Martin Harris (born 31 December 1981) is an English

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

best known for his time with

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

, where he performed on the NXT

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Danny Burch. He is a former one time

NXT Tag Team Champion The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's Professional wrestling championship, professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT ...

with Oney Lorcan. He has worked in the British

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

under the ring name Martin Stone with promotions such as Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW),

Frontier Wrestling Alliance Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) was a professional wrestling promotion in Britain. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted ...

(FWA), and International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom (IPW:UK).

Early life

Martin Harris was born on 31 December 1981 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England.

Professional wrestling career

European independent circuit (2003–2011)

Harris trained in the FWA Academy in 2003–04; competing under the ring name Joe Riot in various shows, including a match for

All Star Wrestling All Star Wrestling (ASW), also known as Super Slam Wrestling (SSW), is a British professional wrestling promotion founded by Brian Dixon in 1970 and based in Birkenhead, England. Founded as Wrestling Enterprises of Birkenhead in October 1970, i ...

in Croydon in Summer 2003; making his first appearance at FWA:A's ''Revenge – Chapter IV'' in losing effort to Leroy Kincaide on 29 November 2003 in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. Harris made his first main roster appearance under the name "Martin Stone" on 4 September 2004, in a losing effort to Jack Xavier at a ''Live in

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...

'' show. Stone would soon be paired with FWA:A trainee Stixx and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

"Twisted Genius" Dean Ayass to form the

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...

Stixx and Stone. While still in the FWA, Stone travelled all over the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, competing in several other promotions including: International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom,

One Pro Wrestling One Pro Wrestling (abbreviated as 1PW) was a British professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion. 1PW was founded in 2005 by Steven Gauntley. Originally run by the now defunct retail chain 1 Up Games, the company's headq ...

, LDN Wrestling, and Real Quality Wrestling. Stone won several top titles in these promotions the most notable of which would be his 15-month title reign as IPW:UK Champion. Back in the FWA, Stixx and Stone would quickly capture the

FWA Tag Team Championship The Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship contested for in the United Kingdom, British Frontier Wrestling Alliance professional wrestling promotion ...

s from the team of Hampton Court (Duke of Danger and Simmons) on 18 June 2005 at ''FWA

NOAH Noah (; , also Noach) appears as the last of the Antediluvian Patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5–9), the Quran and Baháʼí literature, ...

Limits''. Stone would be stripped of the title 16 months later after being unable to make a mandatory title defence on 19 November 2006 due to commitments with IPW:UK. The tag title strip happened at the height of FWA's "Civil War" with IPW:UK, which would quickly see then-IPW:UK champion Stone officially leave FWA to stay on the side of IPW:UK. Stone would lead the war against the FWA and is in preparation to face semi-retired FWA star Alex Shane in a Promotion v Promotion – Winner Takes All Match at

Broxbourne Broxbourne is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, England, with a population of 15,303 at the 2011 Census.Broxbourne Town population 2011 It is located to the south of Hoddesdon and to the north of Cheshunt, north of London. ...

on 16 March 2007. This match however ended up taking place in Orpington several weeks later, with Flash Barker replacing an injured Alex Shane. In late April 2007, Stone represented Real Quality Wrestling in the prestigious King of Europe Cup where he was defeated by Go Shiozaki in the first round. During this time Stone would compete in and win an RQW tournament at ''Not Just For Christmas'' to become RQW's Heavyweight Champion. Stone defeated Iceman and Aviv Maayan in the first two rounds before defeating

Pac Pac or PAC may refer to: Aviation * IATA code PAC Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport in Panama City, Panama * Pacific Aerospace Corporation, New Zealand, manufacturer of aircraft: ** PAC 750XL ** PAC Cresco ** PAC CT/4 ** PA ...

in the final to win the vacant championship. In September 2007, Stone began to compete regularly for the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

promotion

Westside Xtreme Wrestling Westside Xtreme Wrestling, commonly shortened to wXw, is a German professional wrestling promotion based in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. wXw has been one of the leading professional wrestling promotions in Germany, and most of its event ...

. On 26 July 2008, Stone won the wXw Tag Team Championship alongside Doug Williams when the pair beat AbLas (Absolute Andy and Steve Douglas) at wXw Broken Rulz VIII in

Oberhausen Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...

. In February 2008, Stone competed Chikara's

King of Trios King of Trios was a three-night tournament promoted by the Chikara (professional wrestling), Chikara professional wrestling promotion. The tournament was a different take on the Tag World Grand Prix event that the promotion was known for annually ...

tournament in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, teaming with The Kartel as Team IPW:UK, but were defeated in the second round of the tournament by the Golden Trio ( Delirious, Hallowicked and

Helios In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Helios (; ; Homeric Greek: ) is the god who personification, personifies the Sun. His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyperion ("the one above") an ...

). On 28 August 2008, Stone defeated Eamon O'Neill and James Tighe to win the Premier Promotions Worthing Trophy. On 13 February 2010 at the British Uproar event in Broxbourne, Martin Stone defeated Andy Simmonz in the tournament finals to become the first FWA World Heavyweight Champion. In a speech after the match he turned against the fans and claimed that he was only using British wrestling as a stepping stone to a big-money contract in the US. A month later he became the leader of "The Agenda", a faction of FWA wrestlers with aims along the same lines. On 14 March 2010 at PW101 Unstoppable at The Hubs in Sheffield. Martin Stone defeated 11 other men in the 101 Championship Rush match last defeating Martin Kirby to become Pro Wrestling 101's first and only Heavyweight Champion. Upon returning to Britain in 2014, Stone challenged for Jack Jester's ICW Heavyweight Championship but was defeated.

WWE (2011–2014)

In late 2011, Harris signed with WWE and reported to its developmental territory in June 2012. He was given the ring name Danny Burch, and he made his televised debut for

NXT Wrestling NXT is a developmental brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, serving as a training ground for wrestlers before they move to WWE's main roster on either Raw or SmackDown. Introduced on February 23, 2010, NXT features a sep ...

on 15 May 2013, episode of ''NXT'' with a loss to

Bray Wyatt Windham Lawrence Rotunda (May 23, 1987 – August 24, 2023), better known by his ring name Bray Wyatt, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure in WWE from 2009 until his death in 2023. Rotunda was a third-generati ...

. From then on, Burch was used sporadically as enhancement talent until it was reported on 30 April 2014 that he was released by WWE.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2014–2015)

In 2014 Harris, under his Martin Stone name, appeared on the second season of '' TNA British Boot Camp''. On 16 February 2015 Harris competed at the

TNA One Night Only ''One Night Only'' was a series of professional wrestling events held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) launched in April 2013. The concept was announced on January 11, 2013 by then-Total Nonstop Action (TNA) President Dixie Carter (wrestlin ...

: '' Gut Check'', where he defeated

Jessie Godderz Jessie Godderz (born April 23, 1986), also known as Mr. PEC-Tacular, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He competes for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he is a two-time OVW National Heavyweight Champion, one-time OVW Television ...

to qualify for the final match later that night. He then competed in a five-way elimination match where the winner of that match would earn an appearance on the next episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', though he was unsuccessful as the match was won by Tevita Fifita.

Return to WWE

Sporadic appearances (2015–2017)

On 16 July 2015, though not re-signed to WWE, Stone made an appearance on an ''NXT'' television taping, where he lost to Kevin Owens. He made a second appearance on the 13 August 2015 taping of ''NXT'', where he lost to Apollo Crews. He made a third appearance on 16 September, where he was referred to as his old ''NXT'' name Danny Burch, losing to Tye Dillinger. He made a fourth appearance on the 21 October 2015 taping of ''NXT'', where he lost to

James Storm James Allen Cox (born June 1, 1977) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name James Storm. He currently competes on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He sta ...

. Burch made a further appearance on ''NXT'' on 13 January 2016 in a losing effort against

Tommaso Ciampa Tommaso Whitney (born May 8, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Tommaso Ciampa () and ...

. He again faced Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, teaming up with Rob Ryzin on the 18 May taping of NXT, losing again. On 14 September 2016, during the Cruiserweight Classic Finale he teamed up with Sean Maluta and lost to The Bollywood Boyz, Gurv Sihra and Harv Sihra, in a dark match. On 6 January 2017 it was announced by

that Burch will be a participant in the 16 man WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament. Burch was eliminated in the first round by

Jordan Devlin Jordan Devlin (born 15 March 1990) is an Irish professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name JD McDonagh and is a member of The Judgment Day. In WWE, he is a World Tag Team Champion and ...

. On the 19 April episode of NXT, Burch appeared in a losing effort to Andrade "Cien" Almas. He would then appear in NXT as part of the UK division this time losing to the

WWE United Kingdom Champion The NXT United Kingdom Championship was a men's professional wrestling championship that was created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It was primarily defended as the top championship of the NXT UK brand division, a sister brand of WW ...

Pete Dunne.

Teaming with Oney Lorcan (2017–2022)

From August, Burch would begin a feud with Oney Lorcan, after the two traded victories, they would go on to form a tag team and would feud with Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli. In early 2018 they would take part in the

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is an annual professional wrestling tag team tournament held by the American promotion WWE, and is featured on its NXT brand, having first been established in 2015. In subsequent years, wrestlers from the NXT U ...

, but were eliminated in the first round. On 29 April 2018, Burch signed a full-time contract with WWE again. Burch and Lorcan would go on to face

The Undisputed Era The Paragon, known previously as The Undisputed Era, are a professional wrestling stable consisting of Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong. The group is currently performing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The group is widely known for th ...

(

Kyle O'Reilly Kyle Richard Thomas Greenwood (born March 1, 1987), better known by his ring name Kyle O'Reilly, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Paragon (professio ...

and

Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his ring name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Paragon stable and is a former one-time AEW I ...

) at NXT Takeover: Chicago in a losing effort. On 24 September 2019 Burch made his '' 205 Live'' debut when he and his tag team partner, Oney Lorcan defeated the WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak and

Tony Nese Anthony Nese (born August 6, 1985) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also appears for AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor, where he is a member of The Premier Athletes stable. He is best known for his ...

. On 30 January 2020 Burch returned to

NXT UK ''NXT UK'' was a professional wrestling television programme that was produced exclusively in the United Kingdom by the American promotion WWE. It aired on BT Sport and 5Action (previously known as Paramount Network). In the United States, the ...

to team up with Oney Lorcan in a tag team match defeating The Hunt (Primate and

Wild Boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

). They then teamed up again on the 13 February episode of NXT UK in a non-title match against the NXT UK Tag Team Champions Gallus (

Mark Coffey Mark Anthony Coffey (born 13 February 1990) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand as a member of Gallus (professional wrestling), Gall ...

and Wolfgang) but failed to beat them. On the May 20 episode of NXT, Lorcan and Burch defeated Ever-Rise and proceeded to call out the NXT Tag Team Champions

Imperium In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from '' auctoritas'' and '' potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic a ...

( Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner) afterwards by mocking their signature pose. The following week, they challenged them for the NXT Tag Team Titles but were defeated by Breezango ( Tyler Breeze and

Fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple metre, triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is u ...

) in a No #1 Contender's match. On 21 October episode of ''NXT'', after Undisputed Era members Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong were taken out, Lorcan and Burch replaced them in an

NXT Tag Team Championship The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's Professional wrestling championship, professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT ...

match. They won the titles by defeating Breezango ( Tyler Breeze and

) with help from Pat McAfee, turning

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...

in the process. On 23 March 2021, William Regal vacated the NXT Tag Team Championship after Burch suffered a shoulder injury. On the 7 September edition of NXT, Burch and Lorcan challenged MSK for the titles but were defeated. After the match both Holland and Dunne attacked Lorcan & Burch thus ending their alliance. On 4 November Lorcan was released from his WWE contract, disbanding their team. On 5 January 2022 Burch was released from his WWE contract.

Return to the independent circuit (2023–present)

On 13 January 2023 Stone returned to the ring following his release from WWE. In his first match back, he competed for Coastal Championship Wrestling in Kissimmee,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

All Elite Wrestling (2024)

On 27 April 2024, under his Martin Stone name, debuted for

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...

during an episode of AEW Collision, losing to Rush.

Championships and accomplishments

* 4 Front Wrestling **4FW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment **GWC Championship (1 time) *Best of British Wrestling **BOBW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Coastal Championship Wrestling **CCW Tag Team championship (1 time) – with Stallion Rogers *

(1 time) – with Stixx ** FWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

Full Impact Pro Full Impact Pro (FIP) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is currently part of the World Wrestling Network (WWN) along with Shine Wrestling. Sal Hamaoui founded the company and serves as the president, while Trevin Adams is the ...

** FIP Florida Heritage Championship (1 time) *German Stampede Wrestling **GSW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matt Vaughn * International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom ** IPW:UK Championship (3 times) *LDN Wrestling **LDN Championship (2 times) *NWA Florida Underground Wrestling **NWA FUW Flash Championship (1 time) *

** 1PW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) ** 1PW Openweight Championship (1 time) *Platinum Pro Wrestling **PPW Platinumweight Championship (1 time) *Premier Promotions **Worthing Trophy (2008) *Pro Wrestling 101 **PW101 Championship (1 time) *Pro Wrestling 2.0 **PW2.0 Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Aaron Epic *

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

**Ranked No. 135 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

in 2009 *Real Quality Wrestling **RQW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

Revolution Pro Wrestling Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro/RPW) is a British professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on 26 August 2012 by Andy Quildan after separating from International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. Revolution Pro Wre ...

Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship The Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro/RPW) promotion. The title was created and debuted on 16 July 2005 and is the promotion's principal championsh ...

(2 times) **

RPW Undisputed British Tag Team Championship The Undisputed British Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned by the Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro/RPW) professional wrestling promotion, promotion. The title was created an ...

(1 time) – with

Joel Redman Joel Pettyfer (born 21 February 1987), is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Joel Redman. Pettyfer is best known for his work on the independent circuit in the United Kingdom, where he is a former Unified British Ta ...

*Ronin Pro Wrestling **RONIN Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *United States Wrestling Alliance (Jacksonville, FL) **Wrestle Bowl (2016) *Southern States Pro Wrestling **SSP Championship (1 time) *Wardust Wrestling League **WWL Championship (1 time) *The Wrestling League **Wrestling League World Championship (1 time) *

** wXw Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Doug Williams *

World Xtreme Wrestling World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) was a Florida-based independent circuit, independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American S ...

** WXW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jody Kristofferson *

( 1 time) – with Oney Lorcan

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burch, Danny 1981 births Living people English male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from London NXT Tag Team Champions 21st-century male professional wrestlers FIP Florida Heritage Champions Undisputed British Heavyweight Champions Undisputed British Tag Team Champions WXw World Tag Team Champions 21st-century English sportsmen