Oney Lorcan

Oney Lorcan
Lorcan in 2018
Birth nameChristopher Girard
Born (1985-12-21) December 21, 1985 (age 38)[1]
Walpole, Massachusetts, U.S.[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Biff Busick[2]
The Carolina Panther
Christopher Girard
Frank O'Rourke
Girard St. Christopher
Oney Lorcan[3]
Vortex
Billed height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[3]
Billed weight190 lb (86 kg)[3]
Billed fromBoston, Massachusetts[3]
Trained byChaotic Wrestling
Lance Storm
WWE Performance Center[1]
Debut2008[1]
Retired2023

Christopher Girard (born December 21, 1985) is an American retired[4] professional wrestler currently signed to WWE as a coach at the Performance Center as well as a producer for NXT, having previously performed on said brand under the ring name Oney Lorcan.[3] He is a former NXT Tag Team Champion with Danny Burch. He has worked frequently for independent promotions including Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Top Rope Promotions (TRP), and Chaotic Wrestling (CW) under the ring name Biff Busick. He is a one-time CZW World Heavyweight Champion.[1] In addition, he has appeared in notable independent promotions like Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), Evolve, and Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA).[1]

Early life

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Christopher Girard was born on December 21, 1985, in Boston, Massachusetts.[1][2]

Professional wrestling career

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Early career (2008–2012)

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Girard began training at the Chaotic Training Center in August 2008. After two years of training and working for Chaotic Wrestling, he moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada and Lorcan enrolled in the Storm Wrestling Academy in September 2010. After training with Lance Storm for three months, he moved to Dallas, Texas, and received additional training from Sho Funaki.

Combat Zone Wrestling (2012–2015)

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Biff Busick uppercuts Roderick Strong at an XWA event

Using the ring name Biff Busick, he debuted in Combat Zone Wrestling at CZW Cerebral, on October 13, 2012, in a dark match and he joined The Front. Busick gained exposure in 2014 at the CZW Best of the Best XIII tournament, where Busick defeated Azrieal, Caleb Konley, and Chuck Taylor to advance to the finals. However, Busick was defeated by Drake Younger.[5] Next, Busick feuded with the CZW World Heavyweight Champion Drew Gulak. At CZW To Infinity, on April 27, 2014, Busick was defeated by Gulak in a title match.[6] The following month, at CZW Proving Grounds, Busick defeated Gulak to win the CZW World Heavyweight Championship.[7] Over 161 days, Busick defended the title against wrestlers including Danny Havoc,[8] Mike Bailey,[9] and Dave Crist.[10] At CZW Tangled Web 7, Bussick defeated Chris Dickinson to retain the title. After the match, his stablemate Sozio turned on him and challenged him to a match. Sozio defeated Busick to win the title.[11] On November 11, 2014, at CZW Cerebral, Busick challenged Sozio for the title in a No Rope Barbed Wire match, but he was defeated.[12] At CZW Cage of Death XVI, Busick participated in a four-way Cage of Death match for the title against Sozio, BLK Jeez, and Drew Gulak, but the match was won by Jeez.[13]

Evolve (2013–2015)

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Busick made his debut in Evolve at "Evolve 23" winning a four-way elimination match against Green Ant, Josh Alexander, and Maxwell Chicago advancing in the "Style Battle 2013 Tournament". At "Evolve 24" Busick was defeated by Drew Gulak in the finals of the "Style Battle 2013 Tournament". At "Evolve 28", Busick defeated Drew Gulak. From November 10 to 16, 2014, Evolve's parent company, WWNLive, held four events in a ten-day tour of China. Busick ended the tour with a record of 2 wins (against Timothy Thatcher and Jody Kristofferson) and 2 losses (to Johnny Gargano and Thatcher).

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2014–2015)

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On August 29, 2014, Busick made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), participating in their annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament losing to Roderick Strong in the first round. He also wrestled the following night teaming with Drew Gulak coming up short against ReDRagon. He returned the following show at Untitled II losing to Tommaso Ciampa and Black Cole Sun losing a four-way to Brian Cage which also involved Uhaa Nation and Ciampa. On February 27, 2015, at From Out of Nowhere, Busick picked up his first win in PWG by defeating old rival "Speedball" Mike Bailey, before losing to Brian Cage at Don't Sweat the Technique. He also reunited with Gulak to compete in DDT4 losing in the first round to Ricochet and Rich Swann. He appeared at Mystery Vortex III defeating Timothy Thatcher before getting into a confrontation with the newly formed Mount Rushmore 2.0 and specifically Super Dragon before getting superkicked by The Young Bucks. He then participated in the 2015 Battle of Los Angeles defeating Andrew Everett in the first round. The following night, he would team with Everett and Trevor Lee in a losing effort against Super Dragon and The Young Bucks in the first six-man tag team Guerilla Warfare match. He would then wrestle his final PWG match losing to Chris Hero the next night in the second round.

WWE

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Sporadic appearances (2015–2017)

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Girard appeared on January 1, 2010, episode of SmackDown under the ring name The Carolina Panther, losing to The Great Khali.[14] He also appeared on the October 10, 2011 episode of Raw[15] and October 28, 2011, episode of SmackDown, as a paper bags assistant during Cody Rhodes' undashing gimmick.[16]

On September 1, 2015, it was reported that Girard had signed a developmental contract with WWE and would be reporting to NXT the following month.[17] He made his debut at an NXT house show on October 30, in a Halloween battle royal, which was won by Bayley.[18] On January 9, 2016, he made his singles match debut under his real name, losing to Rich Swann.[19] At a set of television tapings held on January 22, he made his televised debut (which aired on February 24), in a losing effort against Apollo Crews. He then wrestled in a dark match before NXT TakeOver: Dallas, where he lost to Manny Andrade.[20] In June, Girard debuted the new ring name Oney Lorcan.[21]

Teaming with Danny Burch (2017–2021)

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Lorcan (left) and Danny Burch performing their signature pose in June 2018

From August, Lorcan feuded with Danny Burch; after the two traded victories, they formed a tag team and feuded with Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli. In early 2018, they took part in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, but were eliminated in the first round by team of Roderick Strong and Pete Dunne.[22] Lorcan suffered an orbital bone fracture during his tag team match with Burch against The Undisputed Era (Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong) at NXT Takeover: Chicago, requiring facial surgery.[23] Lorcan returned two months to the day of his injury on August 16, losing to War Raiders at an NXT live event.[24] Lorcan spent the latter part of 2018 bouncing between the NXT and NXT UK brands. In February 2019, Lorcan and Burch were participants in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament, but were eliminated in the first round by The Forgotten Sons.[25]

In March 2019, Lorcan took part in a tournament on 205 Live to name a challenger for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship at WrestleMania 35.[26] He defeated Humberto Carrillo in the first round, but lost to Cedric Alexander in the second round.[27] On March 26, 2019, it was announced that he was moving to the 205 Live brand, but would still wrestle for NXT.[28] He then redebuted on that night's episode of 205 Live, costing Alexander a match against Ariya Daivari and attacking him after the match, establishing himself as a heel in the process.[27][29] On the April 16 episode of 205 Live, he defeated Alexander in Alexander's final match on 205 Live. After the match, Lorcan shook Alexander's hand as a sign of respect, turning Lorcan face in the process.[30]

On the September 18 episode of NXT, Lorcan was defeated by Lio Rush in a number one contender's match for the Cruiserweight Championship.[31] On December 6, 2019, Oney Lorcan announced on his Twitter that he signed a multi-year contract with WWE. On the February 13, 2020 episode of NXT UK, Lorcan teamed up with Danny Burch in a tag team match defeating The Hunt (Primate and Wild Boar).[32] They then teamed up again on the February 13 episode of NXT UK in a non-title match against the NXT UK Tag Team Champions Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) but failed to beat them.[33] On the May 20 episode of NXT, Lorcan and Burch defeated Ever-Rise and proceeded to call out the NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium (Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner) afterwards by mocking their signature pose. The following week, they challenged them for the NXT Tag Team Championship, but were defeated by Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) in a number one contender's match.

On the October 21 episode of NXT, after Undisputed Era members Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong were taken out, Lorcan and Burch replaced them in an NXT Tag Team Championship match.[34] They won the titles by defeating Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) with help from Pat McAfee, turning heel for the second time in his WWE career.[35][34][36] On March 23, 2021, William Regal vacated the NXT Tag Team Championship after Burch suffered a shoulder injury in a title defense vs Finn Balor and Karrion Kross on the March 17, 2021 edition of NXT.[37] Lorcan at some point requested his release from his WWE contract, which he was granted on November 4, disbanding their team.[38]

Return to WWE (2022–present)

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On 8 October 2022, it was announced that Lorcan returned to WWE as a coach at their Performance Center. In 2023, Girard confirmed that he had retired from in-ring competition.

Other media

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As Oney Lorcan, he made his video game debut as a playable character in WWE 2K19 and also appears in WWE 2K20 and WWE 2K22.[39][40] The NHL's Washington Capitals used his WWE song "Combative" by CFO$ as its official goal song from 2017 to 2019.[41]

Championships and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Biff Busick's profile at Cagematch.net". Cagematch.com.
  2. ^ a b "Oney Lorcan". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Oney Lorcan". WWE. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  4. ^ Sinha, Saptarshi (February 10, 2023). "Oney Lorcan Has Retired From In-Ring Action". Ringside News. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  5. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "CZW Best Of The Best XIII « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
  6. ^ Namako, Jason (April 28, 2014). "4/27 CZW Results: Providence, Rhode Island (Gulak/Busick)". WrestleView. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  7. ^ Namako, Jason (May 11, 2014). "5/10 CZW iPPV Results: Voorhees, NJ (New CZW Champion)". WrestleView. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  8. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "CZW Prelude To Violence 2014 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
  9. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "CZW New Heights 2014 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
  10. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "CZW Heat 2014 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
  11. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "CZW Tangled Web 7 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
  12. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "CZW Cerebral « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
  13. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "CZW Cage Of Death XVI « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
  14. ^ "Smackdown 1 1 2010 The Great Khali Vs The Carolina Panther". Youtube.
  15. ^ "Raw - Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry". Youtube.
  16. ^ "Friday Night SmackDown - Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler". Youtube.
  17. ^ Radican, Sean (September 1, 2015). "WWE news: Two independent stand-outs sign with WWE". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  18. ^ Gibson, Tom (October 31, 2015). "10/30 WWE NXT in Gainesville, Fla.: Swann & Busick debut, Bayley books main event (w/Photos)". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  19. ^ Twiss, Andrew (January 10, 2016). "The former Biff Busick debuts & more: 1/9 WWE NXT in Citrus Springs, FL report". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  20. ^ Caldwell, James (April 2, 2016). "4/1 NXT Takeover News – Pre-Takeover dark matches, JR, Linda, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  21. ^ "NXT June TV tapings results: Nakamura, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Andrade Almas". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. June 10, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  22. ^ "A new path forged: Are Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan the tag team of the future?". wwe.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  23. ^ "Report: Oney Lorcan injured, out indefinitely". Cageside Seats. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  24. ^ "WWE NXT Live « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - the Internet Wrestling Database".
  25. ^ Bristout, Ralph. "The Forgotten Sons def. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch". WWE.com. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  26. ^ "Oney Lorcan set for WWE 205 Live tournament". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. February 26, 2019.
  27. ^ a b "Oney Lorcan appears on WWE 205 Live, joins cruiserweight division". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. March 26, 2019.
  28. ^ "411MANIA". WWE News: Oney Lorcan Joins 205 Live Roster, Kofi Kingston’s Wrestlemania Photoshoot.
  29. ^ "The 205 Live Report Card (3/26/19): Oney's Jacket Rules | Fightful Wrestling". www.fightful.com.
  30. ^ "WWE 205 Live results, April 16, 2019: Cedric Alexander defends his legacy on WWE 205 Live". WWE.
  31. ^ Clapp, John. "Lio Rush def. Oney Lorcan to become the top contender to Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak". WWE.com. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  32. ^ "NXT UK results, Jan. 30, 2020: Mastiff comes in conflict with WALTER as Imperium emerge victorious in a Six-Man Tag Team main event". WWE. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  33. ^ "NXT UK results, Feb 13, 2020: Gallus remind Dragunov that NXT UK is their kingdom with a three-on-one onslaught". WWE. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  34. ^ a b Moore, John (October 21, 2020). "10/21 NXT TV results: Moore's review of Tyler Breeze and Fandango vs. Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish for the NXT Tag Titles, Kushida vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream in a Triple Threat, Legado Del Fantasma vs. Isaiah Scott, Jake Atlas, and Ashante Adonis". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  35. ^ Lamber, Jeremy (October 21, 2020). "New NXT Tag Team Champions Crowned, Pat McAfee Returns". Fightful. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  36. ^ Garretson, Jordan (October 21, 2020). "WWE NXT results, Oct. 21, 2020: Pat McAfee conspires with Burch & Lorcan to crown new NXT Tag Team Champions". WWE. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  37. ^ "I can confirm this incredibly unfortunate news and make the difficult decision to vacate the #WWENXT Tag Team Titles. Furthermore, I will address the state of the titles further tomorrow night on". Twitter. March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  38. ^ Conway, Tyler (November 4, 2021). "Report: Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Nia Jax Among WWE Stars Released from Contracts". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  39. ^ Cole, Caitlin (December 19, 2018). "Complete WWE 2K19". Rumble Ramble. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  40. ^ "WWE 2K20 roster art: photos". WWE. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  41. ^ "Washington Capitals use Oney Lorcan's entrance theme as its official goal song". WWE.com. December 19, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  42. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (September 26, 2015). "Greatest Rivals Round Robin Tournament (2015)". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  43. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (November 30, 2014). "Tournament For Tomorrow 3:16". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  44. ^ "CZW Title History". CZW. Archived from the original on December 22, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  45. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (May 10, 2014). "CZW World Heavyweight Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  46. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 4, 2012). "PWF Northeast Lightning Cup Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  47. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2014". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  48. ^ "RCW Championship". Cagematch. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  49. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (July 14, 2012). "TRP Heavyweight Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  50. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (April 6, 2012). "TRP Interstate Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  51. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (June 30, 2013). "Quest to the Best (2013)". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  52. ^ "WWE NXT Tag Team Championship". WWE.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  53. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (October 21, 2020). "NXT Tag Team Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
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