Frankie Kazarian

Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. He is also known for his work in Ring of Honor (ROH) and All Elite Wrestling (AEW), as well as several independent promotions, most notably Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), where he has won multiple tag-team and singles championships.

Kazarian began his career in 1998 and performed on several independent promotions. During the 2000s, he worked for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, where he became the inaugural and two-time PWG World Champion. From 2003 until 2014, he wrestled for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He began a tag team with Michael Shane known as Shazarian. In 2007, he shortened his name to Kaz and briefly worked under the Suicide character between 2008 and 2010. After returning to the Kazarian name, he joined the Fourtune stable, where he stayed until 2012. In 2012, he began to work with Christopher Daniels as a tag team named Bad Influence, winning the TNA World Tag Team Championship twice. With a total of 4 reigns as X Division champion (one as co-champion with Shane and one as Suicide) and three as World Tag Team Champion, he left the company in 2014.

After leaving TNA, Daniels and Kazarian reunited in Ring of Honor, where they stayed until 2018. They changed the name of the tag team to The Addiction and later, they were joined by Scorpio Sky as SoCal Uncensored. He won the ROH Tag Team Championship twice with Daniels and once with Sky and the trio won the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship. During this time, Daniels and Kazarian appeared in international promotions, such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling. After leaving ROH, the trio joined the new promotion All Elite Wrestling, where Kazarian and Sky became the first AEW World Tag Team Champions. In 2022, Kazarian also worked with Impact Wrestling, where he won his fifth X Division Championship (becoming the title’s 100th champion in the process), later signing with the company in 2023, after being granted his release from AEW.

Early life

Frank Benedict Gerdelman was born on August 4, 1977, in Palm Springs, California.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1998–2003)

Kazarian began training with Killer Kowalski in Malden, Massachusetts in 1998, and wrestled his debut match after one month's training, facing Freight Train Dan. After remaining at Kowalski's school for eight months, Kazarian returned to Southern California and began wrestling on the independent circuit, primarily in the Empire Wrestling Federation, where he continued his training and teamed with Josh Galaxy as "Bad Influence".

Impact Wrestling commentator Mike Tenay revealed in a late 2007 shoot interview that during a World Championship Wrestling event in San Diego, California in 2000, a fan appeared to him and boldly declared that "someday, enaywill be calling one of ismatches". That fan was none other than Kazarian himself.

In 2000, Kazarian joined Ultimate Pro Wrestling, and in March 2001 he formed a tag team with Nova known as "Evolution". On March 10, 2001, he became the first Millennium Pro Wrestling (MPW) World Champion by defeating Christopher Daniels and Adam Pearce in a three-way dance. On May 30, 2001, Evolution won the vacant Ultimate Pro Wrestling Tag Team title. He travelled to Japan as part of the Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) roster in 2002, where he faced Steve Corino, and also as part of Evolution he and Nova were defeated by Edge and Christian. He used to freestyle rap along with his close friends John Cena and Samoa Joe while the three of them were on the road in UPW.

He toured the UK, Australia and New Zealand with the now defunct World Wrestling All-Stars promotion in May 2003, where he met Glenn Gilberti and Scott D'Amore, leading to his being offered a job by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2003–2008)

PWG Champion (2003–2004)

Kazarian worked for the upstart Southern Californian promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla from the very beginning, headlining its first event on July 26, 2003 against AJ Styles in a losing effort. The following month, Kazarian participated in the Bad Ass Mother 3000 tournament to determine the first-ever PWG Champion. He defeated Scott Lost in the opening round on August 29 and Lil Cholo in the quarterfinals, Christopher Daniels in the semifinals and Joey Ryan in the final to win the tournament and become the inaugural PWG Champion on August 30. Kazarian successfully defended the title against Styles and Daniels in a three-way match at ''Are You Adequately Prepared To Rock?'' and American Dragon at ''An Inch Longer Than Average''.

Kazarian began his first major feud as champion with Adam Pearce after Pearce pinned Kazarian in a six-man tag team match at ''Pimpin' In High Places''. Pearce earned a title shot against Kazarian on the night one of Tango & Cash Invitational, which ended in a time limit draw, resulting in Kazarian retaining the title. Kazarian successfully defended the title against Babi Slymm, Jonny Storm and M-Dogg 20 in a four-way elimination match on the second night of the tournament. Kazarian lost the title to Pearce at ''Taste The Radness'' on February 22, 2004.

Kazarian spent the next few months, feuding with Pearce and his Hardkore Inc. stablemates. He received a title shot against Pearce in a four-way dance, also involving Babi Slymm and Jardi Frantz at ''Rocktoberfest'', where Pearce retained the title via disqualification. At the company's first anniversary show, The Reason for the Season on July 10, Kazarian became the first two-time PWG Champion by defeating Pearce in a " Loser Leaves PWG" steel cage match. He would hold the title for the next four months, retaining it against Colt Cabana, Samoa Joe and Ricky Reyes until ''Free Admission! (Just Kidding'' on November 13, when he was defeated by Super Dragon.

Various feuds and championship pursuits (2005–2008)

In early 2005, Kazarian feuded with Arrogance (Chris Bosh and Scott Lost), with the rivalry beginning after Arrogance cost Kazarian, a match against Tony Stradlin at ''All Nude Revue''. Kazarian began pursuing the PWG Tag Team Championship, with Kazarian and a mystery partner set to challenge Arrogance for the Tag Team Championship at ''The Ernest P. Worrell Memorial''. Kazarian revealed his tag team partner to be Lost's former X Foundation tag team partner Joey Ryan. Kazarian and Ryan lost after Kazarian prevented him from using a steel chair. Ryan turned on Kazarian by attacking him after the match and joined Arrogance. Kazarian teamed with The Aerial Express ( Quicksilver and Scorpio Sky) to defeat the Arrogance trio on the first night of All Star Weekend. On the night two, Kazarian teamed with Chris Sabin to unsuccessfully challenge Bosh and Lost for the Tag Team Championship.

On the first night of the 2nd Annual PWG Bicentennial Birthday Extravaganza, Kazarian challenged AJ Styles for the PWG Championship, with the match ending in a double count-out. At ''Smells Like Speen Spirit'', Kazarian teamed with Petey Williams to challenge 2 Skinny Black Guys (El Generico and Human Tornado) for the Tag Team Championship in a losing effort. In September, Kazarian participated in the inaugural Battle of Los Angeles tournament, where he lost to Rocky Romero in the first round. On the first night of All Star Weekend 3, Kazarian defeated Jimmy Yang in a tournament to determine the #1 contender for the PWG World Championship, thus qualifying to the fatal four-way tournament final on night two against B-Boy, Chris Sabin and Kevin Steen. B-Boy won the match.

At ''Please Don't Call It (The O.C.)'', Kazarian joined B-Boy as his mystery tag team partner against the World Champion Joey Ryan and Scorpio Sky. Kazarian pinned Ryan for the win and demanded a title shot against Ryan, which resulted in Ryan and Sky attacking Kazarian and B-Boy after the match and Sky cut off Kazarian's ponytail. While in WWE the previous year, Kazarian had gotten in trouble with company management after refusing to cut his hair and this was one of the reasons he had asked for his release. This marked the beginning of a lengthy feud between Kazarian and the newly formed faction Dynasty, specifically Sky. Kazarian unsuccessfully challenged Ryan for the World Championship at ''Fear of a Black Planet''. Kazarian defeated Sky via disqualification in the first round of the 2006 Battle of Los Angeles after Sky's manager Jade Chung hit him with a pair of scissors. Kazarian was attacked by the Dynasty before his scheduled quarterfinal match against Super Dragon, thus knocking him out. He was carried out on a stretcher and was eliminated from the tournament via forfeit.

At ''Self-Titled'', Kazarian lost a handicap first blood match to Sky and Chung. After facing off Sky and his Dynasty stablemates in a series of tag team matches over the next few months, Kazarian defeated Sky in a Loser Leaves PWG match at ''Based on a True Story'' on January 13, 2007, to end the feud, just as he did with Adam Pearce. With Sky gone from PWG ( in storyline), Kazarian continued his feud with Dynasty as he took on Joey Ryan in a match at ''Guitarmageddon II: Armoryageddon'', which Kazarian lost after an interference by Karl Anderson. This led to a match between Kazarian and Anderson at ''Holy Diver Down'', which Kazarian lost after a man wearing Scorpio Sky's mask interfered in the match. At ''Album of the Year'', Kazarian challenged Disco Machine for the latter's ownership of PWG, which Kazarian lost after a distraction by commissioner Dino Winwood and referee Rick Knox.

On the first night of All Star Weekend V, Kazarian teamed with T.J. Perkins, Ronin and Top Gun Talwar against Dynasty and Karl Anderson in a losing effort. Kazarian left PWG in May 2007, when TNA Wrestling pulled all of their talent from the company. He made a one night return to the promotion, nine months later, on February 24, 2008, to participate in the ¡Dia de los Dangerous! tournament for the vacant PWG World Championship, where he lost to Karl Anderson in the opening round.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003–2005)

Kazarian knew Impact Wrestling President Jeff Jarrett and Scott D'Amore during a World Wrestling All-Stars tour and they invited him to a tryout. Kazarian joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in the summer of 2003, and quickly began pursuing the TNA X Division Championship. He was part of the first ever Ultimate X match, on August 20, 2003, along with Michael Shane and Chris Sabin, which was won by Shane. Kazarian did not appear with TNA Wrestling between October 2003 and March 2004.

After Chris Sabin was stripped of the title while sidelined with a knee injury, Kazarian eventually won the X Division title on March 31, 2004, defeating The Amazing Red in a match for the vacant title. He lost the belt to A.J. Styles on June 9, 2004.

In June 2004 he and Shane formed a tag team (informally known as Shazarian) managed by Traci Brooks. They claimed to resent the fact that A.J. Styles had held the TNA X Division Championship, then the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, then had won the X Division Championship once more. This was purportedly illegal according to a previously unknown by law of the Impact Wrestling rulebook, which stated that an X Division competitor who participated for the Heavyweight Championship could not return to the X Division. On July 28, 2004, he and Shane faced Styles in an Ultimate X match. Kazarian and Shane were declared co-champions when both took possession of the title belt at the same time. On August 11 they defended the title in a twenty two man Gauntlet for the Gold match. Kazarian started at number one and was one of the final three participants, but was eliminated by The Amazing Red, who in turn was eliminated by Petey Williams.

Kazarian was put in the same situation at November's Victory Road where he entered number one in a 20-man X Division Gauntlet and was the last man eliminated.

Throughout late 2004 and early 2005, Kazarian and Shane competed in the TNA tag team division. Kazarian's contract with TNA Wrestling expired in September 2004 and was not renewed, but he continued working with the company on a per appearance basis. The duo eventually began a feud with the 3Live Kru and Jeff Hammond, a NASCAR analyst who was working with Impact Wrestling as a commentator. This led to a match at the Against All Odds pay-per-view on February 13, 2005, between Hammond and Kru member B.G. James and Shane and Kazarian. Kazarian was pinned by Hammond after Shane miscued on a superkick and knocked him out.

World Wrestling Entertainment (2005)

On February 25, 2005, Kazarian left TNA and signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He was assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling, the top formative division of WWE. He made his WWE television debut in an episode of ''Velocity'' on July 16, with the name The Future Frankie Kazarian defeating Nunzio, and remained undefeated through July and August. In this time, he picked up victories against Scotty 2 Hotty, Funaki, and Paul London. On August 15, Kazarian announced on his website that he had left WWE two days earlier. He later revealed that he had asked for his release after realizing that the company had no plans to revamp its cruiserweight division.

Return to TNA (2006–2014)

Serotonin (2006–2007)

Kazarian returned to TNA on July 16, 2006, at Victory Road, in a Championship match loss to TNA X Division Champion Senshi. Afterwards he and his old tag team partner Michael Shane (now known as "Maverick" Matt Bentley due to name trademark issues) resumed in their tag team, before disappearing from television for weeks. Later resurfacing with a new goth look, the duo would be joined by Johnny Devine and all became subservient to Raven, forming the stable Serotonin. As part of Serotonin, his name was shortened to the simple and supposedly cryptic "Kaz". Kaz eventually became the first Serotonin member to become very rebellious towards Raven. Kaz turned on Raven on June 21, 2007, by attacking fellow members of Serotonin, Havok and Martyr, costing him a match against Chris Harris.

Kaz (2007–2008)

After his split with Serotonin, he began using his old ring attire and entrance video which both said the full "Kazarian" - though it was all later changed to only say the simple Kaz except for a few references on the TNA website. Shortly after this, he engaged in a brief feud with Robert Roode over his treatment of Ms. Brooks. Kaz would next be entered in the 2007 Fight for the Right Tournament, which he won by defeating Christian Cage at Genesis in the finals in a ladder match. On the ''Impact!'' following Genesis, Kurt Angle barely defeated Kaz to retain the TNA World Championship.

At the 2007 Turning Point pay-per-view, he was partnered with Booker T against Christian Cage and Robert Roode, with Kaz and Booker winning. He then began attacking Dustin Rhodes, and stealing things from Rhodes' alter ego "Black Reign". He defeated Black Reign at Final Resolution. After defeating Black Reign, Kaz and Black Reign competed in a Four Corner Mouse Trap match were Kaz won but Black Reign ended up getting his things back from Kaz after hitting Kaz with his Darkness Falls weapon. On February 23, Kaz defeated Rellik. After the match, Black Reign and Rellik attacked Kaz. Eric Young ran out to help but got too scared to do anything. At Destination X, Kaz and Young defeated Black Reign and Rellik leading to Kaz and Young (now 'Super Eric') becoming a tag team. On April 13, at Lockdown 2008, they won the Cuffed in a Cage match. On the April 17 episode of ''TNA Impact!'', following Lockdown, Kaz and Young defeated the holders of the TNA World Tag Team Championship, AJ Styles and Tomko and The Latin American Xchange (LAX) in a triple threat tag team match for the titles after Young's alter ego, "Super Eric" pinned Styles with a bridging suplex. Later in the night, Styles complained to Jim Cornette that since Young was signed to the match, not Super Eric, and Young claimed that he and Super Eric are different people, Super Eric's involvement was outside interference. When Eric refused to admit that he was Super Eric, Cornette vacated the titles.

Following Kaz and Young's loss to LAX in a Deuces Wild Tournament qualifying match, Kaz competed in and won the Terror Dome Match at Sacrifice, becoming number one contender to the X Division Championship, and also taking Kurt Angle's place in the triple threat match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. The match was won by Samoa Joe, who retained the title. On the June 5 episode of ''Impact!'' Kaz won a future title match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in the first ever X Division King of the Mountain Match. He then failed to win the X Division championship at Slammiversary, losing to the X Division Champion Petey Williams. He then challenged Joe the following Thursday on ''Impact!'' for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort. He led Team TNA in the 2008 World X Cup and was in the final round at Victory Road, but lost after he pulled off a huge leg drop on Daivari off the top of the Ultimate X structure. On July 21, 2008, TNA's official website announced that Kaz had been released, but it was revealed to be a storyline. He was later interviewed by Karen Angle to further the storyline, and claimed that after failing to beat Kurt Angle for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and letting down his company in the finals of the World X Cup, he had fallen out of love with wrestling and, so, had made the decision to leave.

Suicide (2008–2010)

In late 2008 Kazarian made his return to TNA Wrestling as a masked wrestler named Suicide, who was featured in Midway's ''TNA Impact!'' video game. He debuted at Final Resolution in December 2008 as a face, swinging to the ring on a cable, attacking the Motor City Machine Guns. At Destination X Suicide won the TNA X Division Championship, in his debut match, in the Ultimate X match. Because of an injury to Kazarian, Suicide was portrayed for several weeks by Christopher Daniels, who was in the costume when the character won the X Division Championship. Afterwards, Daniels began feuding with the Motor City Machineguns of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, who on the April 30 episode of ''Impact!'' accused him of being Suicide. On the May 7 episode of ''Impact!'', Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed joined the accusations by also accusing Daniels of being Suicide. On the May 14 episode of ''Impact!'' the Motor City Machineguns and Lethal Consequences were trying to unmask Suicide in an attempt to prove that they were right about his true identity, but Daniels made the save and helped Suicide clear the ring of Shelley, Sabin, Lethal, and Creed. At Slammiversary, Suicide retained the TNA X Division Championship against Shelley, Sabin, Lethal, and Creed, in a King of the Mountain match. On the July 16 episode of ''Impact!'' Suicide lost his X Division title to Homicide after he cashed in his "Feast or Fired" briefcase.

After not being seen for a few weeks, Suicide made his return at Hard Justice to compete in the Steel Asylum match, which he lost because of D'Angelo Dinero. On the August 20 episode of ''Impact!'' Suicide attacked Dinero after his match with Consequences Creed sparking a feud between the two. On the September 17 episode of ''Impact!'' Dinero defeated Suicide in a grudge match. At No Surrender Dinero defeated Suicide again, this time in a Falls Count Anywhere match. The following week on ''Impact!'' Suicide finally defeated Dinero, by pinning him in a street fight. On the October 15 episode of ''Impact!'' Homicide stole Suicide's costume and claimed to now know his true identity. On the December 3 episode ''Impact!'' Suicide made peace with Dinero and joined him, Matt Morgan and Hernandez in their war with Rhino, Team 3D and Jesse Neal

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