Derick Neikirk
Encyclopedia
Derick Lee Neikirk is an American professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

 and former minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 player. He has competed for several promotions, and currently competes for Impact Zone Wrestling (IZW), a territory of the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...

 (NWA) based in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

. He has also wrestled in several other promotions
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...

 and was signed to a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...

 (WWE) for several years. Much of his career has been connected with fellow wrestler Mike Knox
Mike Knox
Michael Shawn Hettinga is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment as Mike Knox. He is also an avid fisherman, and fishes in his spare time.-Independent circuit :...

, as the two have held championships together as a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...

 and have feuded
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...

 on multiple occasions.

Baseball career

Before entering professional wrestling, Neikirk played catcher for the Mesa Community College
Mesa Community College
Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona, is the largest of the 10 community colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District and is the largest in the United States. MCC began in 1963 as a branch of Phoenix College and later granted independent status in 1965.MCC offers more than 200...

 baseball team in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference
Arizona Community College Athletic Conference
Also known as '. Hosted by the National Junior College Athletic Association, also known as Region I is a junior college conference for many Tech and Community Colleges. Conference championships are held in most sports and individuals can be named to All-Conference and All-Academic teams.-Members:...

 (ACCAC). In 1996, he was named to the All-ACCAC Team. That year, he was picked by the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

 in the 19th round of the Major League Baseball Draft (on his website, however, he states that he was drafted in the first round).

At age 21, Neikirk played in Detroit's rookie-class, minor league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 team, the Gulf Coast League Tigers of the 1996 Gulf Coast League
Gulf Coast League
The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...

 in Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...

. He played catcher in 18 games out of a 60-game season. His statistics were as follows: 47 plate appearances, 38 at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...

s, 8 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....

, 4 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...

, 1 run batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

 (RBI), 5 walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...

, 7 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....

s, and 8 total bases
Total bases
In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total....

. Also, Neikirk ground into a double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....

 4 times, was hit by a pitch 3 times, and made 1 sacrifice hit
Sacrifice hit
In baseball, a sacrifice bunt is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball in a manner that allows a runner on base to advance to another base. The batter is almost always sacrificed but sometimes reaches base due to an error or fielder's choice...

. He had a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 of .211, an on-base percentage of .348, a slugging percentage of .211, and an on-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League...

 (OPS) of .558.

That same year, Neikirk was promoted to the high-A-class, minor-league team, the Visalia Oaks
Visalia Oaks
The Visalia Rawhide are a minor league baseball team in Visalia, California, U.S. They are a Class A - Advanced team of the Arizona Diamondbacks operating in the California League and have recently agreed to renew their affiliation through 2012....

, of the 1996 California League
California League
The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...

, in Visalia, California
Visalia, California
Visalia is a Central California city situated in the heart of California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley, approximately southeast of San Francisco and north of Los Angeles...

. While there, he played catcher in 9 games out of a 140-game season. His statistics were as follows: 29 plate appearances, 27 at-bats, 4 hits, 3 runs, 2 RBIs, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts, and 4 total bases. He also had a batting average of .148, an on-base percentage of .207, a slugging percentage of .148, and an OPS of .355.

In 1999, at age 24, Neikirk returned to baseball playing for the independent minor league team, the Adirondack Lumberjacks
Adirondack Lumberjacks
The Adirondack Lumberjacks were an independent professional baseball team based in Glens Falls, New York. The team moved to Bangor, Maine and became the Bangor Lumberjacks following the 2002 season...

, of the 1999 Northern League, in Glens Falls, New York
Glens Falls, New York
Glens Falls is a city in Warren County, New York, United States. Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,700 at the 2010 census...

. While there, he played catcher in 42 games out of an 86-game season. His statistics were as follows: 118 at-bats, 31 hits, 3 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

, 1 triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

, 2 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s, and 42 total bases. He had a batting average of .263 and a slugging percentage of .356.

On a weighted-average, 100-point scale, Neikirk's Baseball Cube scouting report is as follows:
  • Power:39
  • Batting:22
  • Speed:43
  • Contact:43
  • Patience:62

Wrestling

Throughout his professional wrestling career, Neikirk has competed primarily in the United States. He was also wrestled in Egypt and has worked for the World Wrestling Alliance in Europe and for Enezma in Mexico. Much of his career has been spent portraying a heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...

 (villain) through an arrogant demeanor and by turning on allies.

Early career

Neikirk trained under Les Thatcher
Les Thatcher
Leslie Alan Malady better known by the name Les Thatcher is a former professional wrestler who achievied many accolades over his career...

 for a career in professional wrestling. In 2002, he formed a tag team known as The A Squad with Chet Jablonski
Neil Bzibziak
Neil Bzibziak is an American professional wrestler, known by his ringname "Super Fan" Chet Douglas, who has competed on the independent circuit since his debut in 2000...

. On July 10, 2002, The A Squad defeated Ice Cream Man and Cody Hawk to win the HWA Tag Team Championship
HWA Tag Team Championship
The HWA Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles contested for in the Heartland Wrestling Association. It was established in 1996 when the Head Bangers became the first champions.-Title history:...

, although this title reign is not recorded in the company's official history. That year, Neikirk was rated number 481 on Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...

s annual PWI 500 list of the top wrestlers in the world. On August 31, 2003, Neikirk wrestled a match on WWE's Sunday Night Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...

 television program in which he was defeated by Test. In 2003, he improved his PWI 500 ranking and was placed at number 442.

He later wrestled for Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW), where he formed a tag team with Mike Knox
Mike Knox
Michael Shawn Hettinga is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment as Mike Knox. He is also an avid fisherman, and fishes in his spare time.-Independent circuit :...

. The team was also part of a stable known as The Outlaws. Neikirk and Knox later moved to IZW, where they were known as Team Elite. They defeated Navajo Warrior and Hawaiian Lion on January 18, 2005 to win the IZW Tag Team Championship. They held the title belts until March 15, when they dropped them to California Connection (Peter Goodman and Antonio Mestre). On January 6, 2004, Neikirk turned on Knox by superkicking him in the face. He explained this action by saying that he was tired of carrying the team and that Knox had "dropped the ball". That night, Neikirk and Kox faced each other as part of a six-man match, but Neikirk turned on his teammates and left the ring
Wrestling ring
A wrestling ring is the ring stage on which professional wrestlers wrestle.-Configuration and construction:The configuration and construction of the "traditional" ring is very similar to that of a boxing ring, though the wrestling version has three ring ropes...

. Neikirk and Knox had a blow off match on May 25. Neikirk won the match, but the referee
Referee (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring...

 then reversed his decision and awarded the victory to Knox.

World Wrestling Entertainment

In 2005, he and Knox were signed by World Wrestling Entertainment and was sent to the Deep South Wrestling (DSW), which was a developmental territory
Farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point...

 for WWE. They resumed wrestling together as Team Elite. Competing as a singles wrestler, Neikirk won the DSW Heavyweight Championship
Deep South Heavyweight Championship
-After WWE:The title was "held-up" after the agreement between WWE and DSW ended in March 2007, and another tournament was held in on July 12 to crown the new champion.↑Alexander the Great defeated Salvatore Rinauro by Coin Toss-Title history:...

 on December 22 that year by defeating Mike Mizanin
Mike Mizanin
Michael "Mike" Gregory Mizanin is an American professional wrestler and reality television personality better known by his nickname and ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand...

. He finished the year ranked number 367 in the PWI 500. He held the Heavyweight Championship for six months before dropping it to Roughhouse O'Reilly
Ryan O'Reilly (wrestler)
Ryan Parmeter is an American professional wrestler. He is signed by WWE and competes in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Conor O'Brian...

. On August 3, 2006, Team Elite faced High Impact (Mike Taylor and Tony Santarelli
Tony Salantri
Anthony "Tony" Salantri is an American Film and television actor and a former American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names Tony Santarelli or Tony Stradlin, who competed in North American independent promotions including Combat Zone Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance and...

 for the DSW Tag Team Championship. Neikirk and Knox lost the match, which led to them splitting up and feuding. They faced each other at several DSW house show
House show
A house show is a professional wrestling show run by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...

s, with Knox winning most of the matches. At the same time, Neikirk also teamed with Roughhouse O'Reilley to wrestle the Full Blooded Italians
Full Blooded Italians
The Full Blooded Italians is a professional wrestling stable and tag team that wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s and for World Wrestling Entertainment during the mid-2000s.-Extreme Championship Wrestling:...

 (Little Guide
James Maritato
James Maritato is an American professional wrestler, of Italian origin, currently working on the independent circuit. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment and Extreme Championship Wrestling under the ring names Little Guido Maritato and Nunzio.-Starting out:While...

 and Tony Mamaluke) on several house shows promoted by WWE's Extreme Championship Wrestling. In 2006, he achieved his highest ranking on the PWI 500, as he was rated number 310.

In 2007, Team Elite reunited and won the DSW Tag Team Championship on March 8 with a victory over The Majors Brothers
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder were a American professional wrestling tag team who appeared on the independent circuit and WWE under a variety of evolving names....

. They held the title until WWE ended its association with DSW on April 18, 2007. Neikirk and Knox were sent to Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...

, another WWE developmental territory, where they continued to form a tag team. Neikirk also appeared on WWE's Extreme Championship Wrestling program as one of Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, commentator and journalist. He is also an occasional actor in film....

's bodyguards.

In January 2008, he was suspended by WWE for a violation of the company's Wellness Program. He was released from his WWE contract on January 8.

Return to Impact Zone Wrestling

He then returned to Impact Zone Wrestling, where he won the NWA Arizona Heavyweight Championship
NWA Arizona Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Arizona Heavyweight Championship is a National Wrestling Alliance-controlled championship for the state of Arizona. It has been primarily defended in Rising Phoenix Wrestling and Impact Zone Wrestling. The current champion is Brandon Gatson, who won the title on July 31, 2011.-Title...

 on December 30, 2008 in a match against G.Q. Gallo. The match ended in controversy, however, because both men's shoulders were on the mat as the referee counted the pinfall. Neikirk raised his shoulder just before the final count and was awarded the victory and the title belt. The title was declared vacant until the two men could face each other again on January 27, 2009. This rematch ended in a draw
Tie (draw)
To tie or draw is to finish a competition with identical or inconclusive results. The word "tie" is usually used in North America for sports such as American football. "Draw" is usually used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations and it is usually used for sports such as...

, but Gallo defeated Neikirk to win the vacant title on March 10. Neikirk regained the title, which had been renamed the Arizona Heavyweight Championship, that summer. He held the belt until dropping it to Mike James on August 11. NWA Representative Greg DeMarco then tried to strip James of the belt and return it to Neikirk, but Neikirk refused to accept the title.

In wrestling

  • Finishing move
    • Round Trip (Inverted suplex stunner)

Championships and accomplishments

  • Elite Xtreme Wrestling
    • EXW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

  • Deep South Wrestling
    • DSW Heavyweight Championship
      Deep South Heavyweight Championship
      -After WWE:The title was "held-up" after the agreement between WWE and DSW ended in March 2007, and another tournament was held in on July 12 to crown the new champion.↑Alexander the Great defeated Salvatore Rinauro by Coin Toss-Title history:...

       (1 time)
    • DSW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mike Knox
      Mike Knox
      Michael Shawn Hettinga is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment as Mike Knox. He is also an avid fisherman, and fishes in his spare time.-Independent circuit :...


  • Heartland Wrestling Association
    Heartland Wrestling Association
    The Heartland Wrestling Association is a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, it was listed as one of the top independent...

    • HWA Tag Team Championship
      HWA Tag Team Championship
      The HWA Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles contested for in the Heartland Wrestling Association. It was established in 1996 when the Head Bangers became the first champions.-Title history:...

       (1 time) - with Chet Jablonski
      Neil Bzibziak
      Neil Bzibziak is an American professional wrestler, known by his ringname "Super Fan" Chet Douglas, who has competed on the independent circuit since his debut in 2000...


  • Impact Zone Wrestling
    • Arizona Heavyweight Championship (1 times)
    • IZW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mike Knox
    • NWA Arizona Heavyweight Championship
      NWA Arizona Heavyweight Championship
      The NWA Arizona Heavyweight Championship is a National Wrestling Alliance-controlled championship for the state of Arizona. It has been primarily defended in Rising Phoenix Wrestling and Impact Zone Wrestling. The current champion is Brandon Gatson, who won the title on July 31, 2011.-Title...

       (1 time)

External links

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