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John Jairo Bedoya Jr. (December 28, 1977 – August 16, 2020) was an American professional wrestler, better known by 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 ...
Xavier. He was best known for his appearances with
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) between 2002 and 2004, where he was the second ROH World Champion.


Early life

John Jairo Bedoya Jr. was born on December 28, 1977, in
Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
, New York.


Professional wrestling career


Independent circuit (1997–2011)

Bedoya trained under Tony DeVito before debuting in 1995. He wrestled for various independent promotions in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, adopting 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 ...
"Xavier". Xavier competed for numerous independent promotions throughout his career, including USA Pro Wrestling, UXW, Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling (3PW), East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA), MXW,
Jersey All Pro Wrestling Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) was an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey, United States. History 1997 Jersey All Pro Wrestling was an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia and Angel Surit ...
(JAPW), New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC),
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), and
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 ...
.


Ring of Honor (2002–2004)

Xavier appeared on the first ever
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) show, ''The Era of Honor Begins'', on February 23, 2002, defeating Scoot Andrews. Throughout the following months, Xavier feuded with Andrews and James Maritato. He took part in the ''Road to the Title'' tournament, attempting to become the number one contender to the ROH Championship, but was eliminated in the first round by Amazing Red. After decisively defeating Andrews on several occasions, Xavier requested, and was granted, a shot at the ROH Championship. He faced the incumbent champion, Low Ki, on September 21, 2002, and defeated Low-Ki in a match which saw extensive cheating on the part of Xavier and interference from
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 ...
. Following his victory, the newly crowned champion joined Daniels' heel
stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...
, The Prophecy, turning heel. With the help of The Prophecy, Xavier successfully defended his title against Jay Briscoe, A.J. Styles and, on two occasions, Paul London, before losing to Samoa Joe at ''Night of Champions'' on March 22, 2003. Following his defeat, Xavier was absent for several months. He returned to ROH at ''Death Before Dishonor'' on July 19, 2003, and subsequently turned his back on The Prophecy. He lost to his former partner, Christopher Daniels, in a match for the number one contendership on August 16 at ''Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies''. Throughout the remainder of the year, Xavier took part in the Field of Honor tournament, losing to Matt Stryker in the semi-finals, and feuded with R. J. Brewer, culminating in a " Fight Without Honor" at ''Final Battle 2003'' on December 27 which was won by Walters. In 2004, Xavier joined The Embassy, a heel stable led by Prince Nana. He remained in The Embassy until April 2004, when he was sidelined for six months with a shoulder injury. He recovered from his injury in December 2004 and returned to the
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
.


World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (2002-2003, 2005, 2007)

Xavier first appeared in
World Wrestling Entertainment 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, ...
(WWF) on January 7, 2002, losing to Perry Saturn on an episode of '' WWF Jakked/Metal''. He made further appearances on '' WWE Velocity'' in 2003, losing to Chuck Palumbo, Bill DeMott and Spanky respectively. Over the following two years, Xavier made several appearances with WWE as an extra in angles. On the December 31, 2005 episode of ''Velocity'', he lost to Paul Burchill in a match that saw him use the name "John Xavier". On May 11, 2007, Xavier teamed up with Scotty Charisma to take on
Eugene Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gene Eugene, stage name of Canadian born actor, record producer, engineer, composer and musi ...
and
Jim Duggan James Edward Duggan Jr. (born January 14, 1954), better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best-known for his time in World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), where he won the first ...
.


Return to ROH (2006–2007)

Xavier returned to ROH on February 11, 2006, challenging
Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...
for the
ROH World Championship The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The cu ...
after Embassy member
Alex Shelley Patrick Kenneth Martin (born May 23, 1983), better known by the ring name Alex Shelley, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is widely known for his tenure ...
missed the event due to weather conditions. He lost to Danielson by disqualification following interference from
Jimmy Rave James Michael Guffey (December 8, 1982 – December 12, 2021), better known by the ring name Jimmy Rave, was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). E ...
, another member of The Embassy. On February 16, 2007, Xavier returned to ROH to replace an injured Davey Richards in a "four-way fray" match involving SHINGO, Jack Evans and
Jimmy Jacobs Christopher Scoville (born February 17, 1984) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jimmy Jacobs. He is best known for his 12-year career in Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a List of ROH Wor ...
. He was eliminated first. Xavier was set to return in March 2020 for ROH's "Past vs. Present" event against
Jay Lethal Jamar Shipman (born April 29, 1985), better known by the ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his tenures in Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action Wrest ...
but the plans were halted due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.


Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010)

On July 26, 2010, Bedoya wrestled in a tryout
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 ...
for
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
(TNA), losing to Douglas Williams.


Mixed martial arts career

Xavier began competing in
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...
in 2009, fighting under the name John Xavier. He won his first fight via 14-second knockout. In his second (and, as of January 2013, final) fight he lost via decision. Both bouts were under amateur rules; he never competed in a professional MMA bout.


Death

Bedoya died on August 16, 2020, aged 42, in
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
. No cause of death was released.


Championships and accomplishments

*Defiant Championship Wrestling **DCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * East Coast Wrestling Association **
ECWA Heavyweight Championship ECWA Heavyweight Championship is the top title contested in the independent professional wrestling promotion East Coast Wrestling Association East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 1 ...
( 1 time) **
ECWA Tag Team Championship The ECWA Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the American independent wrestling promotion, East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA). There have been a total of 59 reigns and 4 vacancies ...
( 1 time) – with Low Ki *Impact Championship Wrestling **ICW Heavyweight Championship (3 times) **ICW North Eastern Championship (1 time) **ICW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with
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 ...
**Impact Cup (2010) - with Christopher Daniels *
Jersey All Pro Wrestling Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) was an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey, United States. History 1997 Jersey All Pro Wrestling was an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia and Angel Surit ...
**
JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship The JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the American independent professional wrestling promotion Jersey All Pro Wrestling. It became official title on December 5, 1997 when Rik Rachet defeated Chino M ...
( 1 time) *New Age Wrestling Federation **NAWF Connecticut Cup Championship **Connecticut Cup (2002) *New York Wrestling Connection **NYWC Interstate Championship (1 time) *
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 Championship (1 time) **NWA Northeast Television Championship (1 time) *
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 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 ...
( 1 time) *Ultimate Championship Wrestling **UCW North Eastern Championship (1 time) *USA Xtreme Wrestling **UXW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **UXW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Low Ki **UXW United States Championship (1 time) **UXW X-treme Championship (2 times) *Wrestling Superstars Unleashed **WSU Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **Battle For The Belt (2006)


See also

*
List of premature professional wrestling deaths According to a 2014 study by Eastern Michigan University examining professional wrestlers who were active between 1985 and 2011, mortality rates for professional wrestlers are up to 2.9 times greater than the rate for men in the wider United State ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Xavier 1977 births 2020 deaths 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century American professional wrestlers 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Place of death missing Sportspeople from Queens, New York ROH World Champions Professional wrestlers from New York City