| Chad Collyer |
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| Chad Collyer
Height: 5'10" Weight: 218 lbs. Hometown: Libery, Indiana, USA Pro debut: December 6, 1997 vs Jet Jaguar Finishing move: Texas Cloverleaf, The Courtesy Flush (Gedo clutch) Other aliases: Metal Master (Michinoku Pro), The Stealth (Michinoku Pro), Chad Malenko (New Japan USA) Career highlights: HWA Cruiserweight Champion, HWA TV Champion, HWA Heavyweight Champion (2), CAPW (Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling) Heavyweight Champion, RWF Heavyweight Champion Trained by: Dean Malenko, Jeff Bradley Collyer attended Manchester College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He was an accomplished amateur wrestler, winning multiple championships over an eleven year period, but decided to turn professional rather than continue his amateur career during his freshman year. Upon graduation, Collyer travelled to Tampa to train at the Malenko Pro Wrestling School under Dean Malenko and Jeff Bradley. Collyer trained under Malenko between August 3 and December 23, 1997, debuting on December 6, 1997, at Kahuna's Bar and Grill in St. Petersburg, Florida against Jet Jaguar. When Dean Malenko retired in 2001, he faced Collyer in his last ever match. In 2000, Collyer toured England twice with Scott Conway's Wrestling Alliance. He returned to England in 2001 and September 2002, competing for Brian Dixon's All Star Promotions. Collyer worked for Les Thatcher's Ohio-based Heartland Wrestling Association immediately after debuting. On April 5, 2002, Collyer was signed to a developmental deal by World Wrestling Entertainment, and was sent back to HWA, which was by then a WWE developmental territory. However, just three months later the WWE ended its relationship with HWA, releasing multiple HWA developmental workers (including Collyer). Collyer achieved considerable success in HWA. He won the HWA Heavyweight Championship for the first time on January 26, 2001, defeating Race Steel in Rising Sun, Indiana in the Grand Victoria Casino. He held the title for just over month before he was stripped of it on February 27 when he went to England for a six week tour. On February 13, 2002 Collyer defeated the incumbent champion, Shannon Moore, and Matt Stryker in a three way match for the HWA Cruiserweight Championship, with Moore regaining the title on March 24 in Jeffersonville, Indiana. On May 2, 2003 on Aurora, Indiana, Collyer won a Royal Rumble match with the HWA Heavyweight Championship on the line. He lost the title to Nigel McGuinness on September 6 in Batavia. On January 11, 2005 in Cincinnati Collyer defeated Brian Beech for the HWA Television Championship. He lost the title to Quintin Lee on January 18. Immediately after his release, Collyer returned to Japan, where he had worked previously in 1999, facing Tiger Mask. He wrestled for Michinoko Pro Wrestling between June 2002 and March 2003 as Metal Master, a masked gladiator. He feuded with The Great Sasuke over the NWA World Middleweight Championship, but was unable to defeat the veteran. Collyer also appeared for MPW as The Stealth, and for New Japan Pro Wrestling as Chad Malenko. In late-2002, Collyer joined Ring of Honor, and became a semi-regular performer, engaging in several technical bouts with Matt Stryker. During the feud between Ricky Steamboat, an advocate of technical wrestling, and Mick Foley, a proponent of hardcore wrestling, Collyer took the side of Steamboat along with other mat-based wrestlers such as Nigel McGuinness. Collyer had previously appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as part of the X Division, and on June 16, 2004 he returned to TNA as one-third of The Elite Guard, a stable of mercenaries working for Jeff Jarrett consisting of Collyer, Hotstuff Hernandez and Onyx. The Elite Guard briefly feuded with the 3Live Kru but were released from TNA within two months. |