Chad Lail (born June 6, 1982) is an American retired

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 ...

. He is best known for his tenure in

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 ...

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 ...

Gunner and 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, ...

under the ring name Jaxson Ryker. Lail started his professional wrestling career in 2001, working as Phil Shatter on several

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

. He was signed by

(TNA) in 2010, where he changed his ring name to Gunner and was presented as a member of the villainous group

Immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...

. During his time in the group, he won the

TNA Television Championship The TNA Television Championship was a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship, championship owned by the professional wrestling promotion, promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, later Impact Wrestling, now TNA). It was ...

once Once may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Once'' (film), a 2007 Irish musical film by John Carney ** ''Once'' (musical), a 2011 stage adaptation of the film * ''Once'' (TV series), a 2017–2019 Argentine telenovela * Canal Once (Mex ...

. After leaving the group, he would work as a

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

and singles wrestler, most notably as tag team partner and rival of

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 ...

, winning the

TNA World Tag Team Championship The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling #World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship (professional wrestling), championship which is owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) professional wrestlin ...

with him. Lail left TNA in 2015 and two years later in 2017, he signed a contract with WWE. He was assigned to the farm territory NXT, where he changed his ring name to Jaxson Ryker. In 2018, he formed The Forgotten Sons, alongside

Wesley Blake Cory James Weston (born September 4, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he works as a producer on the NXT brand and coach at the WWE Performance Center, having previously been an active competitor with the co ...

and Steve Cutler. From April to June 2020, the stable made appearances on SmackDown. Ryker would continue working with WWE until November 2021, when he was released. Lail retired in August 2023 to become a

police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...

Early life

Chad Lail was born on June 6, 1982, in

Hickory, North Carolina Hickory is a city in western North Carolina primarily located in Catawba County, North Carolina, Catawba County. The List of municipalities in North Carolina, 25th most populous city in the state, it is located approximately northwest of Charlot ...

. He served in the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

with the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

as a machine gunner, and reached the rank of a

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (2001–2010)

Lail signed with NWA Anarchy in 2005, using the

of Phil Shatter, and he eventually received a championship match against NWA Anarchy Heavyweight Champion Ace Rocwell, which he won to become the new champion. Shatter later won the

NWA National Heavyweight Championship The NWA National Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the U.S.-based, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The championship was established in January 1980 as the top singles title of Georgia Cha ...

from Crusher Hansen on January 17, 2009, and is the longest reigning champion in the title's history, and he would drop the championship to Chance Prophet on February 19, 2011, after signing a contract with

(TNA). In October 2010, Shatter defeated

Chase Stevens Chase Bradley Stevens (born January 17, 1979) is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name of "The Natural" Chase Stevens. He is known primarily for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he was a member ...

for the

Showtime All-Star Wrestling Showtime All-Star Wrestling and NWA Southern All-Star Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Rockwood, Tennessee. History SAW began in April 2007, started then business partners Reno Riggins and TJ Weatherby at We ...

(SAW) International Heavyweight Championship, but was forced to vacate the title in June 2011 due to being unable to defend it because of his TNA schedule. Shatter appeared at

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 ...

's The Big Bang! pay-per-view on April 3, 2010, defeating Zack Salvation in the opening match of the pay-per-view.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010–2015)

Immortal (2010–2012)

At the June 23, 2010, tapings of TNA's '' Impact!'' television show, Shatter made his TNA debut, along with

Mikael Judas Michael Cole is an American professional wrestler signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Murphy. He has also wrestled under the ring names Judais, Jud ...

, as TNA's on-air security. On the July 29, 2010 edition of ''TNA Impact!'' taping, Shatter, now using the name Gunner and Mikael Judas, using the name Murphy, came out after an altercation involving

Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and also appears on partner promotion WWE on its NXT (WWE brand), NXT brand. He is re ...

and Mr. Anderson with

Matt Morgan Matthew Thomas Morgan (born September 10, 1976) is an American politician and retired professional wrestler. He is the former mayor and current deputy mayor of the city of Longwood, Florida and is a former gladiator on ''American Gladiators''. ...

, and attacked Hardy and Anderson, thus turning

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

. They then teamed with Morgan in a handicap match, where they were defeated by Hardy and Anderson. After appearing with Morgan the following week, Gunner and Murphy's angle with him was discontinued and they went back to being regular security guards. On the October 21 edition of ''Impact!'' Gunner and Murphy aligned themselves with

Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he both wrestles and serves as Director of Business Development. He is also ...

and helped him beat down

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 ...

. At the Turning Point

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...

Gunner and Murphy interfered in a match between Jarrett and Joe, helping Jarrett pick up the win. On the following edition of ''Impact!'' Gunner and Murphy made their in–ring return, losing to Samoa Joe in a handicap match. After Jarrett's feud with Samoa Joe ended, Gunner and Murphy became regular members of the

stable and were less involved with Jarrett. At the December 9 tapings of '' Xplosion'' Gunner and Murphy picked up their first win in TNA, defeating

Ink Inc. Ink Inc. was a professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable, consisting of Shannon Moore, Jesse Neal, and their Manager (professional wrestling)#Managers vs. valets vs. enforcers, valet Christina Von Eerie, Toxxi ...

(

Jesse Neal Jesse Neal (born April 10, 1980)
Profightdb.com. Retrieved on August 5, 2010. is an American

and

Shannon Moore Shannon Moore (born July 27, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1999 and 2001 and with WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for ...

) in a tag team match. On February 13, 2011, at Against All Odds, Gunner and Murphy wrestled their first TNA PPV match, a six-man tag team match, where they teamed with their Immortal stablemate

Rob Terry Robert Terry (born 30 April 1980) is a Welsh Bodybuilding, bodybuilder and a former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring names Rob Terry, Robbie T and Th ...

in a losing effort against

Robert Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (professional wrestling), producer and was formerly an in-ring performer. Roode is known ...

and

Scott Steiner Scott Rechsteiner (born July 29, 1962), better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler. Steiner is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and has also wrestled for Jim Crockett ...

. In February both Gunner and Murphy signed two–year contracts with TNA, which saw them moved from their roles as just security guards into the active roster. On the February 24 edition of ''Impact!'', Gunner and Murphy defeated Eric Young and

Orlando Jordan Orlando Ruben Jordan (born April 21, 1974) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE on its SmackDown brand, where he was a one-time United States Champion and for his time with Total Nonstop Act ...

to earn their first shot at the

, held by

Beer Money, Inc. Beer Money, Inc. was a professional wrestling tag team which consisted of Robert "Bobby" Roode and James Storm in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where they are record-tying five-time TNA World Tag Tea ...

(James Storm and Robert Roode). They would receive their shot at the title on the following edition of ''Impact!'', but were defeated by Beer Money, Inc. Gunner TNA

On March 14 at the tapings of the March 17 edition of ''Impact!'', Gunner defeated Murphy and Rob Terry in a three-way match to win the vacant

. He would lose the title to Eric Young on May 17 at the tapings of the May 26 edition of ''Impact Wrestling''. On the June 9 edition of ''Impact Wrestling'', Gunner pinned

World Heavyweight Champion At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, tho ...

Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...

in a tag team main event, in which he teamed with Mr. Anderson against Sting with Eric Young. The following week, Gunner asked new TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mr. Anderson for a shot at his title and eventually put him through a table, when he declined. In the main event of the show, Gunner defeated Anderson in a non-title match. From June to September, Gunner was one of the twelve participants in the

Bound for Glory Series The Bound for Glory Series is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by Impact Wrestling in which 12 wrestlers compete in a series of matches over the course of several months (throughout the summer specifically) to determine who receives ...

to determine the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. When the

group stage 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 concentr ...

of the tournament concluded, Gunner finished in the top four and thus advanced to the finals at No Surrender along with James Storm, Robert Roode and his Immortal stablemate,

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 ...

. On September 11 at No Surrender, Gunner was eliminated from the tournament, when he was defeated by Bobby Roode via submission. Gunner then began feuding with Immortal's former referee,

Garett Bischoff Garett Bischoff (born April 20, 1984) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and is the son of pro-wrestling executive and personality Eric Bischoff. Early life Bischoff was bo ...

, losing to him via disqualification, following interference from

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Flair's career spanned 50 years. He is ...

, on the November 10 edition of ''Impact Wrestling''. This was followed by Bischoff picking up two pinfall victories over Gunner on the November 17 and December 8 editions of ''Impact Wrestling'' where he would injure Garett by piledriving him into the concrete floor. He would do the same to Jesse Neal and Douglas Williams on the December 15 and 29 editions of ''Impact Wrestling''. On the January 5, 2012, edition of ''Impact Wrestling'', Gunner fought

Rob Van Dam Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...

to a double countout but failed to injure him after Van Dam retaliated and back body dropped him onto the concrete. Three days later at

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...

, Gunner defeated Van Dam after dropping him onto the concrete floor with a

DDT Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless crystalline chemical compound, an organochloride. Originally developed as an insecticide, it became infamous for its environmental impacts. ...

. On February 12 at Against All Odds, Gunner, with

Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Booker, professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Sen ...

in his corner, defeated Garett Bischoff, who had

Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...

in his corner, in a singles match. On April 15 at

Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

, Gunner represented Team Eric Bischoff in the annual

Lethal Lockdown match A Lethal Lockdown match is a professional wrestling match used in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). This match has become a staple of TNA's Lockdown pay-per-view event, but has also made appearances at other TNA pay-per-views, and during ''Im ...

, where the opposing team was led by Garett Bischoff, who ended up winning the match for his team. On the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Gunner unsuccessfully challenged

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

for the TNA Television Championship. After ''Impact Wrestling'', Gunner took hiatus from television. On May 17, Lail announced that he had signed a new three-year contract with TNA. After a three-month hiatus, Gunner returned to ''Impact Wrestling'' on July 26, when he, along with

Kid Kash David Tyler Cash (born July 31, 1969), better known by his ring name Kid Kash, is an American mixed martial artist and retired professional wrestler, best known for his tenures with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Total Nonstop Action Wre ...

, confronted and eventually attacked the debuting Chavo Guerrero Jr., before he was saved by Hernandez. On August 12 at

Hardcore Justice Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, was an annual professional wrestling Impact Plus event produced by Impact Wrestling. It was originally introduced as a pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in ...

, Gunner and Kash were defeated in a tag team match by Guerrero and Hernandez. Gunner and Kash faced Guerrero and Hernandez, now the TNA World Tag Team Champions, in a rematch on the October 18 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', but were again defeated. The pay-per-view was aired on May 3.

Teaming with James Storm (2013–2014)

Gunner returned to ''Impact Wrestling'' on May 23, attacking

Robbie E Robert Strauss (born October 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and Manager (professional wrestling), manager. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (wrestling), producer, the on-screen assistant to the NXT general manager Ava (w ...

and

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 ...

and being chosen as

's partner in his four-way elimination match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship at Slammiversary XI, thus turning

face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...

. On June 2 at the pay-per-view, Gunner and Storm won the match over Bad Influence (

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 Kazarian),

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 ...

and

Bobby Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (professional wrestling), producer and was formerly an in-ring performer. Roode is known ...

, and defending champions Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Gunner and Storm returned on the August 8 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', teaming up with

ODB ODB may refer to: People * Ol' Dirty Bastard (1968–2004), American rapper and founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan * ODB (wrestler) (born 1978), Stage name of American professional wrestler Jessica Kresa * Original David Baker (born 1972), a monik ...

to defeat the BroMans (

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

and Robbie E) and

Mickie James Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) Additional January 6, 2017. is an American Country music, country singer and Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE. She is also signed to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) as Cre ...

in a six-person mixed tag team match. On October 20 at Bound for Glory, Gunner and Storm lost the World Tag Team Championship to BroMans in their first title defense, ending their reign at 140 days. Gunner and Storm received their rematch on the October 31 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', but were again defeated by the BroMans. On the December 12 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Gunner competed in the Feast or Fired match where he was one of the four participants to retrieve a briefcase, which was revealed to contain a match for the

TNA World Heavyweight Championship The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won ...

the following week. Gunner put the briefcase on the line against Storm on the December 26 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', but the match ended in a double countout, with Gunner retaining the case. Gunner then retained the case again against Storm at

, where the case was suspended from a pole. Gunner and Storm finally reunited at the January 30, 2014 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', when they were challenged by Bad Influence for Gunner's case, which he would retain. On the February 20 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Gunner cashed in his Feast or Fired briefcase for a TNA World Heavyweight Championship match but lost to

Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...

, after Storm turned on Gunner and hit him with a Last Call superkick as Gunner went for a diving headbutt. On March 9 at

, Gunner defeated Storm in a Steel Cage Last Man Standing match. On the March 20 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', after Storm berated Gunner's father, Gunner attacked Storm, but Storm managed to turn it around, handcuffing him to the middle rope and threatening Gunner's father at ringside. Storm walked away, but returned to smash a beer bottle over his father's head. On April 27, 2014, Gunner defeated Storm at

Sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...

in an "I Quit Match".

Championship pursuits (2014–2015)

On the May 1, 2014 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Gunner took part in a one night tournament to challenge Eric Young for the

. He defeated Mr. Anderson in the first match after an interference by

and in the finals of the tournament he was defeated by

and failed to win a chance for the title. On May 10 at Victory Road, Gunner won a 12-man Gauntlet battle royal match for a future TNA World Heavyweight Championship match. On the May 22, 2014 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Gunner appeared in the hospital where he was with Samuel Shaw. Short steel links displayed video footage where Gunner talked to Shaw about his illness. On the July 3 episode ''Impact Wrestling'' Gunner and Shaw came back and talked with Mr. Anderson and

Christy Hemme Christina Lee Hemme ( ; born October 28, 1980) is an American wrestling executive and retired professional wrestler, ring announcer, backstage interviewer, singer and model (person), model. She was previously signed to Total Nonstop Action Wre ...

, during which Shaw acted like a

. On the October 15, 2014 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', TNA started an eight tag team tournament to determine the number one contenders for the

, Gunner and Shaw decided to take part in this tournament. In this case in the first match they lost to Samoa Joe and Low Ki. On the October 22 episode on ''Impact Wrestling'', Shaw turned on Gunner when he hit Gunner with a steel chair and kissed

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

, starting a feud between the two. Two weeks later, on ''Impact Wrestling'', Gunner defeated Shaw in a no-disqualification match. On the January 23, 2015 episode on ''Impact Wrestling'', Gunner competed in the Feast or Fired match but failed to retrieve a case in the match. He was a member of the Angle team at

, defeating The Beat Down Clan in a Lethal Lockdown match. On the February 20 episode on ''Impact Wrestling'', Gunner competed in a 20-man #1 contender's gauntlet match but failed to win the match. On April 3, 2015, Gunner defeated

for a match on '' Xplosion''; this turned out to be Gunner's last TNA match. On June 19, 2015, Gunner officially announced his departure from TNA. Afterwards, he would often work weekend shows on the independent circuit, while also maintaining a job as a cable technician to provide for his family.

WWE (2017–2021)

On May 29, 2017, it was reported that Lail had signed with

and would be working in the company's

developmental territory Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. The resulting zygote develops through mitos ...

NXT. On June 29, 2017, Lail made his debut at a NXT

live event A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in o ...

in a losing effort against No Way Jose. In February 2018, he began teaming with

and Steve Cutler as The Forgotten Sons. In July of that year, Lail's ring name was changed to Jaxson Ryker. The trio made their first televised appearance on the August 29 episode of '' NXT'' in a backstage segment with general manager

William Regal Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as the vice-president of Global Talent Development. He is also known for ...

. On the September 19 episode of ''NXT'', Ryker made his television in-ring debut by defeating

Humberto Carrillo Humberto Garza Carrillo (born October 20, 1995) is a Mexican professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Berto (shortened from his previous ring names Humberto Carrillo and Humber ...

. Blake and Cutler represented the group in the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They defeated

Danny Burch Martin Harris (born 31 December 1981) is an English professional wrestler best known for his time with WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand under the ring name Danny Burch. He is a former one time NXT Tag Team Champion with Oney Lorcan. ...

and

Oney Lorcan Christopher Girard (born December 21, 1985) is an American retired professional wrestler signed to WWE as a coach at the Performance Center as well as a producer for NXT, having previously performed on said brand under the ring name Oney Lor ...

in the first-round and

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- ...

in the second-round before losing to

Aleister Black Tom Büdgen (born 19 May 1985) is a Dutch professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Aleister Black. Before signing with WWE, Büdgen was known for his extensive work on the indep ...

and

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

in the finals. Blake and Cutler competed in a fatal four-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 ...

for the vacant

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

at NXT TakeOver: XXV. Despite interference from Ryker, the two were unsuccessful in winning. The group entered the 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, but were eliminated in the first round by Imperium. On the April 10, 2020 episode of '' SmackDown'', The Forgotten Sons made their main roster debut, defeating

Lucha House Party Lucha House Party was a professional wrestling stable and later tag team that consisted of Kalisto, Gran Metalik, and Lince Dorado. It was originally formed as a trio consisting of cruiserweights Kalisto, Metalik and Dorado on the 205 Live br ...

( Gran Metalik 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 ...

). On the May 1 episode of ''SmackDown'', they defeated SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day ( Big E and

Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...

). This led to a fatal four-way tag team match also involving Lucha House Party, and John Morrison and the Miz for the title at Money in the Bank, where The New Day retained. They began portraying themselves as American patriots, with Ryker and Cutler highlighting their services in the marines. However, the gimmick was dropped due to a controversial tweet by Ryker supporting President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement which led to backlash from backstage, social media and within the fan base. The Forgotten Sons were then taken off television as a result. On December 4, Ryker's partnership with Blake and Cutler was quietly discontinued, as they were paired with King Corbin on ''SmackDown'', while Ryker was paired with

Elias Elias ( ; ) is the hellenized version for the name of Elijah (; ; , or ), a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several holy books. Due to Elias' role in the scriptures and to many later associated tradit ...

on '' Raw''. Ryker's alliance with Elias lasted until May 31, 2021, when Elias abandoned him during a tag team match, subsequently turning Ryker

. Ryker defeated Elias in a Strap Match on the June 28 episode of Raw and in a "Symphony of Destruction" match on the July 19 episode of ''Raw''. After ending his feud with Elias, Ryker would become a mainstay on ''

Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

'' until he was released from his WWE contract on November 18.

Other media

Lail, as Jaxson Ryker, made his

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

debut as a playable character in ''

WWE 2K20 ''WWE 2K20'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It was released worldwide on October 22, 2019, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the twenty-first installment of the ...

''.

Personal life

Lail is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. Lail was married to fellow professional wrestler Jayme Jameson from 2012, but they divorced at an unknown date. He married a woman named Stacy in 2015, and they have a daughter together. Lail retired from wrestling following his last match at an AML Wrestling on August 27. He announced soon after that he had become a deputy sheriff working for the Iredell County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina. He was sworn in on September 14, 2023. Lail supported Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign. That year, he

tweeted A tweet (officially known as a post since 2023) is a short status update on the social networking site Twitter (officially known as X since 2023) which can include images, videos, GIFs, straw polls, hashtags, mentions, and hyperlinks. Around ...

his support for Trump during the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...

and was criticized by fellow wrestlers

Mustafa Ali Adeel Alam (born March 28, 1986) better known by his ring name Mustafa Ali ( ), is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former TNA X Division Champion. He also makes appearances ...

Batista Batista is a Spanish language, Spanish or Portuguese language, Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player João Batista da Silva * Dave Bautista, Batista (wrestler) (Dave ...

Joey Janela Joseph Janela (born July 3, 1989) is an American professional wrestler, working for Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), where he is the promoter of the Joey Janela's Spring Break event series. Janela is most known for his work with All Elite Wrestling ...

Kevin Owens Kevin Yanick Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. As of April 2025, he is on hiatus due to a neck injury. Steen began his ...

Adam Page Stephen Blake Woltz (born July 27, 1991), better known by his ring name "Hangman" Adam Page, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a former AEW World Champion and AEW ...

, and

Sami Zayn 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 ...

. Lail has also been critical of

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...

, calling it a "terrorist group".

Championships and accomplishments

*Action Packed Wrestling **APW Chester Heavyweight Championship (2 times) *East Coast Championship Wrestling **ECCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) *Ground Xero Wrestling **GXW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

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 National Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) **Future Legends Cup (2010) *NWA Anarchy **NWA Anarchy Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **NWA Anarchy Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kimo and AbominationShatter defended the title with either Kimo or Abomination under the

Freebird Rule The Fabulous Freebirds were a professional wrestling tag team who attained fame in the 1980s, performing into the 1990s. The team usually consisted of three wrestlers, although in different situations and points in its history, just two performed ...

. * NWA Charlotte **NWA Mid-Atlantic Heritage Championship (1 time) *''

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. 40 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 2014 *Premiere Wrestling Xperience **PWX Innovative Television Championship (1 time) *

** SAW International Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) *Southern Wrestling Association **Rhymer Cup (2016) – with John Skyler *

( 1 time) **

( 1 time) – with

** Feast or Fired ( 2013 – World Heavyweight Championship contract), ( 2013 – World Tag Team Championship contract)Won this contract from

Ethan Carter III Michael Hutter (born March 18, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Ethan Carter III (or simply EC3). He is signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is a f ...

in a tag team ladder match for both briefcases with James Storm teaming with Gunner, and

teaming with Carter. Later gave the contract to Storm. ** TNA World Cup (2014) – with

, Eddie Edwards, Eric Young, and

** TNA World Cup (2015) – with

Crazzy Steve Steven Scott (born March 4, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler under the ring name Crazzy Steve. He is best known for his tenures in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former TNA Digital Media Champion and a former TNA World ...

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 ...

Rockstar Spud James Michael Curtin (born 30 January 1983) is an English former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a writer on Raw. During his time as an on screen performer in the company, he worked under the ring name Drake Maverick. He has also ...

, and

Gail Kim Gail Kim-Irvine (born February 20, 1977) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenures in TNA Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). In TNA, she was the inaugural and record setting seven-tim ...

** TNA Classic (2015) *WrestleForce **WrestleForce Championship (1 time)

Notes

References

External links

* * *
Official Myspace Page of Phill Shatter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryker, Jaxson 1982 births Living people American male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from North Carolina People from Hickory, North Carolina United States Marines United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War TNA Television Champions TNA/Impact World Tag Team Champions 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers NWA National Heavyweight Champions Christians from North Carolina