Bio
Career Title History
EXCELLENCE
Height/Weight: 5' 11"/237 pounds
The Franchise Player
From: Newport News, Va.
Finisher: Perfectbuster
Pro Debut: OWF (May 4, 1997)
SCW Highlights: World Champion, Intercontinental Champion, Tag Team Champion, Cruiserweight Champion
NOWF Highlights: World Champion
PWF Highlights: PWF Champion
Excellence first hit the national stage in May of 1997, appearing in the original OWF and SCW. In the OWF, he established a short-lived faction known as the Henchmen, and also became the SCW Intercontinental Champion, defeating Steve Austin, and became one half of the SCW Tag Team Champions with the then-unnamed Shadow Master. Both promotions quickly folded and restarted, the OWF as the NOWF, and the SCW vacated all of its titles.
While Excellence and Shadow Master, known as the Rising Storm, quickly recaptured the SCW Tag Team Titles, Excellence no longer took part in many singles matches. It was during this era that he and Shadow Master declared their intentions to destroy the entire SCW on behalf of the NOWF and his long-time business partner Johnny Asterix. On the first SCW TV taping after the return, two long-time, semi-retired SCW stars made a surprising appearance... then-7-time World Champion James Ace and Sean Gunn. Ace and Excellence would go one on one shortly thereafter, and although the match went to a draw, no rematch was signed.
In the NOWF, Excellence was dealing with an invasion from the other end. Former friends Chaos and Death, the Reign of Terror, had allied themselves with the SCW in the promotional war, and had succeeded in guiding their proteges Cosmic and Dominion, known as Power and Glory, to the NOWF World Tag Team Championships. In an epic no-disqualification contest at the first-ever Emperor of the Ring, Excellence and Shadow Master were the deciding factor as the Eliminators defeated Power and Glory, banning both them and the RoT from the NOWF.
Excellence's first World Championship reign came due to some unusual circumstances. NOWF Champion Taz had vanished seemingly into thin air, and so his scheduled opponent, Hollywood Hogan, was granted the title. In a last-minute decision, Excellence was given the first shot at Hogan, and managed to take the title. Soon thereafter, Taz would return, and after being pinned by Excellence's Perfect-Plex, he would turn around the next day and retake the title in a suplexes-only match.
A three-way feud quickly emerged over the SCW Tag Team Titles, as the Rising Storm were constantly defending against the Reign of Terror and the Eliminators, and these three teams traded the belts many a time, even, on one memorable occasion, when Chaos and Death were forced to defend the titles on an NOWF show against Excellence and Shadow Master. By the time the three teams were done, Excellence and Shadow Master had been the titleholders an unmatched seven times.
Eventually, Excellence returned to primarily singles wrestling in the SCW. At SCW WrestleMania, he defeated legendary SCW competitor Tatanka, who would later go on to be the SCW President for half of 1998. He formed an alliance with former SCW and NOWF World Champion and then-TV Champion Del Wilkes, known at the time as The Patriot, and the first-ever NOWF Revolution Champion, one-time bWo leader "SuperStar" Stevie Richards late in 1997, becoming the Triostic Holocaust, actually the second group to bear that name. During this group's run, Excellence set his sights on, and quickly won in convincing fashion, the SCW Intercontinental Championship then held by \X/olfpac member Randy Savage. Also, in an elimination tag match, he defeated Sean Gunn for the Cruiserweight Championship, though he did not hold onto it long.
His intention at the time was clear, to eliminate one of the SCW's top stables member-by-member to weaken the promotion. This plan never came to fruition, first due to Bret Hart's failure to accept his challenge, and then due to a backstage attack by the nWo just prior to a scheduled title defense against Mr. Perfect. Excellence was forced by SCW officials to forfeit the title to Perfect that evening, as he would spend almost two months in rehab afterwards.
During Excellence's healing period, he made several appearances for the NOWF and SCW in which he declared his intentions to win the SCW World Championship by the end of 1998. Also during this time, Mr. Perfect relinquished the Intercontinental Championship.
Whatever the case, three things are clear. By the time of Excellence's return, the \X/olfpac was no more, and neither was the Triostic Holocaust, as Mr. Perfect and Del Wilkes had joined forces with James Ace and Sean Gunn to form Rated R. Additionally, Shawn Michaels of the Four Horsemen was the Intercontinental Champion, and Excellence was signed to face him at February's International Incident, live from Tokyo, Japan. Excellence won this match in dramatic fashion, debuting the Perfectbuster for the first time, and from the top rope no less, to pin Michaels and take the title, earning a rare ovation for the frequently-booed wrestler.
Events were happening nearly non-stop during this time, as around the same period, Excellence and Stevie Richards joined forces with Kerry Nash's Hardcore Takeover, setting the stage for one of the most important doublecrosses in SCW history. Excellence's interference won Nash the World title over Steve Austin, but he still felt slighted that Nash had been given a shot before him. After being stripped of the Intercontinental title for a third time for reasons known only to long-disappeared SCW officials, he was signed to a match at SCW Supercard with Mr. Perfect where, if he won, he and Shadow Master would get a shot at the SCW Tag Team Championships held by Rated R. If Perfect won, though, then he would get a shot at Kerry Nash for the World Championship. The bait had been taken.
At SCW Supercard, Mr. Perfect defeated Excellence, gaining a World title shot. Later that night, after Nash's successful title defense, Perfect and Excellence both turned against their respective factions, creating the Perfect Team and, in their words, bringing an end to the competitive nature of professional wrestling. It was certainly hard to argue the point, as later that month at March Madness, Perfect made good on his opportunity and defeated Nash for the World Championship. Excellence himself was again a key factor, making a video appearance earlier in the night claiming not to be in the building for a scheduled match with Owen Hart, but then interfering during the main event title match.
Times were good for Excellence, with one important exception. Stevie Richards, apparently upset at being third on the totem pole behind Perfect and Excellence, turned against him and joined Rated R, stealing first Perfect's belt, then the title itself in the process. In typical "James Ace Flavor of the Month Club" fashion, as Excellence has always called Rated R, the rematch went in favor of the PT. However, Richards never answered Excellence's challenge for a one on one match between the two of them.
The war with Rated R was the theme of the summer of 1998, as the two factions did battle on nearly every televised SCW event, and while Rated R scored a big win early by defeating the PT in War Games at Extreme Warfare, they proved unable to keep the pressure on for too long. After the much-debated and highly-praised Doomsday Cage Match at Double Jeopardy, SCW officials finally felt that Excellence's performances warranted putting him in line for a World title shot. Fans are surely well aware of the controversy surrounding the Doomsday Cage, where the Ultimate Warrior defeated Lex Luger as Excellence was laid out cold on the mats surrounding the ring. This ending always haunted him, but no one on one encounter with the Warrior would ever take place in the SCW.
In a brutal falls count anywhere match, Excellence defeated Raven after nailing him with a tire iron and delivering a Perfectbuster on top of a car to be named the number one contender to Del Wilkes' World Championship. However, before the match could take place, Wilkes left the SCW, vacating the title. As number one contender, Excellence and the last champion prior to Wilkes, Mr. Perfect, were put into a match to determine the new champion. In a hard-fought battle, Perfect managed to pick up the win and his third World Championship.
Excellence was quickly shuffled back into the mix by SCW officials, being put into a "mixed partners tag team match" at the 1998 edition of Road Rage, teaming with Stevie Richards against Raven and Ramses Alvarez. Alvarez would pull out of the event by the time of the match, and was replaced by Kurrgan. Excellence and Richards tried to get onto the same page for the match, as both needed a high-profile win, but both proved to be too self-centered to go through with it, and a botched Steviekick ended up knocking Excellence out for the pinfall loss.
Soon afterwards, Rated R became a non-factor, as the Perfect Team humbled the once-dominant force in a six-man Texas Tornado match, ending when Chris Jericho pinned Sean Gunn. Rated R went their separate ways afterwards, and Gunn suffered a serious injury against James Ace a few weeks later.
After controversial events surrounding the title match at Road Rage, the World Championship was once again vacated, again for reasons that to this day remain unclear. Regardless, a Hell in the Cell match took place at Summer Sensation between Perfect, Excellence, and Richards for the vacant title. Excellence pinned Richards with the Perfect-Plex to win his second World title, first in the SCW.
Betrayal being the order of the day in the SCW, it came as little surprise to many that on October 23, 1998, at SCW 100% Live, Excellence's long-time business partner Johnny Asterix turned against him to join Raven and Taz in the NOWF Triple Threat, causing him to lose the World Championship to Taz when James Ace of all people counted the fall. Despite the circumstances being virtually the same as the debacle at Road Rage, a planned announcement by then-SCW President Ted DiBiase concerning the title's fate was never made. After this, and a serious attack on the Perfect Team by Asterix and company on the next SCW show, Excellence was left in a foul mood, questioning his own desire to go on.
Leave it to Mr. Perfect to put fire right back into a man, though. In a memorable moment, Perfect went haywire upon hearing Excellence's comments, declaring to Gene Okerlund that "quitters are not Perfect Team members," summarily dismissing Excellence from the group he had helped to create. In retaliation, Excellence fired Perfect, Chris Jericho, Rick Rude, and the Rock from the PT, declaring his own intentions to go on using the name with a new group.
Over the next several months, Perfect and Excellence would each create their own splinter versions of the Perfect Team, with Perfect retaining the original crew and Excellence recruiting the SCW Tag Team Champions Rob Van Dam and Sabu, along with a newcomer to the SCW, Chris Benoit. Perfect and Excellence themselves went one on one during this period, going to a draw at SCW Armageddon in January 1999. The two versions of the PT were put into a three-way War Games match with Raven's Monopoly group, where the world learned to never believe a word that Excellence or Mr. Perfect have to say.
In this match, they revealed that the entire Perfect Team breakup had been a hoax, using it to sucker in both the Tag Team Champions and Raven for a severe beating. Chris Benoit was the only non-original PT member spared in the carnage, as Perfect and Excellence both saw potential in him, potential which was quickly proven justified as he won the SCW TV title and Tag Team titles with Chris Jericho. With the Perfect Team once again unified and stronger than ever, it certainly seemed that the entire SCW was in for trouble on a scale never before seen.
Or not. Excellence's long-time personal and professional rival James Ace purchased the SCW soon after this, and his very first move was to fire Excellence. He would not be seen again in the SCW for quite some time, when he returned as the masked Prophet. The Prophet proved to be an in-ring success, as he scored major wins over Hulk Hogan, Death, who was one half of the SCW Tag Team Champions at the time, and the Rock. Goading Ace at every opportunity, he eventually was given a match against his nemesis at the 2000 edition of 100% Live, held in June of that year. The two once again went to a draw, but this time, Ace was impressed and was resigned to the SCW.
Mr. Perfect briefly retired in 2000, passing the reigns of Perfect Team leadership to Chris Benoit. Since Excellence had only told Perfect about the Prophet deal, Benoit was the logical choice at the time. Upon Excellence's revelation on SCW TV that he was in fact the Prophet, though, he seemed to expect the PT to hand control over to him. This did not happen. On his first official night back in the SCW, he was given an impromptu match against Benoit for the World title, which he won. Afterwards, Mr. Perfect made his return, and the two laid waste to Benoit, who would then depart the SCW.
Together, Perfect and Excellence cut a memorable interview the next week, running down Benoit as only the Perfect Team can. With the two of them and Chris Jericho as the new, streamlined Perfect Team, they vowed that their domination of the wrestling world would only increase. The return of Buff Bagwell to action threatened to put a kink in those plans, but Excellence defeated him in the Doomsday Cage after the surprise return of Chris Benoit to silence his opposition. At this point in time, Excellence held the SCW World Championship and Mr. Perfect was the NOWF World Champion, having just defeated Taz in an epic bout. They truly did control the industry in a manner only dreamed of by past supergroups.
There was still one more hurdle for Excellence to cross in the SCW, though... Chris Benoit. Fired up upon his return, Benoit cut a swath of destruction through the SCW ranks like few before him to earn a title shot at Excellence, including a memorable win over Buff Bagwell. At Road Rage 2000, though, he fell short against the World Champion, as Excellence managed to come out on top and retain the title. After the match, Benoit revealed the true reason for his departure. Former PT member Booker T had been shot, and Benoit was called away by Booker's old partner Dean Malenko to help out in the aftermath. The three returned together as the Real Deal, but never got a chance for redemption as the SCW closed its doors.
Excellence wrestled sporadically for the NOWF for a few months, but declining relations with Johnny Asterix kept him out of the main mix. At the end of the year 2000, Taz retired following a match with Excellence, and with his last major foe out of the way, Excellence felt he had nothing left to prove. So, on January 21, 2001, Excellence retired from professional wrestling at No Turning Back 2001: Endgame. His final match was an exhibition with Chris Jericho, where it seemed he had the younger superstar's number, but declined to put him away with the Perfectbuster in an effort to not injure him, in a rare show of compassion. Jericho, as fans know, suffers from no such compunctions, hit Excellence with a Perfectbuster of his own, followed by the Lionsault to win the match.
From then on, Excellence stayed at ringside with the Perfect Team, acting as their executive consultant. He would only step into the ring as a competitor on one more night in the NOWF, that being NOWF Final Battleground 2001. James Ace made one last SCW World Championship match, pitting Excellence against Mr. Perfect, the Rock, and Booker T. Excellence initially refused to take part, but cryptic remarks from Johnny Asterix about an agreement the two had would send him into action one last time, actually twice that night. First, he took part in a 50-man battle royal for the final shot at Chris Jericho's NOWF World Championship, and was one of the last few in the ring.
Then, he went into the four-way, pinning the Rock soon after Perfect had pinned Booker T. Excellence and Perfect then put on one of the all-time great mat clinics, one that truly could have gone either way at any time. In the end, Excellence managed to get the win in a reversal of Perfect's NOWF title win over Taz, on a rollup seemingly out of nowhere. This marked the one and only time Excellence has ever defeated Mr. Perfect.
Later that night, Excellence would finally reveal what Asterix's remarks were all about. The two of them had a bet dating back to 1997 on the death of the SCW, and since Excellence was now officially the last SCW Champion, with James Ace living in seclusion, the two of them had totally and completely killed the SCW. As payment for this task, Johnny Asterix was obligated to sign over all the rights to the NOWF... to Excellence. He teased a restart, but events later in the evening during the main event would make that impossible, at least right away. And so, Excellence left the world of wrestling, once and for all.
Again, fans learned that nothing is ever truly as it seems. One day before the first PWF Wednesday Wargames, Excellence and Eric Bischoff came to terms on a new contract that brought the self-professed franchise player back to the sport he loves so much. Originally intending to come back in alone, the offensive display the Ultimate Warrior made in his return, literally calling him out, so affected him that when he debuted on television the next week, instead of cutting his planned interview on his solo intentions for the future, Excellence reformed the Perfect Team on live TV, including the shocking return of Chris Jericho, now legally known as The Undefeatable Chris Jericho.
At PWF No Escape, Excellence finally had his chance for redemption against the Ultimate Warrior. As part of his deal to come into the PWF, Eric Bischoff purchased the rights to the SCW's Doomsday Cage structure, and made it available for Excellence and Warrior's match. While Warrior believed it was his opportunity to prove that he could have defeated Excellence in the original Doomsday Cage Match, Excellence was equally determined to prove how wrong he truly was. Chris Jericho magnanimously allowed Excellence to defend the SCW Intercontinental Championship on his behalf in the match, lending a true historical air to the proceedings. The cage itself proved unable to contain the battle that raged, and in the end, Excellence nailed Warrior with a chunk of a tombstone with his own name on it, crafted by the Warrior for this occasion, and hit the Perfectbuster for the pinfall. Warrior disappeared into the mists of history following this match.
Only one week after No Escape, Excellence was granted the chance to earn a shot at the Federation Championship, in a four-man battle royal against Bret Hart, Shane Douglas, and newcomer Steve Austin. He dominated the field, with the exception of "Stone Cold." Mr. Perfect was at ringside, though, and was the deciding factor as Excellence eliminated Austin to earn his shot at PWF Champion Lance Storm. After the match, Jeff Jarrett attacked Excellence and tried to insinuate himself into the Federation Championship scene, but Excellence refused to face him one-on-one, and Jarrett's PWF career never recovered. While Excellence and Storm were originally scheduled to face off at Power Trip, but The Undefeatable Chris Jericho egged Excellence on, convincing him to have the match moved up, for reasons known only to the man with six belts. Thus, on April 27th, Excellence defeated Lance Storm in a hard-fought match amidst interference on both sides, and captured a fourth World Championship, and the fourth PWF title for the Perfect Team.
Seemingly, this left Excellence without an opponent for Power Trip. However, Eric Bischoff was ready, and announced that Excellence would indeed defend the PWF Championship ... against the man some would say he had screwed out of the shot to begin with, Steve Austin. Excellence would manage to hold off the challenge of Austin, though, and nailed a bloody Austin with the Perfectbuster to pick up the win. Austin, though, refused to stay down, and faced Excellence again in a Last Man Standing match only two weeks later on Wargames. The brutal streak of Excellence definitely showed through in this match, as he defeated Austin after a Perfectbuster onto the stage, forcing Austin to be carried out on a stretcher, and presumably, out of the PWF. The next week, Eric Bischoff announced the Perfect Team's opponents for Recoil, "Team PWF." The team consisted of Television Champion Rob Van Dam, Christian, and ... "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
While Excellence was doubtful that Steve Austin's injuries would permit him to make it to Recoil, the Texas Rattlesnake did indeed show up for the match. With their Federation and Intercontinental Championships on the line, the Perfect Team was determined to make a strong showing, and hold onto their coveted belts. As the battle raged, it came down to Excellence and Mr. Perfect against a pair of on-the-rise superstars, Rob Van Dam and the unmasked Christian. The PT had everything well in hand, or so it seemed ... as Steve Austin returned to the ring after being eliminated, and hit the Stone Cold Stunner on Excellence. This one act got Christian disqualified and set off a war between him and Austin, and also nearly cost Excellence the PWF Championship, as RVD got a very close near-fall afterwards. After regaining his senses, the first thing Excellence saw was Austin on the entrance ramp, watching and mocking. In a rare display, Excellence lost his temper and charged after Austin, chasing him backstage and getting counted out. This left Mr. Perfect alone with Van Dam, but placing your faith in Mr. Perfect will seldom steer you wrong, as he managed to pin RVD, win the day for the PT, and hold onto the Perfect Team's gold.
After Recoil, all of the obvious challengers for Excellence's PWF Championship had been exhausted. In an effort to locate a new top contender, Eric Bischoff created the Triangle of Terror Tournament, culminating in a three-man final bout between Extreme Champion Riptide, former Television Champion Buff Bagwell, and another star on the rise, Dusty Rhodes. Bagwell departed the nWo prior to the match, but had come up with a new plan to get himself the World Championship he has wanted for so long. He and Riptide, who had been rivals in the early days of the PWF, pulled a swerve on the world, as Riptide allowed Bagwell to pin him, creating the new team of Awesome, Inc. On July 6th at Terminal Solution, Bagwell had his shot at Excellence, and all the momentum was on his side. With new moral support from Riptide, the fans, and Christy Hemme, Bagwell seemed poised to finally take the Federation Championship. He very nearly did, and in an extremely competitive match, Excellence resorted to the use of brass knuckles to knock Bagwell out and get the win. While Excellence did hold onto his title, after this performance, never again would the world be able to say of Buff ... "It's just Bagwell."
On the next Wargames, Excellence met with Eric Bischoff, claiming to be trying to help Bischoff see that Awesome, Inc. had played him for a fool by pulling their ruse off. While Bischoff agreed, and even stated that Buff Bagwell would not receive a rematch, he also put Riptide into a number one contendership match that very night. Surprisingly, Excellence didn't seem to mind. When Riptide was victorious over Dusty Rhodes to earn a title shot later that evening, Excellence and the Perfect Team were right there to attack him, and over the weeks that followed, we learned that Excellence had long awaited a chance to face Riptide, as he was instrumental in the NOWF Triple Threat's plan to take the SCW Championship from him some seven years earlier. Riptide had motivation as well, since Excellence had once promised him a spot as his protégé, but reneged on the deal. In a tag team match, Mr. Perfect and Excellence were victorious over Riptide and Rhodes, and on the first ever Thursday Thrillzone, the PT was granted a special "Perfect Team Appreciation Night" as a peace offering of sorts from Bischoff. At the end of the show, the entire PT hit the ring and played a video package highlighting their successes. Afterwards, Johnny Asterix interrupted the festivities, who warned the Perfect Team that he would be returning very shortly, and that he would be coming after them with everything he had. While he left peacefully, the next "special guest" did not. Chris Benoit made a shocking appearance, but instead of speaking, elected to charge the ring. Little Rock police caught and arrested him before he could make it to the Perfect Team, and as he was dragged out, told Excellence he would be back.
The PWF then went south of the border for La Mala Sombra, and on August 3rd in Monterrey, Mexico, Excellence had his very first one-on-one match with Riptide, despite the two having been in the same promotions for many years in the past. While Riptide was unsuccessful in his Extreme Title defense earlier in the night, he looked fired-up to face Excellence, and came into the match looking fresh. He actually managed to dominate the match, and Excellence looked lost against him, unable to get anything going. Only his tenacity saved the title, as Riptide very nearly pinned him after the Tidal Wave. Bobby Heenan hit ringside and interfered near the end of the match, and Excellence seemingly got the fluke pin, but Riptide's foot was under the bottom rope. Eric Bischoff immediately restarted the match, but even so, the match ended in controversy, as Excellence tried a German suplex, but both men were counted down for the 3-count. Officially, the match was a draw, with Excellence retaining the Federation Championship.
However, the next week on Wargames, Eric Bischoff announced that Riptide would be given a rematch at Fall Battle Fields, in a ladder match. After the contract signing on Thrillzone, Bischoff then announced a blockbuster main event for the next week's show, a tag team bout between Excellence and Mr. Perfect, and the duo of Riptide and Stevie Richards, who had made his surprising return to wrestling at La Mala Sombra. Perfect and Excellence went into the match confident as always, and came away with the victory ... but the match itself was not the story that night. As they attempted to continue the punishment on Riptide and Richards, the PA system came to life, blaring out the SCW entrance music of Rated R, hated rivals of the Perfect Team. Two men in Patriot garb hit the ring, sending Excellence and Perfect scattering. As the world wondered who would be a part of the new Rated R, Excellence continued to prepare for his ladder match with Riptide. In a wild and brutal brawl, Excellence was victorious, and again tried to continue the attack on Riptide after the match. However, Buff Bagwell made the save, followed by Stevie Richards and the Patriots coming out of the crowd. Together, they laid waste to Excellence, culminating in the Dark Patriot using the Permanent Paralysis move onto the PWF Championship belt. Rated R was reborn.
Once again, Excellence would shock the world. He arrived at Wargames the next week in a wheelchair and neckbrace, with MRI results that stated he would be out of action for approximately three weeks. He also arrived with threats of a lawsuit, alleging that Eric Bischoff's officials prevented the Perfect Team from coming to ringside during the Rated R attack at Fall Battle Fields. As Bischoff agreed to talk, Batista, Stacy Keibler, and the camera crew were ushered out of the room, leaving viewers to wonder, just what did Excellence want? We didn't have to wonder long, as he came out to the ring during Piper's Pit later that evening, announcing that he would be taking on Stevie Richards at Road to Perdition in a Hell in a Cell match for the PWF Championship. Furthermore, he announced that he was the owner of a new wrestling promotion, Valiant Championship Wrestling, and that he had secured a deal with Bischoff to hold a draft between the two promotions on September 29th. As the draft day loomed, the futures of all the PWF superstars were uncertain.