In the spring of 1996, during his Junior year at St. John's High School, Dent won the IHSA Class 2A State 400m Dash. That fall, Dent was named to the IHSA Class 5A All-State Football Team as a Defensive Back, Kick & Punt Returner. He accepted a scholarship from Ohio State University to play football and run track. In March 1997, Dent broke his right ankle in the years first track meet. He lost his scholarship to Ohio State. Once he graduated, he moved to St. Louis, where he would attend St. Louis University(SLU).
In August '97, Dent was at a gym rehabbing his ankle. There, he met Big Stewie Cool. After hearing of Dent's high school accomplishments, Stewie convinced Dent to come to his wrestling school, and become a wrestler. September 1997, Dent enrolled in the PWL School of Rasslin, St. Louis' greatest wrestling school. On March 21, 1998, Dent graduated from the school at the top of his class.
Dent had caught the eye of Nate Sulham, owner of the NECW. Just one week after he graduated, Dent had his first try out. In a dark match before Saturday Storm, Dent beat the hell out of The Panther. Dent signed a contract with the NECW that night, March 28, 1998. Dent then moved onto the independent scene, to perfect his skills.
Over the month of April, Dent toured all over the Midwest, wrestling in all sorts of matches, against all kinds of opponents. Not once did he lose a match. In a fed in Missouri, Dent met a guy named Terror. Simply put, they were complete opposites, and didn't get along at first. The first time they tagged, they killed their opponents. So they kept tagging, and kept killing their opponents. After a match on April 20, 1998, Dent & Terror went to a local bar, and got drunk. Dent stumbled back to his hotel, after he lost track of Terror. That night, he got a call from Nate. Nate wanted to know how he had been doing on getting a name. Dent was drunk, and without knowing it, gave Nate his name. Nate loved it, and the name WillisD was formed.
It was now May 1998, and WillisD & Terror were dominating the tag scene in the Midwest and South. On May 13, 1998, WillisD hit an opponent with a crescent kick, that broke the guys jaw and neck. After the event, Terror said, "That was Super D" WillisD now had a finisher, the SuperD.
After going undefeated in the months of April, May, June, and July, WillisD & Terror started to call themselves, Tha Showstoppas. They were a fluent tag team, maybe the best tag team ever in the history of wrestling. On August 1, 1998, the worst happened. In a match, WillisD re-injured his right ankle. Tha Showstoppas still won the match. After the match however, WillisD went back to St. Louis to heal his ankle, and Terror decided to go south, to Florida.
WillisD spent all of August and September rehabbing his injured ankle, and preparing for his return to the ring. Nate decided that it was time to bring WillisD to the NECW. On October 10, 1998, WillisD made his debut in the NECW. Over the next month, WillisD would dominate the Cruiserweight Division. Then, on November 14, 1998, WillisD defeated Sean Morely for the NECW Cruiserweight Championship. WillisD would defend the title over the next month, successfully each time.
WillisD got bored with the Cruiserweight Division, and decided to give Terror a call. Terror had dominated the Florida wrestling scene, and came to the NECW. Nate, who knew of the success of the two as a tag team, gave them a Tag Title shot right off the bat. On December 19, 1998, WillisD & Terror, Tha Showstoppas, defeated the so called unbeatable West Syde Syndicate for the NECW Tag Team Championships. It was their first match together as a tag team in the NECW, and in over 4 months.
On January 4, 1999, Nate declared WillisD an unbeatable Cruiserweight Champion. WillisD had never lost a Cruiserweight match, and Tha Showstoppas had still never lost a tag team match. The NECW was at an all time high, and WillisD was right in the middle of it. Then Nate made a decision that would be the worst of his career.
The night of February 6, 1999, would be a terrible one. Nate forced Terror to turn on WillisD. Tha Showstoppas lost the NECW Tag Team Titles on that night. After the event, WillisD and Nate got into an argument. WillisD quit the NECW that night, for being screwed over and not being told of the angle. WillisD spent the rest of the month of February in Florida. Not wrestling in independent feds, but training and having fun.
While in Florida, the NECW was going downhill. Nate sold the company, and went his own way. After awhile, the NECW went even further downhill. Nate got in contact with WillisD, and after talking to him, decided to rebuy the NECW. The first person he signed back was none other than WillisD. With the NECW having such financial problems, WillisD was resigned to the same contract that he had when he left.
WillisD came back to the NECW on Wednesday War on March 24, 1999. His first match back was a triple threat match for the International Title. He won the match, thus winning his first ever NECW Heavyweight Title. The next Saturday on Storm, WillisD and Terror reformed Tha Showstoppas, and won the NECW Tag Team Titles from Marcus Bagwell and Scott Richsteiner.
Over the next month WillisD began to lose his love for the sport of wrestling. So on April 25, 1999 he left the NECW and wrestling as a whole. He forfitted the International Title, and gave his Tag Title to Terror. He said he would return sometime, but doesn't know when that sometime would be.
WillisD spent the summer of 1999 wrestling around once a week in indy feds across the midwest. He also spent time in California where he shot a couple Sprite commercials. He then went back to St. Louis and helped out in the PWL School of Rasslin', the school where he learned his trade.
WillisD then began contract negotiations with the Mega Wrestling Federation and Owner Rick Moldovanyi in early August. Those negotiations brought WillisD a 10 month $1 million contract. WillisD said it was a pleasure to return to the MWF where he had great success earlier in his career. He also said it was just nice to get back to wrestling.
On August 28, 1999, WillisD was one of 5 inaguaral members elected to the MWF Hall of Fame. Joining him were fellow PIT members Terror and PIE Master.
On September 24th, while playing a pick up game of basketball, WillisD tore a ligament in his right ankle, the same one he broke during high school. On October 5th he had surgery and on the 20th of October, he started rehab.
Many wondered when a return to wrestling would come for WillisD. Well, that would be answered one night late in December. On December 30th during a special Thursday Riot! there was a triple threat match for the MWF World Champoinship between Terror, Chris Carpenter, and Bandit. During the match, the lights went out and the often reacurring middle fingers appeared in the middle of the ring. When the lights came back on, there stood an un-masked Spider Monkey flipping off the crowd. It was WillisD disguised as the Spider Monkey who had come down to the ring with Terror. When the lights were out, WillisD knocked out Bandit, and Terror almost got the win then. Terror ended up getting the win and the celebration in the ring saw the reformation of The PIT! Everyone was there, The Terror, PIE Master, and most importantly, WillisD.
Less than one month later, WillisD had returned to action in the MWF. He defeated Chris Irvine in the 1st ever Sprite on a Skyhook Ladder Match. Two weeks later, WillisD won gold in the MWF. He defeated The Educator on January 18th for the MWF Intercontinental Championship. By this time, Terror was gone from the MWF, Rick left The PIT, and "The Natural Nate" Sulham had returned.
WillisD and PIE Master held The PIT and the MWF together over the next month. Then, Sunday, February 27, 2000, will go down as the greatest night in the MWF career of WillisD. WillisD defeated not 1, not 2, but 3 of the top superstars in the MWF to become the MWF World Heavyweight Champion. In the 2nd Round of the Tournament to decide a new World Champ, WillisD defeated former World Champion Chris Carpenter, with the SuperD. The Semi Finals saw WillisD facing MWF Prime Time Champion The Educator. WillisD again won with the SuperD. Winning this match put WillisD in the Finals, where he would face fellow PIT member and best friend PIE Master.
The match between WillisD and PIE Master will go down as one of, if not, the best match in MWF history. The twenty plus minute match went back and forth the entire time. WillisD hit PIE Master with the SuperD, but was too tired to follow up, which led to PIE being able to kick out. PIE Master then hit WillisD with the Last Piece, but like WillisD, was too tired to follow up, and this too led to WillisD being able to kick out. PIE Master then went to the top rope. He leaped off and WillisD hit PIE with the SuperD. This was finally enough to get the 1..2..3 and WillisD is the NEW MWF World Heavyweight Champion!
However, that title riegn would only last for two months. In an Iron Man match, WillisD lost the MWF World Heavyweight Title to The Educator, 4 falls to 3. WillisD hit the SuperD and had the pin, but time expired before the ref could count three.
This devistated WillisD, more so than anything that had ever happened to him in wrestling. Losing the MWF Title at the end of April, no one, except for PIE and Terror, saw or heard from him until the end of May. However, not even those two knew what WillisD would do next.
WillisD never returned to the MWF. Things happened in his life that would prevent him from achieving even more greatness in the MWF. WillisD retired quietly from the ring on June 25, 2000, his 21st birthday.
Even though he wasn't wrestling anymore, WillisD was still a huge star. Like the last time he left the wrestling ring, D did a few Sprite commercials. He also opened a restaraunt in his hometown of St. John's, Illinois. The rest of 2000 and the first half of 2001 was spent at the PWL School of Rasslin' in St. Louis. He showed the ropes to a few of the more promising up-and-comers while there.
More to come later......
