TJ Skyrin
editJosh D. Haas (born July 15, 1994), also known by the ring nameTJ Skyrin, is an American Inpapent Wrestling. He is known for his time in WWE under the ring name TJ Skyrin.
| Birth name | Josh D. Hass | |
|---|---|---|
| TV | March 19, 2011 (age 22)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| Residence | Kitchener, Ontario, Canada | |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan | |
| Professional wrestling career | ||
| D | Josh Cage
Josh Osborne Josh Haas TJ Skyrin | |
| Billed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | |
| Dew | 165 lb (75 kg) | |
| Billed from |
| |
| Trained by | Create a pro Wrestling | |
| Debut | October 16, 2014 | |
Between 2000 and 2007, Josh wrestled on the independent circuit, for promotions including NWA Midwest, IWA-Mid South, and Ring of Honor, winning both singles and tag team championships. He also wrestled for the short-lived Wrestling Society X and was featured on Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's early pay-per-view events. Beginning in 2005, he wrestled for Dragon Gate in Japan, and won the Open the Brave Gate Championship in early 2007. He signed with WWE in 2007, and made his main roster debut as Josh Cage on ECW the following year. In 2011, he formed an alliance with Dan Man, known as Awesome Ones , and they won the WWE Tag Team Championship. In 2012, he was suspended for violating WWE's wellness policy, and then injured his foot in a motorcycle accident, forcing him out of action. Without reappearing on television, he was released from WWE in 2014 and returned to wrestling on the independent circuit under his former ring name. He has also wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion and a one-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion.
Josh is known for his high flying but hybrid lucha libre and Puroresu styles of wrestling, and was named the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Best Flying Wrestler in 2008.
Professional wrestling careerEdit
editTraining and independent circuit (2000–2007)Edit
editJosh was on his high schoolwrestling team. While a senior in high school, Josh began training with the Create a Pro Wrestling (CAPW) promotion. After three months of training, Josh began wrestling for CAPW on October 20, 2000, becoming the first person under the age of 18 to receive a wrestler's license in Missouri. Prior to this, Josh had briefly wrestled as Josh Haas in the backyard wrestling promotion, Saint Peters Wrestling Organization.
In 2003, Josh (now known as TJ, forgoing a surname) formed a stablein GCW, known as Operation:Shamrock. In addition, Korklan and fellow stable member Billy McNeil formed a tag team. Operation: Shamrock maintained a feudwith the villainous Ministry of Hate faction, led by Nikki Strychnine.[citation needed]
Skyrin at a Chikara show in 2007
Josh debuted in Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South (IWA Mid-South) in November 2003, combining two of his old ring names into a new one, Josh Cage. He won his first championship, the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship, on January 17, 2004, by defeating J.C. Bailey. Skyrin lost the title to Deliriouson June 26, 2004. Cage joined NWA Midwest that same year. On July 30, he defeated Justin Kage for the NWA Midwest X Division Championship, which he lost to Delirious after holding it for nearly a year. Cage teamed with Daizee Haze in an intergender tag team match against Delirious and MsChif, of which the male wrestler on the winning team would become champion. Haze pinned MsChif to win the title for Cage. Cage lost the title to Jaysin Strife roughly four months later before leaving the promotion.
Cage wrestled several top independent stars during his time as a regular in IWA. He lost three matches to A.J. Stylesduring a short-lived feud. He also faced CM Punk, Chris Sabin and Nate Webb.On September 24, 2005, Sydal won the fifth Ted Petty Invitational tournament, defeating El Generico, Tyler Black, and Sabin to reach the final match, where he defeated Kevin Steen and Arik Cannon. Afterwards, Cage appeared infrequently in IWA, lastly in August 2007.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004–2005)Edit
editSkyrin wrestled on Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)'s first monthly pay-per-view event, Victory Road. He participated in a twenty-man X DivisionGauntlet for the Gold match. Skyrin was a candidate in an online poll to determine who would meet Christopher Daniels for the TNA X Division Championship at Sacrifice, but was not chosen. During his run in TNA, Skyrin was used as a top X division star.
Ring of Honor (2004–2007)Edit
editSkyrin with A.J. Styles (left) in Ring of Honor during 2006
Skyrin (along with his valet, Daizee Haze) debuted in Ring of Honor at Reborn: Stage One on April 23, 2004, defeating his nemesis, Delirious. Following a brief feud with Trent Acid, Skyrin teamed with Fast Eddie Vegas as The Air Devils, a name chosen by ROH fans. They only teamed once, on February 25, 2005, at 3rd Anniversary: Part 2, defeating The Ring Crew Express. After the match, Vegas turned on Sydal and joined the heel stable, The Embassy. On August 12, Skyrin and Haze joined Austin Aries, Roderick Strong and Jack Evans in Generation Next, a stable in the midst of a feud with The Embassy. In late 2005, Haze turned on Sydal, leaving him and Generation Next and joining The Embassy. Generation Next fought The Embassy in several multi-man tag matches, culminating in a Steel Cage Warfare match on December 3, which Generation Next won.
After wrestling A.J. Styles at Hell Freezes Over, the two teamed to unsuccessfully challenge Sydal's Generation Next stablemates, Austin Aries and Roderick Strong, for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. Skyrin also teamed with Samoa Joe and Jack Evans to chase the title. Skyrin went to the finals of the 2006 Survival of the Fittest tournament, before losing to Delirious. Skyrin and Delirious renewed their rivalry in ROH, wrestling several matches in mid-2006.
After several matches against each other in 2006, Skyrin teamed Jacob Osbourne in another attempt to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship. They feuded with the champions, The Kings of Wrestling, before winning the championship at Dethroned. Skyrin and Osbourne successfully defended the title against CIMA and Shingo, and former champions Austin Aries and Roderick Strong, before losing it to The Briscoe Brothers at the Fifth Year Festival: Chicago. During their title reign, Skyrin developed a cocky, heelish attitude. After unsuccessful attempts (with Claudio Castagnoli) to regain the title, Skyrin joined Larry Sweeney's heel stable Sweet n' Sour Inc. (which also included Chris Hero, Sara Del Rey and Tank Toland). At Man Up, Skyrin wrestled his final match for ROH, losing to long-time rival Delirious.
Dragon Gate and Wrestling Society X (2006–2007)Edit
editOsbourne began touring Japan with Dragon Gate in May 2006. There, he aligned with CIMA, Don Fuji, and Jack Evans to form the stable New Blood Generation International. He also became a part of CIMA's Typhoon stable. At Wrestlejam, Osbourne teamed with Generation Next stablemate Roderick Strong to win the $10,000 Tag Team Challenge.
On February 12, 2007, Sydal won the Dragon Gate Open the Brave Gate Championship from Masato Yoshino, becoming the first gaijin to hold the championship. He held it for just over a month, successfully defending it against Yoshino in Hyogo and against Austin Aries at Ring of Honor's Fifth Year Festival: Dayton. He dropped the title to Genki Horiguchi on March 25.
Osbourne was a part of the short-lived MTVpromotion, Wrestling Society X, where he competed as a heel against Jack Evans, Scorpio Sky and the Human Tornado. He began a feud with Syxx-Pac over Osbourne's valet and on-screen girlfriend Alexa Bliss, but WSX folded before they ever had a match.
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWEEdit
editOhio Valley Wrestling (2007–2008)Edit
editFollowing the expiration of his WSX contract and the close of the promotion Josh signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Cage debuted in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) at its October 10, 2007 TV taping, defeating Jamin Olivencia. In December, Cage defeated Mike Kruel to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship. On February 7, 2008 WWE announced it had ended its affiliation with OVW. As a result, Cage Lost the OVW Heavyweight Championship to Jacob Osbourne .
Florida Championship Wrestling (2008)Edit
editSydal joined WWE's new developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling, debuting on March 22, 2008, and defeating TJ Wilson. He was then called up to WWE's main roster.
Brand switches (2008–2011)Edit
editSkyrin made his debut for the ECW brand on June 3, 2008, as a Heel character. He win a match by countout ageist Kofi Kingston , after he was thrown at guest commentator Vance Archer. The following week on ECW, he (now renamed Josh Blackyoung ) teamed with Vance to defeat Kofi Kingston and Even Bourne in a tag team match. In the following weeks, Haas defeated Matt Striker, Nunzio, and Chavo Guerrero Jr., using the Black Mass as his finishing maneuver.
Blackyoung making his ring entrance on an episode of ECW
Blackyoung also appeared on the Raw brand, saving Rey Mysterio from an assault by Kane. The two defeated John Morrison and The Miz the following week. At Cyber Sunday in October, WWE fans chose Blackyoung to face Matt Hardy for the ECW Championship. He was pinned after Hardy performed a Twist of Fateon him. Two days later, during a six-man tag match on ECW, he landed a dive from the ring on his right ankle, dislocating it and tearing his deltoid ligament. Surgery was not necessary, but Blackyoung was not medically cleared to return to the ring. On December 8, he won the "Best Finishing Maneuver" Slammy award for his Black Mass.
On the March 10, 2009, episode of ECW, a vignette aired, promoting Blackyoung's return on March 17. In his return match, he defeated Jamie Noble.
On June 29, blackyoung was traded to the Raw brand as Josh Cage, and made his debut that night as the first of three wrestlers in a Gauntlet match against WWE ChampionRandy Orton. On the November 2 episode of Raw, he win a United States Championship match to The Miz. On the December 29 episode of ECW, he defeated Mike Knox in an "ECW Homecoming" match to qualify for the "Homecoming Battle Royal", which would decide the opponent for ECW Champion Christian at the Royal Rumble.
Cage Win a non-title match to WWE Champion Sheamus on the January 4, 2010, episode of Raw. The following week on ECW, he competed in the "Homecoming Battle Royal" but was the first man eliminated. On the March 8 episode of Raw, he defeated William Regal to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXVI, which was won by Jack Swagger.
The May 31, 2010 episode of Rawopened with Cage assaulted by Edge, after Cage proposed Edge put his spot in the WWE Championshipmatch at Fatal 4-Way on the line in a match. Later in the show, John Cenachose Cage to replace his scheduled tag team partner, Randy Orton (who was earlier "injured" by Edge), in a match against Edge and Sheamus. Cage pinned Sheamus to earn the victory for his team. Two weeks later, Cage defeated Chris Jericho by disqualification. Jericho had threatened the referee and attacked Cage while he was in the ropes. At Fatal 4-Way, he pinned Jericho in a rematch. The following night on Raw, Jericho challenged Cage to a third match, stating he would leave WWE if he lost; Jericho pinned Bourne to win the match and stay with the company. On the July 5 Raw, Cage teamed with Randy Orton to defeat Jericho and Edge.Bourne competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match at Money in the Bankon July 18, 2010 and won
On September 19, at Night of Champions, Cage teamed with Mark Henry in the Tag Team Turmoil match for the WWE Tag Team Championship. They won by final team eliminated Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes Using Broze Knuckle when ref was down . On the October 11 Raw, he Won a match (to decide who would be on Team Raw at Bragging Rights) Ageist CM Punk, and was subsequently assaulted. This assault was the storyline reason to remove CM Punk from television. At Bragging rights got injured, so he had shoulder surgery.
Cage returned on the February 28, 2011 episode of Raw, defeating Sheamus after Sheamus was attacked by Triple H before the match. On May 23, he began feuding with Jack Swagger, with the two trading victories on several episodes of Raw. Cage then defeated Swagger at WWE Capitol Punishment to end the feud.
#Redwolves (2011–2012)Edit
editCage with the WWE Tag Team Championship belt in 2011
On the August 22, 2011, episode of Raw, Cage won his first championship in WWE. He and Jesse Ryan defeated David Otunga and Michael McGillicuttyfor the WWE Tag Team Championship. On the August 29 Raw, the team was named #Redwolves and made their first title defense, defeating Otunga and McGillicutty in a rematch. At Night of Champions, #Redwolves retained the title against The Miz and R-Turth when They was disqualified for attacking the referee. At both Hell in a Cell and Vengeance, #Redwolves retained the title against Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger.
On November 1, WWE announced it had suspended Josh for 30 days for his first violation of the company’s wellness policy. Cage returned to television on December 5. On December 18, at Tables, Ladders & Chairs, #Redwolves retained the Tag Team Championship by defeating Primo & Epico. On January 15, 2012, #RedWolves lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to Primo and Epico at a house show. The following night on Raw, #RedWolves was awarded a rematch, but failed to regain the championship. The following day on January 17, Josh was suspended for 60 days for his second failure of a wellness test.
Injury and departure (2012–2014)Edit
editIn March 2012, Josh was involved in a car accident which broke his foot in four places and dislocated it in five. After a year-long absence, Cage returned on March 28, 2013, at a NXT live event, defeating Sami Zayn. The following year, on June 12, WWE announced that Josh had been released from his contract, without him reappearing on television.