Roy Bevis

Roy Bevis
Born 1982 (age 32–33)
Norwich, Norfolk, England
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Brian Knight
Hooligan Bud
Roy Knight
The Zebra Kid
Billed height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Billed weight 210 lb (95 kg)
Trained by Ricky Knight
Debut 1995

Roy Bevis (born 1982), better known by his ring name Zebra Kid, is an English professional wrestler. He is the son of well-known wrestler and promoter Ricky Knight, and often wrestled alongside his father in his promotions as Roy Knight. He has recently formed a tag team with younger brother, Zak Zodiac, as The UK Hooligans.

Professional wrestling career

At the age of 13, Bevis made his debut in Lingwood in Norfolk, partnering with the Canary Kid in a tag-team match against Jamie Lee and the Brixton Brawler. Since then, Zebra Kid has been faced with many challengers, including the likes of Robbie Brookside, Doug Williams and his own father throughout many independent promotions in the United Kingdom. Zebra Kid has not limited his career to the UK either, making appearances in the United States in 2002 for the now defunct Xtreme Pro Wrestling against Jonny Storm, Joey Matthews, and Jerry Lynn.

The Zebra Kid's most high profile work in the UK was for the W.A.W., he would make his FWA debut in 2002 winning a four-way match against Paul Trevell, Scotty Rock, and Mark Sloan at FWA Carpe Diem for an FWA All-England title match a few weeks later, a title he would go on to win. Throughout 2002 and 2003, Zebra Kid would trade FWA's All-England title back and forth with many of FWA's stars, but when Zebra Kid vacated the belt due to injury on 18 October 2003, Hade Vansen would jump right in to win a provisional championship match against Flash Barker. On 26 March 2004, Zebra Kid would make his return in a last effort to win back the title in an Undisputed FWA All England Championship match, but Vasen would walked out of this match still the champion.

At FWA Carpe Diem in June 2004, Doug Williams defeated Zebra Kid when 'Rowdy' Ricky Knight turned on The Donkey Boy. This led to a long lasting feud between father and son which involved many of the Bevis family members. All of this was fueled by Zebra Kid's decision to wrestle full-time for the FWA instead of his father's promotion, World Association of Wrestling.

In September 2004 this story came to an abrupt end when Bevis was jailed for nine months for drink-driving and for dangerous driving. After this spell in prison, promoters the Frontier Wrestling Alliance released a statement welcoming him back, saying: "While the FWA does not condone Roy's actions, we recognize that he has now served his sentence." During Frontiers of Honor, a cross-promotional show between FWA and Ring of Honor in the United Kingdom, Samoa Joe their ROH Champion faced The Zebra Kid in a match that would make the belt a "World Title" as it was being defended outside the United States.

After this Zebra Kid would once again wrestle more for independent promotions in the United Kingdom, including his father's WAW, under the names Roy Knight, and Brian Knight. On 4 February 2006 at Real Deal Wrestling's King Of The Castle event, Zebra Kid would make it to the tournament final to defeat Ricky Knight and win RDW Heavyweight Championship. However, not long after this WAW announced on their forum that Roy Bevis would be taking a break from wrestling, to sort out some health and personal issues.

Zebra Kid made a return to the ring in 2007. In 2008 he went on to defeat Erik Isaksen (at The Talk, Norwich) to win become the first British wrestler to hold the WAW World Heavyweight Championship. Zebra Kid would go on to make many successful title defenses against; Christian Eckstein, Danny Collins, Martin Stone and Scott Fusion. In October 2010, Zebra Kid lost the WAW World Heavyweight Championship to Scott Fusion at WAW's annual spectacular; October OutRage 12. Fusion is the 2nd British wrestler to hold the title.

On 19 November 2010 at a WAW show in Norwich; Zebra Kid regained the WAW World Heavyweight Championship in match featuring Scott Fusion teaming with Karl Krammer against The Zebra Kid and his father, Ricky Knight. The rules stipulated that if Knight or Zebra Kid pinned either Fusion or Krammer, then Zebra Kid would regain the title. Knight pinned Krammer for the victory and Zebra Kid regained the title. Zebra Kid would lose the championship to Danny Boy Collins in March 2012 in a Hardcore Tag Team match when he again teamed with his father against Collins and former ECW Champion Steve Corino. Collins won the title when he choked Zebra Kid out after a missed Zebra Crossing.

Zebra Kid has since reverted to the Roy Knight ring name and formed a tag team with his brother Zak Knight to become the UK Hooligans. In 2011 the UK Hooligans won the HEW Tag Team Championships from Sam Knee and Brett "Kraft" Meadows "The Devils Playboys", and in September 2012 they defeated The Army of 2 to win the vacant RQW European Tag Team Championships.

Personal life

Bevis is part of a professional wrestling family. His father and step mother, known as Ricky Knight and Sweet Saraya respectively, are professional wrestlers, as are both his siblings, Zak and Saraya-Jade. The family run the World Association of Wrestling (WAW) promotion. In July 2012, Channel 4 produced a documentary about the Knights entitled The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family.[1][2]

In September 2004, Bevis was jailed for nine months for drunk driving.[3] In June 2005, he was arrested for affray, possessing an offensive weapon, and assaulting a police officer after throwing a beer bottle across a pub and possessing a knife on a night out.[3] In August 2005, Bevis, playing as a striker for Thetford Town FC, knocked a referee unconscious during a match after being shown a red card.[3] After the incident, Thetford Town FC stated that Bevis was no longer playing for or involved with the team.[3]

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ↑ Deacon, Michael (19 July 2012). "The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family, Channel 4, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family". Channel 4. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Ref-attack wrestler facing jail for knife threat". Cambridge News. 26 August 2005. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  4. ↑ "WrestlingData profile". Retrieved 2014-01-22.
  5. ↑ "Independent Wrestling Results - July 2002". onlineworldofwrestling.com. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  6. ↑ "X Wrestling Alliance Title Histories". titlehistories.com. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  7. ↑ "Independent Wrestling Results - February 2003". onlineworldofwrestling.com. Retrieved 2008-07-05.

External links