XS3

XS3
Statistics
Real name	Matthew Keith Irvine
Ring Names	Exemplar Xavier Stevens the Third XS3
Height	6'6"
Weight	268 lbs.
Date of birth	December 2, 1979
Place of birth	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date of death	{{{death_date}}}
Place of death	{{{death_place}}}
Resides	Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
Billed from	Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, Canada
Trainer	Border City Wrestling
Current federation(s)	{{{current_efeds}}}
Previous federation(s)	Kritical Wrestling Alliance Alpha Championship Wrestling Premiere Wrestling Alliance Soul Wrestling Incorporated
Handled by	{{{handler}}}
Win/Loss Record	{{{winloss_record}}}
Debut	October 7, 2000
Retired	December 31, 2017

Matthew Keith Irvine (born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on December 2, 1979), known professionally as XS3, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler, best known for his days in the Kritical Wrestling Alliance, Alpha Championship Wrestling, and Soul Wrestling Incorporated, where he is a 3-time SWI World Champion, a 4-time SWI World Tag Team Champion, and a 1-time SWI North American Champion. He also briefly worked for the Premiere Wrestling Alliance.

Early history and KWA (2000 - 2006)

Matthew Keith Irvine was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on December 2nd, 1979 to Albert (August 8, 1946 - March 17, 2017) and Julie (May 6, 1947 - June 2, 1983) Irvine, who passed away from breast cancer when Matthew was only three. For years he grieved this devastating loss inside of him but soon he found a new alternative to take his mind off of the death of his mother: wrestling. After watching WrestleMania III, it was soon known what he wanted to do when he grew up: he wanted to wrestle. After undergoing some training at Border City Wrestling in Windsor, Ontario in 1999, Matthew would emerge onto the independent circuit one year later as Xavier Stevens the Third, a name that baffled most of the audience he wrestled for. He had a fair amount of success, working in Japan doing some dark matches for Pro Wrestling NOAH. Matthew later returned to Canada in 2001.

His first big break finally came when he joined the Kritical Wrestling Alliance in February 2005, shortening his ring name to XS3. He competed in the Grand Prix division, competing in the first ever High Stakes match. Although Isaac Sharpe won the match and the Grand Prix title, he later awarded it to XS3 after revealing he was Tyson Krifix in disguise. At Royal Flush 2005, XS3 lost the title to Joey Public in a 2/3 Tables match where the KWA Radical Championship was also on the line. Ben Drinkin interfered and cost his former partner the match. XS3 then defeated Ben in a Last Man Standing match, and then began focusing on singles competition with little success. XS3 soon joined the Karnevil for a while, before splitting from the faction in August 2005. On the final episode of KWA Rebellion before the company's hiatus, XS3 defeated Lobo Kerrang to win the KWA Transcontinental Championship.

During KWA's initial revival in late 2005, he was considered a top contender for the KWA World Heavyweight Championship. At Holiday Horrors 2005, XS3 outlasted Bullet, Wayne Don, and Carter Starr in a four way match to become #1 contender to the KWA World Championship, but lost to then-reigning champion Venom in an I Quit match after interference from Klown. XS3 has since gone on record claiming this was his favorite match of all time. XS3 left KWA on good terms in April 2006, winning his last match against long-time rival Lobo Kerrang in a 2/3 Tables match.

ACW and various federations (2006 - 2010; 2011)

XS3 then chose to return to ACW in May 2006, having a previous yet brief stint in October 2005 as the manager for Hitman of the Gods. Upon arrival, XS3 teamed with his half-brother Punished Fox to go after the ACW Tag Team Championship, held by Flower Power. Though they did not win, they were impressive enough to gain contracts with the promotion that would be their new home away from home. Punished Fox soon transferred over to Fallout and eventually retired from wrestling in mid 2006 while XS3 had a notable feud with Logan Locke, culminating in the introduction to the 2/3 Tables match in ACW. XS3's life then took a turn for the confusing from August 2006 until January 2007. He became notorious for jumping ship and never staying in one fed for too long. All of this jumping was due to stress and coping with XS3’s new band, Demon Inc.

He finally made a full-time return to ACW in January 2007 and after silencing Christine's ex-boyfriend and his cronies, XS3 went on to feud with Thunderkiss and engage in a rivalry that lasted two months and involved Kelly's sister Joanna. Her and Thunderkiss fought for custody of Samantha and Kira, but XS3 and Christine defeated them in a Critical Custody match, where the winner got custody of the two children. XS3 then took a small hiatus to care for his family before returning at Spring Into Hell. Weeks later, XS3 shocked the wrestling world by turning heel for the first time in his career in June, aligning with Thunderkiss and Jay Zero to form the Entourage. During that month, XS3 learned his two adopted children and brother were killed in a tragic car accident. All of that emotion fueled XS3 into a Legit Street Fight victory over Danny Mainer at the third annual Omega Effect. After feuds with Nick Durden and Fallen Souls, XS3 began showing a more intense, outspoken side to him that no one had ever seen. XS3 then vowed to defeat Yoko Satoshi in an Emperor of the Ring match but failed to do so. During the summer of 2007, XS3 also competed in Maple Leaf Wrestling Alliance, winning their Canadian Television Championship before dropping it to Erick Stevens a week later.

Before Best. PPV. Ever., Thunderkiss was embroiled in a feud with Exemplar, the brainchild of Seymour McFadden. Exemplar first targeted XS3 and broke him down so badly, he suffered two consecutive losses. However, it was all a plan as XS3 and Ken Dante revealed at Best. PPV. Ever. that they were the real driving force behind Exemplar. Seymour McFadden was only a pawn in this game and he paid for it when Ken powerbombed him all the way to the outside. XS3 turned on Thunderkiss and made his surprising exit from the Entourage. At Winter's Discontent, XS3 was supposed to have his one-on-one opportunity for a match against Thunderkiss in a match that would ultimately wind up being XS3's last match before an extended hiatus. However, Jason Freeman and Rattlesnake decided they wished to have a piece of Thunderkiss as well, making it a Gauntlet match. XS3 actually did not bother going down to the ring for his match and instead met Thunderkiss on an episode of Fallout, where he pinned the World Champion in a non-title match.

After a stint in Rainbow Pro, XS3 decided that being laidback wasn't good enough. He wished to challenge himself even more, even after seeing everything in an eight-year career. Hence, XS3 returned to ACW at Seven Deadly Sins in August, rekindling his feud with Seymour McFadden in the process. After meeting the killer of his wife Kirsten, Hatchet, XS3 formed an alliance with Jake Steele and Thunder Train, dubbed the Road Steelers Times Three (RSX3 for short). In addition, XS3 brought out the beast within him in Exemplar, who defeated Hatchet at Heatwave in a Street Fight.

After patiently biding his time for more than two years, XS3 was granted a world title shot in September but fell short to BK London. Though he lost by submission, there was no doubt that he had now posed a threat to the main event division. XS3 also made it to the EOTR semifinals, losing to Dan White at the event. The following month, XS3 began a feud with Bryce over respect in ACW, which culminated in a match at Samhain that saw XS3 emerge victorious. In November 2008, XS3 finally won his first championship in ACW, teaming with stablemate Thunder Train to win the ACW Tag Team Championship from Jay Zero and The Senator. The duo retained the titles at Winter's Discontent by drawing with Double Penetration (Thunderkiss and Fallen Souls) at the event, following a mighty superplex from the transformed Doomtrain onto Thunderkiss.

In January, XS3 entered a feud with Dan White, who refused to shake XS3's hand and help him out. In return, XS3 cost Dan the International title. Dan returned the favor by sending the Royles to cost The New Road Steelers the tag titles against Double Penetration. The feud led to a 4-on-4 match at Ragnarok where Dan's team of himself, The Royles and Duke Cogburn prevailed over Demon Inc. During the course of the match, Dan and XS3 were eliminated when Dan forced XS3 to submit to the Fujiwara Armbar while simultaneously being pinned by XS3. While Dan and XS3 later found mutual respect for one another, Zero and Train forced Steele out of the Road Steelers. XS3 chose to defend Steele, leading to the beginning of a hostile war. Shortly after, XS3 turned on the Road Steelers and challenged Jake Steele to his newly won ACW World Championship. XS3 lost and, after a brief stint with the Mega Star Alliance, left ACW.

XS3 made a comeback to ACW in February 2010 to challenge Chris Phenomenal for the ACW World Championship. XS3 lost once more, and after doing nothing worth noticing for next two months, XS3 once again left ACW for good. At the final ACW event entitled "Goodbye Game", XS3 teamed with the Drinkin Boyz (Ben and Afternoon) to defeat Edgemaster & Damage Inc (Ken Williams & Jason Daniels).

In February 2011, XS3 revealed on his Facebook page that he had signed a contract with the Premiere Wrestling Alliance. He debuted on the February 28th episode of Underground, forming an alliance with the Reprobate. However, the company closed its doors before XS3 could even debut.

Soul Wrestling Incorporated (2005 - 2017)

In addition to wrestling with KWA and ACW, XS3 began competing for Soul Wrestling Incorporated, an indepedent promotion originally based out of Duchess, Alberta, Canada. XS3 first teamed with Punished Fox, Ken Dante, and Maximus Dungeon to form Demon Inc. The group slowly drifted apart as each member began focusing on their singles careers. XS3 would eventually form a tag team with Ben Drinkin dubbed Lakeside's Most Wanted, and the two would win the SWI World Tag Team Championship in December 2005. They lost the belts to The Ministry, and both men focused on their singles careers afterwards. XS3 would go on to defeat Arn Allen in April 2006 to win the SWI World Championship, achieving his destiny in the process. XS3 racked up multiple successful title defenses over the course of the year. He then entered a feud with the Ministry, losing the title to Necrosphere in August of that year. XS3 would get revenge by defeating Necrosphere in a non-title Lumberjack match at Kill or Be Killed, then defeating Necrosphere's partner Ken Davids to win the SWI North American Championship, which he would hold for 35 days. XS3 would then team with protégé Joey McFarlane, winning the SWI World Tag Team Championship at Destiny Fulfilled and becoming the first ever SWI Triple Crown Champion, completing the feat in a record 311 days. After dropping the titles in April, XS3 embarked on a feud with Joey, who turned on him by wanting to step out of his shadow.

In July, XS3 won the SWI World Championship for a second time, defeating Ken Davids in July 2008 and holding it until March, when he was defeated by Joey McFarlane. As 2009 progressed, XS3 engaged in various feuds over the year, mostly putting over new talent such as Monty James. XS3 restarted his feud with his old rival Mr. Besser, defeating him in a Texas Deathmatch at Destiny Fulfilled 2009. He would then take a hiatus in July 2010 that would last until February 2011, when he defeated CK Miles in his return match at Challenging Adversity. XS3 then challenged for the SWI World Championship on two different occasions; the first shot was against Hitman of the Gods and Monty James, which ended when Monty pinned Hitman. The second shot was at Independence, in which Monty pulled out the win after a five-star classic.

Shortly after, XS3 was revealed to be the new SWI Commissioner (in reality, he was healing from numerous injuries), after SWI CEO Jonathan Rembrandt stepped down to handle the business aspect of the company. Despite being the Commissioner, XS3 would occasionally wrestle, eventually going on to feud with Monty James in June 2012, defeating him in an I Quit match at Independence 7. XS3 was fired in storyline in September 2012 by Rembrandt, who returned as a heel authority figure for his new stable The Unrest, led by Monty James. XS3 would team with Tannark Fisher to combat The Unrest, and later Starrway Enterprises. He and Tannark would also win the SWI World Tag Team titles, while feuding with Starrway Enterprises over the SWI World Championship. He suffered a knee injury in June 2014 that would shelve him for the rest of the year; he returned on January 3, 2015, helping the SWI roster beat down Starrway Enterprises. XS3 then won his record-tying third SWI World Championship by defeating Blackwolf at Independence 10. He held it until losing the title to Punished Fox in a 2/3 Tables match, thanks to interference from Blackwolf. XS3 then feuded with Ben Drinkin and his Drinkin Clan throughout 2016, with XS3 winning the feud by defeating Ben in a Loser Leaves SWI Street Fight.

After taking a hiatus to care for his ailing father, XS3 returned at Independence 12, teaming with Tannark Fisher to win the SWI World Tag Team Championship once again. He entered the Destiny Fulfilled Tournament, where he ended up fighting to a draw in the finals against Andreas Trinidad. Both men were declared co-winners and moved on to the World title match at Destiny Fulfilled. XS3 was pinned by then-champion Trent Radical in the match, and he proceeded to announce his legitimate retirement afterwards. He has made sporadic appearances since then, including serving as a guest referee for the World title match at the 2018 Destiny Fulfilled event and making an appearance at Destiny Fulfilled 2021.

Personal life

Matthew's older brother Parker (September 5, 1976 - June 18, 2007) was also a wrestler, briefly competing in SWI and KWA as Nightmare. Matthew's parents adopted Anthony Thompson (May 16, 1980) when he was born. Thompson currently competes as Punished Fox. Matthew is also the uncle of Lauren Terry, who worked for SWI as their backstage interviewer.

Matthew first married Kelly Garland on March 4, 2003, but her drug use and his schedule ended the marriage months later. Kelly died from an overdose on October 26, leading to Matthew adopting her daughters from a previous marriage, Samantha Rae (January 30, 1995) and Kira Jane (February 19, 1996 - June 18, 2007). Matthew then began dating Christine Leon (June 15, 1983) in January 2004, and the two married on November 25, 2005. Matthew proposed to Christine following his KWA Transcontinental Championship win on August 20. The couple have since had two children together, Corey Scott (February 15, 2009) and Kayla Jade (March 1, 2011).

On June 18, 2007, Matthew's brother Parker and his adopted daughter Kira were killed in a car accident.

From its formation in June 2006 all the way to his departure in March 2013, Matthew was the frontman for the melodic death metal band Demon Inc., which was formed by all six members of the original wrestling stable. The band released three albums before breaking up in January 2014.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Maple Leaf Vice (D'arce choke with alligator roll) (2008 - 2017)
  • Shadow Step / Final Destination (Spear) (2005 - 2017)
  • Winds of Destiny (Military press into diamond cutter) (2000 - 2005; used rarely thereafter)
  • X-Cavation / Fool's Inquest (Rolling cross STF) (2006 - 2007, 2012 - 2017)
  • X-Hilaration (Anaconda vice) (2006 - 2007, 2016 - 2017)
• Trademark moves
  • Alley oop bomb
  • Back suplex hold
  • Burning Cradle / Winds of Destiny Pt. 2 (Torture rack into swinging sidewalk slam)
  • Closing Moment (Belly to belly overhead suplex)
  • Complete shot
  • Destiny Redefined (Single leg Boston crab with knee pressed into back)
  • Diving body splash
  • Double arm DDT
  • Double leg takedown
  • Fear Factor (Evenflow DDT, adopted from his brother Nightmare) (2015 - 2017)
  • Final Fate (One hand suplex into powerslam)
  • Flying forearm shot
  • Half nelson slam
  • The New Game (Bearhug with hammerlock) (2009 - 2017)
  • Northern lights suplex
  • Phoenix Pounce (No-hand suicide plancha)
  • Rage of the Storm (Tornado DDT) (2004 - 2005)
  • Ralph Klein Special / Hardship (Second rope diving bulldog)
  • Rear naked choke
  • Running elbow drop
  • Sleeper hold slam
  • Spinning side kick
  • Swinging spinebuster
  • X-Rated Frog Splash (Frog splash with arms crossed) (2004 - 2005)
• Managers
  • Christine Irvine
• Nicknames
  • "Mr. SWI" (SWI)
  • "The Destined Demolisher" (ACW)
  • "The Destined One" (KWA)
  • "The Exemplar" (ACW, PWA, SWI)
  • "The Failed Artist" (ACW)
  • "The Hotel-Trashing Warrior" (ACW)
  • "The Lone Warrior" (KWA)
  • "The Notorious" (ACW)
• Entrance themes
  • "BYOB" by System of a Down (ACW)
  • "Constant Motion" by Dream Theater (ACW, PWA)
  • "The End of Heartache" by Killswitch Engage (ACW, Fallout)
  • "Hail Destroyer" by Cancer Bats (ACW)
  • "Headstrong" by Trapt (KWA)
  • "Hear This Prayer For Her" by Kingdom of Sorrow (ACW)
  • "Inhale" by Stone Sour (ACW)
  • "Nothing Left" by As I Lay Dying (SWI)
  • "Strength In Numbers" by Times of Grace (ACW Goodbye Game)
  • "Stricken" by Disturbed (KWA)
  • "Toxicity" by System of a Down (SWI, ACW)
  • "Two Weeks" by All That Remains (ACW)
  • "Warrior Pt. 2" by Lloyd Banks, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Nate Dogg (KWA)
  • "Witchtripper" by Down (SWI)
  • "You're Gonna Pay" by Jim Johnston (KWA)
  • "30/30-150" by Stone Sour (Fallout)

Championships and accomplishments

• Alpha Championship Wrestling
  • ACW Tag Team Champion (1 time) - with Thunder Train
  • Best Stable Award (2007) - Entourage
• International Championship Wrestling
  • ICW X-Treme Champion (1 time)
• Kritical Wrestling Alliance
  • KWA Grand Prix Champion (1 time)
  • KWA Transcontinental Champion (1 time)
• Maple Leaf Wrestling Alliance
  • MLWA Canadian Television Champion (1 time)
• Soul Wrestling Incorporated
  • SWI World Champion (3 times)
  • SWI World Tag Team Champion (4 times) - with Ben Drinkin (1), Joey McFarlane (1), and Tannark Fisher (2)
  • SWI North American Champion (1 time)
  • SWI Hall of Fame (Class of 2015)
  • 2017 Destiny Fulfilled Tournament Winner (shared with Andreas Trinidad)
  • First SWI Triple Crown Champion
  • Feud of the Year 2006 - vs. The Ministry
  • Match of the Year 2005 - with Ken Davids (July 23)
  • Match of the Year 2011 - with Monty James (Independence)
  • Tag Team of the Year 2013 - with Tannark Fisher
  • Wrestler of the Year 2006
  • Wrestler of the Year 2015