Robbie Brookside

Robert Edward Brooks (born 11 March 1966),^[1] better known by his ring name Robbie Brookside, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he works as a trainer in its developmental territory NXT. He has toured all over the world during his career, wrestling in the United States, Japan, Germany, and Mexico. He was a regular tag partner of Steve Regal in the United Kingdom and has competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling's annual tournament, the Super J, in 1997, where he picked up a victory over Chris Jericho.

Early life

Brooks was born in Liverpool, Merseyside. His father was a footballer who played for Preston North End FC.

Professional wrestling career

Brooks was discovered by Bobby Barren, who invited him to wrestle at the Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, and Brian Dixon, who got Brooks some jobs on the holiday camps with established wrestlers such as Steve Adonis. Wrestling as Robbie Brookside, he won his first title after World Heavy-Middleweight Champion "Rollerball" Mark Rocco retired and Brookside won the vacant title in a tournament. The following year, he lost it to Frank "Chic" Cullen.^[2]

Brookside then teamed with Doc Dean as The Liverpool Lads, together winning the British Tag Team Championship. Frankie Sloan later teamed with Brookside as The Liverpool Lads in place of Dean. In 1996, Brookside got the chance to wrestle in Germany for the Catch Wrestling Association through his contact with the group, Dave "Fit" Finlay. From then through to the turn of the century, Brookside could be found wrestling across many promotions in Europe, and won many titles during his travels.

Brookside spent six months in the U.S. wrestling for World Championship Wrestling, including several matches on Nitro, WCW's main TV shown worldwide. On 25 April 2005, he had a dark match on World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw during a taping of the show in the UK, losing to Simon Dean. When WWE once again returned to England, Brookside joined other British wrestlers Thunder and Steve Lewington as part of the WWE security squad that helped keep the waring Raw and SmackDown! wrestlers apart.

Brookside continued to wrestle in and around the UK and remained one of the top British wrestlers, winning many of the top titles in the UK. Brookside became the first-ever Real Quality Wrestling Heavyweight Champion on 29 April 2006, defeating former WWE and WCW Superstar Billy Kidman during a match at RQW's A Night Of Champions event. Brookside would later go on to win the Frontier Wrestling Alliance's British Heavyweight Championship at the FWA Summer Classic in a no-DQ elimination three-way match, finally pinning Jonny Storm after then-champion Hade Vansen, who was eliminated first, returned to the ring and hit Storm with his South City Driller finishing move.

Though FWA Champion, Brookside was in fact wrestling under the banner of another promotion, All Star Wrestling. Brookside remained an All Star wrestler throughout his reign, with various FWA wrestlers trying to take back "their" championship. During this time, Brookside vacated his RQW Heavyweight title and left the promotion. Brookside also took an interest in the future of the business by going on to train future wrestlers, eventually opening his own Leicester-based wrestling school, Wrestleicester, in late 2006.

Brookside appeared on the April 23, 2007 episode of Raw, losing a no disqualification, 3-on-1 handicap match to Shane McMahon, Vince McMahon, and Umaga. Brookside was introduced as a man that Shane McMahon had personally seen take down six men by himself in a fight at a local pub. Brookside has also had WWE matches against Snitsky and Maven. Brookside wrestled around the country in 2008, including defeating James Mason in a World of Sport rules match at Maesteg Town Hall.

In February 2008, Brookside won All Star Promotions British Heavyweight Championship for the second time but was forced to vacate the title in May 2009 due to injury.^[3] At a WWE house show in Birmingham on 7 November 2011, William Regal announced that Brookside was in the crowd and credited him with his success as well as that of Sheamus and Wade Barrett.

In 2013, Brookside, who had already been working as a talent scout for WWE, began working as a coach in WWE's developmental system, NXT, also ending his career in active competition after nearly 30 years.^[4][5] Brookside made an appearance on the February 16, 2015 episode of Raw, separating a brawl between Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Iconoclasm, sometimes floated over into a bridging double leg roll-up pin

• Signature moves
  • Northern Lights suplex

• Managers
  • Lisa Fury

• Nicknames
  • "Wildcat"

Championships and accomplishments

• All Action Wrestling
  • AAW North East Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• All Star Wrestling
  • ASW British Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[3][6]
  • ASW British Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Doc Dean
  • ASW World Heavy-Middleweight Championship (1 time)^[2][6]

• Catch Wrestling Association
  • CWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • CWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time)^[7] – with Cannonball Grizzly

• European Wrestling Promotion
  • EWP Intercontinental Championship (2 times)^[8]
  • Ironman Hardcore Knockout Tournament (2001)

• European Wrestling Union
  • European Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • European Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Doc Dean
  • Manfred Koch Memorial Cup (2001)

• Frontier Wrestling Alliance
  • FWA British Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[9]
  • FWA European Union Championship (1 time)

• New Alliance of Wrestling Athletes
  • NAWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[10]

• Premier Wrestling Federation
  • Worthing Trophy (1995, 1999, 2005)
  • Ken Joyce Trophy (2004–2006)^[11]
  • Wrestler of the Year (1995, 2005)

• Professional Wrestling Alliance
  • PWA European Championship (2 times)^[12][13]

• Real Quality Wrestling
  • RQW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[14]

• The Wrestling Alliance
  • TWA British Heavyweight Champion (2 times)^[15]
  • TWA British Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Doug Williams (1)
  • TWA Hardcore Championship (1 time)

• Westside Xtreme Wrestling
  • wXw World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[16]

References