Matt Wiese

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Matthew Wiese
An image of Matthew Wiese.
Statistics
Ring name(s) Horshu
Inspector Max Impact
Luther Reigns
Billed height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Billed weight 285 lb (129 kg)
Born September 22, 1971 (1971-09-22) (age 36)
Hell's Kitchen, New York City
Resides Phoenix, Arizona
Billed from Hell's Kitchen, New York
Phoenix, Arizona
Trained by WCW Power Plant
Debut 1997

Matthew "Matt" Wiese (September 22, 1971) is an American professional wrestler. Wiese is currently working for Wild West Championship Wrestling.

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] World Championship Wrestling (1997-1998)

Wiese started his career as a jobber in World Championship Wrestling in 1997 using the ring name Horshu. To compliment the name, his hair was shaved into a horseshoe pattern and he would try to work the word "shu" into his promos (eg. There's no business like "shu" business!). He also "auditioned" for an anti-nWo stable called Piper's Family, headed by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, which was quietly axed. However, he did make an appearance on WCW Nitro in an impromptu match with Piper where he was locked into Piper's signature sleeper hold and lost.

[edit] AWA Superstars (1999-2003)

After WCW, Wiese made his way to the second version of the American Wrestling Association, known as the American Superstars of Wrestling. During his time there, he became the AWA World Heavyweight Champion and held the title for a total 9 months in his first reign. Unfortunately, Reigns was stripped of his championship after missing too many title defenses. After being fired from the AWA, Wiese received a WWE contract in 2003 and went to wrestle in Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE's developmental territory, where he was known as Inspector Max Impact.

[edit] World Wrestling Entertainment (2004-2005)

In April 2004, he was brought as a heel into WWE under the name Luther Reigns, the "assistant" to (then) general manager Kurt Angle. Reigns made his WWE pay-per-view debut at the Great American Bash in June 2004, defeating then baby face, Charlie Haas.

In September, 2004, Reigns and Angle brought Mark Jindrak into their team during a tag team match of Reigns and Angle vs. then baby face,Big Show and Eddie Guerrero. Jindrak hit the ring attacking Big Show, and Angle, Reigns, and Jindrak beat down Big Show and shaved his head bald. This led to a 4 month feud with The Big Show.

Reigns, Jindrak, and Angle formed the new Team Angle with Kurt Angle as the leader. From September 2004 until Mid-February 2005, Reigns and Jindrak helped Kurt Angle win most of his matches as well as taking care of Angle's enemies. Reigns and Jindrak served as Kurt Angle's bodyguards as well, and also wrestled for the WWE Tag Team Championships on occasion. Then, in mid-February 2005, Reigns and Jindrak went off on their own to feud with The Undertaker. On the February 17, 2005 edition of Smackdown!, Undertaker defeated Mark Jindrak, after which Luther Reigns smashed a television camera over the Undertaker's head. Then on February 20, 2005 Luther Reigns wrestled perhaps the biggest match in his career by going up against The Undertaker at No Way Out. Mark Jindrak was thrown out before the match started and although Reigns put up a good fight, Undertaker gained the victory.

After this, the team of Reigns and Jindrak began to have a falling out. Reigns got upset at Jindrak for tapping out in a "Double Jeopardy" handicap match against the Undertaker on the February 24, 2005 edition of SmackDown! when Reigns refused to tag in. After the match, Reigns and Jindrak briefly argued before coming to blows, and had to be pulled apart by officials. Then the following week on the March 3, 2005 edition of SmackDown!, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio beat Jindrak and Reigns to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships. After the match, Jindrak tried to help up Reigns after he got pinned and Luther Reigns smacked Jindrak. The two argued until Jindrak knocked Reigns out with a left hook to the head, leading to Jindrak's face turn. On the March 10, 2005 edition of SmackDown!, Jindrak and Reigns went head to head in a singles match, which ended with Jindrak pinning Reigns after his left hook punch, ending their tag team.

After this, Reigns resumed his feud with The Big Show after saying that Big Show embarrassed SmackDown! at WrestleMania 21 when Big Show lost to Akebono in a sumo match. Reigns unsuccessfully tried to tip over a Jeep to prove he was stronger than Show, who then successfully tipped the Jeep over. Big Show defeated Reigns in a 1-on-1 match on the following SmackDown!.

Luther then wrestled in matches mostly on WWE Velocity, losing to Booker T, but defeating Funaki in his final match. On May 11, he was released from his contract. By all reports, he left on very good terms with Vince McMahon.

From several reports he is scheduled to return to the WWE in the near future.

[edit] Independent circuit (2006-Current)

In mid to late 2006, Wiese returned to the U.S. independent circuit for several independent federations. On Scott Norton's official website, Wiese was confirmed to appear for Norton's new promotion Wild West Championship Wrestling under his Horshu name and gimmick.

[edit] Other work

In early 2006, Wiese began working as a bodyguard. He was spotted at the AVN porn convention in Las Vegas working as a bodyguard. This may have been because his wife, Chanel St. James, is a porn star.

Wiese appeared in the movie The Girl Next Door as "Mule", and had an uncredited role in the movie Daredevil as one of the Kingpin's bodyguards. Wiese is also an actor on the Playboy TV show "Totally Busted", a "candid-camera" type show, going under his old WCW name Horshu. He also appears in several Playboy television shows; on the composite show "Playboy Prime", he appears in a regular skit titled "Conoga Park", portraying a comedy-based mini-series in which he is known as "Jackamo", a [fake] porn-fashion designer.

[edit] In wrestling

  • Finishing and signature moves

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

[edit] Personal life

Wiese has led a troubled life from his upbringing in the infamous Hell's Kitchen. Wiese has been to prison (according to Wiese himself, he was in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day), he also had his throat slashed from ear to ear and was left for dead but eventually recovered. Matt was even stabbed in the chest. Shockingly, however, the stabbing was only 2 centimeters away from his heart.

He also appeared under the Horshu name on an episode of The Jenny Jones Show (titled "From Geek to Bad Ass Physique") as one of the guests that had gone from an ordinary and plain look in their early years to a dramatically different appearance.

[edit] External links

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