Hunter Johnston
(born December 19, 1980) is an American
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 ...
, better known by his
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 ...
Delirious, signed to
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
(TNA) as a
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
/
head booker.
He is known for his outrageous antics, such as running around aimlessly and screaming wildly when the opening ring bell sounds, and speaking in a rambling and mostly incoherent fashion. Delirious has competed internationally in Japan, Mexico, Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom. He is a former
head booker of
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...
and was an
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
of
the company's flagship television program, producing and writing over 500 episodes of weekly television along with producing and writing hundreds of live events in the 2010s. He also started as the head trainer for the company's wrestling school, the
ROH Dojo in 2007.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (2001–2003)
Delirious started his career in Gateway Championship Wrestling, an independent wrestling promotion based out of
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
while also working at his local
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was r ...
. He trained
Daizee Haze
Emily Sharp (born May 11, 1983) is an American former professional wrestler known under the ring name Daizee Haze. She is best known for her time on the independent circuit, where she performed for numerous promotions such as Chikara (professiona ...
as a wrestler while they were both in
Southeast Missouri State University
Southeast Missouri State University (Southeast or SEMO) is a public university in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. In addition to the main campus, the university has four regional campuses offering full degree programs and a secondary campus housing t ...
.
IWA Mid-South (2003–2006)
Delirious started working for
Ian Rotten
John Benson Williams (born June 1, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and Promoter (entertainment), promoter better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), Extreme Championship Wrestli ...
and
IWA Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) was an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 199 ...
during the latter part of 2003. In November, he wrestled
Matt Sydal
Matthew Joseph Korklan (born March 19, 1983), better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his tenure with WWE from 2008 to 2014 under the ring nam ...
, a fellow St. Louis wrestler, in Sydal's first IWA match. The two quickly developed a rivalry, wrestling several times over the next few months. Eventually, Delirious was able to beat Sydal at the second night of the 2004 King of the Death Match Tournament and won the IWA-MS Light Heavyweight Championship.
After that, Delirious began a feud with
Jimmy Jacobs
Christopher Scoville (born February 17, 1984) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jimmy Jacobs. He is best known for his 12-year career in Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a List of ROH Wor ...
. The two exchanged in several matches with the title trading hands. Jimmy won the belt in early August on a Coliseum Championship Wrestling event in
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...
. Two weeks later in
Highland, Indiana, they wrestled to a double pin for the title. The belt was declared vacant. On the first night of the 2004
Ted Petty Invitational
The Ted Petty Invitational tournament (the TPI) is an independent wrestling tournament in North America, run and promoted by Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South. Created as the Sweet Science Sixteen in 2000 by Ian Rotten, the tournament wa ...
weekend, Jacobs won a
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
to win the vacant title. After that, Delirious went to Japan for a tour. When he returned, he won the belt on December 12. Delirious then finished the feud with a win in a Steel Cage match in
Valparaiso, Indiana
Valparaiso ( ), colloquially Valpo, is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.
History
The site of present-day Valparaiso ...
, on February 4, 2005.
Delirious held the Light Heavyweight title until June 11, when he lost it to
Josh Abercrombie 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 ...
. Delirious then wrestled several matches over the fall, against the likes of
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 ...
,
Ace Steel
Christopher Guy (born January 25, 1973) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ace Steel. , he is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a Producer (wrestling), producer. He is perhaps be ...
, and Brandon Thomaselli. He also formed a team with old rival Sydal. They challenged
The Iron Saints for the IWA-MS Tag Team Championships on a couple of occasions, but could not win the belts.
Delirious started to appear less in 2006, but he defeated fellow masked wrestler
El Generico
Rami Sebei (born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Sami Zayn.
Sebei made his professional wrestling debut in 2002 under the ring name Stevie McFly. Pr ...
in April.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003–2005)
Delirious made his debut on TNA (while TNA was associated with NWA) on the February 22, 2003, episode of TNA Xplosion losing to Shark Boy in a singles match. On the September 24 episode of TNA Xplosion, Delirious and Curt Daniels lost to
Abyss
Abyss may refer to:
Religion
* Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld
* Abyss (Thelema), a spiritual principle within the system of Thelema
Film and television
* ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film s ...
in a Handicap match. On the October 8 episode of TNA Xplosion, Delirious and Sebastian lost to The Gathering (
CM Punk
Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...
and
Julio Dinero). On the December 3 episode of TNA Xplosion, Delirious lost to Shark Boy. On the January 14, 2004, episode of TNA Xplosion, Delirious, Dylan Kage and Vordell Walker lost to
3Live Kru
The 3 Live Kru (3LK) was a professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It debuted in July 2003, and was initially a trio consisting of Ron Killings, Konnan and B.G. James. Each member exemplified an ethnic stereotype, ...
. On the January 21 episode of TNA Xplosion, Delirious, Jared Steele and Masada lost to 3Live Kru. On the February 4 episode of TNA Xplosion, Delirious and Shadow lost to
America's Most Wanted
''America's Most Wanted'' (often abbreviated as ''AMW'') is an American television program whose first run was produced by 20th Television, and second run is under the Fox Entertainment#Fox Alternative Entertainment, Fox Alternative Entertain ...
(
Chris Harris and
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 ...
). On the July 14 episode of TNA Xplosion, Delirious and Sebastian lost to D-Ray 3000 and Shark Boy. On September 8. 2004, NWATNA, Delirious and Jerrelle Clark competed in a Six Way X-Division Dominance Tag Team Elimination Battle Royal which was won by Kazarian and Mikey Batts. At
Slammiversary
Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event produced by the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. It is one of TNA's “Big Four” PPV events (along with TNA Hard To Kill, Hard ...
, Delirious competed in a X Division Six-way match which was won by
Shark Boy
Dean Matthew Roll (born January 28, 1975) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Shark Boy. Prior to his appearances in TNA, Roll competed on the independe ...
. His last match in the promotion was in a losing effort to
Samoa Joe
Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...
on the June 24, 2005, episode of iMPACT!.
Ring of Honor (2004–2022)
Delirious debuted in the Philadelphia-based promotion
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...
at ''Reborn: Stage One'' on April 23, 2004, in a losing effort against rival Matt Sydal.
Delirious continued to work for Ring of Honor sporadically throughout the next few years, gaining a cult following despite never winning a match. At ''Better Than Our Best'' on April 1, 2006, ROH's commissioner
Jim Cornette
James Mark Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author, sports historian, and podcaster who previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, photographer, promoter, tra ...
said that he would face a wrestler of his choosing and if he did not win, he would be dropped from the roster. Delirious chose and defeated
Ricky Reyes
Reyes Nunez (born August 21, 1978), better known by the ring name Ricky Reyes, is a Cuban-American retired professional wrestler. He is known for his appearances in Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, World Wrestling Council, Lucha Undergrou ...
with the Cobra Stretch, retaining his spot on the roster.
The following show, Delirious defeated
Jimmy Rave,
Jimmy Yang
James Carson Yun (born May 13, 1981) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment from 1999 to 2010, under the ri ...
and
Jimmy Jacobs
Christopher Scoville (born February 17, 1984) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jimmy Jacobs. He is best known for his 12-year career in Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a List of ROH Wor ...
in a
Four Corner Survival.
[Online World of Wrestling – ROH results April 22, 2006]
/ref> Later in the show, Bryan Danielson
Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...
granted Delirious a shot at the ROH World Championship
The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The cu ...
after Danielson had retained it in five minutes against Colt Cabana
Scott Colton (born May 6, 1980), better known by the ring name Colt Cabana, is an American professional wrestler, color commentator, and podcaster. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and as a coach, and he performs the same ...
. Danielson retained the belt when the referee stopped the match; Delirious' hand was also sliced on the ring post and his mask was torn by Danielson during the match.[
Delirious would get a second shot at the ROH World Championship in a losing effort against Bryan Danielson on May 13. Delirious went on to earn a shot at the ]ROH Pure Championship
The ROH Pure Championship is a professional wrestling championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). The reigning champion is Lee Moriarty in his first reign.
History
The title was originally ...
against Nigel McGuinness
Steven Haworth (born 23 January 1972), better known by his ring name Nigel McGuinness, is an English professional wrestling, professional wrestler and commentator. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he serves as a color commentato ...
, but subsequently lost. Throughout the rest of the year, Delirious continued to impress with matches against Matt Sydal and McGuinness. On October 6, Delirious defeated Jimmy Rave, qualifying for the 2006 Survival of the Fittest final later on in the evening. Austin Aries
Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA Wrestling, where he is a t ...
was the first eliminated in the finals leaving The Briscoe Brothers
The Briscoe Brothers, also called The Briscoes, were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of American brothers Jay Briscoe (Jamin Pugh, 1984–2023) and Mark Briscoe (Mark Pugh, born 1985). They were known for their 20-year tenure with th ...
(Jay and Mark), Delirious and Matt Sydal. Sydal and Delirious worked together to eliminate the Briscoes. They put on a tough performance, with Delirious eventually coming out on top.
His victory meant he'd receive his third shot at the ROH World Championship against Bryan Danielson. On November 3 the match took place, and once again Danielson retained despite Delirious' best efforts.
Delirious then teamed with Davey Richards
Wesley David Richards (born March 1, 1983), best known under the ring name Davey Richards, is a retired American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Best known for his time in Impact Wrestling, TNA Wrestling and Ring of Honor, and for ...
, challenging eventual Tag Team Champions Matt Sydal and Christopher Daniels
Christopher Daniel Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he works as the Head of Ta ...
in a Number One Contenders match.
Following his loss, Sydal and Daniels went on to feud with Adam Pearce
Adam John Pearce (born June 24, 1978) is an American retired professional wrestler and executive employed by WWE as Director of Live Events, producer, trainer, and on-screen general manager of the Raw brand.
Pearce is a former five-time NW ...
. Pearce defeated Delirious earlier on in the year with help from Shane Hagadorn. His first match in this new feud saw Delirious team with Ace Steel
Christopher Guy (born January 25, 1973) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ace Steel. , he is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a Producer (wrestling), producer. He is perhaps be ...
to take on Hagadorn and Pearce, Delirious and Steel came out on top, but this feud was far from over. The following night, Delirious put his problems with Pearce aside to challenge Danielson. The two captains put a team of four together for an eight-man elimination tag match. Delirious chose Nigel McGuinness, Colt Cabana
Scott Colton (born May 6, 1980), better known by the ring name Colt Cabana, is an American professional wrestler, color commentator, and podcaster. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and as a coach, and he performs the same ...
and B. J. Whitmer as his partners to face the team of Danielson, Jimmy Rave, Jimmy Jacobs and Shingo. Delirious was the sole survivor for his team, winning the match when he made Danielson tap to the Cobra Stretch.
Delirious lost to Adam Pearce on December 22, as well as losing the following night in a Dragon Gate rules match against CIMA Cima may refer to:
Acronyms
*The Center for International Media Assistance, a media development organization in Washington, DC
* Center for Italian Modern Art
* Centre International de la Mécanique d'Art (International centre for Art Mechanics), ...
, Shingo and Matt Sydal. Delirious continued his feud with Pearce into 2007, defeating him in the first of six ''Fifth Year Festival'' events. He won via pinfall after placing brass knuckles in his mask and headbutt
A headbutt or butt is a targeted strike (attack), strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the headbutter's Skull#Humans, cranium as the area of impact. The most effective headbutts strike the most sensitive areas of ...
ing Pearce. The following night, the newly turned 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 ...
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 ...
destroyed Delirious after shoving him off the ropes. Delirious' head smacked against the mat and he appeared to be unconscious. Strong took advantage of Delirious' condition, hitting him with a Gibson Driver both in the ring and on a barricade at ringside. Strong looked to do more damage but Roderick's former tag team partner Austin Aries ran him off.
On August 3, 2007, Delirious was announced as the new head trainer of the ROH Wrestling Academy.
Delirious became more peculiar during his feud with Adam Pearce's stable, The Hangmen 3. After they stapled his mask to his face back in 2007, he began using violent tactics to defeat them such as using weapons and spitting mist
Mist is a phenomenon caused by small droplets of water suspended in the cold air, usually by condensation. Physically, it is an example of a Dispersion (chemistry), dispersion. It is most commonly seen where water vapor in warm, moist air meets ...
into their faces. He also changed his usual green and black attire to "Red Poison", a red and black version, at '' Rising Above'' on December 29, 2007, to reflect his newly violent tactics.
Delirious later attempted to gain the attention of Daizee Haze only to be interrupted and overshadowed by Rhett Titus. After seeing footage of Titus and Haze together, he turned heel and joined up with Jimmy Jacobs and his Age of the Fall stable and began wearing a black version of his attire. On March 13 in Collinsville, Illinois, after Jacobs hit Haze with his spike, Delirious turned on him and broke away from the Age of the Fall. Delirious then started a feud with Sonjay Dutt
Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a Glossary of professional wrestling terms#agent, producer and Glossary of professional wrestling terms#manage ...
, which ended rather quickly. Delirious later feuded with Austin Aries
Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA Wrestling, where he is a t ...
, starting on the May 3, 2010, edition of ''Ring of Honor Wrestling
''Ring of Honor Wrestling'' (also known as ''ROH Honor Club TV'', and often shortened as ''ROH Wrestling TV'', ''ROH TV'', ''ROH TV on HonorClub'', or ''ROH on HonorClub'') is an American professional wrestling television series produced by Rin ...
'', when Aries kicked Delirious in the throat mid-match, causing a disqualification, followed by a beat down of both Delirious and his valet, Daizee Haze by Aries, Kenny King, and Rhett Titus. He teamed with Jerry Lynn to feud with them.
On August 15, 2010, Johnston replaced Adam Pearce as the head booker of Ring of Honor. Since this change, Delirious has wrestled only sporadically for the promotion, when he ended his feud with Aries by defeating him in a steel cage match on the September 20 episode of ''Ring of Honor Wrestling''. Delirious made his return to a Ring of Honor ring on May 7 in Toronto, when he wrestled Colt Cabana in a Larry Sweeney tribute match.
In 2014, he began to increase his appearances in Ring of Honor more, mainly in their Illinois-based shows. On May 19, 2018, he became one of the trainers at the Baltimore Dojo.
International Wrestling Cartel (2005–2009)
Delirious and Matt Sydal debuted at ''No Excuses 2005'' against each other with Delirious picking up the victory with the Chemical Imbalance II. He won IWC's biggest event of the year, the Super Indy 5 tournament, when he defeated Glen Spectre in the first round, Matt Sydal in the second and "Balls Hott" Troy Lords in the finals. He then went on to successfully defend his Super Indy title against Lords by making him tap out to a leglock
A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the human leg, leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglock ...
submission at ''Summer Sizzler 3''.
He then started to be accompanied by women's wrestler Daizee Haze at ring side. He successfully defended his title against "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels at ''Uncaged Fury''. At ''No Excuses 2'', Delirious began a feud with "The Fabulous" John McChesney. Haze distracted McChesney enough for Delirious to roll him up and grab his tights for the win to retain his title. At ''Reveangence 3'' Delirious defeated McChesney again with some help from Daizee Haze. At ''November Pain 2'', Delirious faced McChesney once again, but this time Haze was barred from ringside. Daizee disguised herself as a wrestling fan but McChesney caught on before she could intervene, resulting in McChesney powerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a s ...
ing Daizee onto Delirious to get the win. At ''New Beginning 2'', Delirious faced Sterling James Keenan to try to stop Keenan's road to the title. He was not successful, as Keenan hit the MK Ultra for the victory. He then took a break from IWC and did not return until several months later. He returned at ''November Pain 3'' as he was scheduled to be partners with Super Hentai to face "The Shooter" Brent Albright and Sebastian Dark but it ended up being a 6-man tag team match after Shirly Doe and Delirious' rival John McChesney was added to the match. Shirly Doe picked up the victory by pinning Sebastian Dark after an over the shoulder back to belly piledriver to pick up the win for himself, Delirious, and Super Hentai. Delirious appeared at IWC's 100th show ''Call to Arms 4'' on December 8, 2007, and defeated Eric Young. Throughout the spring and summer of 2008, he unsuccessfully went for the Super Indy title against Larry Sweeney and the IWC Championship against Dennis Gregory. Along with this, Gregory began making chauvinistic threats to Daizee Haze. This eventually climaxed with Delirious and Haze defeating Gregory and Sara Del Rey
Sara Ann Amato (born November 13, 1980) is an American professional wrestling trainer and retired professional wrestler, best known by her ring name Sara Del Rey. She was a mainstay for Chikara, Ring of Honor (ROH) and Shimmer, but also appeare ...
at ''Boiling Point 3''. Two months later, at ''Promotional Consideration Paid For By the Following: Day 2'', Delirious finally regained the Super Indy title, pinning Jason Gory in a Fatal Four Way match that also involved Super HENTAI and Larry Sweeney.
Chikara (2005–2014)
Incoherence (2005–2009)
In Chikara, Delirious teamed with Hallowicked
Robert Goodwin (born November 1, 1981), better known by the ring name Hallowicked, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He has performed primarily in the Chikara (professional wrestling), Chikara professional wrestling pr ...
throughout 2006 under the team moniker Incoherence (also nicknamed Halirious by the fans). The team came about at Chikara's Tag World Grand Prix in 2006 when Hallowicked's original partner, UltraMantis Black
UltraMantis Black (born July 17, 1975) is a Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician, who performed primarily in the Chikara (professional wrestling), Chikara professional wrestling promotion. He is a former one-time Chikara Gra ...
, was unable to compete due to injury. A random draw to determine Hallowicked's partner took place and Delirious was the first chosen wrestler to be present, after The Rockin' Rebel and Roderick Strong. After defeating the team of Rorschach and Crossbones, Up in Smoke
''Up in Smoke'' (also referred to as ''Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke'') is a 1978 American buddy stoner comedy film directed by Lou Adler and starring Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Tom Skerritt, Edie Adams, Strother Martin, and Stacy Keach. It ...
(Cheech and Cloudy), and Team DDT ( KUDO and MIKAMI), the team went on to the semi-finals in the tournament, where they lost to The Kings of Wrestling
The Kings of Wrestling was a professional wrestling stable that worked on the independent circuit. It was formed in Chikara as a large stable, but also appeared in numerous promotions mainly as a tag team of Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli. ...
(Chris Hero
William Christopher Spradlin (born December 24, 1979), better known by his ring name Chris Hero, is an American professional wrestler and trainer. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer. Hero has worked for a number of indepen ...
and Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Death Riders and a former AEW World Trios Championship, AEW World Trios Champion. He also per ...
). The team won the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas
The Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas (''Chikara Tag Team championship'') was a professional wrestling Tag team (professional wrestling), tag team championship (professional wrestling), championship contested for in the Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pe ...
on October 26 at ''Bruised''. Delirious and Hallowicked have also taken to teaming with Cheech and Cloudy (aliases: Deliriouscito and Hallowickedcito) in 3 and 4-man tag team matches. The duo set a record for the most number of successful title defenses of the Campeonatos De Parejas, including a rematch against the former champions, F.I.S.T. On September 21, 2008, Incoherence lost the titles to the Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno
Nicolas Dansereau (born July 20, 1987), better known by the ring name Evil Uno, is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is the co-founder of Mystery Wrestling. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Dark Order.
Fo ...
and Player Dos) in Cleveland, Ohio at ''Laying in the Gutter, Looking at the Stars''.
In March 2009, Incoherence was expanded to a three man stable with the addition of Frightmare. Incoherence continued to team together until April 2009.
The Order of the Neo-Solar Temple (2009–2010)
In May 2009, Delirious was revealed as the new third member of the ''rudo'' (heel) stable The Order of the Neo-Solar Temple, joining UltraMantis Black and Crossbones, after having been abducted by them a month earlier. He was under the influence of UltraMantis' Eye of Tyr, a mysterious jewel that had the ability to control the mind of anyone, so long as it was touched on their foreheads. He came out wearing the colors of the Order and did not run around and scream at the opening bell. He defeated Arik Cannon that night, using UltraMantis Black's Praying Mantis Bomb finisher. The next night, he and the Order defeated the Super Smash Bros. and Create-A-Wrestler, Delirious again using the Praying Mantis Bomb to pick up the win. On November 22, 2009, at Season 8 finale ''Three-Fisted Tales'' Delirious and UltraMantis Black defeated Delirious' former team mates Hallowicked and Frightmare to earn their third point, which means that they can now challenge for the Campeonatos de Parejas. However, that same night UltraMantis lost possession of the Eye of Tyr to Tim Donst
Michael Hopes (born October 17, 1987) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known under the ring name Tim Donst. He is performing primarily in Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW), Chikara (professional wrestling), Chi ...
and the ''rudo'' stable Bruderschaft des Kreuzes
Bruderschaft des Kreuzes (BDK) (German for "Brotherhood of the Cross", commonly abbreviated to BDK) was a professional wrestling stable in the Chikara promotion.
History
Chikara
Background (2007–2009)
On May 27, 2007, at ''Aniversario?'' Mik ...
, led by Ares
Ares (; , ''Árēs'' ) is the List of Greek deities, Greek god of war god, war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for ...
and Claudio Castagnoli. Delirious and UltraMantis Black used their three points to get a match for the Campeonatos de Parejas on February 28, 2010, at ''A World of Comforting Illusions'', but were defeated by the defending champions The Colony (Fire Ant and Soldier Ant), after Ares came out and used the Eye of Tyr to release Delirious from under the influence of UltraMantis, at which point he went crazy and ran out of the arena.
Bruderschaft des Kreuzes (2010–2014)
Delirious returned to Chikara in May 2010 at ''Aniversario Zehn'', revealing himself as the newest member of Bruderschaft des Kreuzes and helping Ares defeat UltraMantis Black in a singles match. The following day at ''Aniversario Elf'' Delirious was instrumental in helping Castagnoli and Ares retain the Campeonatos de Parejas against his former Incoherence team mates Hallowicked and Frightmare. At the following show, ''We Must Eat Michigan's Brain'', on June 26, Delirious was defeated by UltraMantis Black in a singles match. On October 23 Delirious represented BDK in the ''torneo cibernetico
A ''torneo cibernetico'' is a multi-man professional wrestling elimination match that was created and primarily used in Mexican ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotions, especially in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The match format ...
'' match, where they faced a team composed of Chikara originals. He was eliminated from the match by UltraMantis Black. In April 2011, Delirious represented BDK in the 2011 King of Trios, alongside Tim Donst and Jakob Hammermeier. After defeating Da Soul Touchaz
Da Soul Touchaz is a professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, alliance, currently consisting of United States, American professional wrestlers Acid Jaz, Marshe Rockett, Willie Richardson and Manager (professional wre ...
in the first round, the team was eliminated from the tournament in the quarterfinals by The Colony (Fire Ant, Green Ant and Soldier Ant). During the tournament the BDK representatives were confronted by Delirious' former partners Hallowicked, Frightmare and UltraMantis Black, the last of whom had announced his intention of righting his past wrongs, namely his manipulation of Delirious. Delirious, seemingly remembering his past, ran out of the arena, while the rest of BDK began brawling with the trio also known as the Spectral Envoy. UltraMantis Black eventually recovered the Eye of Tyr on November 13, 2011, at High Noon
''High Noon'' is a 1952 American Western (genre), Western film produced by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Carl Foreman, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Gary Cooper. The plot, which occurs in Real time (media), real time, centers ...
and in January 2012 used it to release Delirious from BDK. However, on February 25, 2012, Delirious attacked UltraMantis in the middle of Spectral Envoy's match against F.I.S.T. for the Campeonatos de Parejas, resulting in F.I.S.T. retaining their title. The next night, Delirious, now able to speak in a coherent, intelligible manner due to smashing the Eye of Tyr, cut a promo stating that he remembered everything he had suffered while under the control of the Eye of Tyr and its holders, and he vowed to make UltraMantis suffer until 2014 as revenge for the two years that he had lost since UltraMantis first used the Eye of Tyr on him. On June 2 at Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur, Delirious formed a new alliance with Kobald, Kodama and Obariyon of The Batiri
The Batiri are a professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, alliance who perform on the independent circuit. They are best known for their time in the now-defunct Chikara (professional wrestling), Chikara promotion. Th ...
. At the following pay-per-view, Under the Hood on December 2, Delirious, Kobald, Kodama, Obariyon and Ophidian were defeated in a ten-man tag team match by UltraMantis Black, Frightmare, Hallowicked, Blind Rage and Crossbones, with Delirious being pinned by UltraMantis for the win.
After Chikara's one-year hiatus, Delirious returned to the promotion, re-joining BDK on October 26, 2014. On December 6 at Tomorrow Never Dies
''Tomorrow Never Dies'' is a 1997 spy film, the eighteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode from a screenplay ...
, Delirious was defeated by UltraMantis Black and was, as a result, forced to leave the promotion. After the match, Delirious used the Eye of Tyr to turn Hallowicked and Frightmare against UltraMantis.
Pro Wrestling Noah (2009–2011)
In late 2009 Delirious began working for Japanese wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Noah, making his debut on October 15 in a tag team match, where he and Keith Walker defeated Makoto Hashi and Yoshinari Ogawa. The following day he entered the round robin stage of the 2009 Junior Heavyweight League, losing to Katsuhiko Nakajima
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer, though he primarily works with GLEAT. He is a former Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion in All Japan Pro Wrestling and a two-time GHC Heavyweight Champion in Pro Wrestlin ...
in his first match in the tournament. On October 18 Delirious scored a major upset victory in his second match in the tournament, by defeating former three-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion Kenta
Kenta (廉侍) is a masculine Japanese given name. (written: , , , or in katakana).
Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese baseball player
*, Japanese film director
*, Japanese kickboxer
*, Japanese professional wrestler
*, Japane ...
and followed that up with another victory over Ricky Marvin
Ricardo Fuentes Romero (born January 8, 1980) is a second-generation Mexican professional wrestler, known by his ring name Ricky Marvin, and is most known for his work in the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah. Between 2005 and 2007, he al ...
on October 22. Despite losing his fourth match in the tournament to Kotaro Suzuki
, better known by the ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to Gleat. He is best known for working for the Pro Wrestling Noah and All Japan Pro Wrestling promotions, where he was a four-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Cha ...
, Delirious made it to the semifinals of the tournament, where he was defeated by Jushin Thunder Liger
, better known as and later , is a Japanese retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a trainer. He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having work ...
on October 31. Delirious returned to Noah in April 2010 and on April 25 he received a shot at the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated by the defending champion Yoshinobu Kanemaru
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club. He also works as a backstage producer for NJPW.
Professional wrestling career ...
. In July 2011, Delirious and fellow ROH performer, Eddie Edwards, took part in Noah's 2011 Nippon TV Cup Jr. Heavyweight Tag League. After two wins and two losses, Delirious and Edwards finished third in their block, missing the finals of the tournament.
Return to Impact Wrestling / TNA (2022–2023)
On September 23, 2022, Delirious made his return at Victory Road, where he was defeated by Mike Bailey for the Impact X Division Championship
The TNA X Division Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of TNA's second then- weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The cu ...
. on the September 29, 2022 episode of the Impact Wrestling, Delirious lost to Black Taurus
The Beast Mortos (born March 11, 1987), also known by his former ring name Black Taurus, is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of La Faccion Ingob ...
. on the November 24, 2022 episode of Impact Wrestling Before The Impact, Delirious and Yuya Uemura lost to Raj Singh (wrestler), and Mahabali Shera
Amanpreet Singh Randhawa (born 2 May 1990) is an Indian professional wrestler signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and Ohio Valley Wrestling where he performs under the ring name Mahabali Shera or simply Shera. He also had a brief stint ...
. on the December 15 episode of the Impact Wrestling, Delirious lost to Eddie Edwards. At Hard To Kill, Delirious competed in a Six-way match which was won by Kushida. On the January 19 episode of Impact Wrestling Before The Impact, Delirious and Yuya Uemura lost to Violent by Design
''Violent by Design'' is the second album by underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. Despite never reaching any ''Billboard'' album chart, the album sold 50,000 copies in its first week on shelves. The album was originally released on JMT' ...
( Kon and Angels
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
).
Major League Wrestling (2022)
On October 30, 2022, Delirious made his Major League Wrestling
Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...
Debut at Fightland
Fightland is a website covering mixed martial arts (MMA). Launched in September 2012, it is part of Vice Media, Inc. network channels. Vice Media states that ''Fightland'' is a joint venture with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). ''The ...
, teaming with Mini Abismo Negro
Mini Abismo Negro (born November 21, 1976) is the ring name of a Mexican ''Luchador enmascarado'' who works in the ''Mini-Estrella'' division for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA). Mini Abismo Negro is a former, two time Mexican Nati ...
he was defeated by Microman
was a science fiction toyline created, manufactured and marketed by Takara, Takara Co., Ltd. from 1974 to 1984 as well as from 1998 to 2007. The ''Microman'' line was a series of action figures with accompanying vehicles, robots, playsets and ...
and Lince Dorado
José Rafael Cordero (born May 11, 1987), better known by the ring name Lince Dorado (Spanish for Golden Lynx), is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a wrestler and a trainer at the WWE Performance Center.
Cordero began h ...
.
Personal life
On November 14, 2023, Johnston married former ROH Women of Honor competitor Mandy Leon. On July 18, 2024 it was announced that Delirious & his wife Mandy Leon are expecting a baby
In common terminology, a baby is the very young offspring of adult human beings, while infant (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'baby' or 'child') is a formal or specialised synonym. The terms may also be used to refer to Juvenile (orga ...
.
Championships and accomplishments
*Action Packed Wrestling
**APW Championship (1 time)
*Central States Wrestling
**CSW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
* Chikara
** Campeonatos de Parejas ( 1 time) – with Hallowicked
Robert Goodwin (born November 1, 1981), better known by the ring name Hallowicked, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He has performed primarily in the Chikara (professional wrestling), Chikara professional wrestling pr ...
[
*]Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) was an American Independent circuit, independent professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in J ...
** IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times
"2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...
)[
**ICW/ICWA Tex-Arkana Television Championship (5 times1)][
*International Wrestling Cartel
**IWC Super Indy Championship (2 times)][
* NWA Midwest
** NWA Midwest X Division Championship (1 time)][
*]NWA Wildside
NWA Wildside was an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cornelia, Georgia, with an office in Atlanta, Georgia, operating between September 1999 and April 2005. It was originally formed when National Championship Wrestli ...
**Super Indy Tournament (2004)[
*'']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. 88 of the 500 top 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 2007
* Pro Wrestling Noah
**NTV G+ Cup Jr. Heavyweight Tag League Fighting Spirit Award (2011) – with Eddie Edwards
*Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...
** ROH Survival of the Fittest (2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
)[Online World of Wrestling]
/ref>
1This was a "gimmick" title that was defended under the "24/7 rule" by Larry Sweeney in a number of independent and regional promotions. Both Delirious and Colt Cabana
Scott Colton (born May 6, 1980), better known by the ring name Colt Cabana, is an American professional wrestler, color commentator, and podcaster. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and as a coach, and he performs the same ...
held the title multiple times during a 3-Way Dance against Sweeney at an IWA Mid-South show on December 30, 2005.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delirious
1980 births
American male professional wrestlers
American television writers
Living people
People from Alexander County, Illinois
American professional wrestling trainers
Professional wrestling writers
American male television writers
Masked wrestlers
American expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan
Southeast Missouri State University alumni
Professional wrestlers from Illinois
21st-century male professional wrestlers
21st-century American professional wrestlers