Doctor Phate

Pharoah Bolding (born July 20, 1982), better known by his ring name, "The Icon" Doctor Phate, is an African-American professional wrestler. The gimmick he is most known for is that of a demented Catholic schoolgirl. He has wrestled for various pro wrestling organizations including Underground Pro, HCWA, Alpha Championship Wrestling(ACW), Rainbow Pro, Honor Wrestling League, and TiTAN Pro, and SPEAR Wrestling Syndicate, Las Vegas Pro Wrestling, Grapple Arts World-Wide, and the Universal Wrestling League. He is currently wrestling for Rainbow Pro, Action Packed Wrestling, and the GWF.

HCWA
Phate began his career in the now-defunct Hard Core Wrestling Alliance (HCWA) as a young, cocky upstart who barely backed up all of the talking he did. All of the bravado did very little to overshadow his natural talent, though, and he quickly used his ability to irritate his foes while out-wrestling them to rack up an 18-0 undefeated record before losing to the HCWA North American Champion at the time, Russel Freeman. Losing to Russel seemed to send Phate over the edge and he disappeared for awhile....and came back as a sadistic freak in a girl's catholic school outfit (black skirt, white dress shirt, black tie, black shoes, knee-high white socks) with a 'crush' on Freeman!

This reinvention paid off for Phate as he went on to defeat Freeman in a Last Man Standing encounter to win the North American Title. He retained that the North American Championship a month later in a vicious match of his own creation, The Phatesville Commons Streetfight.

The Phatesville Commons Streetfight
The Phatesville Commons Streetfight has the distinction of being the only wrestling exhibition banned in the state of New Jersey. The match itself is a nightmare in barbed wire; the ring ropes top turnbuckle pad, ring steps, and every weapon underneath the ring are covered in starands of razor sharp barbed wire. Dr. Phate was able to defeat Freeman after a vicious piledriver on barbed wire-infested chair followed by a powerbomb through a flaming barbed wire table. The high risk of injury has forced this match to possibly never be sanctioned again.

HCWA Closing
When HCWA shut its doors in late 2004 Phate, still the North American Champion, disappeared from the independent wrestling scene altogether. Where he went and what he did is anyone's guess but most wrestling fans felt they saw Dr. Phate for the last time.

Boy were they ever wrong.

Underground Pro: Demented School Girl
During the late summer of 2005 Dr. Phate suddenly popped up in Underground Pro Wrestling in his unique schoolgirl attire, cutting a promo that would've made Malcolm McDowell proud. Quoting Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, Phate made his intentions clear and did what he'd been doing best before he disappeared: freaked people the hell out and got under their skin. Phate would go on to capture the Underground Pro Hardcore Championship within weeks of his debut....and began developing a very surreal and freaky relationship with a young female wrestler named Corinne Summers. Before his career in UGP could really get off the ground the federation went on hiatus, stripping all champions of their respective titles and leaving Phate without a home once again.

Then it happened. What happened?

Phate went back to the streets.

Street Thug
When UGP came back from its four-month hiatus Phate shocked everyone by rolling up to the first UGP show in a lowrider! Decked out in a pair of baggy denim shorts, a black "Scarface" t-shirt, G-Unit sneakers, four-finger rings, and a big platinum chain Phate vowed to regain the title he never lost. Phate would soon regain the Hardcore Championship, replacing UGP Owner J. Hector Banks' Hardcore strap with a specially-made blinged-out spinner title of his own.....but it came at the expense of his budding relationship with Corinne Summers, who he claims shunned his gentlemanly advances and played him for a fool. The heated verbal exchanges between the two soon evolved into violence and the two wrestlers were on a collision course, the Hardcore Championship being the ultimate prize. The UGP faithful were sure Phate couldn't beat a girl and still didn't buy him being sadistic and "hood"...so he proved how much he'd changed by breaking the neck of former UGP female interviewer Amber with a Strong Lariat in the hallway of the UGP Arena! With the psychological damage done Phate was able to squeak by Summers in controversial fashion (pinning her with his feet on the ropes for leverage) and retain his Hardcore Title. Phate went on to enjoy the longest Hardcore Championship reign in Underground Pro history at just short of five months before losing his title to T.I. Charisma at UGP's Bronx Bombing pay-per-view in what has been called the greatest Hardcore Match in UGP history. Never one to let a loss get him down Phate found a golden opportunity a week later.

That golden opportunity was called the UGP Lethal Lottery.

Underground Pro - Lethal Lottery
UGP owner Banks, angered by the actions of then Underground Champion Mr. Damnation at the Bronx Bombing pay-per-view, decided to place Damnation in a Slobber-knocker-style match where he would have to beat 12 contenders in a row to retain the title! The order of those wrestlers was determined through picking numbers from a bingo barrel. Phate had the first pick....and picked number 1! Phate, his mind like an evil machine, blackmailed new UGP female interviewer Felicity (who he also had a brief fling with) into aiding him in switching numbers with damn near everyone else on the UGP roster until he obtained the number 12 - the final entrant number! In what is considered arguably the most controversial moment in UGP history Phate had Felicity run interference as he put out contestant number eleven, Jack Vengeance, with a wicked Singapore Cane shot and pulled the battered and bloody champion atop Vengeance to eliminate him! Phate quickly went to work, hitting his patented running lariat to the front of Damnation's injured leg. Before he could get a pinfall, though, a pissed-off Vengeance slid back into the ring, a steel pipe in hand, and swung for the fences...but Phate ducked and the pipe laid out an already groggy Mr. Damnation instead! Phate went on to get the pinfall....and possession of the Underground Pro Underground Championship! A riot damn near happened in New Jersey that night as Phate and Felicity fled the arena!

Then Phate disappeared again.

Underground Pro - Underground Championship Controversy
Phate disappeared from Underground Pro television for three weeks, the Underground Championship in tow. Forever the controversial jerk-off, Phate popped up on Underground Pro's 5/14/06 telecast via satellite and decided to explain his recent disappearance saying that he was tired of being a gimmick - - and leaving with the Underground Championship still in his possession! The company lost many of its fans and talent after this blatantly disrespectful act and UGP went under shortly thereafter.

ACW and the Self-Imposed Hiatus
After spending a few months in TITAN Pro Wrestling toward the end of its run and wrestling in GWA (among other promotions) Phate found himself in Alpha Championship Wrestling. Phate wrestled valiantly while in the employ of ACW but soon became disillusioned with the company after a painful loss to Yoko Satoshi. Phate soon developed a diva-like attitude, no-showed matches, and practically wrote himself out of ACW. Phate took time off to rehabilitate a nagging knee injury and to re-evaluate his career. Phate had made the mistake of no-showing shows for several promoters and almost blacklisted himself from the profession. "The Icon" placed himself in self-imposed exile while he tried to sort out his life in mid-2007.

The Comeback Tour
Doctor Phate announced his return to the sport of pro wrestling at near the end of 2007, stating that he was preparing himself for a comeback tour. "It's not just a comeback to the sport but a comeback to what being a wrestler is all about", stated Phate in a press release. "I have gained a lot from this business but I have not been kind to it in return. Time to change that. From here on out I'm all about proving myself as the great talent that everyone thought I was a few years ago." His first attempt at proving just that would be in Rainbow Pro against the talented Shane Xzavery.

Rainbow Pro: Rubin and Ed Invitational - Shane Xzavery vs. Dr. Phate
Phate returned to active competition at the end of 2007 with Rainbow Pro, defeating Shane Xzavery via Gorilla Clutch on December 30, 2007 at the Rubin and Ed Invitational. Sporting a new look and revealing that his exile led him to Osaka, Japan and the dojo of famed Japanese wrestling trainer Takeo Yakamata, Phate performed very well in the match, unleashing new variations on his famed Lariat as well as a stiffer style attributed to training with some of Japan's top up-and-comers. That same week Phate decided to branch his comeback tour out further and joined Hardcore Wrestling Society and SPEAR Wrestling Syndicate as well. Phate was booked to wrestle one half of the Rainbow Pro Duos Champions, Keith Skyfire, in a singles match at Rainbow Pro's Rainbow Without A Cause on January 13, 2008.

Rainbow Pro: Rainbow Without A Cause - Dr. Phate vs. Keith Skyfire
Doctor Phate won the second contest of his "Comeback Tour" on January 13, 2008 at Rainbow Pro's Rainbow Without A Cause event against one-half of the Rainbow Pro Duos Champions, Keith Skyfire. Phate defeated Skyfire after a physical contest by countering a Shining Wizard attempt with a vicious lariat. Now 2-0 since his comeback, Phate was then booked to face the other half of the Rainbow Pro Duos Champions, Tobias Blythe, with a shot at the Duos Championships on the line if he obtained victory. That same weekend Phate was also booked for his Hardcore Wrestling Society debut against the physical Glasgow Mauler and Michael Morgan in a Steel Cage. On the non-hardcore side of things Phate was booked for his SPEAR Wrestling Syndicate debut as well, a singles contest against the wily Keiji Inoki. The winner of that contest would be scheduled to team with the massive Tower in a non-title contest against the SWS Tag Team Champions Black-and-Blue Enterprises (Chad Leland and The Dan) on the same night.

SPEAR Wrestling Syndicate: Road To Mayhem - Dr. Phate vs. Keiji Inoki
On January 19, 2008 Doctor Phate entered the ring against the dangerous Keiji Inoki. The prize? A spot in a tag team contest with the smash-mouth Tower against the duo of The Dan and Chaz Leland, Black and Blue Enterprises. Phate defeated Inoki in a very stiff contest, connecting with his Gaijin Killer IV for the victory. Phate would now have the opportunity to become Tower's tag team partner later in the night.

SPEAR Wrestling Syndicate: Road To Mayhem - Dr. Phate and Tower vs. Black and Blue Enterprises
On January 19, 2008, the same night Phate defeated Keiji Inoki, he would be back in action as SWS Superstar Tower's tag team partner. At stake? A chance to wrestle for the SWS Tag Team Championships in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match at SWS' January Mayhem pay-per-view. Black and Blue Enterprises (Chaz Leland and The Dan), the Tag Champions at the time, came with their A-game but the duo of Tower and Doctor Phate were able to defeat the two men with a Snake Eyes/Roaring Elbow combination to gain the pinfall victory and build incredible momentum going into the Mayhem pay-per-view on January 26, 2008.

Hardcore Wrestling Society: Controversy
While the other event in his career were rolling steady, Phate was becoming increasingly frustrated with not being booked by Hardcore Wrestling Society Owner Chaz Leland. Enraged, Phate found himself in Leland's office looking for answers. What he found was himself in HWS' first-ever Steel Cage Triple Threat Match against The Glasgow Mauler and Michael Morgan! Angered by what he felt was obviously a deliberate attempt to screw him, Phate found a kindred spirit in another fellow HWS Superstar - the man called J Twist. Twist had been almost screwed out of his victory over Stevie Starr on the January 14, 2008 edition of HWS Sacrifice by Chaz Leland himself, Twist was also out for blood. Calling a press conference, Phate revealed that he and Twist were forming an alliance to combat the evil regime. Now having purpose in the HWS, Phate set out to train for his Steel Cage Match with one goal in mind: victory at all costs.

Hardcore Wrestling Society: Chaz Leland Incident
On January 21, 2008, Doctor Phate was victorious in HWS, winning his Steel Cage Triple Threat match against The Glasgow Mauler and Michael Morgan. Phate was then scheduled to wrestler HWS newcomer Suicide in a quarterfinal match for the Hardcore Wrestling Society World Championship Tournament. While all of this was going on in the ring there was a real power struggle going on outside of the rings of HWS. Chaz Leland, the owner of Hardcore Wrestling Society, decided to utilize his power to force Doctor Phate into a fragile situation: lose a match to the untested Suicide on purpose. The reason behind this? Phate needed to leave town for a few days and Leland refused to grant him the four days off. Phate felt he was being wronged, mainly due to the fact that Phate had booked and operated the company for a good portion of its existence as well as competed in the ring. The argument became volatile and Phate was issued his walking papers and banned from Hardcore Wrestling Society. Phate, feeling the other members of the Hardcore Wrestling Society roster needed to know the full details of the situation, disclosed the information to the HWS Superstars via the company's website to which he had administrator abilities. Leland, enraged, decided to make an attempt at discrediting Phate by posting defamatory comments about Phate on the SPEAR Wrestling Syndicate website. This action enraged Josh Eagles and Ciaran McConnell, the owner and C.V.O. of SPEAR, and heavily reprimanded Leland for this cowardly action. Chaz Leland tried to contact Dr. Phate on January 25, 2008 with a weak attempt at peace but Phate turned his weak attempt down and began focusing on helping Tower win the SWS Tag Team Championships from Leland and The Dan at January Mayhem in a Triple Threat Tag Match.

SPEAR: Mayhem - Triple Threat Tag Team Match
At the DVD Taping for SPEAR Wrestling's Mayhem event on January 26, 2008 Doctor Phate and Tower would have their opportunity to defeat Black and Blue Enterprises for the SWS Tag Team Championships...but would alos have to fight the female compatriots of SWS competitor Flap Flanagan, Maria and Tara! The ladies were interjected into the match when SWS competitor Zeke Inferno was put out of the match due to an attack by SWS competitor Cody Frost. With this development making the match an odd menagerie of violence, Phate and Tower were focused on victory nonetheless. Before the duo could actually take on Black and Blue enterprises, though, The Dan shockingly turned on Chaz Leland! Destroying Leland, and seemingly under the control of his brother Cain, The Dan eliminated Leland from the contest then proceeded to drop the Tag Team Titles! Tower and Phate went on to defeat the duo of Maria and Tara and win the SWS Tag Team Championships.

SPEAR: First Tag Team Championship Defense
Maria and Tara, by some fluke of luck, would receive a rematch for the SWS Tag Team Championships at the February 2, 2008 Road to Revolution show. The team of Tower and Phate had the women beat, ready to nail them with the Gaijin Killer A-Class, when Flap Flanagan rescued them! The Champions would go on to win via disqualification.

SPEAR: The Change
At the February 9, 2008 Road to Revolution show Phate and Tower found themselves across from the religious sadists Chaz Leland and Smoke, better known as The New Church. Phate would get the victory for his team, rolling up Smoke, but not before The Church's newest recruit came out to assault Tower. The new recruit, the masked man named Oblivion, and his cohorts would go on to violently assault the Tag Team Champions. The assault triggered something in "The Icon", bringing out an aspect of his personality that would slowly unfurl itself leading into the February 16, 2008 Road to Revolution show. At the February 16th event Tower and Phate would have to face all three members of The New Church in a Handicap Tag Team contest.

Rainbow Pro: Double Shot
Phate would wrestle for Rainbow Pro on the same weekend as the February 9th Road to Revolution show, winning the Rainbow Pro Duos Championship with Evan the Great from the team of Skyfire and Blythe on February 9, 2008 at Monkey Wash then retaining those titles in a Scramble Tag contest the following day at Donkey Rinse against the teams of Los Pollos Excellente and Skyfire and Blythe. Later that week Phate would join the Universal Wrestling League.

SPEAR: Road to Revolution 2/16/08 - Handicap Tag Match
There was much speculation leading up to SPEAR's Road to Revolution show as to what Doctor Phate's mindset was. Phate shocked the world by returning back to his roots, once again becoming the Twisted Catholic Schoolgirl....and a quartet of vicious female bodyguards called The Harajuku Girls. The New Church's assault had lit the fires of violence inside of his fragile psyche once more. He and Tower would go on to win their Handicap Tag match, The Harajuku Girls dismantling Chaz Leland while the referee was distracted. The New Church, enraged, would jump the Champions once again, losing the battle but garnering a shred of momentum going in to February 23, 2008's Revolution mega-event.

Universal Wrestling League: The Debut
Phate joined the Universal Wrestling League on February 17, 2008, his debut date being set for February 20, 2008. He decided to use his schoolgirl gimmick, which he had recently revived in SPEAR, in the UWL. His first opponent in the UWL would be Uber Cop, whom he defeated with the School's Out. Doctor Phate also threw his hat in the race for the UWL Coronation Cup Tag League, teaming with the crafty ring veteran JR Zevon.

SPEAR Wrestling - Revolution DVD Taping
On February 23, 2008 Tower and "The Icon" Doctor Phate would defend their SWS Tag Team Championships in a grueling Tag Team Championship contest against the men responsible for giving them hell for weeks, James Lynch's New Church. Oblivion and Smoke were the duo across the ring from the Champions and, after a stiff, brutal, action-packed encounter, the Champions would hit their patented Insurance Claim double-strike maneuver on Smoke to secure victory and retain the Championships. Phate's next contest would be against Chaz Leland, Smoke, and Earl Swisher in a Block B Four-Way Elimination Match at the March 1, 2008 Road to Realization event. The winner of the contest would move on in SWS' Realize Your Dreams Tournament, the winner of the tournament becoming the new SWS North American Champion.

Rainbow Pro: Final Match
After much thought Doctor Phate let Rainbow Pro Owner Harold Balzac that February 24, 2008, at "Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead", he would be wrestling his final Rainbow Pro match due to his increasing workload and inability to travel to Mulberry on a regular basis. Phate and his partner Evan The Great would drop the Duos Championships on February 24, 2008 to the team of El Hijo del Pollo and Black Pollo V.

SPEAR Wrestling Syndicate: Realize Your Dreams Tournament - Fatal Four Way
On March 1, 2008 "The Icon" Doctor Phate would find himself in a Fatal Four-Way contest against Johnny Slayer (Chaz Leland), Earl Swisher, and Smoke. The match was part of the Block B bracket of the SWS Realize Your Dreams Tournament, the winner of the tourney becoming the new SWS North American Champion. Phate would win the match, dominating the contest and finishing off Smoke with a stiff School's Out for the victory. Phate would learn that his next opponent in the Realize Your Dreams Tournament om March 15, 2008 would be one-half of the SWS Tag Team Champions, and his own Tag Team partner, Tower!

Universal Wrestling League: 2-27-08 and 3-5-08 Television Tapings
On March 5, 2008 Dr. Phate would team with JR Zevon in UWL's Coronation Cup Tag League, facing the team of Brad Hunter and Jason Hunt in a Block B bracket match. Zevon and Phate would win, Phate pinning Hunter with a School Boy! This allowed Phate to regain his UWL momentum after refusing to submit to Brian Ross at UWL's 2-27-08 Television Taping. Phate would leave the UWL on March 16, 2008.

SPEAR Wrestling Syndicate: The Roster Meltdown
After suffering a very seedy loss to Tower, who was at the time Doctor Phate's tag partner and one-half of the SPEAR Wrestling Syndicate Tag Team Champions, on the March 15, 2008 Road to Realization show Phate decided to resign from SPEAR Wrestling due to politics. Phate leaving prompted a major part of the SPEAR roster to exit as well, leaving SPEAR Wrestling Syndicate in complete disarray. SPEAR Wrestling Syndicate would close about a month later. Phate would move on to sign with Grapple Arts World-Wide and the resurrected Las Vegas Pro Wrestling within 48 hours of his resignation.

Grapple Arts World-Wide: Phate vs. Tyson Marcus
Phate's debut match in Grapple Arts World-Wide took place on March 18, 2008 against the dangerous newcomer Tyson Marcus. Phate was able to secure a victory in his debut with his School's Out finisher. Phate's next contest would be in Danny Mainer's newly-reformed Las Vegas Pro Wrestling organization on March 21, 2008 against the sultry Fire.

Retirement
After some deliberation Doctor Phate decided to hang up his boots and announced his retirement on March 27, 2008. Disillusioned with the wrestling industry as a whole, Phate decided now was the time to say his goodbyes before he began to dislike the industry he had loved so much.

Battel Engine
In Early April 2008 Phate decided to start his own wrestling organization, the Battel Engine. Stationed in Portland, Oregon, the goal of the Battel Engine was to give the fans pure athletic competition without the gimmickry and hardcore shenanigans blocking the real talent. Utilizing a points-based system for ranking, a 2 out of 3 falls format for all matches, and a small roster Phate felt that his idea was cutting edge and exactly what the wrestling community needed. Obtaining financial backers and a DVD distribution deal with RF Video, Phate began recruiting talent and began promoting the company's first show, The Battel Begins, scheduled for April 27, 2008. The event was very well-received, producing two early Match-of-the-Year candidates. The project proved to be a tad too ambitious, though, and negative feedback prompted Phate to close the doors of the Battel Engine project on May 2, 2008.

Un-Retirement
Phate would come out of retirement eventually, settling on a very limited touring schedule. He rejoined Rainbow Pro, and joined the Albany Wrestling Alliance, during the first week of May 2008. He would join the Action Packed Wrestling organization and the GWF on May 4, 2008.

Rainbow Pro: 57 Channels.....
Phate would return to active competition at Rainbow Pro's 57 Channels and Nothing On on May 4, 2008, taking the place of The Dan in a non-title encounter against the Wild Cherry Champion at the time, Jake Bishop. Phate was able to secure the victory with the aide of two of his patented C-2's in a row. The men embraced afterwards in a show of sportsmanship.

Personal Life
Pharoah Bolding currently lives in Portland, Oregon, the state he moved to after retiring from the active competitor side of the wrestling business. He enjoys drawing and writing, parlaying these passions into a freelance writing and art career when not wrestling.

Bolding is also an avid wrestling memorabilia collector, his collection consisting of approximately two hundred (200) wrestling figures, dozens of autographed items, and pictures with some of the top names in the industry.

=In wrestling=

Semi-Retired Indy Legend Gimmick

 * '''C-2 (Styles Clash Piledriver)
 * Phate-O-Matic (Sit-out Rear Mat Slam)
 * Figure Four Leg Lock
 * Flowing DDT
 * Running Knee Lift
 * Sit-Out Jawbreaker
 * Neck Snap
 * Sleeper Hold
 * Chop Block

Demented Schoolgirl Gimmick

 * '''School's Out (Stunner)
 * Phate-O-Matic (Sit-out Rear Mat Slam)
 * Phate-O-Matic II (Sleeper Slam)
 * Running Knee Lift
 * Piledriver
 * Elevated DDT
 * Tornado Facebuster
 * Sit-Out Jawbreaker
 * Double Knee Lift
 * Neck Snap
 * Giant Headbutt
 * Senton splash
 * Chop Block
 * McEnroe (Hooking Clothesline to the back of opponent's knee)

Strong Style Gimmick

 * Gaijin Killer (Stunner)
 * '''Gaijin Killer II (Fireman's Carry Into A Stunner)
 * '''Gaijin Killer III (Diamond Dust)
 * '''Gaijin Killer IV (Osaka Street Cutter)
 * Rapid Dragon Screw
 * Top-Rope Dragon Screw
 * McEnroe (Hooking Clothesline to the back of opponent's knee)
 * Amaze Impact (Reverse Chokeslam Facebuster)
 * Forearm Smash Barrage (5 to 10 stiff forearm shots to opponent's face while holding their head)
 * Giant Headbutt
 * Diving Headbutt
 * Senton splash
 * Chop Block


 * Lariat Variations
 * Enzuilariat (Lariat to the back of opponent's head)
 * Burning Lariat (Head Hold Strong Lariat)
 * Rolling Lariat (Discus Strong Lariat)
 * Running Strong Lariat
 * Wake-Up Lariat (Quick Lariat after being hit with a stiff move and appearing to be on 'dream street')

Thug Gimmick

 * '''Phatesealer (Running Strong Lariat)
 * '''Icon-O-Clast (Vertical Suplex Into Facebuster)
 * McEnroe (Hooking Clothesline to the back of opponent's knee)
 * Nigger Four (Figure Four Leg Lock)
 * Harley Race Flying Knee
 * Flowing DDT
 * Chop Block
 * Dragon Screw
 * Top-Rope Dragon Screw

Cocky Rookie Gimmick

 * '''Phatesealer (Stunner)
 * Figure Four Leg Lock
 * Harley Race Flying Knee
 * Flowing DDT
 * Chop Block
 * Dragon Screw
 * Top-Rope Dragon Screw

Championships and Accomplishments

 * HCWA United States (2x)
 * Underground Pro Hardcore (1x)
 * Underground Pro Underground Championship (1x)
 * Underground Pro Match of the Year 2005 [Phate vs. K.O. Kidd - Hardcore Championship Match]
 * SPEAR Wrestling Tag Team Championship [w/Tower] (1x)
 * Rainbow Pro Duos Championship [w/ Evan The Great] (1x)

Entrance Music

 * "Perfect Strangers" by Deep Purple (Basic Gimmick)
 * "The 6th Sense" by Common (Rookie Music)
 * "Many Men (Wish Death)" by 50 Cent (Thug Gimmick)
 * "Supermodel" by RuPaul (Early Schoolgirl Gimmick)
 * "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani (Later Schoolgirl Gimmick