in a brief feud with then-Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston while Katie Lea feuded with then-Women's Champion Mickie James but despite defeating them in a tag team match,[41] neither won their respective titles in singles matches.[42] Following this Burchill had a minimal on-air role, making brief appearances in squash matches to Batista[43] and Jamie Noble.[44]

Burchill and Katie Lea were later both moved from Raw to the ECW brand on 30 December 2008, where Burchill lost to DJ Gabriel in his debut match for the brand.[45] The Burchills were defeated in a mixed tag team match against Gabriel and Alicia Fox on 13 January 2009.[46] On the edition of 3 February of ECW, Burchill scored his first win as a member of the ECW brand by defeating Tommy Dreamer.[47] Burchill competed sporadically for the next few months, failing to win any of his matches, before taking a hiatus in June 2009.[48][49][50][51] He returned on 14 July episode of ECW, losing to Yoshi Tatsu.[52] By August, Burchill became embroiled in a rivalry with backstage interviewer Gregory Helms, who he accused of being masked wrestler The Hurricane (who Helms also portrayed).[53]

After several months of matches and attacks, the two finally agreed to settle the matter in a match on 17 November's ECW, which saw Hurricane's mask put up against Burchill's career on the ECW brand. Despite many attempts, Burchill could not secure the pin and subsequently lost the match.[54] Despite being fired (kayfabe), Burchill appeared on 3 December episode of Superstars under a mask during The Hurricane's match with Zack Ryder, and subsequently attacked Hurricane, giving him the victory by disqualification.[55] The following week on ECW, Burchill and Katie Lea, now sporting masks and calling themselves The Ripper and The Beautiful Nightmare (likely being 'supervillains' to match Hurricane's superhero gimmick), respectively, appeared in a backstage segment with general manager Tiffany and asked for a contract, which Tiffany said they would receive if The Ripper could defeat The Hurricane the following week in a match.[3] However, The Ripper was unmasked by Hurricane and subsequently defeated, resulting in Burchill and Katie remaining off ECW.[56] After the closure of the ECW brand, Burchill was formally released by WWE on 26 February 2010.[57]

Independent circuit (2010-2014)

On 8 May 2010, Burchill lost to A.J. Styles in a match for Pro Wrestling Syndicate.[58]

On 22 and 23 April 2011 Paul appeared at Heartland Wrestling Association and took part in "Heartland Cup 2011". He defeated Jesse Emerson in the first round match,[59] but lost to Jake Crist in quarterfinals who later won the tournament.[60]

On November 3, 2012 at a CFW event Burchill faced Matt Hardy in a losing effort. on January 5, 2013 at Crossfire 2nd Anniversary Event, Rough Cut ( Burchill and David Young) (w/Jillian Hall) defeated Blink 2-4-7 (Derrick King and Tatt2) and lost to The Hot Shots (Cassidy Riley and Chase Stevens) on the same night.

Personal life

Birchall is married and has two sons.[61] His brother, Major Sean Birchall, was killed in Afghanistan on 19 June 2009.[62][63] Birchall works full-time as a firefighter.[64]

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

Luchas de Apuestas record

Winner (wager) Loser (wager) Location Event Date Notes
The Hurricane (mask) Paul Burchill (career) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ECW on Syfy November 17, 2009 [71]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Paul Burchill". Slam! Sports. Canoe.ca. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Paul Burchill Profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
  3. 1 2 Caldwell, James (8 December 2009). "ECW TV Report 12/8: In-person live report on Christian & Yoshi & Shelton vs. Team Regal, Archer vs. Dreamer". PWTorch. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Paul Burchill Bio". WWE. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  5. 1 2 "The FWA's Fifty Golden Moments". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  6. ↑ "Past Events". Ring of Honor. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "FWA Top 20 Moments: 5-2". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. YouTube. 30 July 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  8. ↑ "FWA results 2003". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "FWA's Top 20 Moments: 15-11". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. YouTube. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  10. ↑ "FWA Top 20 Moments: 10-6". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. YouTube. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  11. 1 2 "FWA results 2004". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  12. ↑ "ACW/EWC Back Splash IV" (in German). Athletik Club Wrestling. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  13. ↑ "ACW/EWC Summer Heat" (in German). Athletik Club Wrestling. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  14. ↑ "OVW results 2005". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  15. ↑ "OVW results 2006". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Westcott, Brian; Dupree, Jim. "OHIO Valley Wrestling Heavyweight Title History". Solie's Title Histories. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  17. 1 2 "OVW results 2007". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "OVW Championship history". Ohio Valley Wrestling. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
  19. ↑ "OVW results 2008". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
  20. ↑ The LilsBoys (29 March 2006). "'I'm still living the dream'". The Sun. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  21. ↑ "Another Assist From Dad". WWE. 1 September 2005. Retrieved 31 December 2007.
  22. ↑ "Changing Friday nights". WWE. 9 September 2005. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  23. ↑ "LIGHTS OUT". WWE. 28 October 2005. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  24. ↑ "Randy Orton's Revelation". WWE. 16 December 2005. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  25. ↑ The LilsBoys (19 January 2006). "But what happens next". The Sun. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  26. ↑ "Who's going to WrestleMania?". WWE. 3 February 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  27. ↑ "Deadman's Return". WWE. 10 February 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  28. ↑ "Back in business". WWE. 24 February 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  29. ↑ "The Deadman responds". WWE. 10 March 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  30. ↑ "Breaking New Ground". WWE. 7 April 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  31. ↑ "Something to Celebrate". WWE. 21 April 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  32. ↑ Hoffman, Brett (2 June 2006). "All hail the king". WWE. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  33. ↑ "Paul Burchill Returning". Wrestlingtalk.net. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
  34. ↑ "WWE Raw Results - January 28, 2008 - Internet Heat Tapings". Online World of Wrestling. 28 January 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  35. ↑ Adkins, Greg (11 February 2008). "Brotherly Love". WWE. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  36. ↑ DiFino, Lennie (28 April 2008). "Union Jack and Jane". WWE. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  37. ↑ DiFino, Lennie (5 May 2008). "For love of country". WWE. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  38. ↑ DiFino, Lennie (26 May 2008). "One last stand". WWE. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  39. ↑ Sitterson, Aubrey (9 June 2008). "Burchill Beatings". WWE. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  40. ↑ Sitterson, Aubrey (16 June 2008). "Burchill Beatdown". WWE. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  41. ↑ Sitterson, Aubrey (21 July 2008). "Civil Unrest". WWE. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  42. ↑ Sitterson, Aubrey (4 August 2008). "Championship scramble". WWE. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  43. ↑ Sitterson, Aubrey (18 August 2008). "Hometown heartbreaker". WWE. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  44. ↑ Sitterson, Aubrey (15 September 2008). "Snakes and ladders". WWE. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  45. ↑ Bishop, Matt (30 December 2008). "ECW: Hardy, Henry renew rivalry". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
  46. ↑ Bishop, Matt (13 January 2009). "ECW: Jack Swagger, the new face of Extreme". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
  47. ↑ Bishop, Matt (3 February 2009). "ECW: Finlay's title chase begins". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
  48. ↑ Bishop, Matt (17 March 2009). "ECW: Bourne flies again". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  49. ↑ Bishop, Matt (22 April 2009). "ECW: Swagger leaves Christian laying". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  50. ↑ Bishop, Matt (20 May 2009). "ECW: Hart Trilogy keeps Finlay guessing". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  51. ↑ Bishop, Matt (2 June 2009). "ECW: Dreamer lays out champ following great match". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  52. ↑ Bishop, Matt (15 July 2009). "ECW: Bad night for Christian". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  53. ↑ Bishop, Matt (12 August 2009). "ECW: Regal stretches Dreamer, sets eyes on Christian". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
  54. ↑ Caldwell, James (17 November 2009). "Caldwell's ECW TV Report11/17: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Burchill vs. Hurricane, C.M. Punk cameo". PWTorch. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  55. ↑ Vermillion, James (3 December 2009). "Bold moves". WWE. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
  56. ↑ Bishop, Matt (15 December 2009). "ECW: Brand Extension dies a little more". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
  57. ↑ Caldwell, James (26 February 2010). "Breaking News - Two WWE wrestlers released today". PWTorch. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  58. ↑ Ripper still strong after Styles clash
  59. ↑ Cagematch.de HWA "Heartland Cup 2011" day 1 results
  60. ↑ Cagematch.de HWA "Heartland Cup 2011" day 2 results
  61. ↑ Paul Burchill Interview
  62. ↑ "Repatriation ceremony for Major". BBC. 26 June 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  63. ↑ Aldren, Mike (29 June 2009). "Daily wrestling news and gossip". The Sun. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  64. ↑ Gerweck, Steve (27 July 2010). "Burchill unable to appear an upcoming Indy event". WrestleView. Retrieved 28 July 2010. Paul is a full time firefighter in Edgewood Kentucky
  65. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Cagematch profile".
  66. ↑ Caldwell, James (9 June 2008). "Caldwell's WWE Raw report 6/9: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live Raw". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  67. ↑ Bishop, Matt. "ECW: Dreamer lays out champ following great match". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  68. ↑ Bishop, Matt. "ECW: Ryder pushes Christian to the brink". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  69. ↑ Westcott, Brian. "NWA Ohio Valley Wrestling Tag Team Title History". Solie's Title Histories. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  70. ↑ "PWI 500". Cagematch. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  71. ↑ "ECW on Syfy November 17, 2009 Detailed Results". Wrestling101. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
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