Metehan Kocabaşoğlu
(born 4 March 1993) is a German
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 ...
of
Turkish descent, currently performing for
German Wrestling Federation
German Wrestling Federation (GWF) is a professional wrestling promotion which has been founded and is based in Berlin, Germany.
While the promotion has toured through Germany and has held events in Bochum, Rostock, Lübeck, Hennigsdorf and Hambu ...
(GWF) under his first name (stylized as Metahan), where he is the reigning GWF World Champion in his second reign, and is a former four-time GWF Tag Team Champion. He is best known for his tenure in
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 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 ...
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 ...
Teoman as well as his time at
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 ...
(wXw) where he won the prestigeous
16 Carat Gold Tournament
The 16 Carat Gold Tournament is an annual single-elimination tournament produced by the Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) promotion. The sixteen-man tournament was first conceived by wXw in 2006 and has been held every year since then with the except ...
in 2019. He also competed in the PWG Battle of Los Angeles.
He worked with wXw under the ring name Lucky Kid and under his
birth name
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Metehan. His accomplishments include being a one-time
wXw Shotgun Champion, a one-time
wXw World Tag Team Champion and the winner of 16 Carat Gold.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (2008–2015)
Kocabaşoğlu initially aspired to be a professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
, but after sustaining a knee injury, he was forced to give it up.
A friend of his, Cem Kaplan, told him about the
professional wrestling
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, real- ...
school at the
German Wrestling Federation
German Wrestling Federation (GWF) is a professional wrestling promotion which has been founded and is based in Berlin, Germany.
While the promotion has toured through Germany and has held events in Bochum, Rostock, Lübeck, Hennigsdorf and Hambu ...
(GWF), so he trained to become a professional wrestler, making his debut in 2008.
He would go on to team with Kaplan in German Stampede Wrestling (GSW), and had greater success with Tarkan Aslan, as The Young Lions, winning multiple
tag team championship
In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling match types, professional wrestling matches, in which competitors a ...
s across the country.
Billed as Aslan's
storyline brother, he was nicknamed The Lucky Kid, which later became 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 ...
.
Westside Xtreme Wrestling (2015–2021, 2022–2023)
In 2015, the Young Lions began making regular appearances in wXw, and upon their return in May 2017, they won the
wXw World Tag Team Championship
The wXw World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the German professional wrestling promotion, Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). The inaugural champions was Swi$$ Money Holding (Double C, ...
, aligning themselves with a new heel stable, Rise. Their reign lasted until November, as they failed to advance to the finals of the World Tag Team League. Rise eventually split into two factions, and Lucky aligned himself with the faces. Lucky would be involved in title shots for the
wXw Shotgun Championship
The wXw Shotgun Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the German promotion Westside Xtreme Wrestling. All of the matches disputed for the title are broadcast on wXw's YouTube channel. The first champion wa ...
for much of the year, but in August 2018, Aslan turned his back on him. In autumn title matches against Marius Al-Ani, Aslan and
Da Mack
Mac Yeboah (born 4 May 1987), better known by his ring name Da Mack, is a German professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw).
Professional wrestling career Early career (2008–2013)
Da Mack made hi ...
interfered on separate occasions, costing Lucky the match. This led to both factions facing off against each with the titles on the line, at Back to the Roots, which resulted in a win for the faces. At wXw 16 Carat Gold, Lucky defeated
Ringkampf's
Timothy Thatcher
Timothy Andrew Moura (born March 17, 1983), better known by the ring name Timothy Thatcher, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a trainer for the WWE ID program and as in-ring performer on the Evolve brand; he is best ...
and
Axel Dieter Jr.
Marcel Barthel (born 8 July 1990) is a German professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Ludwig Kaiser and is a member of Imperium alongside Gunther. He previously wrestled under the ring n ...
, and 2017 winner
Ilja Dragunov
Ilja Rukober (; born 10 October 1993), known by his ring name Ilja Dragunov (), is a Russian-born, German- naturalised professional wrestler. As of January 2019, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand, but is currently inacti ...
on his way to the final, before gaining an upset victory over
Walter
Walter may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname
* Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...
.
He would remain a member of Rise until September 2019, as his match at Du Entscheidest with stablemate Pete Bouncer went to a no contest, and later in the night, Bouncer and Ivan Kiev made their mark in the tag division. In October, he began teaming with
Kyle Fletcher
Kyle Fletcher (born 24 December 1998) is an Australian professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a member of the Don Callis Family stable and is one-half of the tag team Protoshita with Konosuke Takeshita. He a ...
as wXw's official representatives of Schadenfreude, a stable that originated in Fight Club: Pro (FCP). In 2020, Lucky was defeated in the first round of wXw 16 Carat Gold, and turned heel on night three, changing his ring name to his
birth name
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
, while introducing a new stable, Ezel, alongside Grup Anarsi (Abdul Kenan and Aytac Bahar).
On 30 May episode of ''Shotgun'', Metehan explained the change in character, as it was necessary to provide for his family, especially his mother who was sick. He was also shown to have a short temper, due to being frustrated over Abdul and Aytac's performances in the ring. During July, he participated in a tournament for the vacant Shotgun Championship, and defeated
Hektor Invictus
Christian Tscherpel better known by his ring name Hektor Invictus is a German professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer and is best known for his time in Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) where he is a wXw World Tag Team Champion. He ...
in the final to win his first singles title in wXw. At a show in
Kutenholz
Kutenholz is a municipality in the district of Stade, Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in po ...
, Avalanche goaded Metehan into accepting a title shot by insulting his mother; Metehan defeated him later that night. The same tactic was used by
Killer Kelly
Raquel Lourenço (born 21 March 1992), best known by her ring name Killer Kelly, is a Portuguese professional wrestler signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she is a former two-time TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion (with Masha S ...
(who was the #1 contender for the Shotgun Championship) on 10 October episode of ''Shotgun'', as he had no intention of hitting a woman, but since Kelly brought his mother into it, he had to defend her honour again, and quickly defeated Kelly by submission. Since wXw's return in the summer, Ezel and Die Raucherpause had come to an agreement that neither stable would interfere in each other's business, with Norman Harras often acting as the middleman. However, Metehan and
Bobby Gunns
Robert Schild (born 28 December 1992), better known by his ring name Bobby Gunns, is a German professional wrestler. He works for Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw).
Early life
Schild comes from an amateur wrestling background, and was introduced ...
were selected in the same block of the Catch Grand Prix, and would face each other in the final match. In his opening block match, Metehan was defeated by
Cara Noir
Thomas Edward Dawkins (born April 1987), better known by his ring name Cara Noir, is an English professional wrestler, best known for his work on the British independent circuit. His character has been described as the black swan of professional ...
, when he flew into a rage after the Englishman used the taunt of his previous character against him. Over the course of the tournament, he went on to win his next four matches. The final block match between Metehan and Gunns resulted in a double disqualification, and although he tied the block alongside Noir with nine points, the opening match loss proved to be crucial and Noir made the final. On 31 December, at Silvester Spezial, Metehan was set to face an unknown challenger.
Norman Harras
Norman Halberschmidt (born 28 November 1996), better known by his ring name Norman Harras, is a German professional wrestler. He works for Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), where he is a former two time Shotgun Champion.
Professional wrestling c ...
found out that director of sports
Absolute Andy
Andreas Ullmann (22 September 1983 – 23 November 2023), better known by his ring name Absolute Andy, was a German Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his work with Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw).
In wXw, he w ...
was out of the country at a fitness camp, so he hacked into Andy's
iPad
The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The IPad (1st generation), first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. ...
, and sent a e-mail to the board of directors, booking himself as the challenger for the Shotgun Championship. Andy soon learnt that his iPad had been hacked, and interrupted the match by video, to add a stipulation that the loser would be fined €5,000. With that threat looming over them, Harras eventually defeated Metehan, ending his reign at 154 days.
WWE (2021–2022)
On 29 January 2021, it was reported that Kocabaşoğlu had signed a contract 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 will perform on the
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 ...
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 ...
. A series of vignettes hyping his debut began on the 25 February episode of ''
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 ...
'', and on 4 March, his ring name on the brand was revealed to be Teoman. He made his debut on 11 March episode of ''NXT UK'' as a
villain
A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
, defeating Danny Jones.
On 24 June episode of ''NXT UK'', Teoman defeated
Oliver Carter and was joined by Rohan Raja, who stomped on Carter and aligned himself with Teoman.
On 15 July episode of ''NXT UK'', he teamed with Raja to defeat Carter and
Ashton Smith in a tag team match.
In September, Teoman competed in a
tournament
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
to determine the number one contender to the
NXT UK Heritage Cup
The NXT Heritage Cup is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is a specialized championship for NXT (WWE brand), NXT, the promotion's Farm team, developmental brand, defended exclusivel ...
, defeating
Nathan Frazer
Benjamin Timms (born 23 July 1998) is a British professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nathan Frazer. He is a former one-time NXT Heritage Cup Champion and a two-time NXT Tag Te ...
in the first round but lost to
Wolfgang in the semifinals.
He started a feud with
Gallus on 28 October episode of ''NXT UK'', when Raja lost to
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 both of them attacked him and Wolfgang.
On 18 November episode of ''NXT UK'', Teoman and Raja defeated them in a tag team match, after a distraction from
Charlie Dempsey
Charles John Dempsey (4 March 1921 – 24 June 2008) was a Scottish-born New Zealand association football administrator.
Early life
Dempsey was a builder and emigrated with his wife to New Zealand in 1952.
Career
Dempsey was President o ...
attacking
Joe Coffey. On 2 December episode of ''NXT UK'', Raja (with Teoman on the phone) accepted Dempsey into their group, officially dubbed "Die Familie."
On 27 January 2022 episode of ''NXT UK'', Die Familie defeated Gallus in a six-man tag team match. Afterwards, Nathan Frazer questioned Teoman on why he was keeping Rohan Raja and Charlie Dempsey to protect him.
The following week, they attacked Frazer in the parking lot, leading to a match on 10 February episode of ''NXT UK'' where Frazer defeated Teoman.
On 14 April episode of ''NXT UK'', Teoman defeated
A-Kid
Carlos Ruíz (born May 9, 1997) is a Spanish professional wrestler. He signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Axiom. He is a former one-time and the inaugural NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion as A-Kid and a two-ti ...
. On 19 May episode of ''NXT UK'', Teoman and Raja defeated
Dave Mastiff
David Minton (born 21 July 1984) is an English professional wrestler. He is most known for his time in WWE, where he performed on its NXT UK brand under the ring name "Bomber" Dave Mastiff.
Professional wrestling career
Mastiff debuted in 200 ...
and Jack Starz in a tag team title eliminator match, and were added into the
NXT UK Tag Team Championship
The NXT UK Tag Team Championship was a men's professional wrestling tag team championship that was created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It was defended on the NXT UK brand division, a sister brand of WWE's developmental territory ...
match involving the champions
Moustache Mountain
Moustache Mountain was a British professional wrestling tag team consisting of Trent Seven and Tyler Bate, Bate is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the Raw brand and Seven worked for WWE until his release in August 2022. They are one- ...
(
Trent Seven
Benjamin Maurice Webb (born 21 August 1981), known by the ring name Trent Seven, is an English Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Promoter (entertainment), wrestling promoter. He has worked for WWE, where he performed on their NXT ...
and
Tyler Bate
Tyler Bate (born 7 March 1997) is an English professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE where he performs on the Raw brand and is one of the two members of New Catch Republic, performing alongside Pete Dunne.
In 2017, he became the inaugur ...
) and the team of Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter.
On 2 June episode of ''NXT UK'', they failed to win the titles when Smith pinned Seven. On 23 June episode of ''NXT UK'', Die Familie had another shot at the tag titles after Smith and Carter vacated them, but failed to win a
Fatal 4-Way elimination match after Raja was pinned by eventual winners
Brooks Jensen
Benjamin Buchanan (born August 21, 2001) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Brooks Jensen. He is a former one-time and the final NXT UK Tag Team Champion.
Buchanan ...
and
Josh Briggs
Joshua Bruns (born March 5, 1993) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Josh Briggs. He is signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand. He was a one-time and the final NXT UK Tag Team Champion.
Bruns previou ...
.
On 18 August 2022, Teoman was released from his WWE contract.
Championships and accomplishments
* Baltic Championship Wrestling
** BCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tarkan Aslan
* Championship Of Wrestling
** cOw Tag Team Championship (1 time, inaugural) – with Tarkan Aslan
* Deutsche Wrestling Allianz
** DWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tarkan Aslan
* Eurowrestling-Company
** EW-COM Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tarkan Aslan
*
German Wrestling Federation
German Wrestling Federation (GWF) is a professional wrestling promotion which has been founded and is based in Berlin, Germany.
While the promotion has toured through Germany and has held events in Bochum, Rostock, Lübeck, Hennigsdorf and Hambu ...
** GWF World Championship (2 times)
** GWF Berlin Championship (1 time)
** GWF Amateur Berlin Championship (1 time) – with Tarkan Aslan
** GWF Tag Team Championship (4 times) – Tarkan Aslan (3),
Axel Tischer
Axel Tischer (born 5 November 1986) is a German professional wrestler currently performing for German Wrestling Federation (GWF), Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) and Progress Wrestling, where he is the current Progress Wrestling Atlas Championshi ...
(1)
**European Tag Team Tournament (2016)– with Tarkan Aslan
**Golden Chance (2020)
* Hungarian Championship Wrestling
** HCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tarkan Aslan
* Mad Wrestling Association
** MWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tarkan Aslan
* Thats Awesome Wrestling
**TAW Championship (1 time, inaugural, current)
**TAW Championship Tournament
* ''
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. 387 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 2019
*
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 ...
**
wXw Shotgun Championship
The wXw Shotgun Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the German promotion Westside Xtreme Wrestling. All of the matches disputed for the title are broadcast on wXw's YouTube channel. The first champion wa ...
(1 time)
**wXw Shotgun Title Tournament (2020)
**
16 Carat Gold Tournament
The 16 Carat Gold Tournament is an annual single-elimination tournament produced by the Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) promotion. The sixteen-man tournament was first conceived by wXw in 2006 and has been held every year since then with the except ...
(2019)
**
wXw World Tag Team Championship
The wXw World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the German professional wrestling promotion, Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). The inaugural champions was Swi$$ Money Holding (Double C, ...
(1 time) – with Tarkan Aslan
* YAWARA
** Yawara Championship (2 times)
*Eastside Revolution Wrestling
**ERW Championship (1 time)
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teoman
1993 births
21st-century male professional wrestlers
German male professional wrestlers
German sportspeople of Turkish descent
Entertainers from Berlin
Living people
Turkish professional wrestlers
WXw World Tag Team Champions
WXw Shotgun Champions
WXw 16 Carat Gold Tournament winners