| "The Reverend" Damien Paige | |
|---|---|
| |
| Statistics | |
| Real name | {{{realname}}} |
| Ring Names | "The Reverend" Damien Paige |
| Height | 6'4" |
| Weight | 255 lbs |
| Date of birth | Unknown |
| Place of birth | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Date of death | {{{death_date}}} |
| Place of death | {{{death_place}}} |
| Resides | Los Angeles, California |
| Billed from | The Holy Land |
| Trainer | Self-Trained |
| Current federation(s) |
ACW |
| Previous federation(s) |
{{{previous_efeds}}} |
| Handled by | Jewse Nigalow |
| Win/Loss Record | 9-6-1 |
| Debut | June 9, 2007 |
| Retired | |
Damien Paige is an American professional wrestler currently employed by Anarchy Championship Wrestling[1]. He has been working with the federation since June 9, 2007. He currently uses the nickname "The Reverend" in reference to his religious background and gimmick. Damien is an extremely controversial act within ACW, often drawing the ire of the fans and his colleagues alike due to his remarks.
Background[]
Damien Paige was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to a single mother who Paige describes as having a "very bad habit of getting fixes from the wrong places." Growing up in a fatherless home had many ill effects on Damien who was regularly abused both physically and mentally from his mother and the revolving door of boyfriends she would bring into the household, many of them of a different racial background. As a result of his malcontent, Damien began to put a majority of his focus into both religion and professional wrestling.
Soon after find the Lord, Damien, upon his own accord, started up a bible study youth group at the age of 13. He found much solace in his group who looked to him as a pillar of hope through their own personal issues. Unfortunately for Damien, his good will for the Lord never translated into respect within the home. While he was still growing into a strong man, he would still regularly receive beatings from his mother's boyfriends. In response, during the beatings Damien would recite verses of the Bible, further angering the attacker.
Soon enough, a 15-year old Damien was running a full sermon at a local church about overcoming evil. Many newspapers around the area began to cover the young Paige's antics both in and out of the church. Several covered Paige's aspirations to break into the pro wrestling industry, a decision many religious leaders felt was a hypocritical act. In addition to his aspirations to break into the violent industry, Paige also learned how to defend himself against his strung-out mother's boyfriends.
In one instance, Damien was almost arrested after throwing one man from a second floor window that left the man in the Intensive Care Unit of a local hospital in the greater New Orleans area. As a result, Paige's sermons at the local church were placed on hold, driving Damien deeper into a rage regarding both his personal life and religious beliefs. Paige continued preaching his sermons to those who would listen and began to tour Southern states with them, further upsetting those who already viewed him as a degenerate.
At 16, Damien freed himself from his mother's parenting by filing for emancipation. He easily won the suit against her and quickly set off for the greener pastures of Los Angeles, California. In Los Angeles, Paige continued on with his religious specch and delved even deeper into professional wrestling. As a result of his interest and stature, Damien soon acquired many friends in the industry. At the age of 18, Paige finally broke himself into the pro wrestling industry.
Professional Wrestling[]
Damien Paige broke into the industry by appearing at several different promotions, aiming solely to get his feet wet before actually trying out or signing with an actual company. Unfortunately for Damien, his history as a reverend garnered him much criticism within the locker rooms. Because of his new pride, fights often broke out as a result and Damien would be barred from ever appearing again. As time rolled by, more and more companies began to hear word of a talented but "stubborn" wrestler who would be able to excite the crowds but nearly incite riots within the locker rooms in the process. As a result of the stories, Paige was blacklisted from practically all professional wrestling federations. All but one.
Anarchy Championship Wrestling[]
Damien debuted in Anarchy Championship Wrestling on June 9, 2007 with an in-ring promo. During the promo, Paige dressed down the current regime of ACW and questioned those the fans called superstars. He proclaimed himself to be salvation from the evil and offered to save anyone involved with the federation should they choose to accept him as their new hero. The fans chose not to buy into Paige's speech, turning on him with a chorus of boos that sent Paige into a fury. Reciting the Bible, Paige proclaimed a change in the winds that would cost ACW many.
The following weeks, Paige's threats continued. He once again dressed down all those who chose to decry his name and vowed to save ACW whether by himself or with help. Paige's words continued to resound through the halls of ACW for one more week before he finally struck out at his first victim.
Damien Paige vs. Jason Young[]
On June 30, 2007, Damien Paige made a clear statement that his first bone to pick would be with none other than "The Natural One" Jason Young. Damien Paige shocked the world when he exposed what appeared to be an alcoholism issue with Jason Young. Paige indicated that he caught Young wandering the streets performing many lewd and violent acts while making his way back to his hotel.
While Jason later refuted the reported actions, he did admit to having a slight alcohol issue. In doing so, this allowed Paige to finally strike in an attempt to cast out what he viewed as a source of evil within ACW. For several weeks the two men traded shots back and forth while battling several other superstars. Paige would win his debut match against James Cash, but would fail to capture a victory of Trevor Houston that resulted in Jason storming the ring.
Damien Paige and Jason Young finally went toe-to-toe on July 29, 2007 at ACW's Redemption PPV. After a great battle between both man, Damien Paige was able to secure a victory by pinfall after performing his signature finishing maneuver the B.I.B.L.E.
Continuing on the Path to Salvation[]
Damien Paige continued to keep himself relevant by keeping his face on television through various interviews and vignettes. While he did battle against superstars such as Ryan Phoenix, a loss, and Azrael, a win, at ACW's Forsaken PPV, Damien never truly dedicated himself to another victim. However, Eric Storm soon decided to make an 8-man tournament in ACW to determine the next rightful challenge to the newly re-crowned ACW Heavyweight champion Spinegrinder. Of the names involved in the tournament was Damien Paige's.
Damien Paige, along with Trevor Houston, SiC, Johnny Johnson, Bryan Anderson, Ryan Phoenix, Jason Young, and Draven Frost. In the first round, Damien Paige and former #1 contender SiC squared off to advance to the quarterfinals. After a long and hard fought battle, the Reverend was able to overcome SiC's aggressive style of wrestling to advance in the tournament. It was here that he squared off against a man he suffered a previous defeat to; Ryan Phoenix.
Although Ryan's high-flying, high-risk style provided numerous challenges in their second encounter, Damien Paige was also able to secure a second-straight victory in the tournament, allowing him to advance to the semifinals in a much anticipated battle against nemesis Trevor Houston. Unfortunately, the two would not be able to do battle the following week. A scuffle between Johnny Johnson, Bryan Anderson, and Jason Young prompted Houston to aid Young against the onslaught by the duo collectively known as the Legends of Wrestling.
Due to the altercation, Eric Storm informed the parties involved that Young and Johnson were officially removed from the tournament as a result of their inability to engage in a proper wrestling match between only themselves. As a result, the match between Houston and Paige would not become the finals of the tournament. The following week, Damien Paige successfully defeated Trevor Houston to win the 8-man #1 contender's tournament. It was just the win he needed to cement himself as an elite contender within ACW. Now, he could go on to face newly crowned ACW Heavyweight champion Spinegrinder.