Chris Harris (wrestler)

Chris Harris

Harris in 2008.
Birth name	Christopher Eric Harris
Born	(1973-12-25) December 25, 1973 Cincinnati, Ohio
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Braden Walker Chris Harris
Billed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Billed weight	232 lb (105 kg)[1]
Billed from	Fort Wright, Kentucky[1]
Trained by	Charlie Fulton Kid Collins Roger Ruffen
Debut	1994

Christopher Eric Harris (born December 25, 1973) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he was formerly one-half of the tag team America's Most Wanted along with partner James Storm.

Harris is recognized as a seven-time NWA World Tag Team Champion, having won the belts with Storm six times and with Elix Skipper once.

Career

World Championship Wrestling (2000–2001)

Along with several other wrestlers, including future tag team partner James Storm, Harris was signed to a World Championship Wrestling (WCW) developmental deal in October 2000. Terry Taylor proposed a country singer gimmick for him, but it was rejected by management. He appeared as a fake version of Sting at Halloween Havoc in 2000.^[2] He wrestled on the WCW B-shows WorldWide and Saturday Night as part of R and B Security until the promotion was sold in early 2001.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

America's Most Wanted (2002–2006)

On June 1, 2002, Harris was given a tryout match against his long-time independent circuit rival James Storm with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) by Bert Prentice.^[1] Both were subsequently signed to short term contracts. He wrestled in the Gauntlet for the Gold match on the first TNA pay-per-view and was placed in a tag team with Storm on the second pay-per-view by Bob Ryder, the creative force behind the team. Storm came up with the name "America's Most Wanted" (AMW) for the team. They obtained their first success on September 18, 2002 by surviving a tag team Gauntlet for the Gold and defeating Ron Harris and Brian Lee to obtain the NWA World Tag Team Championship.^[1]

America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris, James Storm and Gail Kim) in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

In March and April 2003 the duo teased a split, with Storm and Harris facing off in a singles match on May 7, 2003. Storm won the match, but the partners shook hands afterward. Harris rejected Vince Russo's offer to join his stable of degenerates, Sports Entertainment Xtreme (S.E.X). When Storm was incapacitated by the recurrence of an old shoulder injury in early 2004, Harris received a NWA World Championship shot on March 17, 2004 and was defeated by champion Jeff Jarrett. He went on to compete in a "King of the Mountain" ladder match for the title on June 2, 2004, but was again bested by Jarrett.

America's Most Wanted resumed teaming together, but on August 25, 2004, James Storm was sidelined with neck and shoulder injuries, leaving Harris without a partner. Harris teamed with Elix Skipper to win an NWA Tag Team Title for a fifth time on September 8, 2004.^[3] Harris and Storm later reunited. On January 16, 2005 Harris became a six time NWA Tag Team Champion (along with James Storm), winning the Tag Title from Bobby Roode and Eric Young. Harris won the title for a sixth and seventh time as part of AMW. In league with Jeff Jarrett, he would semi-reprise his role as a fake Sting when he played the Crow Sting in a Planet Jarrett retrospective of Sting's career on Impact! on January 7, 2006.

America's Most Wanted split as a team on the December 14, 2006 edition of Impact! during a tag team match with LAX in a Titles vs Team match. Storm effectively chose the outcome of the match by assaulting Harris with a beer bottle allowing him to be pinned by Homicide putting an end to AMW.

Singles career (2007–2008)

Harris in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

On the January 11, 2007 episode of Impact! Harris did a (kayfabe) sit-down interview with Mike Tenay giving a strong impression his wrestling career could be over. Harris was not seen on television until the Against All Odds pay-per-view in which he (wearing an eye patch) went for Storm. For several weeks, he continued to attack Storm. On the March 1, 2007 episode of Impact! Harris claimed his vision was at 30% and vowed revenge on Storm. At Lockdown, Harris lost to Storm in Six Sides of Steel match, in which both men were blindfolded. It was revealed his vision had been restored, and Harris faced off against Storm at Sacrifice, in a Texas Death match, where Harris came out the victor. After this, Harris showed up two weeks straight to assist Rhino and Hector Guerrero with The Latin American Xchange (LAX). Harris entered into Slammiversary as the last contestant in the King of the Mountain Match, only to lose to Kurt Angle. Harris feuded with Christian Cage, losing to him by roll-up at Victory Road after Dustin Rhodes hit him in the back.

The Harris/Rhodes feud continued for a few weeks with Rhodes attacking Harris during his matches on Impact! until a match was made at Hard Justice, when Harris defeated "Black Reign" Dustin Rhodes via disqualification and at No Surrender Harris defeated Black Reign in a No Disqualification match by pinning Reign. at Bound for Glory (2007), Harris competed in the Fight for the Right Reverse Battle Royal which was won by Eric Young. at Turning Point (2007), Harris competed in the Feast or Fired match but failed to win the match. on the December 13 episode of Impact, Harris faced Booker T in a losing effort. on the January 3, 2008 episode of Impact, Harris competed in the TNA Heavyweight Gauntlet Match which was won by Christian Cage. on January 10 episode of Impact, Harris faced Judas Mesias in a losing effort. On January 11, 2008, TNA announced on its website that Harris had been released from his TNA contract.

NWA Cyberspace (2005)

Harris also works regularly for NWA Cyberspace along with James Storm in the tag team division and as a singles competitor. On November 19, 2005, Harris was forced to fight against Jeff Jarrett for the NWA Cyberspace Heavyweight Championship (though Jarrett was also NWA World Heavyweight Champion, that title was not on the line). Jarrett let Harris beat him with a poke, but NWA CyberSpace Commissioner Jasmin St. Claire booked them for a three-way dance immediately afterward with fellow Cyberspace and TNA wrestler Abyss, who beat both and won the Cyberspace Heavyweight Championship.

World Wrestling Entertainment (2008)

Harris announced on his official website that he had signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on January 29, 2008.^[4] Harris was pinned by Shelton Benjamin in his WWE debut on March 11, 2008 in a dark match. Harris made his WWE television debut on the July 8, 2008 episode of ECW, under the name "Braden Walker", defeating Armando Estrada.^[5] It was during this feud that his catchphrase "I'm Braden Walker and I'm going to knock your brains out" was coined, following a knock-knock joke he had told Estrada. He wrestled one more match, a pinfall victory over James Curtis, before he was released from his WWE contract on August 7, 2008.^[6] His run in WWE became part of a viral joke centered around the 'Knock Knock' joke, and his short run on ECW on YouTube. The videos "Braden Walker Hall of Fame" and "The Definitive Braden Walker Collection" have a combined 14 million views.

Independent circuit (2008–present)

In early September 2008, Harris appeared at the Northern Wrestling Federation under the name "Wildcat" Chris Harris, challenging NWF Heavyweight Champion Ryan Stone.^[7] On March 28, 2009, Harris wrestled a match for ROH's former sister promotion FIP, losing to Chris Hero.^[8] On June 14, 2010, Harris made a one-night return to TNA at the tapings of the June 24 edition of Impact!, once again portraying a fake Sting character.^[9]

Return to TNA (2011)

Harris made yet another return to TNA as a member of the heel group Immortal at the May 12, 2011, tapings edition of Impact!, when he was introduced by Matt Hardy as his partner in their TNA World Tag Team Championship match against Beer Money, Inc. (James Storm and Robert Roode).^[10][11] Harris made his in-ring return on May 6 at a house show in Fort Smith, Arkansas, teaming with Matt Hardy against Beer Money, Inc. in a losing effort.^[12] On May 15 at Sacrifice, Harris and Hardy failed in their attempt to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship from Beer Money, Inc., when Storm pinned Harris after a Death Sentence.^[13] After the event it was reported that TNA had chosen not to use Harris again.^[14]

Personal life

He appeared in the video for the Clay Davidson song "I Can’t Lie to Me".^[15]

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Catatonic ^[16] (Swinging side slam)
  • Spear^[16]
  • Diving crossbody - 2008
  • Fisherman suplex - 2008
• Signature moves
  • Bulldog^[16]
  • Catapult
  • Cat Attack^[16] (Running Thesz press)
  • Delayed vertical suplex^[16]
  • Diving elbow drop
  • Diving leg drop^[16]
  • Full nelson slam
  • Inside cradle
  • Lariat^[16]
  • Sharpshooter^[16]
• With James Storm
  • Double team finishing moves
    • Death Sentence (Bearhug (Storm) / Diving leg drop (Harris) combination)^[17]
  • Double team signature moves
    • Bearhug / Lariat combination^[17]
• Managers
  • Gail Kim
• Nicknames
  • "The Wildcat"
  • "The Cultural Phenomenon"
• Entrance themes
  • "Guilty" by Dale Oliver (TNA)^[18]
  • "We Find the Defendants Guilty" by Dale Oliver (TNA)
  • "More Human Than Human (Meet Bambi in the king's Harem Remix)" by White Zombie (Independent Circuit)

Championships and accomplishments

Harris and James Storm at a house show

• ASWA
  • ASWA Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) - with Abyss^[19]
• Frontier Elite Wrestling
  • FEW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with James Storm
• Interstate Championship Wrestling
  • ICW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Mountain Wrestling Association
  • MWA Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[16]
  • MWA Tag Team Championship (1 time)^[16] – with Rated X
• Music City Wrestling
  • NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[20]
• NWA Shockwave
  • NWA Cyberspace Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[21]
  • NWA Cyberspace Tag Team Championship (1 time)^[22] - with James Storm
• Northern Wrestling Federation
  • NWF Heavyweight Championship (3 times)^[16]
  • NWF Tag Team Championship (1 time)^[16] – with Sean Casey
  • NWF Tri-State Championship (1 time)^[16]
• Peel's Championship Wrestling
  • PCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Sean Casey^[23]
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #44 of the top of 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2004^[24]
  • PWI Tag Team of the Year (2004)^[25] with James Storm
• Purks International Championship Wrestling
  • PICW Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)^[26]
• World Wrestling Council
  • WWC World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with James Storm
• Superstar Wrestling Federation
  • SWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (7 times)^[27] – with James Storm (6) and Elix Skipper (1)
  • Gauntlet for the Gold (2002 – Tag Team) – with James Storm^[28]
  • TNA Anarchy Alliance Tag Team Tournament (2003) – with James Storm
  • Match of the Year (2004) with James Storm vs. Christopher Daniels and Elix Skipper at Turning Point^[29]
  • Tag Team of the Year (2003–2004) with James Storm^[29]
• USA Championship Wrestling
  • USA North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[30][31]
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Tag Team of the Year (2005) with James Storm
  • Worst Worked Match of the Year (2007) vs. James Storm in a Six Sides of Steel Blindfold match at Lockdown

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chris Harris (wrestler).