Lance Hoyt

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Lance Hoyt
An image of Lance Hoyt.
Statistics
Ring name(s) Lance Steel
Breakdown
Shadow
Dallas
Lance Hoyt
Billed height 6 ft 7 in (206 cm)
Billed weight 270 lb (131.5 kg)
Born February 27, 1977(1977-02-27) (Age 31)
Hearne, Texas
Resides Austin, Texas
Billed from Dallas, Texas
Trained by Solo Fiatala
Debut July 2000

Lance Hoyt (born February 27, 1977[1] in Hearne, Texas) is an American professional wrestler, currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] Texas

In 2000, Hoyt began training as a wrestler under Solo Faitala, and debuted in July 2000, facing Tarzan Taylor in his first match. He spent the next four years working on the Texas independent circuit, using the stage names Lance Steel (in the Southwest Wrestling Federation) and Breakdown (a character created on the spur-of-the-moment by Hoyt in Corpus Christi when he had forgotten his usual ring attire and was forced to wrestle in his street clothing). Hoyt's most notable Texas independent name is Shadow. He wrestled in PCW as Shadow from 2000 and on. Shadow was originally a dark heel often compared to The Undertaker (gimmick-wise) and Test (appearance wise). During his first period, he created the stable The Dark Circle. When Hoyt signed with TNA he had left PCW for awhile, however he returned in 2006 now known as Lance "Shadow" Hoyt. He held the PCW Tag Team Championships with Wally Darkmon in 2006. More recently in 2008 Hoyt reverted back to simply Shadow and wrestles in a mask and no shirt but just sleeves. His new gimmick involves dark lights, smoke on the entry way and Shadow slithering into the ring.

[edit] Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Hoyt was hired by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in March 2004 and immediately teamed up with X Division mainstay Kid Kash as Dallas, Kash's bodyguard, tag team partner and kayfabe relative. He and Kash took part in a tournament for the vacant NWA World Tag Team Championships and won the vacant titles by defeating Low-Ki and Christopher Daniels in the finals on April 7. They lost the titles to D'Lo Brown and Apolo the subsequent week, then regained them from Brown and Apolo the week following that. Their second and final reign ended on June 4 of that year when they were defeated by America's Most Wanted.

After Kash was suspended by TNA in June 2004, Hoyt was reduced to wrestling dark matches. He appeared sporadically with TNA throughout the remainder of the year, and aided Kash in his feud with A.J. Styles upon his return from suspension. In January 2005, Hoyt began wrestling under his own name at the instruction of booker Dusty Rhodes. The common explanation for this is that they wanted no confusion between Hoyt and Dallas Page. He and Kash competed in the tag team division, unsuccessfully challenging America's Most Wanted for the NWA World Tag Team Championships at Against All Odds 2005 on February 13, until Kash was released by TNA on April 19, 2005. Left without a partner, Hoyt teamed with Chris Candido to face Sonny Siaki and Apolo in a cage match at Lockdown 2005. In the course of the match, Candido suffered a serious leg injury and was stretchered out. Outnumbered, Hoyt was pinned shortly thereafter. Following the match, Candido's cohorts, The Naturals, attacked Hoyt, thus turning him face.

Hoyt began developing a strong fan following, leading to his introducing a gimmick known as "Hoytamania" (a reference to the "Hulkamania" surrounding Hulk Hogan). He feuded with Team Canada throughout mid-2005, and lost to Abyss at Sacrifice 2005. When TNA joined Spike TV, he set up for a match against Monty Brown at Bound for Glory 2005, which he again lost. He was also involved in the 10-man Gauntlet match at the end to determine the No.1 contender for Jeff Jarrett's NWA World Heavyweight Championship. In that match, Hoyt was eliminated by eventual winner Rhino. He later began teaming with Matt Bentley in mid-card tag matches until a misinterpreted steel chair incident lead Bentley to believe Hoyt had "screwed" him, and he severely turned on him with a spontaneous brawl by ringside, consisting of several chairshots. Hoyt defeated Bentley at Destination X 2006. He returned to TNA at No Surrender in the Triple Chance Tag Team battle royal as a partner to Ron "The Truth" Killings, but he was one of the first eliminated from the match. Hoyt made his Spike TV return teaming with Killings to defeat Matt Bentley and Kazarian.

Hoyt participated in the Fight for the Right Tournament, where he was one of last two remaining men, making it to the third stage of the match. He lost to Abyss, who won a bye to the tournament finals for a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Even so, he wrestled Ron Killings in the quarterfinals of the tournament at November 2 episode of iMPACT!, but was defeated. At Genesis, Hoyt and Killings defeated Austin Starr and Alex Shelley with Kevin Nash at ringside.

After Killings was given a new program, Hoyt started teaming up with the Voodoo Kin Mafia (VKM). His role with the team seemed to be that of a friend and bodyguard, watching their backs during their matches, and working the odd 6-Man Tag Match with them on iMPACT!. At Slammiversary, VKM defeated Basham and Damaja when Kip pinned Basham, but Hoyt turned his back on VKM when Kip was about to attack Christy Hemme. He kissed Hemme after the match, thus re-establishing himself as a heel. Hoyt lost to Abyss on a showing of Impact and a week after he lost VKM member Kip James. He would then become part of a tag team managed by Hemme with the Indy notable Jimmy Rave, later named The Rock 'n Rave Infection. They soon became a comedic "band" trio with Hoyt and Rave entering the ring with Guitar Hero game controllers and Hemme screaming on a microphone. Hoyt's Infection look is an obvious homage to Slash of Guns N' Roses.

Hoyt competed at Lockdown, in a "Cuffed in the Cage" match losing to the eventual winner, Super Eric.

[edit] In wrestling

  • Finishing and signature moves
  • Wrestlers managed
  • Managers

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

  • GZW
  • GZW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • STEW
  • STEW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

Professional Championship Wrestling

  • PCW World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
  • PCW World Tag Team Champion (3 times)
  • PCW World Television Champion (3 times)

American Made Wrestling

First Ever AMW Heavyweight champion. On March 17, 2007 he defeated former WWE Superstar Shawn Stasiak in a match to decide the first ever AMW Heavyweight Champion. He lost the title on April 4, 2008 in a triple threat match against Action Jackson, and Mike Foxx

[edit] Other media

While in college, Hoyt appeared on The Jenny Jones Show as a dancer. He also took part in an episode of Elimidate in 2002. Hoyt also appeared on Room Raiders in 2005.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Hoyt's Profile. Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-08-12.

[edit] References

[edit] External links