Mark Shrader
Encyclopedia
Mark "The Shark" Shrader (born September 9, 1967) is a retired American professional wrestler
, trainer
and promoter
who competed in numerous independent promotions
throughout the United States during the 1990s and early 2000s. Among these included Atlantic Terror Championship Wrestling, the Future Wrestling Alliance, East Coast Wrestling Association
, Cueball Carmichael
's Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance
, Doug Flex's International Pro Wrestling, and the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
. Shrader also briefly appeared as a preliminary wrestler for the World Wrestling Federation.
A popular light heavyweight
on the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast
"indy circuit", he won several regional championship titles and was also a participant in the 1998 ECWA Super 8 Tournament. In addition, he is a former MEWF Heavyweight Champion
, a two-time MEWF Light Heavyweight Champion, and MEWF Tag Team Champion
with Devon Storm
and Corporal Punishment
. He also formed notable tag teams with a number of independent stars on the East Coast including The Darkside Rebel, Cueball Carmichael, Glenn Osbourne, Boo Bradley
, Joey Matthews, Mike Quackenbush, Christian York
, and Reckless Youth
.
In 1998, Shrader and then partner Dan McDevitt
established Maryland Championship Wrestling
which became the top wrestling promotion in the state of Maryland, and one of the most popular independent organizations in the United States, until its close in 2003. The two also operated a wrestling school, the "Bone Breakers Pro Wrestling Training Center", in Halethorpe, Maryland
which trained WWE's Lita
, Mickie James
, Orlando Jordan
and Florida Championship Wrestling
star Calvin Raines. At MCW's debut show, his match against "Irish Ironman" Shane Shamrock
for the MCW Light Heavyweight Championship
, also involving Christian York
, Joey Matthews, Quinn Nash, and Earl the Pearl and ending with his tapping out to Shamrock's "Irish cloverleaf" submission hold, was voted by fans as "Match of the Year".
, Maryland. Beginning in 1977, the 10-year-old Shrader began competing in amateur wrestling
, an activity he would continue up until his teenage years as a champion high school wrestler. In junior high he served as treasurer of the student council
and later, while attending Woodlawn High School
, became president of the local church youth group. After his graduation from Woodlawn High in 1985, he began working for a pest control company
. He attended Catonsville Community College, studying to be an interpreter for the hearing impaired, and was later a photo editor for the college newspaper; it was in this position, according to Shrader, that he was nearly expelled from the school for photographs he had taken of Joan Jett
.
In 1990, Shrader lost his job as an exterminator. Unable to find work in Ocean City
, he spent the summer "pool hustling" before moving back to Baltimore and was hired by Chi-Chi's
restaurant. A year later, he traveled to Key West, Florida
. He returned to Ocean City the following summer, where he continued hustling pool, and then returned to Baltimore again to work for a new exterminator company as a service manager. It was around this time that Shrader became interested in becoming a professional wrestler. He found a wrestling school, where he was trained by Duane Gill
, and made his pro debut on June 22, 1993.
for various promotions in the Mid-Atlantic region under the name "Joe College". One such organization was Lou Matrin's Atlantic States Wresting Alliance. His first major match was against another young wrestler, "The Irish Gentleman" Shane Shamrock
, in Parkville, Maryland
for the then vacant ASWA Light Heavyweight Championship on September 14, 1993, a match which he lost. One month later, Shrader teamed with Watsumi the Rising Sun and Chad Austin in a 6-man elimination tag team match against the American Ninja, Johnny Paradise and The Comet
at Kenwood High School
in Essex, Maryland
; though he and Watsumi were eliminated from the contest, their team won the match when Austin ended up as the sole survivor.
. It was at this time that he stated using his more familiar moniker "The Shark", a reference to his "pool hustling" days, and whose in-ring persona similarly portrayed an ex-pool shark
complete with a pool cue he used as a foreign object. He won his first major singles title later that year defeating Shane Shamrock to win the vacant MEWF Light Heavyweight Championship in Catonsville
on November 11, 1994. A year later, he won the title a second time from The Cat Burglar before dropping it to Dino Casanova on March 17, 1996; among the opponents he face during his second reign included Chad Austin. When the title was vacated a month later, he wrestled Earl the Pearl to decide the new champion but was unsuccessful in defeating his opponent. Despite this loss, he would go on to have impressive matches against larger opponents like Knuckles Zandwich and Corporal Punishment
during the next few months. On June 7, 1996, he defeated Quinn Nash (substituting for Earl the Pearl) in a championship tournament to become the first light heavyweight champion for Cueball Carmichael
's Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance
in Alexandria, Virginia
.
By the fall of 1996, Shrader began challenging MEWF Heavyweight Champion Axl Rotten
on MEWF television. Rotten ultimately agreed to wrestle the light heavyweight, however, their first match was marred by outside interference from "Judge" Jeff Jones who hit Shrader with a steel chair allowing Rotten pin his opponent. A rematch between the two was held in Gaithersburg, Maryland
on September 13, and saw Shrader score a surprising victory over Rotten and his winning the MEWF Heavyweight Championship
. He lost the title back to Rotten after a near 3-month title reign, during which time he defeated the Cat Burglar, when the MEWF returned to Gaithersburg on November 23, 1996. At the MEWF's "Winter Wars" supercard, Shrader wrestled Chris Candido
. He also won back the IPWA Light Heavyweight Championship from Earl the Pearl, Shrader having previously surrendered the belt after his MEWF Heavyweight victory, and held it for five months until his defeat by Julio Sanchez in Lenoir, North Carolina
on March 22, 1997.
Earlier that month, Shrader was paired with Devon Storm
to wrestle the team of Rockin' Rebel
and Thomas "The Inchworm" Rodman for the vacant MEWF Tag Team Championship
. Shortly after winning the belts, the two returned to Baltimore for successful title defenses against the Bad Crew
and The Headbangers
(Mosh and Thrasher) in April, and Julio Sanchez & "Hollywood" Bobby Starr
in June. They continued to remain champions until June 29, when they were beaten by Steve Corino
and "The Wiseguy" Jimmy Cicero
in Allentown, Pennsylvania
. Schrader quickly returned to Allentown where he regained the belts with another partner, Corporal Punishment
, but lost the titles back to Corino and Cicero in Baltimore on August 10, 1997. He and Corporal Punishment made another attempt to win back the tag team belts, wrestling the champions in a 3-way dance with The Bad Street Boys
(Joey Matthews & Christian York
) on October 23, with the Bad Street Boys walking out as the new champions. It was later called one of the "wildest matches in MEWF history". Returning to singles competition soon after, he wrestled in a ladder match
against Adam Flash
and Quinn Nash for the MEWF Light Heavyweight Championship on November 15, 1997. Other opponents he would face during the year included Ace Darling, and Christian York
, the latter taking place in IPWA and Doug Flex's International Pro Wrestling. One of the Shrader-York bouts was featured in RF Video's "Best of IPW, Vol. 1".
's first permanent wrestling school, the "Bone Breakers Pro Wrestling Training Center", in Halethorpe, Maryland
; McDevitt had originally gone to then MEWF booker Axl Rotten
propsing a partnership in the new venture, who declined the offer, before Shrader expressed interest and eventually formed Sharkorp Inc. as a parent company for their business venture. Their students would eventually include future WWE stars Lita
, Mickie James
, and Orlando Jordan
. Shrader himself was the main trainer for ECWA Super 8 Tournament
winner Aden Chambers as well as having worked with independent wrestlers Dustin Tarr and Rob Noxious. He also feuded with two of his students, Gregory Martin and Qeenan Creed, eventually forming a tag team called The Fin Twins with the former.
Shrader wrestled on the World Wrestling Federation's Shotgun Saturday Night during the spring of 1998. His first match was on January 17, 1998, against Farooq
(with Kama
and D-Lo Brown) at the Bryce Jordan Center
in State College, Pennsylvania
. He also wrestled a 6-man tag team match with Al Phillips and Brian Knighton against WWF Intercontinental Champion Rocky Maivia and the Nation of Domination
(Mark Henry
and D-Lo Brown) at Philadelphia's Corestates Center three months later.
He also began touring the Delaware
-based East Coast Wrestling Association
. On March 21, Shrader entered the 2nd annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament
in Newport
but was eliminated by Lance Diamond
in the opening rounds. He returned in September to wrestle Devon Storm and Mike Quackenbush in a 3-way dance.
. Encouraged by the support of other local wrestlers, the two decided to start their own promotion, Maryland Championship Wrestling
, as an extension of their "Bone Breakers" wrestling school. Most of the active MEWF roster, including booker Axl Rotten, followed Shrader and McDevitt to their new promotion following a walkout
in December 1997. Seven months later, on July 19, 1998, MCW's first show was held at Baltimore's Patapsco Arena and attended by nearly 1,200 fans. The event featured manager Jim Cornette
, Little Guido, Balls Mahoney
, Jerry Lynn
, Crowbar, and The Headbangers
. The show's success broke the longstanding monopoly over Maryland pro wrestling by the MEWF and would eventually lead to MCW becoming the top promotion in the region.
One of the show's highlights was Shrader's performance on the show. His match was a six-way dance also involving Christian York
, Joey Matthews, Quinn Nash, and Earl the Pearl to decide the first MCW Light Heavyweight Champion
. He and Shamrock were the final participants and the match ended with Shamrock trapping Shrader in his "Irish cloverleaf" submission hold to win the belt. The bout was later voted by fans as "Match of the Year".
Shrader was among those who later participated in the Shane Shamrock Memorial Show, a month after his loss to Shamrock, where he wrestled Romeo Valentino. Over the next six months he would also have a series of matches against Christian York and Lance Diamond; the Shrader-Diamond matches included a mixed tag team match between Shrader and manager Dawn Marie against Lance Diamond and Bobcat.
That summer, Shrader took part in a special six-man tag match with Dino Devine and Cueball Carmichael
. Two of their opponents were Shrader's former students Qeenan Creed and Gregory Martin. Their mystery partner was introduced by the cornermen
98Rock
disc jockeys Andy Blacksmith and John Glassman as Shrader's trainer Gillberg
. Shrader was able to pin Gillberg with the help of outside interference by Carmichael.
A large part of the promotion was its fundraising activities which raised thousands of dollars for various charities and high schools in the state. It was at one of the events that Shrader, a one-time champion high school wrestler for Woodlawn High, started a feud with Baltimore County school rival Owings Mills High School
. On May 16, 1999, Shrader challenged the Owings Mills wrestling team, specifically its head coach Guy Pritzker and assistant Justin Ott, to a wresting match later that evening. If he and his partner Dino Devine won the match then they would be allowed to become OMHS's wrestling coaching staff for the 1999–2000 winter sports season. Earlier during the school week, Shrader "invaded" the cafeteria while Coach Pritzker was on lunch duty and "[slapped] him around". The high school coaches ended up winning their match against Shrader and Devine. Shrader continued to appear at Owings High during the school season, however, the feud was cut short when he lost a "loser-leaves-MCW" match.
with Christian York
on March 17, 1999. Shrader's original partner was Glenn Osbourne, however, he and York scored simultaneous pinfalls during a 3-way match between The Extremists
Ace Darling & Devon Storm
, the Bad Street Boys (Joey Matthews & Christian York), and Mark Schrader & Glenn Osbourne, for the belts. The two rivals were forced to team with each other for over three months until a match was set up in Newport on July 30, where Schrader and his new partner Thunder defeated York and Matthews to become the undisputed champions. Schrader and Thunder held the belts until the end of the year following a loss to The Backseat Boyz
(Johnny Kashmere
and Trent Acid
) on November 19, 1999. He made another appearance the following year to help his former tag team partner who was being attacked by Brute Force (Viper, Carnage, Stud, and Ground Zero) after taking them on in a handicap match.
), and The Intimidators (Mark Mest & Maxx Crimson) to crown the first-ever FWA tag team champions. He and Gregory eliminated The Intimidators, and were one of the last two team's in the match, but were defeated by The Sex Idols when Idol pinned Martin. The Fin Twins defeated The Sex Idols the following year, on March 11, 2000, with their manager Gabriella Leigh, substituting for an injured Mark Shrader, pinned Tommy Idol following a top-rope "Gabycanrana". Shrader teamed with Reckless Youth
three months later in a 3-way dance with The Sex Idols and Family of Freaks. One of his last matches for the promotion was a singles match against The Sex Idols' Qeenan Creed (with Tommy Idol and Pandora) in Palo Alto on September 9, 2000, which he lost. In Shrader's corner were "Ramblin'" Rick Myers and Gabriella Leigh and, prior to the match, Shrader announced to the fans that Myers had agreed to be his fellow "Fin Twin" while his regular partner Gregory Martin was recovering from his injuries.
In Atlantic Terror Championship Wrestling, the Fin Twins (Mark Shrader & Gregory Martin) faced Dino Divine & Chad Austin on December 8, 2000, in Martinsburg, West Virginia
. They defeated Divine and Jimmy Cicero for the promotion's tag team titles on January 19, 2001, and remained champions until ATCW's close later that year.
MCW held its final show, "The Last Dance: Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup", on July 16, 2003 at Michael's Eighth Avenue ballroom, with over 1,000 fans in attendance. At the event, it was announced that MCW would be "merging" the MEWF. Dan Devitt (and Jeff Jones) joined the MEWF as bookers and their "Bone Breakers" school was bought out by the MEWF's "Brain Busters Academy". Shrader did not join his partner in the MEWF instead leaving the industry to become a full-time bartender
at Baltimore's Hard Rock Cafe
.
, Low Ki
, Donovan Morgan
, Petey Williams
, Cheetah Master, Devon Storm
, Jayson Reign, John Walters, Mike Kruel
, Xavier, Andrew Ryker, and Eric Matlock. He also made an appearance for MCW's "Tribute to the Legends" in Dundalk, Maryland
on September 10, 2006, where he and Headbanger Mosh were honored by the promotion.
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...
, trainer
Personal trainer
A personal trainer is a fitness professional involved in exercise prescription and instruction. They motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback and accountability to clients. Trainers also measure their client's strengths and weaknesses with fitness assessments...
and promoter
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
who competed in numerous independent promotions
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
throughout the United States during the 1990s and early 2000s. Among these included Atlantic Terror Championship Wrestling, the Future Wrestling Alliance, East Coast Wrestling Association
East Coast Wrestling Association
East Coast Wrestling Association is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded by promoter Jim Kettner in 1967. It is home to the annual Super 8 Tournament, one of the longest-running independent wrestling tournaments in the country...
, Cueball Carmichael
Cueball Carmichael
Chris Jackson is an American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter, known by his ringname Cueball Carmichael, who competes in the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast independent circuit...
's Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance
Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance
The Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance was an American independent professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, especially in the Carolinas and Virginia, from October 1995 to February 2001, when it was run by Cueball Carmichael and...
, Doug Flex's International Pro Wrestling, and the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation was a Mid-Atlantic independent professional wrestling promotion based in Essex, Maryland. Founded by promoter Dennis Wippercht and wrestler Tim "Lucifer" Burke in 1991, the MEWF was one of the leading independent promotions on the East Coast during the 1990s...
. Shrader also briefly appeared as a preliminary wrestler for the World Wrestling Federation.
A popular light heavyweight
Light heavyweight
In boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] and up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight...
on the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
"indy circuit", he won several regional championship titles and was also a participant in the 1998 ECWA Super 8 Tournament. In addition, he is a former MEWF Heavyweight Champion
MEWF Heavyweight Championship
The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship is the highest ranking singles title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, one of three in the promotion....
, a two-time MEWF Light Heavyweight Champion, and MEWF Tag Team Champion
MEWF Tag Team Championship
This is a chronological list of MEWF tag team champions. The MEWF Tag Team Championship is the oldest championship title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation having been established when the Lords of Darkness defeated Cream Team at the MEWF's first show in Pasadena, Maryland on August 2, 1991...
with Devon Storm
Devon Storm
Christopher "Chris" Ford is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Crowbar, where he was a one time Hardcore Champion, a one time World Tag Team Champion with David Flair and a one time Cruiserweight Champion, which he...
and Corporal Punishment
Corporal Punishment (wrestler)
Daniel "Dan" McDevitt , best known by his ring name Corporal Punishment, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter...
. He also formed notable tag teams with a number of independent stars on the East Coast including The Darkside Rebel, Cueball Carmichael, Glenn Osbourne, Boo Bradley
Balls Mahoney
Jonathan Rechner better known by his ring name Balls Mahoney , is an American professional wrestler...
, Joey Matthews, Mike Quackenbush, Christian York
Christian York
Jason Spence is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Christian York.-York and Matthews:...
, and Reckless Youth
Reckless Youth
Thomas Carter is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Reckless Youth. He has competed in numerous North American independent promotions including the East Coast Wrestling Association, Combat Zone Wrestling and Chikara, where he was one of the original founders alongside...
.
In 1998, Shrader and then partner Dan McDevitt
Corporal Punishment (wrestler)
Daniel "Dan" McDevitt , best known by his ring name Corporal Punishment, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter...
established Maryland Championship Wrestling
Maryland Championship Wrestling
Maryland Championship Wrestling is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Dundalk, Maryland, and has regularly run events in the Mid-Atlantic region since the late 1990s as well as participating in numerous fundraising events throughout the state.Rivaling other east coast independent...
which became the top wrestling promotion in the state of Maryland, and one of the most popular independent organizations in the United States, until its close in 2003. The two also operated a wrestling school, the "Bone Breakers Pro Wrestling Training Center", in Halethorpe, Maryland
Halethorpe, Maryland
Halethorpe is an unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is near the University of Maryland, Baltimore County...
which trained WWE's Lita
Amy Dumas
Amy Christine Dumas , known by her primary stage name Lita, is the lead singer for the band The Luchagors as well as a retired professional wrestler and WWE Diva active from 1999 to 2006....
, Mickie James
Mickie James
Mickie Laree James , better known simply as Mickie James, is an American professional wrestler and singer of mixed Native American-Caucasian descent, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is a former two-time TNA Women's Knockout Champion.James began her professional...
, Orlando Jordan
Orlando Jordan
Orlando Jordan is an American professional wrestler, most recently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Jordan is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one-time United States Champion....
and 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...
star Calvin Raines. At MCW's debut show, his match against "Irish Ironman" Shane Shamrock
Shane Shamrock
Brian Stephen Howser was an American professional wrestler best known for wrestling in Maryland Championship Wrestling. In the promotion, he was the first and only wrestler to win the Light Heavyweight Championship and was nicknamed "The Lifetime MCW Light Heavyweight Champion" in tribute to his...
for the MCW Light Heavyweight Championship
MCW Light Heavyweight Championship
The MCW Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling light heavyweight championship owned by the Maryland Championship Wrestling promotion...
, also involving Christian York
Christian York
Jason Spence is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Christian York.-York and Matthews:...
, Joey Matthews, Quinn Nash, and Earl the Pearl and ending with his tapping out to Shamrock's "Irish cloverleaf" submission hold, was voted by fans as "Match of the Year".
Early life
Born on September 9, 1967, Mark Shrader was adopted by a foster family shortly after his birth and grew up in the Edmondson Heights neighborhood of BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland. Beginning in 1977, the 10-year-old Shrader began competing in amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
, an activity he would continue up until his teenage years as a champion high school wrestler. In junior high he served as treasurer of the student council
Student council
Student council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
and later, while attending Woodlawn High School
Woodlawn High School (Baltimore)
Woodlawn High School is a four-year public high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. A high school was built in Woodlawn in 1922, but housed only 9th through 12th grade. The first 4-year high school was built in 1941. In 1948, a new school was constructed, and in 1958, another...
, became president of the local church youth group. After his graduation from Woodlawn High in 1985, he began working for a pest control company
Pest control
Pest control refers to the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest, usually because it is perceived to be detrimental to a person's health, the ecology or the economy.-History:...
. He attended Catonsville Community College, studying to be an interpreter for the hearing impaired, and was later a photo editor for the college newspaper; it was in this position, according to Shrader, that he was nearly expelled from the school for photographs he had taken of Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
.
In 1990, Shrader lost his job as an exterminator. Unable to find work in Ocean City
Ocean City, Maryland
Ocean City, sometimes known as OC, or OCMD, is an Atlantic Ocean resort town in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. Ocean City is widely known in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is a frequent destination for vacationers in that area...
, he spent the summer "pool hustling" before moving back to Baltimore and was hired by Chi-Chi's
Chi-Chi's
Chi-Chi's was a popular Mexican restaurant chain from 1975 to 2004. It ceased to exist within the United States following a 2003 Hepatitis A outbreak that began at one of its locations in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Chi-Chi's is still in operation in Belgium, Luxembourg, United Arab...
restaurant. A year later, he traveled to Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
. He returned to Ocean City the following summer, where he continued hustling pool, and then returned to Baltimore again to work for a new exterminator company as a service manager. It was around this time that Shrader became interested in becoming a professional wrestler. He found a wrestling school, where he was trained by Duane Gill
Duane Gill
Duane Gill is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation as Gillberg, a parody of then-rival promotion World Championship Wrestling's top star Goldberg. During his tenure in the WWF, Gill became a one time Light Heavyweight Champion...
, and made his pro debut on June 22, 1993.
Early career
Shrader spent his rookie year wrestling on the indy circuitIndependent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
for various promotions in the Mid-Atlantic region under the name "Joe College". One such organization was Lou Matrin's Atlantic States Wresting Alliance. His first major match was against another young wrestler, "The Irish Gentleman" Shane Shamrock
Shane Shamrock
Brian Stephen Howser was an American professional wrestler best known for wrestling in Maryland Championship Wrestling. In the promotion, he was the first and only wrestler to win the Light Heavyweight Championship and was nicknamed "The Lifetime MCW Light Heavyweight Champion" in tribute to his...
, in Parkville, Maryland
Parkville, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,118 people, 13,044 households, and 8,243 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 7,352.1 people per square mile . There were 13,550 housing units at an average density of 3,201.4 per square mile...
for the then vacant ASWA Light Heavyweight Championship on September 14, 1993, a match which he lost. One month later, Shrader teamed with Watsumi the Rising Sun and Chad Austin in a 6-man elimination tag team match against the American Ninja, Johnny Paradise and The Comet
Corporal Punishment (wrestler)
Daniel "Dan" McDevitt , best known by his ring name Corporal Punishment, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter...
at Kenwood High School
Kenwood High School
Kenwood High School is a Baltimore County public high school located in Essex, Maryland.-About the School:Kenwood has been educating students since 1931. The school was originally housed at 6700 Kenwood Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21237, which is now Golden Ring Middle School...
in Essex, Maryland
Essex, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 39,078 people, 15,952 households, and 10,336 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,104.1 people per square mile . There were 16,997 housing units at an average density of 1,785.1 per square mile...
; though he and Watsumi were eliminated from the contest, their team won the match when Austin ended up as the sole survivor.
Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation (1994–1997)
In 1994, Shrader started wrestling for the Mid-Eastern Wrestling FederationMid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation was a Mid-Atlantic independent professional wrestling promotion based in Essex, Maryland. Founded by promoter Dennis Wippercht and wrestler Tim "Lucifer" Burke in 1991, the MEWF was one of the leading independent promotions on the East Coast during the 1990s...
. It was at this time that he stated using his more familiar moniker "The Shark", a reference to his "pool hustling" days, and whose in-ring persona similarly portrayed an ex-pool shark
Hustling
Hustling is the deceptive act of disguising one's skill in a sport or game with the intent of luring someone of probably lesser skill into gambling with the hustler, as a form of confidence trick...
complete with a pool cue he used as a foreign object. He won his first major singles title later that year defeating Shane Shamrock to win the vacant MEWF Light Heavyweight Championship in Catonsville
Catonsville, Maryland
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:In 2010 Catonsville had a population of 41,567...
on November 11, 1994. A year later, he won the title a second time from The Cat Burglar before dropping it to Dino Casanova on March 17, 1996; among the opponents he face during his second reign included Chad Austin. When the title was vacated a month later, he wrestled Earl the Pearl to decide the new champion but was unsuccessful in defeating his opponent. Despite this loss, he would go on to have impressive matches against larger opponents like Knuckles Zandwich and Corporal Punishment
Corporal Punishment (wrestler)
Daniel "Dan" McDevitt , best known by his ring name Corporal Punishment, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter...
during the next few months. On June 7, 1996, he defeated Quinn Nash (substituting for Earl the Pearl) in a championship tournament to become the first light heavyweight champion for Cueball Carmichael
Cueball Carmichael
Chris Jackson is an American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter, known by his ringname Cueball Carmichael, who competes in the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast independent circuit...
's Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance
Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance
The Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance was an American independent professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, especially in the Carolinas and Virginia, from October 1995 to February 2001, when it was run by Cueball Carmichael and...
in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
.
By the fall of 1996, Shrader began challenging MEWF Heavyweight Champion Axl Rotten
Axl Rotten
Brian Knighton is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Axl Rotten.-Early years:After watching a professional wrestling match on television, Knighton decided to become a wrestler...
on MEWF television. Rotten ultimately agreed to wrestle the light heavyweight, however, their first match was marred by outside interference from "Judge" Jeff Jones who hit Shrader with a steel chair allowing Rotten pin his opponent. A rematch between the two was held in Gaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The city had a population of 59,933 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville...
on September 13, and saw Shrader score a surprising victory over Rotten and his winning the MEWF Heavyweight Championship
MEWF Heavyweight Championship
The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship is the highest ranking singles title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, one of three in the promotion....
. He lost the title back to Rotten after a near 3-month title reign, during which time he defeated the Cat Burglar, when the MEWF returned to Gaithersburg on November 23, 1996. At the MEWF's "Winter Wars" supercard, Shrader wrestled Chris Candido
Chris Candido
Christopher Raul Candito was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Chris Candido...
. He also won back the IPWA Light Heavyweight Championship from Earl the Pearl, Shrader having previously surrendered the belt after his MEWF Heavyweight victory, and held it for five months until his defeat by Julio Sanchez in Lenoir, North Carolina
Lenoir, North Carolina
Lenoir is a city in Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 18,228 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Caldwell County. Lenoir is located in the Blue Ridge foothills. The city also contains the Brushy Mountains, a spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains...
on March 22, 1997.
Earlier that month, Shrader was paired with Devon Storm
Devon Storm
Christopher "Chris" Ford is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Crowbar, where he was a one time Hardcore Champion, a one time World Tag Team Champion with David Flair and a one time Cruiserweight Champion, which he...
to wrestle the team of Rockin' Rebel
Rockin' Rebel
Chuck Williams is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Rockin' Rebel. He is best known for his appearances on the U.S...
and Thomas "The Inchworm" Rodman for the vacant MEWF Tag Team Championship
MEWF Tag Team Championship
This is a chronological list of MEWF tag team champions. The MEWF Tag Team Championship is the oldest championship title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation having been established when the Lords of Darkness defeated Cream Team at the MEWF's first show in Pasadena, Maryland on August 2, 1991...
. Shortly after winning the belts, the two returned to Baltimore for successful title defenses against the Bad Crew
Bad Crew
The Bad Crew was an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Bad Crew #1 and Bad Crew #2 , who competed in North American regional and independent promotions throughout the 1990s including Extreme Championship Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling and World Xtreme Wrestling...
and The Headbangers
The Headbangers
The Headbangers is a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Mosh and Thrasher, best known for their work in the World Wrestling Federation...
(Mosh and Thrasher) in April, and Julio Sanchez & "Hollywood" Bobby Starr
Bob Starr (wrestler)
Robert A. "Bob" Starr is a semi-retired American professional wrestler, trainer and manager who has competed in numerous independent promotions throughout the United States since his debut in 1988...
in June. They continued to remain champions until June 29, when they were beaten by Steve Corino
Steve Corino
Steven Eugene "Steve" Corino is a Canadian professional wrestler, who currently works for Pro Wrestling Zero1, Ring of Honor and numerous other independent promotions. Corino is a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion and ECW World Heavyweight Champion.-Early years :Corino began wrestling in 1994...
and "The Wiseguy" Jimmy Cicero
Jimmy Cicero
Matt Bowman, best known by his ring name "Wiseguy" Jimmy Cicero, is an American professional wrestler who has competed in several promotions on the independent circuit. He had also competed for the United States Wrestling Association, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation...
in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
. Schrader quickly returned to Allentown where he regained the belts with another partner, Corporal Punishment
Corporal Punishment (wrestler)
Daniel "Dan" McDevitt , best known by his ring name Corporal Punishment, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter...
, but lost the titles back to Corino and Cicero in Baltimore on August 10, 1997. He and Corporal Punishment made another attempt to win back the tag team belts, wrestling the champions in a 3-way dance with The Bad Street Boys
The Bad Street Boys
Bad Street Boys was a professional wrestling tag team in the independent circuit. It was initially formed as a stable, consisting of Gregory Helms, Shannon Moore, Joey Matthews and Christian York...
(Joey Matthews & Christian York
Christian York
Jason Spence is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Christian York.-York and Matthews:...
) on October 23, with the Bad Street Boys walking out as the new champions. It was later called one of the "wildest matches in MEWF history". Returning to singles competition soon after, he wrestled in a ladder match
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
against Adam Flash
Adam Flash
Douglas Adam Becker in York, Pennsylvania is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Adam Flash. Over his career, he has worked for various independent promotions, including Maryland Championship Wrestling, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, and Combat Zone...
and Quinn Nash for the MEWF Light Heavyweight Championship on November 15, 1997. Other opponents he would face during the year included Ace Darling, and Christian York
Christian York
Jason Spence is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Christian York.-York and Matthews:...
, the latter taking place in IPWA and Doug Flex's International Pro Wrestling. One of the Shrader-York bouts was featured in RF Video's "Best of IPW, Vol. 1".
Bone Breakers and the independent circuit (1997–1998)
That same year, Shrader partnered with fellow MEWF wrestler Corporal Punishment to start MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
's first permanent wrestling school, the "Bone Breakers Pro Wrestling Training Center", in Halethorpe, Maryland
Halethorpe, Maryland
Halethorpe is an unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is near the University of Maryland, Baltimore County...
; McDevitt had originally gone to then MEWF booker Axl Rotten
Axl Rotten
Brian Knighton is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Axl Rotten.-Early years:After watching a professional wrestling match on television, Knighton decided to become a wrestler...
propsing a partnership in the new venture, who declined the offer, before Shrader expressed interest and eventually formed Sharkorp Inc. as a parent company for their business venture. Their students would eventually include future WWE stars Lita
Amy Dumas
Amy Christine Dumas , known by her primary stage name Lita, is the lead singer for the band The Luchagors as well as a retired professional wrestler and WWE Diva active from 1999 to 2006....
, Mickie James
Mickie James
Mickie Laree James , better known simply as Mickie James, is an American professional wrestler and singer of mixed Native American-Caucasian descent, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is a former two-time TNA Women's Knockout Champion.James began her professional...
, and Orlando Jordan
Orlando Jordan
Orlando Jordan is an American professional wrestler, most recently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Jordan is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one-time United States Champion....
. Shrader himself was the main trainer for ECWA Super 8 Tournament
ECWA Super 8 Tournament
The Super 8 Tournament is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by the East Coast Wrestling Association. The tournament is contested by eight wrestlers in a one-night single-elimination format.-History:...
winner Aden Chambers as well as having worked with independent wrestlers Dustin Tarr and Rob Noxious. He also feuded with two of his students, Gregory Martin and Qeenan Creed, eventually forming a tag team called The Fin Twins with the former.
Shrader wrestled on the World Wrestling Federation's Shotgun Saturday Night during the spring of 1998. His first match was on January 17, 1998, against Farooq
Ron Simmons
Ronald "Ron" Simmons is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and retired American football player. He is recognised as being the first Black world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling and the first of only two African Americans to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship,...
(with Kama
Charles Wright (wrestler)
Charles Wright is an American businessman and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation throughout the 1990s and early 2000s under the ring names Papa Shango, Kama, Kama Mustafa, The Godfather, and The Goodfather .After leaving the wrestling...
and D-Lo Brown) at the Bryce Jordan Center
Bryce Jordan Center
Bryce Jordan Center is a 15,261-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Pennsylvania. The arena opened in 1995 and is the largest such venue between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It replaced Rec Hall as the home to the Penn State University Nittany Lions men's and women's basketball team, the...
in State College, Pennsylvania
State College, Pennsylvania
State College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
. He also wrestled a 6-man tag team match with Al Phillips and Brian Knighton against WWF Intercontinental Champion Rocky Maivia and the Nation of Domination
Nation of Domination
The Nation of Domination was a professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Federation from November 18, 1996 to November 28, 1998. The Rock was a 1 time Intercontinental Champion and D'Lo Brown was a 2 time European Champion while in the group.-United States Wrestling Association :The...
(Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
and D-Lo Brown) at Philadelphia's Corestates Center three months later.
He also began touring the Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
-based East Coast Wrestling Association
East Coast Wrestling Association
East Coast Wrestling Association is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded by promoter Jim Kettner in 1967. It is home to the annual Super 8 Tournament, one of the longest-running independent wrestling tournaments in the country...
. On March 21, Shrader entered the 2nd annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament
ECWA Super 8 Tournament
The Super 8 Tournament is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by the East Coast Wrestling Association. The tournament is contested by eight wrestlers in a one-night single-elimination format.-History:...
in Newport
Newport, Delaware
Newport is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located on the Christina River. It is best known for being the home of colonial inventor Oliver Evans. The population was 1,055 at the 2010 census...
but was eliminated by Lance Diamond
Lance Diamond
Lance Diamond is an American lounge singer and radio personality based in Buffalo, New York. He can be heard on Saturday nights at the Elmwood Lounge, located in Buffalo on Elmwood Avenue. Mr. Diamond has performed at , on Sunday evenings during the Summer also on Elmwood.Diamond, together with...
in the opening rounds. He returned in September to wrestle Devon Storm and Mike Quackenbush in a 3-way dance.
Maryland Championship Wrestling (1998–1999)
In the spring of 1998, Shrader and Dan McDevitt opted to leave the MEWF following unresolved creative control and salary disagreements with then owners Dennis Wippercht and Tim "Lucifer" BurkeTim Burke (wrestler)
Timothy James "Tim" Burke , known by his ring name Lucifer, was an American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter who competed in numerous East Coast and Mid-Atlantic independent promotions during the 1990s and early 2000s; among the promotions he appeared in included the Atlantic Wrestling...
. Encouraged by the support of other local wrestlers, the two decided to start their own promotion, Maryland Championship Wrestling
Maryland Championship Wrestling
Maryland Championship Wrestling is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Dundalk, Maryland, and has regularly run events in the Mid-Atlantic region since the late 1990s as well as participating in numerous fundraising events throughout the state.Rivaling other east coast independent...
, as an extension of their "Bone Breakers" wrestling school. Most of the active MEWF roster, including booker Axl Rotten, followed Shrader and McDevitt to their new promotion following a walkout
Walkout
In labor disputes, a walkout is a labor strike, the act of employees collectively leaving the workplace as an act of protest.A walkout can also mean the act of leaving a place of work, school, a meeting, a company, or an organization, especially if meant as an expression of protest or disapproval.A...
in December 1997. Seven months later, on July 19, 1998, MCW's first show was held at Baltimore's Patapsco Arena and attended by nearly 1,200 fans. The event featured manager Jim Cornette
Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling...
, Little Guido, Balls Mahoney
Balls Mahoney
Jonathan Rechner better known by his ring name Balls Mahoney , is an American professional wrestler...
, Jerry Lynn
Jerry Lynn
Jeremy "Jerry" Lynn is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, Crowbar, and The Headbangers
The Headbangers
The Headbangers is a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Mosh and Thrasher, best known for their work in the World Wrestling Federation...
. The show's success broke the longstanding monopoly over Maryland pro wrestling by the MEWF and would eventually lead to MCW becoming the top promotion in the region.
One of the show's highlights was Shrader's performance on the show. His match was a six-way dance also involving Christian York
Christian York
Jason Spence is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Christian York.-York and Matthews:...
, Joey Matthews, Quinn Nash, and Earl the Pearl to decide the first MCW Light Heavyweight Champion
MCW Light Heavyweight Championship
The MCW Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling light heavyweight championship owned by the Maryland Championship Wrestling promotion...
. He and Shamrock were the final participants and the match ended with Shamrock trapping Shrader in his "Irish cloverleaf" submission hold to win the belt. The bout was later voted by fans as "Match of the Year".
Shrader was among those who later participated in the Shane Shamrock Memorial Show, a month after his loss to Shamrock, where he wrestled Romeo Valentino. Over the next six months he would also have a series of matches against Christian York and Lance Diamond; the Shrader-Diamond matches included a mixed tag team match between Shrader and manager Dawn Marie against Lance Diamond and Bobcat.
That summer, Shrader took part in a special six-man tag match with Dino Devine and Cueball Carmichael
Cueball Carmichael
Chris Jackson is an American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter, known by his ringname Cueball Carmichael, who competes in the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast independent circuit...
. Two of their opponents were Shrader's former students Qeenan Creed and Gregory Martin. Their mystery partner was introduced by the cornermen
Cornerman
A cornerman, or simply corner, is a combat sports term for a coach or team mate assisting a fighter during the length of a bout. The cornerman remains outside the combat area during the fight, but in proximity, and can assist the fighter through instruction...
98Rock
WIYY
WIYY is a radio station in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, owned by the Hearst Corporation. WIYY broadcasts an Mainstream Rock format that mixes music popular in the modern rock, heavy metal and classic rock genres...
disc jockeys Andy Blacksmith and John Glassman as Shrader's trainer Gillberg
Duane Gill
Duane Gill is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation as Gillberg, a parody of then-rival promotion World Championship Wrestling's top star Goldberg. During his tenure in the WWF, Gill became a one time Light Heavyweight Champion...
. Shrader was able to pin Gillberg with the help of outside interference by Carmichael.
A large part of the promotion was its fundraising activities which raised thousands of dollars for various charities and high schools in the state. It was at one of the events that Shrader, a one-time champion high school wrestler for Woodlawn High, started a feud with Baltimore County school rival Owings Mills High School
Owings Mills High School
Owings Mills High School is a four-year public high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Baltimore County Public Schools consolidated school district.-About the School:...
. On May 16, 1999, Shrader challenged the Owings Mills wrestling team, specifically its head coach Guy Pritzker and assistant Justin Ott, to a wresting match later that evening. If he and his partner Dino Devine won the match then they would be allowed to become OMHS's wrestling coaching staff for the 1999–2000 winter sports season. Earlier during the school week, Shrader "invaded" the cafeteria while Coach Pritzker was on lunch duty and "[slapped] him around". The high school coaches ended up winning their match against Shrader and Devine. Shrader continued to appear at Owings High during the school season, however, the feud was cut short when he lost a "loser-leaves-MCW" match.
East Coast Wrestling Association (1999–2000)
Shrader also returned to the ECWA where he won the ECWA Tag Team ChampionshipECWA Tag Team Championship
ECWA Tag Team Championship are the tag team titles contested in the independent professional wrestling promotion, East Coast Wrestling Association.- Title history :...
with Christian York
Christian York
Jason Spence is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Christian York.-York and Matthews:...
on March 17, 1999. Shrader's original partner was Glenn Osbourne, however, he and York scored simultaneous pinfalls during a 3-way match between The Extremists
The Extremists (professional wrestling)
The Extremists was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Devon Storm and Ace Darling. The tag team wrestled in World Wrestling Federation and several independent promotions, many of which were National Wrestling Alliance territories....
Ace Darling & Devon Storm
Devon Storm
Christopher "Chris" Ford is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Crowbar, where he was a one time Hardcore Champion, a one time World Tag Team Champion with David Flair and a one time Cruiserweight Champion, which he...
, the Bad Street Boys (Joey Matthews & Christian York), and Mark Schrader & Glenn Osbourne, for the belts. The two rivals were forced to team with each other for over three months until a match was set up in Newport on July 30, where Schrader and his new partner Thunder defeated York and Matthews to become the undisputed champions. Schrader and Thunder held the belts until the end of the year following a loss to The Backseat Boyz
The Backseat Boyz
The Backseat Boyz were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of Johnny Kashmere and Trent Acid who competed in Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Unplugged, Combat Zone Wrestling, Assault Championship Wrestling, the Premier Wrestling Federation, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, and Japan together...
(Johnny Kashmere
Johnny Kashmere
Johnny Kashmere is an American professional wrestler, best known as one half of The Backseat Boyz, along with the late Trent Acid...
and Trent Acid
Trent Acid
Michael Verdi was an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Trent Acid. Verdi had worked as a tag team wrestler for most of his career, primarily as part of The Backseat Boyz with Johnny Kashmere, in several independent promotions in America, including Combat Zone Wrestling,...
) on November 19, 1999. He made another appearance the following year to help his former tag team partner who was being attacked by Brute Force (Viper, Carnage, Stud, and Ground Zero) after taking them on in a handicap match.
Future Wrestling Alliance (1999–2000)
Shrader also had a stint in the short-lived Future Wrestling Alliance wrestling Tommy Idol, Gregory Martin, and Qenaan Creed over the summer At least one of his bouts with Creed was later aired on the promotion's TV show. At the FWA's "Ultimate Jeopardy" supercard, he and Gregory Martin (as the "Fin Twins" with manager Gabriella Leigh) participated in four-way tag-team elimination match with The Sex Idols (Tommy Idol & Qeenan Creed), The Family of Freaks (Adam Flash & Danny RoseDanny Rose (wrestler)
"Doomsday" Danny Rose is an American professional wrestler and trainer. A mainstay on the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic region since the mid-1990s, he has worked for a number of independent promotions including Combat Zone Wrestling, the Future Wrestling Alliance, Bad Crew's Hardway Wrestling,...
), and The Intimidators (Mark Mest & Maxx Crimson) to crown the first-ever FWA tag team champions. He and Gregory eliminated The Intimidators, and were one of the last two team's in the match, but were defeated by The Sex Idols when Idol pinned Martin. The Fin Twins defeated The Sex Idols the following year, on March 11, 2000, with their manager Gabriella Leigh, substituting for an injured Mark Shrader, pinned Tommy Idol following a top-rope "Gabycanrana". Shrader teamed with Reckless Youth
Reckless Youth
Thomas Carter is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Reckless Youth. He has competed in numerous North American independent promotions including the East Coast Wrestling Association, Combat Zone Wrestling and Chikara, where he was one of the original founders alongside...
three months later in a 3-way dance with The Sex Idols and Family of Freaks. One of his last matches for the promotion was a singles match against The Sex Idols' Qeenan Creed (with Tommy Idol and Pandora) in Palo Alto on September 9, 2000, which he lost. In Shrader's corner were "Ramblin'" Rick Myers and Gabriella Leigh and, prior to the match, Shrader announced to the fans that Myers had agreed to be his fellow "Fin Twin" while his regular partner Gregory Martin was recovering from his injuries.
Maryland Championship Wrestling (2000–2003)
Though he was prohibited from wrestling in MCW, he continued to work as co-head trainer of "Bone Breakers" and occasionally made appearances as co-owner. The birth of his daughter in 2000 also limited his involvement. A match between Corporal Punishment and the Brusier at Micheal’s Eighth Avenue on October 28, 2000, saw Shrader attempt to intervene when Cpl. Punishment pulled a knife on his opponent and threatened security in a "worked shoot".In Atlantic Terror Championship Wrestling, the Fin Twins (Mark Shrader & Gregory Martin) faced Dino Divine & Chad Austin on December 8, 2000, in Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia, United States. The city's population was 14,972 at the 2000 census; according to a 2009 Census Bureau estimate, Martinsburg's population was 17,117, making it the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle and the eighth largest...
. They defeated Divine and Jimmy Cicero for the promotion's tag team titles on January 19, 2001, and remained champions until ATCW's close later that year.
MCW held its final show, "The Last Dance: Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup", on July 16, 2003 at Michael's Eighth Avenue ballroom, with over 1,000 fans in attendance. At the event, it was announced that MCW would be "merging" the MEWF. Dan Devitt (and Jeff Jones) joined the MEWF as bookers and their "Bone Breakers" school was bought out by the MEWF's "Brain Busters Academy". Shrader did not join his partner in the MEWF instead leaving the industry to become a full-time bartender
Bartender
A bartender is a person who serves beverages behind a counter in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. A bartender, in short, "tends the bar". The term barkeeper may carry a connotation of being the bar's owner...
at Baltimore's Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...
.
Recent years (2006–)
Since his retirement, Shrader has made occasional appearances at wrestling events. On April 8, 2006, at the 10th Annual Super 8 Tournament, Shrader was among the former participants honored at the event including Ace Darling, Simon Diamond, Christopher DanielsChristopher Daniels
Daniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is also known for performing under the ring name Curry Man. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , while also...
, Low Ki
Low Ki
Brandon Silvestry is an American professional wrestler. He is best known under his ring names Low Ki, Senshi in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and Kaval in World Wrestling Entertainment. He is a former one-time PWG World Champion and a former ROH Champion...
, Donovan Morgan
Donovan Morgan
Andrew Vassos is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Donovan Morgan. Best known for his appearances with Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan and Ring of Honor in the United States, Morgan received tryouts with World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation in...
, Petey Williams
Petey Williams
Peter "Petey" Williams III is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a two time X Division Champion and a former captain of Team Canada. Williams Currently Wrestles for Lucha Libre USA...
, Cheetah Master, Devon Storm
Devon Storm
Christopher "Chris" Ford is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Crowbar, where he was a one time Hardcore Champion, a one time World Tag Team Champion with David Flair and a one time Cruiserweight Champion, which he...
, Jayson Reign, John Walters, Mike Kruel
Mike Kruel
Michael "Mike" Mayo, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Mike Kruel. He began his career in the independent circuit, wrestling in Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, East Coast Wrestling Association and USA Pro Wrestling, while occasionally making...
, Xavier, Andrew Ryker, and Eric Matlock. He also made an appearance for MCW's "Tribute to the Legends" in Dundalk, Maryland
Dundalk, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,306 people, 24,772 households, and 16,968 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,689.5 people per square mile . There were 26,385 housing units at an average density of 1,985.9 per square mile...
on September 10, 2006, where he and Headbanger Mosh were honored by the promotion.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
-
- Shark Attack
- Siginture moves
-
- Shark Frenzy
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Isis
- Dawn Marie
- Gabriella Leigh
- Nicknames
- Mark "The Shark" Shrader
- Mark "The Shooter" Shrader
- Wrestlers trained
- Gregory Martin
- Qeenan Creed
- Aden Chambers
- Dustin Tarr
Championships and accomplishments
- Atlantic Terror Championship Wrestling
- ATCW Tag Team Championship (1 time, last) – with Gregory Martin
- East Coast Wrestling AssociationEast Coast Wrestling AssociationEast Coast Wrestling Association is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded by promoter Jim Kettner in 1967. It is home to the annual Super 8 Tournament, one of the longest-running independent wrestling tournaments in the country...
- ECWA Tag Team ChampionshipECWA Tag Team ChampionshipECWA Tag Team Championship are the tag team titles contested in the independent professional wrestling promotion, East Coast Wrestling Association.- Title history :...
(2 time) – with Christian YorkChristian YorkJason Spence is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Christian York.-York and Matthews:...
and Thunder
- ECWA Tag Team Championship
- Future Wrestling Alliance
- FWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Gregory Martin
- Independent Pro Wrestling AllianceIndependent Professional Wrestling AllianceThe Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance was an American independent professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, especially in the Carolinas and Virginia, from October 1995 to February 2001, when it was run by Cueball Carmichael and...
- IPWA Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times, first)
- Maryland Championship WrestlingMaryland Championship WrestlingMaryland Championship Wrestling is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Dundalk, Maryland, and has regularly run events in the Mid-Atlantic region since the late 1990s as well as participating in numerous fundraising events throughout the state.Rivaling other east coast independent...
- Match of the Year (1998) –
- Mid-Eastern Wrestling FederationMid-Eastern Wrestling FederationThe Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation was a Mid-Atlantic independent professional wrestling promotion based in Essex, Maryland. Founded by promoter Dennis Wippercht and wrestler Tim "Lucifer" Burke in 1991, the MEWF was one of the leading independent promotions on the East Coast during the 1990s...
- MEWF Heavyweight ChampionshipMEWF Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship is the highest ranking singles title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, one of three in the promotion....
(1 time) - MEWF Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- MEWF Tag Team ChampionshipMEWF Tag Team ChampionshipThis is a chronological list of MEWF tag team champions. The MEWF Tag Team Championship is the oldest championship title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation having been established when the Lords of Darkness defeated Cream Team at the MEWF's first show in Pasadena, Maryland on August 2, 1991...
(2 times) – with Devon StormDevon StormChristopher "Chris" Ford is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Crowbar, where he was a one time Hardcore Champion, a one time World Tag Team Champion with David Flair and a one time Cruiserweight Champion, which he...
and Corporal PunishmentCorporal Punishment (wrestler)Daniel "Dan" McDevitt , best known by his ring name Corporal Punishment, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter...
- MEWF Heavyweight Championship
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro 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...
- PWI ranked him #275 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2000
- PWI ranked him #268 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1999
- PWI ranked him #276 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1998
- PWI ranked him #253 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1996