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Sam Potright
Image of Sam Potright
Statistics
Real name Sam Potright
Ring Names {{{names}}}
Height 6’2”
Weight 207 lbs.
Date of birth June 29th, 1975
Place of birth York, ME
Date of death
Place of death
Resides Salem, MA
Billed from
Trainer Walter "Killer" Kowalski
Current
federation(s)
nbW (2007-)
GW (2007-)
Previous
federation(s)
IWO (1999 - 2002)
jOlt (2001)
A! (2000 - 2001)
IOW (2001), (2004)
Epic (2001 - 2002)
Handled by Kevin Martin
Win/Loss Record {{{winloss_record}}}
Debut l. National TV: IWO Gold & Glory 1999
l. Professional Debut: July 1994
Retired {{{retired}}}

Samuel Potright, former IWO World Heavyweight Champion, was born on June 29, 1975, in York, Maine. Currently retired from wrestling, Potright lives in Salem, Massachusetts with his wife, Bethany Ann Potright and their son, Marcus.


Training and early career[]

In 1993, shortly after finishing high school, Sam moved from his home to Malden, Massachusetts to attend Killer Kowalski's Wrestling School. He would spend a year learning the basics before graduating into the local independent organizations up and down the eastern seaboard. He would spend another year shuttling in these low-paying, hardly-interesting bookings until a sudden offer came from the far end of the world—Japanese organizations, having gotten a hold of some bootleg videos from Potright's tour around the east coast, brought him over to the Land of The Rising Sun. Here, Potright was taught the "shoot" style of wrestling, containing more stiff and realized spots and a stronger emphasis on technical proficiency. He would also learn in Japan the "art" of garbage wrestling, a version of wrestling that would end up becoming a sort of signature within his wrestling style in later years.


IWO, Run 1[]

In 1999, having returned to America following a several-year stint in Japan, Potright had developed a gimmick: that of a dour, often depressed young man obsessed with shadows and death, not unlike Brandon Lee's embodiment of The Crow, sans the makeup that became well-known on World Championship Wrestling star Sting around the same time. This brought the interest of the Internet Wrestling Organization, whom signed Potright to a small contract and proceeded to adapt his gimmick for use in a tag team. Given a "nickname" that he would in later years single out as one of the more derogatory statements in his career, "Shrimp" Sam Potright and IWO developmental wrestler Paul Hanson, given the nickname "Phreak", were put onto network TV as The Outcasts during a large explosion of tag team talent in the IWO - teams like The Beverly Hills Bruisers, The Doomsday Express, and of course the long-reigning champions Hostile Youth were taking over the undercard on episodes of Monday Night Meltdown and Friday night's Hostile Takeover. However, undercooked booking led to little more than a half-finished angle with the above-mentioned Bruisers, during which the team was turned on by then World Tag Team champions Hostile Youth on Pay-Per-View. Within a month, the tag team was scrapped, and Hanson fired; Potright was kept under contract until May 1999, when he was summarily terminated due to arguments with the front office.


Downtime and IWO Run 2[]

It was around the time of his firing that Sam Potright took time away from professional wrestling—for a time, he made strides towards writing a novel—but found himself brought back to wrestling within a year of his firing, by the interim president of the IWO, John Maples. Maples also immediately hired Hanson back, and both continued their gimmick from their first run. Once again, though, the gimmick quickly dissolved, and Potright was sent back to the undercard from September 2000 through the end of October, when Maples awarded Potright the recently created Pacific title, as well as the creation of perhaps his defining series of matches: Trick Or Treat. A series of gimmick matches of outrageous proportions, the three "Trick Or Treat" matches (respectively Best 2-out-of-3, 3-out-of-5, and 5-out-of-7) were considered by many at the time to be some of the most devious and intricate matches broadcast to a paying audience. The first of these took place on Halloween in the year 2000—cementing the "hardcore" persona of Potright in the eyes of IWO fans. He would later go on to carry the World Tag Team titles with Gunnar Smith, and carry the Extreme title three times. His top achievement would come on March 30, 2001, when he made IWO World Champion Syphon Fission submit in a "Tornado" match, winning the World Heavyweight Championship for the one and only time.


Lunatic Pandora[]

During a short break in his schedule in mid-September 2000, Potright headed back to York, Maine to clear his head and oversee the sale of his parents' old house. Upon arrival, however, he found something more substantial: his former best friend from his high school years, Bethany Ann Dellwood. A local freelance photographer and journalist, she recognized Potright immediately and the two spent his time back in York together. By the end of his visit, she would agree to be his valet to wrestling events, and within two months, they would be married.

On the car ride back to IWO headquarters for angle discussions and merchandising brainstorming, the two devised the character that would make Potright a separate entity from anyone else in wrestling: Lunatic Pandora. Perceived to be the schizophrenic dark side to Potright's technical, fair-play nature, Pandora would be a loose-cannon character, symbolized by blue coloring growing through Potright's hair (achieved by something as simple as blue food coloring in squeezable gel capsules run through his sweat-soaked hair in the midsts of a match). Half-nonsensical, but "all dangerous", the character was introduced through vignettes that aired intermittently during IWO recap shows. Potright would continue to use this character for the rest of his IWO career.


Classic Feuds[]

Shortly after returning from his break, Potright was put into a feud that could be considered, essentially, his calling card: through a mixture of love/hate, he took on three different men at once. The Hardcore Isosceles Trapezoid, Donnie Daze, and Syphon Fission, the three of which he battled off and on until his leaving of the IWO in late 2001. The H.I.T. was his opponent in Trick or Treat 2, and his on-off relationship with Fission would begin the month following Trick Or Treat 2 during the finals of a "Major Push" tournament. Daze started out, along with Mike Extreme, as part of a stable Potright was put as leader of, "The Misunderstood Family". This group quickly fell apart, and these three men—along with occasional interludes from other IWO stars such as Joey Malone, Gunnar Smith, Kent Anthason, and more—would continue for a solid year battling one another.


Trick Or Treat[]

The Trick Or Treat gimmick matches included:

Trick Or Treat 1

from Fear The Darkness 1999

The matches used in ToT1 are unable to be recalled at this time.

Trick Or Treat 2

IWO Extreme Championship Match from Fear The Darkness 2000, October 30, 2000. Potright defends against The Hardcore Isosceles Trapezoid

1. Chutes, Ladders, And Tables A match in which the first man to escape from an oversized arcade playpen filled with dangerous items ranging from barbed wire to explosive boards in ball pits to the requisite ladders and tables wins

2. Uncivil War Match A match that takes place on a recreation of a WWI 'No Man's Land'. The only weapons allowed are from that era - helmets, canteens, etc.

3. Legends Of Extreme This match is a combination of the trademark matches of the Legends of Extreme. Portion one is a Scorpion Death Match cage (King Sting), which leads into a Meat Locker (The Raging One), which leads into a Dome of Terror (Ken War) and culiminating in a Bat Deathmatch (Mad Max) Once both men get into the Bat Deathmatch room, the door will be locked in the room with a single barbed wire baseball bat. To win, you must hit your opponent with the bat and keep him down for a 10 count.

4. Ancient Civilization Deathmatch A deathmatch that takes place on a set designed to resemble ancient Greece and other civilizations, complete with chariots and shields. The winner is the first one to find a specific crown and declare themselves King.

5. Sinners To Saints You fight back into the arena. Once you reach the ring area, the ring barricades and ring ropes are lit afire. A 20 foot ladder stands in the middle of the ring leading up to a 30' X 30' scaffold. Every few minutes, a 1' X 1' section of scaffold will plummet to the ring below. Two eight foot ladders are on this, and they lead up into a 30 foot high four level cage. Level one is full of tables, level two filled with chairs, level 3 has electrified and flaming sides and ceiling, and level 4 has a 20 foot ladder in it which reaches up to the rafters, painted white to resemble heaven. A final 20 foot ladder reaches up to the IWO Extreme Title, a good 100 feet above ground.

The winner of this match was The Hardcore Isosceles Trapezoid.


Trick Or Treat 3: Heaven, Hell, And Back Again

IWO World Heavyweight Championship Match from WarCry, April 29, 2001. Potright defends against The Hardcore Isosceles Trapezoid. Special Stipulations: If Potright loses, he must sign divorce papers from Beth and retire from wrestling. If H.I.T. loses, he must retire from both wrestling as well as teaching geometry.

1. Graveyard To Hell Both men begin in a graveyard with several open graves, containing anything from regular oak caskets to glass coffins. Shovels and other assorted digging/burying items lay about. First man to put his opponent in a glass coffin and smash it with him inside wins.

2. Final Destination Match takes place in an airport. First man to get his opponent in the unventilated closets with toilets in them that we must call airplane bathrooms wins.

3. Glasgow Street Fight A continual street fight that ends when both men reach the arena. This match only occurs between the other matches, along the way to destinations. The man with the most pinfalls/submissions when they reach the arena wins this match.

4. Hell On Earth Takes place in a Hell In A Cell. 4 Dumpsters are on each side of the ring, each containing weapons like ladders, chairs, tables, thumbtack boards, cooking sheets, anything you can think of. On top of the Cell is a ladder, and on top of that, there's a slip in a bag that says what the next match is, and where. Outside the Cell is a gregarious amount of tables, some lit with kerosene and lighter fluid with lighters on them, some covered in thumbtacks, some wrapped in barbed wire, and some perfectly normal. The only way to win is by climbing atop the Cell and climbing up the ladder, and finally grabbing the bag.

5. CLT II A continuation of the previous Chutes, Ladders, And Tables match.

6. Pyramid of Peril From Autumn in Hell 1999, a John Maples creation. Both guys enter a pyramid that is submerged under ground, and filled with various superstars and other pyramid shit. First one to find the trap door and get out wins.

7. Terminus The briefcase containing the IWO World Title and the important papers is placed on the roof of the arena. To win, you must grab the briefcase.


Aftermath of Trick Or Treat 3[]

This match ended in a draw. Then-in-control "President" Evan sanctioned an official, regular match as an overtime "Match 8", not officially a part of the match, in which Potright won. Following this, "President" Evan then invoked a fine-print clause in the contract that stated since Potright touched a board member (the "President" himself was taken down with a submission maneuver by Potright during the final moments of the Sudden Death match 8), he would accept the stipulation the same as if he had lost. Taken into a back dressing room, Potright did sign the divorce papers, only for the "President" to then pull two pages apart—both of which now contained the signature that Potright had just placed on what he assumed was one. This second contract forfeited the World Heavyweight Title, which "President" Evan brought to a still half-unconscious H.I.T., only to start a match for the title right then and there, with himself as challenger. Potright would come down through the crowd and turn the tide, allowing the Trapezoid to defeat Evan, "retaining" the title. In the moments thereafter, the Hardcore Isosceles Trapezoid would tear up the divorce papers, hand the title back over to Potright, and "retire" from wrestling to continue teaching—his other love.

Within minutes, though, Donnie Daze would arrive, yet another World title match would begin, and Daze would defeat Potright in the middle of the ring to become World Heavyweight Champion. Their feud would continue, with Potright tying in the IWO's May Mayhem match with High Flyer, only to be pulled away from his shot at the World title by a feud with Dane Matthews and his final angle with Syphon Fission. Potright "retired" from the IWO shortly afterwards, and following short stints with Action!, Epic Wrestling, and IOW, he left the business completely.

Current Life[]

Sam has recently rejoined the world of professional wrestling, entering the Xander Napoli-owned no brand Wrestling organization, entering into an early feud with a fellow debuting competitor who goes by the name of Yevgeni. With only a couple of months into his return, he's quickly become one of the more highly-watched stars within the company.

Notable Quotes & Catchphrases[]

  • "This... I promise you."
  • "[insert random song lyric here]"

Title Reigns[]

IWO World Heavyweight Championship

IWO World Tag Team Championship (x2) (w/ Gunnar Smith and Donnie Daze)

IWO Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (w/ Paul Hanson)

IWO Extreme Championship (x3)

IWO Pacific Championship

IWO Cruiserweight Championship

Epic Wrestling North American Championship

The Compilation Tape[]

In February 2007, the owners of the IWO license released a series of DVDs, detailing the careers of High Flyer, Tony Davis, Syphon Fission, Joey Malone, Kent Anthason, and Sam Potright in a "Volume 1" of a "Classic Stars" line. These are the matches that were located on disc 2 of Potright's DVD set.

Hardcore Tag Team Battle Royale For I/C Tag Title Shot Gold & Glory 1999 Foreign Legion vs. Young Dragons vs. Eternal Damnation vs. Doomsday Express vs. Ashes 2 Ashes vs. Outcasts vs. Fire Dancers vs. Fuite/Da Bronx Bro (W by elimination)

Intercontinental Tag Team Title Match Gold & Glory 1999 Beverly Hills Bruisers-c- vs. The Outcasts (L by pinfall)

Trick or Treat 1 Fear The Darkness 1999 "The Good Boy" Dan Hopkins-c- vs. Sam Potright (L in Armageddon Match)

Extreme Title "Pawn Shop" match: Autumn In Hell 2000 Fenix-c- vs. Sam Potright (W by pinfall, 1st Extreme Title reign)

Trick or Treat 2 Fear The Darkness 2000 The Hardcore Isosceles Trapezoid vs. Sam Potright-c- (L in Sinners To Saints Match, first Extreme Title loss)

Utter Obliteration Match Utter Obliteration 2000 Sam Potright vs. Donnie Daze vs. Mike Extreme (D through passing out, Kawasaki-style Deathmatch)

Major Push Tournament finals Utter Obliteration 2000 Syphon Fission vs. Sam Potright vs. Spaz (L by pinfall)

Three Stages of Hell Ice Age III Syphon Fission vs. Sam Potright vs. Donnie Daze (L by "crucifixion")

Spiral Tournament Match for World Title Hostile Takeover March 30, 2001 Syphon Fission-c- vs. Sebastian Crow vs. Sam Potright vs. Donnie Daze (W by "crucifixion", successful defense by submission)

World title Dumpster Match Hostile Takeover April 13, 2001 Sam Potright-c- vs. Donnie Daze (No Contest due to feed loss)

Trick or Treat 3 Warcry 2001 The HIT vs. Sam Potright-c- (W by pinfall)

North American Title Match Hostile Takeover May 18, 2001 Kent Anthason-c- vs. Sam Potright (L by pinfall)

Tables, Ladders And Chairs Beach Party 2001 Dane Matthews w/Beth Potright vs. Sam Potright w/The HIT (W by grabbing briefcase)

World Title Match Hostile Takeover June 29, 2001 Joey Malone-c- vs. Sam Potright (L by pinfall)

IWO Cruiserweight Title Debut High Flyer vs. Sam Potright Hostile Takeover November 30, 2001 (L by pinfall)

IWO Cruiserweight Title Match - Open Challenge! Ice Age IV High Flyer-c- vs. Sam Potright vs. Tempest (W by submission)

IWO World Title Life, Death, And Endurance III Beach Party VI Joey Malone vs. Syphon Fission-c- ("Gladiator" for 2nd interval)

Other Accomplishments[]

IWO May Mayhem Co-Winner, 2001

IWO's "King Of Trick Or Treat"

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