Matthew Marinelli (born March 20, 1985), 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 ...

, Matt Taven, 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 ...

and wrestling trainer. He is signed to

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 ...

(AEW) and its sister 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 ...

(ROH), where he is one-half of The Kingdom with Mike Bennett. Taven is best known for his work with ROH as an original member of The Kingdom and he's the former leader of the 2016-19 revival incarnation. During his tenure in ROH he held 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 ...

ROH World Television Championship The ROH World Television Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#Gimmick/style championships, world television championship in the Ring of Honor (ROH) professional wrestling promotion, promotion. With the int ...

, ROH World Tag Team Championship, and

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship The ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion. It is defended by three-man tag teams, also referred to as trios. The current champions are The Sons o ...

. Taven has also worked for the Japanese promotion

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

(NJPW) (where he is a former

IWGP Tag Team Champion The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. The ...

);

Impact 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 busine ...

; and

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as (EMLL) (''Mexican Wrestling Enterprise''). Founded in 1933, it is the oldest profe ...

(CMLL) (where he is a former NWA World Historic Welterweight Champion). In addition to wrestling, Taven and Mike Bennett operated a

wrestling school Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence of ...

West Warwick, Rhode Island West Warwick is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,012 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. West Warwick was incorporated in 1913, making it the youngest town in the s ...

Professional wrestling career

Early career (2008–2009)

Marinelli, using the

Matt Taven, made his professional wrestling debut on March 7, 2008. During his first year, Taven worked mainly for Top Rope Promotions (TRP) and Collision Pro Wrestling (CPW) in Massachusetts. While working for TRP he challenged for the vacant TRP Interstate Championship in a six-way

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 ...

that also included Buck Nasty, Gregory Edwards, J. Freddie, Ryan Waters, and

Spike Dudley Matthew Jonathan Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is an American semi-retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his tenure in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Spike Dudley. Prior to WWE, Hyson began performing ...

, but lost to Buck Nasty.

Ring of Honor (2009–2021)

Debut; ROH Television Champion (2009–2014)

Taven's first match for

(ROH) was on May 8, 2009, where he lost to Jaleel Patel in a

dark match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that o ...

. Taven competed in tag team matches over the course of 2010 and 2011, but lost every outing. At ROH's

Boiling Point The boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid equals the pressure surrounding the liquid and the liquid changes into a vapor. The boiling point of a liquid varies depending upon the surrounding envi ...

show on August 11, 2012, Taven lost a four-way match, where the winner would receive an ROH contract. He would go on to win the 2013 Top Prospect Tournament the following year, with the storyline reward being that Taven would earn a full-time ROH contract. With that win, Taven also earned a

match against

Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989), known by the ring name Adam Cole, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of The Paragon (professional wrestling), ...

. Taven went on to defeat Cole to win the television championship at the 11th Anniversary Show. During the match he established himself as a

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 ...

after Truth Martini hit Cole in the back of the head with the Book of Truth, allowing Taven to apply his ''Climax'' finishing move to pick up the win. On April 5, at

Supercard of Honor VII Supercard of Honor VII was the 7th ROH Supercard of Honor, Supercard of Honor professional wrestling internet pay-per-view (iPPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on April 5, 2013 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, ...

, he successfully defended the title against Adam Cole and

Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he a former List of TNA World Tag Team Champions, three time TNA Wor ...

. On April 6, he would successfully defend the title against A. C. H. At Border Wars 2013 he would successfully defend the title against

Mark Briscoe Mark Pugh (born January 18, 1985) is an American professional wrestler best known as Mark Briscoe. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH), where he made a name teaming with his brother Jay as the Briscoe Brothers. ...

. On June 22 at Best in the World 2013, Taven successfully defended the ROH World Television Championship against

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 ...

and Jay Lethal in a

three-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

. On August 3 at All Star Extravaganza 5, he faced Roderick Strong in a losing effort in the first round of the tournament to determine the new a champion after the ROH World Championship was vacated. On September 20, 2013, at Death Before Dishonor XI, Taven, Michael Bennett and

reDRagon reDRagon was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly, formed in 2012, and lasting until September 1, 2022 when Fish quietly left All Elite Wrestling (AEW). They are also known for their work in Ring of Honor ...

(

Bobby Fish Robert Anthony Fish (born October 27, 1976) is an American professional wrestler performing for Major League Wrestling (MLW). He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand and was a member of The Undisputed Era. ...

and

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 ...

) lost to the team of Adrenaline Rush (ACH and TaDarius Thomas) and C&C Wrestle Factory (Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander) On September 21 he successfully defended the title against Jay Lethal. On October 26 at Glory by Honor XII, he teamed with reDRagon and Adam Cole in an

Eight-man elimination tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...

where he was eliminated by Michael Elgin. On November 15 at Pursuit Night, he retained the title against

Zach Gowen Zachary Mark Gowen (born March 30, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and promoter. He is primarily known for his stint tenure with WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment from 2003 and with other promotions such as Im ...

. On December 14 at Final Battle 2013, Taven lost the ROH World Television Championship to

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 ...

. Matt Taven's reign as World Television Champion was the longest in the company's history to date at 287 days and he accrued the most title defenses, 12, in an individual reign. Taven fired Truth Martini at ROH's Wrestling's Finest show. Later that night he unsuccessfully challenged Tommaso Ciampa for the ROH World Television Championship in a three-way match that also included Jay Lethal. At the 12th Anniversary Show, he defeated

Silas Young Caleb DeWall (born September,9,1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Silas Young. He was last contracted for Ring of Honor, where he is a two-time ROH World Television Champion, and has ...

. On March 7, 2014, at Raising The Bar Day 1, he unsuccessfully challenged Adam Cole for the

. Taven then entered a feud with Jay Lethal, unsuccessfully challenging him for the ROH World Television Championship on three different occasions. The first was at Global Wars in a four corner survival match that also included Tommaso Ciampa and Silas Young. At War of the Worlds he teamed with ACH and Tommaso Ciampa to defeat

Forever Hooligans Forever Hooligans was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero. They are best known for working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where they are former two-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. They have ...

(

Alex Koslov Alex Sherman (born January 21, 1984) is a Moldovan-born Russian retired professional wrestler and color commentator, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling under the ring name Alex Koslov. Koslov has mainly worked in Mexico from 2005 unti ...

and

Rocky Romero John Raymond Rivera (born October 28, 1982), better known by his ring name Rocky Romero (ロッキー・ロメロ, ''Rokkī Romero''), is a Cuban-American professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and All Elite Wrest ...

) and

Takaaki Watanabe is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name Evil (stylized in all caps as EVIL), where he is the leader of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club. After debuting in NJPW ...

. The second was at Best in the World in a singles match. The last was at Field of Honor on August 15, where he was defeated by Lethal in a steel cage match after interference by Truth Martini. On August 19, 2014, Taven announced he had decided not to re-sign with ROH and would be leaving the promotion. This was an angle used to explain why Taven left the company. Taven returned to Ring of Honor in October 2014.

The Kingdom; The OGK (2014–2021)

In November 2014, Taven began teaming with Michael Bennett, collectively known as the Kingdom. On November 15 at

Glory By Honor XIII Glory By Honor XIII was the 13th Glory By Honor professional wrestling event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on November 15, 2014 at the San Antonio Shrine Auditorium in San Antonio, Texas. Background ''Glory by Honor XIII'' featu ...

, they were defeated by reDRagon for the

ROH World Tag Team Championship The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship contested for in the United States, American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). The current champions are D ...

. Almost one year later, on September 18, 2015, they won the title at All Star Extravaganza VII, when they defeated The Addiction (

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 ...

and

Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. He is also known for his wo ...

) and

The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...

(Matt and Nick Jackson) in a three-way match. They lost the title to

War Machine War Machine (Col. James Rupert "Rhodey" Rhodes) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by David Michelinie, John Byrne, and Bob Layton as a supporting character for Iron Man, he first appeared i ...

(

Hanson Hanson or Hansson may refer to: People * Hanson (surname) * Hansson (surname) * Hanson (wrestler) or Ivar (born 1984), American professional wrestler Musical groups * Hanson (band), an American pop rock band * Hanson (UK band), an English ...

and Ray Rowe) on December 18 at Final Battle. Taven suffered a knee injury during the December 18, 2015 match at Final Battle, tearing an

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

and medial meniscus and rupturing a

lateral meniscus The lateral meniscus (external semilunar fibrocartilage) is a fibrocartilaginous band that spans the lateral side of the interior of the knee joint. It is one of two menisci of the knee, the other being the medial meniscus. It is nearly circular ...

, which forced him to undergo a four-and-a-half-hour surgery on January 12, 2016. He was expected to be sidelined for nine months. During his injury, Bennett left ROH and, when Taven made his return in September 2016, he was put in a new version of The Kingdom as the leader, with T. K. O'Ryan and Vinny Marseglia as his new partners. The Kingdom won a tournament to become the first ROH 6-Man Tag Team Champions, defeating

Jay White Jamie White (born 9 October 1992), better known by the ring name Jay White, is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Bullet Club sub-group Bang Bang Gang. White is a former ...

, Kushida and

Lio Rush Lionel Gerard Green (born November 11, 1994), better known by the ring name Lio Rush, is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is one-half of CRU with Action Andretti. He also performs ...

at the Final Battle 2016 PPV. They lost the title to

Bully Ray Mark LoMonaco (born July 14, 1971), known by his ring name Bubba Ray Dudley (also spelled Buh-Buh Ray Dudley), is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for being one-half of the Dudley B ...

and The Briscoes on March 11, 2017, in a match where Silas Young replaced an injured T. K. O'Ryan. On May 10, 2017, during the second night of ROH/NJPW War Of The Worlds, Taven was unsuccessful at winning the ROH World Championship against Christopher Daniels. At Final Battle 2017, Taven defeated

Will Ospreay William Peter Charles Ospreay (born 7 May 1993) is an English professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a former two-time AEW International Champion. He is also known for his eight year tenure with New Japa ...

. In January 2018, Taven started a rivalry with

Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (born June 30, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. As of April 2022, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is also known for co-fou ...

, attacking him and stealing his "Ring Of Honor". On the

ROH 16th Anniversary Show ROH 16th Anniversary was a two-night professional wrestling event produced by American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), which took place Friday, March 9 and Saturday March 10, 2018, at the Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall in the Las Vegas suburb o ...

, Taven was defeated by Cody. On May 9, 2018, at

ROH/NJPW War of the Worlds Tour War of the Worlds Tour was a professional wrestling tour that was co-produced by Ring of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Production Background In 2014, NJPW and ROH formally forged a relationship, which saw them present the firs ...

, The Kingdom would regain the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship by defeating SoCal Uncensored. During a match for the ROH World Championship, Taven achieved a three count in the match, however the referee was not looking and the match ended with Jay Lethal winning the title. The Kingdom would lose the titles to

Bullet Club , stylized as BULLET CLUB and sometimes shortened to BC, is a professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#stable, stable primarily appearing in the Japanese Professional wrestling promotion, promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling ...

, later known as The Elite (Cody and the Young Bucks). At

Death Before Dishonor XVI Death Before Dishonor XVI was a two night professional wrestling event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH), which took place on September 28 and 29, 2018, at Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The first night was a pay-per-view broadcast, while night ...

, The Kingdom attacked Will Ospreay and Jay Lethal. After the assault, Taven pulled out of a bag a copy of the Ring Of Honor World Championship which was purple instead of black leather, saying he is the true Ring Of Honor World Champion. On November 2, 2018, The Kingdom would win the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship for the third time, beating The Elite, holding them until March 16, 2019. On March 15, 2019, at the ROH 17th Anniversary Show, Taven challenge Lethal for the Ring of Honor World Championship, with the match ending in a 60-minute time-limit draw. The following month at

G1 Supercard G1 Supercard was a professional wrestling supershow co-produced by the American Ring of Honor (ROH) and Japanese New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotions. It was the 13th annual Supercard of Honor event and took place on April 6, 2019, at Madis ...

, Taven would defeat Lethal and

Marty Scurll Martin Scurll (born 26 July 1988) is an English professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Ring of Honor (ROH). Scurll began his career in 2005, working on the British independent circuit. In 2012, he competed on the TNA's show TNA Wres ...

in a ladder match to win the ROH World Title, and with that becoming the second ROH Grand Slam winner. His title win over the more popular Marty Scurll has been criticized, usually calling him a "critical and financial flop". During a 411Mania podcast, Jerome Cusson said his title win "actively hurt ROH" since it was not "a draw" and he "wasn't over". On September 27, 2019, at Death Before Dishonor, Matt Taven was defeated by Rush for the ROH Championship, ending his reign at 174 days. On ROH television Vinny Marseglia turned and attacked Matt Taven. On December 13, 2019, at

Final Battle Final Battle is a professional wrestling event, held annually by the Ring of Honor promotion. The event was initially held in 2002. It is held in December, and is the promotion's last show of the calendar year. The 2009 edition of the show was ...

, Marseglia defeated Taven. After Final Battle, Taven took a hiatus from ROH. He returned in November 2020, continuing to team with Bennett. In November 2021 at Honor for All, Taven and Bennett defeated

La Facción Ingobernable ''Los Ingobernables'' (Spanish for "The Ungovernables") is a ''lucha libre'' (Mexican professional wrestling) stable based in the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion. It was formed in April 2014 by La Máscara, Rush and La Sombra, an ...

to win the

for a second time; they lost the titles to

the Briscoes 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 ...

the following month. Later that month, Taven took part in a 12-man "Christmas Wildcard" match, following which ROH went on hiatus.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2014–2015, 2019)

Through ROH's relationship with NJPW, from November 23 to December 5, 2014, Taven and Michael Bennett took part in

(NJPW)'s 2014 World Tag League. The team finished their round-robin block with a record of four wins and three losses, failing to advance to the finals. Taven and Bennett returned to NJPW on April 5, 2015, at

Invasion Attack 2015 Invasion Attack 2015 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on April 5, 2015, in Tokyo at Ryōgoku Kokugikan and featured nine matches, four of which were contested for ...

, where they defeated Bullet Club (

Doc Gallows Andrew William Hankinson (born December 22, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name Doc Gallows. He is best known for his three tenures in WWE, where he performed under ...

and

Karl Anderson Chad Allegra (born January 20, 1980) known by the ring name Karl Anderson , is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is primarily performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is also known for his time in WWE. Ander ...

) to win the

IWGP Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. T ...

. On July 5 at Dominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall, The Kingdom lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship back to Bullet Club in their first defense. Taven and Bennett returned to NJPW in November to take part in the 2015 World Tag League, where they finished with a record of two wins and four losses, failing to advance from their block. Taven returned to Japan in 2019, teaming with Vinny Marseglia for the ROH/NJPW co-promoted " Honor Rising" tour, which ended with a loss to ''

Los Ingobernables de Japón (Spanish for "The Ungovernables of Japan" and often spelled without the accent as ''Los Ingobernables de Japon'' in English-speaking countries), also shortened to ''L.I.J.'' or ''Los Ingos'', was a Japanese professional wrestling stable, based ...

'' (

Shingo Takagi (born 21 November 1982), known by the ring name Shingo Takagi (鷹木信悟, ''Takagi Shingo''), is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a former member of the ''Los Ingob ...

and

Tetsuya Naito is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his 20-year run in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he served as the leader of the ''Los Ingobernables de Japon'' stable, and was a multi-time world champion. ...

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (2016–2019)

Through ROH's working relationship with

(CMLL), Taven made his debut for the Mexican promotion on September 9, 2016, which also marked his return from a nine-month absence due to a knee injury. On September 13, Taven was defeated by Rush in

Arena México Arena México is an indoor arena in Mexico City, Mexico, located in the Colonia Doctores neighborhood in the Cuauhtémoc borough. The arena is primarily used for professional wrestling, or ''lucha libre'', shows promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lu ...

in the last CMLL match of the 2016 tour. Taven returned to CMLL on March 17, 2017, unsuccessfully challenging

Último Guerrero José Gutiérrez Hernández (born March 1, 1972), better known by his ring name Último Guerrero (Spanish for ''Last Warrior''), is a Mexican (or Professional wrestling, professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CML ...

for the

NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship The NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial Historico de Peso Medio de la NWA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The official definition of the m ...

at that year's ''

Homenaje a Dos Leyendas ''Homenaje a Dos Leyendas'' (Spanish for "Homage to Two Legends") is the collective name of a series of annual ''lucha libre'' (or professional wrestling) major shows promoted by Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha L ...

'' show. He returned to Mexico later in 2017, participating in the International Gran Prix as part of "Team International". Taven was eliminated by Rush near the end of the tournament. Taven returned to CMLL on March 16, 2018, participating in that year's

show, where he,

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

, and

Niebla Roja Sergio Raymundo Chávez Velasco (born March 20, 1986), better known by his ring name Niebla Roja (Spanish for "Red Mist"), is a Mexican '' luchador'' (or professional wrestler), who works for the Mexican wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de ...

defeated ''

Los Guerreros Laguneros ''Los Guerreros Laguneros'' (Spanish for "The Warriors from the Lagoon") is a ''lucha libre'' stable based in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The stable was created in 2001 and has, since its inception, been led by Último Guerrero and has ...

'' ( Euforia,

Gran Guerrero Gran Guerrero (born 1993) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), where he is the current CMLL World Heavyweight Champion, in his first reign. He portrays a ...

, and Último Guerrero). On March 30, 2018, Taven defeated Volador Jr. to win the

NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship The NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial Historico de Peso Welter de la NWA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship governed by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). CMLL had held the NWA World Welte ...

. He returned to Mexico in August of that year, starting out by losing the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship back to Volador Jr. at the Negro Casas 40th Anniversary Show. Afterwards Taven and Volador Jr. joined forces they were both attacked by ''Los Ingobernables'' ("The Unruly"; the team of Rush and

El Terrible Damián Gutiérrez Hernández (born April 12, 1976), better known by his ring name El Terrible, is a Mexican professional wrestler who works for the Mexican wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He portrays a ''rudo'' ("bad ...

). The storyline with ''Los Ingobernables'' built over the following month, with

Bárbaro Cavernario Leonardo Moreno Ayala (born November 6, 1993), better known by his ring name Bárbaro Cavernario, is a Mexican ''luchador'' (or professional wrestler), working for Mexican wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He portrays a ...

replacing El Terrible due to an injury, to the main event of the CMLL 85th Anniversary Show. Rush and Cavernario defeated Taven and Volador Jr. on a ''

Lucha de Apuesta ''Lucha libre'' (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term for the style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has develope ...

'' ("Bet match"). As part of the storyline, Taven turned on Volador Jr., costing their team the match. After the match both Taven and Volador Jr. had their hair shaved off as a result. Taven, now bald, returned to CMLL for the 2018 International Gran Prix tournament. During the match, Volador Jr. took revenge on Taven for costing them their match and pinned Taven 45 minutes into the match. Taven returned to Mexico and CMLL once more in August 2019, this time as ROH World Heavyweight Champion, for the 2019 International Gran Prix tournament. For the second year in the row Volador Jr. pinned Taven to eliminate him.

Impact Wrestling (2022)

Hard To Kill ''Hard to Kill'' is a 1990 American vigilante action-thriller film directed by Bruce Malmuth, written by Steven McKay, and starring Steven Seagal, Kelly LeBrock, William Sadler and Frederick Coffin. Seagal's second film after '' Above the La ...

, on January 8, 2022, Taven made his

debut, appeared along with

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

, Mike Bennett, PCO, and

Vincent Vincent (Latin: ''Vincentius'') is a masculine given name originating from the Roman name ''Vincentius'', which itself comes from the Latin verb ''vincere'', meaning "to conquer." People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003) ...

, attacking Eddie Edwards,

Rich Swann Richard Anthony Swann (born February 15, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. he is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He is a former Impact World Champion, TNA World Heavyweight Championship (2020–2021), ...

Willie Mack Willie McClinton Jr. (born January 5, 1987) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Willie Mack, currently appearing in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, Juggalo Championship Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling, Major League Wres ...

Heath and Rhino Heath Slater, Heath and Rhyno, Rhino were an American professional wrestling tag team. As a team, they are best known for their time in WWE, where they originally formed and became the inaugural WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship, WWE SmackDown ...

. The group is known as Honor No More. On September 1, 2022, episode of '' Impact!'', they defeated

The Good Brothers The Good Brothers are a Canadian country, bluegrass and folk music group originating from Richmond Hill, Ontario. The band's core members are Brian Good (guitar), his twin brother Bruce Good (autoharp) and younger brother Larry Good (banjo). ...

(

and

) to capture the Impact World Tag Team Championship for a first time. They would lose the titles on the October 20, 2022, edition of ''Impact!'' to

. On October 8, 2022, it was announced that Taven, Bennett, Kanellis, and Vincent had left ''

''.

All Elite Wrestling / Return to ROH (2022–present)

Taven made his

debut on the October 14, 2022, episode of ''

Rampage Rampage may refer to: People * Rampage (rapper) (born 1974) * Quinton Jackson (born 1978; nicknamed "Rampage"), American mixed martial artist and actor * Randy Rampage (1960-2018), Canadian musician Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional chara ...

'', alongside Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis interrupting FTR and

Shawn Spears Ronnie William Arneill (born February 19, 1981), better known by his ring name Shawn Spears, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and trainer. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the WWE NXT, NXT WWE brand extension, ...

' victory celebration. On the October 28, 2022, episode of ''

'', Taven unsuccessfully challenged

AEW TNT Champion The AEW TNT Championship is a men's professional wrestling television championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established as a secondary title on March 30, 2020, it is named after the TNT televisio ...

Wardlow. Taven made his return to Ring of Honor - now AEW's sister promotion - at

in December 2022, where he and Bennett lost to Top Flight. At

Supercard of Honor Supercard of Honor was the first Supercard of Honor professional wrestling event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH), which took place on March 31, 2006 at Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, Illinois. As with other Supercard of Honor events, it to ...

in March 2023, The Kingdom completed in a "Reach for the Sky" ladder match for the vacant

, which was won by the

Lucha Brothers The Lucha Brothers were a Mexican professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Pentagón Jr., Penta and Rey Fénix. They are signed to WWE, where Penta performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand while Fénix performs on the SmackDown br ...

. In April 2023, The Kingdom began a feud with

Darius Martin Darius Martin (born September 20, 1999) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also makes appearances for AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). He performs alongside his younger brother Dante Mar ...

and

Action Andretti Tyler Reber (born February 1, 1998) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Action Andretti and is one-half of CRU with Lio Rush. He also makes appearances for its sister promotion Ring o ...

. In the same month The Kingdom defeated the duo. On May 18, The Kingdom faced Andretti and Martin in a

Fight without 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 subse ...

rematch, where they were defeated, ending their feud.In December 2023, Taven and Bennett (wearing

masks A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment, and often employed for rituals and rites. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes, ...

and billed as "The Devil's Masked Men") defeated MJF in a

handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for a third time. At Worlds End later that month, they revealed their identities, forming a new stable, the

Undisputed Kingdom The Kingdom is a professional wrestling tag team, and formerly a stable, consisting of Matt Taven and Mike Bennett. They are signed to Ring of Honor (ROH) and All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where they were formerly known as Undisputed Kingdom. Th ...

, alongside

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 ...

, and Wardlow. He lost to AEW International Champion

Orange Cassidy James Cipperly (born May 4, 1984), better known by his ring name Orange Cassidy, is an American professional wrestler and Glossary of professional wrestling terms#school, wrestling trainer. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is ...

in a non-title Texas Death Match on the 14th February edition of

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

. On April 5, 2024 at

, the duo successfully defended their titles against The Infantry ( Carlie Bravo and Shawn Dean).On August 17 episode of Collision, Bennett and Taven lost their ROH World Tag Team Championships to

Dustin Rhodes Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes, with a nickname of "The Natural" and is a member of The Sons of ...

and

Sammy Guevara Samuel Guevara (born July 28, 1993) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Sons of Texas and is a record tying three-time former AEW TNT Champion. He also appears in AEW's sist ...

. On the October 23 episode of ''Dynamite'', Taven and the rest of the Undisputed Kingdom turned babyface and reginited their feud with MJF, who was now a heel. After The Undisputed Kingdom disbanded, Taven and Bennett reverted back to being a tag team under The Kingdom banner.

Return to NJPW (2024–present)

Taven and Bennett, as the Undisputed Kingdom, made their return to NJPW for the first time since 2015 on November 8, 2024 at Fighting Spirit Unleashed, where they were defeated by

and

Yota Tsuji is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. Tsuji is the winner of the 2024 New Japan Cup and is a one-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team ...

Championships and accomplishments

Chaotic Wrestling Chaotic Wrestling, stylized as CHAOTIC, is an American independent wrestling promotion, which has been operating throughout New England since 2000; with its current home base in North Andover, Massachusetts. Chaotic Wrestling is known for p ...

Chaotic Wrestling New England Championship The Chaotic Wrestling (CW) New England Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), title in United States, American Independent circuit, independent promotion Chaotic Wrestling. The title was first won by "Latin ...

( 2 times, inaugural) **

Chaotic Wrestling Tag Team Championship The Chaotic Wrestling (CW) Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship in American independent promotion Chaotic Wrestling. It was first won by The Damned (Mad Dog and Draven), who defeated Derik Destiny and Kid Krazy ...

( 1 time) – with Vinny Marseglia **Chaotic Wrestling New England Championship Tournament (2012) *

( 1 time) * Impact Championship Wrestling ** ICW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with

Rhett Titus Everett Lawrence Titus (born September 15, 1987) is an American professional wrestler working for Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH World Television Champion, an overall two-time ROH Tag Team Champion individually, as well as winning ...

Impact World Tag Team Championship The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship which is owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion. The current champions are The Nemeth Brothers ( Nic Nemeth and Ryan Nemeth), ...

( 1 time) – with Mike Bennett *

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...

** NWA On Fire Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Julian Starr *

( 1 time) – with Michael Bennett *

Northeast Wrestling Northeast Wrestling (NEW) is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in the Northeastern United States and has promoted events since 1996. It is currently owned and operated by promoter Mike Lombardi and is one of the top indepen ...

** NEW Heavyweight Championship (3 times, current) ** NEW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Brian Anthony * Pro Wrestling Experience ** Robbie Ellis Tournament of Super Juniors (2012) * ''

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. 37 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 *

( 1 time) **

( 3 times) – with Michael/Mike Bennett **

( 3 times, inaugural) – with T. K. O'Ryan and Vinny Marseglia ** Top Prospect Tournament (

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

) ** ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship Tournament (2016) – with T. K. O'Ryan and Vinny Marseglia ** Fifth Triple Crown Champion **

Second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

Grand Slam Champion ** ROH Year-End Award (2 times) *** Match of the Year (2019) *** Wrestler of the Year (2019) *The Wrestling Revolver **PWR Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mike Bennett *

Top Rope Promotions Top Rope Promotions (formerly known as Yankee Pro Wrestling and South Coast Championship Wrestling) is a North Eastern independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Bedford, Massachusetts and is the largest promotion in the Southern Ne ...

TRP Heavyweight Championship Top Rope Promotions (formerly known as Yankee Pro Wrestling and South Coast Championship Wrestling) is a North Eastern independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Bedford, Massachusetts and is the largest promotion in the Southern Ne ...

(

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 ...

) **Killer Kowalski Cup (2010)

''Luchas de Apuestas'' record

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taven, Matt 1985 births 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers All Elite Wrestling personnel American male professional wrestlers IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Living people NWA World Historic Welterweight Champions People from Derry, New Hampshire Professional wrestlers from New Hampshire American professional wrestling trainers ROH World Champions ROH World Television Champions ROH World Tag Team Champions ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions TNA/Impact World Tag Team Champions